Crooked Letter, Crooked Letter

Larry Ott and Silas "32" Jones were childhood friends in Mississippi, although their lives were worlds apart. Silas was the only child of a poor, black single mother whereas Larry came from a comfortable white family.

Then one day in their teens Larry takes a young woman on a date and she's never seen again. Without evidence or a confession, Larry isn't charged but is ostracized by his community. Silas goes to college on a basketball scholarship and puts Larry out of his mind.

Years later another girl disappears without a trace, but this time Silas is the police officer investigating the crime and Larry's past makes him the prime suspect. Yet Silas knows a secret that could shed light on the case - but only if he's willing to jeopardize his career and standing in the community ...

When I first picked up this book, I thought "Oh no, this was going to be one of those depressing Southern books about a tragic friendship." Luckily it isn't. It's beautifully written, and although it's melancholy in places, the redemptive ending makes it worth it. I love the characters of Silas and Larry, and although I'm sure there won't be a sequel, I would love it if there was.

Rescue by Anita Shreve

At the beginning of this novel Peter Wester, an EMT, is having problems dealing with his daughter Rowan. He is raising her alone and she is a teenager - so of course there are bound to be problems. Once a straight A student, her grades are slipping. Even worse, she has been experimenting with alcohol. Peter knows first hand the affects of alcohol. He met Rowan's mother when he responded to a one-vehicle car accident. The driver was a very attractive and very drunk woman named Shelia. But of course he falls for her, she gets pregnant and they get married. He is in love with her, but when she begins drinking again it appears that the marriage is doomed. When Shelia has a car accident with Rowan in the car Peter sends her away. Sixteen years later he is afraid that Rowan might become Shelia - and so he turns to the only person he thinks might help. That is, of course, Shelia.
I am never disappointed in a Shreve novel, and this was no exception. You can read the book or listen to it on audio like I did!

Safe Haven by Nicholas Sparks

Whenever Sparks writes a book I look forward to reading it. I loved the cover (very important to me!), but when I read the blurb I became less enthused. Mysterious young woman moves to town, gets a job in a diner and does her shopping at a store run by good-looking Alex who is a widower raising two kids. What is Katie hiding? Well it soon becomes obvious that there is an abusive man in her past. I have been around the literary block a few times so I already felt I knew what was going to happen. And basically I did. However.........the flashbacks of Katie's past life just sent shivers down my spine. I had flashbacks to "Sleeping with the Enemy" when Julia Roberts is trying to keep her husband from beating her - by cooking the perfect meals, keeping the perfect house, etc. Sparks had to have done some good research on abuse to write about it so well.

Juliet by Anne Fortier

I am behind on my blogging and the details are getting blurry on this book. I do know that I enjoyed listening to it. If you have read Romeo and Juliet I am sure you will get more out of it, but you can still enjoy it. Basic premise of the book - Julie and twin sister Janice were born in Italy. Their parents died when they were young and Aunt Rose came to take them back to the U.S. The two sisters are quite different from one another and don't get along well. They are grown up and living separate lives. When Aunt Rose dies, Julie is shocked to learn that Janice is inheriting the whole estate. And Julie? Well she just gets a passport and a key - and a mystery. The passport is in her real name - who knew?- Giulietta Tolomei. She was a descendant of the family of the "real" Juliet. So off she goes to Italy to try and discover what inheritance she was left.
So in this book you will encounter jealousy between sisters, greed, mysteries (both present and 14th century), love, murder and just maybe.......another Romeo? A fun read.

The Tiger: A True Story of Vengeance and Survival

How's this for a "moral-of-the-story" ... Never make a Russian tiger angry. He'll track you down and kill you, no, he'll annihilate you until all that's left of you could fit in a little bag.

At least that's what happened to a Russian poacher as outlined in John Vaillant's true account: The Tiger: A True Story of Vengeance and Survival.

There is not a clear consensus of why a Russian man named Vladimir Markov was stalked by the tiger. Some say Markov had stolen part of the tiger's kill, some say Markov had been illegally killing tiger cubs, while others claimed there was no motive. Whatever the reason, in 1997 a male tiger in his prime systematically tracked down Markov's cabin, waited for him to come home, ambushed him, and shredded him to pieces.

Before he was killed, Markov got off one good shot, not enough to kill the tiger, but injuring him enough to disrupt his ability to hunt. Deprived of his natural hunting ability, the tiger went on the prowl for easier prey -- humans living in isolated cabins in the Russian wilderness.

In this book, Vaillant investigates this tiger attack and subsequent incidents, how these affected the people nearby, and the government team which investigated the attack. Markov's killing itself makes up a relatively small portion of the book, so if you're looking for a thriller, you might be disappointed.

Instead, much of the book looks at the context of the attack -- what life is like in this part of Russia, the poaching of tigers, and what we know about tigers. It's a very interesting read -- and guaranteed to make your hair stand on end.