THE GODS OF HEAVENLY PUNISHMENT by Jennifer Cody Epstein

February 15, 2014


On March 9-10 of 1945, the US military firebombed the city of Tokyo in what is said to be one of the most deadly air raids in history. For the people involved and the people affected, this event is understandably recalled in vastly differing ways. In her latest, Jennifer Cody Epstein illustrates this night in history, as well as the years leading up to and following the event, from the viewpoints of a handful of very different characters.

Yoshi Kobayashi has been raised loyal to her family and her country. Her father, the top builder at a firm owned by an American, is later involved in the establishment of a Manchurian colony, a site that will see more death than any imagined. Anton Reynolds was impressed by Tokyo so much so that after apprenticing under Frank Lloyd Wright on the building of the Imperial Hotel, he started his own firm in Tokyo. He and his family would remain in the city until war forced them out. Sadly Reynolds’s love for the city he once called home will fuel a weapon to be used against the Japanese while Kenji’s loyalty to his country will place his family in the crosshairs of this deadly campaign. Meanwhile, new pilot Cameron Richards dreams of a life with his new wife and child, a life that relies on his survival in an important mission.

While The Gods of Heavenly Punishment is overall a story of the firebombing of Japan, Epstein tells it in such a way that it almost reads as a collection of individual pieces connected by a common focus. Each section does tie nicely into the next, with each of the characters ultimately proving to be connected to one another in some way.

All in all, it’s a harrowing look at war from as many sides as you can imagine—those involved directly and indirectly, those who were at the center of the event, and those who were on the other side of the world waiting to hear the outcome. It’s a book filled with loss and horror but one also filled with hope.

2/14 Becky Lejeune

THE GODS OF HEAVENLY PUNISHMENT by Jennifer Cody Epstein. W. W. Norton & Company (January 13, 2014). ISBN 978-0393347883. 400p.

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Posted by Stacy Alesi

AFTER I’M GONE by Laura Lippman

February 13, 2014


Lippman returns with a brilliant standalone novel that includes a nod to her series heroine, Tess Monahan, and is set in her hometown of Baltimore. She grabbed me on page one with a quote from the classic Herman Wouk book, Marjorie Morningstar, which sort of set the mood for me. (If you’re not familiar with the 1955 bestseller, Slate did a great piece on it for the 50th anniversary: Marjorie Morningstar: The conservative novel that liberal feminists love.)

Felix Brewer is a charmer with an eye for beautiful women, and Bambi Gottschalk is a stunner. Their chemistry is instanteous and explosive, and long-lasting – until Felix disappears after many years of marriage and three children.

Felix does very well, keeping the family in the lap of luxury. He owns a strip club among other businesses, mostly not legal, but when he’s arrested and facing ten years in prison, he takes off, hiding his assets and leaving the family penniless. Bambi, who was barely graduated from high school when they married, has never worked and has no job skills. She relies on her husband’s lawyer and his wife, her best friend, and they help as much as they can.

The only one who may know where the money has gone is Julie, Felix’s girlfriend, and she’s not talking. Surprisingly, no one ever looks for Felix and his disappearance is just accepted as fact by everyone except his wife and mistress. Bambi refuses to have him declared dead so never collects insurance, and in her heart believes that someday he will come home. Julie is convinced that Felix will send for her, which becomes her undoing.

Ten years after Felix disappears, Julie disappears too, and it is believed that she is finally with Felix. Except that many years after that, her body is found in a deserted area of a park, and her murder is at the heart of this mystery.

Sandy is a retired Baltimore homicide police who is working on cold cases as a consultant to the police department. He starts looking into Julie’s murder, and while it is central to the story, this is much more than a mystery. We also get a look at what happens to the five women left behind when Felix disappears – his wife, his three daughters, and his mistress. The story spans more than thirty years, moving back and forth from the early days of the marriage, the years when Felix disappeared, the three girls growing up, and the 2012 murder investigation.

This is a fast moving story with believable characters that you can’t help caring about and rooting for. In fact, the characters propel the story along as much, if not more, than the mystery.

Laura Lippman is one those authors that I drop everything to read; she is one of the best crime fiction writers working today. If you haven’t read her yet, do yourself a favor and pick up any of her books. I fell in love with her very first novel, Baltimore Blues, and haven’t looked back since.

This is a genre bending novel; mystery for sure, but women’s fiction readers will love it too, as will book groups. After I’m Gone is a truly wonderful read and I was very sorry to have to turn the last page. 

2/14 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch

AFTER I’M GONE by Laura Lippman. William Morrow (February 11, 2014). ISBN 978-0062083395. 352p.

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WENDELL BLACK, MD by Gerald Imber

February 11, 2014


Dr. Gerald Umber is a Plastic Surgeon and an honorary police surgeon for many years. This is his first novel.

Not surprisingly, the central character is a doctor working for the New York City Police Department as well as having a second job as a doctor at a regional hospital. On a flight back to New York from a trip to London he is called upon to minister to a woman suffering from cardiac arrest. She does not survive and Dr. Black is drawn in by the death and later exam of the body in the morgue to what may be an international drug smuggling ring using “mules” (people that carry drugs in cavities in their bodies.)

Black’s girlfriend Alice, a Brit, introduces him to a friend of hers who believes that the death is connected to an international ring based in England. When Alice’s friend is killed and she disappears, it leads to the probability that the smuggling is much more than drugs and may be a plot by international terrorists as part of a plan to attack the United States.

Various departments such as the FBI, the DEA and Homeland Security are brought into the action and Dr. Black is kept on as an expert in getting to the bottom of what the plot may entail.

Dr. Umber’s medical expertise and his skill in creating plot and events make this a riveting book as fact after fact is brought out in the action. The ending is a direct result of the facts brought out in the book, but does not, in any way, spoil the pleasure. I would expect that based on the creation of Wendell Black the author plans to use his position and expertise in future novels.

2/14 Paul Lane

WENDELL BLACK, MD by Gerald Imber. Bourbon Street Books (February 11, 2014). ISBN 978-0062246851. 416p

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Posted by Stacy Alesi

THE YELLOW EYES OF CROCODILES by Katherine Pancol

February 10, 2014

Guest reviewer Kimberly Bower shares one of her favorites today.

English-speaking readers finally have an opportunity to become acquainted with highly acclaimed French author, Katherine Pancol. According to the author’s website, “The Yellow Eyes of Crocodiles” has already sold two million copies and has been published in 30 countries. Finally, it’s ‘our’ turn.

The Yellow Eyes of Crocodiles opens with Josephine’s life on the verge of collapse. Her unemployed husband considers himself too noble to accept menial tasks even though the bills need to be paid and food put on the table. Her work as a historical scholar barely makes ends meet. They have two children. Their teenage daughter, Hortense, takes cues from Josephine’s high profile sister, Iris. Hortense is on the fast track for high society living. She walks, talks and acts the part. Her younger sister, Zoe, lives quietly in the shadow of her older sister. Reality slaps Jo in the face when her husband runs off to Kenya to farm crocodiles with the mistress Jo didn’t even know he had.

Charismatic Iris, always seeking the spotlight, wins a lucrative book contract after spinning historical tales to a publisher based on conversations with Jo. All she has to do next is convince Jo to ghost write the historical romance on her behalf. Jo gets the money while Iris gets the publicity. That’s the plan. When the book starts flying of the shelves, tension between the sisters escalates. Do you hold fast to a secret you swore to keep or rise up and claim the credit you rightfully deserve?

The Yellow Eyes of Crocodiles is a tale of two sisters, Josephine and Iris, opposites in every way yet each longing for the strengths found in the other sister. A complementary storyline follows Hortense and Zoe as they depict many of the same realities but on a much younger playing field. Pancol weaves her many characters in and out of tensions due to economic disparity, secrets, lies and betrayal. An assortment of romances among both primary and secondary characters adds interest and keeps the pace of the story at a fast clip. The characters are well rounded and believable. Zoe’s occasional outbursts of frustration keep her character real.

Pancol’s use of language is clever and tickles my brain, describing common feelings in the most interesting ways. I like the way she relays the many unusual ways we demonstrate love for each other through the different relationships. Pancol’s The Yellow Eyes of Crocodiles provides readers with a can’t-put-down tale that you definitely will not want to miss.

2/14 Kimberly Bower

THE YELLOW EYES OF CROCODILES by Katherine Pancol. Penguin Books (December 31, 2013). ISBN 978-0143121558. 464p.

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Posted by Stacy Alesi

THE HIGHLANDER’S DESIRE by Margo Maguire

February 9, 2014

Lachann MacMillan had his heart broken when his affianced, Fiona, weds Cullen Macauley a few days before their planned nuptials. He is determined to never risk his heart again.

His family lands were attacked by pirates and they lost some men, so Lachann is trying to find a way to protect them and he does. The Isle of Kilgorra is in the perfect place to protect his homeland, all he has to do is marry the laird’s daughter and take over. Rumor has it she’s very plain, but that works for him, he doesn’t want to ever fall in love again.

He arranges everything by mail then takes his men and sails to Kilgorra. To his surprise, Cullen Macauley is already there, and seems pretty cosy with the laird’s daughter. It seems Fiona has passed away rather unexpectedly. But when Lachann meets Anna, a servant in the house, they both can’t fight the chemistry.

Every year on Super Bowl Sunday I read a romance novel and this year I raced through this one. The game was pretty bad (the Seattle Seahawks completely dominated from their record setting 2 point safety one minute into the game) so it was easy to read. I enjoyed this and will look for more from this new-to-me author.

02/14 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch

THE HIGHLANDER’S DESIRE by Margo Maguire. Avon (July 30, 2013). ISBN 978-0062122902. 384p.

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EX-PURGATORY by Peter Clines

February 8, 2014


The fourth novel in Peter Clines’ bestselling Ex series.

Every day is the same for George Bailey. He gets up and goes to work at the local college where he works as a maintenance person. At night he might go out with his best friend, Nic. The next day it starts all over again, the only difference is whether or not his old car wants to cooperate. But when George sleeps, everything is different. In his dreams he’s strong and he’s constantly fighting masses of the walking dead. Weird as the dreams are, they’re still just dreams. But then George begins to see that same glazed and dead look in the eyes of people around him.

A second glance proves it’s just his imagination until Madelyn Sorenson arrives. Maddie claims that what George sees in his dreams is reality and in that world George is a superhero who can fly and spit fire. As more and more pieces of George’s dream world appear in his daily life, he starts to wonder if Maddie might be on to something after all. But if she’s right, then how did they end up here?

This fourth in Peter Clines’s awesome and action packed zombies versus superheroes series is fabulous. It’s got everything I’ve come to expect from one of Clines’s books plus a plot that will make your head spin.

2/14 Becky Lejeune

EX-PURGATORY by Peter Clines. Broadway Books (January 14, 2014). ISBN 978-0804136617. 352p.

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Posted by Stacy Alesi

A STAR FOR MRS. BLAKE by April Smith

February 6, 2014


I am familiar with April Smith and her Ana Grey F.B.I. thrillers, and they are excellent. A Star for Mrs. Blake is quite the departure from her series, but I think it is her finest book.

Cora Blake is a widow from a tiny island in Maine who loses her son during World War I. At sixteen, he lied about his age and joined the army, like a lot of young men did back then. Sadly, he gave his life for his country, and Mrs. Blake became a Gold Star Mother, joining the ranks of thousands of other mothers who also lost their sons to war.

The United States government inquires whether she wants his remains returned or buried where he died, and she chooses the Meuse-Argonne American Cemetery in France. A few years later, Congress passes legislation to fund the transportation of the Gold Star Mothers to their sons’ graves in Europe, and Mrs. Blake receives an invitation. Several thousand Gold Star Mothers made the journey, and this beautifully written novel is about this little known slice of history set during the Depression.

Smith makes it personal by creating a small group of women and telling their stories. They travel first class with an army officer as chaperone, and a nurse, both of whom have interesting back stories. The group also includes a Boston society woman, heir to a railroad fortune, poor Jewish and Irish immigrants, and a woman who, they are warned, is a recent release from an insane asylum. This group quickly becomes a rather dysfunctional family, helping each other, fighting with each other, but at heart always knowing that they share a terrible loss.

Part history lesson, part travelogue, but fully wonderful, Smith says she’s been wanting to write this story for twenty-five years, and I’m really glad she finally got her way. Despite the seriousness of the subject, there is some humor and the book never becomes maudlin. The characters move the story along, and it is a fast read. Book groups especially will love this. If you liked The Postmistress by Sarah Blake or Losing Julia by Jonathan Hull, you will probably like this one too – and if you haven’t read either of those, do yourself a favor and add them to your to-be-read list.

I had never heard of Gold Star Mothers group, but they are still active. Loss is, of course, no longer limited to just sons; those who have lost daughters are also eligible. For more information on Gold Star Mothers, please visit www.goldstarmoms.com

02/14 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch

A STAR FOR MRS. BLAKE  by April Smith.  Knopf (January 14, 2014). ISBN 978-0307958846. 352p.

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STARLING by Sage Stossel

February 5, 2014


I don’t read many graphic novels, probably one a year on average, so if I do manage to read the whole thing, that already says a lot.

I read Starling in an hour. I liked the premise of a young woman superhero who is essentially a flawed character. Amy Sturgess grows up with a mother who is a cat hoarder – they have 36. Shunned in school for smelling like cats, she eventually learns to mask it and get along with people. As a young adult, she survives on Xanax and therapy.

Her adolescence was not typical either. She had amazing speed, incredible strength and then noticed she was emitting sparks of electricity from her hands. She quickly learned to hide these attributes until a society of superheroes finds her and helps create her alter ego, Starling. They help her realize that she can fly as well.

She’s given a beeper of sorts that lets her know when a crime is being committed in her assigned area. She’s constantly having to drop everything and take off in pursuit of the bad guys. But she’s no Superman; her idea of justice is tempered with empathy, and instead of taking all the bad guys directly to jail, she occasionally drops them off at rehab instead.

Her personal life is a mess, she’s lonely having the lost the only boyfriend she ever had when she accidentally zapped him with her hands, causing him to think he was hit by lightning and her to think she was better off alone. And her job as a marketing executive is in jeopardy – she tells people at work she has Irritable Bowel Syndrome to cover for her constant disappearances, plus she has to deal with a jealous co-worker who is constantly stabbing her in the back and undermining her work.

The illustrations are good and add to the story, but it’s the story that really pulled me in. This is a fun read and a good bet for fans of Sex and the City and any young women in need of a superhero like themselves.

2/14 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch

STARLING by Sage Stossel. InkLit (December 3, 2013). ISBN 978-0425266311. 208p.

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Posted by Stacy Alesi

WICKED AS THEY COME by Delilah S. Dawson

February 5, 2014


Tish didn’t mean to steal the locket. It was an accident. She’d gone to the estate sale in hopes of finding some nice curio or knick knack and get a peek around old Mrs. Stein’s house.

As her hospice nurse, Tish only ever saw the bedroom where Mrs. Stein had planned to live out her final days. She’d found the necklace between the pages of an old book but an emergency call sent her running for the door, only later realizing she’d still had the necklace in hand.

It was a curious piece of jewelry, old and tarnished, and given that it had been hidden away Tish was sure no one would really miss it. But the locket is so much more than a simple necklace: when Tish sleeps the locket allows her to travel to another world, one where vampires are real and even the animals crave blood.

Criminy Stain, a bludman and magician who runs a traveling circus, had the locket created to seek out his true love and while Tish isn’t sure that’s her, she is intrigued by his world. Before she can decide if this is a life she wants, the necklace is stolen. Stain vows to help her recover it, but it will mean risking their lives to travel across a perilous land.

Dawson’s series debut is a perfect blend of steamy romance and paranormal. The world building is phenomenal and the story is wickedly enchanting.

2/14 Becky Lejeune

WICKED AS THEY COME by Delilah S. Dawson. Pocket Books (March 27, 2012) . ISBN 978-1451657883. 416p.

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Posted by Stacy Alesi

NO ONE ELSE CAN HAVE YOU by Kathleen Hale

February 3, 2014


Kippy Bushman’s best friend, Ruth Fried, has just been brutally murdered. She went missing on her way to visit Kippy and was found the next day, strung up and stuffed with straw.

Friendship, Wisconsin has never seen a crime like this—it sets the town reeling and in desperate need of a conviction and closure. Ruth’s boyfriend is quickly arrested and faces prosecution for what the locals believe is an open and shut case, but Kippy isn’t so sure. Part of it is thanks to Ruth’s diary, which Ruth’s mother passed to Kippy to clean up for her later reading.

Problem is, there’s too much questionable material to clean up including barbs against Kippy herself and frequent mention of the local lawyer Ruth had been having an affair with. Since Kippy seems to be the only one with questions about the arrest, she decides it’s up to her to investigate.

With Ruth’s brother by her side, the teen begins her own inquiries, a move that soon gets Kippy the wrong kind of attention. This Fargo-esque teen debut is perfect for readers who enjoy dark comedy. It’s twisted and snarky but smartly plotted and lots of fun.

2/14 Becky Lejeune

NO ONE ELSE CAN HAVE YOU by Kathleen Hale. HarperTeen (January 7, 2014). ISBN 978-0062211194. 384p.

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Posted by Stacy Alesi

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