The Weight of Blood / Laura McHugh / 302 p.

I was drawn to this book by a review because of it's setting in rural southwest Missouri, an area with which I am familiar. Mid-way through I was excited to learn that the author would be making an appearance at one of our branches in the near future. I also recognized the news event from which I am sure the author got the idea for this novel.

It is a good debut novel set in the Missouri Ozarks. Teenage Lucy has always had questions about her mother's disappearance when she was just a baby. When a classmate goes missing, Lucy begins to make disturbing connections between the two. Because the dangers that often face women are real, I found some of the book to be more "horrifying" than a Stephen King novel. The mystery plays out well. The community is realistically clannish and secretive. But I was somewhat dissatisfied with the ending. Lucy behaves heroically; still I expected a bit more.

I think the setting makes it of interest to most Missourians.  Mystery readers would also like it as well as those interested in women's issues.  Recommend for those who enjoyed Gone Girl and Room.

Gone Girl/Gillian Flynn/416 pages

“I picked up Gone Girl because the novel is set along the Mississippi River in Missouri and the plot sounded intriguing. I put it down two days later, bleary-eyed and oh-so-satisfied after reading a story that left me surprised, disgusted, and riveted by its twists and turns… A good story presents a reader with a problem that has to be resolved and a few surprises along the way. A great story gives a reader a problem and leads you along a path, then dumps you off a cliff and into a jungle of plot twists, character revelations and back stories that you could not have imagined. Gone Girl does just that.” —St. Louis Post-Dispatch

Gone Girl / Gillian Flynn / 415 pages

Wow, this author has you right where she wants you throughout this psychological thriller.  She very cleverly develops her characters and reveals each in alternate chapters.  In the first part of the book, we get to know Nick whose wife Amy goes missing on their 5th wedding anniversary.  His story covers the present as the police start looking at him as a possible murderer while we see Amy's viewpoint from the past.  Eventually their two stories merge, and we get a better picture of who Amy really is.  Believe it or not, the book takes place in Carthage, MO.  By the end of the book, you will be looking at your spouse and thinking, who is that guy?  Highly recommended.

A Good American / Alex George / 381 pages

George, a British transplant and Missouri author, writes a wonderful family saga about 3 generations of a family that settles in a small rural town in central Missouri on the Missouri River near the beginning of the 20th century.  Frederick and Jette are German immigrants who travel from Hanover to New Orleans and make their way to Missouri where they find Beatrice, a small town with German roots.  There they settle and become part of the fabric of the small town and of America.  The story ends in the late 20th century and is told through the eyes of their grandson, James.  The setting, plot, & characters are wonderful.  George perfectly captures rural Missouri, the culture of a small town, the assimilation of immigrants who become good Americans, and the hopes, dreams, heartbreak, and love of each generation as they experience World Wars, Depression, the Flu Epidemic, Prohibition, Prejudice, Assassination of a President, and historical events.  George uses music to weave the threads that bind the family.  Honestly, you really need to read this.  Could make a good Book Discussion Club title.