9.12.2022 - All That's Left Unsaid

 

Many thanks to NetGalley, Book Club Girl and Harper Collins William Morrow for gifting me a digital ARC of this wonderful debut novel by Tracey Lien - 4.5 stars rounded up!

Ky Tran is Vietnamese-Australian and working as a journalist in Melbourne when she learns that her younger brother, Denny, was beaten and died while at a restaurant celebrating the end of school.  Both Ky and Denny were hard workers, rule followers, under pressure from their immigrant parents to do well.  So Ky doesn't understand what happened.  When she returns home to Cabramatta for Denny's funeral, she learns that her parents refused an autopsy and the police interviews of those in the restaurant went nowhere.  The Constable does give Ky a list of those in the restaurant who swore they didn't see anything, and Ky begins interviewing them to find out what happened to her brother.

This was such a wonderful book - tragic, beautifully written, a mystery inside a family saga.  The book is told from Ky's point of view, in past and present, as well as from other characters.  There is so much here to unravel besides what happened to Ky - family trauma passed on, societal expectations, growing in up a depressed region, guilt, shame - and it all feels very real.  This is the type of book to really think about and would be a great book club pick.  Can't wait to read more from this author.

9.9.2022 - All the Lonely People

 

Many thanks to NetGalley and Grand Central Publishing for gifting me a digital copy of this wonderful book by Mike Gayle - 5 stars!

Hubert Bird is lonely.  But when is daughter, Rose, calls him from Australia once a week, he knows she worries that he's alone.  So he tells her about all the friends he has and all the activities he does.  But it's all a lie.  So when Rose tells him that she's coming for a visit, he panics and needs to find friends he can show to her.  But how is he going to do that when it's hard for him to even leave the house?

What a wonderful, heartwarming, heart wrenching story!  The story is told in two timelines - starting from the 1950s in the past and "now" chapters.  It's a great way to be introduced to Hubert's story and how it relates to his present life. There's a lot to digest in here as well - racism, grief - but mostly the personal bits.  How we are all so "busy" that no one knows their neighbors, how small acts of kindness can mean so much, and how everyone has a story.  Covid showed the world how much we need each other and spotlighted how hard loneliness can be.  Highly recommended read!

9.6.2022 - Has Anyone Seen My Toes?

 

Many thanks to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for gifting me a digital ARC of the latest novel by Christopher Buckley - 3 stars!

During the COVID pandemic, a screenwriter is living in a coastal SC town with his second wife, Peaches.  He's overweight because he can't stop driving through the fast-food chain, Hippo King.  His concierge doctor gives him speed to help with his appetite, although it doesn't work.  He's writing a new screenplay about a Nazi plot to kidnap FDR.  He becomes obsessed with a local election for coroner and begins imagining both candidates have nefarious activities.  Then a psychiatrist thinks he may have dementia.  It's all too much for him.

It was all a bit too much for me as well.  I really liked some of the humorous/satirical portions but I lost interest in the screenplay he was trying to write and found myself skimming those portions.  The humor got overshadowed by the rambling stream of consciousness thoughts.  

9.5.2022 - The Fall Girl

 

Many thanks to NetGalley and RB Media/Recorded Books for gifting me an audio ARC of the latest legal thriller by Marcia Clark - 4.5 stars!

Charlie Blair was forced to leave her life in Chicago as Lauren Claybourne behind as she feared for her life.  Now working in the Santa Cruz DA's office, she hides from the press and is constantly scared that someone is following her.  When she is tasked to be second chair on a high-profile murder case behind prosecutor, Erika Lorman, she knows staying out of the spotlight will be hard.  Lorman is fresh off a successful prosecution of Blake Steers when a teenager is accused of killing her bail bondsman mother, Shelly Hansen.  As the investigation ramps up, both Charlie and Erika's pasts threaten to expose them and wreck their case.

I really enjoy Marcia Clark's legal thrillers - because she definitely knows her stuff and writes wonderfully!  The book was filled with multiple storylines with each main character, so I was anxious to get back to each viewpoint with the next chapter.  Fingers crossed that Marcia will use this as a start to a new series!  I thought it was a treat to listen to the author voice Charlie's character - she has such a distinctive voice it made things come alive for me.  Cathy Lepard voiced Erika well too, although there seemed to be a different volume for each.  

9.4.2022 - The Niece

 

Many thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for gifting me a digital ARC of the latest psychological thriller by a favorite, Georgina Cross - 4.5 stars!

Tara and Beth are sisters and have been estranged for years.  When Beth is killed in a suspicious house fire, Tara learns that Beth had named her to take care of her daughter, Hannah, in her will.  Tara is already a single mom to Cassie but they quickly make room in their house and hearts for Hannah.  But Tara becomes concerned that whoever set Beth's house on fire is now after her and her family.  

This was a book that was tough to put down!  It is told in both the past and present timelines as we learn the backstory of the estrangement of the sisters and the secrets they held between them.  The suspense is palpable and there's a surprising twist as well.  Another great thriller by Georgina Cross!

9.3.2022 - The Means

 

Many thanks to NetGalley and Mariner Books for gifting me a digital ARC of this debut novel by Amy Fusselman - 4.5 stars!

Shelly Means is a stay-at-home mom of two, married to George, a voice-over actor, who live an upper middle class life in NYC.  They have a second home, but are forced to sell it and Shelly dreams of a beach house in the Hamptons.  But as George's jobs dry up and their budget goes down, the house Shelly envisions must change.

This is just an entertaining, humorous read that I really enjoyed.  While it's definitely a book about keeping up with the Jones' and lots of First World problems, it made me laugh out loud more times than I can mention.  And sometimes a book like this is just the escapism I need - this is the perfect beach read!  It has short chapters that beg for just one more, quirky characters, and even talking dogs.  

9.1.2022 - Killers of a Certain Age

Many thanks to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing for gifting me a digital ARC of this thriller by Deanna Raybourn - 4.5 stars rounded up!

Billie, Helen, Mary Alice, and Natalie are on an all-expense paid cruise to celebrate their retirement.  After 40 years working for The Museum as assassins, they are ready to relax and enjoy each other's company.  But when Billie spots a colleague masquerading as a crew person, the friends realize that their own lives are in danger.  They now have to work against The Museum to try and save their lives.

This was a wonderfully entertaining thriller - the perfect mix of humor, action, intrigue, and mystery along with great female roles.  These women have hit that age where they become invisible to society, but they won't go down fighting.  Being of a certain age myself, I really enjoyed the practical realism they had about aging but also that they were more powerful than people expected them to be.  Never underestimate the power of a woman scorned!  I raced through this one to see how it would all turn out - great read!