Where would we be if we did not have motherhood/work guilt? Myriam needs to go back to her law job after being at home with her two small children and she feels guilty over missing that part of her life. When she and her husband find Louise she is relieved of that guilt - not only is Louise great with the kids she cooks, cleans and is on call 24/7. Myriam and Paul can entertain, go on vacations and rekindle their marriage. They don't seem to get that Louise lives in a little dumpy apartment alone, doesn't have any friends and basically doesn't have a life that doesn't include her employer and family. Everyone is happy right? Then, the horrific happens and everyone starts questioning the family, other nannies and the neighbors. Twisty, dark and an absolute no-no for anyone thinking of hiring a nanny. The author is French and the setting is Paris but this story has universal appeal.
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Herbjorg Maria Bjornsson is an 80 year old woman living out her final days in a garage in Reykjavik Iceland. Her days consist of pills, vitamins and seducing younger men over the internet. It would be easy for her to be bitter especially since she has been cheated out of her money and is hardly ever visited by her sons and their families but she remains tough and tells us her story of survival during World War II. Her mother was never really there for her and her dad decided that Hitler made sense leaving them in Denmark while her enlisted. Herbjorg's experiences during the war started with her being left at a train station in Germany by her dad who had to get back to the war, told to wait for her mom who never came. Years of fending for herself and being taken advantage of by everyone made her tough as nails and she traveled to several countries before coming home to Iceland. The story is told journal style and it is a bit jumpy but that could be because it is a translation. Her story will bring tears to the hardest of hearts.
The basic premise of this story reads like a perfect dinner party conversation starter - if you knew when you were going to die would you live your life differently? The Gold children make the mistake of tracking down a local gypsy woman who tells them the date they will die. Armed with this knowledge they grow up responsible and scientific or loose and looking for the magic in the world.
As each of the sibling's date approaches the outcome begins to effect them. This is a classic family story about sibling love, jealousy and the common threads that bind them. It will make you want to call up your brothers and sisters and tell them you love them. New Orleans 1918
A city of new beginnings now that the war is over and the birth of Jazz has begun to catch on or is it a city sliding back into the swamp facing corruption, racial tension and murder? Jazz is the newest thing to catch fire but few musicians can make a living of it. Instead they must act as laborers building the new canal or fall into illegal means that make more money. The Spanish Flu is sweeping through the city taking it's toll on young and old, black and white, rich or poor. Corruption is rampant and there is a serial killer on the loose- the Axeman who has everyone on edge and the police hassling all the young black men in the city. The author blends the characters and their story almost like the jazz music itself - short jerky bursts of violence blended with the low mournful sound of a solo trumpet. Matthew and Patch become friends as teens when Matthew defends Patch from constant bullying.
Patch is in awe of the slightly older, wiser teen as are all the other kids trying to get his attention especially Hannah. Patch and Matthew become best friends until one adventure they include Hannah and it ends in tragedy and Matthew carted off to jail. Years later Patch and Hannah meet again and marry. Life seems pretty good until Matthew resurfaces bringing up all the old memories. The tension builds to a crescendo as the reader must decide who is telling the truth about what really happened on the mountain. Patch, Hannah and Matthew's story present day story alternates with the past. This is a superior crafted thriller that you should be prepared to put your life on hold until the last page is read. Think of the boys on their bikes hunting for their lost friend in "Stranger Things" or the group of pre-teen friends making their grisly discovery in "Stand By Me" and you have the underlying plot of "The Chalk Man". Coming of age mystery that left all of them with adult problems. The killer who left his mark in chalk drawings in their childhood left them with fear and nightmares until the supposed killer ended his life. Fast forward and the boys and girls are now adults trying to forget about what happened but then a note and chalk drawing starts it all up again. Full of twists and turns, this will keep you up well into the night until the explosive ending. My thanks to the publisher for the advance copy.
Meet the ex-wife, the new girlfriend soon-to-be wife and the caring man in their life. The ex-wife is obsessed with her replacement and the replacement is worried about the unstable ex-wife and that she won't be able to live up to her fiance's expectations. They all have secrets. This is another one of those unreliable witness, twisted plot, what-the-heck is really going on thrillers that we latch onto just like the last piece of Halloween candy in the bag. Vanessa is so messed up, Richard is caught between his ex and fiance and Emma is the sweet preschool teacher who has found her Prince Charming - You know nothing (Jon Snow). Don't be fooled by the slow pace of the beginning, this is a race car finish.
Anna is the most unreliable witness there is - she is a child psychologist who is currently an agoraphobic who spends her time alone spying on her new neighbors and talking on the phone to her estranged husband and daughter. Since she can't go outside without having a full panic attack her new young tenant helps her out as does her therapist but really she relies on wine, sedatives, old movies and online chat rooms to get her through. While spying on the new neighbors she sees something horrible and her life spins out of control. Did she really see what she thought she saw? Are her new friends really who they say they are? What is real and what is floating around in Anna's head keeps the reader guessing til the smack you in the face ending. This one will mess with your head - a one night, stay up late read. And, just like Anna with another glass of wine, you know you should put the book down but you can't help yourself because you are hooked.
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