Everything is under control: A memoir with recipes, by Phyllis Grant

An odd little book I put on my Kindle when I was running low on “real” books. Maybe the title spoke to me during a pandemic, when nothing seemed to be under control. And indeed, nothing really is for the author either. She begins as a talented ballet dancer, but in the end, not talented enough. However, she falls in love with New York after studying at Julliard and embarks on a second career as a chef. A pastry chef at that, having struggled with eating disorders not uncommon in serious dancers. Somehow this career, through her own troubles with infertility, segues into midwifery. And then there are a lot of recipes. Short, heartfelt obviously, but rather all over the place in terms of focus. 256 pp.

The Hollows

The Hollows by Jess Montgomery, 343 pages

Newly elected sheriff Lily Ross already has her hands full as a single mom, but when an old woman falls (or was pushed) onto a train in a remote part of Lily's jurisdiction, Lily suddenly finds herself tracking down the woman's identity, and getting swept up into a war against the racist women of her small community. Set in 1926, this historical mystery offers a peek at the racial and political climate of southeastern Ohio, including the Women's KKK, unionization and integration efforts at the coal mines, and the changing role of women during those years between WWI and the Great Depression. It's a fascinating story, with solid characters and a wonderfully twisty mystery. Yes, it's a sequel to Montgomery's The Widows, but you don't need to read that one to enjoy this one.

The Hocus Girl

The Hocus Girl by Chris Nickson, 224 pages

Simon Westow is a thief-taker by trade, but when a close friend is wrongfully arrested for sedition, Simon is determined to clear his friend's name. Thankfully, he has the mysterious Jane to help him keep track of his other business, including tracking down the titular hocus girl who has bewitched and then stolen from a wealthy businessman. But when Jane finds the hocus girl, she discovers that someone else is out for Jane herself, and must do some sleuthing to track down the person who hired the hocus girl in the first place.

While the historical setting in early industrial Leeds, as well as the juxtaposition between Simon's risky job and his home life with a wife and two kids, is all intriguing, I honestly don't feel like I got to know the characters well enough to care about what was going on with them. I found this book a bit of a slog, though part of that may be that this is the second in the series and I haven't read the first one. Either way, there are better historical mysteries out there.

Paw and Order

Paw and Order by Spencer Quinn (2014) 304 pages

Chet is a 120 pound dog, a police academy dropout who is smart as a whip and totally dedicated to Bernie Little. Bernie is a former police officer and Army captain who'd been injured in Iraq. Now the two make up the Little Detective Agency. One of Chet's most endearing traits is how he hard he tries to translate what Bernie and other people say (often taking their words literally), and what Chet notices as he meets various people in the story and how he deciphers their gestures and smells.

After wrapping up a job in Louisiana, Bernie decides to aim his old Porsche towards Washington D.C., to surprise Susie, his girlfriend who now works for the Washington Post. When they arrive at Susie's, they see Eben St. John leaving Susie's place, which makes Bernie jealous, even though Susie says Eben is a source for a story she's working on. When Susie finds Eben dead in his office the next day, Bernie is a suspect for a time. As Bernie, Chet and Susie try to solve the murder, they need to piece together Washington D.C. presidential politics and foreign interest in the results. (Sound familiar?) This is a fast-moving story and it's a nice change of pace to hear it from Chet's point of view.

A Noble Radiance

A Noble Radiance (Commissario Brunetti #7) by Donna Leon  277 pp.

On a remote estate the body of a partly decomposed young man is dug up in a farm field. With the corpse is a distinctive signet ring, that of the prominent Lorenzoni family. The discovery reopens an unsolved kidnapping case involving the son of Count and Contessa Lorenzoni. Brunetti is called in to the investigation where more than just the murder and kidnapping of the young man is revealed and a family succumbs to multiple tragedies. I love the Brunetti mysteries but this one was depressing.

Fatal Remedies

Fatal Remedies (Commissario Brunetti #8) by Donna Leon  303 pp.

Commissario Guido Brunetti is wakened by the phone in the we hours of the night to come to the police department because of a crime of vandalism committed. He arrives to find the arrested culprit is Paola, his wife. As a protest against travel agents who arrange "less than savory" trips for men, Paola has committed an act of vandalism, throwing a rock through the front window of an agency. This one act puts Brunetti's career in jeopardy as well as Paola's position as a university professor. Before a decision is made about reimbursing the man who owns the agency and other businesses, that man is murdered, garroted in his own home office. Brunetti is charged with finding the killer which opens up an investigation into fraud, tainted pharmaceuticals, and revelations about the "innocent" victim of Paola's protests.

Topics of Conversation

Topics of conversation / Miranda Popkey, 215 pgs.

We follow an unnamed narrator through chapters named with places and dates.  She interacts with her parents, friends and a husband that comes and goes.  I liked reading this book but nothing about it really stuck with me even though I finished it only a couple of days ago.  I'm not sure how else to describe it.

The Mercies

The Mercies by Kiran Millwood Hargrave, 345 pages

In the early 1600s, a storm struck the northern coast of Norway, killing 40 fishermen from the small island of Vardo, leaving the women of the village to fend for themselves. A few years later, a commissioner and his wife came to town, shortly followed by a series of witch trials that were initially meant to ferret out the old ways of the Sami, but soon came to include any women who were doing "unwomanly" deeds. This much is true.

What The Mercies offers is the emotional story of Vardo's women in the days following the storm and into the beginnings of the witch hunt. It's powerful, it's beautifully written, and it focuses on a location and series of events that are unknown to most of the world. It's not a particularly uplifting read, but wow, is it wonderfully presented. Highly recommended.

Pretty as a Picture

Pretty As a Picture by Elizabeth Little, 338 pages

Movie editor Marissa is desperate for a job, so she doesn't say no to an opportunity to work with megalomaniac director Tony Rees, despite coming in halfway through filming and not seeing a script first... or even knowing where she's going to work on the movie. Soon, anxiety-ridden Marissa is spirited off to a small island off the coast of Delaware, the site of a decades-old murder that is the focus of Tony's passion project. But Marissa can't figure out why the previous editor left so quickly, or why nobody will talk to her. There's definitely something wrong, and it's doing nothing to help her nerves.

Full of movie references and behind-the-scenes tidbits, this is an exhilarating thriller with a very relatable protagonist. Her discomfort with people and particular locations (a watery cave, a creaking fire escape) definitely rang true in a way I've never seen in thrillers. Fantastic story, and a fun escape.

Fortune Favors the Dead

Fortune Favors the Dead by Stephen Spotswood, 336 pages

Willowjean Parker is a circus roadie when she meets esteemed detective Lillian Pentecost in a New York junkyard. Soon, Will, as she prefers to be called, is Ms. Pentecost's right-hand woman, solving crimes and helping out other women on a regular basis. In 1945, three years into their partnership, Will and Lillian get a cracker of a case: a rich widow is murdered at her own Halloween party, and friends in her social circle are convinced it was the ghost of her late husband that killed her. Will and Lillian are sure that's not the case, but their investigation does include a surprisingly convincing medium who happened to be at the party, so who knows?

There's something of a gender-swapped Sherlock situation going on with this tale, a feeling that didn't leave me despite all the obvious differences (circuses, Ms. Pentecost's battle with MS, her queer sidekick). I enjoyed the two protagonists, as well as their fortune-telling nemesis, and the mystery was certainly a good one. If nothing else, read it for Will's distinctive storytelling style.

*This book will be published Oct. 27, 2020.