In the Garden of Spite by Camilla Bruce

March 24, 2024

In the Garden of Spite by Camilla Bruce

Before Ted Bundy, before John Wayne Gacy, there was Belle Gunness, the infamous Black Widow of LaPorte. As a girl in Norway, Belle was beaten by her lover until she miscarried her unborn child. After emigrating to the U.S., Belle lived with her sister's family in Chicago in the middle of a large community of Norwegian immigrants. Tired of men's cruelty and also tired of being poor, Belle vowed to never be under a man's control again and that she would never again be poor, taking her revenge on the men of the world in a gruesome fashion.

Historical fiction based on the life and crimes of the Black Widow of LaPorte, Indiana, one of the first American serial killers. Her crime spree began in Chicago, then later she moved to a farm in Indiana, where she continued her bloody deeds. I had heard of Belle but didn't really know her story. This was another book for Women's History Month, this time about a truly notorious woman who proved that women can be just as evil as men. 

Belle Gunness and her three foster children

Delay, Don't Deny by Gin Stephens

March 21, 2024

Delay, Don't Deny by Gin Stephens

Well-written book about the author's journey to health using intermittent fasting, especially OMAD, the one meal a day method. I became interested in IF after a conversation with one of my nephews, who began fasting intermittently due to his work schedule. While not for everyone, IF can improve many health issues including diabetes, inflammation, and digestive issues.

Red at the Bone by Jacqueline Woodson

March 21, 2024

Red at the Bone by Jacqueline Woodson

A family gathers for their granddaughter's coming of age party, and each family member reminisces about the past. Told from multiple POVs, the storyline follows three generations of a middle-class African American family.

Someone recommended this to me, but damned if I can remember who it was. Let me just say that Jacqueline Woodson is a wonderful writer, but this was just okay. I know a lot of readers really loved it, but I found it sad and depressing. Even a celebration of a grandchild reaching the age of 16 has very little joy, since everyone seems to be remembering only the bad times. Even the events of 9/11 get dragged in. Ultimately I found the story to be very unsatisfying.

The Great Mrs. Elias by Barbara Chase-Riboud

March 19, 2024

The Great Mrs. Elias by Barbara Chase-Riboud

Hannah Elias was one of the richest Black women in America in the early 20th century. She started her life as Bessie Elias, a domestic servant wrongly accused of theft. She was sent to prison, and when she was released, she was unable to find a job as a domestic, so she became a courtesan at a high-level brothel. There she met a number of wealthy men, mostly bankers and real estate barons, who taught her how to invest her money and accumulate wealth. She enjoyed her affluent lifestyle, until one of her long-time lovers decides Hannah duped him into giving her money and accuses her of criminal activities.

This is a portrayal of a strong Black woman, born in the 19th century, who rose to wealth, power and fame (or infamy), based on her real life. Hannah was a light-skinned Black woman, and for much of her life, passed for white, claiming to be Cuban. Women do what they need to do to survive, to feed themselves and their children. While I don't think it's as good as the author's previous book Sally Hemmings, it will appeal to readers of historical fiction and is a good choice for Women's History Month.

Hannah Elias

How to Solve Your Own Murder by Kristen Perrin

March 16, 2024

How to Solve Your Own Murder by Kristen Perrin

When she was 17 years old, Frances Adams was told by a fortune teller that she would be murdered. She and her two best friends Emily and Rose had their fortunes told at a county fair but Frances was the only one who really took the fortune to heart. Although the three girls are inseparable, Emily is more of a frenemy than a real friend, wanting everything that Frances has - she is a typical mean girl (yawn - so tired of high school BS). She scoffs at Frances' concern over the fortune, then ironically, Emily is the one who goes missing a year later. 

Frances spent her life on her husband's country estate, guarding herself from others and perceived threats.  At the reading of her will, her heirs discover that Frances' money will go to the one who solves her murder - and they have a week to do it.

Clever Agatha Christie-esque premise that doesn't quite pan out, particularly disappointing since I am a fan of mysteries set in country houses. There is a large with a large cast of characters past and present that were hard to keep track of. The plot got muddled from the sheer number of characters past and present, with many of them part of family groups that have common last names. Annie, the main character, got a little annoying with her fainting at the sight of blood, syringes, etc. - I did wonder how she managed her monthly period. I would have like to know what Frances was up to for the last 50 years. There are hints that she meddled in the lives of others (including her niece Laura) but there is no follow up to these hints. There are also a number of dangling mini-plots that are left, well, dangling. Real fans of cozy mysteries who are less picky than I am will enjoy the setting and the characters.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an eARC for review.

Hemlock, which turns out to be a complete red herring

The Neon Rain by James Lee Burke

March 10, 2024

The Neon Rain by James Lee Burke

Lt. Dave Robicheaux has a lot of demons chasing him: his wife Nicole left him for a wealthy oilman, he is a recovering alcoholic, his memories of Vietnam, his troubles with the police brass, his Catholic upbringing, his partner Clete who has his own marital and alcohol troubles plus a hair trigger temper and involvement in some not quite legal dealings. When Robicheaux becomes involved with the murder case of a young prostitute, he unexpectedly finds himself involved with drugs, South American drug lords, and arms smugglers, yet he persists according to his own code of honor. At the same time, he realizes that he has reached a crossroads in his life.

After reading Burke's outstanding historical novel Flags on the Bayou, I realized that I had never read any of his Dave Robicheaux series. Robicheaux is a flawed yet honorable hero. The writing is gritty and violent, with lush descriptions of New Orleans (especially the food). There are some disturbing racial epithets that were unfortunately common during the 1980s. The plot is somewhat dated but the character study of Dave is outstanding and sets up the rest of the series. The audio version is really good. Recommended for fans of hard-boiled mysteries or noir fiction.

New Orleans' French Quarter

System Collapse by Martha Wells

March 4, 2024

Murderbot, the rogue SecUnit, is back for another adventure, only this time, something traumatic has happened to it, causing it to experience false memories and flashbacks. Worse, its breakdown happened in front of the crew, ART, and another SecUnit, so everyone knows something is wrong. Both its mechanical and organic parts are affected, and it makes Murderbot question whether it can do its job. For the first time, it is afraid to go into unknown situations, that it will freeze and be unable to protect its humans. And Murderbot has more humans than ever to look after, and is starting to care about many of them.

Love the Murderbot series! It's been a while since the last book, so it takes the reader a few chapters to get back into the story (stick with it, it's worth it). Wells revisits many of our favorites characters, including ART, the Asshole Research Transport and Murderbot's best friend. We get to see Murderbot's human side here, which just makes me love it even more. I'm so sad that I have to wait another year for the next book. I highly recommend this series to anyone who enjoys science fiction and fantasy.

Terraforming a new planet

The Inmate by Freida McFadden

March 2, 2024

The Inmate by Freida McFadden

Nurse practitioner Brooke Sullivan takes a job at Raker State Prison out of desperation. She is warned not to develop a personal relationship with any of the inmates or give out any personal information. But Brooke does not disclose that she already know one of the inmates. Not only does she know him, she is responsible for him being in prison.

The synopsis for this book sounded really good, which is probably why I'm so disappointed in it. This is the second book that I read by this author (the other one was The Co-worker, which I felt was better, although it reminded me of Gone Girl). As other reviewers have noted, there is a strong YA feel. Brooke, the main character, gets dumber as the book goes on, almost as though she is reverting to her high school self. Yes, she's had a lot of trauma. But when she runs into the guy she sent to prison, who is now an inmate there, you can practically hear her underwear hitting the floor. The plot was too far-fetched with too many coincidences to ignore. Of course there had to be a corrupt prison guard and an evil Nurse Ratchett type. Not at all original. The epilogue was disturbing rather than satisfying. And in this century, who calls a child being raised by a single parent a bastard? Teens may enjoy her books, but I think I'm done with this author.

Many thanks to Edelweiss and the publisher for providing an eARC for review.

Prison infirmary