My Lovely Wife by Samantha Downing | It’s hard to believe this is the author’s first book, especially since it is such a dark thriller. It seems impossible that these two people would be married. Love and serial killers—yikes! How people appear on the outside is not how they always are on the inside. This book certainly will provide dark thoughts at night, but it’s absorbing and well written.
Open House by Katie Sise
An old, unsolved crime of a missing college girl is at the heart of this story. When a bracelet turns up 10 years later, the investigation is back on. The story moves back and forth between those 10 years as each character is developed until the mystery is resolved. This book will hold your attention until the last pages; I had to reread them twice just to make sure I understood exactly what happened!
Memorial Drive: A Daughter’s Memoir by Natasha Trethewey
The author is an American poet who won the Pulitzer Prize in 2007. This is her unvarnished story of growing up in a world that did not quite know how to accept a biracial child. Her mother was in an abusive marriage, which ultimately led to her death. Trethewey’s writing makes you feel like you know her Uncle Sonny, her caring grandmother and, most of all, her mother, who wants nothing more than for her children to be loved. You won’t be able to put this one down.
By the Numbers by Jen Lancaster
Hmm. That’s the way I felt about this book, which is supposed to be a humorous novel about the sandwich generation. The main character, Penny, is meant to induce sympathy. I just wanted her to grow a backbone. I suspect you will see a made-for-TV movie by the same name. It is a great book to read if you’ve just been through a really tough time.
