Natchez Burning presents a variety of societal issues without any sugarcoating, such as rampant racism, racially motivated torture and killings, rape, intimidation, adultery, illegal drugs, family, injustice, and, the worst thing of all, secrets. How far do you go to protect your past? How far do you go to protect the past of others? How far are you willing to go to protect a way of life?

I've enjoyed reading all of the previous novels by Greg Iles that included the character Penn Cage, and Natchez Burning is definitely included in that list. However, Natchez Burning is now my favorite Greg Iles novel and the reasons why are multitudinous. Penn Cage is a flawed yet honorable man. This book presents Penn with the worst possible dilemma, supporting the truth or his family. Natchez Burning presents a painful part of American history that is not too distant and not easily addressed, if at all, by government officials or even appeased by the truth. Racism is still a part of American culture regardless as what some in the media may say. Natchez Burning points a bright spotlight on this ongoing issue and the past behaviors of a small group of racists that killed ruthlessly with impunity.

I found Natchez Burning to be a difficult read simply because it spotlights hate crimes and the perpetrators in such a realistic manner. Reading about torture, killings, and rape, even if fictionalized, had me putting aside the book for a few hours before resuming. Natchez Burning portrays the South in a dark, gritty and realistic way that surpasses what has been revealed in other books dealing with racism and injustice. Yet even with the dark and heart-wrenching themes, Mr. Iles provides the reader with a sense of hope that justice will prevail and "truth will out."

I could go on and on about the different characters, those I liked and those I despised. I could go on and on about the tragedies that are revealed, many in the past and some contemporary. I could rave about the amazing writing of Mr. Iles or the fact that this book is just as much literary masterpiece as it is mystery-suspense masterpiece. However the only thing I really need to tell you is to read this book! If you never take any other bookish recommendation from me, take this one — go out and buy a copy of Natchez Burning and read this book! For myself, I'll be re-reading Natchez Burning as I anxiously await the next book in this trilogy, The Bone Tree.

I've thoroughly enjoyed reading previous works by Paula Brackston, but there was simply something about LAMP BLACK, WOLF GREY that failed to capture and hold my attention. I tried numerous times over the past month to sit and read this book (and I usually finish a book in one day), but I could never plow through more than 3-4 pages at a time with this book. Sadly, I never made it past page 50. I can't figure out why I didn't connect with this book, but for now I'm setting it aside. I hope to pick it up in a few weeks or months to find that I race through it in one sitting, but for now it remains one for the DNF pile.

Acker's Gap, West Virginia could literally be any small town within the United States. The problems found there are found elsewhere. And the growing problem faced in many small towns is a problem with drugs (meth as well as prescription drug abuse). Prosecuting attorney Bell Elkins is working hard to see that Acker's Gap doesn't become tainted by the ever-increasing drug problems.

A native West Virginia, Bell has seen plenty of trouble in her life and was able to succeed despite the rough start. She had even left West Virginia after completing school and worked in Washington, D.C. Bell became restless with the fast-paced life in DC and yearned to return home to West Virginia and make a difference. She had hoped her husband would feel the same, but he never wanted to return to his West Virginia roots. Bell returns to West Virginia, as a divorcee and single, working mother. Her daughter, Carla, does not like the small-town feel of Acker's Gap. She misses her friends from DC and the social life. After getting into trouble again, she is seriously thinking of asking her father if she can move in with him and return to DC. One single moment changes everything for both Carla and Bell . . . a shooting that ends in the murder of three older men, a shooting that is linked to the drug problem in Acker's Gap, a shooting that Carla was misfortunate enough to witness.

Bell, due to her job, must investigate the murders but she is also concerned about the impact this event may have on Carla. Carla, somewhat traumatized by the murders, decides she wants to help her mom with this investigation. As both Carla and Bell seek to find answers to why this event happened, they put their lives in jeopardy. Will Bell be able to protect her daughter from possible retribution? Is it really possible these murders are tied to the illegal drug trade in Acker's Gap?

Ms. Keller presents a story that is all too familiar; the effects of the illegal drug trade on small towns. Bell's back story provides just as much intrigue as the investigation into the murders and drug trafficking problems. She struggles with overcoming her past, while doing everything possible to ignore it. Carla is a typical teenage girl and yearns for excitement, difficult to find in a small town (or so she thinks). A Killing In The Hills is a dramatic and suspenseful story that drew me in from the first page. I found the characters and the action realistic and plausible. This story doesn't denigrate the small town life; it just shines a spotlight on the problems found there. I finished A Killing In The Hills in one sitting and look forward to more from Ms. Keller.

I found this to be a very difficult read, primarily because I couldn't really connect with any of the characters. I thought the sequence of activity within the story to be a little chaotic, jumping randomly (or it least it seemed random to me) from past to present and past again. I found some of the references too esoteric for understanding. The religious practices were a little too bizarre, and again quite possibly cultural, for me to relate to even though I'm Muslim. I can't say that this was a bad read or even poorly written (or possibly translated) book, it is quite simply one that didn't work for me on a number of levels.

BITTER RIVER starts off with a murder and the problems just keep coming. Bell Elkins is now dealing with empty nest syndrome (her daughter decided to relocate to Washington DC and finish her high school education there), she has a beau (that is quite a number of years younger than she is), and problems are still hounding this small WV town. The most prominent is the murder of a pregnant 16 y.o. student/athlete that was respected and adored by almost everyone. To complicate the issue the murdered student's mother is a former love-interest of the sheriff. If that weren't bad enough someone has taken pot-shots at the prosecuting attorney's office. Ms. Keller has provided a great read that continues where A KILLING IN THE HILLS left off. Her stories are filled with characters and scenarios that are realistic and wholly believable. I read BITTER RIVER in one sitting and can't want for the next installment in this series.

Very rarely does a book touch me so much that I wind up in tears at the end, but Calling Me Home was just such a book. Isabelle and Robert's story, although in the past, was presented as if actually happening. The young Isabelle was easy to love and it became easier to understand how she become the somewhat aloof elderly Isabelle of the present. Dorrie was presented as a strong character that was constantly questioning her actions and the consequences of said actions. Neither Isabelle nor Dorrie were raised with loving mothers, but the two clicked and became "family" to one another. Definitely what is expected between a young African-American woman and an elderly White woman. Their life experiences were very different but their personalities were similar in many ways. I enjoyed the way Ms. Kibler wove the past and the present together. The ending was a major surprise and resulted in a major use of tissues. I think that Wiley Cash summed this up rather nicely when stating that "If Calling Me Home were a young woman, her grandmother would be To Kill A Mockingbird, her sister would be The Help, and her cousin would be The Notebook." On the surface this is about love, society, race, and family...not just the family we are born into but those that become family to us by choice.

I wasn't quite sure if I was going to enjoy THE ART FORGER but I was intrigued by the subject matter as a former resident of Boston around the time of the Gardner heist. Imagine my surprise when I found myself pulled into the story. Ms. Shapiro has crafted a story that provides an amazing glimpse into the history of art forgery as well as the history of Isabella Stewart Gardner. The characters are realistic and neither lovable nor despicable (for the most part). I empathized with Claire Roth throughout the story and couldn't wait to find out what would happen next.
The combination of Claire's history of forgery, her present circumstances with reproduction and forgery, and the inclusion of specifics on forgery throughout history made for an extremely enjoyable read. By the time I finished reading THE ART FORGER, I was tempted to find local classes on art history and forgery just to learn more. This isn't a quick read but is definitely a memorable and enjoyable read. I strongly recommend THE ART FORGER.

The Printmaker's Daughter is at times hauntingly beautiful in bringing the lives of Ei, Shino and Hokusai to life. There were also times the story seemed sluggish, as a result I found myself having to put the book down because my attention kept wavering as I tried to read. It wasn't until the latter portion of Ei's life is portrayed after Hokusai's death that the story truly became interesting for me. Don't get me wrong, The Printmaker's Daughter is a beautiful fictional account of Ei and Hokusai. This is a well-written and well-researched book with well-developed characters and settings. Sadly I found the research discussion at the end of the book more captivating than most of the fictional story.

Piper Donovan isn't the average wedding cake baker. In fact she's only made one wedding cake before, but what a cake it was. On the basis of that one cake, she has been asked to come to Los Angeles and make a cake for Jillian Abernathy, director of Elysium. A trip to LA, a wedding cake, some acid in the face and a few murders are all ingredients in The Look of Love by Mary Jane Clark.

Piper isn't a foolhardy young woman. She knows that she wants to be an actor and that there are more opportunities in LA than in New York. She also knows that doing a cake for Jillian Abernathy, not to mention an all-expense paid trip to California and a stay at a topnotch spa resort is an excellent opportunity. Or is it? Unfortunately there is a murder at the spa on the day of Piper's arrival. Is this a sign of things to come?

I'm not quite sure why this is classified as a Piper Donovan mystery as Piper seems to be more of a bystander and not actively involved in the murders. She does get dragged into a minor investigation into the antics of one of the spa's employees by an undercover journalist. However, she's not really involved in the murders or murder investigations other than being in the same facility at approximately the same time.

There's some intrigue involved in this story but it didn't really keep my interest. The characters are relatively realistic but I had difficulty accepting that Jillian could deal with having such a high-pressure job, director of an elite spa, but quickly fall apart over everything else. There were parts of the story that worked and worked quite well: Piper and her friendship with Jack, Piper's overprotective father and his worrying, and the investigation by the undercover journalist. In the end, I didn't really find The Look of Love all that mysterious or captivating a read. It's a decent read but it didn't work for me.