The Swans of Fifth Avenue by Melanie Benjamin

The Swans of Fifth Avenue by Melanie Benjamin left me slightly conflicted. I loved her previous novel, The Aviator’s Wife, and found the fictionalization of those historical figures (Anne and Charles Lindbergh) fascinating and also fresh. The idea of writing historical fiction based on real life characters is not new, but the way she approached the story (it’s told from Anne’s point of view) and the way she brought the characters to life made it a page turner. It's also a pretty good story, real or otherwise. Unfortunately, this was not so with the “swans.” These were a group of real-life New York society ladies who took in Truman Capote at the start of his career and kept him around as a sort of pet, until he used all of the juicy gossip that he had acquired over the years to write a scathing short story that exposed them all for the phonies and philanderers that they really were.   

Maybe it was harder to feel interested in or compassion for characters who did nothing more than dress well for lunch, but they all felt like caricatures, Truman especially, and it occasionally came across as nothing more than a glorified Wikipedia entry. The writing was still solid, and while I generally don’t like to write negative reviews (cause if you can’t say something nice…), I’m sure that devotees of Truman Capote’s, or those obsessed with mid-20^th century New York high society, will surely love this book. But in an era where Real Housewives-like drama is inundating us from all directions, I’d rather read books that have a little more substance and a little less backstabbing.

The Widow by Fiona Barton

The Widow by Fiona Barton is a wonderful debut. It starts in the aftermath of the death of Jean Taylor’s husband Glen, who supposedly jumped in front of a bus after years of being hounded by the police (and the media) for the murder of a young girl. Jean is a quiet, meek and docile housewife, and the death of her controlling husband offers up the chance to break out of her claustrophobic life and tell her side of the story to an enterprising reporter, Kate Waters. Barton uses the varying points of view of Jean, Kate, a police detective, and the young girl’s mother to carefully unravel the full story of what happened to little Bella, and who the real culprit was. While some aspects of the story are slightly obvious, and others disturbing (there’s some child molestation and pornography thrown in there), overall they are carefully used and don’t seem gratuitous. And by the end you’ll be left wondering who was really using who to further their own agenda.

You can’t escape the hype and the comparisons to Girl on a Train or Gone Girl with this book, and I don’t really want to weigh in on that other than to say that I thoroughly enjoyed this read as much as those other two novels. It’s not exactly alike or exactly as shocking in the reveal, but that would be derivative and boring wouldn’t it? So, read The Widow for its own merits, a carefully and well-written story that is sure to leave you with the chills and creeps for days to come.

66 Laps by Leslie Lehr

66 Laps by Leslie Lehr is a cautionary tale about what happens when deceit and doubt infiltrate a marriage. Audrey seems to have it all: a successful doting husband and a darling little daughter. When her best friend points out that her hair is turning gray, she does what any LA woman whose currency resides in her appearance would do - she slaps "the bitch."

The story devolves from there, with Audrey's insecurities wreaking havoc with her marriage. Can she trust that Jim will remain faithful even though he's spending more and more time with a younger version of herself? And when she loses hope in him, will she take her own revenge and settle the score?

The obvious answer is, of course! Something needs to happen after all. But the path of her revenge takes an unexpected turn and sets in motion a sequence of events that Audrey could never have anticipated. This book starts with a slap and ends with bang that echoes through her life and haunts her, and the reader, forever.

Smoke by Catherine McKenzie

Smoke is the 5th full length title from Catherine McKenzie, and my favorite one to date. I've been reading her novels for several years now, and it's been great to see her develop as an author. Whereas her first novels were relatively straightforward and told from one point of view, her last book, Hidden, and this one have intricate plots told from multiple perspectives with "soft" mysteries that leave you guessing until the end. (I say "soft" because this is not a "mystery" book, but there is something unknown that is slowly revealed throughout.)

The story is set in a fictional small tourist town in the Rocky Mountains. A fire is set, accidentally or on-purpose, we do not know, and Elizabeth Martin is called in to investigate. She's a retired wildland firefighter who still does arson investigations on the side. She gave up the forest firefighting life to be closer to her husband, Ben, and hopefully start a family, but neither seems to be working out and her and Ben are on the edge of divorce.

The other voice in this story in Mindy, a stay-at-home (and anxious!) mother of two teenagers who, it turns out, used to be Elizabeth's best friend. They had a falling out and didn't speak for some time until Angus, Mindy's son, comes under suspicion for having started this fire. In addition to Mindy's voice, we receive email updates and read newspaper articles about the spreading fire and the unfolding drama. Will the town go up in flames? Will Elizabeth be able to save her marriage and her friendship?

Smoke explores all of those issues and more, including the toxicity of small-town rumor mills, and the tensions between the "haves" and "have-nots" in ritzy tourist towns. It's a page turner that still leaves you laughing out loud. If you were a fan of Liane Moriarty's Big Little Lies then you'll love this book.

The Good Neighbor by A.J. Banner

The Good Neighbor by A.J. Banner, starts off with a bang and never lets up. Someone (or two?) is drowning in a river and about to go over a waterfall, and someone else is on the river bank cackling with glee about it. Rewind a couple of months, and we meet Sarah, settling down for bed alone one night while her husband is out of town at a conference. Next we thing we know her neighbors' house is burning down and she's rescuing their little girl from the fire. (I said it never lets up didn't I?)

The neighbors die and Sarah's own house is burned to the ground, and suddenly things get weird. People, including her husband Johnny, are keeping secrets and acting strangely. Is he having an affair? Was the fire set intentionally? Is someone out to get her? Is she loosing her mind?!!!!

This is a fun romp with tons of suspense and many hints that lead somewhere, just nowhere near where you actually end up. I love surprise endings and this book has several of them. Best of all, it's another Kindle First book and free/$1.99 for the month of August.

Pretty Baby by Mary Kubica

Pretty Baby is the new release from Mary Kubica, author of the bestselling Good Girl. It's told from the perspective of three narrators: Heidi, a bleeding-heart type, her business-before-family husband Chris, and a teenage girl (Willow) whom Heidi picks up off the street one day and brings home with her. Willow's carting around a four-month-old baby and has been living on the streets. Heidi is determined to help her out and fulfill a void left from the inability to have children after the birth of her now twelve-year-old daughter Zoe. Zoe and Chris want nothing to do with this runaway, and you can imagine the confrontations and chaos that ensues.

Kubica does a great job throwing some twists in there, and similar to the Good Girl, all is not as it seems. I'll be honest and say that some of this book is very dark and not for me - I know there are sick people in this world but I don't like reading about them. That being said, it's still a great read, well-written, and she saves a final surprise for the end, of course.

The Perfect Son by Barbara Claypole White

The Perfect Son is a lovely novel about a family upended by a medical emergency. Ella and Felix have a teenage son, Harry, who has Tourette Syndrome, among other things. The family has been operating in a set fashion for years, with Felix lost in his high stakes business world, and Ella managing Harry’s care and education. Then, on a return trip from assisting her father after he had an operation, Ella collapses from a heart attack. Clearly, she has been taking care of everyone else but herself. Her condition is critical, and she must recuperate in hospital while Felix takes over the day to day duties of raising a child with special needs.

The story alternates between the three characters’ viewpoints, with very distinguishable voices for each of them. The real surprise for me was how wonderfully she expressed Harry’s character. It would be easy to feel sorry for a boy with Tourette’s and ADHD, and yet it’s his father who we end up pitying more. He can’t seem to relate to his child, even though he shares some similar traits, and every word of praise that he offers (and those are few and far between) has a stinging critique at the end of it. Harry, on the other hand, accepts himself for who he is and seems to be doing just fine for someone in his situation: perfect SAT scores, reliable friends and even a hot girlfriend.

With a story like this, you’d expect to be in a puddle of tears immediately, but Barbara Claypole White does a great job of not playing up the emotional side too much. While the family is dealing with a sad and potentially fatal situation, there are still many laughs and shenanigans along the way, not to mention plenty of redemption for Felix as he comes to understand, love and accept his perfect son. This is a great read, and as an added bonus it’s a Kindle First selection for June, so it’s either free (Amazon Prime members) or greatly reduced in price this month.