207 Book Talk

Camille Gardner has (barely) lived through every parent's worst nightmare, the loss of her fifteen year old daughter Emily five years previously. What makes Camille’s pain exponentially worse is the fact that after Emily was murdered, her killer Harris Blanchard, a local college student, not only escaped justice, but his well-connected family made Emily out to be the villain of her own tragedy. Camille learns that Harris is being given a humanitarian award at his school, and the consequences of her attendance at that ceremony makes her something of an internet celebrity, for all the wrong reasons.  The situation serves to perpetuate her anxiety, distress and rage, and Camille feels there is no one out there who truly understands the constant pain she feels knowing her daughter’s killer is not only free, but enjoying his life to the fullest. She quickly learns through mysterious means that not only are there others out there struggling with the same emotions, they are poised to do s...

  Author Julia Dahl has written a timely novel focusing on wealth and privilege and the repercussions that can come from people of that socioeconomic status feeling above it all. Being well-known and rich does not provide protection from being the victim of a crime, and it also does not mean you can get away with doing anything and everything you want… or does it? When NYU freshman and social media it-girl Claudia Castro wakes up in her dorm room over Spring Break, it is clear something is very wrong. What is much less clear is what exactly happened the night before. She is bruised and bloody, but has no memory of most of her evening out. While she slowly starts to piece together the events that may or may not have occurred, she begins to rely on another student in her dorm that has also stayed on at school over the break Trevor is a kid from Ohio with a past he is trying to move beyond, and he is soon swept up in Claudia’s life and his developing feelings for her. As it becomes cl...

Beth Hardcastle has a seemingly perfect life in a small village in England, where she lives with her husband and young daughter. Having left London behind for the suburbs, she run a pottery shop and cafe and (thinks) she has a wonderful marriage, until her husband Tom is taken in for questioning about the disappearance of a former girlfriend. As her life starts to unravel, Beth questions just how well she really knows her husband and her neighbors.  I did enjoy the story being told from multiple points of view, but I found this book less and less believable and interesting the further on I read. There were a few interesting twists, but they felt predictable and I found the main character very unlikable the more I got to know her.  Final rating: ★★☆ ☆ ☆ This ARC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

As a reader of a few of Laura Dave’s previous books, I wasn’t sure about how she would fare in the mystery genre, as it felt like a big departure from Eight Hundred Grapes and Hello, Sunshine . I was pleasantly surprised by The Last Thing He Told Me . Newly married Hannah Hall is surprised one afternoon by a knock on her door. A preteen girl is delivering a note from her husband, Owen. It contains only two words, but those words are powerful, and set the tone for the rest of the story.  Owen’s company is being investigated by the SEC and he has disappeared. Hannah is left in charge of her sixteen-year-old stepdaughter, Bailey, who has made it clear she is not Hannah’s biggest fan. In an attempt to understand her husband’s cryptic message, Hannah and Bailey must work together to solve the riddle of what, exactly, is going on and when it all began.  I enjoyed the pace of the story, as it moved back and forth in time between the past and present. The puzzle of who can be trusted...

  Emma Merrill has had an incredibly challenging life. She has been living in a fog since her late teen years, and is feeling hopeless about her future. Sophia Mason, her childhood best friend, comes back into her life at an opportune time and the two set off together on a journey of self discovery. The two rekindle their once deep bond while staying in a trailer on the vast plains of south Texas, reconnecting over their shared love of art. While it seems at first a one way street, with Emma nedding Sophia to help her begin to finally heal, it becomes clear that these two need each other in equal measure. Both are weighed down by secrets, and rediscovering their friendship helps both finally speak their truths and look forward to the future. Told from multiple points of view, I found the premise of Carolyn Brown’s latest story interesting, but this book did not draw me in. The descriptions of the surroundings and people were well written and provided colorful imagery, but I found t...

In The Last Green Valley, Mark Sullivan brings us the story of the Martel family and their long, arduous escape from the evils of the end of World War II. The ethnic German family, including parents Emil and Adeline and their two young sons, Walt and Will, make the decision to leave behind the life they’ve built for themselves in Ukraine to escape the inevitability of once again living under Stalin’s barbaric control.  Their journey towards freedom in Adeline’s dream of a lush green valley where their family can settle once and for all is a constant life or death struggle.  We follow the Martel’s and their extended family’s travels through several European countries in a search for a better life. This extraordinary tale is told from multiple points of view and through alternating timelines. Sullivan’s descriptions of the people, places, and events really brought the story to life for this reader, and I found myself skimming ahead at certain points, feeling dread over what was ...