July

Whisper Network by Chandler Baker
Put four women together with an arrogant sexist boss, add in a new employee, some past history, the Me Too movement, and a lot of dark humor and you've got one helluva book. Three corporate lawyers, Grace, Ardie, and Sloane have their hands full at a large Nike-like company, juggling a new baby, a recent divorce, and issues with an eleven year old daughter. Rosalita, a corporate office cleaner, has her own issues with supporting her young son as a single mother and trying to get him into a better school. When the CEO suddenly dies and the General Council, their boss, looks to be tapped for the big shoes, the whispers of harassment get louder and louder, and the plot becomes a rolling boulder down a steep, unstoppable mountain of doubt, innuendo, and bitterness. I laughed out loud at some of the snarky comments, and at times I wanted to wring the necks of these privileged snobby women, but I also cheered them in their ancient battle for equitable treatment in a white man's world. Far too many instances of "Yep, me too" that gave this book authenticity and a strong voice. This book will get people talking with its provocative message. Thanks to Flatiron Press for a free copy in exchange for an honest review.

The Last Collection: A Novel of Elsa Schiaparelli and Coco Chanel by Jeanne Mackin
Set in Paris at the beginning of the war years, under Hitler's rule, I wondered if this book could tell me anything I had not already read about this time period? The answer is unequivocally 'Yes' as author Jeanne Mackin is the master of research and character development. Following the couture designers Elsa Schiaparelli and Coco Chanel, Mackin divulges the inner workings, secret, and machinations of the fashion world of yesterday as well as the ties this industry had to the Vichy government and the Resistance. To be honest, I rarely think about high fashion and its place in society as it always seems rather shallow. However, in this tale one can see the cultural influences these fashion mavens had on history, as well as their own personalities, spirit, and beliefs. I thoroughly enjoyed this story of the competition and lives of these two bigger-than-life women.

The Liar's House (Detective Gina Harte #4) by Carla Kovach
Having discovered this detective series just a few months ago, I have raced through all four of the books in record time. Here's why: 1) the head detective is a woman, a very human, hot mess at times, kind of woman, who is smart, strong, anxious, guilt-ridden, just so authentic. Gina reminds me a bit of Olivia Colman's character in BBC series, Broadchurch. 2) the wingmen/women in the country police station are flushed out and interesting 3) the plot is constructed well, with appropriate red herrings, and plausible complexities 4) the mystery keeps me guessing until the very end, which is saying a lot considering how many mysteries I read. The first book in the series involves an abandoned baby with DNA from a woman missing for four years. The next deals with women found dead and the ring of violence that surrounds the town. The third book takes on the idea of domestic slavery, and this book, #4, draws Gina back into her past amidst the disappearance and murder of multiple women. If you're looking for a cracking good British mystery series to dive into, you won't go wrong with this one. Thanks to Net Galley for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

Lock Every Door by Riley Sager

I have been a big fan of Sager since her first big hit, Final Girls, as well as her second book, The Last Time I Lied. However, I was rather underwhelmed by her latest. Set in a snooty but mysterious old condo building called The Bartholomew (think The Dakota but with gargoyles), the young, penniless orphan named Jules moves in to apartment-sit for a lucrative pay-out, but finds it less than inviting. Girls disappear, crotchety old author befriends Jules, hot doctor flirts and pursues her - too many implausible happenings, too many predictable 'coincidences,' weak main character whose back story did not completely add up to me, and a 'twist' that seemed made for a 80's era slasher film. I just felt as if this book was forced, and not Sager's previous solid plotting and character development. Bit of a miss for me. Thanks to Net Galley for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

Furious Hours: Murder, Fraud, and the Last Trial of Harper Lee by Casey Cep
This book title had me at 'Harper Lee,' author of my favorite book in the world, if you forced me to choose. I mean really, if you love To Kill a Mockingbird, didn't you always wonder why Lee never wrote another book? Was it because she was not that talented and it was a one-hit-wonder? Was it because of mental illness, or addiction, or writer's block? Or was it because of her close friendship with Truman Capote? This book has the answers for you and it is a compelling listen with a great narrator. One third of the book focuses on the murder victim, though he's not much of a 'victim' as he's credibly accused of killing or orchestrating the murder of six people. The middle of the book covers the actual trial, and the final third delves into Harper's Lees interest in the case, as well as her own past history and the relationship with Capote. I voraciously listened to this one, grabbing every minute I could get. Highly recommend if you're a TKAM fan as I am.

The Scholar (Cormac Reilly, #2) by Dervla McTiernan
If you have been looking for a shorter version of Tana French, this is your writer: McTiernan is Irish, sets her series in Galway, has built an intriguing police unit with compelling characters, and always has a twisty, turny well-developed mystery that satisfies. This time around the book begins with a murder involving the mistaken identity of a wealthy research scientist's granddaughter. As head detective Cormac Reilly stumbles upon the case thanks to his girlfriend, a researcher in the grandfather's lab on a college campus, Reilly slides down a rabbit hole of corporate greed, the search for 'cures' and the profit surrounding them, and the hierarchy of a tight-knit police department. And just when I thought I had it all figured out, McTiernan yanks me another direction. Solid police procedural mystery with good writing and intriguing characters. 

The Absolutist by John Boyne

I have always said John Boyne (Boy in the Striped Pajamas, The Heart's Invisible Furies, A Ladder to the Sky) could write a grocery list and I would plunk my money down on the counter for it. Therefore, I felt compelled to go back aways into his writing life and pull out this WWI-set book published seven years ago. Was I right? Yep, this man can write. His main characters, Tristan, is a young WWI veteran, on a train ride to find the family of his friend killed in France as they served together. Through flashback of the war years during his search for the family, Tristan relates a tragic tale of war, love, honor, and deception. This is not a light and hopeful beach read, but it is a compelling tale of what war does to a human, how marginalization warps a person, and how death is the ultimate finality, a place where forgiveness and redemption cannot reside. This is a story I will not forget easily.

The Rules of Civility by Amor Towles
After falling madly in love with A Gentleman in Moscow last year, I thought it would behoove me to go back to Towles' first book as this man is a true magician with words. And to be honest, I was underwhelmed. Not by the writing - it is spectacular, with so many lines and sentences I had to read aloud to my ever-patient husband. Yet the characters fell flat for me.  I could not connect with any of the threesome: Kate, daughter of a Russian immigrant, trying to make her way into high society and enough money to cover rent; Eve, beautiful transplant from Indiana, free spirit, victim of an accident; and Tinker, wealthy scion of NYC, or so he seems. As these three dance with one another through 1937-38, I felt no compulsion to keep reading. Their shallow goals and dreams were just that to me...shallow, which I suspect was the point? But it felt a little plot-less to me, which can be fine if I am intrigued by the characters. I am an outlier on this one as many many people loved Towles debut - I do think it would make an intriguing book club choice. However, I still adore Count Rostov of the Metropol Hotel a thousands times over:)