A Dark and Twisting Path

Title: A Dark and Twisting Path
Author: Julia Buckley
Expected Publication August 7, 2018 by Berkley
Format: eBook, 304 Pages
Genre: Cozy Mystery
Source: My thanks to Netgalley and the Publisher for an opportunity to read an advanced copy of this book.
Series: A Writer's Apprentice #3

What a tangled web Lena London has found herself in. Working with her idol, gothic novelist Camilla Graham, in sleepy Blue Lake, Indiana, the duo must delicately wander the path of Sam West, his first wife Victoria, and her abducted infant daughter Athena Lazos.

Since Nikon, the father of Athena, has disappeared with their daughter, Victoria is regularly showing up in Sam’s life, but Lena has decided she is finished with crime solving and is keeping her head down and concentrating on her next book collaboration. All that changes when Lena’s best friend Allison calls in a panic when she discovers the body of her mail carrier Eddie Stack. Upon closer examination, it looks as if the cause of death might be Sam’s letter opener, a replica of King Arthur’s sword, buried in the man’s chest. Did Sam actually kill a person this time or is he once again being framed.

This framing of Sam seems to go a bit deeper; it appears whoever is after Sam wants to include Lena and Camilla in their plot. With this new concern, everyone in Blue Lake is becoming suspect, even Cliff Blake, the newest member of the police force who just happens to be taking a heightened interest in Sam.

By the end, the reason for Eddie’s death understandably follows the plot, but when the reason for Cliff’s attentiveness is revealed, that is definitely a shot out of the dark which you could not see coming.

Us Against You

Title: Us Against You
Author: Fredrik Backman
Published: June 5th 2018 by Atria Books
Format: eBook, Hardcover, 448 pages
Genre: Fiction
Source: My thanks to Netgalley and the Publisher for an opportunity to read an advanced copy of this book.
Series: Beartown #2

I had such high hopes for this book, but after the end of “Beartown”, I thought the story was over. A finality, of sorts, was given for each main character and you knew in vague terms where each of their lives had ended up. So when Fredrik Backman started this book on the tail end of the last, I was confused. Is he not telling a story when we already know the end? This was a strange diversion, akin to those movies where they show you the end first and then rewind to show how they got there. Not a tactic I enjoy.

There are a couple of new characters, and how they interact with the original cast, but I was not as invested in them or their oily maneuvers. Maybe he piqued my interest in how they interacted, but not enough for me to give up on those that I knew, and each time they were the center, I wanted to skim to get back to what I considered the important parts.

Beartown, an economically depressed town in the middle of nowhere, continues to struggle with both its people, and its hockey club. This gritty town finds a way to come together when every force comes at them. With most of the previous year's team pulling up and moving over to their rival, Beartown does the unthinkable and hires a woman coach. With her strange ways and three remaining players, she builds not only a team, but also a presence that is stronger than those who are trying to destroy it.

This is a slower book. If you had loved “Beartown”, you will not find the same anticipated drama in “Us Against You”, this is a slower meandering through the remaining parts of their lives kind of story. Though I am not looking forward to it, I have read there will be a final book three to this story somewhere in the distant future. I hope that Backman will bring back the passion and drama that had first brought me to this series, or at least put Beartown to rest.

The Neon Lawyer

Title: The Neon Lawyer
Author: Victor Methos
Published: November 18th 2014 by Thomas & Mercer
Format: eBook, 178 pages
Genre: Legal Suspense
Series: Brigham Theodore Series

The day that attorney Brigham Theodore is sworn into the bar of Salt Lake City, he hits the ground looking for a firm willing to take a chance on him. That is a big ask since he came out of a mid-range school and has been paying his bills as a janitor. He loses his first case, but this is where the book takes a hard swerve when his next case is to defend a woman in a capital murder case.

That seems like a quick leap for a person with no practical experiences and as you read, this wet behind the ears defense attorney seems to have the ninja moves of a seasoned litigator going up against a powerhouse who has never lost a case.

This small book gets to the point quickly without too much fluff, but the reader does need to suspend a bit of belief. From the only law firm willing to take him to the twists, turns, and courthouse maneuvers, Victor Methos takes his lead character through the halls of justice and back to the realities of fighting for a person’s life.

Brigham Theodore is a good man and a good character. It looks as though there is only one more book in this series, which is disappointing since there is no shortage to expand upon.

Aftermath

Title: Aftermath
Author: Kelley Armstrong
Published: May 22nd 2018 by Crown Books for Young Readers
Format: eBook, Hardcover, 371 pages
Genre: Young Adult
Source: My thanks to Netgalley and the Publisher for an opportunity to read an advanced copy of this book.

When it comes to the aftermath of high school shootings, very little notice is given to the family members of the shooters. Kelley Armstrong opens this door with the story of Skye Gilchrist, a sixteen-year-old high schooler who returns to her hometown, to live with her Aunt Mae, three years after her brother Luka was killed by the police.

Skye had no choice in returning, her mother had spiraled further into her depression and authorities said her grandmother was unable to continue caring for her. That left overworked Aunt Mae who had sworn to Skye that her best friend Jesse, the brother of one of the shooting victims, was not at the school and that Skye could have a clean start since no one would remember whom she was. That was wishful thinking on both their parts given that every person and family member who witnessed the tragedy that day remembered. Her brother’s actions affected everyone and no one will let her forget since you are “not allowed to grieve someone like Luka”.

Bullied and the victim of near deadly pranks, Skye continues to brave each day. Her aunt lied -- Jesse is there. This angry sulking boy is now the school’s track star with a chance at college recognition. This is not his dream; he wants to give his parents a place in the stands, the place they held when his brother Jamil was the family standout.

As Jesse and Skye come to terms with their shared past, and where they now fit in the community, they are faced with the need to bring the truth of the shooting to light. There are unlikely alliances, surprising forgiveness, and compassion in this book. No one at the school wants to listen, these two misfits are just odd attention seekers, but the facts are still there and they need to be seen in a new light. The question is -- who is the person behind the scenes pushing for the truth and if not for Jesse and Skye to do the bidding, who will seek justice?

Told in alternating voices, the reader sees their plight unfold. The truth is out there, why did people lie during the investigation? Was there an intentional cover up? Who wants the police report revealed to the public? Will families finally receive answers and the ability to move forward? There are only two people who can put things right, and while in the midst of a budding romance, find their way to the truth and to each other.