The Nest

The Nest by Cynthia D'Aprix Sweeney


The Plumbs are about to learn the foolishness of their ways.

It's never a good idea to spend a promised inheritance from your benevolent father until the money is actually in your hand. And when you don't heed valuable advice...well, let's just say the consequences can be devastating.

Siblings Leo, Jack, Bea and Melody know with certainty that their deceased father, Leonard, Sr., intended "The Nest" to be a comfortable cushion to help his four children with necessities later in life. No one could have imagined that a modest trust fund would expand into a vast fortune under the guidance of savvy attorney George Plumb. But that's exactly what happened, and now these grown adults, after waiting patiently for years, want what is rightly theirs.

Unfortunately, "The Nest" has been drained to quietly pay off a nineteen-year-old waitress who made the biggest mistake of her life when she agreed to go for a joy ride with the drunken eldest brother, Leo. In his usual smooth, charismatic way, Leo vows to devise a plan to pay back each and every penny to the family he's used to cover up his indiscretions. His brother and sisters have no choice but to reluctantly believe him, even though their own personal financial woes continue to mount, not to mention the secrets they are hiding from one another and their loved ones.

Jack's partner, Walter, can't know that he's taken a second mortgage on their quaint,beachfront cottage to keep his antiques store afloat, or that he's involved with the black market sale of a valuable piece of stolen art.  And widow Bea, once a successful writer, is living on a shoestring, ever since she failed to complete that second novel. She's become a source of ridicule and pity with former colleagues. Maybe her latest attempt about an anonymous man ruining a young girl's life in a tragic accident will be a hit. Youngest child, Melody, anxious mother of twin daughters ( she tracks their every move with the Stalkerville app ) thought her days of struggling to make those outrageous mortgage payments would soon be over. She can't fathom losing her house in an affluent suburb or worse yet, sending her children to a state college. But how well does she really know her daughters?

No surprise that this novel is on the best-seller list. It's a sophisticated soap opera told with humor and compassion. It all starts with the "idea of money...". How money can "warp relationships and memories and decisions".  But it ends with warmth and the fervent belief that family relationships do matter long after the money is gone. 

Miller's Valley

Miller's Valley by Anna Quindlen

Beautifully written, emotionally charged, and remarkably poignant, Pulitzer Prize winner Anna Quindlen once again tells a moving story that readers will find impossible to forget.

Mimi Miller narrates her story beginning as a young girl living on the family farm in the rural Pennsylvania town called Miller's Valley. It's a place on the verge of a major upheaval, though the locals refuse to acknowledge the inevitable. Government officials start with gentle persuasion, attempting to sway the people to come around to their way of thinking about turning the flood-prone valley into a reservoir. Offers of relocation are met with skepticism and downright refusal, especially by Mimi's father, Buddy. His farm has been in the family for generations. He can't imagine living anywhere else.

Mimi's mother, Miriam, is a respected nurse at the local hospital, admired for her no nonsense, practical approach to life. She valiantly struggles to raise her three children to achieve contentment in life that has alluded her. Mimi's two brothers are decidedly different in nature; Edward, staunch and dependable, Tommy, charming and gregarious. But it's Mimi, with her superior intelligence, that Miriam hopes will escape the confines of  Miller Valley. Aunt Ruth, Miriam's sister, lives on the Miller property, too, She is an agoraphobic, refusing to leave her home and harboring a shocking secret she'll take to her grave.

Tommy returns a broken man after enlisting in the Marines and serving in Vietnam. Buddy suffers a debilitating stroke. And through it all, Mimi finds the strength to carry on with an unwavering belief in family. As she watches life in Miller's Valley begin to disintegrate, her wildest dreams begin to take shape, leading her back to where it all began.

If you are a fan of Anna Quindlen, a new release is always a cause for celebration. Much like her Still Life With Breadcrumbs (reviewed under general fiction in April, 2014), she writes with passion, humor, and empathy, creating characters that become so real, it's often hard to believe it's fiction.

Her keen observation of the human spirit is outstanding. Her ability to tell a touching story that holds the reader's interest is a gift.

Wherever life takes you, "maybe everyone stays the same inside, even when their life looks nothing like what they once had, or even imagined".

Fool Me Once

Fool Me Once by Harlan Coben


The prying eyes of a hidden nanny cam reveal startling images to a woman who is reeling from her husband's murder. Is he really dead?

Disgraced Special Ops pilot Maya Burkett is back home from the war, facing allegations from a whistle-blower that she ordered an airstrike that killed innocent victims. While overseas, her sister, Claire, was murdered in a home invasion. Now Maya witnesses the demise of husband, Joe, at the hands of a couple of thugs in Central Park. All that's left is precious two-year-old daughter,  Lily. So when a friend suggests installing a concealed camera to secretly watch Lily and nanny Isabella, Maya feels it's the right thing to do, even though she's hesitant to spy on a trustworthy employee.

Astonishingly, camera footage shows her supposedly dead husband lovingly interacting with their daughter. When Maya confronts Isabella with the unbelievable images, her nanny throws pepper spray in her face, and disappears with the evidence. Obviously, Maya's mind is playing tricks on her, conjuring up the possibility that Joe's alive, but why then, did Isabella run?  Is she in on some grand scheme that puts Maya in danger? As the fictional Sherlock Holmes said, "When you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth". Maya sets out to find out exactly what that truth is.

Her investigation is a lonely one. She doesn't know who she can trust. When the police determine that the same gun that killed her sister ten years ago, was also used to murder Joe, she knows that the two slayings are somehow related. As Maya digs deeper, she discovers disturbing facts about Joe's brother, Andrew, who presumably died in a boating accident when both boys attended a prestigious boarding school. Or was it suicide? The wealthy, influential Burkett family that are now her in-laws, are hiding lethal secrets that they desperately want no one to uncover.

Fast-paced and remarkably easy to read, this author once again delights his readers with an elaborate, plot that doesn't come to the stunning conclusion until the very end.  Enjoy untangling the lies and deceit. I have a feeling Harlan Coben will fool you more than once.

The Girl in the Red Coat

The Girl in the Red Coat by Kate Hamer

The anguish and heartbreak of a mother and daughter torn apart is exquisitely told in this story brimming with emotion and pain.

Single mom Beth Wakeford can't shake the feeling that someday her eight-year-old daughter, Carmel, will disappear. Irrational, perhaps ,but since her husband, Paul, left her for another woman, she's constantly fearful of losing another loved one. Carmel has always been a little "different",  a dreamy, spiritual sort of child that her teachers describe as "being on another planet". She loves her mother, but the hovering and over-protectiveness are hard for even a child to bear.

 On a foggy, dismal Saturday morning Beth's premonition comes true. She and Carmel visit a delightful outdoor festival.  The many tents are filled with puppeteers and storytellers dressed in glittering costumes. Try as she might, Beth can't seem to hold on to her daughter's slippery hand. Carmel finds a hiding place, seizing the moment to be alone, not realizing her little game opens the door for a stranger to abduct her. Minutes turn into hours and still no sign of the little girl in her signature red coat. Panic becomes hysteria and a mother's worst fears soon become reality.

Hours turn into days as Beth relentlessly searches for her daughter. Religious zealots claim Carmel must have special "powers" and false sightings lead to crushing disappointment.  Beth  marks each and every day on the calendar that goes by, while Carmel loses all sense of time. Never fully understanding the complexity of the reasons behind her capture, Carmel begins a journey that will take her farther and farther away from a mother and father who cling to one another, never giving up hope that someday their daughter will return.

Clearly, Hamer has a  commanding vocabulary and expressive style of writing.  She convincingly conveys the invisible thread that connects mother and daughter, even though they are physically apart. Although the minor characters are not always fully developed, the author's deep insight into the mother daughter relationship makes up for any shortcomings.

As the plot unravels piece by piece, readers will undoubtedly hope for a happy ending where mother and child find their way into each other's arms again.

Flight of Dreams

Flight of  Dreams by Ariel Lawhon

In the twilight hours on May 3, 1937, the German dirigible know as the Hindenburg exploded and burned in a mere thirty-four seconds while attempting to land at The Naval Air Station in Lakehurst, New Jersey.  Of the ninety-seven people aboard, thirty-seven perished, thus ending travel in a rigid, floating airship called a zeppelin, forever.

Many notions remain as to what exactly occurred on the three day "uneventful" luxurious voyage from Germany to America, but the fact is, no one really knows. Author Ariel Lawhon fervently believes that this grand journey was far from "uneventful", even though the survivors eighty years ago steadfastly stood by their recollections of it being a predictable but splendid trip. In a riveting and compelling story, Lawhon combines her extensive research with a fictional take on what could have happened. The people are real, the tale is conjecture, and the result is thoroughly fascinating.

Each chapter introduces the reader to characters bearing names that become familiar as the plot unravels. Emilie Imhoff is the "Stewardess", a widow in mourning, hiding a deadly secret, and falling for Max Zabel, the "Navigator" who holds her heart in his hands. Endearing fourteen-year-old Werner Franz is the "Cabin Boy" who grows up quickly amidst the scheming and collusion on board. Sassy Gertrud Adelt is the "Journalist", stripped of her press pass by the Nazis, traveling with her charming, older husband, and missing the young son they left behind. She is determined to uncover the motives of the mysterious "American" while rumors swirl about a bomb on board. The hours and minutes tick by while passengers partake of savory foods and tempting cocktails in the smoky lounge. They unwittingly assume the voyage will end smoothly, never imagining impending doom.

The cleverly written plot offers great insight into what it must have been like to float effortlessly above the stormy, turbulent waters of the Atlantic Ocean. The author combines interesting facts with intrigue to write a story about a mystifying disaster that to this day, defies explanation. She has taken liberties with a sizable amount of research to write a plausible theory. I would encourage the reader to scan the author's notes at the end of the book. It explains how and why she decided to write about this perplexing catastrophic event in history. The heartache and anguish that followed are all too real. Immense sorrow only adds to this rich and well-told story, as do the moments of joy for some of the survivors.

At the end, speculation and questions still remain as to what really happened to the pride of Germany.

Under the Influence

Under the Influence by Joyce Maynard

Helen's life has officially hit rock-bottom. As a result of a DUI conviction, she's lost custody of eight-year-old son, Ollie, her social life consists of going to AA meetings, and her waning photography career amounts to nothing more than encouraging children to smile in school photos.

One evening while working for a caterer, serving drinks to the sinfully rich at a posh art gallery, she meets philanthropists Ava and Swift Havilland. It's quite flattering to have people of their stature take an interest in you and your opinions. She willingly accepts their offer to get to know them better.

Soon Helen is a vital part of the Havilland household. She attends lavish parties at their palatial home, wears designer clothes ( with the tags still on), and busies herself cataloging the valuable art collection. No one ever speaks of the mysterious accident that left Ava in a wheelchair; in fact her fulfilling life as a paraplegic is celebrated every day with her gregarious husband, Swift. Helen is in awe of their kindness to the less fortunate, the money spent on rescuing dogs, and the passion for life that appears to define every aspect of their lives.

When Helen tenaciously enters into a relationship with Elliott, an accountant her new friends deem   "boring", she finds herself questioning her own feelings for him. They subtly remind her that a partner should be exciting and stimulating, not dull and tedious. Helen reluctantly listens ,even though her heart seems to tell her otherwise. When Swift promises to hire a prominent attorney to help her gain custody of her son, she knows this could be the chance she's waited for so long. A life with Elliott is no longer a priority.

When shy, sullen Ollie finally meets the Havillands, he turns into a different child. Happy and content, he is surrounded by Swift and all the opulence he and Ava can offer. Every waking minute is spent learning to swim, riding in fast cars, and accepting fabulous gifts showered upon him. They treat him like a son. While Helen delights in Ollie's resurgence and renewed interest in spending time with her again, she can't shake Elliott's warning. He's done some digging into the perfect couple's business dealings,.hinting that the grandeur and spectacular lifestyle are a facade. But Helen brushes her fears aside. Life is finally going her way.

Impending doom now builds as Ollie witnesses a tragic accident that puts Helen in a very compromising situation. It's abundantly clear that it's her turn to repay Swift for his extraordinary kindness, even at the expense of her own son.

This well-paced novel with rich characters and gripping plot, explores the vulnerability in all of us. How easy it is to fall prey to those we trust when we are at low points in our lives. And how difficult it is to pick up the pieces after we realize our mistakes.

From the author who wrote After Her (reviewed under suspense/thriller October, 2013), Maynard once again writes about a flawed family having the courage to start over again.

 

Black Rabbit Hall

Black Rabbit Hall by Eve Chase


The rugged, windswept Cornish coastline sets the stage for this alluring, romantic mystery. At the center of it all, is the once majestic, sprawling countryside estate known as Black Rabbit Hall, an ancestral home belonging to the Alton family. Ominous secrets lurk behind walls now crumbling in disrepair.

In the late 1960's, Hugo and Nancy Alton escape from hectic London to spend mellow and magical vacations at Black Rabbit Hall with their four spirited children. It's here where time seems to stand still, where the stars shine brighter than anywhere else on Earth, and endless, carefree days of relaxation melt into cool, enticing nights.

In an instant, life changes for Hugo and his children when his beloved Nancy ventures out on a stormy night, riding her faithful horse, Knight. The resulting tragedy changes the very core of this close-knit family. Twins Amber and Toby struggle to cling to fond memories of their copper-haired, vivacious Momma while guiding and consoling little brother, Barney, and sister, Kitty. Nothing will ever be the same; even more apparent when Hugo brings home the cold, elusive, Caroline, and her dark, strikingly handsome son, Lucian. Responsibilities weigh heavily on Amber's shoulders, while Toby becomes distant and calculating. Their lives become increasingly intertwined with devastating outcomes. And somewhere in the dense forest that the children once gleefully explored, lies the truth behind what really happened to their mother.

Thirty year later, Lorna Dunaway is convinced that Pencraw Hall (known to the locals as Black Rabbit) is the perfect venue for her upcoming wedding reception.  Fiancee Jon heartily disagrees. There's a menacing, sinister ambiance to the place. But Lorna can't be dissuaded. The estate draws her into a trance that she finds impossible to escape. The current matriarch, Caroline Alton, extends an invitation to Lorna to stay for a few nights, much to Jon's chagrin. With her mind in a fog, Lorna uncovers morbid clues from the past that unlock repressed memories. Lorna realizes that she's in the middle of the lies and chaotic madness of events that happened years ago. Her struggle to understand the connection to Black Rabbit Hall, becomes an obsession, resulting in inconceivable truths.

Any comparison to author Daphne du Maurier is certainly justified. This ethereal, dreamy mystery combines suspense with forbidden love, adding enough twists and turns to keep the reader thoroughly engaged until the riveting end.

Cleverly written and positively entertaining, author Eve Chase's debut novel is a must read for romance suspense enthusiasts.