... is an engrossing story set in a small Virginia town shortly after the war. Charlie, an attractive stranger, comes to town looking for work and is soon employed by the local butcher. Oddly, Charlie develops an intense friendship with Sam Haislett a 5 year old who finds Charlie a more comfortable confidant and teacher than his parents. The two are virtually inseparable and ultimately Charlie's decisions have a huge impact on Sam's life.

The book has some of the most colorful characters and vivid descriptions of place that I can remember reading in recent past. Goolrick has created two female characters who share a passionate interest in fashion and I can't help but wonder how it was for him to write those sections describing fabric, color and style.

Some of the turns in the action are predictable but many were not, at least for me. As we expect Charlie to make some decisions that will put him in the path of danger, we surely don't foresee the finale.

This one was even better than A Reliable Wife but if you haven't read it, do so by all means.

Alice Buckle is a woman in her mid-forties who is feeling a lot disconnected from her husband, William. She fears her daughter has an eating disorder and her son might be gay. Rather than talking with the various family members about these issues she involves herself in an anonymous online study called "Marriage in the 21st Century". Much of the book's story is carried forward through the use of twitter, facebook, and her answers to the 100 questions in the study.

Alice's story felt a lot like IRL. She confesses to her friends things she would never tell her husband and in return gets great advice that she usually refuses to act upon. It is so much easier for her to meddle in the lives of her kids than it is to fix her own.

I didn't love the book but it did have a few good twists and for anyone who is addicted to chic lit I think this is some pretty good writing and a fun story.

When I read this book was described as a psychological thriller I was drawn to the story. However, I found it to be more of a traditional who-dun-it. The reader follows the investigation through the narration of Catherine Winslow who writes a household hints column and who, in the book's opening sentence, has discovered a woman's body near her home. The body is only one of a series of women who are believed to be victims of a serial killer. There were quite a few things about this novel that just didn't work for me. Foremost among them was the way Catherine was involved in the investigation. I wanted to like it but sadly it just didn't grab my interest.

Victoria is a difficult child evidenced by her aversion to touch and her unwillingness to communicate but there is ample explanation for her characteristics as we read into the book and understand her history in the foster system. It's no wonder she puts up barriers and refuses to love when she has been rejected and returned to the system so many times. I was almost instantly drawn to this character and her story.

Generally I don't like books that mix up the chronology of the story line but in this book it added an element of suspense as I wondered what happened to make Victoria the girl she is in present day; I liked it in this case. I also love the language of flowers and I was so happy to find it detailed so carefully in a book that is not a Victorian romance.

I would summarize by saying this a wonderful story that speaks to the heart and feeds the brain. It is white carnation.

I've loved Maisie Dobbs ever since I met her eight novels ago. I think her kind spirit is the perfect foil to the sometimes grizzly crimes she investigates. I love that Billy her assistant isn't perfect and yet she continues to aid him and his family. In fact, it seems to be the imperfections in others that Maisie recognizes and with which she most readily bonds.

In A Lesson in Secrets, Maisie is called away from her home and her job to assist the British Secret Service in Cambridge at a small private college. Setting herself up as a philosophy teacher will allow Maisie to observe the comings and goings and get to know the staff at the college all the while reporting back her findings. Of course the plot thickens when a death occurs on campus and Maisie begins to investigate. Meanwhile back home Billy is holding down the office with the new assistant, Sandra who soon becomes her own mystery.

One of the things I liked most about this novel is the inclusion of the factual history that was concerning Brits of the day. Hilter's influence is rising and clandestine Nazi groups are meeting but should they be of concern to law enforcement officials? I suspect there's more of that to come in future installments.

I think this book will be enjoyed most by those who have followed the series. If one comes into this book first there will be lots of questions raised about Maisie's past and characters who have been important earlier in her life. Besides, if you love Maisie the way I love Maisie you won't want to miss a single episode of her continuing saga.

I love most any book that can transport me to a place and a time other than my own; a book that I can get lost in. The Clouds Beneath the Sun is such a book. From the very first page I liked Natalie’s character and was interested in and intrigued by the excavation project she was joining as a team archaeologist. From the initial premise, the book expanded to deal with social customs of the Masai, local politics, romance, history, mystery, adventure and more. It may seem like an ambitious undertaking but Mackenzie Ford was definitely capable of dealing with every challenge. I was completely enthralled by the events of the story and think most everyone I know would enjoy this book. It would definitely make a good book club selection because of the variety of topics that could be discussed. The only negative: it ended too soon.

Clear your calendar when Beautiful Assassin arrives because you won’t want to stop reading until you find out the whole story of beautiful Tat’yana Levchenko the Red Army sniper with 300 kills to her credit. The early scenes of Tat’yana stalking a German soldier are hold-your-breath intense and then the story gets really interesting when she visits the USA and is invited to join a youth tour with Mrs Roosevelt where Tat’yana becomes the spokeswoman for the Soviet cause. I enjoyed the interplay of fact with fiction and found fascinating the insiders look at the secrets and techniques of WWII espionage. Of course when you have a beautiful woman there’s always some romance involved and the handsome Captain Taylor adds an interesting dimension. This is a great book for anyone who likes their war story combined with a bit of romance.

An interesting depiction of the early days of Louisiana, this book delivered little known facts of history and an interesting story. The story was related by an omniscient narrator and thus seemed somewhat distant and ethereal while at the same time giving the reader intimate knowledge of the characters’ fears, pain, sorrow, and grief.

Prior to reading this book I was unaware of the 'casket girls' and the role they played in the population and development of Louisiana. It is hard to imagine the thought of a young girl heading to America with the intent to sell herself to a husband in the New World.

The information about the Native American tribes was also interesting but not well integrated into the story with the exception of the characters Okatomih/Jeanne and little Marguerite, by far my favorite character in the story.

I think this book provides plenty of topics for a good book club discussion and I'm now intrigued to read more by this author.

This is a difficult book to read because it tells of those who were close to Saddam Hussein during the Iran-Iraq war. Specifically it relates stories of one general, Kamel Sachet, and his family. The book is written almost as a series of essays or feature reports based on interviews gathered over time. In fact the author is/has been a reporter.

I think the book is as truthful as the author could make it but during the telling of the story she has speculated on certain happenings. My favorite parts of the book were when the members of General Sachet's family were featured. There may be book clubs that would enjoy discussing this book but I can only think of it in terms of the bookclub in which I participate and I don't think it would be a book they would choose based upon the subject matter.

I had a really hard time with the first half of this book but the second half rolled out like a great murder mystery. As another reviewer said, there are many references to the gay characters' relationships and their preferences which will be a turn off for some readers. What drove my rating of the book was the uneven plot and character development; and that the upscale New England beach town had more presence than the characters in the first half of the book. In the second half it was the exact opposite. Whether this is a deficiency or the intention of the author the reader can only guess but I much preferred the pace and the characters in the second half when it turned into a race to the finish to find out who dun it and see who would survive.

In this creative book the life of Mata Hari comes alive as we've never known it before. Murphy has filled the gaps that exist in the research available on this intriguing character from WWI. In this story Mata Hari comes to life and one finds sympathy for her despite her life choices.

There are some deliciously erotic sex scenes in the book that might make it a questionable choice for some readers and some group discussions. I found it all to be well written and a quick enjoyable reading experience. It made me go to the web to see what I could learn about Mata Hari and to verify some of the author's conclusions as either fact or fiction.