An Incomplete Revenge by Jacqueline Winspear

I don’t usually read historical novels.  I like my fiction firmly rooted in the present, but even though An Incomplete Revenge is set in 1931, I enjoyed the interesting plot and the strong, independent, intelligent protagonist.   This is the fifth book in the series by Winspear all featuring Maisie Dobbs, a young woman who grew up in a poor working class family but got a chance at a first rate education and is now a psychologist and investigator working on her own in London.  In this book, she is called upon to investigate a small village that is plagued with minor acts of vandalism including a string of fires.  She must break through the silence that surrounds the town and find the secrets they are hiding.  Maisie walks a fine line between where she came from and how she lives now.   Her experiences as a nurse in the war has made her sensitive to many different people in many different situations and she is able to command respect in a time that single women were often dismissed.  I think if you try this series you will enjoy meeting Maisie Dobbs and reading about her life in London almost eighty years ago.

Karen – Fort Mill                                  ISBN 9780805082159

The Monsters of Templeton by Lauren Groff

When 28-year-old Willie Upton returns to her hometown of Templeton NY on a dark summer dawn, a 50-foot-long body of a monster just happens to float up from the depths of the town’s lake.  This mysterious coincidence is the beginning of Lauren Groff’s intriguing tale about the people of Templeton.  Willie is a descendant of the town founder, Marmaduke Temple.  Returning home pregnant and miserable, she plans to hide there, recovering from a distastrous affair with her graduate school professor.  From clues hinted at by her mother, Willie begins her search to untangle the roots of the town’s greatest families in order to discover her own father’s identity.  Through Willie’s investigation, she uncovers a wealth of fascinating people, both in the town and among her ancestors.  I found the accounts from generations of Templetonians delightful and witty…you won’t want to miss this book.  The author also borrows some characters from the works of James Fenimore Cooper, who named an upstate New York town Templeton in The Pioneers.  Spanning two centuries, the story is told through a variety of voices including Templeton residents, ghosts, masters, servants, natives, interlopers, and more.  You’ll enjoy reading about all the predicaments in which these characters find themselves.  Place a hold on it today!

Jennifer L. – York                                   ISBN 9781401322250