The Temptation of Forgiveness - Donna Leon

The Temptation of Forgiveness - Donna Leon

She read

Can this really be Leon's 27th in the Commissario Guido Brunetti series?  And, can it be that I have read and loved all 27?  YES!

Donna Leon fans are in for a treat with yet another case for the charming Commmissario.  Travel along with Brunetti past familiar Venetian landmarks, stopping here and there for a coffee or coffee and pastry.  Join him as he negotiates the politics and cynicism of the Italian justice system.  Visit again with his family and the cast of characters with whom he works.  They are all here!

For anyone new to Donna Leon, this certainly can be read as a stand alone, but why deprive yourself?  Go back to the beginning of the series and enjoy getting to know all of these memorable characters.

Too Close to Breathe - Olivia Kiernan

Too Close to Breathe - Olivia Kiernan

She Read

Release date: April 3, 2018

A woman is found hanging in her home.  Is it suicide or murder?  Soon, there is another murder, some disappearances, and a cast of suspicious characters tied to the underworld of the Dark Web and BDSM.

Detective Chief Superintendent Frankie Sheehan leads the investigation for the Bureau for Serious Crime. She has just returned from a leave of absence after being attacked while working another case.  There are frequent referrals back to this case, initially giving snippets of details about the earlier incident.  At first, I thought this was the second novel in a series and wished I had read the first one for better background.  But, this is a debut novel and in time all was revealed.  

This police procedural focuses quite a bit on Frankie’s inner thoughts and especially the impact of her recent trauma.  This is a quick, compelling read, well written with a fairly tight storyline.  An excellent debut; I hope it will become a series.  

Memento Park - Mark Sarvas

Memento Park - Mark Sarvas

She read

Matt Santos, a non practicing Jew and minor character actor in LA engaged to a model, is contacted by the Australian consulate because he might be the rightful owner of a painting that may have been stolen from his family in Budapest during World War II. Inexplicably, his father, with whom he has never had a loving relationship, will not discuss the painting or the family’s rightful ownership. With the assistance of an attorney, the devout Rachel, Matt travels to Hungary to seek evidence of his ownership.  

This is most of all a novel of discovery…discovery of art, heritage, and, perhaps, faith.  Well written with a solid storyline and good character development, this is a book of great depth, yet a quick moving, compelling read. 

A Steep Price - Robert Dugoni

A Steep Price -- Robert Dugoni

Release date: June 26, 2018

She read

This is the sixth in the Seattle homicide detective Tracy Crosswhite series and I have enjoyed all of them.  

While Tracy, who hasn’t yet announced her pregnancy, is called out to assist in a missing persons case, her colleague, Vic Fazzio, is caught up in an officer involved shooting and things aren’t looking good for him.  A new detective has been assigned to the team, causing some consternation for Tracy and the others.  Is she really there to replace Tracy?

The two cases unfold simultaneously as the book alternates between the two stories.  All of the familiar characters from the earlier novels are here, and we continue to learn about their personal lives.  

There are some twists and turns that result in another Dugoni page turner that I didn’t want to put down.  A Steep Price  can be read as a standalone, but if you enjoy a good police procedural and this is your first Tracy Crosswhite novel, you will want to go back and read the earlier ones as well.

Women in Sunlight - Frances Mayes

Women in Sunlight - Frances Mayes

Publication Date: April 3 2018

She read.

By the author of Under the Tuscan Sun, this is another love poem to la dolce vita in italia. Three women, all suffering recent losses, meet when considering a move into a retirement community.  These women are nowhere near ready for such living, form an instant bond, and take off for a year in a rental villa in Tuscany.  There, they meet another American ex pat who is a writer and her companion as well as the local characters from their classic small Tuscan town and quickly fall into the pace of the area.  Side trips to Venice, Capri, Florence, and Cinque Terre spread the love.

As with any tale of life in Italy the requisite wine and food are included…courses and courses of food. Mayes’ prose is literate and beautifully written.  She presents a somewhat idealized view of life for these women, but for those readers who dream of such an adventure, why think about the tribulations when you can focus on the beauty and the romance?  While the story may have been a bit too saccharine for me, I loved the descriptions of the

art, architecture, flora, and culinary delights of this beautiful country.  The story seemed to shift points of view throughout. The narrator is the ex pat writer, although sometimes it seems the other women take over the narration. I thought some of these shifts to be a bit “clunky”.