Review: Until You’re Mine by Samantha Hayes

Posted on April 8, 2014 by Jenn

  • Hardcover: 368 pages
  • Publisher: Crown; First Edition edition (April 15, 2014)
  • Language: English
  • Source: Publisher

Claudia Morgan-Brown finally has the life she’s dreamed of. She’s pregnant with her first child, her incredibly caring and supportive husband, James, by her side.  Unfortunately, James’ career as a naval officer requires him to travel quite a bit, leaving Claudia alone to manage the household and her twin step-sons.  After a long history of miscarriages, Claudia knows it is a miracle that her pregnancy has advanced so far. At eight months, she’s still working full-time as a social worker. In James’ absence, she’s going to need help with the twins and the new baby.

When they interview Zoe, she seems like she’s a perfect match. She bonds quickly with the boys and takes a considerable amount of strain off of Claudia. With Zoe as a live-in nanny, she can dedicate more time to taking care of herself and her unborn baby. Yet something seems off about Zoe and Claudia begins questioning her decision to bring this woman into her home.

Meanwhile, Detective Inspector Lorraine Fisher is investigating a horrifying murder: a pregnant woman was attacked, her baby forcibly removed from her body. Unfortunately, neither mother nor child survived the attack. When another woman is victimized becomes obvious that someone is targeting pregnant women. Lorraine must bring the perpetrator to justice before anyone else is hurt.

The reader is granted a fairly open look at each of the three women, each dealing with motherhood (or lack thereof) in a unique manner. The author reveals enough about each of them for the reader to form a conclusion about each of them as characters, yet holding back just enough to leave one questioning what to believe.

That inkling that not is all as it seems pays off, for near the end there is a complete and total “WTAF” moment that will certainly stun and throw readers for a complete loop. Personally, I had to go back and reread this section of the novel several times before I actually believed it happened. I was certain I’d uncovered an error in editing…but I didn’t. I don’t want to reveal too much, but it’s a scene that will definitely leave you questioning everything you read up to that point. And the epilogue!! I stated that I didn’t want to reveal too much, but be forewarned. The epilogue gave me chills that raced to my very core, definitely the strongest case of the heebie-jeebies I’ve experienced in some time (and I read a lot of dark and twisty stuff)!

At it’s core, Until You’re Mine is a twisty, terrifying, and captivating read. I devoured this book in one sitting. Although the subject matter is quite disturbing in some scenes, the author does so to inform the reader of the magnitude of the attacks and the sheer evil behind the attacker, not to shock and awe the readers. The tension she creates is astounding; I couldn’t turn the pages fast enough! If you are looking for a twisty, psychological thriller, this is, without a doubt, the book for you. Highly, highly recommended.

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Posted in Crown Publishers, Femme Fatale, Review, Thriller | Tagged , | 4 Comments

Review: Black Chalk by Christopher J. Yates

Posted on April 7, 2014 by Jenn

  • Paperback: 352 pages
  • Publisher: Random House UK (April 1, 2014)
  • ISBN-10: 1846557283
  • Source: Publisher

Six friends, students at Oxford University, create a game. The game is made up of a series of actions, a truth or dare of sorts.  The consequences of failing to complete the actions start off quiet simple and gradually become more arduous. Buy-in to participate in the Game are quite high, so as the stakes are raised higher, friendships that were once strong are shattered.  Now, fourteen years later, the reader knows something went horribly wrong. Just what it was is unknown, the reader must follow a very unreliable narrator to discover the terrible outcome of this seemingly innocent game. Years later, the remaining players are coming back together to play the final round.

Perhaps because I recently read Donna Tartt’s The Secret History, but I couldn’t help but drawn comparisons between the two.  They both involved a group of students at an illustrious university performing actions that test an individual, both involving the need to fit in and be part of the group. That said, Black Chalk does stand on its own, with a unique storyline and twists and turns in the plot.

The reader goes in quite blind; the narrator isn’t revealed until well into the novel. Many other details are revealed in parts and pieces, the novel itself an elaborate mind game that the reader must discover in their own.  To do so, the reader must have patience. Perhaps too much.

Honestly, it took me over 100 pages to become invested in this novel. The narrator was just too unreliable for me.  Not knowing the identity, or the heavy consequences of the game from the beginning, I felt that this information should have been relayed in a more timely manner. Instead, I felt as though my time and patience were strung out, waiting so desperately for a pay off at the end. While there were a few big twists and turns revealed throughout the novel, I didn’t feel the pay off was great enough to warrant the patience it demanded.

I read other reviews of this title before writing mine, a practice I usually avoid. I was stunned to see that my feelings about this book are so different than the experience of others. I don’t regret or feel bad about my feelings; reading a book is a deeply personal experience, each reader getting something else out of the book.  In these other reviews,  I see that others adored the very aspects of the novel that I found lacking. Could it be the timing of my read of the book? Or perhaps this just isn’t the title for me.

All this said, I will leave it up to you to decide whether or not you will pick up this title. It is full of twists and turns, games played on the characters as well as a reader. Give it a chance, perhaps you will have a wholly different experience than I did.

Thank you to TLC Book Tours for providing me the opportunity to review this book. Please check out the other stops in this tour to see other opinions/reviews of this title.

Posted in Mystery/Suspense, Random House, Review | 7 Comments

Review: The Remedy by Thomas Goetz

Posted on April 4, 2014 by Jenn

  • Hardcover: 320 pages
  • Publisher: Gotham (April 3, 2014)
  • ISBN-10: 159240751X
  • Source: Publisher

In the late 19th century, tuberculosis was the leading cause of death in Europe in the United States. Not only did doctors not know how to treat it, they didn’t even know how it originated. When Robert Koch, a young German doctor,  surmises that it is bacteria that causes the deadly disease, he launches upon a relentless mission to find a cure. As he announces to the world that a cure has been found, a doctor in by the name of Arthur Conan Doyle is sent to Berlin by a London newspaper to cover the presentation.  Although the two never meet,  Doyle employed many of the scientific methods as Koch,  not in the medical field but in his writing, eventually creating the character of Sherlock Holmes.

The Remedy: Robert Koch, Arthur Conan Doyle, and the Quest to Cure Tuberculosis goes far behind the relationships between these two men. As a matter of fact, a large majority of this book focuses on Koch, and rightly so. He brought to light medical practices that would be instrumental in the evolution of the field of medicine.  Goetz takes the reader on a journey through the evolution of medical practice, beginning with what seems like archaic lack of hand-washing and reusing of medical tools from one patient to another to more modern, more “sanitary” medical practices.  While the connections between Koch and Doyle are minimal,  it was fascinating to learn the impetus of Doyle’s fascination with the concept of deduction (taken directly from the scientific method) that he carried on into his literary escapades.

Filled to the brim with historical fact and detail The Remedy is the dream book for any fan of medical history, like myself. I was fascinated with just how far that we, as a society, have come in the medical field.  I’m quite obsessed with facts like this; after reading just a few chapters I’d gone through two packages of Post-it flags, the desire to highlight everything I read was out of control.   I began sharing far too much information about our society’s medical history with friends and loved ones (sorry boys!). While nonfiction, The Remedy has characteristics of a thriller, the reader following Koch and others as they try to get to the root of this horrific disease.

For these reasons, I would recommend this title to a wide range of readers. It is  a riveting history of not only a terrifying and deadly disease, but one of our society, and the truths we are able to embrace.  Highly, highly recommended.

Posted in Gotham, Historical Non-Fiction, Review | Tagged , , | 5 Comments

Thank you, Cara Hoffman (Be Safe I Love You)

Posted on April 2, 2014 by Jenn

Sometimes, readers get the opportunity to embrace a book so powerful and moving that it literally leaves them speechless. Typically, I can explain my feelings about things quite easily.  That is, until I read Cara Hoffman’s Be Safe I Love You.

First, I should give you the premise. Be Safe I Love You is about Lauren Clay, a young woman who recently returned from serving a tour of duty in Afghanistan.  Before she left, Lauren was a classically trained vocalist with a bright future ahead of her. Unfortunately, situations in her family life forced her to find means of providing for her younger brother, Danny, and their father.  Enlisting in the army provided Lauren with the financial means to provide a life for her brother. She knew it would mean she would have to leave Danny and her life behind. What she didn’t realize is it would leave a permanent and lasting impact on her life.

Going in to my read of Be Safe I Love You, I, like Lauren, had no idea what I was getting myself into. Like Lauren, I didn’t understand how mentally and emotionally altered I would feel after the experience. Though it has been two weeks since my second read of this book, I feel it holds part of my heart, my soul, captive in its embrace.

The first time I read it, I devoured it in a matter of hours. As the publication date approached, I knew I was going to have to read it again so I could formulate some sort of review. After I finished the second reading, however, I was just as speechless and devoid of any ability to write anything about this title that made any sort of sense. I tried, for two straight weeks, to get my brain wrapped around my feelings, to put into words how I felt about this book, about how much it moved me. I felt like such a failure when I couldn’t.

Then last night I had an idea. My problem wasn’t that I couldn’t formulate my thoughts about this book. I most certainly could! The format is what was throwing me off. So, instead. I free wrote this thank you letter to the author, Cara Hoffman:

Dear Cara-

I personally want to thank you for gifting the world with a book as brilliant and moving as Be Safe I Love You. You have succeeded at bringing to light a subject matter that has been ignored for so long. We sent our citizens into fight wars.  We give them the ammunition and physical armor to protect them in the line of fire.  Yet, we don’t give them the mental support and stability to fight such a battle. We run them through drills of all kinds yet never do we warn them, prepare them, for the mental onslaught they are about to face. In your novel, Lauren is a victim of our country’s ignorance. She has no concept of what she has signed up for and is in no way prepared to deal with what she witnesses in the line of battle.  Then, after she is sent home, she’s thrown back into the “real” world without any support. It is by mere coincidence/chance that someone catches something that causes them to worry. What if that paperwork was pushed to the side, ignored like so many other things?

As I read Be Safe I Love You, tears poured down my cheeks. I couldn’t help but think of the hundreds of thousands of troops dealing with what Laura faced. These are real people, not robots that can be expected to reboot and forget everything that has transpired. They can’t shut off their feelings ore erase their memories. They have to face them. And we, as thankful and grateful citizens of the United States of America, need to help them. We need to give them the resources and support they need to get on with their lives, to heal and recover (both physically and mentally) when they return from the battlefields.  We can not afford to keep ignoring something that devastates so many of our troops. This support is the very least we can do, for these people put their lives on hold, leave their families behind, in order to protect our country.

So, Cara, while this isn’t my typical way of showing my opinion about a book, I hope it allows you to see that I get it. I hope others get it, too, and that we, as a country, put an end to the ignorance that surrounds the mental welfare of our troops. Thank you.

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , | 8 Comments

Review: The Storied Life of A. J. Fikry by Gabrielle Zevin

Posted on March 31, 2014 by Jenn

  • Hardcover: 272 pages
  • Publisher: Algonquin Books (April 1, 2014)
  • ISBN-10: 1616203218
  • Source: Publisher

A.J. Fikry is…to put it gently, a curmudgeon.  After his wife passes away, he discovers his life isn’t as he planned. The small independent bookstore the couple owned on the small island of Alice is suffering. It’s peak season is summer when vacationers visit the store to stock up on their beach reads. A.J. isn’t your typical bookseller, to say the least. He’s quite particular in the books he stocks, not taking risks by only shelving what he knows will sell.  His wife’s death has left him a bitter, angry man.

When his prized book, a rare collection of Poe stories, is stolen, A.J. doesn’t think his life could get any worse. Everything changes when an item of the most unusual sorts is left behind at his store.  This delivery changes A.J., giving him the inspiration and guidance to seek a more fulfilling, happy life.  Although the life he is now living is certainly not what he expected, it is more than he could have ever dreamed.

The Storied Life of A. J. Fikry is a story meant to be read and cherished by lovers of books. Never could I have imagined the vast beauty contained within one book. It had me laughing one minute, crying the next. By the time I finished reading it, my heart was full with emotion and the satisfaction of reading a book so poignant and brilliant.

The characters Zevin creates are so genuine it’s hard to believe they aren’t real people. At the onset, I despised A.J.’s character. He was mean  and callous, uncaring about who he offended. At the end, however, he was transformed into such a tremendous character, one of my favorite fictional characters I have ever come across. As I finished reading, I wanted to plan a trip to Fikry’s bookstore and to meet the people who played such a big part in his life. While that’s an impossible notion for obvious reasons, I am comforted to know that I can reunite with them at will, simply by opening up the pages of this tremendous book.

I don’t know if I can think of an audience that would not appreciate The Storied Life of A. J. Fikry. It is a book readers will devour and fall in love with, a book you will want to talk about with everyone around you. The Storied Life of A. J. Fikry is a book about second chances, love, redemption and the love of books. Highly, highly recommended!

The audiobook production of this title is narrated by one of my favorites, Scott Brick. Guess what I’m listening to next?! Listen to a sample here.

 

 

Posted in Algonquin Books, General Fiction, Review | Tagged , , | 7 Comments

TSS: A Month in Review: March 2014

Posted on March 30, 2014 by Jenn


Books Reviewed

Total books read: 10

Pick of the month: 

I’m actually making it a conscious effort not to pick more than two favorites each month. Let’s see how long I can life up to this challenge!  So, because of the lasting impact these books had, my favorite books of the month are The Bear by Claire Cameron and Above by Isla Morley. Two very different books, both very impactful!

Most popular post of the month (based on comments):

Most visited post of the month: 

Special posts: 

Out in the Blogisphere:

Where else have I been blogging this month? Two different locations in March:

Whew! What a busy month! How was your reading month? What were your favorite books read?

Posted in Month in Review | 6 Comments

Frightful Friday: Runner by Patrick Lee

Posted on March 28, 2014 by Jenn

Frightful Friday is a weekly meme in which I feature a particularly scary or chilling book that I’ve read that week. This week’s featured title is the audiobook production of Runner by Patrick Lee:

  • Listening Length: 8 hours and 39 minutes
  • Program Type: Audiobook
  • Version: Unabridged
  • Publisher: Macmillan Audio (February 18, 2014)
  • Source: Personal copy

Sam Dryden is taking a nightly run when he runs into a young girl. The look of terror on her eyes instantly has his undivided attention. When it becomes obvious that the men chasing after her have deadly intentions, Dryden uses his skills as a retired special forces operative to help her evade capture.  After her attackers flee, Dryden learns that this eleven-year-old girl, Rachel, was held captive in a secret prison. She remembers only the last two months of her life, nothing of her existence outside the prison.

Dryden lost his wife and daughter in an accident five years ago. Seeing the genuine terror and fear in Rachel’s eyes, he vows to help her get answers.  Little does he realize how much his experience in a black-ops will help them in their attempt to elude her captures.

What they learn in the next few days is life altering, for both Dryden and Rachel.  It’s quite possible that the memories Rachel is desperately trying to recover are of a danger so unimaginable that millions of lives are at stake.

I’m intentionally being quite vague in my summary of this title for it is best to be experienced first hand, without any preconceived notions of what may transpire. The best way to put it would be a combination of the thrill of a Jack Reacher novel meeting the science-fiction-esque aspect of a Joe Ledger novel. What results is a novel jam-packed with a unique thrill and intensity.  Each time I paused in my listen of this audiobook, my heart would be pounding.  I made every excuse I could to listen to more, including taking the longer route home or sitting in front of my  house listening to just a few minutes more.

Raul Esparza’s narration of this book just added to the intensity. His tone captured the feel of the moment so expertly, demanding the listener’s undivided attention.

Runner is truly one of the best thrillers I have listened to in some time. I’m new to his work and it is now a personal mission of mine to read it all. I’m ecstatic to see that this is the first in a new series. Dryden’s character is the best of both worlds: a character that is both sensitive and flawed but also intense and unrelenting. I honestly cannot wait for more. Highly, highly recommended!

 

Thank you to Bob at The Guilded Earlobe for the recommendation. Once again, my zombie-loving friend, you are spot on!

Posted in Frightful Friday, Macmillan Audio, Review, Science Fiction, Thriller | 2 Comments

Review: Mind of Winter by Laura Kasischke

Posted on March 26, 2014 by Jenn

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  • Hardcover: 288 pages
  • Publisher: Harper (March 25, 2014)
  • ISBN-10: 0062284398
  • Source: Publisher

Holly Judge awakens on a snowy Christmas morning with remnants of a nightmare racing through her head. Thirteen years ago, she and her husband traveled to Russia to adopt their daughter, Tatiana.  The thought that races through her head – Something followed them from Russia – terrifies her. They were warned to name her something American, to prevent her life in Russia from following her, but they wanted to pay homage to her home country.  Now fifteen, Tatiana is a beautiful, raven-haired young woman.

The craziness of the day prevents Holly from pondering the nightmare any further. Her husband, Eric, has left in a rush to pick up his family from the airport. They are hosting Christmas dinner and the few hours they slept in has Holly rushing frantically to prepare for the day. When the blizzard raging outside prevents their guests from arriving, including her husband and in-laws, Holly and Tatiana are left alone.  As the hours pass, Tatiana’s behavior changes drastically, almost a shell of her original self. It is as if a stranger is in the house with her…

I don’t know about you, but the concept of a raven-haired orphan reminds me of one thing:

 

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I mean, the resemblance to the young girl on the cover of the book is uncanny, right?

Taking a step back, the resemblance in the appearance in the young girls is the only thing these have in common. What Holly learns as the cold, desolate, Christmas morning progresses is far more terrorizing, in my mind.  Holly reflects back on their visits to the orphanage and the experiences they have while visiting the orphanage. The cold starkness of the orphanage is reflected in the blizzard outdoors, now, thirteen years later.

The tension Kasischke is slow but heavy.  The reader knows the reveal will be quick and terrifying. And it was. In just a few pages, everything changes for this mother and child. The emotions readers face while reading this intense thriller will range from joy, to terror, and then sadness. I’m not going to sugar-coat it. The ending hits you like a punch to the gut.

So why read this novel? It’s simultaneously brilliant and terrifying. Like witnessing an accident, you can’t tear your eyes away. You’ll question everything, finding it difficult to separate truth from illusion.  Completely mesmerizing, don’t be shocked if you read this relatively short book in one sitting.

What stands out for me is how Kasischke used Holly’s self-doubt and own mental insecurities to build up and reveal the terror she is about to face. The reader follows as the life she thought was perfect is slowly chipped away and the horrific reality hits her out of nowhere.

While the premise might lead readers to believe this is a horror novel it actually isn’t. Instead, it’s a emotional, gut-wrenching, mind-altering psychological thriller. Kasischke raises the bar high for other novels like this, for it’s going to take a lot to terrify me more than this novel did.  Highly, highly recommended.

Thank you to TLC Book Tours for providing me the opportunity to review this title. Be sure to check out the other stops in the tour.

Posted in Harper Books, Review, Thriller | Tagged , , | 6 Comments

Review: The Deepest Secret by Carla Buckley

Posted on March 24, 2014 by Jenn

  • Hardcover: 448 pages
  • Publisher: Bantam (February 4, 2014)
  • ISBN-10: 0345535243
  • Source: Publisher

Eve Lattimore and her family live on a quiet, suburban street. From the outside, it seems as though they live a relatively normal life. Unfortunately, that’s not the case.  Her fourteen-year-old son, Tyler, lives with a rare disease that prevents him from going outside during the day. One stray ray of sun can cause his skin to breakout into painful blisters. Eve has spent Tyler’s entire live worrying about and caring for him. During the day, he’s held captive his disease, forced to live like a prisoner in his second-floor bedroom. He can’t attend school, for that would mean he would have to go outside during daylight hours.  Instead, he Skypes into his classrooms and participates remotely. The twilight hours are his salvation; it is the only time he is able to leave the confines of his home and venture outdoors.

Taking care of a child in this condition is far from easy. Her teen daughter, Melissa, is struggling. A teen herself, she is struggling with many of the things typical girls her age face. Unfortunately, as most of her parents’ attention is focused on her brother, she feels lost and alone in the world, often wishing that she had Tyler’s disease. Eve’s husband, David, works hundreds of miles away in DC, returning home only for the weekend.   It is on one rainy night, as Eve is driving to the airport to pick up her husband, that the unthinkable happens.  Eve looks down at a text and she hits something. She assumes it is a deer but when she ventures out into the rain she discovers the unthinkable.

Fearful of what will happen to her family if something happens to her, Eve keeps the incident a secret. What she has done hits close to home; her best friend Charlotte is the most affected.  Eve is so worried about protecting her family that she doesn’t seem to realize it is crumbling before her.

You know those perfect suburban neighborhoods that seem to perfect to be true? This is most definitely one of them.  During Tyler’s nighttime adventures, he is able to see the real, hidden side of his neighbors.  It is as if his neighbors think the darkness of night shadows their true behavior. As Tyler sees his world crumbling around him, he too takes actions to protect his family, actions that are only a temporary fix to the real damage that lies beneath.

I was in a bit of a reading funk before I starting reading The Deepest Secret. I began reading it on Sunday morning and the next thing I know, two hours had passed.  From page one, I was captivated by the storyline, completely mesmerized by the characters.  While this novel is over 400 pages, it certainly didn’t feel like it. I was transfixed; unable to tear myself away for even the briefest of moments.

The characters that Buckley creates are so real, so genuine, that readers will instantly connect with them. Those of us with children, with or without disabilities, will cling to Eve as she faces the unthinkable.  That’s not to say that I didn’t have some issues with Eve; she did make quite a few decisions that made me question her motives. Things would have gone a completely different direction had she been honest up front, but as a mother myself, I constantly found myself questioning if I would have done any different in Eve’s place.

The only issue I had with this novel is that it seemed to wrap up too quickly for me. It isn’t until the very end that the truth is revealed; the rest of the novel is spent following Eve as she evades the truth.  I would have preferred that more attention be given to the “after,” and I think many others would agree. I’d grown so close to the characters that the ending just wasn’t enough for me. I wanted more; I needed closure and to know what happened to the family.

All this said, I still do highly recommend this novel. It would be perfect for a book club discussion as it attacks quite a few themes that would generate a great deal of discussion.

Thank you to TLC Book Tours for providing me the opportunity to review this title. Be sure to check out the other stops in this tour!

Visit Carla’s website or Facebook for more information.

 

Posted in Bantam, General Fiction, Review | 3 Comments

Spring Book Preview: April 2014, Part II

Posted on March 20, 2014 by Jenn

Yesterday, I shared the first half of the April releases I’m most excited about. Who knew April was such a big book month!? Following is the second half of that list, including publisher’s summary and links to preorder. Get your wallets ready!

Robot Uprisings (April 8): As real robots creep into our lives, so does a sense of fear-we have all wondered what horrifying scenarious might unfold if our technology were to go awry. This anthology brings to life the half-formed questions and fears we all have about the machines we live with. With contributions by Alan Dean Foster, Charles Yu, Hugh Howey, Daniel H. Wilson, Corey Doctorow, Ian McDonald, Ernie Cline, Jeff Abbott, Robin Wasserman, and Anna North,Robot Uprisings contains meticulously described, exhilarating trips to futures in which humans can only survive by being more clever and tenacious than the rebellious machines they have unwittingly created.

Under a Silent Moon by Elizabeth Haynes (April 15): Two women share one fate. A suspected murder at an English Farm. A reported suicide at a local quarry.
Can DCI Louisa Smith and her team gather the evidence and discover a link between them, a link which sealed their fate one cold night, Under a Silent Moon? A tense, compelling and unsettling novel mystery brimming with source material and evidence set over just six days, Under a Silent Moon will keep you gripped until the very last page and asks: Can you connect the clues and name the Killer?


Ruin Falls by Jenny Milchman (April 22): When Liz wakes up one morning in her hotel room to discover her two children Ally and Reid aren’t in their beds, her mind races, imagining a million worst-case scenarios, playing out her every nightmare. When she discovers that the kids were taken, not by some anonymous monster in a ski mask but by her own husband, Paul, her frantic worries turn into desperate questions. Unable to comprehend why the man who had been her trusted partner would willingly take from her all she loves most, Liz throws herself into the search for her kids. Her investigation uncovers a disturbing incident from her husband’s past and she begins receiving ominous threats, warning her to stay away. No more able to abandon her search than stop breathing, Liz digs deeper into her husband’s secrets-only to discover that Paul’s plans are far more extreme than she ever could have imagined.

Afterparty by Daryl Gregory (April 22):  It begins in Toronto, in the years after the smart drug revolution. Any high school student with a chemjet and internet connection can download recipes and print drugs, or invent them. A seventeen-year-old street girl finds God through a new brain-altering drug called Numinous, used as a sacrament by a new Church that preys on the underclass. But she is arrested and put into detention, and without the drug, commits suicide.

Lyda Rose, another patient in that detention facility, has a dark secret: she was one of the original scientists who developed the drug. With the help of an ex-government agent and an imaginary, drug-induced doctor, Lyda sets out to find the other three survivors of the five who made the Numinous in a quest to set things right.

The Serpent of Venice by Christopher Moore (April 22): Venice, a long time ago. Three prominent Venetians await their most loathsome and foul dinner guest, the erstwhile envoy of Britain and France, and widower of the murdered Queen Cordelia: the rascal-Fool Pocket.

This trio of cunning plotters—the merchant, Antonio; the senator, Montressor Brabantio; and the naval officer, Iago—have lured Pocket to a dark dungeon, promising an evening of sprits and debauchery with a rare Amontillado sherry and Brabantio’s beautiful daughter, Portia. 

But their invitation is, of course, bogus. The wine is drugged. The girl isn’t even in the city limits. Desperate to rid themselves once and for all of the man who has consistently foiled their grand quest for power and wealth, they have lured him to his death. (How can such a small man, be such a huge obstacle?). But this Fool is no fool . . . and he’s got more than a few tricks (and hand gestures) up his sleeve.

Natchez Burning by Greg Iles (April 29): Growing up in the rural Southern hamlet of Natchez, Mississippi, Penn Cage learned everything he knows about honor and duty from his father, Tom Cage. But now the beloved family doctor and pillar of the community is accused of murdering Viola Turner, the beautiful nurse with whom he worked in the dark days of the early 1960s. A fighter who has always stood for justice, Penn is determined to save his father, even though Tom, stubbornly evoking doctor-patient privilege, refuses to speak up in his own defense. 

The quest for answers sends Penn deep into the past—into the heart of a conspiracy of greed and murder involving the Double Eagles, a vicious KKK crew headed by one of the wealthiest and most powerful men in the state. With the aid of a local friend and reporter privy to some of Natchez’s deadliest secrets, Penn follows a bloody trail that stretches back forty years, to a shocking truth that will forever alter his perception of both his father and himself. 

With everything on the line, including his own life, Penn must decide how far he will go to protect those he loves . . . and judge whether justice is worth the cost. 

Rich in Southern atmosphere and electrifying plot turns, Natchez Burning marks the brilliant return of a genuine American master of suspense. Tense and disturbing, it is the most explosive, exciting, sexy, and ambitious story Greg Iles has ever written.

Whew! Well, that completes it! My most anticipated books of April. What did I miss? Any of the books that I’ve mentioned in particular catch your eye!?

If you do decide to read any of these, I’d love to hear about your experience. I’ll keep the comments open on this post so please come back and share!

Posted in Bookish Chatter | 1 Comment