EXIT (CrimeFic-Felix Pink-England-Contemp) – Standalone- Belinda Bauer Felix Pink is retired. He occupies himself volunteering as an Exiteer—someone who sits with terminally ill people as they die by suicide. When Felix lets himself in to Number 3 Black Lane, he’s there to perform an act of kindness and charity: to keep a dying man company as he takes his final breath. But just fifteen minutes later Felix is on the run from the police—after making the biggest mistake of his life.
CINDY – VG - What a great premise. The exiteers walk in, bungle by assisting, then kill the wrong guy! Wonderful twisty turny mystery. And I thought it would be depressing. CORONA – Ex - For some; a timely issue. - Such a good idea and then, of course, someone corrupts it! And, there were smiles, every time I read: "Worst/Best 'job ever'." It was a fun, interesting read, with satisfying endings. DIANNE – VG - This book was quite droll, though the topic was assisted suicide. The world of Felix Pink, the workings of his mind, were wonderfully sketched. There were a number of surprises as the book moved along. This was a wonderful read. GINNY – Good - I found the novel to be a dark comedy of errors. The protagonist, Felix, reminded me of A Man Called Ove and I laughed at his misadventures which helped bring levity a sobering subject. No matter how hard he tried to do good there were awful consequences. The book was well- paced, and the plot developed well. It is also a plus that the author created secondary characters who were an interesting bunch of kooks and held my interest in the story throughout. HELEN – Good - The idea of a group of people that is basically witnessing terminally ill people commit suicide and cleaning up the evidence is interesting. I wasn't very fond of Felix as a character, but he worked well as a protagonist. The characters and dialogue are fairly well done; they're at least believable. There are a number of twists in this story, including how characters are interconnected. The plot makes you keep reading, although the end of the story was pretty ridiculous. The whole story required a good amount of suspension of disbelief, but it was entertaining enough that plot holes didn't bother me too much. Overall, this was a fairly quick and entertaining read, so I rate it a Good. KATIE – Good - This book fell into the "silly but enjoyable" category for me, despite the dark subject matter. Some of the decisions and happenstances felt pretty absurd, but I enjoyed Felix's character and the descriptions of small town life and policing. And I did find some of the reckoning with death and grief to be quite heartwarming within the overall comedic tone. LINDA M – VG+ - I really enjoyed this whimsical mystery and its colorful cast of characters. I like the elderly protagonist, and I was entertained trying to figure out the culprit and the motive for the switcheroo. RON – Ex - A wonderfully humane story with flawed but understandable characters. The book was very well written with good dialogue that kept the story going at a fast pace. The mystery itself was fine, but not really the driving force of the story. The book actually had two protagonists—Felix and Calvin—and I loved both of their characters.
GROUP RATING AVERAGE: VG+
THE LOST FOR WORDS BOOKSHOP (Myst-Loveday Cardew-England-Contemp) – Standalone – Stephanie Butland Loveday Cardew prefers books to people. If you look carefully, you might glimpse the first lines of the novels she loves most tattooed on her skin. But there are some things Loveday will never, ever show you. Into the bookstore where she works come a poet, a lover, and three suspicious deliveries. Someone has found out about her mysterious past. Will Loveday survive her own heartbreaking secrets?
CORONA – Good - I get impatient with these "difficult" characters. They are so full of themselves. At least, finally, she is called on exactly that in this story but there is no apology/comeuppance. The end is almost fairy-tale-ish; pretty perfect. - But most of it is a good story and it is nice to read so much about books, poems, and words. DIANNE – G+ - This book is more of a psychological study of a woman who loves words and works in a bookshop. The only mystery really has to do with the identity of a person leaving books as clues for the woman, Loveday Cardew. Loveday’s voice is very distinctive and she is strongly sketched. The only quibble I have is that she spends a lot of time self-analyzing and interpreting her own behavior. Once we know more about where she is coming from, some of this constant analysis is repetitive. The poetry in the book is so-so. Like all modern poetry, it just looks like prose broken up on the page in random ways. But altogether, this was a good read and very different from many of the other mysteries I have read in the group so far. GABRIEL – VG –Like a lot of the books we read, but with personal growth and a satisfying ending. GINNY – DNW - Books about bookshops are appealing to me. Sadly, this book was not. Most of the book was slow paced. The use of the flip-flopping technique between past and present which was distracting from the main story line. It was obvious early on about Loveday's parents’ dysfunctional relationship and ultimate ruin. The main reason the book didn’t work for me was Loveday in spite of her personal story. Admittedly the one aspect about the story I did like was how poetry brought salvation or peace or something healing into Loveday's life allowing her to stop hiding from the world and letting herself be known by others. KATHY – Okay – Not a great deal of development of the characters. Loved the relationship with Archie, but thought Nathan was too good to be true; he really didn't live in the outside world. It was okay as a non-mystery. KATIE – Poor - This felt like the author wanted it two ways - to explore the complex aftermath of serious trauma, and to write a sentimental story about a bookshop and its eccentric visitors and love healing all. I found the tension between the two increasingly grating. I didn't like that Nathan was a male Manic Pixie Dream Girl, and that Rob's mental illness was conflated with his violence and stalking - it felt like the author was not super clear on what the diagnosis she'd given the character meant. It just felt like pretty serious emotional matters were being waved away for plot convenience and a happy ending. Also, not much of a mystery! LINDA M – VG+ - It's not a mystery, as we knew. A 25 year old curmudgeon is still a curmudgeon. Loveday has a built a very substantial wall around herself... and shelved it full of books. The slow reveal of her pasts, recent and childhood, alongside her present was very engrossing for me. By the end of the book, I had a warm fondness for all the characters, barring one. MARCY S – Ex – Loved it! MARIE – NR - Worst book I've read this year. Self-centered Loveday, precocious, yes. but stubbornly unworthy of all the regard she receives from others, and, (where do they get all their money?) two wildly unrealistic people, Archie and Nathan. Pitiful excuse for poetry, no mystery or suspense, ... I could but won't go on. RON – VG+ - Rather than a murder mystery, the mystery in this book is really around the background of the lead character. It is very well written and the story flowed smoothly. I loved the lead character, but also really liked the characters of Archie and Nathan. The setting in the book store also added to the book’s appeal for me.
GROUP RATING AVERAGE: GOOD
HOW LUCKY (Mystery-Daniel-Athens, Georgia-Contemp) – Standalone – Will Leitch Daniel considers himself to be a mostly lucky guy—despite the fact that he’s suffered from a debilitating disease since he was a small child, one that has left him unable to speak or to move without a wheelchair. Largely confined to his home, Daniel spends the hours he’s not online communicating with irate air travelers observing his neighborhood from his front porch. One young woman passes by so frequently that spotting her out the window has almost become part of his daily routine. Until the day he’s almost sure he sees her being kidnapped.
CINDY – VG - I also though this book would be too depressing to read. It was so thought provoking. I enjoyed seeing the world through Daniel’s eyes and appreciating him for being a young twenty something boy. His spirit shined and on ending the book, I felt uplifted. CORONA – VG - I liked the characters, I liked the voices and clear communication. Just one, major, disconnect in the storyline. But generally, I enjoyed the yarn. DIANNE - VG+ - This is another book that is far different from the usual murder mystery. There is a mystery involving a young woman who may or may not have been abducted. But the book’s goal is to sketch the bravery and strong character of a young man who has information about the possible abduction. The book describes how he persists in making himself useful in solving the abduction mystery while undergoing almost unbearable tortures as he tries to communicate and act while dealing with his terrible physical limitations. His feats are so incredible it is hard to believe, but the author has a purpose here and a suspension of disbelief is necessary to the larger goal of the story. GABRIEL – Good – Thought not quite as good after page 30. HELEN – VG+ - Having a main character with severe physical disabilities is rare, especially in a mystery novel. But it worked really well for this story! I loved the characters and the dialogue, as well as Daniel's voice as a first-person narrator. The plot moves quickly, and the ending was really exciting. Things go very sideways, but the overall ending is a happy one. The only reason I'm giving this a VG+ and not an Excellent is that the ending is a bit of a stretch. Great mystery! KATIE - Good+ - I thought the villain was a bit meh, but I loved the main character's blend of snark and feeling. I also thought it was a good example of an investigation that felt dynamic and interesting, despite not covering much physical ground. LINDA F. - Good - The characters and their interactions didn't impress me. Their lack of maturity was realistic given their age, but I would have preferred more interesting characters. I was impatient with them. There were also predictable plot elements. I was hoping for more originality from this book. LINDA M – VG - I very much enjoyed it, and zipped right through it! Only docked my rating a little bit for the protagonist doing so many foolish things, that he knows are foolish things. NANCY – VG - As a person with a disability myself, I understand his concept of luck and why he felt this way. It is a real thing. I found most of the book’s characters equally believable, although the kidnapper and man who beat up Daniel was drawn a bit heavy handedly. I can also attest to the strength and reality of relationships like the ones in Daniel’s life. These relationships are not created and sustained from pity, but rather from something more intimate and sustained. I also particularly enjoyed the darkish humor throughout How Lucky, helping to make the book a good read for me. MARIE – VG+ - Clever plot, and endearing protagonist, Loved!! the setting, reminded me a little of the Bay Area when "Big Game" was a big deal. An unrealistic day dream?perhaps! But, so well done, I was swept up, and cried at the end. RON – Ex - This is one of the most life-affirming books I’ve ever read. It is almost impossible for most readers to read the book and not understand how overblown and trivial their own obstacles, setbacks, and problems are in real terms. This is a fast read with a with a remarkable protagonist and supporting characters. This is another book in which the mystery is not really the main point of the book. Also, it was educational for me in terms of SMA.
Felix Pink is retired. He occupies himself volunteering as an Exiteer—someone who sits with terminally ill people as they die by suicide. When Felix lets himself in to Number 3 Black Lane, he’s there to perform an act of kindness and charity: to keep a dying man company as he takes his final breath. But just fifteen minutes later Felix is on the run from the police—after making the biggest mistake of his life.
CINDY – VG - What a great premise. The exiteers walk in, bungle by assisting, then kill the wrong guy! Wonderful twisty turny mystery. And I thought it would be depressing.
CORONA – Ex - For some; a timely issue. - Such a good idea and then, of course, someone corrupts it! And, there were smiles, every time I read: "Worst/Best 'job ever'." It was a fun, interesting read, with satisfying endings.
DIANNE – VG - This book was quite droll, though the topic was assisted suicide. The world of Felix Pink, the workings of his mind, were wonderfully sketched. There were a number of surprises as the book moved along. This was a wonderful read.
GINNY – Good - I found the novel to be a dark comedy of errors. The protagonist, Felix, reminded me of A Man Called Ove and I laughed at his misadventures which helped bring levity a sobering subject. No matter how hard he tried to do good there were awful consequences. The book was well- paced, and the plot developed well. It is also a plus that the author created secondary characters who were an interesting bunch of kooks and held my interest in the story throughout.
HELEN – Good - The idea of a group of people that is basically witnessing terminally ill people commit suicide and cleaning up the evidence is interesting. I wasn't very fond of Felix as a character, but he worked well as a protagonist. The characters and dialogue are fairly well done; they're at least believable. There are a number of twists in this story, including how characters are interconnected. The plot makes you keep reading, although the end of the story was pretty ridiculous. The whole story required a good amount of suspension of disbelief, but it was entertaining enough that plot holes didn't bother me too much. Overall, this was a fairly quick and entertaining read, so I rate it a Good.
KATIE – Good - This book fell into the "silly but enjoyable" category for me, despite the dark subject matter. Some of the decisions and happenstances felt pretty absurd, but I enjoyed Felix's character and the descriptions of small town life and policing. And I did find some of the reckoning with death and grief to be quite heartwarming within the overall comedic tone.
LINDA M – VG+ - I really enjoyed this whimsical mystery and its colorful cast of characters.
I like the elderly protagonist, and I was entertained trying to figure out the culprit and the motive for the switcheroo.
RON – Ex - A wonderfully humane story with flawed but understandable characters. The book was very well written with good dialogue that kept the story going at a fast pace. The mystery itself was fine, but not really the driving force of the story. The book actually had two protagonists—Felix and Calvin—and I loved both of their characters.
GROUP RATING AVERAGE: VG+
THE LOST FOR WORDS BOOKSHOP (Myst-Loveday Cardew-England-Contemp) – Standalone – Stephanie Butland
Loveday Cardew prefers books to people. If you look carefully, you might glimpse the first lines of the novels she loves most tattooed on her skin. But there are some things Loveday will never, ever show you. Into the bookstore where she works come a poet, a lover, and three suspicious deliveries. Someone has found out about her mysterious past. Will Loveday survive her own heartbreaking secrets?
CORONA – Good - I get impatient with these "difficult" characters. They are so full of themselves. At least, finally, she is called on exactly that in this story but there is no apology/comeuppance. The end is almost fairy-tale-ish; pretty perfect. - But most of it is a good story and it is nice to read so much about books, poems, and words.
DIANNE – G+ - This book is more of a psychological study of a woman who loves words and works in a bookshop. The only mystery really has to do with the identity of a person leaving books as clues for the woman, Loveday Cardew. Loveday’s voice is very distinctive and she is strongly sketched. The only quibble I have is that she spends a lot of time self-analyzing and interpreting her own behavior. Once we know more about where she is coming from, some of this constant analysis is repetitive. The poetry in the book is so-so. Like all modern poetry, it just looks like prose broken up on the page in random ways. But altogether, this was a good read and very different from many of the other mysteries I have read in the group so far.
GABRIEL – VG –Like a lot of the books we read, but with personal growth and a satisfying ending.
GINNY – DNW - Books about bookshops are appealing to me. Sadly, this book was not. Most of the book was slow paced. The use of the flip-flopping technique between past and present which was distracting from the main story line. It was obvious early on about Loveday's parents’ dysfunctional relationship and ultimate ruin. The main reason the book didn’t work for me was Loveday in spite of her personal story. Admittedly the one aspect about the story I did like was how poetry brought salvation or peace or something healing into Loveday's life allowing her to stop hiding from the world and letting herself be known by others.
KATHY – Okay – Not a great deal of development of the characters. Loved the relationship with Archie, but thought Nathan was too good to be true; he really didn't live in the outside world. It was okay as a non-mystery.
KATIE – Poor - This felt like the author wanted it two ways - to explore the complex aftermath of serious trauma, and to write a sentimental story about a bookshop and its eccentric visitors and love healing all. I found the tension between the two increasingly grating. I didn't like that Nathan was a male Manic Pixie Dream Girl, and that Rob's mental illness was conflated with his violence and stalking - it felt like the author was not super clear on what the diagnosis she'd given the character meant. It just felt like pretty serious emotional matters were being waved away for plot convenience and a happy ending. Also, not much of a mystery!
LINDA M – VG+ - It's not a mystery, as we knew. A 25 year old curmudgeon is still a curmudgeon. Loveday has a built a very substantial wall around herself... and shelved it full of books. The slow reveal of her pasts, recent and childhood, alongside her present was very engrossing for me. By the end of the book, I had a warm fondness for all the characters, barring one.
MARCY S – Ex – Loved it!
MARIE – NR - Worst book I've read this year. Self-centered Loveday, precocious, yes. but stubbornly unworthy of all the regard she receives from others, and, (where do they get all their money?)
two wildly unrealistic people, Archie and Nathan. Pitiful excuse for poetry, no mystery or suspense, ... I could but won't go on.
RON – VG+ - Rather than a murder mystery, the mystery in this book is really around the background of the lead character. It is very well written and the story flowed smoothly. I loved the lead character, but also really liked the characters of Archie and Nathan. The setting in the book store also added to the book’s appeal for me.
GROUP RATING AVERAGE: GOOD
HOW LUCKY (Mystery-Daniel-Athens, Georgia-Contemp) – Standalone – Will Leitch
Daniel considers himself to be a mostly lucky guy—despite the fact that he’s suffered from a debilitating disease since he was a small child, one that has left him unable to speak or to move without a wheelchair. Largely confined to his home, Daniel spends the hours he’s not online communicating with irate air travelers observing his neighborhood from his front porch. One young woman passes by so frequently that spotting her out the window has almost become part of his daily routine. Until the day he’s almost sure he sees her being kidnapped.
CINDY – VG - I also though this book would be too depressing to read. It was so thought provoking. I enjoyed seeing the world through Daniel’s eyes and appreciating him for being a young twenty something boy. His spirit shined and on ending the book, I felt uplifted.
CORONA – VG - I liked the characters, I liked the voices and clear communication. Just one, major, disconnect in the storyline. But generally, I enjoyed the yarn.
DIANNE - VG+ - This is another book that is far different from the usual murder mystery. There is a mystery involving a young woman who may or may not have been abducted. But the book’s goal is to sketch the bravery and strong character of a young man who has information about the possible abduction. The book describes how he persists in making himself useful in solving the abduction mystery while undergoing almost unbearable tortures as he tries to communicate and act while dealing with his terrible physical limitations. His feats are so incredible it is hard to believe, but the author has a purpose here and a suspension of disbelief is necessary to the larger goal of the story.
GABRIEL – Good – Thought not quite as good after page 30.
HELEN – VG+ - Having a main character with severe physical disabilities is rare, especially in a mystery novel. But it worked really well for this story! I loved the characters and the dialogue, as well as Daniel's voice as a first-person narrator. The plot moves quickly, and the ending was really exciting. Things go very sideways, but the overall ending is a happy one. The only reason I'm giving this a VG+ and not an Excellent is that the ending is a bit of a stretch. Great mystery!
KATIE - Good+ - I thought the villain was a bit meh, but I loved the main character's blend of snark and feeling. I also thought it was a good example of an investigation that felt dynamic and interesting, despite not covering much physical ground.
LINDA F. - Good - The characters and their interactions didn't impress me. Their lack of maturity was realistic given their age, but I would have preferred more interesting characters. I was impatient with them. There were also predictable plot elements. I was hoping for more originality from this book.
LINDA M – VG - I very much enjoyed it, and zipped right through it! Only docked my rating a little bit for the protagonist doing so many foolish things, that he knows are foolish things.
NANCY – VG - As a person with a disability myself, I understand his concept of luck and why he felt this way. It is a real thing. I found most of the book’s characters equally believable, although the kidnapper and man who beat up Daniel was drawn a bit heavy handedly. I can also attest to the strength and reality of relationships like the ones in Daniel’s life. These relationships are not created and sustained from pity, but rather from something more intimate and sustained. I also particularly enjoyed the darkish humor throughout How Lucky, helping to make the book a good read for me.
MARIE – VG+ - Clever plot, and endearing protagonist, Loved!! the setting, reminded me a little of the Bay Area when "Big Game" was a big deal. An unrealistic day dream?perhaps! But, so well done, I was swept up, and cried at the end.
RON – Ex - This is one of the most life-affirming books I’ve ever read. It is almost impossible for most readers to read the book and not understand how overblown and trivial their own obstacles, setbacks, and problems are in real terms. This is a fast read with a with a remarkable protagonist and supporting characters. This is another book in which the mystery is not really the main point of the book. Also, it was educational for me in terms of SMA.
GROUP RATING AVERAGE: VG