Saturday, March 28, 2015

The Wednesday Group by Sylvia True

Five women find themselves joining a therapy group because their husbands are sex addicts. There's Gail, a judge, whose husband is tempted by his female students, and Hannah, whose young daughter, Alicia, is acting out because of the uneasiness of her parents' marriage. Rounding out the group are Flavia, whose husband has been arrested for groping someone on the subway, and Bridget and Lizzy, who both are struggling with anger and frustration towards their husbands and worry if the men are being honest. With therapist Kathryn to guide the weekly meetings, the women slowly confide in each other about their lives and emotions and find themselves forming a bond.  A good read-alike for The School of Essential Ingredients and The Friday Night Knitting Club.

The Precipice by Paul Doiron

When two women go missing while hiking a difficult part of the Appalachian Trail, Maine game warden Mike Bowditch helps in trying to determine where the women were last seen. Mike then finds himself embroiled in the search and discovers there are no shortage of people whose behaviors make them suspicious. With a great sense of place, a puzzle that keep the reader guessing, and a main character that you can't help but empathize with, The Precipice is another home run for Doiron. Give to readers who love C.J. Box and Craig Johnson. It will be published in June.

Tuesday, March 24, 2015

12 Rose Street by Gail Bowen

Joanne's husband, Zack, is running for mayor in Regina, Saskatchewan, and faces an uphill battle against the incumbent, Scott Ridgeway. Joanne is an expert at running political campaigns, having helped her first husband, Ian, become the Attorney General of Saskatchewan many years ago. However, when a local slumlord is murdered, it unearths secrets, political mudslinging, and more violence. Will Joanne and her family be able to escape unscathed? This latest book in the long-running Joanne Kilbourn mystery series further explores the characters' lives, while bringing to the forefront the issue of poverty among the Aboriginal People in Canada.

Monday, March 16, 2015

The Stranger by Harlan Coben

Lawyer Adam Price has his world turned upside down when a stranger tells him that his wife, Corinne, faked her recent pregnancy. Stunned by the news, Adam confronts Corinne who tells him that it's the truth. She then disappears, texting him that she needs some time away and asking him to take care of their two teenage boys, Thomas and Ryan. Where has Corinne gone? Has something bad possibly happened to her? The reader also learns that "the stranger" has gone to other people, revealing secrets about their family members. The puzzle that Adam tries to unravel kept me guessing until the end of the book--and kept me up late at night. The Stranger is a great read-alike for Linwood Barclay.

Monday, March 9, 2015

The Ghost Fields by Elly Griffiths

When a digger at a construction site uncovers a World War II airplane with a body inside, the police consult with forensic archaeologist Ruth Galloway to find out if the plane has been there since the war. Based on soil samples, Ruth concludes that the plane has been there all along, but that the body inside, while long dead, was moved there recently. DNA tests show that the pilot was Frederick Blackstock, from a local wealthy family. He moved to the states before the war and fought for the Americans. How, then did he end up in a plane near his birthplace, while all this time his family thought he died in the war? In this seventh entry in the Ruth Galloway series, Griffiths writes a satisfying mystery that forwards the personal lives of the recurring characters and gives the reader an interesting puzzle to solve, partly owing to the rich heritage of the Norfolk coast. It will be published in May.

Tuesday, March 3, 2015

Golden State by Stephanie Kegan

Natalie lives in Berkeley with her husband, Eric, and two daughters. She grew up in a well-connected California political family, where she was closest to her brilliant older brother, Bobby. Bobby now lives off the grid, in a cabin in Idaho and isn't in touch with anyone in the family. As someone nicknamed the Cal Bomber is killing and maiming people in the state, Natalie starts to wonder if Bobby might be the perpetrator, based on writings of his and the bomber's that are very similar. Eric encourages her go to the FBI with her suspicions, and she does--getting them to promise to keep her involvement secret. However, they don't and Natalie and her family's lives are thrust into the public eye. The big question becomes whether Bobby is guilty and, if he is, how that will affect his family. Golden State is an emotional story about a family's past and present--and the choices we make and have to accept when things are not in our control. A book to think about even after the last page is turned.