Reviews by Norma R. (Secaucus, NJ)

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The Widow
The Widow
by Fiona Barton
Suspense (12/22/2015)
The Widow is a suspense novel set in the UK about a missing child; it is told from several viewpoints. The narratives switch time frames as well. There are only a few characters: Glen, Jean, the detective, the reporter, and the mother of the missing child. As I read I had …more
The Art of Baking Blind
The Art of Baking Blind
by Sarah Vaughan
Start Your Ovens (3/11/2015)
This is a novel about a contest to find the "new" Mrs Eaden. Kathleen Eaden is a fictional character and the face of Eaden's, a high end grocery chain. She was the author of a baking cook book. The novel follows the life stories of the five contestants competing to win the …more
Descent
Descent
by Tim Johnston
Descent (11/10/2014)
Descent is a suspenseful thriller with many scary scenes and an overall sense of doom. The Courtland family is destroyed when their daughter is abducted. The novel follows several story lines during the search for Caitlyn. Her mother, father and brother experience many …more
Juliet's Nurse
Juliet's Nurse
by Lois Leveen
Inside Look (7/12/2014)
Nurse by Lois Leveen is a retelling of the Romeo and Juliet story from the perspective of Juliet's wet nurse. Through Angelica we experience life in 14th century Verona. Her life is a struggle and is in contrast the riches of the Capppelletti family. The royal families in …more
The Hollow Ground
The Hollow Ground: A Novel
by Natalie S. Harnett
Damaging Secrets (3/12/2014)
The Hollow Ground is an engrossing tale of a mining family in 1960s Pennsylvania. The narrator is young Brigid Howley. Her family feels that they have been cursed and blame all their misfortunes on it. Brigid's parents have trouble keeping jobs and move in with her …more
The Last Enchantments
The Last Enchantments
by Charles Finch
Oxford Dreams (11/19/2013)
Last Enchantments tells the of the journey of a group of friends from college to adulthood. Will Baker leaves the security of a job and a girlfriend in New York to study in Oxford for one year. The beauty of Oxford is stunning but life is not perfect. The group of friends …more
The Drowning Guard
The Drowning Guard: A Novel of the Ottoman Empire
by Linda Lafferty
Constantinople Nights (8/26/2013)
Be prepared to be transported to Constantinople in the 1800's. The city is part of the vast Ottoman Empire. People from all over live here - Armenians, English, Portuguese, Italians, Greeks, Jews from Spain, Serbo-Croats. The story centers on the lives of a brother and …more
My Brilliant Friend
My Brilliant Friend
by Elena Ferrante
My Brilliant Friend (6/13/2012)
Very good "period" piece set in the outskirts of Naples in the late 1950's. It is a coming of age story that chronicles the lives of children growing up on the outskirts of Naples in the 1950's. The plot focuses on several families in a small sheltered neighborhood. I …more
Wife 22
Wife 22: A Novel
by Melanie Gideon
Wife 22 (4/2/2012)
Wife 22 is in the same genre as Briget Jones Diary and I Don't Know How She Does It. The protagonist is a 40 something wife and mother who is re-evaluating her career, marriage and life. The format of the book mixes straight narrative with Facebook posts, e-mails and text …more
Sacre Bleu
Sacre Bleu: A Comedy d'Art
by Christopher Moore
Sacre Bleu (2/17/2012)
I enjoyed this book. If you like Paris, bread and painters you will too. Most of the story takes place in the Montmartre neighborhood.The characters are Impressionist painters like Toulouse-Lautrec, Pissaro and Manet. The book centers on the need for "true blue", the …more
Three Seconds
Three Seconds
by Anders Roslund & Borge Hellstrom
Suspense in Sweeden (12/19/2010)
I enjoyed reading Three Seconds by Roslund and Hellstrom. The novel details the story of a drug informant, Piet Hoffman, whose life goes terribly wrong while trying to infiltrate the drug trade. The police abandon Hoffman and he is left to save himself.
Juliet
Juliet
by Anne Fortier
Juliet (7/25/2010)
"Juliet" by Anne Fortier is an enjoyable re-telling of Shakespeare's "Romeo and Juliet"story. Julie Jacobs travels to Italy to solve the mystery of her family history in Siena, Italy. The novel switches between present day and Siena in the 1300's. The story moves along …more
Green Monster
Green Monster: A Sam Skarda Mystery
by Rick Shefchik
Green Monster (6/24/2008)
I asked to review Green Monster by Rick Shefchik because I am a baseball fan and a mystery book fan. Sam Skarda, a private investigator is asked to investigate a blackmail case involving the Boston Red Sox and the 2004 World Series. The action moves between Minneapolis, …more
Seven for a Secret
Seven for a Secret: A John the Eunuch Mystery
by Mary and Eric Mayer Reed
Seven for a Secret (2/4/2008)
This novel is seventh in a series of detective novels by the husband and wife writing team of Mary Reed and Eric Mayer. It is set in 6th century Constantinople (present day Istanbul). The main character is John the Lord Chamberlain, a high official in the government of …more
The Quiet Girl
The Quiet Girl
by Peter Hoeg
Peter Hoeg's The Quiet Girl (10/10/2007)
This is the story of Kasper Krone a circus clown from Denmark. The book is set in the present time and centers around Krone's special gift. He is able to "hear peoples' music" and know what they are thinking and feeling. The plot has many twists and turns and I found the …more
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