Where Are You Now? By Mary Higgins Clark

Is Ms. Clark predictable at this stage of her game? Yes, when it comes to her style of writing. An easy read with short chapters, this book was a pleasure. Although I did pick out my “suspect” early in the book, I was never really sure who perpetrated the crime until the end.

In the prologue Ms. Clark addresses the question of her readers as to where she gets her ideas from. She states that she reads the newspaper often and that is how she got the premise for her latest book.

It’s about a young college man who lives with two friends in an apartment in New York City. One day he leaves the apartment and never returns. In the interim he loses his father to the tragedy of 9/11 and in the ensuing years several young women go missing as well. The twist is that he calls his mother’s apartment each year on Mother’s Day, leaving as cryptic message.

I have had the pleasure of reading all of Ms. Clark’s books over the years and I can readily say I have NEVER been disappointed. If you like a good mystery and like a quick read, this one’s for you.

Ladybookbug!

The Knitting Circle by Ann Hood

A small group of people meet at a local knitting shop. They learn to knit and purl and make scarves, hats, and sweaters. But this story is about so much more than knitting.

It is a story the deals with losses head-on and how to get past them. It unites people who have suffered and who need to have something that allows them to deal with their grief in an unthreatening environment and learn to knit in the process.

Mary Baxter, mother of Stella, has lost her child to meningitis. She must cope with life and all the “anniversaries” following Stella’s death. The Knitting Circle is a story of hope and survival amidst the tragedies of life.

Worth the read!

Lady Bookbug!

Never Enough by Joe McGinnis and Smoke & Mirrors by Ann Rule

I believe there was a magazine entitled True Crime many years ago. What we have now is two accomplished authors who write with much research about crimes that really happened.

Smoke,Mirrors and Murder is actually the 12th volume in Ms. Rule’s Crime Files Series. The chapters are all devoted to “wives” who were either the perpetrator or recipient of the crime. As is usual Ms. Rule’s writing is comprehensive as she connects many of the dots in the stories of crimes from the past and present. Some mysteries have never been solved yet they still hold the reader’s interests. If you’ve never read true crime, and you like having all the details, I would strongly suggest reading any one of her books. A particularly interesting title was Bitter Harvest about husband and wife who were doctors. The wife had some unusual extra-curricular activities which where unearthed following a disastrous fire at the family home.

Joe McGinniss, author of Fatal Vision and Blind Faith among others, latest entry is entitled Never Enough. It is the story of a gifted investment banker and his wife. It is a story of greed, passion and elitism . McGinniss recreates the crime in a style that is easy to read and is filled with all the details of the actual crime. The reader is able to put the pieces of the puzzle together and glean a better understanding of the crime.

If you are into the details even though you already know the ending, true-crime is for you and these two authors are a great place to start.

Lady Bookbug!

The jump-off creek by Molly Gloss

Did you ever sit and make a mental list of all the books that were “required reading” at school? Titles such as The Yearling, White Fang, Heart of Darkness Where the Red Fern Grows or A Tree Grows in Brooklyn may come to mind.
Here then is a book which may fit right in to the category you’ve named classic.
It is the story of a single woman, whose situation finds her out in the frontier, living in a small cabin, raising cows and fending for herself.

It was chosen as a book discussion selection for our book group several years ago. I came across it while perusing other nearby titles.

It found the story to be engrossing. It was so well written, I could easily picture the scenes in my mind’s eye. Coming from a childhood where new western movies were the norm, it would have been interesting to have had one where the protagonist was a woman.

Ah, well, the story is here now and a quick read with quite a bit of meaty material, should you want to start a discussion.

Ladybookbug!

T is for Trespass by Sue Grafton

If you are unfamiliar with this series, the author’s titles run the gamet from A to T. A is for Alibi was her first venture into the world of Kinsey Millhone, private detective. Kinsey lives on a shoestring in a studio apartment in California. A former police officer, she now owns and operates a private detective agency.

Ms. Grafton’s first book in this series was published in 1983. This is her 20th book and we’ve waited two years for it and it was worth the wait. Prolific authors come and go but Ms. Grafton is not only prolific but consistent. Her books are well written and genuine.

T is for Trespass deals with identity theft and elder abuse, two very current issues in our society. The story moves along quickly and this reader found herself appalled at the fact that someone could steal another persons identity so easily.

Whether you are an old fan or a new fan, you will not be disappointed.

Ladybookbug!