I like ghosts in novels. Whether they are helping the heroine solve an age old mystery or playing matchmaker to the clueless living, I think ghosts can add a lot to a tale. This story, narrated in part by a ghost and in part by a living woman, explores the connections between strangers and how…
Right now is the era of the psychological thriller. And the nice thing is that most of the books being published are not the Gone Girl copycats that will soon be appearing on our shelves. They are (in my opinion) novels by writers who had always intended to write a disturbing, misleading mystery and who…
The tag line for this novel is “Someone knows Lana’s secret and he’s dying to tell.” That’s actually not quite accurate. Someone does indeed know Lana’s secret – several someones in fact. But they aren’t dying to tell. They are killing the secrets one by one, until only their truth is left. ”Sticks and stones…
Teahouse of the August Moon is one of my very favorite movies. It deals with occupied Japan and celebrates Japanese village culture and the wonderful people on the island of Okinawa. It stars Marlon Brando and is part comedy, part romance and all together lovely. When I saw this novel I was beyond delighted to…
She has changed her name. She has changed her looks. But she cannot change her past. And it is her past, painful and difficult beyond what most people could understand, that is needed now. Because another young girl has been found in a basement, suffering from the shock of having been a captive sex slave….
Technology has changed the way the people of the Western hemisphere talk. We text, we tweet, we post on social media. Many argue that this type of sharing has actually been the death of true communication. Others say it has never been easier to keep in touch. Whichever side of the argument people fall on,…
The tissue trade – the actual harvesting of human tissue – can be seen as either evil or holy. On the one hand, ruthless men can use it to gain great wealth while desecrating the dead and risking the living. On the other hand, it saves lives. Tissue from the dead can bring hope and…
When my children were little I became well acquainted with the wit and wisdom of a nationally known purple dinosaur. One of his numerous oft-repeated songs told me that, “a family is people and a family is love, they come in all different sizes and different shapes but mine’s just right for me.” What the…
I love book covers featuring snow. You would think I would hate them since for much of winter it is a scene readily available right outside any of my windows, but something about the image of snow has always lured me in. Somehow the scenes communicate peace and rest, like nature is taking a much…
Most of us remember September 11, 2001. We know where we were when we found out what had happened. We probably remember days of being glued to the TV, watching updates. No doubt many on the East Coast remember spending at least some of their time being deeply concerned about a second attack. It’s hard…