The Body in the Web by Katherine Hall Page

 

 The Body in the Web by Katherine Hall Page. A Faith Fairchild Mystery. William Morrow, 2023. Adult Mystery.

    In her 26th book in this award winning series about a caterer who is the wife of a minister in a small town, it's pandemic time. The children are home and cocooning with their parents. The neighbors are trying to take care of the elderly. And, everyone is learning to Zoom meetings. But, when the local art teacher is targeted in a town meeting online, things are not as they seem. Soon, the woman is discovered dead. Of course, Faith Fairchild knew her well and wants to find out what really happened. 

If you have not been reading Katherine Hall Page, start at the beginning with her very first Faith Fairchild book. Over the years, Faith and her family and friends have become part of our lives. Yes, there's always a murder, but Faith is so friendly and smart and family oriented that we just fall right into the little town of Aleford, Massachusetts. And, since Faith is a caterer, there are always the yummiest recipes at the end of the books! 

I Could Not Do Otherwise: The Remarkable Life of Dr. Mary Edwards Walker by Sara Latta

 

I Could Not Do Otherwise: The Remarkable Life of Dr. Mary Edwards Walker by Sara Latta. Minneapolis: Zest Books , an imprint of Lerner Publishing Group, 2022. Adult nonfiction, biography.

    Best known as a surgeon and a spy for the Union in the American Civil War, Dr. Mary Edwards Walker, lived her life on her own terms. She became a doctor when their was little acceptance for women to study medicine. She never wore the corsets and  voluminous skirts of her contemporaries, but wore trousers under short skirts or coats. Dr. Walker broke gender norms and often spoke out about women's and civil rights. She received a Congressional Medal of Honor only to have it stripped away, but she never stopped wearing her medal until her death in 1919. She knew she deserved the honor and she was right.  In 1977, her Congressional Medal of Honor was reinstated. 

    This book not only tells Walker's story, but includes information about other feminists and activists such as Amelia Bloomer, Elizabeth Walker, Lucretia Mott, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Belva Lockwood, and Carrie Nation. It is a primer really about feminism and would make a good introduction for young adults to the times and people covered. 

The Grand Affair: John Singer Sargent in His World by Paul Fisher

 

 The Grand Affair: John Singer Sargent in His World by Paul Fisher. Farrar Straus and Giroux, 479 pages.  Adult nonfiction, biography.

   Artist John Singer Sargent, born in the mid 1800's, was part of a family that travelled extensively. Although considered an American by many, he was actually born in Florence and lived some years in and out of other parts of the world. Not really a loner, but really not part of a group, Sargent lived his life on his own terms. By the time he died in April, 1925, he left drawings and paintings that have found their ways into private collections as well as the most prestigious art museums all over the world. Among them and perhaps best known are his large paintings of high society women, but this book shows the depth of his work featuring other nature and other subjects. 

   Fisher has done his research and it shows. (The notes in the back of the book are pages 385-479 and interested readers will find it is a joy to read these details).  Shining lights on much of Sargent's public persona and his rather secretive private life, the author manages to, forgive the pun, paint a more well rounded picture of Sargent's life than has been available in the past. Included are many illustrations of Sargent's works. It is illuminating to read about many of them in detail and then see the works themselves. Fisher clearly show how the world was changing and how the art world changed, too. 

And Then Comes School by Tom Brenner

  And Then Comes School by Tom Brenner. Illustrated by Jen Hill. Candlewick, 2023.  Children's picture book.

     If you made a list of all the things that happen when school starts each year and then list all the things that happen after school begins, you couldn't come up with better lists than in this colorful picture book. Elementary school teachers always look for books that are writing prompts and this very relatable tale is perfect for the WHEN/THEN pattern. The children and their friends and family are charming and the sly humor of narrative and illustrations both add to the fun. This positive book with its and eager anticipation of a new school year will appeal to teachers, children, and parents alike.

The Twyford Code: A Novel by Janice Hallett

 

 The Twyford Code: A Novel by Janice Hallett. Atria Books, 2022. Adult mystery.

     Over forty years ago, a teacher shared a children's book with her class. When she goes missing, the memories of the children are all different about the story and about what happened. Now Steven Smith, one of the students, is out of prison and decides to investigate the mystery of long ago. 

     Told mainly through a series of phone transcripts, the plot involves several of the grown students. The slow burning plot fills in details of some of the questions, but poses others. Did author Edith Twyford really hide clues to a bigger mystery in her children's books? Has Steven put together a new take on the old questions? Readers will find red herrings galore. Clues are here, but is the solution?

Where are the Children NOW?

 

 Where are the Children NOW? by Mary Higgins Clark and Alafair Burke. Simon and Schuster, 2023.  Adult fiction mystery.

Years ago, Mike and Melissa were kidnapped. Their mother, Nancy Harmon, searched desperately to find them. Now they are both grown. Melissa is famous for a podcast involving true crime and is marrying a man with a small child. When that girl goes missing, the whole family is thrown back into  past trauma and must face a new search.

Lots of names in this novel update readers on the characters' pasts. New people are suspect and readers may not guess who is guilty of plotting mayhem against Mellissa and new family.

If you have not read the original Where are the Children? by Mary Higgins Clark, check it out for a classical mystery that set the tone for many books since then.

Homecoming: A Novel by Kate Morton

 

 Homecoming: A Novel by Kate Morton. Mariner Books (HarperCollins), 2023. Adult fiction.

When Jess receives a call in London that her grandmother, Nora, who raised her in Australia has fallen and is in the hospital, she leaves a rather unhappy life and poor excuse for a journalism job, and heads home. A mystery awaits about an estate called Halcyon and their Turner family line. A tragedy in 1959 has impacted her grandmother greatly and, of course, Jess is curious. Her own mother Polly is estranged from both Nora and Jess. By the end, all the ribbons are tied up, the long ago mystery solved, and home has several different meanings.

Well written and with enough details to make Australia itself almost a character, readers will find much to keep them turning pages in this novel. A novel within a novel takes Jess back to 1959 and the whole story is really a love letter to books.  The many characters are clearly drawn and easy to keep straight. Kate Morton is well known for The House at Riverton and several other novels, but she just keeps getting better. Add this one to your summer reading list!