I've Got You're Number

I’ve Got Your Number
By Sophie Kinsella
Dial Press, 2012. 433 pgs. Fiction

Life is just about perfect for Poppy Wyatt. She’s engaged to a handsome professor AND has a gorgeous antique engagement ring on her finger. That is until one afternoon when it all goes wrong. First, that priceless antique ring goes missing in a fire drill at a hotel. Then her phone is stolen. So no one could blame Poppy, when she notices a working and rather nice phone in the trash. Isn’t there something about possession is 9/10 of the law? Poppy gives the new number out to the hotel to call if they find the ring. So when the phone’s owner, businessman Sam Roxton, wants his phone back, Poppy strikes a bargain with him that she will forward all his messages, if she can be allowed to keep the phone for just a few days. Sam reluctantly agrees and hilarity ensues as Poppy and Sam’s in-boxes and lives get uproariously muddled.

Poppy is completely clueless and doesn't think about the consequences of her actions. She also runs away from things that she doesn’t want to deal with and hates confrontations. That being said, Poppy is completely adorable. You just can't hold her failings against her.

I'd rate this as one of Kinsella's more enjoyable novels. It’s too bad that there was so much swearing because otherwise it is also one of the cleaner Chick-lit novels I’ve read.

AJ

If I Should Die

If I Should Die
by Jennie Hansen
Covenant Communications, 2011. 235 pgs. Mystery

One morning, Kallene’s running partner Linda confides in her that she is having serious marital problems and is considering filing for divorce. The next day, Linda has disappeared and Kallene reports her missing when Linda’s husband refuses to acknowledge her fear that something is wrong. Soon Kallene finds herself involved in an increasingly dangerous police investigation, as well as trying to sort out her feelings for two different men: Linda’s brother and the lead detective assigned to the case.

I thought the mystery element of this book was well-done and I was kept guessing until the end. This book was more romantic suspense than straight mystery and I wasn’t expecting so much focus on the love story, but it is a good, quick read for a rainy afternoon (just make sure your doors are locked before you start the book).

JC

Against the Odds

Against the Odds: The Life of George Albert Smith
By Mary Jane Woodger
Covenant Communications, 2011. 244 pgs. Nonfiction

Woodger details the life of George Albert Smith, from the time that he was the terror of his neighborhood to his time as president of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, showing the deep love that Smith had for people and his dedication to his beliefs.

This book had more drama than I anticipated. For example, President Smith's future wife, Lucy, was torn between him and another man vacillated between the two so much that even though I knew who she married, I couldn't help but be worried! I was also surprised by President Smith's sense of humor and couldn't help but laugh out loud at some points, such as when a man wrote to inquire about President Smith's feelings about cocoa and cremation, and President Smith quipped, "They're both hot." I got a little bogged down with all of the dates, but overall, this book was a surprising amount of fun, while still being very insightful.

AE

Season to Taste: How I Lost My Sense of Smell and Found My Way

Season to Taste: How I Lost My Sense of Smell and Found My Way
By Molly Birnbaum
HarperCollins, 2011. 304 pgs. Nonfiction

This was a fascinating autobiography! At the beginning of the book, the author has recently graduated from college and has plans to attend culinary school with the hope to become a chef. She spends her days working at a Boston bistro doing prep work and her nights reading cookbooks. However, her plans suddenly change when she is hit by a car while jogging. The accident broke her pelvis, fractured her skull, and knocked out her sense of smell. Her bones will heal, but she wonders if she will ever be able to smell and taste the same again.

What follows is the journey Molly takes to learn about how the nose works, whether it’s even possible to regain her sense of smell, and how to once again feel confident in the kitchen. She talks to multiple doctors and clinics, interviews Oliver Sacks, visits a New Jersey flavor lab, and enrolls in perfume school in France. I thought that this book was so interesting. It read like a novel and I would recommend it to anyone looking for an educational, yet readable nonfiction book.

AMM

You Against Me

You Against Me
By Jenny Downham
David Fickling Books, 2011. 412 pgs. Young Adult

When Karyn McKenzie says that Tom Parker sexually assaulted her, naturally her older brother Mikey believes her and will do anything he can to help her. And when Tom Parker denies it, naturally his younger sister Ellie believes him and is even prepared to be the key witness in his defense. However, when Mikey sets out to get revenge, he isn't quite prepared for what happens: he meets Ellie, and as much as he hates her brother, he is drawn to her and finds himself torn between wanting to help his sister and wanting to have a relationship with Ellie.

Downham has done a great job capturing the complexities of the human heart. Ellie and Mikey's struggle to remain loyal to their own family while figuring out if the other is trustworthy is an engaging plot line, and the relationships between the various characters are spot on. Both Ellie and Mikey are flawed, totally realistic characters, and most readers who pick this one up won't want to put it down.

AE

Out of Sight, Out of Time

Out of Sight, Out of Time
By Ally Carter
Disney-Hyperion Books, 2012. 294 pgs. Young Adult

In June, Cammie Morgan left the Gallagher Academy, determined to find out what she can about the Circle of Cavan and figure out what information they think she has. However, in October, she wakes up in a convent in the Alps with amnesia, having no idea what she's done for the past four months or how she got the scrapes and bruises all over her body--and how she seemed to have picked up some skills that she certainly was never taught at the Gallagher Academy. Worried that she's a danger to herself and everyone around her, Cammie has to figure out what she spent her summer doing, but the Circle is determined to keep her from remembering.

This latest installment in the Gallagher Girls series had me on the edge of my seat wondering what happened to Cammie; it was really hard not to sneak a look at the end of the book, so instead, I just had to read it as quickly as possible. This is darker than the first few books, as Cammie's life is in danger, but the author still infuses humor through the dialogue and Cammie's thoughts. Fans will be satisfied with this book but will be clamoring for the next book.

AE

The Fear Index

The Fear Index
By Robert Harris
Alfred A. Knopf, 2012. 285 pgs. Fiction

In “The Fear Index” by Robert Harris, Dr. Alex Hoffman is a renowned computer scientist who has, for the past few years, used his brilliant mind to create predictive software that controls a hedge fund that consistently outpaces the market. Though he has already earned himself and his investors millions of dollars, his latest software version is almost guaranteed to increase profits even more. However, on the day Alex and his partner present their new investment strategies to their biggest clients, the software begins to act strangely, ignoring preprogrammed precautions, and investing with terrifyingly profitable results. Alex’s dreams seem about to come true, but the costs may be more than he can afford.

“The Fear Index” is a fast-paced financial thriller that is almost too plausible for comfort. Readers may need to fight the urge to sprint to the nearest ATM and withdraw a sizable chunk of money to safely store beneath their mattress.

CZ

Quiet

Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World that Can’t Stop Talking
By Susan Cain
Crown, 2012. 333 pgs. Nonfiction

Success in American society is often thought to require a confident, outgoing personality. Susan Cain’s amazing new book claims this aspect of our society is something that should be changed. She lauds the qualities of the quiet, inflective souls that recharge in solitude and are too often content to remain in the shadows. She provides inspiring stories of introverts that have used their inherent abilities to benefit many, including Dale Carnegie, Albert Einstein and Dr. Seuss.

Cain’s research is expansive and impressive, her conclusions insightful and encouraging, and her book an easy recommendation to pretty much anyone. I do not seem to be able to praise this book enough. It explained my own personality with almost scary accuracy and with research claiming that at least one in every three Americans is introverted; it is likely to describe someone close to you as well.
“Quiet” is poised to be a standout nonfiction title for 2012. A position it rightly deserves.

CZ

The Dressmaker

The Dressmaker
By Kate Alcott
Doubleday, 2012. 306 pgs. Fiction

With dreams of a future filled with success and happiness, Tess runs away from her job as a simple housemaid in London and negotiates passage to America acting as a personal maid to Lady Lucile Duff Gordon. Service to Lady Duff Gordon, a world famous designer, is simply a means to an end. Tess is already an accomplished seamstress and is determined to make her own mark in the fashion world. But fate has placed Tess aboard the Titanic and her future may be as doomed as the ships maiden voyage.

‘The Dressmaker’ is a lovely novel filled with historical details and free of almost anything readers may find objectionable. It provides a perspective of the famous tragedy that not everyone may be aware of, following survivors into the weeks following their rescue. Alcott presents a solid work of historical fiction with just the right combination of intrigue, romance, and adventure. An easy recommendation!

CZ

Bond Girl

Bond Girl
By Erin Duffy
William Morrow, 2012. 293 pgs. Fiction

Alex Garrett has landed her dream job on Wall Street. With a college degree in her pocket and an idealized picture of high-powered finance, she arrives on her first day of work starry-eyed and hopeful. What she finds is an environment her education couldn’t begin to prepare her for. She is given a folding chair as her workspace, coffee and pizza runs as her most important errands, and a somewhat degrading nickname of ‘girlie’. Despite her career quickly overtaking her entire life, Alex still grows to love many parts of her job including the handsome trader sitting on the back row.

‘Bond Girl’ is where chick lit meets big money. Alex is a great heroine. You can’t help but root for her and she lacks the annoying tendency to sabotage herself like many of her literary peers. Very little ‘graphic’ content, but readers should be prepared for some harsh language.

CZ

Elizabeth and Hazel

Elizabeth and Hazel: Two Women of Little Rock
by David Margolick
Yale University Press, 2011. 310 pgs. Nonfiction

In September, 1957 courts ordered the schools in Little Rock, Arkansas to integrate. Nine black students were chosen to begin attending Central High school, but when they got to school the first day they were greeted by an angry mob that blocked their entrance. Photographer Will Counts captured an image of white student Hazel Bryan yelling racial slurs at black student Elizabeth Eckford that has become one of the most published photographs of the Civil Rights era. But what happened to Hazel and Elizabeth after that day? Margolick interviews both women and describes the ways in which they have lived with the legacy of that photograph during the last fifty years as well as how race relations in America have fared during that time.

This book gave me a greater, more complex understanding of recent American history. Margolick doesn’t shy away from describing the difficult and ugly parts of our past, and he doesn’t try to force the story into a moral or a happy ending. At the same time, this was a very good book and I felt like I understood and empathized with both of these women much more than I would have before reading it.

JC

Delivering Hope

Delivering Hope
By Jennifer Ann Holt
Bonneville Books, 2012. 200 pgs. Fiction

Olivia Spencer wants nothing more than to be a mother, but years of infertility threaten to destroy her happiness and have put a strain on her marriage. Allison Campbell is a good girl who made a decision that led to her facing the future as a young single mother. Both women rely heavily on their LDS faith and the promise of healing through the atonement of Jesus Christ in order to face their individual trials and heartaches.

This novel does an excellent job of showing the real emotions involved in infertility and teen pregnancy. I had to keep the tissues close as I read each woman's struggles but it was worth it because the book has a very satisfying ending.

AL

Fever

Fever
By Lauren DeStefano
Simon & Schuster BFYR, 2012. 341 pgs. Young Adult

The second book in The Chemical Garden series has us follow Rhine and Gabriel as they try to make their way to Manhattan and the safety of Rhine's twin brother, Rowan. But it seems that the world outside of the mansion is even more perilous than either of them expected as they fall into the hands of a twisted carnival with a ringmistress who wants to make Rhine part of her colorful menagerie of girls. Worse still, Rhine's father-in-law, Vaughn, is still determined to bring her back to the mansion by any means necessary.

Fans of the first book, Wither, will definitely want to read this worthy follow-up. Like the first book, this is best for mature teens. While this is technically "clean," it deals with mature issues.

BHG

Fracture

Fracture
By Megan Miranda
Walker & Co., 2012. 264 pgs. Young Adult

After Delaney falls through the ice into a cold Maine lake, it takes eleven minutes for her best friend Decker to pull her out--long enough to kill her. Except it doesn't. Miraculously, she wakes up after six days in a coma and doesn't even have brain damage. But she soon realizes that something is wrong with her, as she finds herself physically drawn to those who are dying. With her mother freaking out over her accident and her relationship with Decker falling apart, it's a relief when Delaney meets Troy, another coma survivor who seems to have the same strange ability that Delaney does. Except, she doesn't know Troy, and what she finds out makes her rethink everything she knows.

Thoroughly entertaining, readers will pick this one up and devour it in one sitting. There's enough action and snappy dialogue for reluctant readers (and a love triangle, too), and there's enough depth to keep it satisfying for those who like their books with a little more meat.

AE

Words Spoken True

Words Spoken True
By Ann H. Gabhart
Revell, 2012. 356 pgs. Romance

In 1855 Louisville, all Adriane Darcy cares about is helping her father with their newspaper, the Tribune, which has long been the city's leading newspaper. But now The Herald, under the direction of Blake Garrett, who has a style vastly different from Adriane's father's political emphasis, is gaining readership. With the political arena heating up, Adriane's father encouraging her to marry a man she doesn't love, and Irish girls being murdered in the city, Adriane's life has been turned upside. And actually meeting Blake Garrett doesn't help, as Adriane is much more drawn to him than she is to her own fiancé. Although the attraction is mutual, the opposition against them ever having a relationship is nearly insurmountable.

I really enjoyed Gabhart's newest book. The elements of mystery and romance are woven well into the historical and political background. Readers will be quickly drawn into the plot and even if they guess at some parts, there is enough of a twist to keep it interesting.

AE

Girl in Translation

Girl in Translation
By Jean Kwok
Riverhead Books, 2010. 290 pgs. Fiction

Kimberly Chang and her mother have come from Hong Kong to America in hopes of finding a better life. They know very little English and are soon greeted by the harsh realities of no money, a roach infested apartment with no heat, and exhausting work in a sweatshop. Kimberly has always been good at school and determines that somehow she will overcome the language barrier and succeed in school so that she can help them escape their horrible living conditions.

Kim's struggle to make sense of a world that is so different from her own and to have the determination to escape is amazing. Although this is a work of fiction, the author immigrated from Hong Kong when she was a child and worked in a sweatshop which I feel added a lot of reality to the situations in the novel. The description of what life is like for many immigrants to America is heartbreaking and I have thought about it long after I finished this book.

AL

The Innocent

The Innocent
By Taylor Stevens
Crown, 2011. 331 pgs. Fiction.

The Innocent is book two in an adventure/thriller series starring emotionally damaged and lethally skilled mercenary, Vanessa Michael Munroe. Her best friend is desperately seeking a little girl who has been missing for eight years. The child was kidnapped by a cult known as The Chosen who have moved her from country to country for almost a decade, making retrieval all but impossible. Recent information has pinned down her location and Vanessa has been hired to bring her safely home.

Stevens has done an excellent job with this second novel. Munroe is such a fascinating character and her level of dysfunction promises to fuel a many more storylines. Certainly not for the faint of heart (the violence is often graphic and disturbing) but a great recommendation for readers looking for a little armchair excitement and danger.

CZ

Delivering Happiness

Delivering Happiness: A Path to Profits, Passion, and Purpose
By Tony Hsieh
Business Plus, 2010. 253 pgs. Nonfiction

Tony Hsieh is a true American entrepreneur. While still in elementary school, he started his first business raising night crawlers in his backyard. That particular venture failed to produce profits, but his later efforts would earn him millions and help him become known as a visionary in the art of customer service and corporate culture. This book is both an autobiography and an entrepreneurial ‘how-to’, providing insight into success on many levels.

Hsieh doesn’t pretend to be a fantastic writer but his passion for the topic provides an entertaining narration that can inspire a wide variety of readers. Managers can learn how to motivate employees and improve their companies, employees can learn how to see the big picture and strive for continued improvement and progress, and consumers can see how the same principles that catapulted Zappos to success can aid anyone in finding happiness, both professionally and personally.

CZ

Planesrunner

Planesrunner
by Ian McDonald
Prometheus Books, 2011. 263 pgs. Young Adult.

Everett Singh sees his scientist father kidnapped, but when he looks to the police for help they blow him off and tamper with pictures of the crime to make it seem like he is imagining things. At the same time an unusual app appears on his computer from his father--the Infundibulum, nothing less than the key to the multiverse. Everyone wants what they think Everett has, and he leads them along until he gets close enough to a Heisenberg gate to bolt through into an alternate London (one of the Ten Known Worlds), where the economy is based on coal-fired electricity instead of petroleum and where airships are the predominant form of commercial and industrial transport. While Everett looks frantically for his father, he is taken in by the crew of the airship Everness, and when Charlotte Villiers and her henchpeople come through the gate after Everett, his new mates pitch in to help. Planesrunner is the first in a projected series of adventures in the multiverse as Everett seeks his beloved father among billions (to many powers) of alternate realities. Ian McDonald, award-winning author of mainstream sci-fi creates here a breakneck, brain-boosting adventure one can only hope will have a sequel very very soon.

LW

Always the Wedding Planner Never the Bride

Always the Wedding Planner Never the Bride
By Sandra D. Bricker
Abingdon Press, 2011. 313 pgs. Fiction

Sherilyn has recently become engaged to Andy and they are moving back to his hometown of Atlanta. Sherilyn went to college in Atlanta and has been offered a dream job as the wedding planner at the Tanglewood, a wedding destination hotel. Emma Rae, the baker at the hotel also just happens to be Sherilyn’s college roommate and best friend. Things with her job are going great; however her personal life seems to be falling apart. She’s purchased and lost her wedding dress and she seems to be allergic to her fiancé. Will she and Andy stay together through the ups and downs of settling into a new place?

This book is the follow up to Always the Baker Never the Bride which featured Emma Rae’s story. I enjoyed reading more about the characters that surround the Tanglewood hotel. The novel has some Christian overtones, but doesn’t feel preachy at all. I would recommend this book to someone looking for a light, inspirational love story. Look for the third installment in this series, Always the Designer Never the Bride which will be published in April.

AMM

Seven Miracles That Saved America

Seven Miracles That Saved America
By Chris Stewart and Ted Stewart
Shadow Mountain, 2009. 311 pgs. Nonfiction

The authors examine seven events in American history, ranging chronologically from Columbus's discovery of the Americas to Ronald Regan's near0miss at the hands of an assassin, and point out the hand of God in the outcome of the events, typically focusing on small detail that had huge outcomes. Their overarching argument is that God did, and still does, care about America and that Americans should believe in their country.

This book mixes in some fictional narrative with the nonfiction, which could evoke mixed responses from readers. Some may appreciate the fictional inserts, since they add a little bit of a personal touch, but others may wish they had been left out, resulting in a slightly shorter book. I personally felt like some of the chapters were lengthier than necessary, and I think I would have appreciated some maps to illustrate some of the points, but overall, it's a very interesting book and a good choice for book clubs looking for a lively discussion.

AE

Borrowed Light

Borrowed Light
by Carla Kelly
Bonneville Books, 2011. 410 pgs. Romance

When Julia Darling finds an advertisement in the paper looking for a cook at a remote ranch in Wyoming, she realizes that this could be the perfect escape for her from the humiliation of a broken engagement and life as a single woman in turn-of-the-century Salt Lake City. Life on the ranch is nothing like she expected, with its uncivilized cowboys, harsh weather, and mysterious owner Mr. Otto, who is hiding secrets from his past. The biggest challenge for Julia, however, is learning to find her own relationship with God and a sense of her own place in the world.

Carla Kelly is an experienced historical romance writer, so the plot of this book and its historical details are one of its strong points. The characters are all different and well-developed and I was sad to say goodbye to them at the end of the book. The thing I liked most about this book was the depth of the story, because the romance is secondary to the story of a young woman growing up and discovering her true self.

JC

Watergate

Watergate
by Thomas Mallon
Pantheon, 2012. 429 pgs. Fiction.

After all these years, Thomas Mallon's novel provides us with an artful and totally unexpected reason for the missing 18 1/2 minutes on the Oval Office tapes that would bring down the Nixon presidency. And even though he adds characters, makes up dialogue, and moves his characters about on a chessboard of his own making, the story rings true. Minor characters play major roles here or are played upon by the nation-changing circumstances that explode from the discovery of and subsequent cover-up of "a third-rate burglary." What happens in these pages takes place some distance from Senator Ervin's Hearing Room and tangential, totally fictional, and historically significant characters mingle in a rich mix of high drama, desperation, irony, sardonic laughs, sorrow, and tenderness. One of the best books of 2012 so far.

LW

The Dovekeepers

The Dovekeepers
By Alice Hoffman
Scribner, 2011. 504 pgs. Historical Fiction

Two thousand years ago, in the mountain fortress of Masada, 900 Jews tried to escape the Roman armies that eventually besieged them. The historian Josephus recorded that only two women and five children survived a mass suicide that appeared to be the group’s only avenue to avoiding slavery or worse at the hands of the Romans. This tragic story is the basis of Alice Hoffman’s beautifully crafted novel, “The Dovekeepers.” Four women tell their stories and those of their people. The stories these women share are filled with love, loss, and hope. Their fates are intricately connected to each other and their people.

“The Dovekeepers” is perfect for readers who enjoyed Anita Diamant’s “The RedTent.” Both the country and peoples of ancient Israel are described in amazing detail. And while this book does deviate form Hoffman’s usual magical reality, fans will still enjoy her strong female characters and dramatic storytelling.

CZ

Moby Dick

Moby Dick
By Herman Melville, Lance Stahlberg, Lalit Kumar Singh, Ajo Kurian, Bhavnath Chaudhary, & Vishal Sharma
Campfire, 2010. 84 pgs. Graphic Novel

This is a graphic novel adaptation to the classic tale of obsession and madness on the high seas. Ishmael dreams of wealth and adventure and plans to find it aboard a whaling ship. Fate soon finds him on the Pequod with Captain Ahab and a crew of hardened sailors. But Ishmael’s desire for wealth and adventure is too quickly replaced with the simple hope of survival, thanks to Ahab’s insane drive for vengeance on the great white beast that robbed him of his leg.

With fewer than one hundred pages this is a seriously abridged version of Melville’s masterpiece. The illustrations are dark and menacing, appropriate to the tale. Since I’m not a huge fan of graphic novels, it wasn’t my favorite book so far this year. But I think it could certainly be of interest to anyone who enjoys the format and wants to brush up on their classics.

CZ

The Picture of Dorian Gray

The Picture of Dorian Gray
By Oscar Wilde
Modern Library, 1998. 254 pgs. Fiction

Dorian Gray, a handsome young man sits for his portrait to be painted by Basil Hallward. The portrait is beautiful and so is Dorian, a fact Basil is not shy telling him. Dorian becomes quite vain after his many interactions with both Basil and Basil’s friend Lord Henry Wotton. As a vain wish, Dorian wonders aloud why the portrait shouldn’t age while he stays young and handsome. Dorian’s wish comes true and even as he commits grievous mistakes and sins in his life, he remains young while the portrait becomes old and corrupt.

If you are looking for a short classic book, this one’s for you. However Wilde can often be long winded in his descriptions and I felt that the action was rather jerky. I’d be into the book for a while and then it would take several chapters for me to be interested in the characters and plot again. Recommended for those wanting to brush up on their classic novel reading.


AMM

Year of Wonders

Year of Wonders: A Novel of the Plague
by Geraldine Brooks
Blackstone Audio, 2010. 308 pgs/10 hours. Historical Fiction

Anna Frith narrates the tumultuous events of the year 1666, when the plague arrived in her small village of Eyam in cloth sent from London. The local minister encourages the villagers to take the radical step of sealing themselves off from the rest of the world in order to prevent the disease from infecting others, an act that has both good and evil consequences for everyone.

I listened to an audio version of this book read by the author, and I really liked the narration. Her voice is just perfect as Anna’s, adding the right inflection and tone to the words. However, I found this to be a harder book to listen to than it was to read simply because the content is very difficult. Brooks has done meticulous research into the realities of country life in the 17th century and the horrific symptoms of plague (not to mention the horrible things that desperate people do to each other). This book is beautifully written but not for the faint of heart.

JC

Captive Heart

Captive Heart
by Michele Paige Holmes
Covenant, 2011. 255 pgs. Romance

Emma Madsen flees Boston for a teaching job out west in Colorado, but her life changes forever when bandits stop her train and one of them kidnaps her, saying he is looking for a teacher. As Emma travels with Thayne Kendrick to their mysterious destination across the prairie, she begins to wonder if there is more to this outlaw than she thought.

I know I can always count on Michele Holmes to pack as much action into her romances as she can. This book did not disappoint; there are many twists, turns, and surprises to keep you on your toes as you read. I enjoyed the way she switches back and forth between the two main characters so you get the story of their romance through both their points of view. This is a great read if you like a little action with your romance.

JC

The Closers

The Closers
By Michael Connelly
Little Brown, 2005. 579 pgs. Mystery

Harry Bosch, returning to the Los Angeles police force after a three year break, is assigned to the Open/Unsolved Unit. First day on the job with his old partner, Kiz Rider, they are handed a 17-year-old case; the murder of a teen girl that is being reinvestigated due to new DNA evidence. Bosch, trying to prove he is worthy to be back on the force, battles department politics and possible cover-ups, all the while trying to resolve a case that should have been closed years before.

An engaging story with rich characters that will leave the reader wanting to read the rest of the series.

KK

The Undertaker's Widow

The Undertaker’s Widow
By Phillip Margolin
Doubleday, 1998. 312 pgs. Fiction

After ruling on a high profile case, Judge Richard Quinn is selected to preside over a controversial case against Congresswoman candidate Ellen Crease, who may or may not be involved in the death of her husband.

Though a legal thriller, not much of the action takes place in the court room, much to my delight. One line of investigation leads to another, and soon, deceit, passion, money and power all come into play in this enthralling story.

KK