Thursday, September 17, 2009

Last of Summer Reads by Christine Duncan

I've been reading a lot this summer, probably a form of escapism prompted by this terrible economy. Thank the Lord, the library is still free--until of course, the powers that be figure that charging for it will be even better than just cutting hours at the library.

So anyway, I wanted to share two mysteries I read recently and loved. The first is the latest in Margaret Maron's Deborah Knott series, Sand Sharks. I wait, not all that patiently, for each book in this series to come out. In this book, newly married Deborah is still adjusting to being a step-mother as well as a wife. So when a conference for judges gives her a chance to leave home and family for a stay at the coast, she jumps on it. And of course, given the mystery genre, stumbles on a dead body while she's there.

The thing I loved about this book, as I do about all of Maron's Deborah Knott series is that the woman lives in the same world I do. No, I don't live in the South and I'm not a lawyer let alone a judge but I have been a step-mother. And I could very much identify with Deborah's feelings on the matter. And since I couldn't get to the shore myself this summer, I really enjoyed Deborah's trip to the beach too.

The second book I read and loved this summer was Janet LaPierre's Run a Crooked Mile. The heroine, Rosemary Mendes, is a widow settling into a new home in a small Northern California community. The setting is what originally drew me to the book, since I went to college in Arcata many more moons ago than I like to admit and I wanted to see if . But the heroine kept me reading. Rosemary is roped into caring for a dog whose mistress has been found dead. Everyone thinks the woman was killed in some sort of hunting accident but really no one knows much about the woman at all as she is also somewhat new to the community. Rosemary's curiousity about the other outsider leads her into somewhat dangerous territory--and to make new friends in her new hometown.

I am going to be looking for more from Janet LaPierre.

So what are you escaping er--reading right now? Give me a heads up on something fun.

Christine Duncan is the author of the Kaye Berreano mystery series. Safe House, the second book in the series was just released in trade paper by Trebleheartbooks.

3 comments:

Jean Henry Mead said...

Christine, I've read a number of lesser known authors, including Stephanie Osborn's BURNOUT, the story of a shuttle disaster similar to Challenger and Columbia. Stephanie is a 20-year veteran of the aerospace industry and her novel is not only a good read, it's a book only someone who worked for NASA could write. My review of BURNOUT is up at: http://advicefromeditors.blogspot.com/

Jean

Mark Troy said...

I just finished SOULTOWN, the second book by Mercedes Lambert in the Whitney Logan series. It's a gritty detective story set in the Korean community of Los Angeles. Back in May, I reviewed DOGTOWN, the first book in the series. http://hawaiian-eye.blogspot.com/2009/05/what-im-reading.html

Chelle Cordero said...

I am going to recommend 2 books.

One of them is my own (yes, I am brazen) murder/mystery thriller Final Sin (ISBN-13: 978-1935407133). Caught up in a murder investigation, it really is the wrong time for Deputy Sheriff Jake Carlson to fall in love with Julie; but when the murderer decides to make Julie his next victim, the case becomes extremely personal.

The 2nd is suspense novel Once Again Now by Charmaine Gordon. Widowed at age 59, Kate Harris must find her way back into life. She falls in love and marries again but in a sudden twist of fate, once again she is widowed. Only this time, she has to find a way to stay alive.

Chelle Cordero
http://chellecordero.com