Cameron, Graeme. Normal. Mira: Harlequin. Apr. 2015. 304p. ISBN 9780778318507. $24.95; ebk. ISBN 9781460346860. F
The unnamed protagonist just wants things to remain normal. Sure, normal for him is kidnapping and killing young women (sometimes after he’s held them captive for a period of time), but is it too much to ask that he be allowed to pursue his calling in peace? Up until now that hasn’t been a problem. But two young women are about to change that. One is the “victim” he currently has in his cage in the basement. Though she’s been kidnapped, Erika isn’t about to let her captor set the tone. The other is the young woman he meets at the grocery store. For the first time in his life he’s interested in getting to know someone (all while not wanting to kill them). Suddenly, he’s not sure he needs to keep up with his “normal” life anymore. The problem is, there’s someone still in the cage. And the police are starting to ask questions. VERDICT Certainly not everyone wants to read a book from a serial killer’s point of view, but for the ones who do this debut thriller may be just for them. While the murderer is a horrendous person, there is a very dark humor in his plight, and the author adds a couple of satisfying twists. Fans of Jeff Lindsay’s “Dexter” series may enjoy.
Conrad, Hy. Toured to Death: An Amy’s Travel Mystery. Kensington. Feb. 2015. 314p. ISBN 9781617736780. $25; ebk. ISBN 9781617736797. M
Most daughters don’t expect to move back in with their mothers later in life, but as both Amy and Fanny have lost their men, living—and working as travel agents—together seems like an ideal solution to their singleness. As Amy heads to Monte Carlo to launch their first tour, mom Fanny deals with the business back home in New York. Their Monte Carlo to Rome Mystery Road Rally trip starts with a bang, but then the script becomes reality when it is discovered that Otto Ingo, their writer, was murdered. Amy and Fanny may be on different continents, but they are ready to give their all to discover who is messing with their first joint endeavor. Mother and daughter will have to work fast, however, as the killer might just make this excursion their last. VERDICT Smart, snappy dialog and fun, likable characters keep this series debut moving right along. Conrad served as the former coexecutive producer for the television series Monk, and his authorship of the “Monk” mysteries (Mr. Monk Helps Himself) translates flawlessly to this cozy launch. [This title was first released in 2012 as Rally ‘Round the Corpse by Seven Realms Publishing.—Ed.]—Kristi Chadwick, Massachusetts Lib. Syst., South Deerfield
Herbert, A.L. Murder with Fried Chicken and Waffles: A Mahalia Watkins Soul Food Mystery. Kensington. Mar. 2015. 276p. ISBN 9781617731747. pap. $15; ebk. ISBN 9781617731754. M
In Prince George’s County, MD, if you want the best soul food, you head to Mahalia’s Sweet Tea. Halia Watkins runs a tight ship in her restaurant, but when it comes to family—especially her sassy young cousin Wavonne—sometimes the tightest thing is Wavonne’s uniform. Trying to keep her cousin out of trouble, Halia also has to deal with fast-talking investor Marcus Rand in her kitchen, messing with her cooking and her schedule. So when Marcus ends up dead with a dent in his head the size of her frying pan, Halia needs to keep Sweet Tea and Wavonne safe. VERDICT Soul food and sassy characters combine in this series debut for a feast that will satisfy the appetites of readers hungering for light African American mysteries and food-related cozies. Recipes included.—Kristi Chadwick, Massachusetts Lib. Syst., South Deerfield
Levy, Robert. The Glittering World. Gallery. Feb. 2015. 352p. ISBN 9781476774527. $26; ebk. ISBN 9781476774534. F
We first meet Michael “Blue” Whitley en route from New York to his remote Canadian hometown. Accompanied by friends Jason, Elisa, and Gabe, Blue is headed home to settle a deceased relative’s estate near the idyllic, artsy, and now defunct commune of Starling Cove Friendship Colony. Soon after their arrival, Blue and Elisa disappear into a fantastical world of both nostalgia and physical absence, channeling suppressed and forgotten truths about their shared past. But this isn’t the first time Blue has gone missing. He soon begins to recollect buried childhood memories and learns the truth about who he really is. VERDICT Balancing between supernatural and fantasy, this debut novel is fast paced, yet it also succeeds as a reflective tale of self-discovery. Levy divides the narration into four separate sections, one from each character’s point of view. Well crafted, atmospheric, and whimsical, this will attract readers who enjoy Neil Gaiman and Mark Z. Danielewski.
Renehan, John. Valley. Dutton. Mar. 2015. 416p. ISBN 9780525954866. $26.95; ebk. ISBN 9780698186279. F
In this gripping and memorable first novel, a junior officer is asked to look into misconduct in the most remote and dangerous of Afghan outposts. Lieutenant Black, psychically wounded by an ambush on an earlier mission, goes to beleaguered Combat Outpost Vega expecting to investigate an incident of a soldier firing warning shots among civilians. But he soon finds little at the base—or in Afghanistan—is as it seems. A social faux pas involving the local village chief opens a door on events far darker and more sinister than a few warning shots—events that the platoon’s soldiers are being pressured to cover up. And it will be up to Black to unravel the twisted threads, including everything from soldiers with ties to the local drug trade to the killing of Afghani children, to discover who is responsible. VERDICT Renehan, who served in the army’s Third Infantry Division as a field artillery officer in Iraq, combines elements of mystery and psychological suspense with an almost sociological delineation of the customs of military life to produce a taut and harrowing tale of soldiers pushed to the brink and beyond by fear, exhaustion, and a powerful sense of the futility of their mission. The parallels to Heart of Darkness and Apocalypse Now are unmistakable. [See Prepub Alert, 9/15/14.]
Sherry, Miranda. Black Dog Summer. Atria. Feb. 2015. 256p. ISBN 9781476779027. $25; ebk. ISBN 9781476779041. F
Set in the steaming heat of a Johannesburg summer, this debut opens with a brutal farm killing that leaves teenage Gigi without her mother, Sally. The traumatized girl is brought from the only home she knows, a communal wildlife refuge, to Johannesburg to live with the family of her estranged aunt. The novel skirts most issues of race to explore the dynamics of this white South African family. With the disembodied spirit of Sally, who can follow the strands of loved ones’ ongoing lives, readers peer into the hearts and minds of various family members as they deal with their individual feelings of loss and guilt. As events build to a crisis with Gigi and her young cousin Bryony—forced to share her bedroom with a stranger—the past is gradually revealed. VERDICT The story succeeds as a dysfunctional family drama, but despite being infused with mysticism through the thread of the group’s sophisticated, stylish, black neighbor, Lesedi, who practices secretly as a spiritual healer, or sangoma, it ultimately fails to capture the complexity of South Africa’s deep culture and traditions.
Torday, Daniel. The Last Flight of Poxl West. St. Martin’s. Mar. 2015. 304p. ISBN 9781250051684. $25.99; ebk. ISBN 9781466871816. F
Poxl West has just published a memoir of his experiences as a Czechoslovakian Jewish refugee who became an RAF fighter pilot during World War II. His nephew, Elijah Goldstein, basks in the reflected aura of Uncle Poxl’s success. However, there’s a problem. Soon after the book’s publication, Poxl is exposed as a fraud. He never flew the missions he described. The man who had been Elijah’s surrogate grandfather disappears from his life, depriving the boy of his greatest hero. Telling this story by alternating between Poxl’s memoir and Elijah’s present-day experiences, the author of the award-winning novella The Sensualist crafts an elegant debut of how war affects individuals, how disappointment in our loved ones can turn a life around in seconds, and how that life can be repaired. VERDICT Torday (director of creative writing, Bryn Mawr Coll.) is a polished writer who creates an unforgettable character for whom the term flight describes his whole life. Poxl’s inability to reconcile his love for people with their less-than-heroic behaviors, in the end, leaves him completely alone. This portrait of a Holocaust survivor’s experiences is innovative, and its page-turning plot will keep readers on the edge until the very end. [See Prepub Alert, 9/29/14.]
Womack, Gwendolyn. The Memory Painter. Picador. Apr. 2015. 336p. ISBN 9781250053039. $26; ebk. ISBN 9781250053046. F
Bryan Pierce has always had vivid nightmares. These disturbing dreams inspire the riveting paintings that have made him an acclaimed artist. When he meets a young geneticist named Lindsay (Linz) Jacobs, who also lives in Boston, she reacts viscerally to his painting of a woman who was burned as a martyr in ancient Rome. Linz is the daughter of a scientist who had worked on a controversial Alzheimer’s drug and who is now the head of a huge pharmaceutical firm. He and his partners had experimented with the drug themselves in the past and two had died in a mysterious lab explosion. In this fast-paced first novel, reincarnation is a dangerous business. Bryan and Linz experience the lives and deaths of people in the past, some of them famous, while being pursued each time by a deadly enemy. VERDICT It’s best not to try to analyze the ambitious plot of this thriller, which combines romance, fantasy, and adventure; just hang on for a wild and entertaining ride around the world and through the centuries back to ancient Egypt.
Wong, Cecily. Diamond Head. Harper. Apr. 2015. 320p. ISBN 9780062345431. $25.99; ebk. ISBN 9780062345455. F
Spanning the period from the turn of the 20th century to 1964, Wong’s debut novel about three generations of Leong women will hook readers from the first page and not let go until the final tragic secret is revealed. This family’s journey from China to Hawaii to become island royalty is told through alternating chapters by fully developed female protagonists who Wong brings to life by making the reader actually care about them. Running through this saga is the fable of the red string of fate that binds true love but can also become knotted and frayed, causing hurt and pain. Each woman—Lin, Amy, and Theresa—chooses her fate, either through her heart or her mind, and must pay the cost, sometimes losing all that is important in the long run. VERDICT By skillfully weaving a murder mystery into the story, Wong keeps the pace moving, and the twist ending is a surprise. The only disappointment is the abrupt conclusion that is wrapped up too neatly and quickly, leaving readers wanting more. Reading groups and fans of Amy Tan’s The Joy Luck Club will enjoy exploring Chinese Hawaiian history and culture with this lovely novel.
