Split - Alida Bremer

 Split - Alida Bremer

She read

Pub Date:  Jan. 1, 2024

1936 Split, Croatia, Yugoslavia is teeming with individuals of various ethnicities and political proclivities.  Having come off the Great War and seemingly heading toward another, there are Croats, Serbs, Italians, Mulims, Jews, refugees, locals who smuggle them, Fascist supporters of Mussolini, Communists, Nazis, a German film crew making Nazi propaganda.  Josip Broz, known as Tito, is preparing from abroad for his eventual ascension as leader of the country.  

During one hot week, a murder is committed and it is up to Superintendent Mario Bulat to sort through all the possible suspects to find the guilty party. As he searches, the reader is introduced to various residents of Split as well as their political leanings.

This translated historical fiction/mystery is not a typical read.  The former Yugoslavia was a mingling of various southern Slavic peoples and that mixture is realistically portrayed. The mystery takes a back seat to all the political machinations going on at that time. There are a lot of historical facts noted and those unfamiliar with them may find themselves Googling for more information.

There are a lot of characters and they are all listed and described in a preface to the chapters.  I thought I might lose track of who was who, but there was enough repetition of main players that I caught on to who was who quickly.  

The writing is beautifully descriptive and detailed, portraying the charm and allure of the city, as well as its people and its cuisine. This book is not for everyone, but I really enjoyed it.  

Thanks to #netgalley and #amazoncrossing @amazonpublishing for the ARC

****

Rabbit Hole - Kate Brody

 Rabbit Hole - Kate Brody

She read

Publication Date:  January 2, 2024

Teddy has always been somewhat obsessed with the disappearance of her older sister, Angie, ten years ago. When her father commits suicide she discovers his obsession with the disappearance led him to active involvement with a Reddit community centered around Angie. When Teddy enters the community and starts communicating with others, it only intensifies her preoccupation leading to increasingly self destructive behavior.

The publisher’s synopsis of this book was somewhat misleading and I was a bit disappointed that it didn’t really deliver what was foreshadowed. That said, it was a character study of grief and depression and the personal and familial dissolution it can cause.

Although this debut novel was slow to develop, it was a fast read. I wouldn’t characterize this as a mystery but perhaps more of narrative fiction or psychological thriller.

Thanks to #netgalley and #sohopress for the ARC.

***

What Waits in the Woods - Terri Parlato

 What Waits in the Woods - Terri Parlato

She read

Esmé Foster left Graybridge, Massachusetts eleven years ago to pursue her dream of becoming a ballerina. That dream was quashed when she developed a hip problem. She returns home on the day her best friend from high school is found murdered in the woods behind her family home.

As she renews her friendship with her old clique, suspicion falls on many of those close to her. It is up to Detective Rita Myers to solve the mystery. Secrets that have been hidden for years are revealed about many of Esmé’s friends, family, and acquaintances.

There is no shortage of possible suspects in this character driven, engrossing thriller. This dark tale of a small town is told from two POVs, Esmé’s and Rita’s. There are twists, turns, red herrings, and a surprise ending.

Although this book is not touted as part of a series, this is the second Parlato novel I have read featuring Rita Myers. She is a good detective who is sometimes “creative” in her pursuit of criminals. I follow a number of mysteries/police procedural series featuring strong,capable female characters and I am pleased to add this one to the list.

Thanks to #netgalley and @kensingtonbooks for the ARC

****

Lost Hills - Lee Goldberg

 Lost Hills - Lee Goldberg

She read

Eve Ronin is a novice homicide investigator. Much to the consternation of many in the LA County Sheriff Department, she was promoted to her position when a video of her taking down and arresting a movie star for abusing a woman went viral. She is partnered with Duncan “Donuts” Pavone who is counting the days until his retirement.  While investigating a missing mother and her two children, they find the victims’  blood splattered home to be the scene of a horrific crime, but the bodies are not there. Although her quick thinking, ability to read clues, and dogged determination indicate she is well deserved of her promotion, Eve still has a lot to learn.

This is the first in the Eve Ronin series and has been on my TBR for a long time as I have read all the subsequent ones, having somehow missed this one. I have enjoyed all of the books. They are well written, fast moving, with good character development.  Eve’s heroics at the end of this story had me on the edge of my seat. 

I would recommend this series to fans of mysteries/thrillers/police procedurals, especially those featuring personable main characters. All of the books do work as stand alones. 

****

Manner of Death - Robin Cook

 Manner of Death - Robin Cook

Publication Date: December 5, 2023

Laurie Montgomery is the NYC chief medical examiner; her husband, Jack Stapleton, a pathologist recovering from an attack by a serial killer.  Ryan Sullivan is a pathology resident who, due to his significant personal history, is very unsettled performing autopsies during his rotation in the morgue.  Laurie tries to take him under her wing and when she mentions that there have been some recent suicides that were somewhat questionable as perhaps really having been homicides, he, with her consent, decides to review the cases.  Both Laurie and Jack warn him to only investigate within the department as they are still reeling from the murder of another reluctant resident who decided to look into a suspicious case. When Ryan finds a commonality among the deceased involving a medical practice and early cancer diagnostic testing, more lives including his own are in danger. 

Cook weaves an engrossing, fast paced tale; I did not want to put it down.  Told from multiple points of view, he taps into the very real fear some have of doctors benefitting financially from the tests they order.  I liked reading some of the not overly technical medical explanations involving forensic autopsies and testing for cancer.

I used to enjoy reading Robin Cook’s medical thrillers, but somehow got away from them.  When I saw this ARC being offered, I jumped at it and am glad I did. This is actually the fourteenth novel by Cook featuring Jack and Laurie.  Although it worked as a stand alone, I now want to go back and read the other thirteen!

Thanks to #netgalley and @putnambooks for the ARC.

*****

Murder at the University - Faith Martin

 Murder at the University  - Faith Martin

She read

When a body of an attractive young woman is discovered in her room at St. Anselm College in Oxford, Detective Hillary Greene doesn’t know what to expect.  A single needle mark on the body along with some bruising, as well as a closet full of high end clothes, raise Hillary’s suspicions and soon the hunt is on for a killer.  

Meanwhile, Hillary is dealing with a lot of personal issues.  Her deceased husband was found to be a “bent copper” leaving her with legal and financial issues as she finds herself living on her uncle’s longboat. To make it worse, she has to work with her husband’s questionable former partner and the officer who investigated her possible role in the misdeeds is transferred to her division. 

This is Book 2 in a twenty book series.  I thought I had read it as I have finished a number of the Hillary Greene stories. When I looked at it closer, I hadn’t.

Faith Martin writes absorbing British police procedurals and this one is no exception. The story is engrossing and entertaining with good character development. Hillary is a strong, capable leader. I really enjoy the humor expressed in Martin’s writing. 

I recommend this series for anyone seeking lighter British police procedurals with engaging characters. 

****

Absolution - Alice McDermott

 Absolution - Alice McDermott

She read

In 1963 Saigon, before the full fledged American involvement in Vietnam, two wives of husbands working in Saigon meet and develop a friendship of sorts.  Tricia, a young, socially awkward woman from Yonkers is married to an engineer working with the US Navy.  Charlene, mother of three, is socially aware, and hellbent on relieving some of the misery she sees around her with charitable gifts of toys, food, and clothing. Tricia’s life’s sadness is that she desperately wants to have a child but experiences multiple miscarriages.  She strikes up a relationship with Charlene’s daughter, Rainey, whose Barbie doll becomes the inspiration for one of Charlene’s schemes to raise money for her gifts. The story is told in retrospective, from two POVs, that of the elderly Tricia and the middle aged Rainey via correspondence between the two. 

This is a beautifully written, observant story that is both compelling and disturbing.  Here is the life of women in the early 1960s when a wife’s role was to be a “help meet”  for her husband.  I loved how Tricia’s memories point out some of the absurdities of a woman’s life in those days.

Here also are the provocative thoughts and actions of America’s presence and role in Vietnam in that era as well as the plight of the Vietnamese citizens destined to be house workers for the Americans and living in poverty under the threat and fear of attacks.  Who can forget that devastating photo of the young girl burned by napalm? Tricia certainly can’t. 

The characterizations are strong and there is an evocative sense of time and place. As a memoir, this postulates that there is “no such thing as a life without regret”; how do we find release or absolution from the consequences of those regrets?

The more I think about this book, the better I like it. 

Thanks to #netgalley and @fsgbooks for the ARC.

****