Maggie; Or, A Man and a Woman Walk into a Bar by Katie Yee

Fortunately, this was a short book. This was one of those books that I was fine when I was reading it, but I had to force myself to pick it back up. It was well-written, but it just wasn't my cup of tea, so to speak. There were certainly a lot of insightful comments and observations, and some things I could relate to, but it simply didn't hold my interest for a sustained period of time.

A Chinese woman marries an American and they have two children, Noah & Lila. The narrator (we don't know her name) goes out to dinner one night with her husband, Sam, and he unexpectantly announces to her that he is having an affair with a woman named Maggie and he wants a divorce. Being a product of her Chinese environment, she doesn't show any emotion at the restaurant (doesn't want to cause a scene) or in Sam's presence at all. She is deeply affected by this information however. Shortly after learning about her husband's affair, she finds out she has breast cancer. Her best friend, Darlene, suggests that she name the lump (cancer) in her breast. She names it "Maggie".

There are some funny comments in the book. You can tell that the author is intelligent. The story just didn't hold my interest. My favorite character was Darlene, simply because she was a tried and true friend of the narrator. She was the "rock", the foundation for the narrator to start building a new life upon. I didn't connect to any of the characters though, which made it difficult to finish reading. The narrator doesn't even share her breast cancer diagnosis with her husband, which is understandable on one level, but since she was the primary caregiver of their two young children after he left her, I thought it was a weird decision. Anyway, I finished the book because I wanted to give it a fair chance. But again, it wasn't for me.

Wendy's Rating: ***

A Flicker in the Dark by Stacy Willingham

This was Stacy Willingham's debut novel and I actually liked it better than the novel I just read by her (Forget Me Not). The protagonist is Chloe Davis, a psychologist with a significant trauma history herself. When she was 12 years old, her father admitted to killing six teenage girls (aged 15) in their small town. Chloe and her brother, Cooper, who is 15, are pretty much left to fend for themselves since their mother never recovers from the charges against her husband and his confession. She tried to commit suicide but is saved before she actually died. She lives in a nursing home with no ability to speak, however. Not much of a life. 

A Flicker in the Dark takes place 20 years after her father goes to prison. Chloe has never spoken to her father in prison. In fact, the 20th anniversary of this horrific event is approaching. A journalist keeps contacting Chloe and asking if she will talk about the impact her father's actions. Chloe doesn't want to talk to him initially, but eventually does and they start working together after two teenagers (aged 15) are taken and murdered exactly like the teens from 20 years previously. Chloe & Aaron believe it's a "copy cat" at work, especially since Chloe knew the two teens killed and one was discovered behind her own office building.

Chloe keeps a drawer full of medications in her office (prescribed by herself to her fiancé, Daniel, who doesn't even know about the pills.) She keeps them "just in case" she can't handle her life at any given time. Daniel is super supportive and kind, but Chloe's brother, Cooper, doesn't like (or trust) Daniel at all. Daniel and Chloe got involved with each other quickly and were engaged within one year of them meeting (accidently). Their wedding is fast approaching.

Daniel is on the road a lot, but he lives with Chloe in her house when he is home. Daniel is no stranger to tragedy himself, since his own sister was abducted when she was a young girl and he left home as soon as he was old enough. He doesn't talk about his parents to Chloe.

With Chloe's mental health deteriorating with the new murders, she doesn't know what's going on (and neither do we!) She, very unexpectedly, is thrown together with the father of one of the girls that her father murdered. Ironically, he comes over (called by Daniel) to install a security system in her house. From that point on, this book is a wild ride! I really enjoyed the twists and turns, and even though I suspected who might be behind it all, the story was definitely intriguing. I really liked it.

Wendy's Rating: ****

The Running Grave by Robert Galbraith

This is the 7th installment of the Cormoran Strike series. I savored every minute of it! I absolutely love this series and if I ever rated books 6 stars, this would be a candidate. JK Rowling is one of my favorite authors of all time. Her novels are so well-thought out, organized and intelligent. Her writing style sucks you in from page one. The development of Cormoran & Robin's relationship - both professionally and personally - is also an important aspect of this series.

In this book, they are hired by a man, Sir Colin Edensor, who wants to get his son, Will, out of a religious cult called the Universal Humanitarian Church (UHC). The UHC's main base is at Chapman Farm in Norfolk. It's decided that Robin will go undercover and infiltrate the church so that she can talk to Will. This takes some planning - and money. The UHC invite people in to the church who are wealthy and open to focused humanitarian goals. Meaning, they have to shut out the materialistic world, including their families. Robin borrows clothes from Strike's wealthy sister, Prudence to "look the part". They make a plan for communication because she's not allowed to bring anything with her except for three pairs of underwear. No electronics, no pens or paper. They are provided with clothing. Strike and his team investigate the Chapman Farm property very thoroughly to find a blind spot in their cameras posted on the property. They place a fake rock in the blind spot so that Robin and Strike can pass messages back and forth to each other every Thursday night. The emergency plan is that if there is no message from Robin on Friday, they will wait and check the rock on Saturday and one more time on Sunday. If Robin can't get to the rock by Sunday, Strike will enter Chapman Farm to "rescue" her. At the time, I think they really thought he could do this!

Robin spends four weeks undercover on Chapman Farm and it's intense. This book really delves into how individuals can be absolutely brainwashed into thinking a certain way. They are nearly starved, work constantly, forced to worship certain prophets, listen to lectures for hours. It was a grueling environment which involved sexual relations on demand, punishments that caused pain, injuries, suffering and humiliation, and sometimes death. The mental abuse was even worse than the physical abuse. Very powerful example of how difficult it is for people to leave a cult. Robin certainly had her challenges and I wasn't exactly sure how she would get out. Her escape was daring and brave.

Robin's month with the UHC was only part of the story. Once she is out, she is accused of child abuse (sexual) by the UHC. Both Robin and Comoran have things written about them online that are not flattering, to say the least. Robin is dating Ryan Murphy, the police officer, but Ryan is starting to get leery of Robin's relationship with Strike. Everyone does eventually, right? Comoran makes a terrible choice by sleeping with a woman who is the lover of a important man, so that blows up in his face. Then there is Charlotte, who continues to try to insert herself into Strike's life. She ends up doing something so shocking it really took me off guard. While all of this is going on, Robin & Strike are trying to track down former members of the UHC so they can get the proof they need to take the entire organization down. They have people following them; witnesses (former UHC members who got out) being murdered or committing suicide; an employee that Strike discovers is a plant by another detective agency; and finally their feelings for each other that neither one can actually admit to. This is an action-packed story at 960 pages and I hated when it ended. I loved the ending though! :)

Wendy's Rating: *****

The Overlook by Michael Connelly

Harry Bosch #13. This almost felt like a Bosch "novella". Even with an extra chapter added at some point, the book was only 262 pages long, which is not typical for Michael Connelly. Harry has changed jobs again. Now he is part of the Homicide Special Squad and his supervisor is Larry Gandle. If a murder happens that potentially has connections to politics, celebrity or the media, the case is usually handed to Homicide Special. Harry also has a new partner, Ignacio Ferras. "Iggy" is young and isn't exactly thrilled with the way that Harry does things. Iggy would actually like to keep his job! Go figure.

This case involves the execution of a doctor (Stanley Kent) and radioactive material that puts humans at risk of death if they are exposed to it. Since it's a matter of national security, the FBI are also involved. This brings Harry back in Rachel's environment. Despite this "perk", Harry never works well with the FBI. He wants to focus on catching the murderer (and hides a key witness from the FBI, which obviously doesn't sit well with them), and the FBI is focused on recovering the radioactive material. Both are admirable goals. Harry just doesn't trust the FBI and he hates being shut out of his own case. So he acts accordingly, and predictably - for him.

As all parties follow their individual investigations, based on knowledge they each have - and knowledge they don't have but are seeking because it's being kept from them - they each reach their own conclusions about the events that happened and why. Harry actually gets to the truth first (big surprise, ha!) It's an ending that I didn't suspect. And Harry manages to convince Rachel to ride along with him as he connects the final pieces of the puzzle, which is an accomplishment in and of itself! I do like Rachel better than his past loves, so I wouldn't be opposed to her returning to his life. ;)

Wendy's Rating: ****