Dark Money: The Hidden History of the Billionaires Behind the Rise of the Radical Right

Network. A small group of very wealthy Americans has been working systematically to transform our politics to align with their interests. In her finely written book titled, Dark Money: The Hidden History of the Billionaires Behind the Rise of the Radical Right, Jane Mayer describes how patient plutocrats have framed public opinions and have ensured the election of individuals in local and national elections. Don’t think for a minute that Jeb Bush’s spending for poor results in the latest Presidential campaign proves that money doesn’t make a difference. The network led by the Koch brothers preceded the current cycle and is likely to have skipped Jeb in this primary. They gather large amounts of money and use it in myriad ways to influence work at universities, create what appear to be grass roots organizations, and use every means they can think of to buy the government that will be aligned with their interests. Any citizen interested in the topic of money in politics will be enlightened by this finely written book. Rating: Five-star (I love it) Click here to purchase Dark Money from amazon.com.

My Name Is Lucy Barton

Bonds. Our best writers find a way to be simple and complex at the same time. Elizabeth Strout’s short novel titled, My Name is Lucy Barton, can be perceived as a simple tale about a mother and daughter. It is also a complex and aching story about love and abuse and the bonds of love that can endure anything. In the same way that the emotions of some characters are implied in the novel, Strout uses great efficiency in her prose to convey more in a single sentence than many writers can achieve in long chapters. Strout’s writing is superb, and she is mastering nuance, to my great pleasure. Rating: Five-star (I love it) Click here to purchase My Name Is Lucy Barton from amazon.com.

The Guilty

Unexpected. Serial fiction can develop characters in many different ways. Sometimes, the protagonist grows gradually in each episode. Other times, there seems to be such stability that the stories seem repetitious. David Baldacci takes a different approach in his fourth novel featuring assassin Will Robie titled, The Guilty. Baldacci takes Robie back home to provide insight into how he became the person he is, and focuses on the challenges in a father-son relationship that has been strained for decades. Readers find a more vulnerable Robie as he tries to grapple with the fact that his father has been arrested for murder. The unexpected twists in the plot strained credulity, but Baldacci does that often. This contribution to the series may polarize fans, but I found the unexpected diversion interesting and enjoyable, despite some ludicrous plot twists. Rating: Four-star (I like it) Click here to purchase The Guilty from amazon.com.

Blood Salt Water

Connections. One of the reasons that I enjoy reading detective fiction is that I can compare my ability to connect the dots to that of the detective. Denise Mina’s protagonist, Detective Inspector Alex Morrow, is great at connecting the dots, and she follows her obsession in the novel titled, Blood Salt Water. Things are not as they appear in the sleepy town of Helensburgh, and every character has something important happening that may not be evident to all. Morrow connected the dots better and faster than me, and that brought added reading pleasure. Any reader who likes detective fiction will find pleasure in this novel. Rating: Four-star (I like it) Click here to purchase Blood Salt Water from amazon.com.

The Mark and the Void

Counterintuitive. By the time I began to feel that Paul Murray’s novel titled, The Mark and the Void, was quite a bit too long, I was almost in the home stretch, so I finished reading it. For the first two hundred pages or so, I was delighted and entertained by this comic romp about the serious matters of the global financial crisis and life inside one of the big banks. Protagonist Claude Martingale works in Dublin for a bank with the funny name Bank of Torabundo that pursues a strategy that is intentionally counterintuitive. Packed with deceptions of all sorts, there’s a love story here, a satire on banking and the story of an Everyman who led me to root for him. Murray is a fine writer, and his skilled storytelling compelled me to overlook some rocky spots, and stay with him to the end as I was enchanted by this charming and satirical novel. Rating: Four-star (I like it) Click here to purchase The Mark and the Void from amazon.com.

Kitchens of the Great Midwest

Viewpoints. A child can never have too many people in her life who love her. I kept thinking about that reality as I read J. Ryan Stradal’s debut novel titled, Kitchens of the Great Midwest. Stradal structures the novel as stories narrated by eight characters, all centered around protagonist Eva Thorvald. From childhood, Eva developed a discriminating palate, and that leads her in many different directions. I laughed at the humor in some sections, and felt pain in empathy for the struggles of some characters. Throughout, the vibrant writing kept me interested and entertained. Rating: Four-star (I like it) Click here to purchase Kitchens of the Great Midwest from amazon.com.

Love May Fail

Redemption. I can recommend Matthew Quick’s novel titled, Love May Fail, based solely on his quirky and fully developed characters. A bonus comes from his exploration of redemption that comes from making bold choices and following a path of hope toward love. A teacher influenced a life in profound ways and that led to a series of events that brought that teacher from despair to joy. If you are in any way overwhelmed by the evil in the world or the depths of sadness and disappointment, read this book and come away with a renewed sense of goodness, kindness and virtue from the unlikeliest of sources. Rating: Four-star (I like it) Click here to purchase Love May Fail from amazon.com.