I started off April by continuing to consume my last McKay’s haul and concluded by starting my birthday haul. And in the middle I ven grabbed one off that bedroom shelf!
Perfect Match by Jodi Picoult
Why do I keep reading Jodi Picoult books? I really don’t know, and with McKay’s gone maybe I never will again. Her endings suck. She’s going for moral ambiguity but I think many of her characters come of as clearly immoral, as is the case here in this loathesome tale of a mother–an attorney–who shoots the alleged abuser of her son in cold blood–in a COURTROOM, no less–and what happens next.
And Both Were Young by Madeleine L’Engle
I used tp have all of Madelein L’Engle’s books and read them obsessively. I was happy to revisit this one after many years. L’Engle’s non-fantasy works opened up a different world to me–a world where girls attend boarding schools and World War II is not just a distant memory–the world of L’Engle’s youth, in short.
The Child Finder by Rene Denfeld
Rene Denfield has a gift for writing about the worst of subjects in a non-graphic, lyrical way that still makes the truth of what happened perfectly clear. Her heroine, Naomi, has a gift for finding lost children, maybe because she is one herself.
The Butterfly Girl by Rene Denfeld
Thsi sequel to The Child Finder had been sitting on my shelf for ages just waiting for the right moment to be picked up. This is the story of how Naomi goes back in time to solve the mystery of her own–and her sister’s–abduction.
Hope Never Dies by Andrew Shaffer
This is a ridiculous book that I first saw in a bookstore in San Francisco. I was delighted to see it at McKay’s. The premise? Joe Biden, lately Vice President and now private citizen, is missing his friendship with former President Obama. When an Amtrak employee dies under mysterious circumstances, the two team up to solve his murder. It’s as silly as it sounds, but also very fun. I’d read more of these.
Keep Your Friends Close by Lucinda Berry
I’ve read several books by this author via Amazon Prime free reads, and she’s one of my favorites. This story revolves around the death of a woman at a party of a group of mom firends letting loose for one evening without their kids. Who knows more than she is telling? Who is not who she seems to be?
Not Our Daughter by Chad Zunker
Another Amazon read, this thriller tells the story of foster parents who flee with a child whose mother has just died in their home under mysterious circumstanes. The police think they are killers, so they go underground to protect the child they love as their own.
The Lost Summer by Wendy Corsi Staub
This was a sequel I’d been waiting for about high school friends who have lived for years with guilt over a secret another friend bound them to keep just before going missing. It was a sad but satisfying conclusion.
The Mystery Guest by Nita Prose
It’s another Molly the Maid book and it was just as fun as the first one. I especially enjoyed the delving into Molly’s childhood and the backstory of her dear Gran, but the mystery was fun too. And Molly herself is a treasure. As the mother of an autistic son, I enjoy books that allow autistic people to shine.
Nine books in April! I did not set a goal this year–clearly there was no need to–but at this rate I surely would have exceeded any reasonable one.
