Month: August 2024

Two Times Murder by Adam Oyebanji (Mystery)

Writing: 4/5 Plot: 4.5/5 Characters: 4.5/5

Greg Abimbola is a multi-racial Russian with British citizenship who is trying to stay under the radar by teaching Russian at a small private school in Pittsburgh. But the book would be pretty dull if he managed to achieve that goal! He’s got an interesting and twisted history that unwinds slowly in response to the events brought to his doorstep despite his reluctance to accept them. There are several independent but connected plot lines — an apparent suicide, an unidentified body tossed in the river, and a DEI triggered clash at a neighboring elite school — all leading down some pretty engrossing paths. The writing is clean, the characters are diverse (in more than color) and have depth that is both quirky and sometimes inspiring, and I appreciated the (fairly) unbiased inclusion of a specific instantiation of the DEI/woke culture war.

This is the second book in the “Quiet Teacher” series. I look forward to reading future installments and will try to go back and catch up on whatever I have missed. I’ve seen the series labeled as “Agatha Christie meets John le Carre” and that’s not a bad tag line!

Thank you to Severn House and NetGalley for providing an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. The book will be published on November 5th, 2024.

The Frozen River by Ariel Lawhon (Historical Fiction)

Writing: 4.5/5 Characters: 5/5 Plot: 5/5

1789 — Hallowell, Maine. Midwife and healer Martha Ballard — 54 and unusually tall for a woman — is called to attend the fresh body of a man pulled from the ice. She recognizes the man at once — a thoroughly unpleasant man recently accused of participating in the rape of the local pastor’s wife. Thus launches the story of Martha, the town, and various ideas about the pursuit of justice across a period of approximately a year, with parallel leap backs for key pieces of context.

This is a phenomenal story in every dimension — a gripping plot, well-fleshed characters full of life, propulsive writing (impossible to put down) and a complete immersion in the specifics of an historical time and place. At no point did I forget that I was in the late 18th century in a small New England town — small details continually reinforced the setting and I didn’t notice any modern sensibilities sneaking in (I am so vigilant on that front).

While the story was compelling all on its own, I loved the fact that she took the time to explore the characters and their relationships and the way they evolved amid the very real context of the times. I also loved the many bits of history that were tossed in — history like the laws requiring a midwife to ask unmarried women to identify the father while in the throes of labor on the assumption that the circumstances would force out the truth. Also, the fines and punishments laid on both for the “transgression.” Hint: the punishment for the woman was far harsher. I should quickly add that although there were some truly despicable men in this story, most of the men were decent, good and held women in good esteem. This is not a male-bashing recounting of life 200 years ago.

I was quite surprised to find out that most of the plot actually happened. I was thinking to myself that it was a little over the top but that I enjoyed it anyway, but it wasn’t over the top of reality in any case! This piece of biographical fiction (a new term for me) was about the very real Martha Ballard as documented in her diary (unusual for a woman of that age as most were illiterate) and Laurel Thatcher Ulrich’s Pulitzer Prize winning history book based on the same . No wonder the details were so persuasive! The author’s note very clearly identified the (small) fictional additions and modifications.

Highly recommended.

Three Days in June by Anne Tyler

Writing: 5/5 Plot: 4/5 Characters: 5/5

The eponymous three days span the wedding of Gail and ex-husband Max’s only daughter, Debbie. A quick 176 pages manage to encompass the potential perils of Debbie’s marriage and the complete history of Gail and Max’s complex and misunderstood relationship. Deeply character driven — I love that I was so interested in every single character even though I didn’t really like that many of them. To be clear, none of the characters were “bad” people, just mildly irritating and not my types!

The blurb labels Gail as “socially awkward” and that is certainly true, but more to the point, Gail never really seemed to understand herself, especially in relation to others. As the history is retold — in concise, clear, essential prose — we the reader gain the insight that Gail never had, until in a clarifying moment, she finally does. It is brilliantly done.

Read in one sitting — the prose just kept propelling me forward.

Thank you to Knopf and NetGalley for providing an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. The book will be published on February 11th, 2025.

A New Lease on Death by Olivia Blacke (Mystery)

A nicely written and engaging murder mystery starring an unusual detection team: Cordelia Graves — a recently deceased woman coming to terms with navigating the world in her new state — and her new “roommate,” 20-year old Ruby Young — an annoyingly perky young woman who is hell on (Cordelia’s beloved) houseplants. When the body of the neighbor across the hall turns up in the snow wearing pajama bottoms and fuzzy socks, both women are concerned that the police just don’t seem terribly interested. In order to team up, however, Ruby needs to know that Cordelia exists and then they need to work out some way of communicating as ghostly Cordelia is invisible and silent to live ears.

The pacing could have been tighter, and the “ghostly” ideas were not terribly original but they were executed quite well. I liked the alternating POVs between the two leads and their engagement and developing friendship under such unusual circumstances. It was easy to read and I was satisfied with the resolution, though it did get a bit repetitive at times. A little cliffhanger at the end ensures there will be a second in the series. All told a light, fun read.

Don’t be confused by the author — in all honesty I selected this book because I thought it was by Olivie Blake of the Atlas series, but it is instead by Olivia Blacke. Looks very similar at a glance!

Thank you to Minotaur Books and NetGalley for providing an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. The book will be published on October 29th, 2025.