By R. H. Herron

This book surprised me in a positive way. Though promoted as a thriller it read more like a police-driven murder mystery. I thought I had it all figured out half way through. So wrong. Which is good.

Why?

Like many mystery readers I’m accustomed to people outside the police department solving crimes: private investigators, nosy old ladies, and the like. In this case a police dispatcher and her police chief husband were at the heart of the plot. The author drew from her own experiences as a 911 dispatcher to add authenticity (I suppose) to her story.

While completely justified at some points, the continued histrionics of the characters got to me at times. Should a teen’s irritation with her mother draw a reaction equal to when she learns she’s been raped?

However, the plot moved so nimbly with the finger of guilt pointing to first one person then another, it was easy to over look this fault. Herron did a good job of revealing facts over time and leading you to suspect different individuals.

This one was a genuine page turner.

A Little Plot:

Laurie is at her job as a 911 police dispatcher when her next call turns out to be her daughter, Jojo, who has awakened in an unknown place. When the police find her (quickly done) they also find a sleeping pro football star, a dead body, and it’s clear Jojo has been drugged and assaulted.

For more about R. H. Herron and her books click here.

By Kevin Wilson

The Short Take:

Don’t expect to read a book like this ever again. Wilson has produced a genuine original featuring children that catch on fire (rest assured: they don’t burn up). The growing attachment between these twins and their ambivalent caretaker will warm your heart (pun intended).

Why?

Take a protagonist with a dead end job, living with an uncaring mother (at age 28), and no prospects. Add 10-year-old twins who have an unfortunate tendency to burst into flames when emotions run high. This might not sound like the recipe for a charming, wonderful book but it was thoroughly delicious.

Lillian, the loser heroine, is disconnected yet quirky, with hysterical insights about everything from extreme wealth to parenting to the use of pitchers. The kids justifiably distrust everyone. They realize folks don’t want to be around people who can torch your home and you and act accordingly.

Somehow these three build a relationship based on honesty between caregiver and child, direct conversation, junk food, and basketball. And they are all deeply and permanently changed by their short summer together.

A Little Plot:

Lillian is contacted about a job by Madison, a rich, beautiful girl she briefly went to high school with. Madison is wife to a U.S. Senator aspiring to higher office, and now has his two fiery kids from a former marriage coming to live with them since the death of their mother. They need to be kept cool (literally) and out of sight and. Lillian has no qualifications but she takes the job. Hot times ensue.

For more about Kevin Wilson and his books, click here.