Posts
All Comments
I am pleased to welcome Cheryl one more time as Guest Reviewer. She was nice enough to read and review this new mystery author since I didn't think I would be able to squeeze it in before BEA. Thank you Cheryl!
Dead of Wynter by Spencer Seidel
From the back cover:
“Dolly, It’s Your Mother.”
Dolly. Jackie Ruth Wynter had called Alice that for years. Alice hated it. Almost as much as she hated her old life as Alice Wynter when she lived with her torn up family in the small town of Redding, Maine. Her twin brother Chris had been fading fast, transforming into a mirror image of their drunken, violent father. Now Jackie Ruth was telling her that Papa was dead and Chris was missing.
Alice resigns herself to return, helping her mother and the local police with the mystery surrounding the crime. But there are some family secrets her mother would sooner take to the grave than reveal. As the authorities come closer to solving the mystery of the men in her family, she begins to realize her past life as Alice Wynter is the missing part of the puzzle. But who is searching out the former Alice?
Wynter family secrets run deep, and they all have something to hide in the bone-chilling cold of Maine lake country. The mystery of her father’s murder and brother’s disappearance will capture your attention well past when the fire has gone out.
Cheryl's Review:
I always enjoy a mystery rife with family secrets. Seidel slowly and expertly reveals Alice’s remembering and discovery of those secrets. Though her twin brother Chris is missing and the prime suspect in her father’s death, Alice never quite believes him capable of murder. Seidel flips back and forth between the past and the present so the pieces eventually culminate into a dramatic conclusion.
Seidel delves into the emotional lives of Alice and her family. You understand their pain and difficulties. Members of the family, including Alice, all had deeply buried parts of their pasts that they never expected to uncover. This family drama is an important aspect of how the mystery unfolds.
The mystery kept me in suspense. As more and more of the family’s past was revealed, the mystery became more complex. Without giving anything away, the ending was both resolved and unresolved. This was the type of mystery that would have been less believable if everything had worked out perfectly. Instead, a purposeful and tenuous resolution enhanced the story. Overall, it was a fairly quick, though not light, read. I was caught up in the suspense and read it in only a few days. Seidel has one other novel that I will definitely read at some point.
Book Read:Don't Sing at the Table: Life Lessons From My Grandmothers by Adriana TrigianiLadies in Attendance:5 regular members Treats shared:YUM! YUM! What a good spread we had this time around. Crackers with cream cheese and salsa. Hummus and Pita Chips. Baguettes with Mozzarella cheese, tomatoes, balsamic vinegar and olive oil. Olives. Chocolate cookies. Brownies. Fruit Torte. Red Wine.To Read or Not to Read:4 ladies read the whole book.1 lady did not.My Reaction:I was very happy when the ladies picked this book for our May pick. I threw it out there because it was what I was reading at the time and I thought it would be a nice pick for Mom's Day. We also have had some nice conversations about our grandmothers and I know that many of us have or have had a very special bond with them.I also adore Adriana Trigiani's books. I read and reviewed Very Valentine and Brava, Valentine last year and loved them. This book is part memoir, part self-help book. Combining stories of both her grandmothers, Trigiani shares bits of wisdom and lessons from these two women from food, family, fashion and business. I enjoyed it overall. I was touched by the warmth in which she writes about these women. Her love for them is evident in her writing. I enjoyed more of the stories she shared then some of the lessons. I really enjoyed these women. They were strong, passionate, smart and hardworking. I thought of my own beloved Grams during many moments of this book and that is what I will share with you all.I had many little blue post it notes sprinkled throughout and shared each moment with the club. Here are some that I enjoyed.Adriana explaining the joy she brought to her Grandma Lucy:"Whenever I came into the room, she'd light up, so happy to see me. No one ever in the course of my entire life was ever as happy to see me as she was. Looking back, now, I realize that you only ever need one person who lights up that way when you enter a room. One person is all it takes to give a kid confidence."I identified with this because my Grams and my Mom were like this with me growing up. I always felt important when I walked in any room.Adriana explaining the Italian term Sprezzatura:"Elegance that is neither forced nor dictated, that comes from within, effortless like zippy dialogue, and is an extension of the person, not words for the sake of them."I just want to be like this. :)Adriana's Grandma Viola's morning ritual:"Viola prepared her version of a latte, a bowl of steamed milk with half a cup of strong coffee in it. Viola added sugar, and then would take the heel of the bread from the day before and dip it into the milk and coffee."I love morning traditions. I have my own and without it I am toast. :( I enjoy the simplicity of it and cherish it.Grandma Lucy's take on love:" If you find yourself dissatisfied, constantly angry, agitated, frustrated, and emotionally spent, if he does not bring out the best in you, no matter how much you love someone, no matter how many lovely moments offset the low points, if you are exhausted, you are not being fed. And if you are not being fed, you will not grow."Simple. To the point. How true.A trip past a yard sale, Adriana and Viola:"She (Viola) backed up in front of it and handed me a five-dollar bill. "Go and get the Infant of Prague," she said. "Gram, this is the worst Infant of Prague I have ever seen." "A sacred relic in a yard sale is NOT right."This is something my Grams would do. :)Grandmothers and faith:"I found rosary beads tucked in their pockets, and prayer cards in their wallets, and small books of wisdom, dog-eared and marked up, on their night stands. They owned the destiny of their souls, knowing that there was very little of the physical world that they could control. Loved ones would die, money would come and go, friends would disappoint, family would burt, disaster would strike but nothing that ever happened to them would catch them unaware and render them helpless, because they knew how to pray."This was one of my favorite parts of the book. The generation of her grandmothers held so strongly to their faith, just like my parents and my grandparents. I envy that so much. The quiet strength my Grams always seemed to have, even though I knew she was suffering inside from all that she had lost. I can only hope I can achieve that level of calm and faith at some point in my life.Words of the wise:"Apologize when you are wrong"Amen.So overall, I really took to the book. There were moments that I felt were a bit repetitive but it didn't bore me or bother me too much. It was definitely filled with a lot of lessons to learn and live by. I certainly appreciated that and though I expected a bit more of a memoir, I still enjoyed it. Her love for her Grandmothers really came through and I have to honor that. It would be hard to edit my own memories of my grandmothers too. Ladies' Reaction:Overall, the Ladies enjoyed it. They admitted that it did seem a bit wordy and repetitive at times but that, once again, the author's love for her grandmothers really came through. That feeling made them forgive a bit of that. They enjoyed the lessons mentioned, especially the ones about relationships. They were a bit surprised that Adriana's mother didn't show up too much in the stories and they were curious about that. A few didn't enjoy the home lessons as much as others (like me!) or the child rearing lessons (like me!) but the business and faith portion were interesting to them.This prompted some conversation about our own families; how we grew up, who keeps traditions alive, what really stays with us from childhood, etc. It was fun to reminisce about my own childhood and to hear their stories as well.Good Book Club Pick?This was a nice change from our last pick (Anthony Bourdain's Medium Raw) and we admitted it was a simple, fun read. Being that it was around Mom's day, I thought it was a good pick for us. I think the lessons mentioned in here just bring up some good conversations and a trip down memory lane. That, for me, makes it a good book club pick. Author Website:Next Book Up:The Midwife's Confession by Diane Chamberlain *Read for 2011 Read From My Shelves ProjectHappy Reading and as always, thanks for stopping by!red headed book child
The Cleaner and The Silenced by Brett Battles.
I read a lot of thrillers and suspense novels, mostly because I like the action. I had not heard of Brett Battles before Michelle suggested them for review but I am glad I know him now. The two I read were the first and fourth in the series. I thoroughly enjoyed his books and especially his character, Jonathan Quinn. Quinn is a professional “cleaner,” which is “Nothing too violent, just disposing of bodies, doing a little cleanup if necessary.” He’s an independent contractor so he doesn’t work for just one person but accepts jobs from many. He travels the world, and understands many languages and cultures.
From the website:
The Cleaner:
The job seemed simple enough: investigating a suspicious case of arson. But when a dead body turns up where it doesn't belong—and Quinn's handlers at "the Office" turn strangely silent—he knows he's in over his head.
With only a handful of clues, Quinn scrambles for cover, struggling to find out why someone wants him dead . . . and if it's linked to a larger attempt to wipe out the Office.
His only hope may be Orlando, a woman from his past who's reluctant to help but who may hold the key to solving the case. Suddenly the two are prying into old crimes, crisscrossing continents, struggling to stay alive long enough to unbury the truth. But as the hunt intensifies, Quinn is stunned by what he uncovers: a chilling secret . . . and a brilliantly orchestrated conspiracy—with an almost unimaginable goal.
The Silenced:
Quinn has a new client and an odd job: find and remove the remains of a body hidden twenty-five years ago inside a London building now scheduled for demolition.
But Quinn, his deadly and beautiful girlfriend Orlando, and their uniquely talented colleague Nate are being watched. Suddenly caught in the crossfire between two dangerous rivals who demand the remains, Quinn and his team must learn who the dead man was and why he's still so important. Because a plot stretching from London to Hong Kong to the former Soviet Union is rapidly unraveling. And Quinn hasn't just been hired to tie up loose ends—he is one.
Review:
The books are fast-paced and action-filled, just like a thriller should be. Battles creates great characters with Quinn and his companions, Nate and Orlando. What I like best is that the books center around a character with a unique profession. Though he hints at the possibility of a secret government entity, that has little to do with the story. Instead, he creates a new group of spies with gadgets, high intelligence, and quick wits to solve the conspiratorial situations in which they enmesh themselves.
Battles’ books are quick reads, intricate and unique, with lots of twists and turns along the way. Once I picked them up I did not want to put them down and I read both books within about a week. I missed a few developments by not reading the second and third books, but because he is a good mystery writer it did not take away from the story. I plan to go back and read those two and to read more of his books as he writes them. Brett Battles has made it to my list of favorite thriller writers.
Fiona Walsh thought her family’s secrets would follow her to her grave, but when her diary is found by a young postman, Niall, the truth about her untimely demise—and that of her sister and aunt—begins to see the light of day. It’s the most tragic love story he’s ever heard.
Niall soon becomes enveloped by the mystery surrounding Jim—an itinerant storyteller who traveled through Ireland enrapturing audiences and wooing women with his macabre mythic sagas—though a trail of murder followed him wherever he went. The Walsh sisters, fiercely loyal to each other, were not immune to “darling” Jim’s powers of seduction, but found themselves in harm’s way when they began to uncover his treacherous past. Niall must now continue his dangerous hunt for the truth—and for the vanished third sister—while there’s still time.
And in the woods, the wolves from Jim’s stories begin to gather.
