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A socially awkward botany ex professor lets the wrong person see her secret rooftop poison garden and ends up becoming a suspect in a murder investigation. Dr. Rose prefers her own company to that of most people especially after the death of her beloved father but when she spies on her new neighbor in trouble she takes an interest and opens up. When the woman is last seen being thrown into a car Eustascia gets tangled up in a much more poisonous situation. THE WOMAN IN THE WINDOW Hitchcock overtones and a unique type of amateur detective like THE MAID come together in this clever mystery series that I hope we will see more of. The author shares her vast knowledge of poisonous plants in case you feel the need to eliminate someone or like me share an interest in the secrets of plants that have the ability to help and harm. 4 stars 
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in 1950 Washington D.C. live an oddball group of women in a boardinghouse. Ranging from an ex-female baseball player, young British mom, gungho McCarthy patriot, older cantankerous artist, young modern woman with a questionable boyfriend and the mysterious newcomer who shakes everything up and forms a weekly supper club called The Briar Club. We open with a mystery and then spend the rest of the book learning about each Briar Club member's past and secrets. It is a tumultuous country that is in flux with post war euphoria fighting with a fear of communism and another war looming as well as changing roles for women. This is a historical mystery filled with remarkable characters infused with a hint of danger, friendship and more than a few laughs in true Kate Quinn fashion. Just like the house itself you want to be a part of this group admiring their spunk, cheering them on and keeping their secrets. One of her very best! 5 stars  Solid and complicated mystery thriller that proves how little we really know about our parents. Cleo comes home from college to find blood on the floor, mom missing and her dad has moved out. The police are taking the case seriously but not fast enough for Cleo who begins going through her mom's stuff and taking matters into her own hands. From her parent's perspective Cleo is a mess but she is surprisingly resourceful as she delves into her mom's secret life. Not going to lie, there is a lot going on here as chapters jump from Katrina's childhood and the recent events for both Katrina and Cleo that led up to the disappearance and Cleo's search. You know what they say about the apple not falling far from the tree and Cleo proves that. Kimberly McCreight's fans as well as those of Lucy Foley, Sarah Pekkanen and Gillian Flynn will be satisfied. 4 stars  Two campers over a decade apart go missing from a summer camp and just happen to be from the family who owns the camp. The timelines jump from the first disappearance in 1961 to the second in 1975 and is told from the camp counselors, campers, family members and one young detective on the hunt for answers. It is as much a coming of age story and family drama as it is a raw look at the haves and the have not as much. Liz Moore sends us down a quiet wooded path only to have us get lost and then deftly guides us back with another clue. Moody and atmospheric writing that will resonate with readers of coming of age outcast thrillers like WHERE THE CRAWDADS SING or Chris Whitaker's books. 4 1/2 stars  Patch and Saint met as kids both outsiders toughened by a lack of understanding. When Patch goes missing after saving another girl from being taken Saint goes crazy trying to find him. There is evil out there and Saint won't rest until Patch is back with or without the Sheriff's help. The shell of the boy comes back haunted by a ghost girl leaving Saint haunted by the memory of the boy she loves. This is an intense story about true evil, longing , broken hearts and the crushing belief that you can fix people by vanquishing the monster. The language is precise, no emotion spared and no loose thread left undone. It is best read in short spurts so that you remember to slow your heart rate and breathe. Chris Whitaker gives us characters who wreak us emotionally but also prove that there is balance in the world. For every monster there is an unsung hero. Fans of tragic hero stories like Don Quixote, David and Goliath or WE BEGIN AT THE END will fall hard for this book. One of the best I have read this year. 5 stars  A twisty gothic mystery set among the wealth, power and shady doings of early 1900's New York. Millie is a recently married heiress and eager to show off their new home but the ill fated dinner party turns into a nightmare. When she wakes she has lost all her friends, family and has been cast under suspicion for a murder of a guest at their party and is now being held under lock and key unsure of her own mind. As the fog begins to clear secrets begin to surface but she finds she has no rights concerning her wealth and her future. Unable to divorce her husband and regain control she must outplay, outwit and forge a new path to freedom. This is a classic story of an independent woman who must fight for every right that is given without question to a man even if she has her own means. Another twisty gothic tale from Kelsey James who is very good at seemingly femme fatale characters who turn tough to survive. For readers of ACT LIKE A LADY, THINK LIKE A LORD and THE WOMAN THEY COULD NOT SILENCE. 4 stars  A small southern town gets an important wake up call when uber conservatives clash with liberals over book banning, tearing down a statue and the mayor's race. Lula Dean has named herself the savior of Troy Georgia by installing a little free library stocked with what she considers "clean" books for the community. When a book jacket switch is made and the town starts reading and learning all the things Lula has worked so hard to ban - chaos and awakening occur. Sadly, it gets ugly as the truth of the past is exposed and people get hurt in the process. The author takes serious issues and adds much comic relief making this book both lighthearted and meaningful. In this age of idiotic culture wars maybe we should make this book required reading. The bottom line is that awareness, compassion and understanding go a long way. 4 stars  Nicola Yoon's adult debut is a horrific and clever mix of THE STEPFORD WIVES, ROSEMARY'S BABY and GET OUT. The Williams family moved to the gated all Black neighborhood of Liberty where Jasmyn feels like they will meet people who are just like them in a safe environment for their son and unborn baby. Her husband mentors troubled youth and Jasmyn is always ready to take up the cause for social justice but what she finds instead in Liberty are pampered couples who spend more time at cocktail parties and spa treatments than at protests. Soon she begins to see weird changes in the people around her even her husband and when she digs deeper the real horror begins. The end of the book flew by and there is a wild twist that was a bit unnerving. 4 stars  There is much going on in this historical mystery involving British royalty and well off members of society in a tale based in truth of murder, madness and court politics. Members of society are invited to a viewed dissection (it was a thing back in 1681) but instead of a suicide victim the cadaver turns out to be a member of society. Because the newly rich Harry Hunt stops the procedure and claims it is his neighbor he is pinned for her demise. He escapes to find the real killer and clear his name which eventually leads him to Bedlam hospital and another missing woman. He has also been charged by the King to locate a black box that may contain very damaging information to the crown. The storyline is dark and mysterious and the author does a thorough job of setting the stage of 17th century London through colorful imagery and authentic language. I just wished there was a bit less of Harry's misadventures and more of Bedlam and the women's plight. 3 1/2 stars  Seven grad students are planning to perform an ancient ritual locked in the basement of the rare books library where they work the night before graduation. Davey is the orchestrator of the event which includes fasting and mind altering drugs all while cut off from the outside world due to scheduled power update. The evening does not go as he planned and instead almost everyone is on a bad trip with more than one dead body and paranoia taking over instead of common sense. Suspenseful and very intense this is a locked room mystery of the highest class with several twists and turns. I would have enjoyed the book more but could not identify with any of the characters and found some to be truly annoying. Readers who enjoy locked room mysteries and nods to classic Agatha Christie twists will appreciate this. 3 1/2 stars  |
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