THE MAID by Nita Prose

This is an intriguing book. The main character and narrator is Molly, a maid at an exclusive hotel. Molly is a perfectionist and a bit strange to others. She lives with her Gran and sees everything in black and white until……… a murder takes place at the hotel and Moly is the one who finds the body. Friendship, truth, justice, our perception of those somewhat different, all play a part in the resolution of who killed Mr. Black. Once begun, it is difficult to put this book down. Molly is a character you sympathize with and yet don’t quite understand, just as she doesn’t quite understand the world. She is fascinating just as the book is fascinating. Book groups will love discussing this book. Readers will be fascinated by Molly. This one is really unput-down-able. 5 of 5 stars

BLIND TIGER by Sandra Brown

I don’t usually read Brown, but I got this as an ARC. Moonshine, murder, false accusations, a pretty girl, corrupt politicians, what more could you want! When the stranger to town becomes the default sheriff, and the pretty girl is a target of the bad guys who abound in this 1920’s Texas thriller, the reader is in for an entertaining afternoon or two. Tight plot, well drawn characters and an interesting premise make this a sure fire hit. By the way, a “blind tiger” is an illegal saloon and this is prohibition in Texas! 5 of 5 stars

THE PRESIDENT’S DAUGHTER by Bill Clinton and James Patterson

This second outing of Clinton and Patterson is the same kind of heart pounding thriller as their first book. The President, a former SEAL, leaves behind his security crew and searches for his kidnapped daughter alone. Off to a slow start but soon is full of action and daring-do. 5of 5 stars for the genre

DIAL “A” FOR AUNTIES by Jessie Q Sutanto

An accidental murder, a collection of “helpful” aunties in an Indonesian/Chinese immigrant family, a wedding at a posh estate, and a wedding cake cart that appears and disappears all combine for a comedy of errors. Deftly plotted with a cast of developed characters, this funny novel is a winner for a light hearted afternoon read. 4 of 5 stars

THE BOOK OF LOST FRIENDS by Lisa Wingate

Two intertwined stories combine to tell this tale. One story tells of three women in 1875 heading to Texas from Louisiana searching for lost family members or lost fortunes. The second story concerns a first-year teacher in a tiny Mississippi River town and her uninterested students. In encouraging her students, Benedetta and her students discover a long lost book. Wingate did her research in discovering the background of the “Lost Friends” sections of some southern newspapers. Her research is the basis for this book Wingate always gives us well developed characters and well plotted tales. This book is no exception. 5 of 5 stars

THREE WORDS FOR GOODBYE by Hazel Gaynor and Heather Webb

Estranged Sisters Clara and Madelaine are sent by their dying grandmother on a journey to Paris, Venice and Vienna as World War II approaches. In each city they are to deliver a letter to someone Grandmother Violet knew many years earlier. The trip is one of luxury - they take the Queen Mary first class to Paris – but fraught with the growing threat of Hitler. As the sisters complete the journey they discover much about themselves and about their grandmother and the life she lead forty years earlier. Secrets are discovered and sisterly affection may be rediscovered. An interesting story that unfolds in layers as the sisters travel. 4 of 5 stars

THE SECOND LIFE OF MIRIELLE WEST by Amanda Skenandore

This tragic story with a (relatively) happy ending follows the wife of a Hollywood star and mother to small children as she battles leprosy. In the 1920’s no cure is known for the disease and MIrielle is sent to The United States Marine Hospital Louisiana. Carville,as the leprosarium is known, is home to sufferers of Hanson’s Disease until they are cured and can return to normal society. Mirielle quickly discovers that Carville is akin to prison. When she attempts to steal out, she falls, breaks her arm, and then is sent to “Jail” for 30 days. The story follows her as she attempts to settle in to Carville, keep in touch with her two small daughters and husband, and prevent anyone “on the outside” from learning of her disease. Carville is presented is all its promise and despair. Based on true incidents and people SECOND LIFE is an intriguing and enlightening tale well worth your time. 5 of 5 stars

HONOR by Thrity Umrigar

HONOR by Thrity Umrigar India, a land of contradictions, is front and center in this novel of HONOR and how it can be used to hurt and even kill. Two women share the spotlight, Meena, dreadfully maimed by her brothers because she has brought dishonor to their family, and Smita, an American journalist who has her own reasons for avoiding India and all it has meant to her family and who is charged to write Meena’s story. This book was difficult to read and yet necessary to understanding the conflicting and conflicted women and men is this novel. The modern India of large cities and modern conveniences is balanced by the India of small villages where tribal leaders hold sway over men and women who live in primitive conditions. Muslim India is balanced by Hindu India, two “peaceful” faiths that bring about horrors beyond imagining when they come into conflict. I highly recommend this book for anyone who wants to understand the conflicts in India and by extension the conflicts in many parts of the world where men and women, Christian and Jew, Hindu and Muslim, orthodox and liberal, come into conflict. Well written and sympathetic, HONOR earns 5 of 5 stars