Shuggie Bain

 Alcoholic. Douglas Stuart’s debut novel titled, Shuggie Bain, packs a wallop. Set in Glasgow, the novel offers a detailed exploration of the relationship between an alcoholic mother, Agnes Bain, and her son, Shuggie. Any reader who has lived in a household where alcohol was a problem will recognize Stuart’s insight into family dynamics and what happens when children have to assume responsibilities far beyond what’s age appropriate for them. Stuart excels at character development in this novel, and through multiple detailed descriptions of dysfunctional domestic life readers can share just a small bit of what it is like to live in a house with an alcoholic adult. Stuart seems to keep pounding away at readers with one sad episode after another that can make us weary. That’s part of the impressive power of this book: the text itself recreates the repetitive experiences of this family’s life. I highly recommend this novel to those readers who appreciate finely written literary fiction and those who find depth and insight from descriptions of domestic life, whether the same as what we’ve known ourselves or completely different.

 

Rating: Five-star (I love it)

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Lost Hills

 Solo. Detective Eve Ronin gets the job done, even if she has to go solo to do it. Lee Goldberg’s novel titled, Lost Hills, entertains readers with a “feel like you’re there” police procedural set in Los Angeles. I consider this book as a one-hour television drama for readers. The action moves at a fast clip and you don’t have to think too much as the author entertains you. I liked the characters, especially Eve, and was entertained with enough twists to keep my interest to the end.

 

Rating: Four-star (I like it)

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Mrs. Mohr Goes Missing

 Vocation. The best murder mysteries in the Agatha Christie tradition have a protagonist detective that’s beloved by readers. Maryla Szmiczkowa provides one named Zofia Turbotyńska in a novel titled, Mrs. Mohr Goes Missing. Zofie is a bored socialite in Cracow whose current task is a fundraiser for a local care home and the nuns who operate it. After a resident is found dead, Zofia leaves her boredom behind and comes to life as a passionate detective. She excels at this vocation, to the pleasure of readers like me who are entertained by this genre. Zofia has the wit and flair of some of the greatest fictional detectives who precede her, and I was delighted to stumble on this novel and look forward to Zofia’s next case.

 

Rating: Four-star (I like it)

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Shakespeare for Squirrels

 Dream. The latest romp with Shakespeare and Christopher Moore is a novel titled, Shakespeare for Squirrels, the author’s version of A Midsummer Night’s Dream. The more you know Shakespeare, the funnier this novel is, and the squirrels are the icing on the cake. Characters from Moore’s earlier Shakespearean ventures are reprised to the satisfaction of readers of the previous two novels in this set. If you liked Pocket in the earlier novels, you’ll love him in this one as he works his magic. Readers looking for a relaxing diversion are those most likely to enjoy this novel.

 

Rating: Four-star (I like it)

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Quotients

 Secrets. My best advice to readers of Tracy O’Neill’s novel titled, Quotients, is to give yourself over to whatever it is she is doing and don’t worry too much about what’s going on. Enjoy the precise sentences without worrying too much about why this one follows that one. By the end, you will have watched a work of art being assembled and can close the book with impressions about contemporary life, about the power of secrets, about love and family, and about what it takes to make one’s way in this world. At least that’s what I think I read about.

 

Rating: Three-star (It’s ok)

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The Last Trial

 Finale. It won’t surprise fans of Scott Turow’s fiction that the latest novel titled, The Last Trial, is set in Kindle County, and recurring character Sandy Stern is back for what is positioned as his last trial. At age eighty-five, Sandy is not in prime physical condition, but he knows how to operate in the courtroom, and the best parts of this novel show Sandy weaving his magic before a jury. The client is a friend, and the evidence against him is formidable. Turow shares his insights into our human condition and the legal system in ways that are empathetic about frailty and the humanity woven into the system. I enjoyed every page of this novel, and every minute spent with Turow and Sandy Stern.

 

Rating: Four-star (I like it)

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Home Before Dark

 Baneberry. I find that a creepy novel with strange happenings in an old house provides just the right dose of chills to break the heat of summer. In Riley Sager’s novel titled, Home Before Dark, the house is Baneberry Hall, and stuff that happened there in the past and present can give slowly paced chills to readers. Protagonist Maggie Holt lived in the house briefly when she was a child. After her father’s death twenty-five years later, she inherits Baneberry Hall which she didn’t know her father still owned. He profited from a book about their brief time in the house, and that story within a story breaks the pace of this novel by alternating the past and present events in the house. There are just enough twists to satisfy most readers, and for those of us who live in old houses, we might do one more check tonight before heading to bed.

 

Rating: Four-star (I like it)

Click here to purchase Home Before Dark from amazon.com.