DCL Book Chat

The Cut is the first title in a gritty new series by Pelecanos, featuring freelance investigator Spero Lucas, an ex-Marine who has returned to his hometown of Washington, D.C. after serving in Fallujah, Iraq. Lucas is a man with morals, but the case he takes stretches those boundaries and puts him, his family and close friends in danger. The author gives you a great sense of the neighborhoods around the nation’s capital and I got hungry reading about the many restaurants Lucas visits. It is also full of music references. The story is very character- driven and fast-paced. I look forward to reading the next in the series and would recommend it to readers who enjoy Robert Crais, Lee Child and Michael Connelly.

Allison

Whimsical novels, all succeed on the author’s ability to make the reader want to abandon reason and embrace the impossible. Like a skilled circus barker, Erin Morgenstern’s debut novel, The Night Circus, calls out to the audience and pulls readers in through the circus tent with a swish of imagination and a flash of romance.

The premise for the plot is that two rival magicians of indeterminate age, have over many generations, tested their skill at choosing and training a young student in their preferred method of magic; magic that goes way beyond rabbits and top hats. They set their students against each other in a battle of wits and skill in a contest where the pupils know neither the rules nor their opponent. But this time the contenders, Marco and Celia, fall in love while Marco is managing and Celia is performing in the mysterious Night Circus, a glorious venue offering whole landscapes of delight run by a host of intriguing entertainers. The most magical element of the book is the earnest and electric tension that connects the young magicians as they use their wits and hearts to win for their tutor and put an end to the contest — without knowing the dire consequences of that end.

The juxtaposition of the staid Victorian era with the ethereal, lush visual imagery of the circus prevents the book from floating away on its own imagination, and the patiently woven plot that folds through time like the pleats of the circus tent adds to the book’s dynamic mix of reality and wonder.

Laura J.

Keye Street is a former FBI profiler and recovering alcoholic working as a bond enforcement officer/investigator in Atlanta. When her friend, APD Lt. Aaron Rauser, realizes there is a serial killer loose in Atlanta, he calls on Keye to help him find the monster behind a series of violent and sexual killings before there are more victims. As Keye hunts for the killer, she soon finds herself and her loved ones in danger. Keye, who is Asian-American, is a strong and independent protagonist who is often sarcastic when dealing with others, especially her doting adoptive and very Southern mother. This is a very fast-paced and character driven novel. There is witty dialogue, but the book includes many scenes of very graphic sexual violence and is not for the squeamish. Williams is a former journalist with the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. This is her first book in a planned series featuring Keye Street.

Allison

Will Silver is a handsome, thirty-something teacher at the International School of France. He is the kind of teacher who is inspiring and adored. He encourages, or provokes, creative thinking from his students as they read Camus, Sartre, Faulkner, Keats and discuss issues of social justice, ethical living and discovering the truth. To his rather sophisticated students Mr. Silver is cool, composed, and a man of action; someone they aspire to be, or in some cases, to be with. To the extent that Will himself is able to act in accordance with these socially conscious choices, it turns out that the best choices are hard to make and the worst choices are sometimes the most compelling.

In particular we see the effect of Mr. Silver’s passion on Marie, a junior who doesn’t want to party with her socialite crowd; Colin, a rough and tumble Irish boy with high expectations of bravery and action; and Gilad, a shadowy figure with a troubled home life. While Mr. Silver is encouraging them to push the envelope of thought and action, the concepts of morality and lawlessness hover over everything.

Will Silver is haunted by choices of his past; guilt over a broken marriage and grief over the death of his parents, and is dealing with his own sense of alienation. His own resolve is tested after witnessing a random act of violence and an outbreak at a political rally. With a deft touch, Maksik explores the difficulties of living up to one’s own ideals.

This is very much a novel of Paris. The romance, history and vibrancy of the city seem to cast a spell on the characters. As Maksik describes the lighting, the streets, the imposing architecture, we can feel the pull of the history and the energy of the surroundings. It’s a wonder anyone can escape this erotic city without having a life-changing moment.

While the premise of You Deserve Nothing may be considered time-worn (teacher/student involvement), Maksik has created such complete characters with thoroughly developed inner lives that he makes it plausible that such an event could happen and not be met with revulsion. Maksik’s choice to tell the story from three voices, looking, almost casually, back on the events, gives the narrative a haunting and surreal quality that suits the introspective tone of this wonderful debut novel.

Laura J.

Even if you’re not a presidential history buff you will find this book fascinating. And if you are a presidential history buff, plan on a late night. Candice Millard, who brought us the terrific story of Teddy Roosevelt ‘s journey down the Amazon that nearly killed him in River of Doubt, has outdone herself with another fascinating but little known story in American history.

Nine time Ohio congressman James Garfield was not expected to be his party’s candidate for president in 1880. But after thirty-four ballots he became the compromise candidate and soundly defeated Winfield Scott Hancock in the election. Garfield was on his way to improve African-American civil rights and heal the rift in his party when, just 200 days into his administration, he was gunned down by a deranged and disgruntled office seeker in a Washington, DC train station.

This fascinating biography of both Garfield and his assassin tells the story of a time in America when anyone could access the President and American doctors jeered at the findings of Joseph Lister. It’s the thoughtful story of a man who might have been one of our greatest presidents if he had not been cut down in the prime of his life.

Dedra

British journalist McGrath wrote a nonfiction title on the Inuits of the Canadian arctic and now has written the first in a mystery series featuring a tough and resourceful half-Inuit guide and hunter, Edie Kiglatuk. The author’s research of the Inuit is apparent in her characterizations of the villagers, their ancient customs and how they deal with the white people encroaching on their land. She also gives the reader a wonderful, but killingly cold sense of place. Edie is a strong and independent woman, but she has weaknesses. Stubbornly working with the local police sergeant, Derek Palliser, she must overcome her failings to solve the mystery surrounding the shooting death of a man she had been hired to guide into the frozen wilds of Craig Island.

Allison

Just My Type is a book about fonts. Yes, I realize that sounds pretty odd, but remember how hot Eats, Shoots and Leaves was a few years ago, and think about how fonts can actually elicit emotions and pretty strong reactions. A few years ago when Ikea changed their font people were actually angry about it. It was a fontroversy. 

Simon Garfield is a British author who has written non-fiction works delving into everything from the history of AIDS in Britain, to the attitudes of the British during and after WW2. He’s a splendid writer who concentrates on somewhat “quirky” topics. You will learn why the “T” in the Beatles logo is longer than the other letters and how Gotham font helped Barack Obama into the White House. If you have ever looked at the drop-down menu in Word and wondered what a Garamond is, or why you’re attracted to Comic Sans, which this book calls irreverent and naïve, this might be something to consider for a change of pace.

Dedra

The Summer of the Bear by Bella Pollen is a wonderful examination of a family’s reaction to the father’s somewhat mysterious death. It’s 1979 when Nicky Fleming, a British diplomat posted to Bonn and working closely with East Germany, is discovered at the base of the embassy building. Politely escorted out of the country, his wife Letty and their three children retreat to Letty’s family home in the remote Outer Hebrides. As Letty sinks further into anger, abject grief and confusion, Georgie, Alba and Jamie each cope with their father’s death in different ways. This sounds grim, but the tone of the story is more quirk than quiet and the story zooms along as the children bump against each other and wrestle with their rambling, misinformed thoughts. Of course there are various queer island folk to perk up the already perky story, as well as an escapee sentient bear who plays a pivotal role in the mind of Jamie, who processes information in a less-than usual manner. Rotating chapters precisely capture the tone of each family member (as well as the bear) and the story wraps up with a very satisfying conclusion. I wanted The Summer of the Bear to continue on for many more seasons.

Laura J.

The setting for this novel begins during the mid-1960’s in riot torn Detroit and then moves to rural Rooks County, Kansas. Arthur Scott left a small Kansas town 20 years ago but is forced to return with his family to the farm life to escape the violence and racial strife in Detroit.

The family’s return to Kansas reopens several family and community secrets which includes the mysterious death of Arthur’s sister Eve, two missing little girls and the fact that Arthur’s sister Ruth is being beaten bloody by her husband.

The story is told mainly through the eyes of Arthur’s younger daughter, Eve-ee and son Daniel. Eve-ee becomes obsessed with her dead namesake and begins to ask uncomfortable questions. Daniel, the city boy, is trying to fit in with the rough and tumble farm boys and hopes that Kansas will make a man of him.

The author creates a haunting picture of the isolation and harshness of life on a Kansas farm. It is also an insightful look at the passion and violence that simmer just below the surface of a small town. There are elements of mystery, romance and coming of age with dark implications. One review called this story “Midwestern noir with gothic undertones.”

Susan

Love you more is the latest installment in Gardner’s series featuring Boston cop D.D. Warren and Massachusetts State Trooper Bobby Dodge. Brought together across jurisdictional lines and with awkwardness as former lovers, the two must work together to find a missing six-year old girl and find out why the girl’s mother, State Trooper Tessa Leoni, is claiming she killed her husband in self-defense when all the evidence points in another direction. I loved the chemistry between the main characters and their differing approaches to solving the crime. This book is very fast-paced and character driven.

Allison