Follow Me - Kathleen Barber

Follow Me - Kathleen Barber

She Read

Publication Date:  Feb. 25, 2020

Audrey Miller, an “influencer” with over a million followers has relocated from New York to Washington DC for her dream job where she is reunited with an old friend as well her ex boyfriend from college.  Foolishly renting an apartment over the internet, she finds the basement location to be lacking in security.  And, security is exactly what she needs as she is pursued by someone who has become obsessed with her via her online presence.

This is an engrossing, can’t put down quick read that is reflective of our social media crazed culture. Told from three different points of view, there are red herrings and surprising personalities. At times, the characters reminded me more of middle schoolers than mature functioning women holding down professional jobs……is that really endemic of that generation?  Or, is that what social media has done to us?

Not to be a spoiler, but……..see if  you can read this novel without putting it down and getting up to cover the webcam on your computer!!!!

All the Best Lies - Joanna Schaffhausen

All the Best Lies - Joanna Schaffhausen

She read

Publication Date:  Feb. 11, 2020

This is the third in the series featuring FBI agent Reed Markham and police officer Ellery Hathaway. As a young teenager, Ellery was kidnapped, raped, and tortured; she was rescued by Markham. Now an adult, Hathaway has formed a close relationship with Markham.
They team up to solve the brutal murder of Hathaway’s mother, some forty years ago.

I couldn’t put this book down.  Its intriguing plot and strong character development compelled me to keep reading on and on. It earns a rare five stars from me.

Although I don’t feel that I missed anything by not having read the prior two novels in this series, I definitely want to go back and read them.

The Janes - Louisa Luna

The Janes - Louisa Luna

She read

This is the second in the Alice Vega/Max Caplan series.  I read and liked the first one.  This time, they team up to investigate the deaths of two “Jane Does” suspected to be victims of human trafficking.

Yes, some of the action is a bit implausible, it took me a while to get through the story, and there was a lot of violence; yet, I liked the book.  The characters and dynamic between them is what makes the story work.

  ****

The Tenant - Katrine Engberg

The Tenant - Katrine Engberg

She and he read

This is a Nordic noir novel, so it is characteristically a bit dark.  That said, I really liked it.  Clever plot, good character development, well written, fast reading; I couldn’t put it down.  I look forward to more from this author.  

He liked it as well

Trace Elements - Donna Leon

Trace Elements - Donna Leon

She read

Publication Date:  March 13, 2020

I am a huge fan of Donna Leon’s Guido Brunetti series and have read and loved all 29 of them.  As is often the case in this series, Leon’s writing is at its best when it is concerned with the domestic affairs and exchanges of the Brunetti family or Guido’s interaction with the colorful supporting characters in his Questura.   And, one always learns something from these books; in this case, it is the testing of the water system serving the Veneto.

It almost doesn’t matter what the case involves, for Brunetti’s charming approach to solving it and his unique, albeit cynical view of the concept of justice as it applies to the Italian legal system is foremost.  

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 her memorable characters. It is a joy to read such a literate writer.

*****

The Sacrament - Olaf Olafsson

The Sacrament  -  Olaf Olafsson

She read


This is a  novel of longing and memory, beautifully written.  Sister Joanna’s story is told from various time frames, as a young student in France, a nun asked to investigate possible abuse at a church school in Iceland, a return trip at the request of a former student, and as an aging sister living a comfortable, simple life back in France.  

*****