No Saints in Kansas by Amy Brashear

 No Saints in Kansas: A Novel by Amy Brashear. Soho Teen (an imprint of Soho Press), November, 2017. Young adult historical fiction.




When Truman Capote penned the classic In Cold Blood about the murders of the Clutter family in 1959 Holcomb, Kansas, it launched a new genre of true crime writing. Brashear spent much of her childhood in nearby Garden City, Kansas and has chosen to set her debut novel in the area and to base it on the Clutter murders, the community of Holcomb, and characters who might have lived there then.




When Carly Fleming and her family move from New York to Kansas, she is an outsider who badly wants to fit in. She tutors Nancy Clutter. After Nancy is killed, Carly tries to defend Nancy's boyfriend, Bobby, who is a suspect at first. Carly does not like to be compared to Nancy Drew, but she does manage to find clues, the piece together evidence, to meet Truman Capote, Nelle Lee, and Richard Avedon, and even one of the real killers. She learns the importance of family, what it means to be a true friend, and that the wind in Kansas winters is not the only thing that can give a person chills.




The novel is full of high school students and their typical petty jealousy. It reads authentically though and will send generations of new readers to the Capote nonfiction book. Kudos to Amy Brashear.

The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid

 The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid. Atria Books (an imprint of Simon & Schuster), 2017. Adult fiction.




If  you like stories of old Hollywood, this novel may be just the ticket for your summer reading! When Evelyn Hugo, legendary beauty, decides to tell her life's story, she chooses young writer Monique Grant to write it. No one is sure why, but Monique listens as Evelyn describes her marriages and the one great love of her life. Twists and foreshadowing do not give away plot details and readers will find that Evelyn's life story is as carefully orchestrated as her career.

See What I Have Done by Sarah Schmidt

 See What I Have Done by Sarah Schmidt. Forthcoming August, 2017.   Atlantic Monthly Press. Adult Historical Fiction.


We all know the rhyme: "Lizzie Borden took an axe, gave her mother forty whacks. When she saw what she had done, gave her father forty-one." The bloody and horrific murders of Andrew and Abby Borden in their home in Fall River, MA in August, 1892 has never been solved. Hundreds of books, movies, articles, and sleuthers have tried to examine the evidence and come to reasonable conclusions.

Schmidt, who lives in Australia, has written an insightful fictional account of the family, the deaths, and the aftermath. Told from varying viewpoints of Lizzie, her sister Emma, their uncle John's young acquaintance Benjamin, and their maid Bridget, the novel attempts to see inside the minds of the characters and piece together details about family life and events. It's fascinating reading and ultimately points a finger at Lizzie herself. A timeline and short excepts from each sister's will are included. Maps, photos, and trial testimony are available in other sources, but a complete bibliography is not included in the uncorrected  proof.  

Lilac Girls by Martha Hall Kelly.

  Lilac Girls by Martha Hall Kelly. Ballantine Books (Random House), 2016. Historical fiction.

Ready for a captivating WWII tale about three young women? Caroline Ferriday is a wealthy socialite with a heart of gold. After a successful acting career, she works now to send clothing and food to French orphans. Handsome French actor Paul Rodierre is married, but sets her heart beating more quickly.

Kasia Kuzmerick is a Polish teenager who takes chances working with the resistance. Her sister, Suzanna, works for the ambulance corps. Kasia dreams of a life with her friend’s brother, Pietrik. They all dream of a free Poland without Nazis.

Young German doctor Herta Oberheuser jumps at an opportunity to advance her medical career in a spa/camp atmosphere. How could she know it would become the only concentration camp for women, Ravensbruck?

The stories of these three young women merge, weave in and out, and finally are brought up-to-date in Lilac Girls. The stories begin in 1939 and the book ends in 1959. This is Kelly's first novel.

Big Cat, little cat by Elisha Cooper. Children's picture book.

 Big Cat, little cat by Elisha Cooper. Roaring Brook Press, 2017.
                           Children's picture book.


   In this charming black-and-white and beige picture book, Elisha Cooper tells of a  white cat who was all alone until a small black kitten joins it. The older cat shows the new kitten all the things that it needs to know. They live companionably until the black kitten is a full sized cat. Years went by until the older cat "had to go" and "he didn't come back." As Cooper puts it, "that was hard." It was hard for the family, too, until a small white kitten comes. The now grown black cat shows the new kitten the exact lessons that it was taught in the beginning of the book.


    Librarians and parents often search for books that help children understand the tough changes in life. Death and dying are among those topics.  While those exact words themselves are not used, the story is understood by readers. This life cycle exploration will comfort many children who experience the loss of a pet. Cooper's lovely, simple illustrations mimic all the things that real cats do. The easy-to-read narrative is sparse, but effective, with just the right tone. Starting over is not easy. Losing a friend is awful. In time, we can begin again.

The Wedding Gift: A Novel by Marlen Suyapa Bodden

  The Wedding Gift: A Novel by Marlen Suyapa Bodden. St. Martin's Press, 2013. Adult Fiction.
 
   Sarah Campbell, her mother, and her sister are slaves on the plantation of Allen Hall and property of Cornelius Allen. Sarah, the daughter of the master, is raised as the slave of his young  daughter, Clarissa, and given to her as a wedding gift. This means Sarah will travel to the Cromwell plantation and give up life as she knows it.


Told in alternating voices of Sarah and Theodora Allen, the mistress of the plantation and Clarissa's mother, Sarah's story is intriguing with its insights into her family's past, present, and future. Benton County, Alabama in the early to mid 1800's is not easy for women of either color, but when Theodora teaches her daughter to read, she allows Sarah to be in the room. Smart little Sarah learns, too, and her ability changes her life in unplanned ways. Clarissa, the child of great privilege, is not the classic Southern belle and her own life is reflected in her choices.


These complex characters give voice to a rather unconventional plot and will not disappoint readers. It is the first novel by this author.

The Chilbury Ladies' Choir:A Novel by Jennifer Ryan

The Chilbury Ladies’ Choir: A Novel by Jennifer Ryan. Crown Publishing Group (Penguin Random House), 2017. Adult fiction.  

If you enjoy historical fiction about WWII, try this charming tale of the women left behind in the small village of Chilbury. Told through letters, diaries, and journal entries, the women of Chilbury confide their secrets, their loves, and their lives in detail. Teenage sisters Kitty and Venetia, very different girls indeed, provide a youthful look at the village and its residents as the men go off to director herself, and a host of others bring to life the daily goings and comings. Disaster strikes, but not with blood war. A mother whose son leaves to fight, a family whose inheritance depends on the birth of a boy child (as well as the midwife who is determined to make sure that child is a male),  the wry music and guts. 

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