Tracy Flick Can't Win - Tom Perrotta

 Tracy Flick Can't Win - Tom Perrotta

Tracy Flick, the heroine of Perrota’s Election (which I did not read) is vice principal of a high school in New Jersey and in the running to replace the retiring principal. All she has to do is play the political game and, of course, like football.  

This is a very fast, entertaining read.  Some may see it as satire, but, having worked in a school environment, I found it quite realistic in terms of experiences, relationships, and politics.

Told from various POVs, it is witty, nostalgic, sad, and scary.  As the adults look back on their pasts, we see the evolution of student and sexual behavior and misbehavior through the last thirty years, poignant reminders of high school bullying, and the wistfulness of looking back at lost opportunities.    

****

First Born - Will Dean

 First Born - Will Dean

She read

Publication Date: July 5, 2022

Molly and Katie Raven are monozygotic twins with very different personalities.  Molly, more introverted and obsessively anxious, organizes her life in London around her fears.  Katie is outgoing and willing to try anything in life.  Katie is granted a sponsorship to study in New York City, Molly feels betrayed and a rift forms between them.  When Molly receives word that Katie has been murdered, she rushes to New York to join her parents who have been visiting her sister. 

First Born is fast paced and engrossing. There are twists and turns and red herrings galore. At about the halfway point in the book, it takes a wild turn.  I found the plot a bit unrealistic, but if you can deal with that and are willing to suspend belief,  this is an entertaining thriller. 

Thanks to Netgalley and Atria books for the DRC.

****

The Hidden One - Linda Castillo

 The Hidden One - Linda Castillo

She read

Publication Date: July 5, 2022

I only recently discovered the Kate Burkholder series.  Although this is the fourteenth, it is only the second one I have read.  

Kate, who grew up Amish, left the church, and is now the police chief in the small Ohio town of Painters Mill.  Three Bishops from an Amish community in Pennsylvania visit her to request her assistance in the case of recently discovered remains of a long ago murdered Bishop.  She agrees to travel to PA to investigate as the person who has been charged with the crime is the man who was her childhood friend and first love. 

With a solid plot, this is an engrossing, fast read. Where else can you find a mystery, a thriller, and insight into the Amish culture?

I like the main character.  She is smart, persistent, has a strong sense of justice, but does seem to find herself in dangerous predicaments. Set in a location outside of Painters Mill, I did miss the usual characters who surround her at home.    

Seeing someone who once played a big role in her life was emotional for Kate, but also gave her a sense of resolution and growth. I liked the ending; especially Kate’s bittersweet recollections about the passage of time and the fragility of life.  

This could easily be read as a standalone. If I ever find the time, I want to go back and read numbers one through twelve!

Thanks to Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press, Minotaur for the DRC

****

Cold Cold Bones - Kathy Reichs

 Cold Cold Bones - Kathy Reichs

She read

Publication Date: July 5, 2022

This is the 21st in the forensic pathologist Temperance Brennan series; I have read all of them.

It is winter in North Carolina and Tempe’s daughter has returned home from the army; her partner, Ryan, now private detective, is in St. Martin on a case.  A package containing an eyeball left on her back porch is the first of a series of puzzling events and murders. Are they all related?  Why is Tempe being targeted?  Does her daughter’s disappearance signal danger or does she merely need time on her own to work out her PTSD?

Kathy Reichs writing style is short, to the point, and objective. When reading her books, I am often reminded of the old TV series, Dragnet, and its terse “just the facts, mam”. Her descriptions can be pretty clinical and graphic. She has a clever way with words and a good sense of humor comes through.

Obviously, since I continue to read each new release in this series, I enjoy it.  Usually I like the main character, but in this installment, she annoyed me a bit by taking some very careless, foolish steps putting herself in such apparent peril. 

It’s difficult to put down one of Ms. Reichs' novels as her foreshadowing of events at the end of chapters keeps the intrigue going and prods the reader to go on for “just one more chapter.”

While this might not have been the strongest plot in the series, it still made for an engrossing read and I enjoyed visiting again with the old characters, including the irascible detective Skinny Slidell.  

Thanks to Netgalley and Scribner for the DRC.

****

Listen to Me - Tess Gerritsen

 Listen to Me - Tess Gerritsen

She read

Publication Date: July 7, 2022

I’m a little early with this review, but when I received the DRC, I couldn’t wait to read it.

I’ve missed this series. Although it is #13, it has been 5 years since the last one. I have read all of them. They feature Boston detective Jane Rizzoli , Forensic Pathologist Maura Isles, and Jane’s mother, Angela, a force with whom to be reckoned. Then there is Jane’s partner, her family,  and Maura’s love interest

In this installment, a nurse is murdered, a young woman has a stalker, and there is something going on in Angela’s neighborhood.   This is a solid police procedural with interacting plots and, as often in the series, family drama. Angela is featured a bit more than usual, Maura a bit less.  

I did not want to put this book down.   I wanted to read it all in one sitting, but, unfortunately, life got in the way and I had to do it over two days. If one can say a book featuring danger and death is fun, then this is a fun read!

If you have not read any of this series, this could work as a standalone….but then go back and acquaint yourself further with these characters through the earlier books.

Thanks to Netgalley and Ballentine books for the DRC.

****

The Drowning Sea - Sarah Stewart Taylor

 The Drowning Sea - Sarah Stewart Taylor

She read

Publication Date: June 21, 2022

This is the third in the Maggie D’Arcy series; it is the first I have read.  It works as a standalone but references to things in Maggie’s past made me wish I had read the others as well for better background.  The prior novels bridged New York and Ireland; this one is set totally in the Emerald Isle.

Maggie, no longer a New York detective, and her daughter are spending the summer in Ireland with her lover and his son in preparation for a permanent move there.  While vacationing on the West Cork Seaside, she is drawn into the local drama of controversy over the redevelopment of a rundown manor house and two suspicious deaths.  

Although the deaths are at the center of the story, this is not really a police procedural.  Rather, it focuses more on Maggie and her “family” as well as the relationships, secrets,  and conflicts of this small Irish village.  

With strong character development and atmospheric descriptions of the seaside environment,  It takes a while for the mystery to develop. I had some difficulty keeping some of the characters straight and I thought the plot lines unraveled a bit near the end. Still it was an engrossing, entertaining read. 

****

The Midcoast - Adam White

 The Midcoast - Adam White

Andrew and his family return to live in the area where he grew up, along the midcoast of Maine.  A teacher, coach, and would be writer, he unravels the sordid story of just how Ed Thatch, an uneducated, struggling lobsterman became wealthy and his wife the political and social leader of the town.

Don’t read this expecting a thriller or great mystery to be solved, but rather for a well written, character driven, atmospheric narrative. White’s descriptions help the reader imagine the different midcoast locations, feel the weather, experience the environment.  In addition to the main storyline,  he explores class distinctions and provides a good exposition of the pressure sometimes exerted in small towns trying to promote themselves just to end up losing what makes them desirable.  

The book goes back and forth in time and sometimes I found myself  trying to figure out just where we were in the timeline. 

All in all, a great debut offering!

Thank you to Netgalley and Random House for the DRC.

*****

Movieland - Lee Goldberg

 Movieland - Lee Goldberg

She read

Publication Date: June 21, 2022

This is the fourth in the  Detective Eve Ronin series; it is the third that I have read.

 Eve is a minor celebrity, as some of her actions in the past were caught on video, went viral, and, much to the consternation of some in the LA County Sheriff Department,  led to her early promotion to detective. While she has some supporters within the department, there are still others out to get her.  Eve is relentless in her pursuit of criminals, while somehow maintaining a sense of humor and resonance with the reader. Her quick thinking and ability to read clues indicate she is well deserved of her promotion….although she still has a lot to learn. She is helped in the learning process by her soon to retire partner, Duncan “Donuts” Pavone, an very enjoyable character.  

Eve’s case in Movieland involves a shooting in Malibu Creek State Park, which was once the location of many films (hence, the title!). It seems there is a history of shootings here that have been covered up.  Is a serial killer loose? 

This book, as were the prior ones I have read,  was well written and fast moving with good character development and touches of humor.   I read a lot of mysteries/police procedurals; this series seems to be a cut above many others.  This reads well as a standalone, but it should encourage readers to seek out the prior ones in the series. 

*****

Local Gone Missing - Fiona Barton

 Local Gone Missing - Fiona Barton

She read

Publication Date: June 14, 2022

After a romantic breakup and while on leave recovering from treatment for breast cancer,  Detective Elise King moves to Ebbing for the soothing properties of sea air.  She becomes caught up in the case of a missing local person and, after investigating as private individual, returns to service as head of the query.  

Told in alternating timelines, now and before, Barton accurately portrays  the claustrophobic, gossipy feel of life in a small village as well as the resentment felt when it is regularly invaded by weekenders.  There are many secrets in Ebbing;  this case unravels some of them.

This is a solid police procedural. Yes, there are quite a few characters introduced, and sometimes I had to pause for a second to think about and remember who each one was.  The plot is a bit intricate, but moves along at a good pace. 

I enjoy strong female characters and despite the remaining after effects of her cancer treatment, Elise is a likable, capable detective.  I also like the teamwork and caring evident between her and another female teammate, DS Caro Brennan.  I look forward to what I hope will be more books in this series.    

Thanks to Netgalley and Berkeley Publishing Group for the DRC.

****

The Mutual Friend - Carter Bays

 The Mutual Friend - Carter Bays

She read

Publication Date: June 7, 2022

Alice has been saying she is going to go to medical school for years.  At twenty eight, it is time she buckled down and studied for her MCATs.  But, there is that dating app, her roommate’s foibles, her brother and sister-in-law’s life,  possible love interests, not to mention all those social media apps clamoring for her attention.  And so it goes……

This book reminds me of some films I’ve seen with loose connections between and among people and how they intersect.  There is a wide cast of characters here, some who appear fleetingly, disappear, and then pop up again later.  Some move back and forth in time as we learn their stories.

Bays satirically presents an acutely jaundiced, but accurate view of our always connected culture.  Some of it is brilliant, some of it absurd.  The writing is sharp, but the length of some segments can interfere with that.

The book is refreshing, fun, pertinent, but, for me,  a bit too long.  

****