Outline

Neighbor. Who is my neighbor? How well do I know them? How well do I know myself? What does it take to move from the sketchy outline of a relationship toward intimacy? Structured as a series of conversations, Rachel Cusk’s finely written novel titled, Outline, explores those questions and others. Readers who appreciate fine writing will find much to admire in this short novel. Those readers who like cerebral fiction will also engage those little gray cells while reading and after finishing this novel. I was thoroughly entertained and engaged from beginning to end. Rating: Five-star (I love it) Click here to purchase Outline from amazon.com.

Bryant & May and the Burning Man

Suspense. Fans of detective fiction are those readers most likely to enjoy the sixteenth book in the Peculiar Crimes Unit series by Christopher Fowler titled, Bryant & May and the Burning Man. Detectives Arthur Bryant and John May are quirky, curious and successful. Faithful readers of the series will enjoy both the continuity and aging of the characters. New readers could start here or anywhere in the series and enjoy a well-written mystery. The suspense develops gradually in this novel, and the pace may seem slow to those readers who enjoy fast-paced thrillers. Like a mature wine, this novel is worth savoring, not gulping. I was entertained and surprised by the plot. Rating: Four-star (I like it) Click here to purchase Bryant and May and the Burning Man from amazon.com.

The Witches: Salem, 1692

Comprehensive. Readers who enjoy history presented after deep and rich research, and delivered in readable prose, are those most likely to enjoy Stacy Schiff’s book titled, The Witches. Schiff examines all the records she could get her hands on to relate to contemporary readers what really happened in Salem in 1692. Many of us think we know about the Salem witch trials, but I doubt few of us bring the perspective that Schiff offers. Any reader interested in this time period and this event should enjoy this book. Rating: Four-star (I like it) Click here to purchase The Witches from amazon.com.

The Lake House

Loss. I thoroughly enjoyed reading Kate Morton’s novel titled, The Lake House. Set mostly in Cornwall, England, the novel alternates action between two time periods: 1933 when a young boy goes missing, and 2003 when a London detective finds herself staying under the radar out of town, and stumbles into an unsolved case that draws her in. Morton drew me in as the plot became complicated, and the themes of children, loss and kin were explored. Morton offers great characters that kept me turning the pages to discover more about their lives, their losses, and the solution to the mystery of the missing boy. Rating: Four-star (I like it) Click here to purchase The Lake House from amazon.com.

The Japanese Lover

Passion. I’m guessing that tens of thousands of novels will be published this year that will explore the theme of love. Few of those novels will be as well written as Isabel Allende’s novel titled, The Japanese Lover. With gracious lyrical prose, Allende offers deep insight into human nature and our propensity toward enduring love. Over the course of a brisk three hundred pages, Allende develops characters over decades of time, and captures the special dynamic of aging and love. Any reader who has loved and who has aged will delight in the recognition of love and the passing of time that Allende displays in this finely written novel. Rating: Five-star (I love it) Click here to purchase The Japanese Lover from amazon.com.

The Relic Master

Penance. Contemporary social and political satire takes a holiday for Christopher Buckley as he turns his sights to the sixteenth century. Money and power are still great targets for Buckley’s wit in his novel titled, The Relic Master. The Catholic Church is selling indulgences, and relics are big draws for the peasant penny and the collections of wealthy patrons. The protagonist of the novel, Dismas, buys and sells relics, and one of his clients wants to procure a very special relic. Caught in deceit, Dismas incurs a penance that sets him on a mission to steal a shroud. Buckley blends historical characters including Albrecht Dürer and Martin Luther with fictional ones, and offers a witty and slowly paced plot that spreads the action and humor thinly over four hundred pages. Readers who are educated enough to know the circumstances of sixteenth century Europe and who enjoy satire are those most likely to enjoy reading this novel. Rating: Four-star (I like it) Click here to purchase The Relic Master from amazon.com.

Devil's Bridge

Chapman. Successful serial fiction meets the expectations of readers by presenting each new book in the series packed with the components that readers have enjoyed in prior books. The seventeenth Alexandra Cooper novel by Linda Fairstein is titled, Devil’s Bridge. Fairstein delivers all the components I’ve come to anticipate and enjoy in this series: great characters, an engaging plot, and some interesting tidbits about New York City. The heavy lifting in the latest novel is carried by recurring character Mike Chapman, and it is through his mind and his eyes that the story progresses. Fans of this series are those readers most likely to enjoy this novel, as well as any reader who likes crime fiction. Rating: Four-star (I like it) Click here to purchase Devil’s Bridge from amazon.com.