Thursday, May 30, 2013

Accused by Lisa Scottoline

Mary DiNunzio has just made partner in the all-female law firm at which she works in Philadelphia.  She's also agreed to marry her boyfriend, Anthony, although she's having doubts about the union. When wealthy teenager Allegra Gardner wants Mary to act as her counsel to help her discover who murdered her older sister, Fiona, six years ago, Mary agrees. She feels an emotional bond with Allegra and would also love the challenge of the case.  Allegra believes that Lonnie Stall, the man in prison for Fiona's murder, is innocent. However, Mary and her associate, Judy Carrier, face an uphill battle because Allegra's parents are against her plans and believe that Fiona's killer is in prison.  As Mary investigates the case, part of her believes that Allegra could be right, but she has doubts about Allegra's state of mind after talking to her parents.  Will Mary be able to find peace in her personal life while helping Allegra? Accused is the latest novel in the Rosato and Associates series.  It will be published in October.

Wednesday, May 22, 2013

The Silent Wife by A.S.A. Harrison

Jodi and Todd have been a couple for over twenty years. Todd is a wealthy property developer with a wandering eye. Jodi is a psychotherapist working out of their Chicago condo with a view of Lake Michigan.  In a couple of months, Jodi will murder Todd. This is the premise of The Silent Wife.  What follows is the unraveling of their relationship--in part because of Todd's affair with his best friend's college-age daughter. Told from both Jodi's and Todd's points of view, the story gives the reader insight on how both characters feel about themselves and each other.  I enjoyed the novel because of its Chicago setting and the unfolding story of a failed relationship, leading to such a desperate and violent act. Give to readers who enjoyed Gone Girl, although I enjoyed this book much more.  It will be published next month.

Is This Tomorrow by Caroline Leavitt

It's 1956 in the suburb of Waltham, Massachusetts and twelve-year-old friends Lewis and Jimmy find camaraderie in the fact that they are the only fatherless kids in their neighborhood. Jimmy's older sister, Rose, hangs around with them and nurses a secret crush on Lewis. When Jimmy goes missing one afternoon, the lives of Lewis, Rose, and Lewis's divorced mother, Ava, are altered forever. Lewis and Rose believe that he's still alive and he's always in their thoughts as they get older. Ava's boyfriend, Jake, even comes under scrutiny. He begs Ava to leave town with him, but she refuses. She likes the life she's built for herself in Waltham and dreams of owning the home that she and Lewis rent. Told through the eyes of Lewis, Ava, and Rose, and taking place over a number of years, Is This Tomorrow explores heartache and the progression of these characters who are united by both tragedy and love.

Wednesday, May 8, 2013

The Gifted by Gail Bowen

Joanne's adopted daughter, Taylor, is really coming into her own as an artist. Taylor's mother, Sally Love, was a famous painter who died when Taylor was a young child and Joanne has raised Taylor since then, because Joanne and Sally were close childhood friends. Joanne's relationship with Taylor has always been easygoing but becomes complicated when Julian Zentner starts to influence Taylor about taking risks in her personal life to enrich her art.  Since Taylor is only fifteen and Julian is several years older, Joanne and her husband, Zack, are very concerned. Julian has been having an affair with Lauren Treadgold, a woman more than twenty years older than he is, but even this fact doesn't dissuade Taylor from spending time with Julian.  Will Joanne and Zack be able to maintain their strong relationship with Taylor or will it fall apart? Gail Bowen has written another solid entry in the long running Joanne Kilbourn series.  I always love catching up with Joanne, her friends and her family.  It was also nice to explore Joanne's relationship with Taylor.  In reading about Joanne and Taylor, it brought back a lot of memories of the first book I read in the series, Love and Murder, which featured Taylor's mother, Sally. These books are a great read-alike for Elly Griffiths' Ruth Galloway books.  The Gifted will be published in August.