The Scottish Prisoner by Diana Gabaldon

I own the first seven books of the Outlander series, but haven't had a chance to read it yet. This was actually the first book I have read by Diana Gabaldon. It felt like I was jumping into the middle of a story - which, in essence, I was! This book involved both Lord John Gray and Jamie Fraser. Not knowing the characters, if was confusing to me at first. I had no idea who either character (named above) was - or why they found themselves in the predicament they were each in at the start of the book. Fortunately, the author does a nice job of explaining the past as the story moves forward.

I really liked both Lord John and Jamie. I still don't know the story of how little William (the imp!) came to be, but regardless, I love how attached Jamie is to him. Now that John is William's named guardian, I guess John & Jamie will always be attached too. I am glad that John figured out that is was William that Jamie wanted to see at Helwater, and not Betty! John & Jamie could easily be best friends, they get along so well together, but it is odd that John is in love with Jamie. Kind of puts some awkwardness into their time together. ;) I am glad they worked through it.

You would think that I would know more about the Jacobites by this point in my life, especially since Susanna Kearsley writes about them often and I have read a lot of her books, but I still don't know that much. Or maybe I just don't care enough to know more! I gathered that Jamie was considered a traitor by the English, since he was part of the Irish uprising to put Charles Stuart on the throne rather than George II, (right?) But I really didn't get what the deal was about the Cupan Druid riogh. And I didn't understand the scene towards the end when Jamie is burying Quinn in the peat bog. I definitely didn't understand who Esus, Taranis and Teutates were - and what their significance was in relation to Quinn, the Cupan or the Irish! In the end I guess it doesn't matter. I followed the rest of the story, which I really liked.

It's odd that Jamie's wife, Claire, is living in a different time with their child. The last sentence of the book: "Then turned his check to her reaching hand and touched her through the veils of time." Not sure what to make of that either. Is he touching her figuratively? In his dream? What aren't they living together in the same time? I am sure some of the other books explains that fully! 

The other people in my book club, who have read the Outlander series, didn't care for this one. Since I really liked this book, I have a feeling I will love Outlander!

Wendy's Rating: ****

Missing Persons by Stephen White

This was my first novel by Stephen White. I love when lawyers, psychologists and other professionals write about their own fields because it brings more legitimacy to the story. Being a psychologist, Stephen White understand the constraints of patient confidentiality.

I think it was interesting that the death of Hannah Grant was not directly connected to the disappearance of Mallory. Hannah's death triggered the investigation of Mallory's disappearance, simply because Hannah had seen Mallory as a patient, but Hannah wasn't really connected to the events. This is an interesting twist, since the story begins with her mysterious death.

I couldn't believe that Mallory's dad, Bill, would be involved in anything illegal since he was such a compassionate man who was so committed to his mentally ill wife Rachel - a true "until death do us part" kind of husband. It goes to show you how things can go SO wrong after making one impulsive decision. 

I can say the same thing about Bob. Based on Alan's sessions with Bob, I couldn't believe that he would have harmed - or taken - a young girl out of her home to do her harm. It absolutely made sense that he would take her to save her. Mallory was so frightened about the same thing happening to her that happened to JonBenet Ramsey. I remember being frightened about a similar thing when I was young. A family who went to our church moved to a different state due to a job. Within the year, the wife had killed her two daughters and herself due to depression. My parents did not share this with me (to protect me), but a friend of mine did. I was so horrified that I spent years laying in bed wondering if my mother would ever do the same to my brother and I. Young impressionable minds should not be exposed to horrible things like that. Since JonBenet was Mallory's classmate and friend, I can so relate to this fear of hers.

I was definitely thrown off by Bill's neighbor. Digging the tunnel, discovering Bill's secret, stealing identities. Didn't see that coming!  His dead body found in a ditch - and then he is alive at Bill's house. That's called covering your tracks! Then there is Canada, who I couldn't decide if he was "good" or "bad". I guess a little bit of both - as many people are. I love that Canada protected Rachel - but it was a weird arrangement with Bill, for sure.

I love books with twists and turns, and this book certainly had them.

Wendy's Rating: ****

The Night the Lights Went Out by Karen White

This is the Karen White that I know and love! I loved the characters, the mysterious histories of Merilee and Sugar, the connection between two women that suffered tremendous sadness in their lives. Sugar was the "grumpy old lady" that either people loved or hated. She had great instincts regarding people. Merilee would have been better served trusting Sugar's opinion of Heather, that's for sure!

There were a ton of clues that Heather was setting Merilee up - although I wasn't really sure what her exact plan was initially. Heather and Dan's phones were always mixed up, Heather borrowing Merilee's lipstick and not giving it back, Heather buying Merilee's dress, Heather finding Dan's wallet "accidentally" in her purse, her daughter getting "sick" and her bailing on Merilee at the last minute for the weekend at their house in Tybee. The clues go on and on - and Merilee was clueless! Part of the suspense was waiting for the moment that Merilee would finally realize that Heather was Daisy. That moment was a long time coming!

I like how Merilee's and Sugar's stories unfold a little at a time. They each had some incredibly tragic things happen to them. Both of them lost their siblings, their mothers (in different ways than death, but they were still losses), their husbands. Merilee being arrested for murder. Sugar being raped. Once they connected and shared their secrets, they both came to realize how strong they were. Rather than being defeated, they regained their sense of self.

It was incredibly sad that Dan was murdered. I really didn't want that to happen! I was also sad that Merilee's parents abandoned her, that Rufus died because of Curtis, Jimmy was paralyzed because of Curtis, the dog died, Sugar and her mother were raped, etc, etc. Honestly, Curtis was evil. Merilee's father should have protected his own and got rid of him early on. Not sure if he was that naive or what! I was surprised by who killed Curtis in the end. Oh, and I loved the friendship between Sugar and Willa Faye! Love this line, "...when I told her I needed help burying a body, the first thing she said was, "Let me go get my shovel."" That's what you call friendship!!

I don't remember Sugar explaining what happened to her daughter Mary, other than she died when she was one day old. Oh, and how wonderful was Tom, who wanted to raise Sugar's child as his own, even though the baby was a product of rape. Really sad that Tom died too. There was a lot of sadness in this book. :(

Despite that, I continue to be a huge fan of this author!

Wendy's Rating: ****

Our Souls at Night by Kent Haruf

I really loved this book, minus one character that I really disliked. This is the type of character book that I really enjoy. These characters mean something to me. I actually felt outrage toward Addie's son, Gene. How dare he dictate what his mother should and should not do - and hold his own son as "hostage" from Addie until she did what he said. Gene nearly ruined my enjoyment of this charming little novel. I am glad that Addie decided to "defy" Gene at the end - but HONESTLY - why does she have to? He should mind his own miserable life - and wife. The only people hurting Jamie are his parents. Just ticks me off.

I liked how Addie and Louis' histories unfolded as they got to know each other. They both had sad and/or tragic experiences in their lives that affected them deeply and changed them permanently. Neither Addie nor Louis seemed happy in their marriages, but they both felt the loss of their spouse when they died. They both were so lonely until they found each other. How wonderful to find a companion to talk to late in life. Someone to lay in bed with, hold hands, eat lunch & dinner with, attend the theater. Everyone needs a best friend like that, no matter what age.

I felt sorry for Jamie. That's the only reason why I could accept Addie's decision to move to Denver to be with Jamie & Gene. Jamie needs Addie (and Louise, in my opinion!) in his life. She brings stability and "safety" to his life. I totally understand why Gene struggles. He feels guilty for the death of his sister, and his dad never really connected with him (forgave him?) after Connie's death, since his dad "preferred" Connie. I have never understood favoring one child over another. Never. BUT, that doesn't give Gene the right to play dictator over his mother's life! She so deserves some happiness!

I could tell that the author of this novel was older by the way it written. I guess someone in his late 60s/early 70s would be the perfect person to tell a story about two people finding companionship in their early 70s though, right? ;) I just thought it was a wonderful story (minus Gene). After I finished the book, I read the book jacket and I was sad to read that Kent Haruf died in November 2014. This book was published in 2015. I have read a couple of his other books and I really enjoyed them as well.

Wendy's Rating: *****

Last Bus to Widsom by Ivan Doig

I usually love character novels. I love getting wrapped up in each character's personality and understanding why they do what they do. I don't necessarily need a plot driving me forward all of the time. With that being said, this was a little too meandering for me. I did like the characters, especially Donal and Herman the German, a lot. I loved how Donal used his autograph book to connect with people on his journey. For some reason though, I had to force myself to pick up the book to keep reading. It felt like a college English assignment that I had to do, even though I didn't feel like it. I do feel like that analogy is doing this novel a disservice. It was quite charming, set in 1951. A young boy and his "Grandpa" setting off on a grand summer adventure. What's not to love? 

I was never in fear that Herman was going to be arrested - or Donal sent to an orphanage - because it seemed like a coming-of-age story for Donal more than anything. I thought he would spend more time in Manitowoc with Aunt Kate. I actually thought we would get to know her better, and know more about her relationship with Herman. That ended up being a brief "blip" of the entire summer.

I liked the ending. I liked that it ended, and I liked how it ended. ;) Seriously though, I am happy that Donal got to stay (presumably) with both Herman and his Grandma. It would have been so hard for Donal to say goodbye to Herman after everything they had gone through together.

I read this for one of my book clubs - and everyone else really liked it. I was the odd-person out, which is unusual - so maybe it was just my mood. This was the author's last novel, since he died the year it was published (2015). I actually felt more emotion about that fact (which I found out after I finished the book) than I did about the book. RIP Ivan Doig.

Wendy's Rating: ***

The Girl in the Green Raincoat by Laura Lippman

Although I have read other Laura Lippman novels, this was my first Tess Monaghan story. It was first serialized in the New York Times, so it's pretty short for a novel, which makes it a quick read.

Since Tess is a private investigator, it was odd that the first book I read about her she is seven months pregnant and on bed rest. It felt like I jumped in the middle of a story, which I guess I sort of did. I would like to go back and read the Tess Monaghan stories now from the beginning - to get to know the characters better. Especially Crow!

I was confused about all of Don Epstein's wives/girlfriend and how they were connected at first. I am glad that the connections were clearly explained eventually. I never really got a feel for Carole until the very end, but one thing I am curious about: did she really love Dempsey before she abandoned him? Or was she the reason he was so neurotic? I know Dempsey attacks Carole at the end, but by that time, he was protective of Tess. Don didn't seem like he would mistreat a dog, so that whole thing was weird.

I found a typo on page 49. At first I thought it was meaningful because it's a misspelled name: Danielle Messenger, Don's girlfriend. Lenhardt and Tess were swapping information and they figure out that Carole's maiden name was Massinger.  Lenhardt makes a comment that Massinger is Danielle's last name, and then in the next sentence, she is referred to as Danielle Messinger. I thought it HAD to be significant, but nope. Just a typo.

I actually enjoyed the book and I was surprised by the ending.  The only question I have about the deaths is, who killed Danielle? I thought I knew, but I was thrown off by the accusations between Don and Carole in court. I thought it was weird that Whitney was enchanted by Don. When Whitney says to Tess, "Just think, it could have been a double ceremony", I was really thrown off. So, is Don a "good guy" (other than committing fraud!) or a "bad guy"? Whitney comments that he was terrified of Carole. Mixed signals. 

I always like when the main character has a sense of humor, which Tess does. All in all, a good, quick summer read.

Wendy's Rating: ****

The Last Letter from your Lover by Jojo Moyes

I continue to love the way Jojo Moyes tells a story. In this novel she spends a long time developing the original story of Jennifer and Anthony, which was a nice change of pace. It seems like so many authors jump back and forth between two stories, which is fine, but I liked how we know one story (mostly) before we jump into the other one in this book.

I thought that Jennifer was incredibly brave for several reasons. First of all, she leaves her husband - and loses all of her friends - even though she doesn't end up with the love of her life. Wives just didn't do things like that back then. Fortunately, she had some juicy information in which to blackmail Larry! It was interesting that he made a fortune by selling asbestos. Secondly, she, a wealthy "trophy wife", actually flies to the Congo to find Anthony, at a time when the Congo was incredibly dangerous!  Third, she raises her daughter on her own and never even tries to find another partner in life, even though she believes that Anthony is dead.

Then there is Ellie, who drove me nuts. Honestly, I could not believe that she put her life on hold - and almost trashed her career - for John. He was never going to leave his wife, and she intentionally turned a blind eye (and deaf ear) on the what was really going on. I was so happy that she started developing a friendship/relationship with Rory, and then couldn't believe that she let John get in the way of that. Thank goodness for John's wife, who finally made an impact on Ellie.

I was nervous that this book was not going to end the way I wanted it to! It made me read much faster as the story moved along because I was so worried that Anthony was actually dead and Rory would leave without knowing how Ellie really felt about him. (Since I read Me Before You, I know that Jojo Moyes doesn't necessarily tie up loose ends with neat little bows!) I was most definitely shocked by what Anthony ended up doing after Jennifer left him that last day in the hotel! Small world kind of thing. ;)

I was still sad that they lost 40 years, but I was relieved that they found each other again. Whew!

Wendy's Rating: ****