Hand of Evil by J. A. Jance

Ali Reynolds is a former journalist and tv reporter who lost her job and her husband  on the same day.  Devastated by the betrayal of her husband and her boss, she started a blog about her experiences and found a lot of kindred spirits along the way.  This book, the third in the series, focuses less on the blog than the other two books but it’s still part of the plot.  Through a series of events, Ali gets involved with two cases of child molestation, one current and one fifty years in the past.  She is able to help but winds up putting herself in danger at the same time.  Ali is a strong and forceful character who always manages to be able to survive.  Exactly the characteristics you need in the heroine of a suspense novel.

Karen – Fort Mill                            ISBN  9781416537533

T is for Trespass by Sue Grafton

When an author writes a long running series, often the later books become stale, as if there is nothing new for the character to do or nothing new for the author to say.  This is not the case with Sue Grafton.   In my opinion, Sue Grafton is getting better and better.   The latest in the series, number 20 if I’ve counted correctly, is all about Kinsey and her landlord Henry and their neighbor Gus.  Kinsey doesn’t usually spend much time with her neighbors, but this time, with her caseload light, she turns her attention to Gus, the crankiest guy in the neighborhood.  Gus has fallen and needs help when he gets out of the hospital.  His only relative is across the country and hires a companion for him, who tries to empty his bank account and sell his belongings, until Kinsey finds a way to stop her.  It’s an exciting book that gives you a lot to think about.  Fraud, elder abuse, and who will take of you when you’re old and feeble.

Karen – Fort Mill                            ISBN  9780399154485

Mockingbird: A Portrait of Harper Lee by Charles J Shields

After finishing To Kill a Mockingbird in 1961, Harper Lee never published another book.  What happened to her?   This book tries to answer that question but without the help of the Harper Lee it’s a little hard to find the answer.  And really, Harper Lee herself may not know the answer to that question.  The book follows Miss Lee from childhood through the present.  The most interesting part of the book are the sections on her helping Truman Capote with the interviews for In Cold Blood and the writing of To Kill a Mockingbird.  Mr. Shields has written a book about about a nice oridinary woman who is the author of one of the best loved books of all time.

 Karen – Fort Mill                                   ISBN 9780805079197