My Name is Lucy Barton by Elizabeth Strout FIC Str

I listened to the audiobook and enjoyed it a lot.   Lucy's story is told while she is in a N.Y. hospital for nine weeks fighting a mysterious infection following a small operation.  Lucy is married but her husband doesn't like hospitals - and besides he has to also look after their two small children.  So mostly Lucy is alone - until she wakes up once and sees her mother sitting next to her.   Lucy is in shock that her mom had managed to fly to N.Y., get a taxi and appear at the hospital.  There has been little contact between Lucy and her family since Lucy left home.  But here she is and for the next five days and nights she is by Lucy's side.  During that time they talk and through the memories we learn about Lucy's past.   She had a very hard childhood and any success she achieved was reached by her own determination.

The characters were wonderful.  I loved the way Ms. Strout would toss out little hints about Lucy's childhood and then I would have to wait until later to find out the real situation.  A great book about relationships.

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What She Knew by Gilly Macmillan FIC Mac

This is a debut novel and I am looking forward to her second one!  I love psychological thrillers.  I finished this one in two days because I couldn't wait to find out who the guilty party was.   Rachel Jenner has had a tough year.  Her doctor husband has divorced her and is remarried.  Rachel spends a lot of time thinking about the new couple, which isn't good for her mental health.  She is trying to keep a normal home for Ben, her 8 year-old son.  So every Sunday they go for a walk in a large wooded park with their puppy (farewell gift from daddy).  Rachel is taking photos (her new career) when Ben asks permission to run ahead to where the swings are.  After hesitating Rachel says yes and off he goes.  But when she arrives at the swings she only sees one swing gently swinging - but no Ben.

The novel takes place over the next week.  The first morning after Ben's disappearance the Police want Rachel to make a television appeal to the kidnapper(s).  They have a carefully scripted statement for her to make.  But Rachel goes rogue and threatens to kill whoever took Ben.  She looks wild and at the end she flashes a big smile.  If Ben were watching she wanted him to feel comforted by that smile.  The media (and especially the social media) didn't take it that way and lots of people began to think she was responsible.

The book is narrated by Rachel and alternately by the detective in charge of the case.  I thought it was a great read.

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Even Dogs in the Wild by Ian Rankin MYS Ran

All of the characters you've known and loved gather together again in the most recent installment in the Rebus series:

Siobhan Clarke is trying to solve the murder of a high government official in what appears to be a robbery gone wrong.  But if that is the case, then why is nothing missing from his house?

Malcolm Fox, recently a member of the Complaints division (think Internal Affairs in the United States) is now working in the "trenches".  A gangster from Glasgow and his son are in Edinburgh.  When a team from Glasgow comes to follow them, Fox is assigned to help with surveillance.

And then there's John Rebus, recently retired (though not by choice) from Police Scotland.  When both cases seem to collide, he is delighted to be asked to help Clarke and Fox.  But before he can his old nemesis "Big Ger" Cafferty becomes a target.  Grudgingly, Cafferty turns to Rebus for help and, equally grudgingly, Rebus helps him.  They are both, after all, the last remainders of how things used to work in Edinburgh.

Rankin brings these three people together to solve several cases that diverge and converge and then diverge again and had me hooked from the beginning.  I've come to "know" these characters after years of reading his books and, while it was the cases they solved that kept me going it was also the additional insight into their personal lives that kept me racing through.  Clarke and Fox an item?  Rebus with a dog?  And an Edinburgh so real that you'll feel as if you're walking the streets with them.

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The Things We Keep by Sally Hepworth FIC Hep

This is the story of a woman with Alzheimer's disease.  Not so unusual in literature today but the twist is Anna Forster is only 38 years old.  She knew something was wrong but the diagnosis was a shock.  That was the day she walked out of her marriage.  As Anna goes downhill her brother Jack does research to find the best place for her.  It turns out to be a place called Rosalind House which is actually an assisted-living facility.  Jack chose this home because of one resident.  His name is Luke and he is the same age as Anna.  Perhaps, he thought, it would be easier for Anna.  The rest of the residents are of course much older and Anna is not at all happy at first - but eventually Luke changes her opinion of her new home.

The other two main characters are Eve and Clementine who also narrate the story.  Eve has landed the job of cooking at Rosalind House.  It isn't her dream job by a long shot but she is now a single mother to Clementine and she doesn't want to have to drag her out of her school on top of all the other changes they are making. (Rosalind House has an address that is in the same school district.)  Eve becomes involved in the lives of the residents (probably a bit too involved!) and does what she can to make Luke and Anna happier.

Although the story line of Alzheimer's is always sad there are also some uplifting moments and I was very invested in all of the characters.   An entertaining book.

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The Crooked House by Christobel Kent FIC Ken

When Esme was a teenager she lived with her parents and three siblings in a remote house.  One night in this 'crooked house' something awful and unthinkable happened.  Esme was the only one to survive.  Thirteen years later Esme is now called Alison and she lives in London.  She still has nightmares but life is going fairly well.  She has a boyfriend named Paul.  After four years of keeping men emotionally distant she has begun to be able to have a real relationship - except that he doesn't know her real name or her past story.

One day she finds out that Paul has been asked to be the best man (at the last minute when the original guy was unable to come) at the wedding of an ex-girlfriend.  He wants Alison to come with him of course.  In fact he has made reservations so that they can enjoy a long weekend.  Panic sets in when she realizes that the wedding is in the town of her childhood.  This isn't going to be easy to pull off!

I loved this book.  Throughout the novel you slowly get more details about what happened that night and what happened to Esme after she left the town.  Once I started I couldn't put it down!

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Banquet of Consequences by Elizabeth George FIC Geo

The books of Elizabeth George are very British!  Lots of detail and great detective work done the old fashion way.  Part of the intrigue of these books for me is to catch up on George's recurring characters - Inspector Thomas Lynley and his partner Barbara Havers.  Barbara likes to go rogue in her professional work and now she is paying for it.  She is on a very short leash.  But Lynley still has confidence in her ability to do the job.

A man named William Goldacre has committed suicide and his death leads to many consequences for those around him.  And there is the murder of a famous writer.  Her assistant happens to be Caroline Goldacre, the grieving mother of the suicide.  I want to tell you that the Goldacre family is very bizarre with lots of dark secrets.  It is a long book but I enjoyed it all.

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Fatal Identity by Joanne Fluke MYS Flu

I have listened to all of Fluke's books and this one was a bit different.  In fact I stopped listening after about fifteen minutes to double check what I was listening to!  Most of her books are really cozy, cozy murder mysteries.  This one was a bit darker and I loved it.

Mercedes and Marcie are identical twins but their lives have gone in totally different directions.   Marcie is still back in Minnesota, single, rather shy and an art teacher.  Mercedes is living a glamorous life in Hollywood as a successful actress.   She has two children and a handsome husband who seems to get along well with his stepchildren.

Someone has been watching Mercedes at times when she thinks she is alone.  One day she goes swimming in her pool as she does everyday - except this time she is found dead.

Marcie flies out immediately to be with her niece and nephew and to support the widower.  Since Mercedes was just finishing up a movie the studio is very upset - until they meet Marcie and realize that with some Hollywood magic Marcie can finish it.  So Marcie is brought into her sister's life - acting in her sister's place, mothering her sister's children and becoming more and more attached to her sister's husband.

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A Common Struggle by Patrick Kennedy 616.89 Ken

   

I became interested in this book when I saw Patrick Kennedy on television talking about it.  Before reading this I could have only told you a few things about him.  After reading it I felt like I knew him - and all of the secrets he hid (or tried to) for years.  He said in the interview that many members of his family were unhappy that he was publishing this book.  I'm not surprised because there are many unflattering stories about his family's struggles.  His personal story of addiction and mental health issues is laid out for everyone to read.   How he managed to serve in Congress all of those years is unbelievable.  Covering up his personal problems was not an easy task.  But he had learned a lot of that in his own home growing up.  He wants to bring mental health problems out of the shadows, turn it into a discussion and change the system so that people can get the help they need.  A powerful story.

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All the Things We Never Knew by Sheila Hamilton 616.89 Ham

 

What a powerful book.  If you read the jacket of the book you will know before you begin that her husband dies weeks after being diagnosed with bipolar disorder.  The book begins with a phone call that Ms. Hamilton receives.  Her husband has broken into a home and stolen a gun.  The rest of the book recounts how she ended up at this point.  We learn how their love story began and how it began to unravel through the years.  Looking back there were lots of red flags but they are hard to see at the time but obvious in retrospect.  Mental health is a problem and the stress on a marriage is unbelievable.  It is a very readable book with a heart-wrenching description of one woman's journey.

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