Nothing More Dangerous by Allen Eskens

Allen Eskens is a talented writer. He is wonderful with character development in his stories, so the reader really cares about them and what happens to them. This particular story is about 15-year old Boady Sanden, living with his single mother (in Missouri) who seems a bit detached from life. She cares about Boady, though, and when he started getting into some trouble at the local public school, she decided to send him to a private school (St. Ignatius High School) instead. Boady is pretty much an outsider at this school, bullied and lacking in friends. Boady and his mother have no money (his dad died when Boady was 5 years old), so they both work a lot to survive. Boady is saving up money to leave town as soon as he has enough money, not even planning to finish High School.

This small Missouri town is the home of the CORPS, which is similar to the KKK. The "mystery" of this story is "what happened to Lida Poe?" Lida, a black woman, is missing. The story is that she left town after embezzling money from her employer. Meanwhile, the Elgin family buys the large home across the street from Boady and his mother (who live in a very small house). The Elgins have come from Minnesota and they are black. They are wealthy, intelligent and kind. Mr. Elgin is the person who's been hired to take over the company with the missing money. None of this sits right with the CORPS. 

Boady becomes friends with Thomas Elgin, who is Boady's same age. Boady's mother develops a friendship with Mrs. Elgin, so she starts coming out of her shell. The other significant relationship in Boady's life is the man who lives next door to them, Hoke. Hoke is a mysterious man who seems to always be looking out for Boady. He sits on his front porch daily and Boady joins him there often, just to sit and talk. Or just to sit. Hoke is constantly journaling when he is sitting on the porch, but he never shares what he is writing.

Thomas and Boady end up finding the headquarters of the CORPS and the body of Lida Poe on their "camping adventures". Things take a dangerous turn for them after that. A neighbor's house is burnt down, the Elgin family is harassed, and men drive down their street to throw large stones at the Elgins and Boady. One of the stones hits Boady's mother in the head, which causes a serious injury (coma and TBI).

The ending is bittersweet. Boady grows up a lot, which is good. His mother recovers, which is also good. But the ending is sad. I guess that's life. Very well-written book.

Wendy's Rating: ****

The Turn of the Key by Ruth Ware

Well, I really liked this book - and then there was the ending. I am a fan of Ruth Ware and have read several of her books. This is a page-turner. It's creepy. It's mysterious. There are secrets that are unveiled over time. There is everything that you need in a good book. What I was astounded by was the extremely ambiguous ending. I don't need all the answers at the end of a book. I certainly don't need everything tied up in a neat little bow. Discussing different interpretations of not-clear endings of books makes book club more interesting. What threw me with this one is how abrupt the ending was - and how many things were left unsaid. I actually went online to search on what other people thought of the ending. Ha! I was not disappointed! Lots of negative responses for sure.

The story is about a young woman (Rowan) who applies for a nanny position at a home in the Scottish Highlands. The family is wealthy, so the nanny salary is generous. There are four daughters, ages 1 (?) - 14. The oldest is away at school, so Rowan is responsible for the three youngest while the parents work/travel. The area of concern in this new job is the fact that the last four nannies left abruptly, one after one night. There are rumors that the house (mansion, really) is haunted. The original owner's teenage daughter died after eating poison berries and the owner was never the same again, due to his grief.

It doesn't take long for Rowan to find out that the girls are a handful. Another challenge is the technology. It's like a "smart" house with camera's everywhere and an iPad that controls pretty much everything. Then there is a housekeeper who is definitely not friendly to Rowan when she arrives - and a chauffeur/handyman who lives on the property who is a little too friendly (wink, wink). Oh, and of course there are two large dogs because Rowan doesn't have enough on her plate!

The house (and it's creepy sounds & missing keys & the girl's mother randomly talking to her through the speakers set up throughout the house even though she is traveling) scares Rowan. After a few days she can't even sleep in her own room she is so frightened, so she sleeps on a couch in the common area. Since the book starts with Rowan being charged with murder, it's not a spoiler to say that one of the girls dies.

Suddenly, the book is over! The author jumps ahead two years after the tragic death event, but we have no idea what happens to Rowan - or any of the remaining daughters - or their parents. It's the oddest thing. There are some "hints" (I guess you could call them) at the end, but those hints are definitely open to interpretation! I don't agree with most of the online comments though. I have my own theory, but I don't want to ruin the book for anyone who decides to read it.

Wendy's Rating: ****