Subterfuge, Secrets, and Murder

“It takes 20 years to build a reputation and 5 minutes to ruin it.” —Peyton Manning

Yep. On Superbowl Sunday I’m quoting my boy Peyton. And why wouldn’t I? Today is about winners (including Jesus, of course.) You know who’s winning off the field—who’s got panache and a pen and not afraid to wield it? Alex Michaelides. It’s no secret we love the former screenwriter turned phenom of fiction. He’s the Greek Freak of psychological thrillers. If you haven’t read The Silent Patient, stop reading this post haste. Go grab yourself a copy of the bestseller sold in 50 countries. (A record breaker.) You’ll talk about those pages long after you close the cover. Guaranteed.

The point is Michaelides won’t need 20 years to build a reputation. Not even close. His second novel The Maidens was spellbinding. Lucy Foley gushed, “A deliciously dark, elegant, utterly compulsive read—with a twist that blew my mind.” This guy’s got it like Patrick Mahommes has got it. His latest, The Fury, was compelling. This observation won’t surprise anyone familiar with the Greek Freak: “Michaelides’s deliciously twisty and fiendishly clever third novel takes the classic locked-room mystery and delivers a fresh spin on the genre.” The story revolves around a likable former movie star, Lana Farrar. Old friends and old feelings surface when they visit Lana’s private island. Murder ensues. I agree with the reviewer who explained, “What sets the book apart is its innovative structure and the compelling voice of its narrator, Elliot Chase; wonderfully sinister and beautifully unreliable, he guides us—with sleights of hand aplenty–through this impressive and highly enjoyable tale of subterfuge, secrets, and murder.”

P.S. People are talking about The Fury’s audible narrator, Alex Jennings. Here’s a glimpse: “Jennings' impeccable accent keeps the already propulsive novel quite engaging and moving like a steam train about to run you over." I couldn’t agree more. Must be in the name!

Posted by Tracy

A Big Win

“Hope is such a wonderful thing until it isn’t.”

Rachel and I were in the same zip code for a few short hours last week. We’re both pretty spent. But even a few short hours with Rae is a shot in the arm. Oh, how I hope we live in the same post code someday. (I’d settle for a neighboring one and call it a big win.) Hope is always a wonderful thing. You can tell Amanda Peters I said that. I’m not trash talking Peters—she won my admiration with her novel The Berry Pickers. I mean, how many debut writers win the Andrew Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Fiction and shortlist for Canada’s Atwood Gibson Writers’ Trust Fiction Prize? Not many.

I loved The Berry Pickers. Mi’kmaq is a word I’d never heard before—now I associate it with a four-year-old girl named Ruthie. Each summer, Ruthie’s family rhythmically travelled from Nova Scotia to Maine, harvesting berries to make ends meet. When Ruthie vanishes from the blueberry fields, heartache prevails (especially for Joe who saw his younger sister last). Her whereabouts remain a mystery for decades. Painful decades. I really enjoyed this stirring novel told from the two siblings’ point of view. I’m with the reviewer who said, "Peters skillfully manages to hold the reader’s attention from the first page to the last . . . The Berry Pickers isn’t a mystery, it’s a truth telling by characters you can reach out and touch—characters whose misfortunes, regrets, feelings, and redemption most readers will relate to." Kudos to you, Amanda Peters.

Posted by Tracy

Ticking Boxes

“After nourishment, shelter and companionship, stories are the thing we need most in the world.” —Phillip Pullman

You’re so right, Phillip. We desperately need stories in this crazy mixed-up world of ours. If they’re insanely good stories, all the better. I’ll take an inspiring narrative over nourishment unless we’re talking about tacos. Chips and guac too. I want to ask, what makes a story good for you? Originality? Unforgettable characters? Maybe you’re a fan of daring novels that push boundaries? Who doesn’t love the unputdownable? Anticipation and suspense are hard to resist. I’m a devotee of pages that make me feel and consider. And reconsider opinions. I love the power of deep thought—it keeps me on the path to self-discovery.

I don’t know about you, but I love when I finish a book and feel the need to talk about it. After the last line of R.F. Kuang’s Yellowface, I promptly phoned Rae to see if she’d read about June Hayward—a struggling, insecure writer who steals her dead friend Athena’s manuscript when opportunity presents itself. This is no ordinary friend, mind you. Athena Liu was a best-selling author whose rise to fame was meteoric. She was a standout among her Asian peers. June refuses to admit theft. Accusations fly. June’s rationale and responses are sometimes mind-bending to me. Here’s one of many: "It all boils down to self-interest. Manipulating the story...If publishing is rigged, you might as well make sure it's rigged in your favor." More than once, I felt exasperation. At times, June felt like an unreliable narrator, which didn’t alter the fact that Kuang’s novel was compelling, and I had to see where the literary chips would fall.

Yellowface ticks boxes. Originality: check. Unforgettable character: check. Pushes boundaries: check. I’m on the fence as to whether it was insanely good. But I’m glad I read Yellowface. Here’s what the incomparable Stephen King had to say: “This is a great read. Crime, satire, horror, paranoia, questions of cultural appropriation. Plenty of nasty social media pile-ons, too. But, basically, just a great story. Hard to put down, harder to forget.”

Posted by Tracy

Portable Magic

“What a wonderful thought it is that some of the best days of our lives haven’t even happened yet.” Anne Frank

Happy New Year! What a wonderful thought it is that some of the best books of our lives haven’t even been read yet. Looking back on 2023, books like Demon Copperhead, The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry, Hello Beautiful, The River We Remember, and The Heaven and Earth Grocery Store were some of the best reads of my middle-aged life. Such a great reading year for this old girl. I hope 2024 is equally grand! If my Christmas haul is any indicator, I’m off to a remarkable start, I can tell. Let’s begin with the darling, the aficionado, the two at twenty-seven brainchild—my girl Rae’s perfectly wrapped hardcover under the tree was Anne Berest’s The Postcard. This biographical fiction has earned prizes and bright stars from thousands, but Rae’s stamp of approval is all I need. Can’t wait to dig in. Rae and I both received The Covenant of Water from our study abroad pal, Tam. I’ve heard nothing but amazing things about Verghese’s latest. (I need a vacay and some sunscreen to get after it.) The future looks bright.

I finished out the reading year the way I started it—with an author who was new to me. Daniel Mason, you are an absolute winner! The fact that Mason’s a real wonder boy shouldn’t come as a surprise. He is a physician who studied at Harvard and beyond, while writing novels and winning prizes (including Pulitzer Prize finalist). Oh, and he teaches literature at Stanford on the side. I mean honestly. Gifted in both the left and right hemispheres? I am here to tell you the man can write. There were moments in North Woods where I felt completely transported back to New England. Mason provides the history of a cabin-turned-home deep in Massachusett’s woods, dating back to Puritan times. We meet a succession of people who occupy the yellow house amid the ash, the elm, the hemlocks, and the unforgettable chestnut trees. (And apple-obsessed Osgood’s orchard.) Mason shines a light on a variety of memorable characters over the centuries. Some owners feel an uncanny connection to nature. Others to previous owners in their ghostly state. I have no words for the magic Mason creates. So I’ll defer to a trusted lit guru or two. From Anthony Marra: “North Woods is a sui generis work of pure brilliance… a universal story of loss and reclamation. It’s the best book I’ve read in ages.” Abraham Verghese had this to say: “North Woods is the most original and spellbinding novel I’ve read in ages. Mason makes bramble, brush, and orchard come alive with the spirits of their unforgettable former inhabitants. Their lives . . . had me glued to my seat.” From me: What a perfect way to finish up 2023.

Loyalty Over Royalty

Please say you’ve checked out our holiday gift guide. Rae has outdone herself once again! You know who else has outdone themselves? Nita Prose. If you’ve been reading our blog for any length of time, you know we’re loyal readers. Because loyalty over royalty. We follow authors we love (and like for that matter). I think it’s safe to say we were a little surprised by Nita Prose initially. Her debut novel The Maid was quirky, surprising, and suspenseful. It was thought proving too. The best part of her debut? Her central character Molly Gray. Molly processes the world differently than you and me. She’s hyper literal and her social skills don’t shine like the silver she polishes. But her attention to detail is off the astute charts. I’m here to tell you Molly was just as endearing the second go around.

If you haven’t met Molly, you really should. These books can be read independent of one another, but I recommend meeting Molly in The Maid. Molly’s insane attention to detail helped her crack a murder case that occurred in her place of employment—The five-star Regency Grand Hotel. When a famous author dies during a press conference at the Regency Grand, Molly’s innate sleuthing skills kick in once again and become the premise for The Mystery Guest. If you’re lucky enough to find a silent night this holiday season, pull up a chair by the fire and cozy up with “the most charming amateur sleuth in modern literature.”

Posted by Tracy

Mo' Money, Mo' Problems

It’s Thursday. Let’s throw it back because it’s been ages since we’ve given an oldie a nod. This go around, I picked a 2017 narrative nonfiction. Why you ask? Leo DiCaprio—that’s my answer. That’s why I chose to give Killers of the Flower Moon a listen. Books first, film adaptations second.

I hate to cry ignorance here, but I was completely unaware of the plight of the oil-rich Osage Indians. How did I miss this? Was I sleeping in history when Mr. Gordon taught the Osage were the richest people per capita in the world over a century ago. Yes, that said richest. Turns out a permanent reservation purchased by the Osage in north central Oklahoma was golden ground. They couldn’t have known they put targets on their backs when they negotiated a deal with the US government. (Every full-blooded Osage received an allotment of land, including headrights in the community mineral trust.) White opportunists married Osage Indians to get at their money. Murders ensued. Lots of them. (The mysterious murders led to the inception of the FBI.) Everyone should learn about The Reign of Terror. David Grann’s bestseller proves a good teacher.

P.S. I was so glad to learn that I was not the only one in the dark here—one reviewer shared this:

I came to learn more about the FBI’s past but turns out this book is much more about the true story of what was once one of the most famous periods of time in American history but has now been forgotten: an oil boom led a native tribe to become the richest people per capita in the world and then they started getting murdered. It’s amazing true crime storytelling and an important part of history that shouldn’t be forgotten.

Oh my, here’s another p.s.—I listened to KFM. Sharee and I both agreed this makes for a better read. (Sorry narrators.)

Posted by Tracy

Your Life is Your Magnum Opus

“We all die, but some of us—those who are blessed or maybe just lucky—have the opportunity before that end to be redeemed. We can let go, forgive others, and also forgive ourselves for the worst of what we are or have been.”

Currently, I have a crush on William Kent Kruger. I’m smitten with his rich perspective and captivated by his sapient storytelling. He’s a dreamy writer. I just finished his latest, The River We Remember, and I’m so sad it’s over. Of course, stories must end—I know this—but it doesn’t get any easier to let characters knit inside your heart go. It’s as if Kruger inserts bright, breathing fictional people into my heart, wraps them counterclockwise around my soul, and pulls them through me. A part of me wanted to stay put in Jewel, Minnesota. (I kept hitting repeat on the sleep timer deep into the night to coexist there, and I’ve got the eye bags to prove it!)

I can still remember the small town feeling I had when I read To Kill a Mockingbird for the first time. Harper Lee transformed the South into a memorable character. Kruger has the same gift. A beautiful landscape is his muse. In 1958, Jewel is a homey place—of course, the town gossip is as good as gospel. When wealthy Jimmy Quinn’s body, full of buckshot, is found in the Alabaster River, there’s no stoppin’ the rumors. Prejudices, not long buried, surface. Sheriff Brody Dern arrests a Native American Vet who looks good for the murder but refuses to plead one way or another. The story revolves around solving Quinn’s murder. But Kruger’s real focus has more to do with “the wounds left by the wars we fight abroad and at home.” My crush isn’t afraid to confront the fact that we’re all broken. Much of being human means finding ways to heal. Kruger is too good. The River We Remember is beautifully written. Some have suggested this may be Kruger’s magnum opus—you’ll need to visit Jewel to decide for yourself. You’ll be incredibly glad you did.

Posted by Tracy