Jail Bertie and the Peanut Ladies (Sweet Meadow Series #3) Review

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Jail Bertie and the Peanut Ladies (Sweet Meadow Series #3) ReviewIn Sweet Meadow, Georgia, tow truck driver and mechanic Roberta "Bertie Byrd" Fortney prefers the town council cut the tree down that blocks vision at the Oak and Haverford intersection, but takes action when they don't; she is arrested for tree cutting without a license. Avoiding the anger of the tree-huggers she wants a traffic light installed at that intersection that has kept her busy with accidents. However, she is willing to settle for asking for an automated counter to validate her case that a light is needed. However, there is no money unless the town council reprograms funding from their Christmas party, which is heresy. Instead they order Bertie to tally the traffic and provide a report of her findings to them. Stunned by their lack of priorities, Bertie and council member Bob Bord heatedly argue her request until he dies of a heart attack, leaving an opening on the council.
Bertie runs for the vacancy against Booger Bailey and his renowned barking goats making her chances of winning doubtful as everyone knows not to compete against animal stars. It is virtually impossible for her to gain the seat that most people believe her tirade opened up, her opponent has incredible financial backing from a mysterious "redneck mafia" benefactor while she runs her campaign on peanuts.
Bertie is at her delightful best as she tries to do what she believes is right for her town. Although the lighthearted story line amusingly focuses on small town living in rural Georgia where a debate over a traffic light can become extremely heated and lethal, Bertie owns the tale. Readers will appreciate Bertie's latest antics and escapades as she drives everyone around her to distraction in her latest romp (see BIG HAIR AND FLYING COWS).
Harriet Klausner
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Killing Kate: A Novel Review

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Killing Kate: A Novel ReviewThe headline above is an old Edward Gorey quote that I couldn't resist using. No, the eponymous Kate of Julie Kramer's fourth Riley Spartz mystery was actually bludgeoned with a baseball bat. So close. Kate's death basically opens the novel, and straight off the reader learns that she is the fourth victim of a serial killer. The authorities are not yet aware of this fact.
Local news reporter Riley has been lying off the violent crimes lately, since she had been making more news than covering it. But hearing the familiar address of this homicide, she grabs it before anyone can object. And her memory is correct. The crime happened at a house she once knew well. It was the home of her former college roommate, Laura, and the victim is Laura's younger sister, Kate. Kramer has the mechanics of creating suspense down pat. She keeps readers turning pages, ending chapters with lines like: "I didn't know yet that Kate had led a secret life, and that her secret did not die with her."
Riley and Laura, once the closest of friends, had split in a rift more than a decade ago. But this tragedy paves the way to an uneasy reconciliation. Investigative reporter that she is, Riley, of course, becomes far too involved in the hunt for this killer. As always, there's a "b" story in the novel involving an animal story her crazy news director wants her to cover. And the third narrative thread is Riley's long distance relationship with Nick Garnett.
I have outlined several things I like about this series in past reviews. I find Riley to be an immensely likable character with a distinctive voice. Reading each novel feels like visiting with an old friend. Also, I love the television news setting. I feel like I'm getting the inside scoop with each novel, and given the author's background, I guess I am. I can't watch a promo for the 11:00pm news with the same eyes after reading one of these books. It's fascinating! Plus, I like that while being fairly realistic, the novels aren't unnecessarily graphic. In other words, there's not too much sex and violence graphically depicted--which isn't to say there's none, but it's left more to the imagination.
One thing that was bugging me a little in this book was the relationship between Riley and Nick. There's always conflict between them, and conflict is what makes a great novel. But their relationship dynamics seemed a bit too simplistic and surface level. I guess four novels in, I'd hope for a little more depth there. But Kramer must be doing something right, because I'm always rooting for the two of them.
I don't know that I'd describe Killing Kate as a cozy mystery, but it's not entirely dissimilar. I bring this up, because while the mystery itself should not be predictable, there's a certain tone to these stories that is. Therefore, I have to tell you that the end of this novel shocked the hell out of me. And I LOVED it. Surprises are good. I have NO idea where this series is going next, but I will be the first in line to find out! Way to go, Julie Kramer!Killing Kate: A Novel Overview

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Northwest Corner: A Novel Review

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Northwest Corner: A Novel ReviewI did a quick second reading of Reservation Road prior to reading Northwest Corner. While it's not strictly necessary, I do recommend doing so if you have the time and inclination. It really enhanced my enjoyment of Northwest Corner to have the characters fresh in my mind and compare the past with the present.
When we last saw Sam Arno in Reservation Road, he was a sleepy boy of ten, asking his dad if they could go sledding later. He hadn't a clue that his life would change forever on that day.
Now Sam is a quiet, confused, surly 22-year-old UConn baseball star. His anger boils over one night in a bar, and he commits a savage act of violence. Fearing arrest, he flees to Southern California, seeking the father he hasn't seen or spoken to in twelve years. His father Dwight has made a fresh start in Santa Barbara, where no one knows about the hit-and-run death of Josh Learner all those years ago.
Sam's crisis gives us a chance to revisit some of Reservation Road's central characters and see the long-term effects of what happened twelve years ago. We get the story through the perspectives of five characters, with Dwight Arno's being the central, first-person narrative. Members of the Learner family are represented, but Northwest Corner is largely the story of what used to be the Arno family: Sam, Dwight, and his ex-wife Ruth. I found Ruth to be the most admirable character, which is quite a shift from the way I viewed her in Reservation Road. She has a lot of history to overcome, and she gives Dwight more grace than he deserves. Ruth has the additional burden of handling a serious health crisis alone, and she does so with strength and dignity.
Schwartz doesn't hit you in the face with what you're supposed to get from the book. These are damaged people doing what humans do. It's up to you to decide how well they've handled their pain, and what's possible for them in the future. If you have wounds of your own, always know where your tissues are. You may find yourself a little weepy. There are moments of clarity that will resonate with your experiences and, if you're lucky, show you a new way of seeing them.
This novel has greater complexity in both content and sentence structure than Reservation Road. The change in writing style does require some adjustment. For me, this wasn't a difficult adjustment to make, and I read Northwest Corner in about two days. (4.5 stars)
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Coming Up for Air Review

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Coming Up for Air Review[Kirkus awarded this book a starred review, a rating with which I completely agree.] "Coming Up for Air" catapults Patti Callahan Henry to Anne Rivers Siddons' level. That's walking in some tall cotton for any contemporary Southern writer. As I read "Air," I consistently and favorably found myself comparing it to some of Siddons' best novels, "Burnt Mountain" notwithstanding. Both writers demonstrate a similar love for the Deep South and share a lust for life's whimsies, particularly in nature. Both understand the convoluted mazes that are love and mother/daughter and male/female relationships. Both also appear to hold sacred the belief that the South's tumultuous 1960s should not be forgotten.
Set primarily in both Buckhead/Atlanta,GA, and in fictional Bayside, AL, which is a thinly disguised Fairhope on Mobile Bay, this story involves around Lillian "Ellie" Calvin, the female protagonist. The story includes: a manipulative husband with anger management issues and an opportunity to revive lost love; the unexpected death of her controlling mother who apparently died with a big secret that dates to the 1960s; empty nest syndrome after Ellie's daughter goes away to college; and a near-magical Summer House on Mobile Bay. It is whispered that those who stay there have a truth revealed and are forever changed. If Ellie stays there, will her truth be revealed, and will she be forever changed? Will she discover a truth about her mother that is better left a secret? Patti Henry beautifully reveals the answers in her luminous novel.
Others have said this is Henry's best works. She has previously had seven books on the NYT best seller list. "Coming Up for Air" is already among my all-time favorites. It is easily the best book I've read since "The Help" two years ago. This is one of those books you close, grab your cell, and call your best friend to share all your favorite parts.
Fair disclosure: I received an advanced reading copy from St. Martin's Press. Brief parts of the above appeared in my lengthy review published August 14, 2011, in the Mobile (AL) Press-Register. ~BBLComing Up for Air Overview

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Faster Pastor Review

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Faster Pastor ReviewRead this book anticipating wonderful things since I love the author's Ballad stories, and her racing books have been good reads, too. But instead of falling short, this one kept right up with the others. There were surprises--I liked the male characters better than Pajan, the main female character. As usual, the descriptions of small town life was what carried this book all the way to the finish line--the different churches were handled well. The descriptions of the Snake Handlers and their church was done quite well without making fun of their beliefs, and for the most part, the churches and their individuality made the humor good humor, without making someone the butt of a joke.
And what a beginning! A car seemingly comes from out of the sky to crash a NASCAR fan's funeral---and the details of safety, car details and even the jail cell friendships--makes for a novel where you don't want the checkered flag to wave!Faster Pastor Overview

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