Two Girls Down - Louisa Luna

Two Girls Down - Louisa Luna

She read

Release date: Jan. 9 2018

Two sisters are missing from a local mall in a rundown Pennsylvania town. The family hires Alice Vega, noted for her ability to find missing persons. To find the girls, Alice teams up with a local PI who resigned from the town’s police force under a cloud.

Although I initially had a difficult time getting into this book, I really liked it. It is a  fast paced story with good character development and a plot that hangs together. I definitely would recommend it to mystery fans. 

Louisa Luna is known for her Young Adult fiction; she has made a successful transition to writing for adults. I think this would make a great series; I’d love to read more about Cap, the divorced PI with a precocious daughter, and Vega.  There are a lot more adventures they could have and so much of their history to learn about.

Every Breath You Take - Mary Higgins Clark and Alafair Burke

Every Breath You Take - Mary Higgins Clark and Alafair Burke

She read

Mary Higgins Clark was one of my mother’s favorite authors.  I have read all her books and, out of sentimentality,  continue to do so as a matter of routine.  This one, written with Alafair Burke, is the fifth in the “Under Suspician” series featuring Laurie Moran, the producer of a TV show that attempts to relook at cold cases.  

This book is a quick read…perfect for curling up on a cold or rainy day or saving for a beach vacation. It is a good story and keeps readers guessing.  Featuring the same repeating characters, some of them are a bit “too perfect”, but what is so wrong with a little bit of saccharin right now?

The Wife Between Us - Greer Hendricks; Sarah Pekkanen

The Wife Between Us - Greer Hendricks; Sarah Pekkanen

She read

Publication Date: Jan. 9, 2018

Wow!  Get ready for deception, twists, and turns throughout this read.   I don’t even want to begin to summarize the plot other than to say that it involves the deconstruction of what appears to some an idyllic relationship.  But, that is only on one level.

Suffice it to say that fans of Gone Girl  and other psychological thrillers should love this book; I did.  Don’t miss out on what is sure to be a best seller.

The Rooster Bar - John Grisham

The Rooster Bar - John Grisham

He and she read

Four friends are over their heads in student loans, attending a for profit law school that seemingly will accept anyone. One of them has unearthed some shady dealings involving banking and the school’s owner.  After his (spoiler) suicide, the remaining three cannot face their last semester at school knowing how much they owe and that their job prospects are poor.  They find an alternative……

Not a typical Grisham legal thriller, it is a quick, fun read, although, to some, it may push the boundaries of credibility.  

Murder in the Manuscript Room - Con Lehane

Murder in the Manuscript Room - Con Lehane

Publication Date:  Nov. 21, 2017

She read

An employee of the New York City’s library is found murdered
It seems she is not the person she presented herself to be.  Solving the case involves Raymond Ambler, the crime fiction curator at the library, a cast of his friends, family, and acquaintances, as well as the Intelligence Division of the NYPD, the investigation of the murder years ago of a trade union reformer, and perhaps some terrorists. 

Despite all these characters, the story hangs together and the characters well developed.  This is the second book in a series.  Initially, some of the background  was a little unclear. I do think reading the first book, though, would have helped in understanding the history of Ambler and his family. 

It was a decent story that held my attention throughout. 

Never Coming Back - Alison McGhee

Never Coming Back - Alison McGhee

What a beautiful book!

Clara returns to her home turf when her mother is diagnosed with early onset Alzheimer’s.  She is reunited with her two best friends from college and meets an interesting new man as she struggles with losing the strong woman in her life with whom she has had a mixed relationship.  An old mystery is solved and Clara comes to grips with the new life she must make for herself and her future. 

Well written with a wonderful command of the English language (Clara is a “words” person) this novel is a poignant look at one woman’s relationship with her mother as well as life in general.  I’m so glad I read it.  

In the Midst of Winter - Isabel Allende

In the Midst of Winter - Isabel Allende

She Read

Release date: Oct. 31, 2017

Evelyn is a young woman who escaped the atrocities of the MS-13 gang in Guatemala; Lucia, an older woman who experienced her own horrors in the political turmoil of Chile; Richard, also older and an acquaintance of Lucia’s, has fled from his own miseries in Brazil.  They are all drawn together during a blizzard in New York City when Richard is involved in a minor accident with the car driven by Evelyn.  The car conceals a secret with which they must deal.  As they do, they share their life stories and love blossoms between Evelyn and Richard.

Isabel Allende is a skilled storyteller, and she is at her best when weaving the history of the various Latin American countries into the personal narratives of her characters.  While she is to be applauded for at least tangentially touching on the plight of many immigrants today who are forced into human trafficking, I thought the storyline involving the present day actions of the characters was a bit amateurish.  While that was a flaw, it does not detract from my recommending this book.  When focusing on the backgrounds of the three characters, the book was fascinating and her reflections on aging sometimes painfully accurate.