Book Review: The Rachel Incident - Caroline ODonoghue

I’m going to start with a disclaimer - I’m not a fan of modern “coming of age” books. Reading “The Rachel Incident” by Caroline O’Donoghue took me a while (about a quarter of the book) to get into. This book is not a triangle romance - far from it. There’s also a lot of present/past flipping and, at least in the version I had, it wasn’t always clear when the time period changed. However, once plot began rolling, around the half-way mark, the story moved along at a pretty steady clip and I became more interested in how the plot was unfolding. I do recommend that there be some trigger warnings, if those are something people look for in books. Let me also note - this is a bit of a heavy book. There are a number of topics discussed (thus the trigger warning suggestion) and Ms. O’Donoghue does a great job balancing the heaviness with some levity. In fact, a number of her aside comments were rather witty and appreciated. At times I did forget that this was a fictional book - the first person narrative made that easy to forget - and also how really real (especially toward the end) this book felt at times. A solid 3.75 stars, rounded up to 4.

Book Review: All My Love, Detrick - Roberta Kagan

 


“All My Love, Detrick” is the first book in a series by Roberta Kagan. This book was originally released in 2012 and, per the editor, has been edited for re-release. I’ve read another WWII historical fiction series (Blood Sisters) by this author, so I’m a bit familiar with her style of writing. This book, however, reads like a first book - even after being re-edited. There are A LOT of characters in this book - we’ve got the two main characters - Leah and Detrick. Toss in families, friends, acquaintances, romantic interests, and … it gets a bit confusing at times keeping track of who is who. I believe, having not read the sequels, that maybe those characters get fleshed out in subsequent books, but for some (especially Dorothy), I would’ve preferred an introduction in this book and then fleshing out backstories in separate books. Additionally, this book drags regarding pacing and also due to so much happening with minor character arcs. I don’t know how much time passes in this book because the only references to time passing are historical events (and one event I’m still wondering where the author got her information - I cannot find reference to the event happening the way she described it online). Another reviewer claimed this book is a romance novel set with the background of WWII and I have to (sorta) agree. There’s a lot of insta-lust (not my favorite trope) between many characters. I would say that the *bones* of this book are there, but there’s so much fluff surrounding the bones that the love story between Leah and Detrick gets bogged down. I wanted to like this book more than I did as I know Ms. Kagan can write … but this book wasn’t as polished as I would have liked. Overall somewhere between 2 and 2.5 stars.

Book Review: Off the Charts Chemistry - Christine Miles

  

“Off the Charts Chemistry” is a romance book by Christine Miles. I have mixed feelings about this book. On one hand, it’s a romance - so one knows how it’s going to end. There is often comfort in familiarity. For some, the bit of “sexy time” will be enjoyable. I liked that this was about two teachers and it was pretty obvious that they were adults. I had some minor quibbles - such as the fact that while our heroine is a chemistry teacher, the “chemistry” referred to in the title is more about her chemistry (and chemical reaction!) to the new football coach. I’m really not a fan of insta-lust. Additionally, and this must be one of the most minor nits on the planet, I don’t know how - after watching one football game - even with a knowledgable and fantastic teacher - that one would automatically absorb all the football knowledge they imparted - and recall it to impart to others. The last bit about the football player, I thought, seemed a bit odd; it bugged me how neatly tied up that storyline was presented. Overall, this was probably a 3.5 star read - it did provide diversion from my life, it was a quick read, and it did hold my attention for the overall storyline.

Book Review: The Traitor - Ava Glass

 

“The Traitor” is the second in the Emma Makepeace series by Ava Glass. I had read the first book so returning to this series was pretty easy. There’s enough background, I think, for newcomers to the series to quickly understand what’s going on; while the previous story is hinted at, it’s not necessary to read it (I think) before diving into this one. This book worked, but it took me a while to get into it and seemed to extend a bit longer than I felt was necessary. However, this book is enjoyable for those who like mostly fact-paced action spy thrillers. There was a bit of a plot hole for me and it’s a tiny bit predictable, but that didn’t take away from my overall enjoyment. Four stars.

Book Review: The Stranger Upstairs - Lisa M. Matlin

 

“The Stranger Upstairs” is a mystery/horror debut novel by Lisa M. Matlin. Our hero, Sarah, a successful author and Instagram influencer, decides to purchase a #murderhouse where 40 years previously a murder/suicide had taken place. The problem is that Sarah - and her husband Joe - aren’t really prepared to fully undertake flipping a house that really needs A LOT of work; too much work for them to handle. There’s also the problem of - so many years later - rumors about the house and occupants. Over time, Sarah becomes convinced that someone (or something) is against Joe and her taking possession of the house - from threatening notes, stand-offish neighbors, and weird house noises and smells. I must admit - I read this book in one day, to the point of not really wanting to put it down. This had me wondering what was going on - was it the unfriendly neighbor, was it Sarah spinning out of control, was the house haunted - but Ms. Matlin’s layering of craziness upon craziness was wonderful. I greatly enjoyed the tension being built up and then, blam, laid out there in on the page, but it still was riding a bit of the crazy train. I did have to look up a bit of Aussie slang - thank goodness for Google. There was also a fantastic author’s note included. Four stars.

Book Review: This is How We End Things - R.J. Jacobs

 

“This is How We End Things” is a psychological thriller by R. J. Jacobs. I had really high hopes for this book - academia, graduate students, psychology department - sign me up. This book started out very slowly for me - and it didn’t help that there were a number of characters who were difficult for me to keep separate. Over time it became easier to keep people separate - and I liked the introduction of the two police people. Like others, I quickly figured out who had done it. I really liked the gripping beginning and wish that that storyline had continued in the book opposed to just being the opening. I wanted to like this book more than I did. Three stars.

 

 

 

Book Review: Scenes of the Crime -Jilly Gagnon

 

“Scenes of the Crime” is a thriller by Jilly Gagnon. This book has a dual timeline - one 15 years ago and one in present day. The book follows four women and what happened at a girls’ trip.

This book was an odd one. I believe that the relationship between all the women was toxic to degrees that seemed plausible but rather frustrating at the same time. I never felt reading this book that any of these women had any depth. I don’t think I’ll remember much about this book in about a week - other than it taking along the Oregon coast and winery caves with passages to the ocean (that part I found rather interesting, must admit). I did like the parts that were written as a screenplay - including the reader’s comments. I’m going to give this book four stars because it did hold my attention, was an easy/quick read, and I did like the overall style, but it’s really more like a 3.5 star read for me overall.

Book Review: The River Runs South - Audry Ingram

 

“The River Runs South” is a debut novel by Audrey Ingram. I would say that this book wasn’t quite what I was expecting - but I wasn’t sure quite what to expect either. This book follows Camille, a Washington DC lawyer, who is married to Ben and they have a six-year-old child, Willa. Ben dies suddenly and a number of months later Camille suffers a panic attack, resulting in her deciding to take a break from her life in Washington DC and return to her family home in Alabama. While in Alabama, Camille rediscovers the joys of her small town - along with some of the pitfalls of living in a small town. Willa enjoys time spent with both her grandparents and her mom - and the family does “adventures” together, adding to Willa’s joy of Alabama. Camille discovers her father is being sued by someone thanks to a partnership in a project. This is where a love triangle beings, with her father’s lawyer and the person suing her father both become interested in Camille. In some ways this book was about “simple joys” - rediscovering that sometimes while you can’t return home you can share what is familiar and comfortable from home with someone and experience it through their eyes. Ms. Ingram did a fantastic job describing the waterways and area of Alabama. I don’t know what six year olds Ms. Ingram possibly hangs out with, but Willa’s word choice sounded like a much older child. Ms. Ingram did her research into ecological preservation and while sometimes a bit too heavy handed for my taste, it did lead into some interesting scenes, especially with the lawyers. Overall, I’d say you may read this as a beach read or you may read it with a bit more depth - the choice is yours. I did find it a bit predictable, but for the most part that wasn’t deterring. Four stars out of five.

Book Review: Zero Day Ghost - Scott Olson

 

Original Review (11 AUG): “Zero Day Ghost” is a debut novel by Scott Olson. Mr. Olson worked on Amazon’s Alexa and knows a bit about AI and tech buzzwords. I must admit that the idea of this book intrigued me. Overall, I think the bones of a great story are there, but there’s a lot of intrigue, techno speak that I didn’t always understand, and the plot had a few too many twists for my taste. There are some basic flaws that need an editor to tighten up. First - a character is introduced suddenly, like the reader is supposed to know who that person is already. I ended up doing a search in the book to see if I missed a previous reference - nope, just an awkward character introduction. In another scene, the hero notes she doesn’t have her phone, but manages to find a house - after midnight - that’s at least half an hour away from the train station. Had she visited the house before and remembered how to get there? Did she consult a map back at home and remember the rough outline? So many questions that actually took me out of the story! Time jumps abound, which I found a bit jarring to the flow of the story too. Once the main character ends up in Hong Kong, things happen very quickly - at times too quickly, though it did all make sense for a fast-paced action story. For a first time author, again, the bones are here for a really good story, but I wish there’d been a bit more explanation of the technological parts and a bit tighter general storyline. Overall, 3.5 stars, rounded up.

Edited Review (1 SEP): Before it's official publication, I received an email from the Publisher that the author had made modifications based upon feedback from reviewers. I redownloaded the book and glanced through it - a number of the things I noted in my original review had been changed, so I thank both the Publisher and Mr. Olson for those changes. The plot still had a bit too many twists for my taste, but characters are introduced more smoothly. I still believe that Mr. Olson dislikes a certain Silicon Valley town, but we can quibble about that at another time. Is the technical information more explained - yes. I still think the bones of the story are good. I will stick with my 4 star rating - though, again, it was a tighter read with fewer things that took me out of the story.