Coal River

by Ellen Marie Wiseman

            Since reading Wiseman’s novel, What She Left Behind, I have been eagerly anticipating her next novel. Coal River has a great setting and premise. Unfortunately, it never lives up to its potential.

            The coal industry in the early 1900’s in Pennsylvania was a time of forced child labor, little to no safety, and mine owned stores. Into this setting, Wiseman drops nineteen year old Emma, an orphan coming to live with her aunt and uncle. Her uncle, an evil little man, is a supervisor in the mines and lives very well. Emma’s aunt is a flighty, nervous caricature who is never fully developed. Predictably, Emma is horrified with the conditions of the mine workers, children, etc. and sets out to change matters. The rest of the story is just too predictable. Even a secret revealed at the end cannot save this novel.

            I wanted to like this novel. I slogged my way through it. I put it down, I picked it back up. I hoped it would get better. It never did. The characters in Coal River are just too one dimensional, and unlikeable. Emma in particular comes off as dull, whiney and weak. The bad guys are spectacularly bad, and the good guys are saints with halos.

            Let’s hope Wiseman’s next novel is better. Leave this one at the library.

Disclaimer: I received an ARC from the publisher in exchange for a fair and honest review.

The Drifter

by Nicholas Petrie

            In his first novel, Petrie has created an interesting protagonist in Peter Ash, a veteran suffering from PTSA that manifests itself in extreme claustrophobia. His solution; live outdoors in the wilderness. When Ash receives word that his friend and former sergeant Jimmy has committed suicide, he feels that he has somehow failed his friend. He should have visited, called. Ash’s solution to his guilt is a visit to Jimmy’s widow offering to help with home repairs. When Ash finds a suitcase filled with money and C4 under the porch he is repairing, he wonders just what his old friend was involved in. When Ash traces his friend’s last days, he finds that all is not as it appears, and finding out the truth just may get him killed.

            Billed as a thriller, this book does not quite live up to that. It is, instead, an excellent character driven book with plenty of suspense. This is not a page turner kind of book. However, it is a very good first book with excellent character development.  I will be looking for more from this author in the future.

            Borrow this book from your local library and watch for more from this author.

Disclaimer: I received an ARC from the publisher in exchange for a fair and honest review.

The Bone Labyrinth

by James Rollins

            James Rollins has the ability to blend an edge-of-your-seat thriller and cutting edge technology (with a touch of sci-fi thrown in) into a white knuckle ride that will leave you breathless from start to finish.

            The 11^th installment in his Sigma Force series deals with two geneticists: twin sisters, Lena and Maria Crandall who are researching the origins of human intelligence. When one sister goes missing, Sigma Force is tasked with finding her. On the other side of the globe, the other sister is attacked. What is so important about the sisters research that someone is willing to kill for it, and who is that someone?

            Rollins offers the reader a heady brew of ancient mysticism, the lost continent of Atlantis, the bible, the lost minutes of a moon landing recording, numerology and some giant hybrid apes. If this sounds too far-fetched, rest assured that James Rollins knows how to make all these elements work together to create a wholly plausible story.

            Buy this book. Turn off your phone, tell your family you’re out of town and prepare to lose a weekend to this excellent thriller.

Disclaimer: I received an ARC from the publisher in exchange for a fair and honest review.

The Hours Count

by Jillian Cantor

          

            The Rosenbergs, Julius and Ethel, cold war spies who betrayed their country to the Soviets and were executed, guilty beyond all doubt of espionage. Or were they? Cantor’s novel uses the voice of a fictional neighbor of the Rosenbergs, Millie Stein to relate the story that shocked a nation, and resulted in the execution of both Julius and Ethel.  

            It is Millie’s voice that shows us who Ethel, and to a lesser extent Julius, Rosenberg were. They were the neighbors down the hall, the friends Millie came to love, the friends who introduced some light and gaiety into Millie’s life. Ethel was the mother of two boys who joined Millie and her son on outings to the park. The Rosenbergs were friends, lovers and parents. Were they spies? Maybe, maybe not. In Cantor’s capable hands, the Rosenbergs are many things, but most importantly, perhaps, they are human. They become someone who you might know, and like. They are no longer some heinous couple who may have betrayed their country, no longer an evil pair of spies whose names conjure up revulsion.  

            While this is a work of fiction, the historical details are, for the most part, very accurate. Using Millie to tell the story of the Rosenbergs allows the reader a glimpse into who this couple was, how they lived and the distinct possibility that Ethel was innocent. The book also does an excellent job of giving the reader a glimpse into what it was like to live in that time period, from the ‘killer fog’ to the suspicion that McCarthy ignited and ferociously fed. It was this climate of fear, that one’s neighbors might be communists and spies, that led to the conviction and execution of what was quite possibly at least one innocent person. Cantor shines a light into a period of xenophobia that destroyed many lives, while accomplishing little. Perhaps this is a lesson we as a society have yet to learn.

                Disclaimer: I received an ARC from the publisher in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Radiant Angel

by Nelson DeMille

            The seventh book in DeMille’s John Corey series is a breath of fresh air after last year’s, in my opinion, flop, The Panther. Being a longtime fan of both the author and the Corey series, I was afraid the series had run its course. I can happily report that the real John Corey is back and in fine form in Radiant Angel.

            In Angel, Corey has been relegated to a dead end and boring job with the Diplomatic Surveillance Corps keeping track of Russian diplomats. It’s a job with little responsibility other than to follow the diplomat he’s assigned to, and report in. Nothing heroic or taxing here. Right. John Corey has never simply followed orders, nor has he ever been accused of being trusting. When Corey’s instincts tell him that attending a simple weekend party is not all his assigned diplomat is doing, he throws the rule book out the window and proceeds according to John’s Rules. What follows is a roller coaster ride that will keep readers on the edge of their seat, and up til the wee hours of the morning.

            Buy this book and settle in for the kind of great thriller that fans of DeMille have come to expect. John Corey is back! 

Darkness the Color of Snow

by Thomas Cobb

            How can an entire life unravel in a split second? Is it possible for a single moment in time to cast out a ripple effect that grows from a tiny shimmer to a tidal wave that crashes and destroys everything in its path? Could it have been stopped, contained? Was there ever any choice?

            At the heart of Cobb’s book is young rookie police office Ronnie Forbert and one fateful night that changed his life forever. A routine traffic stop leaves Forbert’s old friend Matt Leferiere dead. Was it an accident, or did Ronnie kill his old friend? The Chief of Police stands by Ronnie, while the dead boy’s parents accuse Ronnie of deliberately killing their son. As the investigation proceeds, the local media uncovers a witness who swears that Officer Forbert killed Leferiere. Did a witness actually see this, or is this a misguided attempt to grab five minutes of fame? What really happened that night? When a political firestorm erupts, it becomes clear that the truth may no longer matter, and that justice is just a word.

            Cobb does a masterful job of delving into small town politics where everyone knows everyone, slights are never forgotten, and grudges die hard. What makes this novel shine is the author’s ability to bring the town and its people alive. These are not mere characters on a page. They become people the reader likes, loathes, understands and ultimately wants to see redeemed.

This is a book to read slowly and savor. Buy this book and prepare to be immersed in Cobb’s small town of Lydell, New York.

Scheduled for publication August 18^th, 2015

Disclaimer: I received an ARC from the publisher in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Last Bus to Wisdom              

by Ivan Doig

            

           This delightful novel is narrated by twelve year old Donal Cameron who relates his summer adventures when he is shipped off to Wisconsin after his grandmother becomes ill. Donal’s grandmother needs an operation and has no choice but to send Donal on the ‘dog bus’ (Greyhound) to stay with her sister in Wisconsin. Having lived his entire young life in Montana, Donal is ill prepared for city life, or for his Aunt Kate. As he tries to ‘get on Aunt Kate’s good side’ Donal quickly realizes that she has no good side. Donal’s only ally is his Uncle Herman, a man cowed by Aunt Kate, who retreats to his backyard greenhouse whenever possible. When things come to a head, Aunt Kate decides to ship Donal back to Montana, and the fate of an orphanage. As Donal boards the dog bus, he is shocked to find Uncle Herman has joined him, and together, the two are running away. What follows is hilarious, heart breaking, and a wonderful story of what family is all about.

            Unlike many novels narrated by a young child, this novel doesn’t try to give Donal adult wisdom. In fact, he is very much a young boy on the cusp of figuring out who he is. Uncle Herman is a delight. His perspective on life is at times hysterical and his love for Donal is real.

            A great read, Last Bus to Wisdom is filled with characters you will love, route for, and loath. It is a rollicking good ride on the dog bus.

            Disclaimer: I received an ARC from the publisher in exchange for a fair and honest review.