Johah Williams is a slave on a plantation in South Carolina. It’s 1850; well before the Civil War and Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation. He’s Mrs. William’s house slave serving her two children. When the children are taught their lessons, Jonah listens. From those lessons, he teaches himself to read … it was illegal for a slave to read. Mrs. Williams catches him with a book he’d borrowed from their massive library. He thought he’d be beaten. Instead, she arranged for Jonah to read to her from the Bible every day. It was their secret. She even gave him a Bible of his own. This Bible “had letters the size of gnats and hairs. But it was the prettiest book he’d ever seen ….” While Mrs. Williams was away visiting her sister, Jonah was reading in the barn loft. Mr. Williams caught him, accused him of stealing the books, and beat him. It was then that Jonah decided he would seek freedom. That night, he took the jar of coins his mama had collected; a knife from the kitchen; and a hat and headed northward.

When he could, he’d travel by night. When men with guns and dogs were after him, he’d seek water to throw off his scent. After a few nights, he happened onto a ‘Jubilee’. He saw a fire blazing and other Negroes dancing and chanting. It’s there he met Angel. She was also a house slave. The master was using her as his bed warmer. She decided if Jonah could run away, she could run, too. He tried a few times to leave her behind, but she always managed to reappear back in his life.

The character of Jonah was so well-crafted that I could believe he was real as opposed to fictional. He literally traveled by foot, boat, wagon, and train on his journey seeking freedom. The trip was hard not only because he’d be beaten and possibly killed if he were captured and returned to Master Williams, but also because the terrain was perilous and the weather unforgiving. Angel added something very special to this story. As much as Jonah was ‘book smart’, she was ‘street smart’. They complimented each other in ways that Jonah refused to acknowledge. When the synopsis tells us that Angel manages to find Jonah even though he tried to leave her behind, I thought this would be too coincidental to be believable. But it was all very convincing. If you like books in which you can emotionally immerse yourself, you’ll love this story of Jonah’s arduous pursuit of freedom. Rating: 5 out of 5.

How the heck? Maya Burkett was with her husband, Joe, in Central Park two weeks ago when two thugs killed him. She had her arms around him when he died. She had his blood all over her. So how is it possible that her nanny cam captured him holding their daughter while she was away at work? Her best friend, Eileen, had given her the nanny cam, which was disguised as a digital picture frame. It wasn’t because Eileen didn’t trust Isabella, the nanny, but because she felt when it comes to your child, you don’t trust anyone. Maya confronts Isabella about the appearance of Joe on the video. Isabella plays dumb. Then, she suddenly pepper sprays Maya, takes the memory card, and runs. Now Maya has nothing to support her claim that she saw the image of Joe holding their two-year-old daughter, Lily.

The police are still trying to find the killers, not only for her Joe’s death but also for her sister, Claire, four months before. Upset at not being kept in the loop, Maya sets out to investigate her husband’s death herself. NYPD Homicide Detective Kierce comes back with the most startling news … “The same gun that killed your husband also killed your sister.”

Coben’s twists and turns, right up to the end, are something akin to mountainous hairpin curves. You never know where it’s going. Dana Perino, co-host of The Five on FoxNews, had put in a plug for Fool Me Once after having met Mr. Coben. He’d told her he’d bet no one would guess the ending of this book. I’d say that’s a safe bet. In fact, I’d have to say Mr. Coben has managed to ‘fool me’ consistently as he’s a master at hiding the ‘who’ in the ‘whodunit’. Rating: 5 out of 5.

Roy has a history of duping people out of their money. He’s now in his eighties, and has set himself up with Betty, a rather gullible but affluent elderly woman. He just wants to be taken care of. But inwardly, he wants one more big fling; one more big con. Betty’s grandson, Stephen, doesn’t like Roy and suspects he’s up to no good.

The author methodically creates a man who is able to give readers the creeps. Searle peels back the layers of this man piece by piece, going from his most recent past to his early past. Yet he never lets us forget the present time – what is Roy planning now that he has successfully weaved his way into Betty’s life?

Present tense was used for some of the scenes which had existed in the past. If this was purposefully done, I thought it a bit odd. The characters were fascinating and well crafted, but I had a difficult time relating to any of them. The mood of the storyline was dark and foreboding. Yet, curiosity carries the reader forth to a rather satisfying ending. Rating: 3.5 out of 5.

Another DA working in Rachel Knight’s office didn’t care about the case of a murdered homeless man … a ‘John Doe.’ If Rachel, DA for Special Trials, hadn’t taken over the case, it would have been dismissed and no justice would have been obtained for the man. As she begins investigating with the help of her legal partner, Toni LaCollier and Detective Bailey Keller, she finds that the man was Simon Bayer, the brother of Zack Bayer, an officer who’d been killed two years before. The accused had been Bayer’s wife, Lilah, but she’d been released … not guilty. Is the recent murder of Simon related to his brother’s death? To find much-needed answers, they take to the LA streets and talk to others who are homeless that possibly knew Simon. They must be getting close as the danger level increases.

Can anyone say ‘desensitized’? The first chapter of this novel reminds us how many people have literally become desensitized to the deaths of others. In this case, it is the homeless man. He laid dying on the streets of LA for a couple of hours before authorities were called. By that time, he was dead. And so, this novel is very gripping and sadly real. This is Marcia Clark’s second in her Rachel Knight series, following Guilt by Association. As in the first book, I liked Rachel’s personality. I enjoyed the mystery element of the story and watching the legal case unfold. There did seem to be some unnecessary filler added, but my biggest annoyance was the issues that remained unresolved by the end. Rating: 3.5 out of 5.

She didn’t want to do it. She really didn’t. But, two kids were firing at her and Jacobi. Jacobi was down. Lindsay Boxer fired her weapon. Now one teen is in the hospital and will be paralyzed for life … the other is dead. It’s a tragedy, but these teens were not innocent. They’d killed a couple of other teens, then whipped and slashed their buttocks before leaving a message at the scene, “Nobody Cares.” Boxer’s mind went back ten years before to a John Doe whose murderer had never been caught. The MO was the same.

Because of the shooting, Lindsay was placed on administrative leave. She went to her sister’s house in Half Moon Bay where she could recoup and relax. But trouble followed; there were more murders. Now it seems someone may be after Lindsay.

I’ve read the first three in the Women’s Murder Club and this is one of my favorite series in the mystery and suspense genre. This one did not disappoint. There was plenty of action along with twists and turns that keep the reader guessing. I love the group of women that Lindsay meets with. They’re a hoot! But, one of the things I like best about this series is that the situations are realistic and the people have human frailties. No super heroes. Some of the chapters are given over to the killer. We don’t know the name of the person other than The Watcher. And, The Watcher is not alone. Rating: 4 out of 5.

Our unnamed protagonist is on a dual mission. He’s an American spy for HQ (Headquarters) which is code for the CIA. On the one hand, he’s very good at his job. On the other, he’s willing to patiently wait years to exact revenge for his father who had been humiliated, railroaded out of the HQ, out of his benefits, and into homelessness years earlier. He finds an unlikely ally in the form of Luz Aguilar, daughter of an Argentinean revolutionary from Buenos Aires, who also holds a grudge against the HQ.

Charles McCarry was a former CIA operative and so he has an in-depth knowledge of the process. He has been feeding credible spy novels to his fans since the 1970s. The protagonist’s relationship with Luz is described as love but seems to be much more about the sexual atmosphere between them. Fortunately, the novel is more about the story line and the narrator’s revenge than about their sexual exploits. The protagonist lacks a name while the remaining characters lack a bit of development, especially within the midsection of the novel. The action is adequate carrying over into a very satisfying ending for the reader. Rating: 3 out of 5.

Dried noodles! That’s basically what the hikers Bill Bryson, and his friend Steven Katz, had left to eat after their first full day of their hike on the Appalachian Trail. Both were out of shape before taking on their hike, but Katz even more so. During the halfway point of their first day, Katz saw fit to ‘fling’ stuff out of his pack in order to ease his load; much of it was food stuff. But, hey, it felt good to ‘fling’ it. This is Bryson’s first-hand account of their experience, and at first it was hilarious. He started us out with the reason why – because it’s there and because he’s reacquainting himself with America after spending 20 years in England. Then, he basically takes us with him as he’s shopping for the supplies he would need. In many respects, he was clueless, but it was enjoyable for the reader. The entire trail is over 2,100 miles long from Springer Mountain in Georgia to Mount Katahdin in Maine. As each day progresses, you can see their fitness level improve. They seem able to walk further each day taking it all in stride. However, occasionally, they do look for opportunities to go off the AT for the comfort of restaurants and motels.

At the beginning, I was all in. It was funny and light-hearted and very enjoyable. As they are walking the trail, he tosses in some history and facts of the trail which was quite interesting. I loved his characterization of other hikers. I didn’t realize when I first began reading that he was eventually going to delve more into political and controversial aspects. There was a whole dissertation about the failings of the US Forestry; a part about tree science; and even his views on evolution. I rated A Walk in the Woods at 3.5 out of 5.

As a woman, what would make you go to war in 1861? To be beside your husband? Pure loyalty to the cause? Liar, Temptress, Soldier, Spy delves into the history of four courageous women who took part in the Civil War. High spirited seventeen-year-old Belle Boyd began packing a Colt 1849 pistol. When early in the war, Union soldiers invaded their home and were beginning to stronghold her mother, she shot and killed one. They then turned their attention to her. “She heard herself speak before she had a chance to contemplate her words: ‘Only those who are cowards shoot women,’ she said, and spread open her arms. ‘Now shoot!’” Belle (Siren of the Shenandoah) was best known for her work as a Confederate Spy providing valuable information to Stonewall Jackson.

Emma Edmondson is of real interest to me as I had many years ago been surprised that as many as 300 – 400 women went to battle for both sides – Union and Confederate. She became Frank Thompson, a Union soldier serving as a private for Company F, 2nd Michigan Infantry and began serving in the nation’s capital. His comrades knew that “despite his slight stature and oddly smooth face he had enjoyed a reputation as a ladies’ man before the outbreak of the war, squiring them around town in the finest horse and buggy …” Emma served for two years without being detected. She also served as a spy and was very clever with her disguises.

The other two women to which this novel focuses is Rose O’Neale Greenhow and Elizabeth Van Lew. Rose O’Neale, a Washington, DC socialite, became a Confederate spy using the friendships she’d attained with generals, senators, and high-ranking military officers to send encoded messages about the Union’s movements. Elizabeth Van Lew had requested and been given permission to bring items of comfort – books, food, and clothing — to the Union prisoners of war being held in Richmond, VA. She would later help prisoners to escape.

The novel details each year (1861 – 1865); the battles of the war; and the generals that led them. However, it is primarily a story of these women. To be clear, it is ‘Historical Nonfiction.’ It is told as a story, yet per the author’s note, any of the quoted script was taken directly from “a book, diary, letter, archival note, or transcript …” There is no “invented dialogue.” It is quite comprehensive (433 pages). There are actual pictures of these women and additional images throughout the novel. Even though it was told in story format, at times it felt a bit stiff like reading a textbook. I loved how these women became very creative about hiding messages. They’d sew ciphered notes in the hems of their skirts, or roll them within their hair. Rating: 3.5 out of 5.

Ten-year-old Noel Bostock wasn’t living an affluent life. But he felt loved and protected under the care of his godmother, Mattie. She is very set in her ways and refuses to evacuate Noel. But that’s OK with him; the only company he needs is Mattie. She instilled in him a ‘free-thinker’ attitude. But Mattie is old. Even as Noel is mourning her death, he is evacuated and sent to live northwest of the city with Vera (Vee) Sedge. Vee is a widow and her household consists of her mother, Flora, and son, Donald. The story took place during WWII’s London Blitz. Great debt and the lack of money is a constant battle for Vee. She and Noel begin to work together to scam the system. After all, the limp left after his encounter with polio must be good for something, right?

The novel was not populated with dates but the reader had an idea of the time by the events – children being evacuated from England; Hitler having risen to power. The novel is lively with character personality, but clearly it’s a very dark time in history. I felt it was a bit wordy at the beginning, but the pace picks up as we begin to see the relationship gradually change and grow between Vee and Noel. The reader’s first impression of Vee is one of disdain but eventually discover that she and Noel were more like-minded than anyone would have guessed. It was a heart-warming story and through Vee’s quick wit, it was humorous at times as well. Rating: 3.5 out of 5.

As a woman, what would make you go to war in 1861? To be beside your husband? Pure loyalty to the cause? Liar, Temptress, Soldier, Spy delves into the history of four courageous women who took part in the Civil War. High spirited seventeen-year-old Belle Boyd began packing a Colt 1849 pistol. When early in the war, Union soldiers invaded their home and were beginning to stronghold her mother, she shot and killed one. They then turned their attention to her. “She heard herself speak before she had a chance to contemplate her words: ‘Only those who are cowards shoot women,’ she said, and spread open her arms. ‘Now shoot!’” Belle (Siren of the Shenandoah) was best known for her work as a Confederate Spy providing valuable information to Stonewall Jackson.

Emma Edmondson is of real interest to me as I had many years ago been surprised that as many as 300 – 400 women went to battle for both sides – Union and Confederate. She became Frank Thompson, a Union soldier serving as a private for Company F, 2nd Michigan Infantry and began serving in the nation’s capital. His comrades knew that “despite his slight stature and oddly smooth face he had enjoyed a reputation as a ladies’ man before the outbreak of the war, squiring them around town in the finest horse and buggy …” Emma served for two years without being detected. She also served as a spy and was very clever with her disguises.

The other two women to which this novel focuses is Rose O’Neale Greenhow and Elizabeth Van Lew. Rose O’Neale, a Washington, DC socialite, became a Confederate spy using the friendships she’d attained with generals, senators, and high-ranking military officers to send encoded messages about the Union’s movements. Elizabeth Van Lew had requested and been given permission to bring items of comfort – books, food, and clothing — to the Union prisoners of war being held in Richmond, VA. She would later help prisoners to escape.

The novel details each year (1861 – 1865); the battles of the war; and the generals that led them. However, it is primarily a story of these women. It is told as a story, yet per the author’s note, any of the quoted script was taken directly from “a book, diary, letter, archival note, or transcript …” There is no “invented dialogue.” It is quite comprehensive (433 pages). There are actual pictures of these women and additional images throughout the novel. Even though it was told in story format, at times it felt a bit stiff like reading a textbook instead of fiction. I loved how these women became very creative about hiding messages. They’d sew ciphered notes in the hems of their skirts, or roll them within their hair. Rating: 3.5 out of 5.

At the open, Myron’s father is in the hospital in serious condition and Myron reflects back upon a lie he told his father many years before. That lie becomes his focus for at least part of the story. His client in this edition is Suzze T, a tennis great. She’s been on the sidelines recently because she’s eight months pregnant. She’s married to Lex, a rock star and also a client of Myron’s. He’s gone missing since someone maliciously posted on Suzze’s Facebook page that the baby is not his. What begins as a search for Lex becomes mixed with the return of Myron’s drug-addicted sister-in-law, Kitty, and the continued absence of his brother, Brad. Before long, it appears that it may all be related.

If there is a silver lining for Myron, it is that he finally meets his fifteen-year-old nephew, Mickey, for the first time. However, that first meeting was anything but pleasant. There are a lot of secrets being held by all parties. Myron has to wade through what is truth and what is a lie. As the danger level rises, he pulls in Windsor (Win) Horne Lockwood, III, his preppy-looking friend who is a sixth-degree black belt holder in Tae Kwon Do.

This is the 10th and as far as I can tell the final Myron Bolitar novel. I say that with sadness because I have loved the Myron series. I’ve loved the development of the main characters over time. The reason I tend to think it is the last is because there have been no new offerings in this series since this one which was published in 2011. Also the ending, which I obviously cannot give away, had a different and almost a final closure to it. Now, if readers need their ‘Myron fix’, they need to continue reading Coben’s YA Mickey Bolitar series. Myron makes appearances in the Mickey series. I’ll miss the mixture of those lovable and true-to-life characters, Win, Esperanza, Big Cyndi, and even Zorra. Rating: 4 out of 5.

One is a slave in her body; the other is a slave in her mind. Handful (Hetty), born into slavery, had no way out. She was at the mercy of the wealthy Grimke family. She could see the Charleston Harbor in a distance from Sarah’s upstairs room and dreamed of leaving someday. Sarah Grimke is given ownership of ten year old Handful on her eleventh birthday. She didn’t want a slave and even at that tender age, didn’t understand how you could own another person. At her father’s teachings, she felt destined to greatness someday but women were banned from such things. Women were meant to get married and raise children.

The story begins in the early nineteenth century in Charleston, SC. It is Sarah’s and Handful’s story – alternately narrated. In the Author’s note, Sue Monk Kidd said “My aim was not to write a thinly fictionalized account of Sarah Grimke’s history, but a thickly imagined story inspired by her life.” So, she combines fact with fiction to flesh out the lives of Sarah Grimke and her sister Angelina who became devoted to the abolition of slavery. Since this is based on a true story, we can grab our ‘search’ button and know the ending, at least for Sarah and Angelina Grimke. I didn’t feel the ending was tied up so well for the fictional Handful and her sister; I felt that portion was left a bit open to our imaginations. In reality, Hetty died at a rather young age; Ms Kidd kept her alive in order to provide both sides of a story. I rated this 4 out of 5.

‘Marcus in the Mirror’ – that’s the enlarged photo hanging in an art exhibit. Julia took the photo years ago when she and Marcus were lovers. He died. She moved on. Or so it would seem. Now she’s been married ten years to Hugh, a surgeon. They have a comfortable life in North London. They have an adopted teen, Connor. Actually, Connor was her younger sister Kate’s son. Kate was only sixteen when she gave birth to Connor; she begged Julia to take care of him. But, more recently Kate has been making demands to Julia to return Connor to her … that is until Kate is attacked and killed in an alley in Paris.

Julia meets Kate’s flat-mate Anna at Kate’s funeral service. Julia discovers the world that both Anna and Kate have been involved in and it’s not pretty. Online-sex, Phone-sex, sex-sex, you name it. They pick up these men they meet on website encountrz.com. The police have little to go on. Julia thinks she can do better. She accesses encountrz.com using her sister’s user name and password. She’s looking for her sister’s possible killer; then, she meets ‘Lucas’. Can anyone say ‘fatal attraction’?

This story grips hold of your little eyeballs and draws you completely into this psychological thriller. At times, indeed many times, you’d want to grab Julia by the shoulders and shake some sense into the woman. I did find it difficult to consider why someone would lose themselves so completely into seduction and sex because they’ve lost their sister. Oh I know — part of the reason was she was looking for a connection to her sister’s killer. But to look for people and information didn’t mean she had to follow her sister down that same rabbit hole performing the same sexual acts for a man she didn’t know. It’s almost as if she were out to destroy her own marriage of ten years over the matter. Nevertheless, you won’t want to put the book down until you find out what happens. And then … it doesn’t give you a complete ending. After reading 415 pages, I feel I deserve to know the end. If I have to use my own imagination, I opt for a happy one. Rating: 3 out of 5.

As an adult, Theo Decker narrates the story from the perspective of his 13 year old self. While visiting New York’s Metropolitan Art Museum with his mother, a bomb explodes, leaving him to find his own way out through horrible conditions. For some time, he hangs on to a feeble hope that his mother survived the blast. Before he left the museum, he took one of his mother’s favorite paintings, Carel Fabritius’s The Goldfinch.

The Goldfinch had excellent scenes and lines; it displays perfectly what I imagine would be in a 13 year-old boy’s mind having lost his mother so suddenly to a terrorist bombing. The premise gave great promise and great potential. However, at times, I felt I wanted to abandon it as it was overly long and was filled with ‘stuff’ that was not interesting and did nothing to pull the story along.

This painting that Theo pulled away from the art museum is all but forgotten for much of the book; maybe mentioned again every 100 pages or so.

Ms. Tartt does a good job with character development but the plot became thinner. For me, the high points of The Goldfinch were Theo’s life during and immediately after the terrorist explosion; when he was received into the wealthy family of his school friend; and his relationship with Pippa and Hobie. I rated The Goldfinch 3 out of 5.

One is a slave in her body; the other is a slave in her mind. Handful (Hetty), born into slavery, had no way out. She was at the mercy of the wealthy Grimke family. She could see the Charleston Harbor in a distance from Sarah’s upstairs room and dreamed of leaving someday. Sarah Grimke is given ownership of ten year old Handful on her eleventh birthday. She didn’t want a slave and even at that tender age, didn’t understand how you could own another person. At her father’s teachings, she felt destined to greatness someday but women were banned from such things. Women were meant to get married and raise children.

The story begins in the early nineteenth century in Charleston, SC. It is Sarah’s and Handful’s story – alternately narrated. In the Author’s note, Sue Monk Kidd said “My aim was not to write a thinly fictionalized account of Sarah Grimke’s history, but a thickly imagined story inspired by her life.” So, she combines fact with fiction to flesh out the lives of Sarah Grimke and her sister Angelina who became devoted to the abolition of slavery. Since this is based on a true story, we can grab our ‘search’ button and know the ending, at least for Sarah and Angelina Grimke. I didn’t feel the ending was tied up so well for the fictional Handful and her sister; I felt that portion was left a bit open to our imaginations. In reality, Hetty died at a rather young age; Ms Kidd kept her alive in order to provide both sides of a story. I rated this 4 out of 5.

We are first introduced to ‘the house’ in the prologue. This house in Charles Town, VA was where John Brown’s family spent the night before he was executed for his organized raid against the armory at Harper’s Ferry. It was the same house bought in 2010 with the intention of ‘flipping’ it for profit. In 2014, it is the house Jack and Eden Anderson bought with the intention of starting a family.

This is basically history beginning just prior to John Brown’s capture at Harper’s Ferry in 1859. It is not his story per se; it is the story of his daughter, Sarah. She chooses to continue his work after his death. The novel alternates between Sarah Brown’s life in the nineteenth century and Eden Anderson in present day.

John Brown had drawn a map for slave runaways. But, they needed a clearer picture of exactly where to go. Sarah draws a pictograph showing scenic landmarks. It’s exactly what they needed and it’s how she first became involved in the Underground Railroad. She also drew a map for her father on the day before he was to be hung with the childish hope that he would escape and find his way back to them. Due to an earlier illness, she was told she’d never conceive children. With those hopes dashed, she gives her life to the UGRR continuing pictographs showing the way north to safe houses.

In present day, Jack and Eden find a doorway under the floor to an old cellar. The first thing they spot is a bizarre looking porcelain doll’s face. Ten year old Cleo next door teams up with Eden to investigate the history of the house and the doll. The doll’s head housed a key which was much newer than nineteenth century. More puzzles. They contact a local historian, Ms. Silverdash, to help piece everything together.

I love stories like this in which the novel swings between a historical time period and present day. The fictional portion is plotted seamlessly against the historical background. All of the characters are very engaging and brought to life on the pages of the novel. This story takes nothing away from the history of John Brown, but alternately fulfills his legacy in the strength, courage and compassion displayed by his daughter, Sarah. Rating: 4.5 out of 5.

The action in this story picks up from The Final Problem in which Sherlock Holmes and Professor Moriarty had fought at the Reichenbach Falls in Switzerland and both fell over the falls … both presumed dead. The reader becomes acquainted with Frederick Chase through his first person narration of this story. He introduces himself as a New York Pinkerton Detective traveling to Europe on the heels of an American crime lord who he believes planned to meet with Moriarty. He meets Athelby Jones, Scotland Yard, who accompanies him as they examine the recovered body of Professor Moriarty. Together they find a note carefully sewn into the jacket lining of the deceased. It begins to provide them with the clues they need to begin solving the murders.

Athelby Jones had been that bumbling detective Watson referenced in The Sign of the Four. Determined to overcome that image, he has made an intensive study of the deductive reasoning utilized by Sherlock Holmes, but he’s not quite perfected it. So at least for a while, the duo become very similar to Dr. Watson and Sherlock Holmes (Chase as Watson and Jones as Holmes) as they work together to try to solve the execution style murders taking place in their vicinity.

I found this author very talented at ending one chapter with a mysterious lead in to the next. While I felt that middle grade or high school students could read Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes stories, I don’t feel comfortable with recommending this book for younger readers. The writing style had similarities to Doyle, but it has several scenes with graphic physical violence. The ending was a major twist of events that I thought was very clever. The character development of Jones was well done showing his love of his job; his love of his family; and the pursuit of a balance. Rating: 4 out of 5.

We’ve all seen these types of news stories – Child dies after having been left in a hot car. As mad as it makes us all, and as horrific as it sounds, most of these cases were not intended to kill the child. In real life, I hate to hear these stories, but it makes good fodder for fiction. More specifically, was it Melisandre (Missy) Harris Dawes’ intention to kill her two-month old daughter that hot August day? At the start of this novel, the incident was ten years prior. Melisandre had been acquitted of the murder (insanity); she left her husband, Stephen Dawes; signed away her parental rights to her other two daughters; and left the country. Now, Melisandre is very wealthy and she’s back. She wants to reunite with her children. She’s making a documentary and wants to film the details of her criminal case as well as her reunion with her girls. Initially, it looks as if Alanna and Ruby (now teenagers) would agree to meet her, but they’ve changed their minds. Her ex supports the girl’s decision.

Tess’ life has been turned upside down since the birth of her own daughter, Carla Scout, who is now three years old. She has discovered first-hand how difficult children can be at times, but is abhorred by the idea that someone would be driven to take the life of their own child. Attorney Tyner Gray is Tess’ friend and Missy’s lawyer. He asks that Tess meet with Missy, as Missy is receiving hate mail with threatening tones. Tess is not thrilled with this case, but the pay is good so she agrees. Then, one of Missy’s colleagues is poisoned. Was it intended for Missy? Well, probably!

Once you get past the anger issues you may feel with the subject matter, the mystery begins to pick up and unfold in the present time in Baltimore, MD. Time is given over to personal reflections of Tess and her partner Sandy Sanchez as they think about their own children in light of Missy’s past actions. As an understatement, Missy was not a likeable character. You’d think she would show signs of remorse … but, she never does. As with most series, it can be read as a standalone, but the reader would miss how the main characters develop over time. I rated Hush Hush at 4 out of 5.

Reindeer herders. Now, there’s a term you don’t hear every day. In Kautokeino, a village in central Lapland, there are still reindeer herders and Reindeer Police to keep peace between the herders and monitor how many reindeer are kept in each herd. The herders are Sámis who are an indigenous people inhabiting the Arctic area of Sápmi. Some herders have brought their profession into modern day, even providing reindeer products and souvenirs to sightseers. But doing so costs more money and causes the herder to necessarily increase his herd. Aslak is different. He has a small herd and works with them much the same way it was generations ago. It is enough to provide for him and his wife in their tent in the wilderness. Mattis was more like Aslak until booze took over his brain. Then his herds became weak and wondered into other herds. It was always an issue in the spring for the Reindeer Police to negotiate and separate the herds.

Then, a Sámi drum was stolen from the museum. It was generations old. It was not only rare, but it was rumored to provide directions to a massive gold site. Soon thereafter, Mattis was found murdered. The Reindeer Police feel that the two incidents are connected. Rolf Brattsen, the Deputy Superintendent, insisted they should be treated as two separate incidents. Klemet Nango and Nina Nansen head up the investigation by the Reindeer Police, but they need to default to Brattsen and he eventually tells them to back off. Brattsen does not care for the Sámis nor their history.

This is Oliver Truc’s debut novel, and the storyline is truly fascinating. The prologue threw me a bit; I was looking for more of a tie in to it. Still it sets the reader up for a remarkable journey. I loved the characters of Klemet and Nina. At first they were at odds with each other. Klemet is a Sámi; Nina was a newcomer but a quick learner. It was very realistic to see these two eventually drawing together with respect for each other. It is not a love story, but the reader will fall in love with the people and even with this harsh and unforgiving locale. I rated Forty Days Without Shadow at 4 out of 5.