By Rosamund Lupton

The Short Take:

You could call this book a crime mystery (and whether there is a crime is actually in grave doubt) and you could call it a voyage of self-discovery. It’s hard to say which aspect outweighs the other. And there’s a major twist at the end that keeps the tension going to the very last line.

Why?

There’s a lot of guessing in this book. And assumptions. And wild accusations. And those are just on the part of the main character, Bee. Written in first person, the book consists of Bee’s imagined monologue to her dead sister, Tess, explaining just how she figured everything out about Tess’ death.

The story jumps between two timelines that aren’t very far apart from each other. One traces Bee’s investigation, the other is built around her retelling of the investigation to a lawyer. As you can imagine, sometimes it’s a bit confusing which timeline you’re in, but as it all winds up in the same place, there’s really no need to worry about it.

Lupton’s book is also very much a character study of the two sisters — one who embraced all of life (and is now dead) and the other who has sought safety and security  over actual living (that would be Bee). Add to this a thread of possible insanity running throughout (and we could be talking about either or both women here), and you’ve got a really solid modern gothic novel.

You’re really never quite sure where this debut novel is headed, but when it gets there — boy, what a surprise! And, it didn’t feel like a rabbit pulled out of a hat to me. The hints where there but very clever. At least, I sure didn’t suspect a thing until 20-20 hindsight kicked in.

A Little Plot:

English expat Bee races back to London when her mother reports that younger sister Tess is missing. Tess’ body is soon found and all signs point to a suicide — her wrists are slashed and she’d just had a stillborn child. But Bee is convinced that her sister would never end her own life and starts investigating every conceivable angle of Tess’ life to prove her point.

Bee uncovers a lot (the lover, the stalker, the medical procedures, the shrink), and she is glad to share every new discovery and resultant theory with investigators and doubting family members — encouraging doubts about her own mental stability.

It’s a fine mess. And I do mean fine. If you want to know more about Lupton and her book click here.

By Bernie McGill

The Short Take:

This dark tale about the accidental death of a child and how how it impacts the lives of two women — the mother and the maid — is beautifully wrapped in Irish culture. And, McGill’s elegant prose smoothly adapts to the two unique voices of her protagonists.

Why?

In 1892 Ireland, Harriet, the mother, and Maddie, the maid may occupy the same house but they are worlds apart. Class, religion, and position create a great divide. Yet for both of them, their actions and attitudes are driven by passions  suppressed by their circumstances.

Harriet is not presented as a sympathetic character. Her discipline of her children is extreme even for the times. She comes across as unyielding and unimaginative. But as her story unfolds you begin to understand, and appreciate, who she is.

Maddie, who feels like such an innocent at first, is the one with secrets and betrayals. And, it is when she lets her passion show that each slip takes place.

Harriet’s tale is revealed through a diary she keeps while in jail for the death of her young daughter. Maddie tells her story in person to Harriet’s granddaughter — the last child she was nanny to. Interestingly — and telling — the two women’s narratives are intricately intertwined,even though they had virtually no interaction.

There is an actual butterfly cabinet. Harriet collects them. Its symbolism is exceptionally revealing, for both women.

A Little Plot:

To keep her family from starving,Maddie goes to work for the aristocrats in the castle. Harriet, the mistress of the big house, has numerous children and sees it as her duty to discipline them however necessary to break their wild spirits and civilize them.

Her methods lead to the death of her young daughter, and she is tried and convicted for murder.

But there’s far more to this sad tale than you’d think. And, that is the story McGill unspools so hauntingly.

For more about Bernie McGill and her work, click here.

By Mary Horlock

The Short Take:

This will certainly give you a different take on the Guernsey WWII years than The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society.  Also Horlock’s teen narrator feels completely real. And, it’s a straight up good read — three big pluses already.

Why?

Set in the 1980s, with interspersed bits from shortly after the war, this book captures a lot of the emotional conflicts and damage the Nazi occupation caused on the Channel Isle of Guernsey — not only during those five years, but for decades beyond.

The islanders were in an untenable position: fear and deprivation were so overwhelming that acts of defiance could easily earn your neighbors condemnation — only exceeded by the hatred that accompanied any perceived form of cooperation.

But all this is the back story to the saga of an overweight, scholarly teenage girl, Cat Rozier. Surprisingly, the unpopular Cat is swooped up as a best friend by a stunningly gorgeous new student, Nic.

It’s a strange and disturbing alliance. Horlock does an excellent job of conveying how an otherwise-bright teen can delude herself about the why’s and wherefore’s of her relationships and the motivations behind them.

Cat’s recently passed father  was obsessed with recording the accurate history of the Guernsey war years. His efforts to get to the truth about his own family’s WWII history has strong parallels with Cat’s own story, and the two narratives progress side by side. However, his efforts were not embraced by the islanders, who prefer to remember events in a hazier, more forgiving manner. Plus, the Rozier name has its own war year scandal to bear.

This is not a difficult read, but the plot offers a richness and subtlety that reach far beyond the surface. There’s a lot to think about if you chose to. Either way, you get to enjoy two fascinating tales of friendship and betrayal, as well as gain a whole new appreciation for just what the people of Guernsey faced during those five long WWII years.

A Little Plot:

When Nic befriends Cat, her whole world changes — she’s smoking, drinking, and basking in the company of the most popular girl in school. But Cat kills Nic (accidently), a secret nobody knows. She feels compelled to write down their whole story just to try and understand how one thing lead so tragically to another.

Interspersed with Cat’s story are  the remembrances of her Uncle Charlie, and his own complicated friendship with another teen during the WWII years — a friendship that also leads to death… and secrets. Cat’s father was deep into researching just what happened then when he died.

The two stories parallel each other, tracing relationships that grow, fracture, and are never quite what they seem. Good stuff. Good writing.

I couldn’t find a website for Horlock, but did find a YouTube video, shot on guernsey, that gives you more insights as well as some relevant Guernsey views. Click here to check it out.

By Jo Nesbø

The Short Take:

Steig Larsson has no monopoly on dark Nordic mysteries. In fact, Nesbø raises the bar at least several notches with this tightly written, red-herring-laden mystery. I was enthralled. Plus I guessed who “did it” four different times — and was wrong, wrong, wrong, wrong.

Why?

This was a really, really good mystery. It jumped right in with a disappearance and never lest you go until the final page. While The Snowman is the seventh of the Detective Harry Hole  books (go ahead and get your giggles in about that name now, or am I the only with a Sophomoric sense of humor?) to be translated into English, it appears to be the first one to get star treatment. The good news: now we can pick up all the previous translations without having to wait around. I predict there’s going to be a lot of that going on.

Hole makes a good protagonist. He’s smart, tortured, both respected and disparaged by his peers, and has an ongoing battle with alcohol. That gives him plenty of texture and the necessary staying power for future reads. There’s so much plot to this densely-woven mystery his supporting characters don’t get the chance to be as fleshed out, but that might be because this is seventh in the series (though the first I have read) and you’re already supposed to know them.

What really impressed me was the plot itself. You think you know who the villain is, then Nesbø turns everything around. And that happens several times. That’s some pretty nifty mystery writing.

A Little Plot:

It seems women are disappearing at an abnormal rate in Norway — on the day of the fist snowfall. Harry Hole suspects a serial murderer is at work, but his fellow detectives think Harry just wants to find a serial murderer because he studied them back in the U.S.A.

As the disappearances increase, and the body count starts, Hole races to put together the clues, prevent the next murder, and — ultimately– protect himself from becoming the next victim.

There’s a lot going on, for sure. To visit Nesbø’s website for more about him and his books, click here.

By Jennifer Hillier

The Short Take:

Think Basic Instinct (Michael Douglas, Sharon Stone) but with an interesting role reversal, a lot of unexpected twists, and written in thriller style, plus more psychological slants than you can shake a stick at. Yikes! It’s hard to put this one down.

Why?

It’s not often you come across a book where the protagonists and antagonists all have demons to fight. Despite flaws all around, you’ll have no problem developing empathy for the beleaguered psych professor, Sheila Tao — though it might take you a bit — and an aversion to Ethan Wolfe, her dumped lover who turns… well, you’ll see.

It’s an interesting idea, and certainly a novel one, to give almost all your characters an addiction or perversion to work through (or give in to). Doing that could make it pretty hard to tell the good guys from the bad, but Hillier pulls it off. And she keeps you guessing about a lot of things: Who is the victim here? Who is the real bad guy? Who will forgive? Who will survive?

It’s an ideal summer read, as long as the Creep factor doesn’t get to you. Because it is in evidence and that’s what makes this book so very readable.

A Little Plot:

With a thriller, you don’t want to know too much in advance. It ruins things.

Sheila is engaged to the man of her dreams and must break off an illicit affair with her graduate assistant, Ethan. Unfortunately, Ethan doesn’t want to break things off and threatens revenge.

That’s all the plot you’re getting for me. Read Jennifer Hillier’s first novel is you want more. And, to visit her website, click here. Or, if you just want to know more about Creep, she’s got another website you can visit by clicking here.

By Ken Babbs

The Short Take:

This book is fierce: fiercely funny, fiercely written, and fiercely experienced. Set in the early days of the Vietnam War (the USA was just an advisor), it’s powerful in every sense of the word without being too in your face about the horrors of war. Babbs calls it a novel, but it felt like the real deal to me. I’m not a fan of war books in general, but I am a fan of this one.

Why?

One can hardly avoid comparing this novel to the WWII classic, Catch-22. They’re both set during wartimes, they both feature air missions (though these guys fly helicopters), and they both include various military SNAFUs. But while one was a classic satire, this book feels more like on-the-ground reporting: gritty, raw and in the moment. Yet it also includes some of the funniest sequences I’ve ever read in any book. I’m talking hysterically funny.

Also, while it as gritty and raw, it’s not gross (as in overly bloody) and it certainly isn’t preachy. Possibly the cleanest way to describe Babbs’ approach to his story telling is this: It is what it is. That’s how his Marine pilot characters face each day. And, that’s how their story is presented. There is no grandstanding or moralizing. You’ll take away from this book exactly what you bring to it.

The closest I’ve been to any war is visiting Gettysburg six score years after the battle, but this book certainly felt right. The staccato writing enhanced a sense of urgency that infused both the transport of troops into war zones surrounded by mountains and draped with fog, as well as the frantic searches for some kind of release when it came time for R and R. In fact the hardest thing for me to believe was if this was truly a novel and not Babbs’ own experiences as a Vietnam helicopter pilot.

By the way, Ken Babbs was a major player with Ken Kesey’s Merry Pranksters after his Vietnam stint and helped Kesey with some of his writing. I don’t know why it took Babbs so long to finish his own book. But I can say this: It is worth the wait. And fierce.

A Little Plot:

Two Marine majors pair up at flight school and then ship out to Vietnam, where they share missions, quarters, and outrageous behavior. Tom Huckelbee is the product of four generations of Army soldiers but breaks away to be a Marine. Mike Cochran comes from a family of Ohio gangsters and enjoys mixing it up. They’re all arrogance and ignorance, and not very good at subservience. They thrive on flying into danger. When on the ground, they seek out more danger just for continue feeling alive. And, no war or commanding officer can stand in their way.

To visit Ken Babbs website click here. Unlike a lot of writer’s sites, it’s not focused only on his book. It’s fun to explore just for itself.

I’ve been reading the first four books of George R. R. Martin’s Songs of Fire and Ice epic fantasy. Actually, it would be more accurate to say I’ve become addicted. And, frankly, I think to call them fantasies is not all that fair. These are not mere genre books. They are simply terrific.

The first four reflect more than 4000 pages of reading (in paperback), so that’s where I’ve disappeared (and I’m now j0nesing for the next one — due in July). More about other books coming very, very soon. I promise.

By Ben Ryder Howe

The Short Take:

The true story of an uber WASP joining with his Korean wife and inlaws to purchase and run a deli in Brooklyn can’t help but be quite amusing. However, Howe made this journey a memoir about himself and , frankly, he’s the least interesting character.

Why?

The book is an enjoyable read. It is quite funny at times and peppered with those delightful characters that only come from the real world. But…  OK, I admit I am not a memoir fan, though maybe I’ve just read the wrong ones. Reading about others’ self-examinations and insights simply tends to irritate me.

Howe didn’t go too terribly far in that self-analysis direction but whenever he did, I lost interest. I just can’t appreciate how miserable it must be working with George Plimpton (!) as senior editor for the highly prestigious The Paris Review. Wah, wah.

But I sure wish there had been more about the deli, his bulldog of a mother-in-law, Kay, his strangely forgetful wife, and the other intriguing characters in this book.  Judging from the tantalizing small  tastes Howe provided, a book centered on any of them could be a feast.

Reading along, one also experienced far too many “Wait a minute, what happened with…?” moments. Situations would be brought up, presented as important developments or potential conflicts, and then disappear unresolved. I kept expecting the tale to wind back to them again, but it never happened.

I wish Howe would write this book again, with himself in the background. Now THAT would be a grand read indeed.

A Little Plot:

Howe’s wife, Gab, decides she wants to thank her mother for all her sacrifices by buying her a deli (don’t ask me to explain the logic). Mom (Kay), she and Howe will be the owners. It takes awhile to find the right one and once they do things get off to a rocky start. Then unexpected debts start rearing their heads.

Meanwhile, Howe is trying to hide his waning interest in The Paris Review from owner Plimpton, and is worried about the literary magazine’s future as well as the deli.

In addition to juggling duties at the magazine and the deli, Howe struggles to reconcile his ancestors-on-the-Mayflower, conservative, Puritan upbringing with the social and mental skills necessary for a risk-taking entrepreneur.

I fyou want to know more, I found this interview with the author: Just click here.

By Alan Bradley

The Short Take:

Another thoroughly enjoyable Flavia de Luce mystery novel by the ever-entertaining Alan Bradley. This is his third entry and I do believe they just keep getting better. I can barely stand the wait for the next one.

Why?

Bradley writes an all-ages book (well, maybe for 10 or 12 and above, depending on the kid) that any adult can thoroughly enjoy. Flavia is smart, energetic,inquisitive, and determined. She also has a passion for chemistry, which plays at least a minor role in every mystery she solves. Who could ask for a better role model for girls?

In addition, the mystery plot has as many red herrings and complexities as you’ll find in any adult crime novel. But if also features a sweet and engaging innocence, largely due to Bradley’s brilliant choice of 1950s rural England as the setting. Murder and mayhem might take place, but it’s never quite what you think.

Flavia’s family — a distant father who lives for his stamps, two older sisters who pick on Flavia relentlessly, a missing/dead mother (I continue to hold out hope), and an enigmatic family retainer — bring wonderful texture to these books, from their fascinating personalities to the decaying estate they call home.

If only Nancy Drew had been a quarter this good! An eighth!

A Little Plot:

After accidently burning down a gypsy’s fortune telling tent, Flavia guides the older woman’s caravan to a secluded place on her family’s estate as a way of saying “sorry.” Unfortunately the gypsy is badly beaten and, if Flavia had not come upon her, would have died.

Distraught, Flavia tries to figure out the who and why of this assault. Meanwhile, a murder, stolen antiques, an odd religious sect, and a missing baby all add to the mystery’s complexity. Are Flavia and her trusty bike, Gladys, up to the challenge? What do you think?

To visit Alan Bradley’s Flavia de Luce website, click here.

By Téa Obreht

The Short Take:

I loved reading this book but am not at all sure what to say about it in hindsight. It takes a magical realism approach to exploring the life of a prominent physician in the Balkans through war and peace. Every page was a joy to read, but somehow I was vaguely dissatisfied in the end.

Why?

Ostensibly this book is about a young woman doctor, Natalia, who is trying to piece together secrets from her grandfather’s past in order to better understand his death. To me, it was more about her grandfather’s life, from the people he grew up with, through the wars and the dissolution of his country (think Yugoslavia), and his life-changing encounters with a tiger, the tiger’s wife, and a deathless man.

Key characters of his childhood village are introduced then later given backstories which may or may not change how you feel about them. Death and war and the way people embrace or deny them are a constant theme. The writing is lyrical, the creativity obvious. But, somehow, the end felt flat footed compared to the rest of this wondrous novel. Don’t get me wrong — it’s still well worth reading. And it is surely quite possible that I just didn’t “get it.”

A Little Plot:

Natalie is carrying vaccines to an orphanage when she learns her grandfather has died in some remote village that no one has heard of. As she goes about her own tasks and strives to locate this village, she thinks back on tales her grandfather told her: a man he met who could not die; a tiger that roamed outside his village and befriended a deaf-mute girl; how he came to be a doctor.

She also reflects on their own shared past, from daily trips to the zoo to the distances that grew between them as she matured. The narrative vacillates between various times in the past and the present but is presented in such a way that is fairly easy to keep track of and keeps you wondering what happens next.

For more about the author, click here.