The Mortician's Daughter

The Mortician’s Daughter
by Nan Higgins

First off I need to say that I should pay closer attention to what genre of book I am requesting from Netgalley. From it’s description I thought I was requesting a detective mystery/ghost story. Looking at my Netgalley bookshelf just now I realize I requested a LGBTQ+ Romance.  I am certainly not opposed to reading same, but it’s not what I was expecting.  

Ms. Higgins is apparently from my general neighborhood. I love reading local authors and I have to say that when I start a book and within the space of the first two paragraphs the main character is talking about a birthday dinner at my favorite pizza restaurant (Dewey’s!) I know I’m going to like it.  Afterall, I just celebrated MY birthday at Dewey’s.  If you ever eat there, you MUST have the Porky Fig Pizza. Seriously! 

So on with the story.  Aria has just found out that she comes from a family of “interpreters,” which is to say her father sees and talks to ghosts. In fact he is the head of an “Agency” started by her great-great-grandfather to help “priors” (aka dead people) wrap up their earthly responsibilities and cross over. Aria has her life planned out and to discover she is an interpreter completely disolves her future. She begins her education as an interpreter where she meets Sloane, who becomes her love interest.  Her first interaction with a ghost is an elderly Prior named Clara who insists Aria’s father is preventing her from crossing over. Together Aria and Sloane must find out how this could be possible and get Clara crossed over without dying themselves.

The book reads like a YA novel and I’m not completely sure it’s not meant to be. It was a fun read, although I felt a little let down at the end, like it was wrapped up a little too quickly and neatly after the build up. I think with a little more mature writing this could turn into a really fun series along the lines of the Stephanie Plum novels.

I’m giving the story 3.5 shots of 5. Based on not knowing if it was meant to be a YA novel and for the weak ending. But I do recommend this book and I hope that Higgins can evolve her characters into a series in which they have aged a bit.  I would come back to read more mystery stories involving these two women working the space between life and death.

Thank you Netgalley and Bold Strokes Books, Inc. for allowing me to read and review this ARC. Publication date April 14, 2020.

Body Double

Body Double
by Tess Gerritsen

I've been grabbing audio books to listen to in my car recently.  I get rather addicted to them once I start.  Maybe even to the point that I try to think of someplace I need to drive just so I can listen some more. 

Body Double is a Crime/Mystery/Thriller.  Little did I know that it's one of the Rizzoli and Isles stories that the TV series is based on.  I think I may have been expecting another thriller that would have been the basis for the 1984 movie with the same name, Body Double.  

This book starts with a murder in which the victim is a spot on look-a-like for Dr. Isles.  So much so that the investigative team is pretty shocked when she shows up wondering what is going on.  

Dr. Isles discovers she had a twin sister. They were separated at birth and adopted by different sets of parents.  (What a way to make such a discovery!)  Since the victim is killed right outside Dr. Isles' home, the question becomes who is/was the real target?  

The twists and turns in this story and satisfying and unexpected. I give it 3 of 5 shots.  I enjoyed the story a lot but it's not my usual genre. 

 

Gone Girl

Gone Girl
by Gillian Flynn

I'm about a 14 months late in reviewing this one. It seemed to be on everyone's must read list for a long time and then a movie made of it...  It wasn't until I saw the movie trailers that I really wanted to read it. The movie looked really good and of course we all know that the book is almost always better than the movie.  

I really enjoyed this book.  Like so many that I know have a twist or two in them, I suspected the ending before I was through, but it seemed so unlikely.  I was still anxious to know the how and why. 

Gone Girl is a murder mystery in which a man is accused of killing his missing wife. All the evidence is there except for her body.  Easy to get swept away with the story, you'll want to finish the book before you put it down. 

4 of 5 shots from me.  But just to let you know, I didn't make it all the way through the movie. 

The Beach Trees

The Beach Trees
by Karen White

The story presented in The Beach Trees is a murder mystery reaching back several generations.  Revealed in two voices, the first Julie, who learns through her current situation that it is possible to build your future on the foundation of the past although it may not seem stable to do so.  The second voice is Aimee who tells her story of the past hoping it will provide clues for mysteries in the present.

I found the story slow to get into.  Too much unnecessary detail for me.  However, the references and descriptions of post Katrina New Orleans and Biloxi was very interesting and enlightening.  Julie didn't understand why so many people would rebuild after such devastation and as one who doesn't live there, I understand that.  But as the stories unfold and we meet more people who chose to stay and rebuild it begins to make sense.

The current day mystery is why Monica, a woman who is deceased when the story begins, left New Orleans, her childhood home, and her family and never made contact with them again.  Therein lies my main criticism of the story.  Because she is dead when the story begins it's unlikely that we'll ever uncover her reason, but when it's finally revealed I found the motivation lacking in believability.

Lastly when we get to the point of tying it all up in a pretty pink mystery solved ribbon I was confused.  I'm still not sure exactly who did what, but it could be because I was reading the end in the wee hours of the morning.  Unfortunately, I don't care enough to go back and re-read it.

The beach trees, for which the title of the book comes, are trees that were killed by hurricane Katrina and yet remain standing.  An artist was commissioned to turn the dead trees into sculptures. Another artist donated his time and talents to carve more trees.  Out of the devastation comes beauty.  You can learn about and see the sculptures here.

I give Beach Trees 3 of 5 shots.  It was good but I'm ready to move on.

Hope Town

Hope Town
by Brendan P Myers

This isn't a book I would normally be drawn to.  Indeed, the only reason I had it was because I had gone through a period of downloading free ebooks for my Nook.  Recently I needed a book I could read in the dark, so Hope Town it was.

The action/adventure/mystery-thriller genre is not one I venture into on a regular basis, but it was a good time to read this book.  A great diversion from the "real world" with problems and issues that were completely not something I could relate to.  Great escapism!

Parker and Jessica meet in a bar one evening just after he's been fired and she's had a horrible day. Sometime later they leave the bar together and thus begins their romance.  Unfortunately, they were a couple of innocent people who happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. 

Other activities at the bar that evening eventually lead to a murder.  Parker and Jessica find themselves in danger yet are unsure why.  In a small town where murder is rare, people seem to be dropping like flies.  Before Parker realizes the danger, Jessica has been kidnapped and he's got to find her before it's too late.

Part of my enjoyment of this genre is wondering if the "solution" I have arrived at is the correct one for the final outcome.  In my case, it was. 

I have searched for this book again on barnesandnoble.com and cannot find it.  But that is another mystery. 

I gave this book three of five shots. I was fun and enjoyable, just not my usual read.   

The 19th Wife

The 19th Wife
by David Ebershoff

This work of historical fiction had my attention from the very start. The author cleverly wrote two books in one, telling the story of Brigham Young's 19th wife, Ann Eliza and relating a current day polygamist tale of murder in Southern Utah. Switching effortlessly between stories Ebershoff held my attention in both the past and present day stories.

I applaud the research done by Ebershoff in preparation of writing this book. Indeed, I was surprised to learn that he resides in New York and not in Utah among the people and landscape of which he writes.

Having lived in Utah for three years and longing to move back there, I was personally entertained by the details which corresponded to my life in Utah. Young Ann Eliza's mother lived in Cottonwood. I so clearly remember looking at an incredible home in Cottonwood while house hunting. It was an average neighborhood and even an average house, but the owner was a concrete contractor and had one amazing things inside the house with concrete. Six years later I still recall that house with a bit of awe.

Mention of the local papers in Brigham Young's day referred to the Tribune and the Deseret. I made the assumption that the reference was historical fact which took me by surprise as those two newspapers exist still today. They are delivered in different colored plastic sleeves. You can tell walking through your neighborhood which homes subscribe to the Trib and which to the Deseret, which of course is the "Mormon" paper, just by the color of the wrapper. Such little, seemingly insignificant details such as these, which reminded me of my time lived in Utah, brought me such delight!

David Ebershoff weaves the story of polygamy and the Mormon faith through the eyes of Ann Eliza, 19th wife of Brigham Young, starting with Ann Eliza's parents prior to the Mormon move to Utah. Historically based, the story is a fascinating look at the trials and tribulations of the Mormons under the leadership of their Prophet, Joseph Smith, until his death and then Brigham Young. The story tells of the dangers the Mormons faced because of their faith, their seclusion from the Gentile world, and the decree by Joseph Smith that God's command was to practice polygamy to be assured a place in heaven. Although Ann Eliza grew up in the faith, her awareness of her parents' relationship and the effect polygamy had on it troubled her. She did not view the taking of multiple wives a practice that pleased God, but rather a religious endorsement of adultery. Indeed, the way the story is told, it's difficult to see it as anything other than "legalized" adultery. After her separation and eventual divorce from Brigham Young, Ann Eliza went on lecture tours and wrote her own book, The 19th Wife, in opposition to the practice of polygamy. This is historical fact.

At the same time we are learning of the early Mormon life another story unfolds through the eyes and voice of Jordan Scott, a young man who has been thrown out of a present day polygamist colony. Ebershoff calls these people First Latter Day Saints as they believe they carry on the true beliefs of the Latter Day Saints and were opposed to the church's denouncement of polygamy in 1890. They do exist today and call themselves Fundamentalist Latter Day Saints (FLDS) and continue to practice polygamy.

It's not uncommon for young men to be excommunicated from an FLDS community on relatively slight "wrong doings." The reason for this is to ensure there are plenty of wives for the older men of the community. Jordan's leader/prophet banished him from their community and his mother simply drove him out of the community and left him on the side of the road in the desert. Eventually his father is murdered and she is accused of the crime. He returns to Utah from California to see his mother and becomes involved in the solving of his father's murder. Through this fictional story which is told through the book along with Ann Eliza's story, the reader learns some of the truth of polygamy in today's world.

And like any good novel, the end of the story is a bit of a surprise, or at least was for me. I'll not give it away.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book, but would caution the reader that it is historical fiction. Mr. Ebershoff shares his resources in the end of the book and I was delighted to find them. One book, Under the Banner of Heaven, is one that I have longed to read and is on his list. Initially, I thought I'd read it next, but have started another book instead. I most likely will look into some of the other books his research came from.

This book receives five of five shots from me.

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson

I don't believe I have reviewed the mystery/crime genre before and I don't really know how to go about it. The emotions evoked by this genre are entirely different than romance, historical, biographical or other genres. There is no crying and no social appall at the actions of the villains. There are villains, of course, but the emotion is of a sharper sort. There is seldom a middle ground, a place where you contemplate if the villain is ignorant and/or misguided, or whether you yourself could conceivably be in the same place if not for the grace of God. No, the villains in this type of a novel are simply evil.

Stieg Larsson created a fascinating tale around the disappearance of a young woman in 1966. It is the first of a series of which he wrote three novels. He had considered these novels his "retirement" fund planning on writing ten. Unfortunately, for us as well as himself, he died prior to completing the series.

Blomkvist is an investigative journalist and has recently been found guilty of libel. His desire is to distance himself from his magazine to allow it to recover as he prepares for his jail time. It's during this period of time he is hired to solve the murder of Harriett Vanger nearly 40 years earlier.

Larsson introduces his audience to a wonderfully entertaining cast of characters. They are complex and well developed. They are people I came to care about or to dislike, making me happy or on edge each time the story came back around to them.

This is not a story that reveals itself too easily. As the mystery comes unravelled I experienced my "Oh-My-God!!" moments but I also had the satisfaction of an occasional "I knew it!" moment, too. If you are a fan of a well written mystery I think you will enjoy Larsson's book, and mourn that he had only written three.

Super by Jim Lehrer

"Super" by Jim Lehrer

I am a listener of NPR and often attracted to the author interviews and book reviews. That is how I stumbled upon "Super." Listening to Jim Lehrer talk of the old time trains that were luxury land yachts seemed quite fascinating and I really wanted to read about them. The book itself though was less than fascinating.

The Super Chief train from Chicago to LA was considered the train of the stars. The story is based on an actual train and movie types that rode it in it's hey day. But the timing of the story is nearing the end of the train's hey day. The mystery presented in the story is short and quickly solved with little fan fare.

I am happy it was a short book and I invested only a little time. I think the story could have been richer but really fell short.

Are You Afraid of the Dark

Are You Afraid of the Dark 

by Sidney Sheldon

 

Abridged on CD, read by Marsha Mason

 

Many many years ago Sidney Sheldon's novel, "The Other Side of Midnight" was very popular and made the rounds of my group of friends and touted as a great story. Based on this recollection I picked up this audio book expecting to be happily entertained.

 

I was disappointed. It was not to be.

 

I don't know if it was the fact that the story was abridged, and possibly lost some of it's appeal through deletions or omissions, or

 

Perhaps it was Marcia Mason's reading of the story, making the female characters always speak in breathy, too urgent voices, or

 

Just maybe it's the fact that Batman (or was it Jame Bond?) already took care of the mad scientist trying to control the world by controling the weather.

 

Whatever it is, I recommend you not waste your time on this one.  At least not the audio version.  Sorry Sidney, it's a bust...

 

(from my former MySpace blog)