Happy Spring! Here is a picture from a drive we took last week. After several really dry years, it is so nice to see so many wildflowers coming up this year.
Our Mystery Book Club read Two Nights in Lisbon by Chris Pavone for our April book.
I think this was the first book by this author that 99% of the group had read.
You think you know a person . . .
Ariel Pryce wakes up in Lisbon, alone. Her husband is gone―no warning, no note, not answering his phone. Something is wrong.
She starts with hotel security, then the police, then the American embassy, at each confronting questions she can’t fully answer: What exactly is John doing in Lisbon? Why would he drag her along on his business trip? Who would want to harm him? And why does Ariel know so little about her new―much younger―husband?
The clock is ticking. Ariel is increasingly frustrated and desperate, running out of time, and the one person in the world who can help is the one person she least wants to ask."
I liked it. It is a long book but it moves very fast. I liked how the story unfolds with Ariel discovering her husband of three moths is gone from the hotel room in Lisbon, her thought process of what to do, wait? report it? And then convincing people to take action. I liked reading what the local police are thinking and what the Embassy thinks about the kidnapping. More people are brought in for the investigation. I like reading how the professionals work through the issue, investigating not just the crime but Ariel and her husband John. We gradually find out more about Ariel and John. Without giving away spoilers, the story really escalates in the last third of the book. Many twists and surprises. There is a lot more going on than we know.
What did our book club members think? It was 50/50, like/didn't like. Those that liked it, liked the pace, the writing and the suspense. Those that didn't, didn't like specific characters. Those that liked it, want to read more by this author. The book does deal with a tough subject. Again I don't want to give away too much. Nevertheless, we had a good discussion with the varying opinions.
I listened to an interesting interview with Chris Pavone, who talked about his writing style. His style and twists and when they occur are very purposeful. I did not listen do the entire interview due to time but the first part was very informative.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SkicMd_coRw
I am also enjoying listening to the Rockton series by Kelley Armstrong.
I recently finished book two: A Darkness Absolute.
About: " It's winter in Rockton, a little town hidden deep in the wilds of the Yukon. The town exists for people who need to escape their pasts, though it's not clear if those in hiding are victims or perpetrators. Or, when the lines gets blurred, maybe both. Ask Casey. She's been used, betrayed, beaten. But she's also killed someone. She moved to Rockton to help her best friend, Diana. Ex-best friend. Diana lied to get Casey to come with her; she used her and she almost got her killed. But Casey decided to stay anyway, to work as a detective alongside her new boyfriend and the town's sheriff, Eric Dalton. Fresh off solving a series of grisly murders, Casey and Deputy Will Anders get stranded in a blizzard while they're tracking a runner from the town. Seeking shelter in a cave, they stumble across a woman who's been imprisoned in a deep well. Nicole Chavez--whom everybody thought had run away from town and died in the woods more than a year earlier--is alive. Barely. But she can't identify her captor: she's never seen his face.
- This series is definitely suspenseful. The writing is very descriptive to the point that you can picture the wilderness, the snow and cold and the desolation of the forest. These stories are not cozies. The main characters, Casey, Eric and Will, are people you can like and want to know more about. The stories are developing their work and personal relationships. We learn more about the town and it's workings. I like how the characters work together to solve the case. Some very unexpected things happen, some "oh-no" moments, and some "was that a good idea" moments. But all and all, I am liking the series.
- I would recommend it if you like very suspenseful books with characters you can root for and get to know.
Lovely bluebonnet picture! And that was an interesting discussion of the Chris Pavone book. Isn't that always the way when opinions are varied on the book? Ha! Hope you'll continue to enjoy the Rockton books. They may not be to everyone's taste, but I have really liked them.
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