Good Reads & Views

The Plague Charmer by Karen Maitland
Fiction

What it’s about: 14^th century England; the plague is spreading from village to village. There is a dwarf who was banished from his life as a jester, dead children and one alive wild woman retrieved from a shipwreck, superstition and holy relics, an apocalyptic cult, and the all-around breakdown of society.

Who it’s for: If you like dark and atmospheric, with interesting characters, give this one a try. It is a fascinating look at the Middle Ages and the ways society dealt with the Black Death and superstition.

Want a taste? “What I have to offer you cannot be bought with coins. I have a price, but it is not to be paid in gold or silver.”

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The Mausoleum by David Mark
Fiction

What it’s about: The year is 2010. Two old women are waiting for a dying old man to wake up so they can find out what he knows. The women’s story is told in alternating narratives and skips back to 1967 when the women first met in the graveyard of an isolated village by the Scottish border. WWII, espionage, POWs, Nazis, betrayal, they are all part of the story.

Reviewers say: “Deft writing, a plot filled with strange and unexpected twists, vivid characters, and a constant feeling of foreboding make this a gripping and unusual read” (Booklist). “Mark is writing at the top of his game” (Publishers Weekly).

Author notes: Mark is also the author of an excellent series of police procedurals, starting with The Dark Winter, which introduces DS Aector McAvoy.

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The Word is Murder by Anthony Horowitz
Nonfiction

What it’s about: The mother of a well-known actor makes arrangements for her funeral and ends up murdered hours later. A fictionalized Horowitz, and eccentric police detective Hawthorne, are on the case. Twisty, and great fun.

Want a taste? “As a rule, I don’t go to funerals. I find them too horrible and upsetting and the older I get, of course, the more invitations I receive. As a favour to my friends, I’ll make sure that none of them are told the date of mine.”

Reviewers say: “Horowitz's mystery is as cleverly constructed as the classic whodunits of the golden age, populated by fascinating characters and peppered with fair-play clues” (Publishers Weekly).

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You’re Dead by Chris Knopf
Fiction

What it’s about: Dr. Waters, an organizational psychologist for an aerospace manufacturer, comes home one night to find the dismembered head of his boss lying in a pool of blood in a guest bedroom. When the rest of the body shows up in Water’s storage locker, his mortgage is paid off, and a large sum of money ends up in his checking account, he becomes suspect #1.

Reviewers say: “Finally, a professional-grade detection-cum-actioner with a hero who actually has a logical reason for being so emotionally disengaged. More, please” (Kirkus).

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The Lost Man by Jane Harper
Fiction

What it’s about: Brothers Nathan and Bub haven’t seen each other in months, even though they are neighbors in the remote Australian outback. Now they are brought together when their brother Cameron’s desiccated corpse is discovered a few miles from his fully functioning truck. Why would Cam walk away, without taking water and food, in an area where you might not see anyone for days and the hot and dry conditions can kill a grown man in no time at all? Was it an accident, murder, suicide? Suspicions start to take hold and long-buried family secrets are revealed. 

Reviewers say: “Harper's masterful narrative places readers right in the middle of a desolate landscape that's almost as alien as the moon's surface, where the effects of long-term isolation are always a concern. The mystery of Cam's death is at the dark heart of an unfolding family drama that will leave readers reeling, and the final reveal is a heartbreaker. A twisty slow burner by an author at the top of her game” (Kirkus).

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The Stranger in the Woods: The Extraordinary Story of the Last True Hermit by Michael Finkel
Nonfiction

What it’s about: In 1986, 20yr old Christopher Knight drives his Subaru deep into the Maine woods, abandons it and starts walking. He ends up staying in the Woods for 27 years, living off food and other items he steals from a summer camp and local homes during a thousand plus break-ins. The installation of new Homeland Security equipment finally aids in his apprehension.

Want a taste? “Knight said that when he ran out of toilet paper, he sometimes tore pages from John Grisham novels. He mentioned that he didn't like Jack Kerouac either, but this wasn't quite true. ‘I don't like people who like Jack Kerouac,’ he clarified.”

Of note: A National Geographic Best Book of the Year.

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The Last Hours by Minette Walters
Fiction

What it’s about: Lady Anne despises her cruel husband and is hated by her spoiled daughter. After her husband succumbs to a deadly pestilence while away on business, she assumes control of his people and quarantines everyone inside the moat surrounding the house in order to protect them from the deadly sickness that is spreading in all of England.

Not for the squeamish: “The living conditions in Bradmayne are vile; one might think "Men urinated where they stood" would say it all about a village, but the author spares no detail in showing what grossness causes stench and attracts vermin. People seem not to connect these godawful conditions with the "killing sickness in the village" that carries "a deadly pestilence with putrid boils" and requires the digging of mass graves” (Kirkus).

Sequel note: The Turn of Midnight is coming out in August 2019 and continues where The Last Hours left off.

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An Elderly Lady Is Up to No Good by Helene Tursten
Fiction

Featuring: Maud, a Swedish lady in her upper 80’s. She never married, lives alone, and prefers to keep it that way.

What it’s about: Maud lives in a nice, big apartment in a building that used to belong to her family. She pretends to be a sweet, confused, and rather frail old lady when it suits her, but woe to those who invoke her wrath. She’s actually in great physical shape for someone her age, sharp as a tack, and ruthless beyond measure when it comes to - permanently - getting rid of nuisances that interfere with her enjoyment of life… A small book, but, like Maud, it packs a punch.

Author note: Helene Tursten also writes the Irene Huss crime series and Irene makes a brief appearance in this book.

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The Truth and Other Lies by Sascha Arango
Fiction

What it’s about: Famous bestselling author Henry Hayden is happily married to Martha, who, unbeknownst to everybody, is the one actually penning all his books. Life is good, but then Henry’s mistress Betty, whom truth be told he is not particularly fond of, informs him that she is pregnant. Before long, Martha ends up dead and Henry has to try to keep the carefully created façade of his life from unraveling.

Want a taste?  “But men are never more cowardly and their lies never more pathetic than when they’re caught with their pants down. Isn’t that so, gentlemen?”

Reviewers say: “this is one wicked tale. You keep waiting for the author to slip, plot-wise, but, as with his protagonist, you wait in vain” (Kirkus).>

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The Outsider by Stephen King
Fiction

Starring: Ralph Anderson, Flint City detective, and Holly Gibney, former assistant to Bill Hodges of Mr. Mercedes fame.

What it’s about: It looks like an open and shut case when Terry Maitland, local coach and all-around great guy, is arrested for the brutal murder of an 11-yr old boy. There were reliable witnesses who saw Maitland, and his DNA and fingerprints are all over the evidence. Ralph Anderson is sure he has the right guy and arrests him at a public event. But then Maitland produces an iron-clad alibi that has witnesses and DNA evidence putting him in a different place when the murder was committed. The contradictory evidence is grounds to bring in investigator Holly Gibney, who played a crucial part in King’s Bill Hodges trilogy. This being Stephen King, the supernatural eventually finds its way into the plot and if you have a phobia about worms you may want to let someone else recap the last part for you.

Audio note: This is a great experience on audio; Will Patton does an excellent job voicing all the characters, with much emotion and expertise, as he did for King’s Bill Hodges trilogy.>

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