The Perfect Nurse - Daniel Hurst

 The Perfect Nurse - Daniel Hurst

Pub. Date: July 1, 2024

She read

The prologue to this story finds a nurse burning her blood stained uniform and ID card. Skip ahead to the present time and find that Darcy is an anxious person who suffers from sleep deprivation. Her fellow nurse, Pippa, takes her under her wing, offering support, encouragement, and strong coffee as they have been hired to assist a married couple, Adrian and Scarlett.  Scarlett has brain damage from a fall suffered in her kitchen which has resulted in some type of memory loss/dementia.  Darcy is very uncomfortable in the situation and suspects Adrian may be harming his wife. When a strange man follows her and then someone seems to have broken into her house, her life begins spinning out of control.

Hurst has written a number of psychological thrillers, including the popular The Doctor’s Wife series. I like to call them “popcorn thrillers.” This is a clever plot, a bit over the top, and, for me, required suspension of belief. There are twists, turns, deceits, murder. It was a quick, easy, dare I say, fun read. 

Thanks to #NetGalley and #Bookouture for the DRC. 

****

Fire and Bones - Kathy Reichs

 Fire and Bones - Kathy Reichs

Pub. Date: Aug. 6, 2024

She read.

This is the 23rd in the Temperance Brennan “Bones” series. Temperance is a forensic anthropologist who works both in North Carolina and Quebec. In this story, she is asked to come to Washington DC to help identify bodies that burned in a fire in an illegal AirBnB in Foggy Bottom. She is reluctant at first because she does not particularly like working with burn victims and she is about to leave on a vacation with long time lover, Ryan.

As she investigates, with the assistance of her daughter’s reporter friend, Ivy, she learns that the residence was used by the Foggy Bottom Gang for nefarious purposes in the 1930s and 40s. When another nearby structure burns and a descendent of the Gang is murdered, the mystery and the danger deepen. Of course, Tempe cannot help herself from probing further. 

I enjoy  Reichs’ writing. It is intelligent and she has a clever way with words. A good sense of humor comes through in Tempe’s witty observations. I always learn some new information from her novels, whether it be in the area of forensic pathology or something related to the plot.Reichs is a master at building up suspense at the end of each chapter with a tease that makes the reader want jump into the next one. 

I think I have read all of the books in the “Bones” series, however, each one works as a stand alone. While this might not have been the strongest plot in the series, it still made for an engrossing read. I look forward to the next one!

Thanks to #NetGalley and #Scribner for the DRC.

*****

The Lost Coast - Jonathan Kellerman; Jesse Kellerman

 The Lost Coast - Jonathan Kellerman; Jesse Kellerman

Pub. Date:  Aug. 6, 2024

She read

This is the fifth in the Clay Edison coroner turned private eye series written by the father and son Kellerman team.  It is the third I have read; it works well as a standalone.

While investigating a property sales fraud case, Clay finds a relatively unknown and dangerous section of the California coast known as Swan’s Landing that seems to be a hotbed for a real estate scam that preys on vulnerable individuals.  When he visits, his questions put him in danger especially when he becomes interested in searching for a missing person. 

I am a big fan of Jonathan Kellerman’s Alex Delaware series and enjoy this one as well.  These books have the authors’ characteristically vivid detailed descriptions that paint a good sense of place.  They are observant and often amusing.  This is a quick read with a bit of a tangled plot  A new player, a fellow female PI is introduced who is quite the character. And speaking of characters, the inhabitants of  Swan’s Landing are uniquely peculiar.  

Thanks to #NetGalley and @RandomHouse #ballantinebooks for the DRC.  

****

House of Glass - Sarah Pekkanen

 House of Glass - Sarah Pekkanen

Pub. Date:  Aug. 6, 2024

She read

Stella Hudson is an attorney who represents children in custody cases.  She is a somewhat damaged individual as the result of a traumatic childhood, but the one constant support in her life has been attorney now judge, Charles. When he asks her to investigate the case of nine year old Rose Barclay whose parents are battling for custody, she is reluctant because she usually does not deal with children that young. However, she takes on the task because it is Charles who has asked. 

There is something very amiss in the opulent Barclay home where the nanny, who was impregnated by the husband, jumped or was pushed to her death.  Everyone is a suspect and when Rose who exhibits traumatic mutism (as did Stella when she was a child) is discovered to be stowing away pieces of glass and other weapons, suspicion falls on her as well.

I have always liked Pekkanen as a writer. In this well plotted story, she creates a strong atmosphere of suspicion and foreboding. The characters, even the minor ones, are well developed.  Fast paced, it is an engrossing, suspenseful read with twists, turns, and surprises. 

****

Thanks to #netgalley and @stmartinspress for the DRC.

The Wedding People - Alison Espach

 The Wedding People - Alison Espach

Pub. Date: July 30, 2024

She read

Life is looking bleak for Phoebe Stone. Her mother died when she was born, she was raised by her depressed father,  never progressed further than being an adjunct instructor, IVF has failed, her husband left her for one of his associates, and now her beloved cat has died. She decides to put on an elegant emerald dress that she bought but has never worn, book a room at a high end resort in Newport that she had wanted to go to with her husband, and take her life. At check in, she learns that the entire resort, except for her room, has been taken over by Lila for her million dollar destination wedding.

Initially she is mistaken for one of “the wedding people”. When Lila learns Phoebe’s intentions which will ruin the wedding, she befriends the lonely woman.  And thus the reader is off to a rollicking six day visit with “The Wedding People.”

It took a while for me to get into this book, but once I did I found it a witty, satisfying contemporary read. I loved the colorfully, well developed characters and the astute, sometimes painful, often cleverly funny observations of life, family and relationships. Readers will find themselves cheering on Phoebe as she learns a lot about herself and comes into her own. 

Incidentally, Tri Star has already acquired the rights to this novel.

Thanks to #netgalley and @henryholtbooks for the DRC. 

*****

Oliver the Osprey - Ron Zera

 Oliver the Osprey  - Ron Zera

She read

Oliver the Osprey who frequents the ponds in Deer Valley reaches out to two human boys, Declan and Becket and introduces them to his family, wife Mylea and children Stella and Emmeline.  Oliver and the boys enjoy fishing together. The ospreys help the children learn about nature and in turn they help Oliver provide for his family. They all learn that you can be friends with anyone, no matter who or what they are. 

I  wanted to rate this book higher.  I really did.  It has cute, colorful illustrations and has an important moral.  I love ospreys and have spent a lot of time at Deer Valley.  Perhaps I am being picky, but I couldn’t rate it higher for one reason.  The author refers to ospreys as members of the eagle family and even uses the terms interchangeably.  That isn’t really accurate.  While I guess you could say the two are distant relatives they are not of the same family. And the drawings, although cartoonish, resemble eagles more than ospreys.  While fantasy is fine in a book for children or adults, I just can’t support providing incorrect information.  Interestingly, we have heard a number of people refer to a nesting osprey near Deer Valley as an “eagle”.  Perhaps that is a local misconception?

If you are OK with that discrepancy, then this is a charming family read about friendships “between different worlds”.

Thanks to #Netgalley and #ASPublishing #Buzzbooks for the DRC.

***

Catalina - Karla Cornejo Villavicencio

Catalina - Karla Cornejo Villavicencio

Pub. Date: July 23, 2024

She read 

Catalina is an undocumented immigrant who came to America from Ecuador as a child to live with her grandparents after her parents were killed in an accident.  Her grandparents are also undocumented.  Accepted at Harvard, this fictional memoir recounts her experiences there.  Pre DACA, a major obstacle for this Ivy League educated young woman is that she will not be able to secure a job upon graduation. 

This short book (224 pages) exposes the insecurities, fears, and emotional toll experienced by undocumented individuals and families.  It is written mostly as stream of consciousness with quite a bit of fantasizing which for me took away from the importance of the topics explored.  This style will not be for everyone; others may find it a vibrant, contemporary read.  I did enjoy the references to Latin American history and culture.   

Thanks to #netgalley and #randomhouse for the DRC.

***