Tag Archives: Mystery

The Girl in the Green Raincoat by Laura Lippman

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Synopsis:
On bed rest and housebound, detective Tess Monaghan gets concerned and starts an investigation when she stops seeing a stylish woman walking her dog.

Review:
I do love Laura Lippman, who sets her stories in Baltimore, where I was born and raised, but haven’t lived since 1991. Reading her books is at once nostalgic and fresh, and I enjoy trying to figure out the geography and have a thrill when I recognize a reference.

The Girl in the Green Raincoat was a satisfying entry in the life story of Lippman’s recurring character Tess Monaghan, but I found the mystery itself to be a bit thin. I loved the emotional and character development, though–Lippman came up with a nice psychological angle on a familiar crime trope. Yet I was wishing it were 50 pages longer so we could get a few more twists and turns.

The Forgotten Garden by Kate Morton

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Synopsis:
A bereft Australian woman travels to Cornwall to uncover the mystery behind her grandmother’s mysterious appearance on a dock in Maryborough at the age of 4, her identity completely unknown.

Review:
While I had some minor quibbles with some of the stock characterizations in The Forgotten Garden, on the whole I was absolutely riveted by the storytelling. Morton expertly weaves together the stories of three women: Cassandra, a contemporary Australian woman who has received an unusual bequest from her grandmother Nell; that of Nell, who learns at age 21 that in 1913 she was discovered a pier, having arrived on a ship from England with no identity to speak of; and Eliza Makepeace, a writer who crafted a book of fairy tales while living in a cottage in Cornwall at the beginning of the 20th century. She also includes three of Eliza’s stories, which are hypnotic and absolutely convincing. And in Eliza’s story, we also get the points of view of several other characters.

It’s quite a masterpiece of jigsaw puzzle storytelling, because while the reader is privy to information that Nell and Cassandra are not, the conclusions that Cassandra and Nell draw from the information on hand are plausible and convincing. The mystery is truly engaging–even though figured it out about halfway through, I was sufficiently enthralled to want to carry on.

And, oh–how badly do I want to live in a windswept cottage on the Cornish coast–complete with maze and hidden garden! All I would need is a big storm and I’d be as happy as I can be.

Another Pan by Daniel and Dina Nayeri

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Synopsis:
When Peter Pan and his Lost Boys descend on a chic Manhattan boarding school, a brother and sister become embroiled in his plan to reclaim 5 ancient mummies who hold the secret to eternal life.

Review:
In the interest of full disclosure, I sometimes work with Daniel Nayeri, and have even had him and his lovely wife over to my house for dinner. So please don’t expect anything resembling objectivity. I’m a big fan of Daniel and his sister Dina’s unique brand of classic retellings, and I’d love for everyone to buy Another Pan.

Another Pan is an intriguing mash up of Peter Pan and ancient Egyptian mythology, all set in a deliciously snooty boarding school. It’s not as tidy as some other YA retellings I’ve read, and I like that about it. The Nayeri siblings are ambitious storytellers with a high regard for the intelligence of their readers. They’re also damn good writers. (Yes, I’m a bit jealous.)

Many thanks to Candlewick for the review copy.

Faithful Place by Tana French

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Synopsis:
When the body of his first love is discovered 22 years after she failed to show up and elope to England, undercover detective Frank Mackey is sucked back into his dysfunctional and dangerous family.

Review:
Faithful Place is yet another perfect read from Tana French. As Frank navigates the crime scene, even after being ordered to stay away from the case, his grief, nostalgia, and brokenness threaten to consume him. Nobody does bittersweet regret like Tana French. My heart ached for all these poor lost characters, whose dreams were all thwarted by the accident of birth and the ties of family.

I did guess the murderer’s identity pretty early on, but I think that was the point, to place us completely in Frank’s point of view. He missed it, even if I didn’t, and that says volumes about who he is. A romantic to the end, when he says that he and Rosie Daly lost the chance to be the happiest two people on earth, you believe him utterly.

I also have to give props to Tana French for her exquisitely musical dialogue. Her use of slang, profanity, and imagery perfectly limns the subtle class distinctions between her characters, which is another huge part of the story.

Still Missing by Chevy Stevens

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Synopsis:
Freed from the clutches of the madman who abducted her, a broken young woman tries desperately to make sense of what happened to her.

Review:
I find it really strange that the New York Times gave Still Missing such a glowing review, because while I enjoyed the read I didn’t think it rose above genre expectations at all. The prose is pedestrian and the revelations contrived. Oh well.

Wolf’s Brother by Megan Lindholm

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Synopsis:
As a group of reindeer herdspeople approach their summer grounds, simmering tensions and unspoken accusations bubble up with murderous results.

Review:
Wolf’s Brother is the completion of the story begun in The Reindeer People, and I was more than satisfied with the resolution.

While the book’s setting recalls Clan of the Cave Bear, the story itself focuses around what could be considered a murder mystery, and the genre-blending is what really kept me turning pages. Megan Lindholm brings the action to a thrilling climax that might be a bit too jam-packed, but I was invested in the journey of the characters so it worked for me.

I really hope that these two books come back in print. They deserve a wider audience.

Holes by Louis Sachar

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Synopsis:
Sent to a camp for juvenile delinquents, Stanley Yelnats is forced to dig holes for the duration of his sentence, but when he figures out that the Warden is looking for something, he decides to take action.

Review:
The reputation of Holes is well-deserved. It’s a fast-paced read with plenty of original plot elements that would appeal to both girls and boys. I’m glad I finally picked this one up and will be saving it for the permanent library for Superfast Toddler & Superfast #2 (due early July).

The Whole World by Emily Winslow

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Synopsis:
Three Cambridge students working with the blind daughter of a famous novelist have their lives disrupted when one of them disappears.

Review:
In her other life, Emily Winslow is a well-respected crafter of puzzles, and that expertise shines through in the intricate plotting of The Whole World. Through the use of multiple points-of-view, Winslow creates a layered mystery where it’s nearly impossible to figure out what really happened–but when you learn the truth, it all makes perfect sense.

I loved the Cambridge setting and the way Winslow made it such a strong part of the story. Her characterizations were really well done, thoughtfully created with subtlety and depth. Psychologically the book had a lot going on, much like the works of Ruth Rendell and Tana French, though with far less forensics.

Despite the tightness of the narrative, I’m not sure I was completely satisfied at the end–but I think that’s because I was wishing that there were more book to read!

Many thanks to Hachette Book Group for the review copy.

Arcadia Falls by Carol Goodman

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Synopsis:
Hired to teach at a secluded, artsy boarding school, a young widow discovers that mystery and murder roil below the bucolic surface.

Review:
I wanted to adore Arcadia Falls, but I only got about 80% there.

I loved the atmosphere that Carol Goodman created for Arcadia, the creepy boarding school in the middle of the woods in upstate New York. The backstory was most excellent, starting with a 1920s artists’ colony founded by two lesbians, one deeply conflicted and not entirely committed to Team Pink. For the most part, I was totally sucked into the story, eagerly turning the pages to get to the next scene.

However, the few missteps that I ignored at the beginning started to pile up so that by the end I had lost faith in the story’s ability to give me a transcendent experience. A few cardboard characters here, some overly expository dialogue there, added finally with an unfortunately predictable endgame led ultimately to disappointment for me.

Many thanks to Ballantine Books for the review copy.

The Swan Thieves by Elizabeth Kostova

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Synopsis:
A psychiatrist takes on a recalcitrant painter who attempted to stab a painting in the National Gallery, and his fruitless attempt to get the man to talk lead the doctor to investigate the artist’s life and loves–and obsessions.

Review:
There’s a solidly compelling mystery at the heart of The Swan Thieves, Elizabeth Kostova’s latest jaunt through history and memory. Nothing supernatural here, but it still has an otherworldy air about it that makes the experience of reading the book haunting and delicious. For the most part.

Kostova excels at bringing the inner world of the artist to life. I loved reading her descriptions of the various characters getting lost while painting, and she made me understand some of how painters see the world. I also got sucked in by the mystery of artist Robert’s silence, and why he tried to stab the painting, following psychiatrist Marlow’s detective work eagerly. And I was eager to learn more about Béatrice de Clerval, the 19th century painter whose letters Robert had in his possession at the time of his attempted crime.

However, about two-thirds of the way through to book, my interest began to wane. The more the pieces of the puzzle came together, the less excited I was about the outcome. I did like it better than The Historian, which I found really boring, but it never clicked for me as an unforgettable read. Kostova is a beautiful writer and those who enjoy historical fiction more than I do are likely to appreciate it more. I’m very glad I got to read it but also glad it’s over.

Many thanks to Little, Brown for the review copy.