I Was a Teenage Slasher

 

I Was a Teenage Slasher by Stephen Graham Jones

245 pp

“I Was a Teenage Slasher” is told via a letter from Tolly to his best high school friend Amber, not unlike other books by Stephen Graham Jones.  It seems that if the blood of a reanimated corpse bent on revenge mixes with your blood, it turns you into a “slasher” bent on vengeance.  This is what happens at popular kid  Deek’s party who also happens to be one of the kids who accidentally killed Justin Joss.  Tolly and his friend Amber (who are not popular) decide they are going to the party.  Unfortunately, the popular kids aren’t done picking on unpopular kids like Tolly and Justin.  Tolly gets raging drunk at the party because people keep giving him mixed drinks.  Once Tolly is incredibly drunk to the point of vomiting, the band kids decide to have some fun and strap Tolly to a lounge chair with their belts.  Then someone gives Tolly a drink with a few peanuts in it and force him to drink it.  Despite vomiting, Tolly has a bad reaction to the peanuts because he is violently allergic to nuts.  Fortunately one of the girls at the party who used to babysit for Tolly knows about his allergy and goes and gets his EpiPen.  Once Stace uses the EpiPen on Tolly, his condition improves, but then Justin Joss shows up at the party.  Several of the kids at the party were responsible for Justin’s death and he wants his revenge.  During the melee in which Justin kills several of the kids, two drops of “blood” from Justin drop onto Tolly.  When Tolly rubs his forehead to remove the blood, Justin’s “blood” gets into the cut on his forehead.  The book continues on with Tolly becoming a “slasher” killing the kids that had wronged him.

I really enjoyed this story.  It was different from the Jade Daniels books in that Tolly himself is not a “slasher” fan, although his friend Amber and her brother are.  The way that Tolly becomes a “slasher” is different from any other thing like this I have read.  It was an incredibly creative idea.  As a “slasher” fan from the 1980’s, I understood a lot of what Tolly and Amber were discussing and I think people who know the film genre will enjoy the storyline. I give this 4 out of 5 stars.

Thank you to Saga Press for allowing me to read the book in advance of publication.

The Good, the Bad and the Aunties

 The Good, The Bad, and the Aunties by Jesse Q. Sutanto

200 pp

The Aunties are back for a third madcap adventure.  Meddy and Nathan are on their honeymoon after successfully getting married in Four Aunties and a Wedding. They join the family in Jakarta for Chinese New Year where the aunties are in fine form.  Meddy’s mother won’t stop talking about grandchildren. During the party, Abi Lincoln shows up (having been invited by Fourth Auntie) to proclaim his love for Second Auntie.  Unfortunately, while giving out the red packets (envelopes with money in them) to the children, an important document intended for another person is given to someone and Meddy and the Aunties must figure out who received it. When they visit the important business woman who it’s destined for, she decides to keep Nathan as collateral until they can retrieve it. Meddy and the Aunties go to great lengths to recover it and get Nathan back. Then, Second Auntie is kidnapped and the Aunties, Meddy and Nathan must go all out to get her back.

For those who love the Aunties, The Good, The Bad, and the Aunties will not disappoint.  There were several times when I laughed out loud.  For the craziness, I am glad they are not my relatives.  For the loyalty, anyone would be lucky to have them.  I give it four out of five stars.

The Mystery Guest

 The Mystery Guest by Nita Prose

230 pages

Molly the maid and the Regency Grand are back with a whole new murder.  Molly is stepping out of her comfort zone for the Grand Opening of the Regency Grand tearoom.  She made sure the room is just so for the special event—a special announcement by mystery author J. D. Grimthorpe to his biggest fans.  Unfortunately before he makes his announcement he falls to the floor dead. Barmaid Angela is a true crime expert so she enlists Molly in interviewing some of those fans which include the Ladies Auxiliary Mystery Book Society (known as the LAMBS). Molly’s definitely not his biggest fan since her Gran worked at Mr. Grimthorpe’s house and Molly met him when she was young. Inspector Stark is back as is doorman Mr. Preston.  Of course Molly’s attention to detail solves the crime.

I loved the back and forth between time periods to get the true background of the author and her relationship with her maid in training Lily.  I also enjoyed that a mystery book group was part of the story since I run one myself. My only quibble is that Molly has lost so much of the social awkwardness she once had. I thought this was an excellent follow up to The Maid and a great sophomore effort.  Four out of five stars.

The Mystery Writer by Sulari Gentill

 The Mystery Writer by Sulari Gentill  286 pp

After dropping out of law school, Theo heads to her brother's house in Lawrence, KS to write a novel. Theo and her brother Gus are originally from Australia. While looking through the town for a good place to write, she finds a combination bar/coffee house called Benders.  While writing there, she meets Dan Murdoch, a fellow author who has already been published, and they become friends. When she finishes her novel, she begs Dan to introduce her to his agent and to submit her novel.  He originally says "no."  Not finding Dan at Benders one day, she heads to his house to look for him.  When she enters, she finds Dan dead.  Of course she touches him and gets blood on her so when the police come and she's washing her hands she looks suspicious.  Enter Gus who is a lawyer and his friend Mac, an investigator (who has a bunch of end-of-the-world preppers as family).  What happens next is a combination spy/assassin/conspiracy theory story including a cult like following of Dan Murdoch who blames Theo for his death.  Each chapter begins with a conversation between conspiracy theorists that is very 1/6.

This is a totally different type of story than The Woman in the Library but still about books.  I really had to take time to think about this before I gave it any type of rating on either Goodreads or in Net Galley.  There were many clever ideas in this story (which I can't talk about or you would be spoiled).  Some might say these were too cute.  In the US where January 6 will be talked about for years, the conspiracy theories will ring true.  While I know "preppers" exist, it is interesting to think of people who are so crazy about an author that they would become violent upon hearing of their death (even in the case of murder).  While I enjoyed this story, I would say there may have been too many weird things piled up on each other for me to love it as much as The Woman in the Library.  3.5 stars rounding up to 4 for creativity.

Dead of Winter

 "Dead of Winter" by Darcy Coates   384 pp.

Christa's boyfriend Kiernan invites her to go on a trip to an exclusive lodge high in the Rocky Mountains.  The tour company suggests that everyone leave their electronics at home so they can enjoy getting away from it all.  A downed tree on the road means it needs to be moved.  While the other men in the tour group work on getting rid of it, Kiernan takes Christa on a walk.  She loses him in the snow and stumbles upon an abandoned hunting cabin.  By the time she arrives, the other members of the tour group are there, as well.  Christa has some bad frostbite and she hears someone else in the group say they might have to cut off her arm.  Kiernan is not there.  Christa wants to go out looking for him (and does a few times), but does not find him at first.  Then during the night, the tour guide disappears and other tour members soon follow.

"The Dead of Winter" by Darcy Coates was described as similar to "And Then There Were None" by Agatha Christie.  This is true in that all the people on this trip to a remote lodge have secrets and the characters die one by one.  This story, however, is far more graphic in its violence.  The story was gripping and fast-paced.  I figured out who the bad guy was before the end, however.

It Happened One Fight

 

It Happened One Fight by Maureen Lee Lenker  384 pp.

Joan Davis and Dash Howard have made a series of movies together, but can't seem to get along.  Joan has to contend with a jealous Hollywood gossip columnist who found out something Joan herself doesn't know--Joan and Dash are married!  It seems Dash (as a joke) sent Joan the marriage license from their movie (that was performed by a real minister) and Joan's assistant sent it off to city hall not knowing what it was.  Now both Dash and Joan are off to Reno so they can get a quickie divorce while filming their latest film (written by Joan's assistant) and Joan can marry the man she's engaged to.  

With elements of old Hollywood movies (including "It Happened One Night", "It Happened One Fight" is a cute romance.  Anyone who is a Joan Crawford, Bette Davis, Clark Gable, or Montgomery Clift/Rock Hudson fan will find the book thoroughly entertaining.

Zero Days

 Zero Days by Ruth Ware  307 pp.

Jack (Jacintha) and her partner (and husband) Gabe own a business where they try to penetrate building security both physically and online so that they can give the companies tips on how to improve.  Jack is at a building doing the physical aspect of the security check (and hooking Gabe into the online aspect) when she is caught by security personnel.  They don't believe her when she said she was hired to do the check since the company contact is not answering his phone, so the police take her into custody.  Her former boyfriend (Jeff) is a police officer and when he finds out what is happening gets her freed.  When she gets home to her house, she finds Gabe with a slit throat.  Because she is in shock, she doesn't call the police immediately which leads them to question the timeline of her actions and before she know it, she is a suspect.  From there, Jack goes on the run and is nearly caught several times.

Despite figuring out who the bad guy was fairly early on, I did not know the motive immediately.  The book had an action movie feel to it once Jack was on the run and I felt the author played fair with the mystery aspects of the story.

"Peach Blossom Spring" by Melissa Fu

 

Peach Blossom Spring by Melissa Fu

400 pp

Peach Blossom Spring covers the years 1938-2005 in the lives of a family.  The story starts in China during the war with Japan (the early days of WWII) and follows his wife and son as they travel through China to meet his brother to find safety from the Japanese bombers.  Meilin (the wife) has a valuable scroll that her husband took in trade so that she and he could have their own business someday.  She uses this scroll to tell her son stories through much of the book.  Meilin and her brother-in-law and his family come together for some time, but when one of the nieces dies, Meilin is blamed and she decides to sever ties.  They make their way to other parts of China eventually coming to settle in Taiwan.  Her son goes to school and is a good student.  He goes through high school and college in Taiwan, but gets the opportunity to go to the US for his master's degree.  Meilin sees her brother-in-law while she is working at a party and gets him to help her son qualify to go to the US.  The story then mainly follows the son who takes the Americanized name Henry when he goes to the US.  Henry eventually marries an American woman and they have a child named Lily.  The story they follows Lily after she goes to college, but has brief interludes with Henry and Meilin.

This was an excellent story.  I particularly liked the stories from the scroll that were native to China. There is also a part set in St. Louis since the woman the son marries family is from here. The author is a woman with a background from China and the US Southwest, but who lives in Great Britain now.  Were I to give it stars, it would definitely make four our of five for me.

 

Everyone in My Family Has Killed Someone

 

Everyone in My Family Has Killed Someone by Benjamin Stevenson

384 pp

Everyone in Ern's family has killed someone, but not all are murderers. Erv is a writer of books to help writers write books in particular genres. He is joining his family at a ski resort in Australia (I did not know they had these!) for a family reunion since his brother is getting out of jail. Within 24 hours of arriving at the reunion, a body is found. Then (of course) a big storm comes in and cuts off all communication for the family with anyone outside of the resort.

Throughout the book, Ern recounts his different family members and who they killed.  I have read some reviews that said that they thought the book was like the  "Knives Out" series of movies.  Unfortunately, I thought the story required the reader to suspend belief several times and played upon cliches of the mystery/suspense genre.  Perhaps I read this at the wrong time to find the humor.

Reputation

Reputation  by Lex Croucher  336 pages

As I read in a promo, Reputation is "Mean Girls" crossed with Jane Austen.  Georgiana Ellers is abandoned by her parents at her aunt and uncle's home while they move to a seaside community for her mother's health.  Georgiana is bored to tears with all of the activities her aunt has for her which includes counting embroidery needles at the most exciting.  While at a party where a local couple are showing off their new painting, Georgiana encounters Frances who leads her into a world of alcohol and drug use along with some heavy petting not common in the Regency era for young girls.  When Georgiana declines to go along with Frances (and friends), She finds herself on the outside of the "in" crowd.

"Reputation" explores situations that are more modern and not typical to a Regency romance.  It definitely put a spin on what Regency readers are used to and thus, may not be for all readers who like this genre.

Anatomy of a Murder by Robert Traver

 Anatomy of a Murder by Robert Traver 437 pages

Anatomy of a Murder is a book that talks about a legal case from beginning to end, not unlike John Grisham's books.  It begins with Paul Biegler who is an attorney in Michigan's U.P. (upper peninsula) answering the phone in his law office after he comes back from a fishing trip.  On the other end is Laura Manion whose husband Lieutenant Frederic Manion is in jail after he shot the man who beat and raped her.  She asks that Biegler meet with her husband and take his case.  Biegler was once the District Attorney in Iron Bay but did not win a recent election to continue in that position.  He goes to talk with Lieutenant Manion to decide if he will take the case.  Once he makes the decision to take it, he enlists his secretary and his lawyer friend to help him in gathering information including visiting the location where the murder/killing took place.  What follows is a detailed view of meetings with his client and other potential witnesses, gathering evidence and finally the trial. 

I thought the book was well written and enjoyed reading an early legal story.  I had to make sure I remembered the time period the book was written in at times since there were some slurs and other situations that would not be appropriate in 2022.  I gave this four of five stars on Goodreads.

Bluff by Jane Stanton Hitchcock

 Bluff by Jane Stanton Hitchcock 305 pages

Bluff  is the story of former socialite (current poker player) Maud Warner.  When she was young and impressionable, she was taken in by celebrity accountant Burt Sklar.  Once she figured out that he was a fraud, her mother had already invested money with him and lost most of it (think Bernie Madoff).  One day she goes into The Four Seasons restaurant and tells the maitre d she is meeting Burt and his dining companion Sun Sunderland.  She draws a gun from her purse and shoots.  She hits Sun Sunderland since Burt Sklar uses him as a shield.  Did she hit the wrong man?  After this she goes into hiding with one of her poker buddies in Washington D.C.  I would summarize more, but might give away the twists.

Filled with plenty of twists and turns (and poker terminology), Bluff is a delightful caper mystery from beginning to end.  If you enjoy a lighter story with a twist, Bluff may be just what you are looking for.

 

Still Alice by Lisa Genova

 

Still Alice by Lisa Genova  302 pp

Still Alice is the fictionalized account of early onset Alzheimer's disease in Alice Howland, a Harvard professor.  When Alice is out running one day, she stops briefly and realizes that she has no idea which way she needs to turn to go home.  That feeling passes, but other events occur that lead her to contact her doctor to ask if the symptoms she is experiencing might be related to menopause.  Once she goes through a battery of tests and the doctor finds nothing to be concerned about, Alice goes on with her life.  When she forgets she was supposed to be in Chicago for a conference, she asks for a referral to a neurologist who diagnoses her with early onset Alzheimer's disease.  The story is about Alice's experiences with the disease through a full year.  As time progresses, so does the disease.

Lisa Genova obviously did excellent research for this story.  It was both compelling and informative.  I particularly liked the part about Alice forming her own support group with other early onset dementia patients and her speech at the conference that asks that people think about what the person with the disease is experiencing.  I can understand why this book would be difficult to read for anyone who has a friend or family member who has experienced this devastating disease, but it is certainly a worthwhile one.

The Poacher's Son

 

The Poacher's Son by Paul Doiron 324 pp.

The Poacher's Son is the first book in a series that was recommended by someone in our Mystery Lover's Book Club.  It is about a man who is a game warden in Maine.  Game wardens in Maine have the same training and abilities to arrest people as police officers and sheriffs/deputies do.  They go through similar training.  Part of the story is about trapping a bear that has a taste for pork.  The other part is about Mike Bowditch (the main character) trying to clear his father's name when he is accused of killing two people: a man from a paper company and a police officer.  Mike wants to help with the investigation but cannot since he is too close to the crime (since it involves his father).  He involves himself anyway and puts his position as a game warden on the line as a result.  Another character in the story is a former game warden (who inspired Mike to become one) who flies a water plane.  Both of them get in a little over their heads by the end.

I enjoyed the story.  It was very easy to read.  The characterizations of the main characters were very good, but some of the female characters were not as well fleshed out.  I thought much of the conversation between male characters felt true.  

Burial Rites

Burial Rites 

Burial Rites by Hannah Dent 322 pp.

Burial Rites is the story of Agnes Magnusson who was found guilty of murdering her employer in Iceland in the 1800s.  Because prison does not exist as a building in Iceland during this time period, she is sent to live with a family and has a spiritual advisor who is to come to visit her until the date of her execution.  Agnes is not interested in praying with the "minister in training" she has chosen, but when he offers to let her tell about herself and her crime, she takes him up on the offer.  When the minister become ill and cannot visit toward the end, she unburdens herself to the wife of the household she is staying in.  At first the family is cold toward her, but eventually everyone treats her as though she belongs.  I will not spoil the ending of this beautifully written and sad story.

This is a fictionalized version of a real event in Iceland.

Interior Chinatown

Interior Chinatown by Charles Yu  266 pages 

Interior Chinatown by Charles Yu explores racism against Asian American people in script form.  Willis Wu talks about the different levels he expects to attain in life (as a tv script) based on Asian characters he sees in television and movies.  You start as Asian Guy and move up to Kung Fu guy, but are never a leading man in the script of your life or at work as an actor.  This book explores Wu's life and that of his family through the tropes that people expect when they enter an Asian community (in many cases, Chinatown).  It also discusses the history of Chinese people in the United States and laws that were written against them.  I didn't realize that Chinese Americans were not allowed to own property and no immigrants from Asian countries could be accepted until Lyndon B. Johnson changed the immigration laws for the US in the 1960s.

This book is for our Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Book Club at St. Louis Public Library and should provide an interesting discussion.  It was the book discussed on PBS News Hour in February 2021.

Here Comes the Sun

 Here Comes the Sun by Nicole Dennis-Benn 349 pages

Dennis-Benn tells a story from the points of view of three women from the same family.  Delores, Margot, and Thandi live in a shack in the poor part of town in Montego Bay, Jamaica.  Delores sells trinkets to cruise ship tourists in the market.  Margot works at a hotel and has a side hustle taking care of the men who are staying there.  Thandi goes to private school.  Both Margot and Delores and counting on Thandi to pass her exams so that she can go to college to become a doctor and take care of them.  Thandi has other ideas.  She wants to be an artist.

When Margot's boss starts building a new hotel, she has dreams of promotion and buying a house to live in instead of their lowly shack.  She acts in a ruthless manner losing almost everything she has ever wanted in her quest, including her childhood love.

Trigger warning: several women are raped in the story and some of the sex scenes are a bit racy.

This was a book I read for a neighborhood book discussion group.  We are reading books set in other countries since it is unlikely we will vacation out of the US anytime soon.  I was hoping for a little lighter read than this was since it was set in Jamaica.  It was valuable for me to check my privilege and learn about people who live in poverty in vacation spots that are "unseen".  Only 3 out of 5 for me.