The Silent Patient / Alex Michaelides / 323 pages

Alicia Berenson is a famous painter married to a famous fashion photographer.  One evening her husband returns home late from work and Alicia shoots him five times in the face.  Police arrive to find her with the gun, but Alicia never speaks a word.  She refuses to talk or explain all through her trial.  She is found guilty and is put in a secure psychiatric unit in North London.  Over the years Alicia continues her silence and her art work increases in value.  Theo Faber is a criminal psychotherapist who is fascinated by Alicia's case and when a position opens up at the facility that houses Alicia, Theo applies and is hired.  Thus, Theo sets out to try to get Alicia to talk.  The results of his efforts lead to unexpected consequences and takes the reader on a thrilling journey!

From Doon With Death / Ruth Rendell / 214 pages

This is the author's debut novel written in 1964.  It introduces the character of Chief Inspector Wexford.  Margaret Parsons is a timid, unassuming housewife found murdered in the quiet English town of Kingsmarkham.  Her body is found strangled in the woods.  Chief Inspector Wexford sets out to solve the mystery of her death.  This is a quaint English mystery story.  Not very fast paced, but a relaxing read.

The Stranger Inside / Laura Benedict / 341 pages

The setting for this story is St. Louis!  It was fun seeing places mentioned that I knew and made the story more interesting.  Kimber Hannon is a divorced woman that lives in a house in Richmond Heights.  She returns from a weekend at the Lake of the Ozarks to find the locks changed on the doors of her house and a stranger living inside.  Lance Wilson has a rental agreement with Kimber's signature.  He tells the police that Kimber left to move in with her boyfriend and rented the house to him until she decides what to do with the house. With the help of her ex-boyfriend, Gabriel, who is also a lawyer and her ex-husband, Shaun, Kimber sets out to get her house back.  However, Kimber has a dark secret from her childhood that Lance threatens Kimber that he knows and will reveal.  The story has many twists and turns and keeps the reader in suspense!

Watching You/ Lisa Jewell/ 324 pgs

This is a thoroughly engrossing psychological suspense. Jewell creates well-rounded characters who breathe on the page. This story is all about the title: who is watching who. I don't want to go into the plot too much but here's a rundown of the characters: a twenty-something trying to get her life back on track, a charming headmaster who (almost) everyone likes, an awkward 14-year-old boy just discovering girls, a clinically paranoid mother, a teenage girl trying to do right by her mother, her best friend, and herself. Plus a heart surgeon, a pregnant systems analyst, and a moody, depressed mother. There is a murder here and the resolution is well done. If you like suspense, give this one a try. It's excellent.

The Reckoning / John Grisham / 420 pages

John Grisham once again delivers a riveting novel with a gripping story line and well developed characters.  Pete Banning is a decorated World War II hero from Clanton, Mississippi.  His family is a prominent family in the town and owns a large farm that produces cotton.  Pete is married to Liza and they have two children; a son, Joel, and a daughter, Stella.  October 1946 Pete goes to the Methodist church in town of which his family are members, and shoots and kills the pastor, Dexter Bell.  Pete is arrested and goes on trial for the murder all the while not saying why he did it.  The story covers the courtship of Pete and Liza, Pete's fighting in the war, and the repercussions of the murder of Dexter Bell.

After the Storm / Linda Castillo / 306 pages

This is Linda Castillo's seventh book in her Kate Burkholder series.  Kate is the Chief of Police of Painters Mill, Ohio.  Painters Mill is a small town with a large Amish community.  Kate grew up Amish, but left her faith and family as a teenager.  This personal history helps her in her job when she needs to deal with the Amish community.  In this book a set of old human bones is found near an old abandoned barn after a tornado comes through Painters Mill.  Another mystery for Kate to solve!  The story has a lot of excitement and action. 

The Unfortunate Decisions of Dahlia Moss/ Max Wirestone/ 370 pgs/ audiobook

Once again I had a long weekend drive so I snagged another audiobook from Hoopla. I had heard this book was fresh and funny and I must say that I agree. It's a delightful modern mystery with a funny, quirky cast headed by the titular Dahlia Moss. She's an unemployed twenty-something down on her luck when her roommate introduces her to a mysterious man named Jonah. He offers her $2000 to find a stolen digital bejeweled sword. Yes, digital. The sword exists in an online game and was stolen from Jonah's account. It's obvious from the beginning that there is something off about this setup but then Jonah is murdered and things take off from there. Even though I'm not an online game player, the book explains that world well without being tedious. The narrator for this book (Lauren Fortgang) was awesome. I was amused throughout and laughed out loud a number of times. The solution to the murder mystery itself was nothing revolutionary but for this one, it's all about the journey. Bonus #1: this book, to my surprise, is set in St. Louis. The setting is a little superficial but it was nice to hear about familiar landmarks. Bonus #2: there are two more books in the series. I can't wait to read or listen to them!

The Perfect Girl/ Gilly MacMillan/ 439 pgs

This is a fast-paced, though not entirely surprising, read. When Zoe was 14, she went to a party where her drinks were spiked. Not knowing she was drunk, she agreed to drive three friends elsewhere (no, she didn't have a license but knew how to drive). She crashed the car and the other three died. Fast forward three years. Zoe served time for the accident. Her parents got divorced. Her mom is now remarried and she and Zoe live with stepdad Chris, his son Lucas, and a new baby, Grace. The father of one of the teens who died in the car crash comes back into Zoe's life and sets off a tragic chain of events. This story is told from many different viewpoints, including those of Zoe's aunt and uncle. It's an engrossing read.

Dead Woman Walking/ Sharon Bolton / 363 pgs

This is the best book I've read all year. I've said before that I love Bolton's work but this one is a cut above. It's one of those books that you want to go back and read again once you've finished, just so you can see all the tricks the author played.

Jessica surprises her older sister, a nun, with a balloon ride for her 40th birthday. The exciting adventure soon turns deadly when the balloon passengers witness an assault and are then attacked from the ground. The balloon crashes and Jessica is the only survivor. Both the assailant and police are trying to track her down but it's clear she doesn't want to be found. I don't want to say anymore than that. This is a fast-paced ride with a lots of surprising twists at the end. If you like suspense, please give it a read!

The Hanging/ Lotte & Soren Hammer / 298 pgs

I read this based on one of my colleague's posts here:-) The book is set in Denmark and has been translated. The ebook I read had numerous translation problems but for the most part I was able to skip past those. Konrad Simonson is the main protagonist here. He's a policeman investigating the gruesome murder of 5 men with his team of junior investigators. I found the book a little uneven, especially as the police team seemed to jump to conclusions. I sometimes felt as if I were missing information. However, the story was intriguing (fair warning: the plot centers around pedophilia), the characters were interesting, though perhaps a little incomplete, and the setting was unique. I'd be interested to read more by this author duo.

Lost/ Sharon Bolton / 391 pgs

This is the third in Bolton's Lacey Flint series and I'm glad I read it so closely on the heels of book two because that helped me remember what had happened to the characters. Lacey has been through a lot of trauma in the first two books and it's really wearing on her. While I appreciated this realism (I hate it when characters continue on their sunny way after suffering through tragedy after tragedy), I was becoming quite concerned for Lacey's mental well being in this book. I'm happy to say that things ended on a small positive note.

So, the story. Young boys around the age of 9-10 are disappearing from South London. They turn up dead but not violently abused and there seems to be no relation among the victims. Detective Constable Lacey is supposed to be off on leave but she becomes embroiled in the mystery when her 10-year-old neighbor Barney takes it upon himself to investigate the disappearances. I liked Barney's character--he's an OCD kid who is very bright and mature for his age--and the way Lacey reluctantly let him draw her into his life.

The mystery here was intriguing. I didn't figure out who the culprit was but I have to say I found the motivation of that culprit very weak. Nevertheless, the interactions between Lacey and her coworkers is always very well drawn, as is the atmosphere around London.

The Dry/ Jane Harper / 328 pgs

The Dry (which I think is an unfortunate name for a novel) is a suspense story

set in an isolated rural town in Australia The town is suffering from a severe drought and in turn, economic hardship. I thought the setting and its different facets were well done by the author. A father, mother, and six-year-old boy are found shot to death on their farm (warning for disturbing content). The only survivor is a year-old baby. Initially, this looks like a down-on-his luck farmer who ended the lives of his family members and then took his own. Aaron Falk, a forensic accountant for the federal government, returns to the town he left behind abruptly 20 years ago to attend the funeral of his friend, the supposed killer of his family. Aaron is NOT warmly welcomed back, as he and his father were driven out of town by accusations that Aaron killed a teen-aged friend, Ellie, all those years ago. Though reluctant, Aaron finds himself drawn into the current investigation of the murder-suicide, even while his presence in town stirs up memories and emotions from the past. This book kept me interested from start to finish, although I do think the flashbacks got to be a bit much. There were two mysteries here and I did not guess the solution to one of them, which is good, while I felt the other one was not really resolved in a satisfactory way, i.e. there was no closure and no justice for the victim.

Where the Dead Lie/ C.S. Harris/ 338 pgs

This is book number 12 in the Sebastian St. Cyr series, a historical mystery series set in England around the year 1813. Though the author does a decent job of keeping the reader current on the major arcs of the series, I would recommend starting at the beginning if you are interested. Sebastian St. Cyr is a young aristocrat, now with a wife and child, who finds himself investigating murders and disappearances on a regular basis. In every book, Sebastian bounces around London interviewing suspects, there is always a chase scene, and someone always seems to be trying to kill him (sometimes it's even his father-in-law!). This particular book is concerned with orphaned
street children who are going missing and one of them turns up dead, having been tortured and sexually assaulted, so definitely not a cozy mystery. This is another series where I've kept reading to see what happens with the overarching mystery and the main characters, but it is getting somewhat predictable. I wish more time would be spent on the major plot points affecting the characters' lives but instead it seems like they take baby steps in each book.

Dark Places/Gillian Flynn/349 pgs

This book from Gillian Flynn was published before Gone Girl but I've just now got around to checking it out. When the main character, Libby, was seven her mother and two older sisters were brutally murdered in their rural Kansas home. Libby managed to escape. Her teenage brother was convicted of the crime, largely on Libby's eyewitness testimony.

Fast forward 25 years. Libby is now a very messed up adult. She's not the most likable of characters, but I found myself mostly sympathetic toward her anyway, given what her life had been like. She answers a curiosity seeker's letter and thus heads down a twisting path to discover/remember what really happened on that terrible night.

I found the mystery interesting, though occasionally unbelievable. I also liked that the ending was at least somewhat optimistic. Flynn knows how to write deeply flawed characters that pull you in.

Warning: the description of the murders is graphic and there is a scene involving animal abuse that I had to entirely skip over.

Between a Book and a Hard Place/ Denise Swanson/ 288 pages

Between a Book and a Hard Place by Denise Swanson is the next installment of the Deveraux's Dime Store series.  Deveraux Sinclare is attending a city council meeting when her long absent Mother shows up married to a rich Texan who is willing to support the town library for multiple years in exchange for using archived resources.  The Texan is found dead by Dev's mother and father and Dev must step in and solve the crime before her parents become murder suspects.  All the while Dev is balancing her relationships with Noah and Jake.  Dev and friends solve both the murder and a century old treasure hunt.

Career of Evil/ Robert Galbraith/ 489 pages

Career of Evil is the third book written by J.K. Rowling under the pseudonym of  Robert Galbraith.  The books opens as Cormoran Strikes' assistant receives a severed leg via courier.  Strike can think of four people who would want revenge.  As news of the leg hits the media business drops.  Soon Robin and Strike find themselves with only one case to investigate.  All the while they continue to investigate the leg suspects.  As more women are murdered, Strike is concerned for Robin's welfare.  All the while Robin wonders if her upcoming marriage is the right thing to do.  This book is a gritty tale of murder and revenge.

Dark Places/ Gillian Flynn/ 349 pages

Dark Places is the second novel written by Gillian Flynn.  It explores the murder of a rural Kansas family, poverty and the hysteria over a possible Satanic Cult.  The book is written in a dual timeline.  The story moves between the current time and the day of the murders 25 years earlier.  Libby Day and her brother Ben are the survivors.  Libby is almost penniless and willing to trade her notoriety for money.  Ben is in prison for the murders of his family.  On the day of the murder the reader follows Ben and his mother Patty to the climax.  This book will appeal to readers who like criminal investigations and mysteries.  For similar read a likes and more information visit the SCCCLD website.

The Brutal Telling: A Three Pines Mystery / Louise Penny / 384 pages / 11 discs

     Inspector Gamache has returned to the village of Three Pines to try and solve a murder that hits close to home. In the beloved local bistro a body has appeared and no one knows him. Even the owners are perplexed as to his identity. As Gamache begins to follow the twisting trail, he begins to suspect one of his friends, a villager isn't telling all he knows. The village has also seen the historical mansion on the hill turn into a spa. This means direct competition for the bed and breakfast. Is this part of the murder or is it a red herring? Gamache and his team follow all the available clues, uncovering some unpleasant truths about the village's history. Is he on the right trail or is he letting his personal feelings cloud his judgement?
     The fifth volume in the series and it has definitely turned toward a darker tone in voice and the plot. The reader is uncomfortable with what is happening to familiar characters. Has the author been fooling us all along and everyone has terrible dark secrets that will ruin them? One of Penny's best in my opinion. She has turned her fictional world on its ear. I was pulled along by the story even though my mind was screaming "No! No! I don't want to find out anymore!" Our village which seemed a tranquil place has begun turning into something else.The ending has unsettled me so much I am taking a break from my beloved Gamache. I need to come to grips with what has happened. As usual the narrator has done an excellent job. I truly recommend listening to him read this series.

6 Degrees of Reading: Bruno, Chief of Police: A Novel of the French Countryside by Martin Walker, Death of a Cozy Writer: A St. Just Mystery by G.M. Malliet, Death at La Fenice: A Commissario Guido Brunetti Mystery by Donna Leon.

Started Early, Took My Dog/Kate Atkinson/ 371 pages

When newly retired Tracy Waterhouse sees a known "working girl" dragging a young girl through a mall while berating the youngster, she makes a split decision. She offers the woman $3,000 pounds in exchange for the girl. Kelly jumps at the money that Tracy was planning on paying the contractor at her house. Now Tracy, unmarried and childless, is in possession of young girl who hardly speaks but seems easy going enough. That exchange, witnessed by two other people and the security cameras, is just the beginning of the story that stretches back to a murder decades earlier.


This is part of the Jackson Brody series, and my book club's selection for November. The story seemed rambling and disjointed to me. Without having read the previous books, this one didn't fill in the back story enough. I'd suggest reading the series in order to get the most out of this story.

Pudd'nhead Wilson/Mark Twain/139 pgs.

The concept of children being switched at birth is not uncommon in fiction, but in this case, it's a black slave's child switched with the white owner's son. Roxy, a light skinned slave, takes care of her son, Valet de Chambre (Chambers), and the master's son, Thomas a Beckett Driscoll (Tom). Both boys are easily mistaken for one another, so fearing that her son, Chambers, will be sold and taken from her, Roxy decides to switch the infants. Each lives the life to which he was NOT born--the privileged one becomes the slave, and the slave becomes the privileged one. There is a lot packed in such a small book: the reflection of slavery in the mid-19th century, prejudice, murder, and suspense. I highly recommend this book!