Innocent by Scott Turow

About ten years ago I read the book Presumed Innocent by Turow. The fact that I can remember the surprising conclusion of that book is a testament to how good it was. The main character is defense attorney Rusty Sabich. He finds himself as a defendant when a colleague is raped and murdered - and he happened to be having an affair with her.
Now it is déjà vu all over again! He's been having another affair - when will these men learn??????? And there is another dead body - only this time it is his bi-polar wife. He ends up back on trial again. This time it is even worse because he is a judge who is in contention for the state supreme court. And this time is son Nat is in the court room listening.
I loved the way Turow wrote this. The narration moves from Rusty to Nat to Anna (the mistress) and to the prosecuting attorney, Tommy Moto. The pace is quick and the story keeps you wondering what the truth really is.

Red Hook Road by Ayelet Waldman

Becca is the daughter of a well-to-do family with a summer home in Red Hook. John's mother, Jane, cleans for Becca's mom, Iris, and others. Of course they fall madly in love and marry. They are blissfully happy and never have a cross word for each other during their marriage. But to be fair I should tell you that the marriage only lasted a few hours. They were tragically killed when their limo is hit by another car as they returned to the reception after taking pictures. So although John and Becca are talked about during the entire book, we are never part of their lives -just their deaths. This book is about the two families over the next four summers - how their lives and their sorrows intertwine. I think it is well-written and very readable. The end, however, - oh the end. I am not sure what happened! I think I know but I read and reread it a few times.
Interesting characters and believable actions make it a good read.

Ice Cold by Tess Gerritsen

This was a quick-paced mystery. Maura Isles is a medical examiner in Boston and has been involved with a priest for a year. The affair is tearing her up because she wants more than Daniel can promise at the moment. She leaves Boston and Daniel for a week to attend a medical conference in Idaho. While there she runs into a guy she knew in school. He recognized Maura right away. She finally remembered him - he was the one that jumped off a roof and broke his leg. Although he doesn't appear to have matured, Doug is the type of distraction Maura could use. At the end of the conference she decides to stay out West for an extra day when Doug talks her into a skiing trip. It is not meant to be a romantic tryst - they will be traveling with Doug's teenage daughter and his friends Arlo and Elaine. On the way to the lodge Doug loses control of the SUV in a blizzard and they are stranded. They stumble across the remote village of Kingdom Come - twelve identical houses. But no one is home. It looks as if they left in a hurry - food is still on the table, milk frozen in the glasses. Aha - a mystery! There are some spooky things happening and it kept me reading with great interest. Tess Gerritsen delivers again!

Homestaging That Works by Starr Osborne 643012 Osb

No I am not selling my house - at least not for a long time. But for some reason I am fascinated by all of the shows on tv about how to sell a house - so when this book showed up to be covered I couldn't resist and took it home for a look-see. I already knew the stuff about de-cluttering and de-personalizing the space. What was very different about this book was how she helps you figure out your target audience! Baby boomers (late and early) Gen X etc. tend to like different colors from one another - also different floor plans, different art work - different everything! And I think she was spot on! If you are thinking about selling I would certainly recommend this book. If you are thinking about buying you might want to read it to see what they have done to entice you to make that full-price offer!

The Long Way Home by Robin Pilcher

One of my favorite authors has always been Rosamund Pilcher. I think she has stopped writing (okay she is in her late eighties - but still.....) so I have turned to her son Robin. This book had all of the flavor of the things I loved about his mother's books. The book makes me long to move to a Scottish village and the people seem so alive that I think I would recognize them anywhere!
Other than her immediate family in New York, Claire Barclay has no one left in the world with the exception of her stepfather Leo. There is a deep bond between Leo and Claire and they talk on a regular basis with occasional visits. She does more for Leo than his own children do.
Leo has a stroke and Claire (with family) go to Scotland to look after him for the summer. It is obvious that Leo is slowly sinking into some sort of dementia. Throw in a former flame, angry step siblings, a will, some real estate plans and....well you have a story!
If you like a gentle read on a hot afternoon you will not be disappointed.

My Name is Mary Sutter by Robin Oliveira

At the beginning of the Civil War, Mary Sutter is widely acknowledged as the best midwife in Albany, New York. She follows a long line of generations of midwives in her family. She longs, however, to be a surgeon, a doctor, to learn more about how the human body functions. In a time when women are still relegated to traditional roles, this is a goal that seems insurmountable.

Denied admission to the Medical College of Albany, she turns for help to a local doctor, James Blevens. Stunned by her request and by the outbreak of war (but not by Mary's courage and stubbornness) he denies her but remains haunted by her.

Denied the chance to follow her dream at home, Mary heads off to Washington, D.C. when Dorothea Dix issues a call for nurses. Her life becomes intertwined, once again, with James Blevens as well as his mentor, William Stipp.

I have to admit that I skipped a couple of the gorier scenes, from a childbirth gone wrong to the battle surgery scenes. The author works in real life people (from Dorothea Dix to Abraham Lincoln) into the story and it helped me to understand the bigger picture.

I liked this book a lot. Mary's story of trying to fulfill her dream and what it costs her is a story as true today as it was then. The author's descriptions of the battlefield and how primitive the hospitals were are heart-breaking. As I read them, I had to wonder yet again why war seems to be an option. I wanted Mary to achieve her dream - but was frustrated when she couldn't see past it.

One of the reasons I read this book was to see if it would be a good gift for my sister. It will.

Blood Oath by Christopher Farnsworth

Sometimes I think I'm the only woman under 40 who's not in love with vampires. I don't get the vampire craze and, frankly, think it's pretty weird. So it is with great surprise that I must admit to loving Blood Oath by Christopher Farnsworth, a new thriller featuring a vampire secret agent.

Yes, the President of the United States has a vampire on staff.

Nathaniel Cade has protected every president since Andrew Johnson from enemies both human and paranormal. Zach Barrows is a young, smooth-talking rising political star who finds his career derailed when he is assigned as Cade's new liaison with the president. Neither one is thrilled to be partnered with the other but they must work together to stop a terrorist plot involving human corpses brought back to life (aka - zombies).

Here's why I like this book so much - Cade and Barrows are well-developed characters who are likable and very funny. It's fun to cheer them on. The plot is fast paced enough to keep you guessing. And the villains are all so evil it's hard to decide who is the most diabolical - the terrorist, the spoiled rich kid, the corrupt government agent, the scheming vice president, or the mad scientist.

There is a tiny hint of romance in Blood Oath but if you're searching for an Edward-Bella romance, you'll be disappointed. However, if you're in the mood for a fun thriller, Blood Oath is a great pick.

You can find Blood Oath by Christopher Farnsworth in the New Fiction shelves at the Indianola Public Library.