LADY IN THE LAKE by Laura Lippman

August 3, 2019

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From the publisher:

The revered New York Times bestselling author returns with a novel set in 1960s Baltimore that combines modern psychological insights with elements of classic noir, about a middle-aged housewife turned aspiring reporter who pursues the murder of a forgotten young woman.

In 1966, Baltimore is a city of secrets that everyone seems to know—everyone, that is, except Madeline “Maddie” Schwartz. Last year, she was a happy, even pampered housewife. This year, she’s bolted from her marriage of almost twenty years, determined to make good on her youthful ambitions to live a passionate, meaningful life.

Maddie wants to matter, to leave her mark on a swiftly changing world. Drawing on her own secrets, she helps Baltimore police find a murdered girl—assistance that leads to a job at the city’s afternoon newspaper, the Star. Working at the newspaper offers Maddie the opportunity to make her name, and she has found just the story to do it: a missing woman whose body was discovered in the fountain of a city park lake.

Cleo Sherwood was a young black woman who liked to have a good time. No one seems to know or care why she was killed except Maddie—and the dead woman herself. Maddie’s going to find the truth about Cleo’s life and death. Cleo’s ghost, privy to Maddie’s poking and prying, wants to be left alone.

Maddie’s investigation brings her into contact with people that used to be on the periphery of her life—a jewelry store clerk, a waitress, a rising star on the Baltimore Orioles, a patrol cop, a hardened female reporter, a lonely man in a movie theater. But for all her ambition and drive, Maddie often fails to see the people right in front of her. Her inability to look beyond her own needs will lead to tragedy and turmoil for all sorts of people—including the man who shares her bed, a black police officer who cares for Maddie more than she knows.

One of my favorite books back when I was in junior high & high school, was Marjorie Morningstar by Herman Wouk. Wouk is much better know for The Caine Mutiny, The Winds of War, and War and Remembrance, despite the fact that Morningstar was made into a so-so movie starring Natalie Wood and Gene Kelly. I’m telling you this because apparently, it is also one of Lippman’s favorite books and it is the inspiration for The Lady in the Lake. Morningstar was a stage name, the protagonist was a nice Jewish girl named Marjorie Morgenstern who eventually marries Milton Schwartz, as does Lippman’s Maddie Morgenstern Schwartz. Hope this isn’t too confusing!

So a couple of the characters have the same/similar names to the Wouk book, and the timeline is similar but the real similarity is that both women, Marjorie & Maddie, want more out of life than to just be a suburban mom. In the mid-twentieth century, women didn’t have many opportunities do do more than that, but these women did.

Maddie leaves her husband and teenage son (who refuses to move in with his mom) and tries to figure out what she wants to do with her life. She fakes a robbery to collect the insurance money, has an affair with a black cop, finds a dead body and pushes her way into a job at the local Baltimore newspaper. One of the themes of this book was the struggle female journalists had in reaching any level of success in the profession back in the 1960’s; racism is a bigger theme.

I really like the way Lippman gets into every character’s head, most have at least a chapter told in their voice so you really know what they are thinking, it adds a lot to the story. Cleo’s voice is especially compelling, especially as the story moves on. They mystery is tight but almost secondary to the characters.

Sometimes, when an author writes a series, I’ve noticed I sort of take the writing for granted. That becomes especially apparent in this standalone; it is a brilliant piece of writing from one of the best writers out there. Don’t miss it. (And check out Terry Gross’s interview with Lippman on Fresh Air, and Lippman’s essay in the CrimeReads blog. See links below.)

7/19 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch™

LADY IN THE LAKE by Laura Lippman. William Morrow (July 23, 2019).  ISBN 978-0062390011.  352p.

Listen to Terry Gross interview Laura Lippman on Fresh Air

Laura Lippman: My 35-Year Love Affair with Marjorie Morningstar

 

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THE WHITE FEATHER KILLER by R. N. Morris

August 2, 2019

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A Silas Quinn Mystery, Book 5

This is the fifth Silas Quinn novel written by the author. While much of the fleshing out of Detective Quinn was done in the previous books it will not deter the reader to come across the character as he appears here. Quinn is picked up just after his previous assignment in which he was required to go under cover in a lunatic asylum in order to solve a case. He arrives back at his headquarters just at the time that England has entered the first World War. The country was in turmoil gearing up for the war with thousands of men volunteering for the army. Quinn’s previous assignment has been changed and he is put under the supervision of another detective who is depicted as incompetent for the job.

Making use of the plot of the book “The Four Feathers” by A.E.W. Mason, Morris sets up the handing out of white feathers to men not in the uniform of their country and deemed cowards during the opening period of WWI. A young girl is found murdered and a white feather is found set into her mouth. Quinn’s new supervisor is shown to be incompetent when he arrests a butcher, innocent of the crime but having a German parent. The man is placed in prison and subject to extremely harsh conditions until Quinn manages to get himself involved as supervisor to the case.

The novel becomes involved with the solving of the crime working within the turmoil of the first two months of WWI. The description of the period shows a great deal of research with several factors built into the novel. There is first, the use of taking fingerprints, a science only a few years old. There is also the introduction of Vernon Kell who is credited with the founding of MI6. Kell notes the fine detective work by Silas Quinn and will probably take a more active role in future novels featuring him.

The writing style does not lend itself to grabbing on and finishing it in one read, but is sufficiently interesting to make it an attractive draw and a well done portrait of detective work in a setting 100 years before our time.

8/19 Paul Lane

THE WHITE FEATHER KILLER by R. N. Morris. Severn House Publishers; First World Publication edition (August 1, 2019). ISBN 978-0727888853. 288p.

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Win the August ’19 bookshelf of signed thrillers!

August 1, 2019

Welcome to the August bookshelf of signed thrillers!

This month the International Thriller Writers have provided a bunch of exciting new thrillers to help fill your bookshelf! More books may be added throughout the month, so check back often.

Best of luck!

OUTFOX by Sandra Brown: Convinced recently married Jasper Ford is a conman, who he believes murdered eight women for their fortunes, FBI agent Drex Easton insinuates himself into the couple’s life, but his own attraction to Jasper’s wife threatens to compromise his investigation.

THE RUSSIA ACCOUNT by Stephen Coonts: CIA officer Tommy Carmellini navigates an international financial conspiracy that puts CIA head Jake Grafton in the crosshairs of an assassin. By the best-selling author of Flight of the Intruder.

THE MURDER LIST by Hank Phillippi Ryan: A bright, hard-working law student married to a faithful and devoted husband discovers that everything she believes about her life is false and is caught up in a game of cat-and-mouse for her very survival.

DESPERATE CREED by Alex Kava: With the killers hot on her trail, Frankie races to meet Maggie. But she has no idea that she’s driving straight into the grasp of another killer—a monster storm system.

DEAD AT FIRST SIGHT by Peter James: Maybe you don’t know your neighbors as well as you thought you did. In this neighborhood, it’s not just the husbands and wives who play games. Here, everyone in the family has something to hide. You never really know what people are capable of.

THE SWALLOWS by Lisa Lutz: When one of her creative writing assignment generates some disturbing responses from students, new teacher Alexandra Witt ignites a gender war, with deeply personal–and potentially fatal–consequences for everyone involved.

MIAMI MIDNIGHT by Alex Segura: While running a small bookstore by day and working cases in Miami at night, PI Pete Fernandez is hired by a Cuban mobster to find out who killed his son and to locate his missing daughter-in-law—a case that reveals an unexpected truth about his own blurred past.

CAREFUL WHAT YOU WISH FOR by Hallie Ephron: A professional organizer whose husband is a hoarder distracts her growing relationship troubles by focusing on her new clients, one of whom takes her tipsy fantasy about life being more pleasant without spouses a little too far.

WHAT YOU DID by Claire McGowan: A vicious assault. A devastating accusation. Who should she trust, her husband or her best friend? From the New York Times bestselling author of There Was an Old Woman comes a novel about a professional organizer with a deadly problem she may not be able to clean up.

THE WAREHOUSE by Rob Hart: A darkly satirical thriller set in a near-future America wracked by violence, unemployment and climate change finds two employees of a world-saving global giant discovering their employers’ true agenda.

THE LAST WIDOW by Karin Slaughter: An electrifying latest entry in the best-selling series finds Will and Sara pitted against a mysterious group that would unleash a deadly epidemic

You can win autographed copies of these books! If you are new to the site, each month I run a contest in conjunction with the International Thriller Writers organization. We put together a list of books from debut authors to bestsellers, so you can win some of your favorites and find some new favorites.

What makes this contest really special is that all of the books (except eBooks) are signed by the author! Books with multiple authors will be signed by at least one of the authors.

Penguin Random House books for giveaway were provided by the publisher. #PRHpartner

Don’t forget, if you subscribe to the newsletter or follow this blog, you get an extra entry into every contest you enter. Check out the Win Books page for more information on all these books and how you can enter this month’s contest.

Thanks for reading, and good luck!

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MY SISTER, THE SERIAL KILLER by Oyinkan Braithwaite

July 31, 2019

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From the publisher:

WINNER OF THE LA TIMES BOOK PRIZE FOR MYSTERY/THRILLER
FINALIST FOR THE 2019 WOMEN’S PRIZE

A short, darkly funny, hand grenade of a novel about a Nigerian woman whose younger sister has a very inconvenient habit of killing her boyfriends

“Femi makes three, you know. Three and they label you a serial killer.”

Korede is bitter. How could she not be? Her sister, Ayoola, is many things: the favorite child, the beautiful one, possibly sociopathic. And now Ayoola’s third boyfriend in a row is dead.

Korede’s practicality is the sisters’ saving grace. She knows the best solutions for cleaning blood, the trunk of her car is big enough for a body, and she keeps Ayoola from posting pictures of her dinner to Instagram when she should be mourning her “missing” boyfriend. Not that she gets any credit.

Korede has long been in love with a kind, handsome doctor at the hospital where she works. She dreams of the day when he will realize that she’s exactly what he needs. But when he asks Korede for Ayoola’s phone number, she must reckon with what her sister has become and how far she’s willing to go to protect her.

Sharp as nails and full of deadpan wit, Oyinkan Braithwaite’s deliciously deadly debut is as fun as it is frightening.

If you are in the mood for a dark, twisted, super fun read then this is your book! My son actually recommended it to me, which doesn’t happen often (it’s usually the other way around.) So I had it in my to-be-read pile for a while, waiting for the mood to strike. Then I got an email from the publisher, asking if I would cover the paperback release and that was the impetus for me to finally sit down and read this.

It is a very fast read as it is a very short book. Don’t let that dissuade you, though, it is an excellent debut, full of great characters and a nuanced plot. It was rather shocking to me that this was a debut, you usually don’t see such tight plotting in a first novel. I love the way it was written, sort of report like, and the deft touch of black comedy really sings. At times it is a bit gruesome but never gratuitously so, especially considering the title and subject matter.

My son read this for a book discussion, which I thought was a pretty smart choice, it is an unusual pick for sure but there is definitely material to be discussed here. I often read books this short and complain about holes in the plot or lack of character development, so I am delighted to say that this is one of the best debuts I’ve read in a while. Grab the paperback or Kindle or listen to it on Audible, but don’t miss it. It has been optioned for a film by a London production company and I read this in Deadline: “The debut novel of Nigerian writer Oyinkan Braithwaite follows a Nigerian woman whose younger sister has an inconvenient habit of killing her boyfriends.” An inconvenient habit, indeed.

7/19 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch™

MY SISTER, THE SERIAL KILLER by Oyinkan Braithwaite. Anchor; Reprint edition (July 30, 2019).  ISBN 978-0525564201.  240p.

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THE BOOK CHARMER by Karen Hawkins

July 30, 2019

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Dove Pond Series, Book 1

From the publisher:

New York Times bestselling author Karen Hawkins crafts an unforgettable story about a sleepy Southern town, two fiercely independent women, and a truly magical friendship.

Sarah Dove is no ordinary bookworm. To her, books have always been more than just objects: they live, they breathe, and sometimes they even speak. When Sarah grows up to become the librarian in her quaint Southern town of Dove Pond, her gift helps place every book in the hands of the perfect reader. Recently, however, the books have been whispering about something out of the ordinary: the arrival of a displaced city girl named Grace Wheeler.

If the books are right, Grace could be the savior that Dove Pond desperately needs. The problem is, Grace wants little to do with the town or its quirky residents—Sarah chief among them. It takes a bit of urging, and the help of an especially wise book, but Grace ultimately embraces the challenge to rescue her charmed new community. In her quest, she discovers the tantalizing promise of new love, the deep strength that comes from having a true friend, and the power of finding just the right book.

 

I don’t mind a bit of magical realism in my books so Sarah’s having books talk to her was fine by me. I loved that the books insisted they be read and by whom and Sarah was just the conduit, putting said books into the hands of said readers. But that is just a minor plot point. This story is really about Grace.

Grace is new to town but arrives with her foster mother who is suffering from Alzheimer’s, and her late sister’s young daughter. So Grace has her hands full, to say the least. She had to leave a high powered, high paying job to care for them, to move to the small town of Dove Pond, where her foster mother was from, in hopes that the familiar surroundings and people will help her. She lands the poor paying job of town clerk, but with a bargain basement rental from a relative of her foster mother, her low salary is not as big a deal as one would think. Grace plans on sticking around for only a year, then finding a better paying job somewhere else. But of course, the small town of Dove Pond sinks into her soul.

The Dove family, Sarah included, all have gifts of some sort. Sarah’s is the talking books, her sister brews magical teas. Not sure about the rest of the family but probably will find out more as the series progresses. My only quibble is that this book was really about Grace. She has the romance with the happily every after, yet the book was named for Sarah, who, I would bet, has her own romance coming up (and I’m looking forward to it.)  I liked these characters and definitely will be back to visit Dove Pond.

7/19 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch

THE BOOK CHARMER by Karen Hawkins.  Gallery Books (July 30, 2019). ISBN  978-1982105549. 368p.

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INTERCEPTED by Alexa Martin

July 29, 2019

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The Playbook, Book 1

From the publisher:

Series in development with Starz & G-Unit Films and Television by 50 Cent and La La Anthony!

One of NPR’s Best Books of 2018
An Amazon Best Romance of 2018 Pick
An iBooks “Best of September” Pick
A GoodReads Best of the Month pick for September
One of Booklist‘s Top 10 Romance Debuts for 2018
One of BookBubs Best Fall Romances of 2018

Marlee thought she scored the man of her dreams only to be scorched by a bad breakup. But there’s a new player on the horizon, and he’s in a league of his own…

Marlee Harper is the perfect girlfriend. She’s definitely had enough practice by dating her NFL-star boyfriend for the last ten years. But when she discovers he has been tackling other women on the sly, she vows to never date an athlete again. There’s just one problem: Gavin Pope, the new hotshot quarterback and a fling from the past, has Marlee in his sights.

Gavin fights to show Marlee he’s nothing like her ex. Unfortunately, not everyone is ready to let her escape her past. The team’s wives, who never led the welcome wagon, are not happy with Marlee’s return. They have only one thing on their minds: taking her down. But when the gossip makes Marlee public enemy number one, she worries about more than just her reputation.

Between their own fumbles and the wicked wives, it will take a Hail Mary for Marlee and Gavin’s relationship to survive the season.

I love a good sports romance, and the reviews and buzz around Fumbled, the second book in the series, originally brought me to this author. So yes, again, I am reading a series out of order. Luckily, there are only two books so far, so at least now I’m ready when the next book comes out! Plus can I just say that this is a great romance with diverse characters, always a welcome addition to the genre. Martin has a bit of writing quirk that may be just a generational thing, but she uses hashtags. A lot. Sometimes they are super appropriate and usually they are funny, but now and then I thought she went a bit over the top with them.

As I mentioned in my review of Fumbled, this has some real life behind it. Both these books revolve around NFL players (albeit for a fictitious team) and in real life, Martin is married to a retired professional football player. So she speaks with some authority here which really added to the story for me. One of my favorite sports romance series is from Susan Elizabeth Phillips, who writes about another fictitious football team, and Martin’s books almost seem like an updated version to me.

A friend told me she never reads sports romances because she doesn’t like sports, but trust me, that is not a prerequisite. Not to stereotype (much!) but professional athletes make great romantic leads because they are young, good looking with ripped bodies, and they are loaded, leading so many women to fantasize about meeting/marrying one. And what is a good romance novel but a good fantasy?

Intercepted introduces some terrific characters and the writing is smart and funny. Marlee is terrific; strong, feisty and feminist, all traits I can relate to. Gavin is a cut above the usual jock, and is deserving of this wonderful woman. I loved watching how they come together and there is some hot sex along the way before they even get their happily ever after. All the cattiness with the football wives added a lot of humor and I loved Marlee’s best friend having her back. Good friends and a supportive family go a long way here.

Martin is definitely on to something here and I hope she continues her journey. I’m really looking forward to her next book.

7/19 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch™

INTERCEPTED by Alexa Martin. Berkley (April 23, 2019).  ISBN 978-0451491978. 336p.

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NONDISCLOSURE by Geoffrey M Cooper

July 28, 2019

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This is Dr. Cooper’s second published novel. In it, he takes a look at a problem that is appearing with more frequency in our society. This is the sexual attacks against women who have given the attacker no cause to presume that they would welcome a sexual advance. The attacker than goes ahead with the possible self delusion that the lady really would welcome his attentions.

Dr. Brad Parker is head of a department at a leading Boston area university. He is preparing to go into a meeting with his supervisor when he is called aside and advised that a member of the faculty in his department has drugged and raped a student. Parker immediately tells his supervisor what he learned and indicates that the victim identified her attacker.

Karen Richmond, a university employed detective, is called in and she begins working with Parker. As the two commence bringing out details of the rape the young lady is brutally attacked and murdered: obviously the work of her original attacker looking to cover up the crime.

Dr. Cooper brings in many factors that for different reasons often prevent the truth from coming out in the cases of unwanted sexual attack. It is a problem and has been for some time and in many cases difficult to prosecute due to factors keeping the victim afraid to testify. At the same time that publicity is centered on predator sexual attacks the author brings out a current very interesting new direction of medical research that has the possibility of becoming a definite life saver. These are gene based drugs and immunotherapy currently directions taken by state of the art research centers with promise of great advancement in attacking such diseases as cancer in many of it’s forms.

Writing is crisp and certainly succeeds in making this novel one that the reader will not be able to put down until the end. Very well done and certainly indicative of the entrance of a gifted author with the personal knowledge to contribute much to the area of medical thrillers.

7/19 Paul Lane

NONDISCLOSURE by Geoffrey M Cooper. Captain Thomas Publishing (July 15, 2019). ISBN 978-1733771405. 236p.

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EVVIE DRAKE STARTS OVER by Linda Holmes

July 27, 2019

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From the publisher:

From the host of NPR’s Pop Culture Happy Hour podcast comes a heartfelt debut about the unlikely relationship between a young woman who’s lost her husband and a major league pitcher who’s lost his game.

In a sleepy seaside town in Maine, recently widowed Eveleth “Evvie” Drake rarely leaves her large, painfully empty house nearly a year after her husband’s death in a car crash. Everyone in town, even her best friend, Andy, thinks grief keeps her locked inside, and Evvie doesn’t correct them.

Meanwhile, in New York City, Dean Tenney, former Major League pitcher and Andy’s childhood best friend, is wrestling with what miserable athletes living out their worst nightmares call the “yips”: he can’t throw straight anymore, and, even worse, he can’t figure out why. As the media storm heats up, an invitation from Andy to stay in Maine seems like the perfect chance to hit the reset button on Dean’s future.

When he moves into an apartment at the back of Evvie’s house, the two make a deal: Dean won’t ask about Evvie’s late husband, and Evvie won’t ask about Dean’s baseball career. Rules, though, have a funny way of being broken—and what starts as an unexpected friendship soon turns into something more. To move forward, Evvie and Dean will have to reckon with their pasts—the friendships they’ve damaged, the secrets they’ve kept—but in life, as in baseball, there’s always a chance—up until the last out.

A joyful, hilarious, and hope-filled debut, Evvie Drake Starts Over will have you cheering for the two most unlikely comebacks of the year—and will leave you wanting more from Linda Holmes.

You know this isn’t going to be your typical romance when the story starts out with Evvie packing up her car to leave her husband but she is interrupted when notified that he has been in, what turns out to be, a fatal car crash. So we know she wasn’t as happily married as everyone, including her best friend Andy, seems to think. Evvie, it turns out, is quite the skilled liar.

But this isn’t an unreliable narrator story. Instead, it is the awakening of a young woman with a troubled marriage behind her. It is also the story of a washed up baseball player who has gained national infamy as having some sort of psychological breakdown. They end up hiding out together, becoming good friends and eventually fall in love. But there are a lot of bumps along the way.

As I was reading this, I was reminded of another book I read recently, The Flatshare by Beth O’Leary. The women have similar relationship issues and these books are both romantic comedies, this one American, the O’Leary, British. They are both very good reads.

There are some really funny, laugh out loud moments here, as well as a few times I found myself in tears, making this an emotional read for sure. The small town in Maine is presented as almost another quirky character and that worked for me. If you like humor with your romance, and I certainly do, put this on your “must read” list!

7/19 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch™

EVVIE DRAKE STARTS OVER by Linda Holmes. Ballantine Books (July 2, 2019). ISBN 978-1524798727. 320p.

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THE INFAMOUS DUCHESS by Sophie Barnes

July 26, 2019

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Diamonds in the Rough, Book 4

From the publisher:

A woman with a shocking past…

Branded a money-hungry con artist for marrying the elderly Duke of Tremaine days before his death, Viola Cartwright has found refuge in her work at St. Agatha’s Hospital. No one must know the painful reason behind her marriage. She steers clear of attachments—until Henry Lowell, heir to the Viscount Armswell, lands on her operating table after a duel. Charming and wickedly handsome, Lowell is one of London’s most inveterate scoundrels. Yet he may not be all that he appears.

And the man who can promise a future filled with love…

Posing as an unrepentant rake has helped Lowell avoid women pursuing him only for his title. But now that duty has finally called on him to marry, he finds himself entranced by the mysterious, independent-minded Viola. Then her late husband’s son returns from overseas, contesting Viola’s inheritance. Lowell longs to help her and sets out to convince Viola that a strategic union may be the best way to save all she holds dear. But can he also persuade her to take a chance on love…?

I am really enjoying the latest trope of having 21st century characters inhabiting the 18th century. By that I mean strong, independent women with careers and men who appreciate them. Viola and Lowell certainly fit the new standards and in a way that is always believable.

Viola is a skilled surgeon, trained by her father since women certainly couldn’t go to medical school back then. She marries a much older man, and is criticized for it, which I did find a bit surprising since that was certainly very common back then. Rich old men were considered catches for the young debutantes of the day so I wasn’t sure why Viola was considered a gold digger – all the young girls vied for the best titled men they could land but I guess since her father worked for a living instead of being titled gentry, that puts her out of the running. Sadly, her husband died quite soon after their marriage, leaving the marriage unconsecrated and Viola some money. Even more sadly, her husband’s son violated her before the marriage so she in no virgin.

Viola wants to use that money to open her own hospital, another seriously unlikely event of the day but what the hell, I bought it here. And Henry Lowell is the perfect man for her, although of course it takes quite a while to get to their happily ever after. The way the ton is portrayed is with the usual pettiness and vindictiveness, leaving me wondering why anyone even cared what they thought. Upper crust society was a strange beast, to be sure.

This is an interesting and well written series, and this book ends with strong hints as to the couple to be featured next. I’m looking forward to it.

7/19 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch™

THE INFAMOUS DUCHESS by Sophie Barnes. Avon (March 26, 2019).  ISBN 978-0062849748. 384p.

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SURFSIDE SISTERS by Nancy Thayer

July 25, 2019

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From the publisher:

A Nantucket woman returns home to find that reunions aren’t always simple, in this heartwarming novel from the New York Times bestselling author of A Nantucket Wedding and Secrets in Summer.

Keely Green always dreamed of leaving the beautiful shores of Nantucket to become a writer. Now she’s a bestselling novelist living in New York City, attending glamorous cocktail parties and mingling with the literary elite. Keely is also dating a charming, perfectly fine pediatric surgeon who looks good on paper but isn’t “the one.” She just can’t bear to break it off—until he declares his desire to settle down. Then Keely’s editor rejects her latest novel. With her personal and professional lives suddenly in shambles, Keely longs for the soothing island way of life.

Growing up, Keely and her best friend, Isabelle, were inseparable. Nothing could come between them—except, as it turned out, Keely’s high school boyfriend, Tommy. Returning home would mean facing Isabelle’s bitter betrayal and seeing for herself the family Tommy and Isabelle have created, the life that might have been Keely’s.

But when Keely’s mother falls into a deep depression, Keely knows what she must do, even though she is reluctant to face her estranged friend. And encountering Isabelle’s older brother, Sebastian—Keely’s longtime crush—only complicates things.

In one incredible summer, Keely must confront the mistakes of the past if she has any chance of finding true happiness in the place she will always call home. Nancy Thayer shines yet again in this uplifting tale of forgiveness and self-discovery.

There is rarely a better setting for a beach book than Nantucket, and Thayer really nails the location here. It is an island of haves and have nots, the working class and the ultra rich. In this book, Keely is the only child of working parents. Her best friend Isabelle is one of the rich kids. She lives in a mansion on the ocean with her older brother Sebastian, who Keely has a crush on for most of her life, although she never tells Isabelle. Keely loves the hustle of her friend’s busy household, such a contrast to her quiet family home. But it takes her most of her life to realize that not everything is as it seems.

The girls’ friendship is strained to the breaking point over a man, always a sad statement to make. But their journey to that point and beyond makes for an engrossing read. The book starts out a bit slow with the coming of age story of the two friends. But once they hit adulthood, things start moving and shaking, and I couldn’t put it down.

Themes of self awareness and forgiveness are evident, but not in a pushy way. Thayer tells really interesting stories and I thoroughly enjoyed this one.

7/19 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch™

SURFSIDE SISTERS by Nancy Thayer. Ballantine Books (July 2, 2019). ISBN 978-1524798727. 320p.

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