3.5 stars, rounded up to 4 The Necklace by Matt Witten is a riveting, page-turning thriller that centers on Susan Lentigo, a mother seeking justice for her seven-year-old daughter Amy, who was brutally raped and murdered two decades ago. The prime suspect, Ray Jansen, a drifter with a criminal record, confesses to the crime but recants before his trial. Nevertheless, the court finds him guilty and imposes the death penalty by lethal injection. On the eve of Jansen’s execution, Susan embarks on a road trip from her home in Lake Luzerne, New York, to North Dakota to witness the execution and find closure. During her journey, she discovers shocking new evidence […]
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Haunting Mysteries and Historical Intrigue
“Right— we’re the good Orientals now. But I still can’t buy a house outside Chinatown. That’s ‘all men are created equal’ for you.”—Amy Chua, The Golden Gate. In 1944 Berkeley, California, presidential hopeful Walter Wilkinson is found dead in his room at the Claremont Hotel, launching an investigation by Homicide Detective Al Sullivan. Early evidence points to the three granddaughters of wealthy socialite Genevieve Hopkins Bainbridge and links to the 1930 murder of 7-year-old Iris Stafford, rumored to haunt the hotel. The Golden Gate, written by Yale law professor Amy Chua, is an old-fashioned detective novel rich with California history and real-life figures. The story alternates between Genevieve’s deposition and […]
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The Raging Storm
Jem Rosco is Greystone, Devon’s biggest celebrity. Sailor and adventurer, he gained notoriety for his solo sailing trip around the world. When he arrives in town during a storm, the residents of the tiny village are thrilled to have him around, but things take a dark turn when his naked body is found in an anchored dinghy and his rental cottage is a bloody crime scene. Detective Inspector Matthew Venn and his team, Jen Rafferty and Ross May, descend upon the town to investigate Rosco’s past and present to find a motive for murder. There’s more trouble brewing in Greystone, though, with another murder complicating the mystery. This is an […]
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A World of Curosities
“Happiness as an act of defiance. A revolutionary act.”― Louise Penny, A World of Curiosities. Louise Penny’s latest installment in the bestselling Chief Inspector Armand Gamache series marks a triumphant return for the beloved detective. In this eighteenth book, Three Pines emerges from a harsh winter, setting the stage for a special celebration. However, the return of siblings Fiona and Sam Arsenault unravels a series of unsettling events. Memories of the bludgeoning murder investigation involving Fiona and Sam’s troubled mother flood Gamache and his colleague Jean-Guy Beauvoir. Having taken Fiona under their wing after her conviction and subsequent imprisonment, Gamache and his wife, Reine-Marie, yet are surprised when both siblings show […]
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May Reads
June is upon us, so it is time to post my reviews of the books I read in May, a smattering from the historical fiction, thriller, memoir, mystery, biography, and literary fiction genres. I use Goodreads to track and rate my reading. 5 stars is reserved for rare blew-my-socks-off reads, 4 stars means I enjoyed it and would absolutely recommend. 3 stars is good, but not great. I very rarely rate lower because I do not finish books I’m not enjoying. The Broken Way: A Daring Path into the Abundant Life by Ann Voskamp This book is for those in need of a renewed revelation of the grace of God. […]
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