All the Broken Places: A Novel by John Boyne

 

 All the Broken Places: A Novel by John Boyne. Pamela Dorman Books, Viking, 2022. Adult fiction.

Gretel Fernsby, age 91, has lived in the same upscale flat in London most of her life. Her husband is dead. Her son visits, but is envious of the money her apartment would bring if it  sold. Gretel keeps very much to herself and does not tell her secrets. Among those is the fact that her father was a prominent Nazi and oversaw one of the notorious death camps.  When a younger couple and their small son move into the apartment under hers, Gretel is pulled back in time to other small boys who were part of her life. Can she now save this boy from his father's bullying and abuse? Or will Gretel have to give up some of her secrets?

Those who have read Boyne's The Boy in the Striped Pajamas know what a great storyteller the author is. He can make the past both interesting and real. The characters are well drawn and the switches between places and time periods are easy to understand. This is a book that readers will think about long after the last page is turned.

Killers of a Certain Age: A Novel by Deanna Raybourn

 

 

 Killers of a Certain Age: A Novel by Deanna Raybourn. Berkley(an imprint of Penguin Random House), 2022. Adult mystery.

Billie, Mary Alice, Helen, and Natalie were recruited in their twenties to form an elite team of killers. Now, in their sixties, they are retiring and being treated to a luxury cruise. They soon figure out that they are being targeted themselves!

A fun, twisted look at professional assassins from a feminist viewpoint, this novel well delineates the four women and their talents. The plot twists and interesting characters will keep readers guessing as the pages fly by! 

The House of Lincoln: A Novel by Nancy Horan

 

 The House of Lincoln: A Novel by Nancy Horan. Sourcebooks, 2023. Adult Historical fiction, 2023.

Ana Ferreira, a fictional young teenage immigrant who speaks Portuguese as well as English, is the protagonist in this story about Springfield, Illinois and its residents from 1851 through 1909. Of course, the most famous residents are Abraham and Mary Todd Lincoln for whom Ana works and helps take care of their children and their house. Race relations and the Lincolns' views on slavery and immigration become clear through the eye of Ana and other residents like her friend Cal. Fictional Ana is an eye witness to the Lincolns' marriage and difficulties as the war makes even families enemies. Even the barbershop where Mr. Lincoln gets his hair cut becomes a setting for learning more about America's history. 

This is really Nancy Horan's own love letter to Springfield, Illinois where she was born and raised. The descriptions of the houses and its people are believable. She makes clear  historical terms like Copperheads and Whigs, and shows the Underground Railroad as a real part of everyday lives. Most readers will not have heard of the 1908 Springfield Race Riot which was the impetus for the creation of the NAACP. Author's notes at the end tell more about the characters and which are real people. 

If you  have not already read Horan's best seller, Loving Frank, about architect Frank L. Wright, check it out for another great historical fiction read. 

Every Picture Hides a Story by William Cane and Anna Gabrielle

 

 Every Picture Hides a Story: The Secret Ways Artists Make Their Work More Seductive by William Cane and Anna Gabrielle.. Rowman and Littlefield, 2023. Adult nonfiction.

Arranged by artists' names, this work about some of the world's most famous paintings and their creators both teaches and entertains. The authors focus on how jewelry, furniture, clothing, and poses often provide subtle clues to meaning in the paintings. From a pearl earring that symbolizes chastity to a turned head that indicates boredom, artists arrange subjects and send subliminal messages. Twenty-two artists are discussed and their paintings are shown in full color illustrations. Readers from the casual art lover to the most advanced art history student will find much to think about in these hidden stories. 

Night Will Find You: A Novel by Julia Heaberlin

Night Will Find You: A Novel by Julia Heaberlin. Flat Iron Books (Macmillan), 2023. Adult thriller.

     Vivvy Bouchet is an astrophysicist in West Texas, She and her sister struggle, as adults. with the legacy of their psychic mother who just died. The policeman whose life Vivvy saved when they were both children is married to her sister but still tugs at Vivvy's heartstrings. When the police need help finding a missing Fort Worth girl, Vivvy is called into the case. With a conspiracy theory podcaster and even a couple of digs at Ted Cruz and Elon Musk, Heaberlin weaves a twisty tale of family, science, and mystery. Pull up a cozy chair and a Dr. Pepper and enjoy this addition to Heaberlin's other works. It even has handsome policemen who drive pick-up trucks and wear cowboy boots suggesting that the author truly knows her people!  

Moonflower Murders by Anthony Horowitz

 

 Moonflower Murders by Anthony Horowitz. HarperCollins, 2020. Adult mystery. 

    Just as in Magpie Murders, editor Susan Ryeland, is faced with clues that do not add up. Susan is called away from Crete and her life with Andreas to go back to England to reread one of her former client Alan Conway's books. An elderly couple in Suffolk own a hotel and their daughter Cecily has read the book. In it, Cecily finds the answers to a murder that happened at the hotel several years before. But, then Cecily disappears. They hope that Susan can see what Cecily saw and know the real murderer and find out where Cecily is. 

    Clues abound. People are everywhere. Anagrams and hidden "Easter eggs" provoke thought. Just as Susan has interviewed most of the people at the English hotel, she finally sits down to reread Conway's book. And, lo and behold, there is the full book smack in the middle of this one! Can readers find what Cecily saw? Can Susan? 

     The ending is worthy of an Agatha Christie drawing room setting with characters there and Susan Ryeland about to tell all. Even then, there are twists that probably no one saw coming. Watch for the PBS series based on Horowitz's books, but do read the books first. 

Death Comes to Marlow: A Novel by Robert Thorogood

 

 Death Comes to Marlow: A Novel by Robert Thorogood. Poisoned Pen Press, 2023. Adult mystery.

In this second novel in the Marlow Murder Club Mystery series, Judith, Becks, and Suzie find themselves trying to solve the mystery of who killed Sir Peter Bailey. Sir Peter was due to be married to Jenny Page, his nurse on the next day. Alas, he is crushed by a huge cabinet in his study. The door is locked. The only key is in Sir Peter's pocket. The trio of friends learn more about the son and  daughter and bride-to-be as well as themselves in this well done follow up to the first book in the series. Stay tuned for more!