An exciting life!

 In Peter Heller's new novel Celine, the elegant Celine shows us her charms and quick shooting. A licensed PI, she lives near the Brooklyn Bridge. She and her partner/husband, Pete, specialize in finding missing persons, with a success rate higher than that of the FBI. The main plot centers on a daughter's quest for her father, who "disappeared" at Yellowstone many years back, supposedly mauled by a grizzly.  Hired by the desperate daughter, Celine learns that local trackers and lawmen doubt the bear story, and as she and Pete approach the park, they realize they're being shadowed by an FBI sniper. The missing father was a charismatic, world-famous National Geographic photographer who had been in Chile during the overthrow of President Salvador Allende; eventually we learn that he had pictures that compromised the current government. Near the conclusion, the G-man tries to take them out, but the 68-year-old asthmatic Celine is also a quick draw. Fun and exciting! ML

A Lady's Code of Misconduct

A Lady's Code of Misconduct by Meredith Duran was surprisingly good! In this historical romance, I love that we have a female character with brains and it's not someone who is weak that minces words with men, looking for her strength. But a woman that takes the bull by the horns and makes life happen for her.

Crispin, the male character is so different too! He started off an unlikable jerk but ended up being an amazing man. I love his passion for life and for Jane.

The author has created a perfect love story. From sparks flying at the beginning to a slow growth of respect, protection, care, consideration, and love, the perfect couple is brought together as one. It's such a beautiful and interesting historical story. *JK*

A Story of Siblings

How would you feel if your family’s story was made into a novel and then became a motion picture? This is exactly what happens to Franny Keating when she becomes involved with a best-selling author who is searching for ideas for his new book. Franny’s family life is complicated. It begins at Franny's Christening party when an uninvited guest arrives with a bottle of gin. After her folks divorce, she becomes part of a blended family. Franny and her sister Caroline go to live in Virginia with their mother and her new husband, Bert. His four children come out from California every summer. The kids are left on their own much of the time. The adventures and tragedy that happen to this clan are strange and understandable at the same time. If you like family dramas, Commonwealth by Ann Patchett is intriguing. DB

Welcome to Elmwood Springs

Fannie Flagg, celebrated author of Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle-Stop Café, charms readers again with her new book—The Whole Town’s Talking.  She tells the history of a tiny town in Missouri founded by Swedish dairy farmer Lordor Nordstrom and his mail-order bride Katrina. Nordstrom and the other early settlers were definitely far-sighted when they started Elmwood Springs in the 1800’s. They even dedicated a lovely quiet spot for the town cemetery--Still Meadows. The book takes us from the town's early days up to the current time, noting how things change yet also stay the same. If you enjoy simple things, this sweet tale of generational life in small-town USA is great. DB