Good Reads & Views

An Elderly Lady Must Not be Crossed by Helene Tursten
Fiction

What happens: Maude, last seen in An Elderly Lady is Up to No Good, is now 89. She decides to escape cold Scandinavia (and a couple of suspicious cops hot on her heels) and flies off to South Africa. On her way there she reflects on dark deeds committed in her earlier years, and soon there are new annoyances to remedy…

Reviewers say: ”Assured prose matches an irresistible heroine. Readers are sure to welcome a third entry in this beguiling series” (Publishers Weekly); “Tursten effectively juxtaposes a cozy, Agatha Christie--like tone against the often surprisingly dark nature of Maud's recollections, which are rife with clever satirical jabs and delicious ironies. This absorbing dive into the mind of a ruthless pragmatist posing as a Swedish Miss Marple will please psychological-thriller fans, once they realize that Maud isn't nearly as cozy as she looks” (Booklist).

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Blacktop Wasteland by S. A. Cosby
Fiction

Why you should read it: For the adrenaline-rush heart-pumping story that’s also a nuanced and emotional examination of masculinity and father/son relationships. Beauregard “Bug” Montage is a former wheelman turned garage owner who takes one last job to pull himself and his family out of poverty, but it doesn't go as carefully planned. This fast-paced, heart-pounding, and violent heist-gone-wrong thriller is backed up by strong, likeable, yet flawed characters forced into heartbreaking situations. Winner of the 2021 Anthony Award.

Reviewers say: “A superb work of crime fiction, uncompromisingly noir but deeply human, too, much like Lou Berney's November Road” (Booklist); “A high-octane, white-knuckle thriller that will have readers whipping through the pages at breakneck speed” (Bookpage); “The epic, jaw-dropping chase sequences that figure prominently are reason alone to read this pedal-to-the-metal but profoundly sorrowful novel” (Publisher’s Weekly).

About the author: S.A. Cosby is an Anthony Award-winning author from southeastern Virginia. He works at J. K. Redmond Funeral Home, but works less hours now that his second novel, Razorblade Tears, debuted at number 10 on the New York Times bestseller list.

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Three Wishes by Liane Moriarty
Fiction

What it's about:  Lyn, Cat, and Gemma Kettle are thirty-three-year-old triplets.  Together, laughter, drama, and mayhem seem to follow them, but apart, each is dealing with her own share of ups and downs. In this novel you will follow the Kettle sisters through one year in their life as they deal with sibling rivalry, secrets, revelations, and unthinkable decisions.  

Book Buzz: “The funny, heartwarming, and completely charming first novel from Liane Moriarty, the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Nine Perfect Strangers and Big Little Lies.”

Reviewers say: "Three Wishes is a funny, light novel drawing on themes that anyone who has struggled with their identity as part of, and separate from, their family will thoroughly enjoy” (Good Reading - Australia).

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A Shot in the Dark by Lynn Truss
Fiction

Not your typical mystery: This comic whodunnit is actually solved about half way through. The rest of the book is about young hero Constable Twitten's hilarious attempts to get his superior to believe him. Twitten believes theatre critic A.S. Crystal was killed because he remembered a crucial fact about an unsolved bank robbery years before, but Inspector Steine believes there is no crime in the seaside village of Brighton, and just wants to eat his ice cream in peace. Only the charwoman takes any notice of what Twitten says. Get ready for a wryly hilarious read.

Reviewers say:  "Truss successfully combines wry humor with a fair-play mystery” (Publisher’s Weekly); “Truss piles up ingenious plot twists, preposterous coincidences, snarky asides, and characters out of P.G. Wodehouse” (Kirkus Reviews).

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We Begin at the End by Chris Whitaker
Fiction

Read this if you like:  Vengeful teenage girls, genre blending, and long-buried secrets.

What happens? This combination thriller, western, and literary coming-of-age story begins at the end, thirty years after Walk, a small-town chief of police, turned in his childhood best friend Vincent for causing the death of a child. Time hasn’t healed Walk’s pain, or that of Star Radley, the child’s dazzling but troubled older sister, now the single mother of two—Duchess and Robin. Duchess, a fierce13-year-old who introduces herself as “the outlaw Duchess Day Radley,” considers herself the protector of both her little brother and her mother, whose addictions and penchant for tough men have often gotten her into trouble. Soon after Vincent returns home from prison, there is another murder and Walk and Duchess each set out to unmask the killer and avenge the death. A dark and moving page-turner.

Want more like this? Try True Grit by Charles Portis, for another suspenseful western about a feisty teen girl pairing up with a lawman to exact revenge. Duchess’s unusual cadence of speech is reminiscent of that of Mattie, the True Grit heroine. The Round House by Louise Erdrich is also about a young teen seeking justice for a crime against their mother and is equally heartbreaking.

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Dial A for Aunties by Jesse Q. Sutanto
Fiction

What it’s about: Meddelin is still hung up on the guy she dated in college. Her mom goes on a dating app as Meddie to find her a husband, but Meddie accidentally kills the guy on their first date. Her mom and aunties spring into action to hide the body before the big wedding they are organizing, but hijinks ensue.

Why you might like it: The interactions of Big Aunt, Second Aunt, Ma, and Fourth Aunt as they jockey for status in their family are so much fun. Meddie is a dutiful daughter who tries hard to live up to her family’s expectations and offers funny commentary on her family.

You might also like: Crazy Rich Asians by Kevin Kwan for the over-the-top humor and family friction and the rom-coms of Sandhya Menon for the dating dilemmas of obedient children.

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Apples Never Fall by Liane Moriarty
Fiction

Book Buz: #1 New York Times Bestseller & Amazon Best Book of September 2021

Reviewers say: “Liane Moriarty devotees, rejoice!” (CNN).

You might also like: Sometimes I Lie by Alice Feeney or All We Ever Wanted by Emily Giffin

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The Guide by Peter Heller
Fiction

What it’s about: A remote fly fishing camp seems like the perfect destination during a worldwide pandemic. But in this atmospheric and menacing story, it slowly becomes apparent that the fishing camp is one of the most dangerous places to be. A fishing guide gradually realizes that the strange rules at his new job are hiding something terrible.

Why you might like it: This novel is a wonderful blend of lyrical writing, an intimate character study, and a slow-burn thriller with an intensifying pace.

You might also like: Also pick up The River by Peter Heller, the prequel to The Guide. While you can read each book on its own, they’re more powerful when read together. For a similar slow-build of the strangeness of a new home environment, read Catherine House by Elisabeth Thomas—the story of a school with unusual and increasingly menacing rules.

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It’s Not What You Thought It Would Be by Lizzy Stewart
Fiction

What it is: This is a collection of short graphic stories that form a longer narrative, but you don’t realize all of the stories are connected until you finish the book as a whole. Complicated? Yes. Worth the effort? Absolutely.

What it’s about: Two inseparable best friends, who eventually drift apart after high school, but get together occasionally just to chat about the past. Honest feelings come to a head at a mutual friend's wedding, as they finally talk honestly about what happened to their once tight friendship. My favorite chapter is, “A Quick Catch Up,” because it will rip your heart out and leave you weeping on the floor, wanting to call your oldest friend.

Reviewers say: “There’s a quiet but powerful immediacy to this that will appeal to lit fic fans who may not always pick up comics” (Publisher’s Weekly).

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The Cleaner by Paul Cleave
Fiction

The main characters: There is Joe, janitor for the police department by day (The Cleaner), serial killer (The Christchurch Carver) by night. Then there is Sally, Joe's maintenance co-worker, who thinks of him as a stand-in for her dead brother. Last but not least there’s Joe’s wacky mother who keeps making him meatloaf (which he hates), Pickles and Jehova, Joe's beloved goldfish, and a rescued cat (you'll see).

Who it’s NOT for: People who can’t handle serial killers who are not pc; people who are squeamish; people who love goldfish.

An aside: This is definitely to be enjoyed on audio (available from hoopla), the narration is great and I kept laughing. (I know, I know!) And the scene where Joe goes after the cat he rescued is priceless on audio (The cat lives!). Fans of the TV show Dexter should appreciate this.

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