Whistler

Whistler by Ann Patchett (2026) 295 pages

Daphne and her sister Leda are extremely close. They have careers and husbands they love. When Daphne and her husband chance upon their mother's second husband Eddie in a New York City museum, all sorts of feelings come flooding back to Daphne after 40-something years apart. What follows is a series of visits and conversations mostly about how special Eddie was to the girls for the couple of years that Eddie and their mother were together. Eddie and Daphne were in a car accident when she was nine, which seemed to result in the end of their mother and Eddie's marriage, but why? The various relationships between the family members, including Daphne and Leda's mother and father, as well as Daphne's stepdaughters and Leda's son, all mesh beautifully into a book that is hard to set down. And why is there a horse on the book's cover. Read and find out! Highly recommended.

Will Eisner: A Comics Biography

 Will Eisner: A Comics Biography by Stephen Weiner and Dan Mazur (2025) 300 pages 

Having read some of his autobiographical graphic novels (or autobiographical notes included in books that are not autobiographical works) I knew about his WWII service and his daughter dying leading to his crisis of faith. Otherwise, I wish there was more here. Eisner's youth and early career were full of interesting stories. I ate that part of the biographical comic up! Chapter 4, going into his business partnership with Iger, also kept the behind-the-scenes nuggets very interesting. Beginning with Eisner creating The Spirit, a private detective hero without a circus costume, the details become more slim. Through his later life, having a wife and kids and inventing the term "graphic novel," I wanted to know more, much more! The art style does a great job of giving multiple homages to Eisner.

I Didn't Do It

I Didn't Do It: Thriller Writer Conventions Can Be Murder by Jaime Lynn Hendricks  325 pp.

The title pretty much says it all. Murder mystery and thriller writers are gathered in New York City for Murderpalooza, a convention of the industry's best and brightest and those who aspire to be them. The high point of the convention is the awarding of a prize for the best thriller author of the year. But the front runner is found murdered in her hotel room. Four other authors are receiving Twitter (before it was X) messages saying they may be killed next. Whoever is sending the tweets seems to know the dirty secrets of all four. They band together to find the murderer while still suspecting one of their group may be the killer. The twist at the end is somewhat of a surprise. It's a fun ride.

Revenge of the Middle-Aged Woman

Revenge of the Middle-Aged Woman by Elizabeth Buchan (2002) 341 pages

Rose is is her mid-forties, happily married with two children in their early twenties. She is the editor of the Sunday book section of an English newspaper, has a nice garden, good relationships all around, etc., when she gets a double whammy: her husband announces he is leaving her because he's in love with her assistant at work and then her boss sacks her, saying he's looking to freshen the book section by replacing her with that same assistant.

The book deals with Rose's tailspin and leveling out, showing realistically the turmoil that the breakup of a long marriage can encompass. This is the second time I've read this novel and it still resonates with me.