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Ernest and his girlfriend Juliette are on a famous train crossing Australia as part of a Mystery Writers literary event. A cast of well known authors, editors and agents are featured guests as well as train cars filled with paying fans. Ernest is not well known but his first book did rather well and he has accepted the advance to write another book. The only problem is that he has lots of blank pages and no idea what to write. When the headliner author is murdered on the train he has what he needs - a murder to solve and a train full of suspects at his disposal He just needs to solve the murder, write the book and stay alive. Tongue in cheek nod to classic detective series of old along with a healthy dose of wit, irreverence and lots of subtle clues for the armchair detective in all of us. A good time is sure to be had by a variety of readers. Fans of ONLY MURDERS IN THE BUILDING and Anthony Horowitz will eat this up. 4 1/2 stars 
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A blueprint that doesn't give you impractical advice like "don't fight" but instead helps you fight constructively and effectively. Fighting the right way will leave both parties feeling like change is possible instead of lashing out anger. A plan to tell your partner what they can do to help you instead of laying on blame and "flooding" them which forces them to attack and defend their position. I particularly liked the quick reference guide in the back of the book which allows you to easily review key points keeping fights light, fair and civil. These are geared towards life partners but the skills will help in any relationship squabble from social to work possibly even with teenagers. 4 stars  If it seems too good to be true it usually is. Kate and Tommy leave their friends, family and cozy life behind to live in a small town in Sicily. It happens to be where Tommy's dad grew up and where his grandparents still live made better by a deal that allows them to buy a house for 1 Euro. At the last minute they are upgraded to a huge house which needs work and may have a couple of creepy rooms but is perfect for their dream to become reality. Soon however they find their Sicilian "home sweet home" was once a home for possessed people and the priests who attempted to exorcise them including the catacombs where hundreds lay entombed. A tourist attraction or their own private Hell - this is one haunted house you want nothing to do with. For fans of THE SHINING and Dan Brown's religious mythology thrillers. 4 stars  Hattie McDaniel walked away with an Oscar for her role in Gone With The Wind which should have opened all the doors for roles but instead she was shunned by her own people for not fighting more and still banned by the white studios from getting anything other than a maid or bit character roles. Fight she did for racial equality in the studio, in her segregated Sugar Hill neighborhood and government. Hattie was unlucky in love and never had the long term marriage and houseful of children she longed for. In the Golden Age of Hollywood where your secret (or rumor of one) let out by Hedda Harper could cost you everything Hattie still spoke up for what she believed in. Even her good friend and chief supporter Clark Gable could not break the racial ceiling in Hollywood. Much praise to the author who did justice to Hattie McDaniel's incredible story that has until now remained mostly ignored. Recommended for readers of those stars who suffered from inequity in Hollywood such as THE BRIGHTEST STAR by Gail Tsukiyama or Jamie Ford's THE MANY DAUGHTERS OF AFONG MOY. 4 stars  A ghostwriter takes on more than just writing a famous person's memoir when she shows up at Dorthy's door tucked away in Maine. Dorthy has just lost her run for President but rather than hide with her tail tucked she gets tangled up in a suspicious suicide / potential murder of her neighbor. In the classic tradition of Agatha Christie's AND THEN THERE WERE NONE, Dorthy and her partner in crime solving writer track down the killer. Everyone at the house is a suspect, the police don't seem to have a clue and Dorthy does not like to be told to back off. A literary game of CLUE with all the requisite twists and turns. The author has a popular Agatha Christie podcast and he honors the classic mystery style well. Fans of Anita Prose, Sophie Hannah and of course Dame Christie will approve. 4 stars  Meg has checked herself into a high end rehab clinic to look into the death of her estranged sister. She is a professional poker spy working for casinos to catch those cheating and with no tells to give her away she thinks she can go undercover at the clinic, get answers and get out no problem. She also thinks they won't catch that she is addicted to painkillers and has mind numbing nightmares. Everyone is a suspect from the other patients to the doctors in this high energy psychological thriller that delves into childhood trauma, addictive personalities and experimental treatments as much as it is a murder mystery. Well researched, intense and with a narrator we definitely can't trust - this is one clinic you don't want to check yourself into. Readalikes would be the medical thrillers of Robin Cook and THE SILENT PATIENT. 4 stars  I think Aristotle Onassis's wife Tina said it best when speaking to Maria Callas - "Remember, Aristo is Greek. The two things he cares about are family and money." I would add to that fame because he wanted Maria when she was a star and then when the next shiny object appeared (Jackie Kennedy) he wanted that too. Maria Callas is an opera legend. She performed all over the world and had people falling at her feet and along with her quiet husband/manager she thought only of her next performance. That all changed when she met the charming Ari Onassis. He captured her heart but redirected her passion for the music to himself bringing her great joy but also great sorrow. Maria Callas was not the first strong woman to fall for a powerful man but it shows her insecurity that stemmed from childhood. Cameo appearances by the Churchills, Marilyn Monroe and Jackie Kennedy Onassis and her sister Lee add to a well rounded picture of the famous faces in the 50's and early 60's. 3 1/2 stars  It is the summer of 1993 and Sam, Swami and their three young children have left it all behind to head to far northern Wisconsin to buy his uncle's white water rafting business. Swami is unconvinced that this is a great idea but agrees to last the summer. By the time they discover the emotional and financial toll this decision will have on the family and marriage it is too late. Sam's uncle Chip did not tell them of the land grab by a mining company nor the new rafting company down the road. Sam throws his heart into the business while Swami throws her brain into it but it is a toss up if either will succeed. Down to earth characters caught in a very real situation that fans of J. Ryan Stradal, Willy Vaughn and Ann Napolitano will latch onto with a side of outdoor adventure story. The showstopper is the relationship between the kids and Uncle Chip. 4 stars  All the frustrations of trying to exist in two cultures are shared in this collection of short stories linked to one another. Three Palestinian/American families containing several generations find roadblocks they must overcome. This debut may be about Palestinian Americans but so many topics that are covered apply to many immigrant families and are relatable to almost all of us. Who hasn't dealt with uncomfortable family gatherings, grief, relatives acting badly at weddings, being taken advantage of because of your sex, class or race and social media nightmares. A timely look to understanding another culture as well as a chance to see how much we all have in common. This novel may be slim but it covers a lot of ground. 3 1/2 stars  A mind bending thriller of a history lost with the blanks filled in by unreliable narrators and some trauma of her past buried deep within her psyche. Kat and Jude Bird are mirror twins identical in every way but the image is flipped. They have always had the other's back and are connected in body, actions even language. Kat awakens from a coma to find out that she has been in an accident and remembers nothing except the face in front of her - Jude. As Jude begins to reload all their memories so far some things just don't add up. We, the reader, are privy to the girl's unusual childhood as part of a strange cult at the hands of a powerful leader and the trauma they both suffered. Abbott Kahler is able to weave a precise and calculated drip of tension along with choice tidbits of information in her previous non-fiction books and it serves her well here. You will find yourself rooting for vengeance and be appalled in equal measure but you will certainly never be bored. Fans of THE GOOD SISTER by Sally Hepworth or intense thrillers like THE WOMAN IN THE WINDOW or THE SILENT PATIENT will approve. 4 stars  |
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