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What we're reading in April 2010
Ever wonder what the folks who work at a mystery bookstore like to read? Well, here's your answer. Each month we ask everyone here to pick a book, current or older, that they truly enjoyed and are enthusiastic about. Of course, if you visited the store, we'd tell you directly what we like but for those of you who can't come see us, this is the next best thing. Our special thanks to Judi for pulling this feature together and to all the staff who contributed their picks.
Presented here are the picks for this month, an archive of earlier months is available from the menu at the left.
What Kathy S. is reading
Fans of the TV show will get a kick out of this book, which tracks our favorite characters. Can't get enough Castle and Beckett? Wondering what all the fuss is about? This is a clever mystery/TV tie-in.
What Richard is reading
Joe Gores gives us the lowdown on Sam Spade’s origins in Spade & Archer a pitch-perfect mimicry of Hammett that takes us from Sam’s early days in Portland right up to the moment that Effie says, “You’ll want to see her Sam, she’s a knockout.” If we can’t get any new books from Hammett, this is the next best thing.
What Kathy O. is reading
I find myself really enjoying it when favorite 'series' authors make the move to stand-alone novels, as it allows the authors a chance to explore some new characters and different approaches which series sometimes don't permit. If you are one of those readers of series fiction who may be leery of stand-alone ventures, Look Again is a great choice to allay your fears. When a journalist sees her (legally) adopted son staring back at her from one of those "have you seen this child" flyers, her first instinct is to deny her own eyes. But, as a reporter, she cannot allow herself not to investigate further. Look Again is great story telling, a powerful and emotional book about choices and their real-life impact on many lives.
What Vicki is reading
Fans of religious conspiracy thrillers will enjoy this compelling tale of a former assassin seeking atonement for his sins in a remote Carthusian monastery. Driven from seclusion by a mysterious hit team, he is drawn back into an unfamiliar world where no one is as they seem, including Opus Dei, clandestine government organizations, and of course the secret fraternity dating back to the Crusades, the Fraternity of the Stone. Don't miss this fast paced thriller and also check out the other books in this loose trilogy, The Brotherhood of the Rose and The League of Night and Fog.
What Judi is reading
Miyabe knows how to keep the suspense going, from her atmospheric opening to final denouement. She is a bestselling mystery author in Japan and millions of her books have been sold worldwide. The Sleeping Dragon features Kosaka, an investigating reporter, who stumbles upon a young man in the middle of a fierce typhoon. They in turn come upon a father searching for his lost son. The young man reveals information about the lost child garnered from his psychic visions. Try her. You won’t be disappointed
Kathy S.'s Mother's Day Pick
If you missed the fabulous Lisa Scottline on March 23rd, don't despair! Pick up this collection of her "Chick Wit" columns and be prepared to laugh with recognition - Lisa is our everywoman, and you can almost hear her voice reading these clever essays. Act quickly and maybe you can still get a signed copy. This makes the PERFECT Mother's Day Gift!
What Mary Alice is reading
Hell Gate is the latest and greatest of Linda Fairstein’s series with DA Alex Cooper. It starts with a shipwreck and a slew of illegal aliens who are the passengers but quickly moves into deeper waters of city politics, domestic violence and cover-up. Meanwhile, you’ll get a dose of Fairstein’s trademark history of New York—this time with three buildings, including Gracie Mansion, that play a part in the plot. The verisimilitude of the crime world and that of the good guys always enthrall me. The architectural details and the Italian food grab me too. Each book in her dozens of hits is a gem.
What Buff is reading
Connie Goodwin should be spending her summer doing research for her Ph.D. dissertation in American History. But when her mother asks her to handle the sale of Connie's grandmother's abandoned home near Salem, she's compelled to help. It's not long before the time she's set aside for research is instead spent sorting through her grandmother's ancient possessions, discovering a woman she barely knew. One day, while exploring the dusty bookshelves in the study, Connie discovers a key hidden within an old bible. And within the key is a brittle slip of paper with two words written on it: Deliverance Dane. Along with a handsome steeplejack named Sam, Connie begins to dig into the town's records, looking for references to Deliverance Dane. But even as the pieces begin to fall into place, Connie is haunted by visions of the witch trials so long ago, and she begins to fear that she is more tied to Salem's dark past than she could have ever imagined. Written by an author completing a Ph.D. in New England Studies, and whose ancestors were accused witches in Salem, The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane travels seamlessly between the trials in the 1690s and a modern woman's story of mystery and discovery.
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