Hid From Our Eyes - Julia Spencer-Fleming

Hid From Our Eyes - Julia Spencer-Fleming

Publication Date: April 7, 2020

She read

Three young women dressed in party attire are discovered decades apart.  What is going on?

This is the ninth in a series, although the prior one was published some seven years ago.

If you want a tight police procedural, this isn’t it.  The crimes are almost secondary to the  lives of Police Chief Russ van Alstyne, his wife, Reverend Clara Fergusson and ancillary characters who are members of the police department, friends, or acquaintances.  The story bounces among the three time frames of the deaths; 1952, 1972, and “present day”.

I had some difficulty in the beginning getting into this story; did we really need an entire chapter on Clara giving birth?  And, while I did think the motive behind the killings was a bit of a stretch, I eventually found the book engrossing and well written.  The author does a good job of recreating the flavor of small town upstate New York resort areas (or any resort area) that have to balance the reality of the life of  everyday locals with the needs of well to do summer people.

I did not read the prior books in this series.  Although I liked this one, I have no desire to go back and read the prior eight.

***1/2

The Boy From the Woods - Harlan Coben

The Boy from the Woods - Harlan Coben

Publication Date: March 17, 2020

He and she read

High school student, Naomi Pines, the target of unrelenting bullying is missing and a classmate asks his Aunt Hester who is a famous attorney with her own TV program to help find her.  She enlists the assistance of Wilde, aptly named because he was once a child living on his own in the wilds of the Ramapo forests in New Jersey.  Wilde has a history with Hestor because he was once the playmate of Hester’s now dead son and is the godfather of her grandson.  There is a sleazy politician who sounds all too familiar , a wealthy television producer whose so also goes missing, and others who add to this plot.

I enjoy Harlan Coben’s writing and this book was no exception, although the story is a bit all over the place.  Despite this limitation, I found it an engrossing read.

****

You are Not Alone - Hendricks, Greer and Pekkanen, Sarah

You are Not Alone - Hendricks, Greer and Pekkanen, Sarah

Publication Date: March 3, 2020

She read

I didn’t want to put this book down!!!

Shay Miller is lonely and has lost her job.  The one thing seemingly holding her together is her obsession with recording data. Each short chapter is introduced with an excerpt from her journal where she cites relevant (to the plot) statistics.   When she witnesses a woman her age throwing herself in front of a subway car, she identifies a bit with this lost sole and becomes obsessed with finding out more about her.

As the story progresses, important background is slowly revealed as the narrative switches among characters and moves back and forth in time. I don’t want to reveal too much more about this book, but if you like mind games, treachery, deception, twists, then you will love You are Not Alone.

By the way, I also loved Hendricks and Pekkanen’s prior psychological novel, The Wife Between Us.

*****

The Unexpected Spy - Tracy Walder

The Unexpected Spy - Tracy Walder

Publication Date: Feb. 25, 2020

He and she read

CIA spy, FBI agent, history teacher/influencer.  This is the story of Tracy Walder,  born with floppy baby syndrome and the target of childhood bullying that stays with her all her life, despite her professional success.  It is also the story of the mysogyny rampant in government agencies and one woman’s desire to educate girls to change that environment.  It is a fascinating, engrossing read.

Quite a bit is redacted (the reader is warned about this in the beginning).  In most places, it doesn’t interfere. In fact, I found myself playing a form of Mad Libs, making up my own terms for the missing words.  However, in some instances, there were full paragraphs redacted and that made me very curious about what I was missing!


He also really liked this book
*****

One Day You'll Burn - Joseph Schneider

One Day You'll Burn - Joseph Schneider

She read

This police procedural, a debut novel,  is well written and highly recommended for those who enjoy this genre.

A badly burned corpse is at the center of this story, with the pursuit of a dog poisoner a secondary case.  The LA homicide squad who investigates these cases is composed of some unique characters, including rookie Detective Tully Jarsdel, a former academic with an almost completed PhD in history.  He is teamed with veteran detective Oscar Morales. This different slant on a police protagonist is refreshing.

An engrossing read, with strong and interesting character development, the somewhat macabre resolution of the case did not take away from my enjoyment of the book.  It is anticipated that this is the beginning of a series, and I look forward to the next one.

Children of the Stars - Mario Escobar

Children of the Stars - Mario Escobar

He and she read

Publication Date:  Feb. 25, 2020

This engrossing book is a testament to the spirit of hope and manifestation of love for mankind.

Jacob and Moses’ parents, having emigrated from Germany with the onslaught of WWII, leave them with their aunt while they seek work first in southern France and then Argentina.  The children are rounded up and taken to the Velodrome d’Hiver, as were 13,000 other Jewish citizens.  Through a sequence of luck and help of others, they escape not only the Velodrome but also series of other close calls.  Eventually, they make their way to the town in France to where their parents have emigrated, only to find that they were on their way to Argentina. Again, with assistance and luck, they make their way to  Le Chambon -sur-lignon.
It is here where we are introduced to historically real characters who did in fact welcome and assist many refugees. Eventually, the brothers realize they must head out on their own to make their way to Argentina.  Again, with the help of others as well as luck, they are on their way to being reunited.

There are many stories of good people helping during the atrocity that was the Holocaust.
Jacob and Moses story seems to be a compendium of many of those actions which made the overall action seem a bit implausible.  Yet, that did not deter from this compelling narrative.

To paraphrase a quote from the book, you can choose fear or love; when you choose fear, you make all the wrong decisions.  This book is truly a cautionary tale for our times


He also really liked this book
*****