** Deer Creek Drive by Beverly Lowry

Deer Creek Drive: A Reckoning of Memory and Murder in the Mississippi Delta tells the true story of a gruesome murder the investigation of which was dodgy from the start and the likely killer who, although sentenced to life in prison, served only a few years. The book is almost 400 pages and its pace is, shall we say, measured. The author also mixes in some of her own family history (she grew up nearby), which in my mind adds nothing to the tale. So interesting story, but I would have preferred a more condensed version.

*** Sometimes People Die by Simon Stephenson

Sometimes People Die is a search for a serial killer in a hospital with an opioid-addicted physician as the hero, so may not suit everyone’s taste–but I loved the dry sense of humor and did not mind the fact that I figured out the culprit early on. The fame-seeking detective adds another layer of enjoyment. Dark and delightful.

** Blood Sugar by Sascha Rothchild

The heroine of Blood Sugar is a killer, clever enough and cold-blooded enough to get away with it, again and again. She’s been caught, finally, but she’s actually innocent this time, although the trail of bodies weighs heavily in the investigation.

It’s an easy read, entertaining enough if you forget that there may be more psychopaths than we care to think about out there…

* Who Killed Jane Stanford? by Richard White

Jane Stanford, co-founder of Stanford University, was pretty obviously murdered while visiting Hawaii. A century later, Who Killed Jane Stanford?: A Gilded Age Tale of Murder, Deceit, Spirits and the Birth of a University attempts to reconstruct the events, highlights the reasons why the fledgling university exerted so much pressure on the police to keep the affair quiet, and shows how spectacularly successful it was at hiding the crime of a famous and rich woman. This is a tedious history, delving into sanitized archives and attempting to discern patterns that were long ago willfully obscured. The most interesting part of the book, for me, was the story of the birth of the university, funded by profits made on the back of taxpayers for one thing, and intended to be a liberal-arts institution, as opposed to the research institution across the Bay, UC Berkeley.

** What Comes After by JoAnne Tompkins

What Comes After stars a pregnant teenager who appears in a small town in Washington State  State, apparently unrecognized by all even though she has lived close by for a while (first unbelievable fact) and is welcome by a grieving father who asks very few questions (second unbelievable fact) and his neighbor (third unbelievable fact). Amazingly, the story is beguiling and the main character is fantastic with her tough-girl attitude and tragic back story.  Still, too many unbelievable circumstances make it hard to truly believe the narrative.

* A Time for Mercy by John Grisham

A Time for Mercy tells the story of the trial of a teenager who killed his mother’s abusive boyfriend. Exciting plot twists ensue.

I had a big problem with a central element on the plot, which consisted in convincing a fourteen-year old to bring a pregnancy to term against her wishes and those of her mother, treating the whole thing as just a small little issue in their lives. It kept me from enjoying the lively characters and the intricate relationships of a small town.

* Furious Hours by Casey Cep

Furious Hours: Murder, Fraud, and the Last Trial of Harper Lee stars a pastor who killed several of his wives and family members for the life insurance money from policies he had thoughtfully purchased shortly before their deaths–and Harper Lee, of To Kill a Mockingbird fame, who studied the trial of his murderer, a relative of one of the many victims. The book tries to blend the stories of the murders, a biography of Harper Lee, and the transcripts of the trial (since Harper Lee ultimately decided that she could not write a proper book from it)– and fails. There’s simply no good connection to be made. Too bad. That murderous pastor sounds quite intriguing.

* 1/2 The Forgetting Time by Sharon Guskin

From one strange topic to another, albeit in fiction: past lives! The Forgetting Time stars a young boy who remembers a traumatic past and whose mother despairs of finding a cure for him. So she finds a scientist who specializes in past lives and helps her find, supposedly, the family he belonged to (conveniently located a short plane ride way — isn’t it wonderful that past lives don’t criss-cross the world?) O yes, and they solve a murder mystery while they are at it.

I must admit that even a skeptic can get swept away at times by the eventful story, and that the quiet moments between mother and son are captured very successfully. But the absurdity of past lives kept intruding.

 

*** The Truth and Other Lies by Sascha Arango

How we love the rotten, psychopathic hero! The Truth and Other Lies stars a horrible famous author with many secrets and an inconveniently pregnant mistress, along with regular generous impulses to throw everyone off. His mistress is also plotting, as is the loyal assistant to the president of his publishing house, so much villainy is committed, to the great satisfaction of the reader.

The ending could be less trite, but until the very end the story is a lot of twisted fun. If you liked Gone, Girl, you will like this book, too.

*** The Devil You Know by Elisabeth de Mariaffi

In The Devil You Know, a young journalist is assigned to cover the case of a suspected serial child rapist and murderer who may have killed her childhood best friend, and finds herself stalked and terrified, sometimes by real events and sometimes by the twists of her own mind. The story cleverly wraps the crime reporting with her mother’s personal history. Very well done and perfect for a Friday 13th scary night reading.