The Swans of Fifth Avenue: A Novel by Melanie Benjamin

The Swans of Fifth Avenue: A Novel.  Melanie Benjamin. Random House Publishing Group. January 2016. 368 pp.  ISBN#: 9780345528698.

1975 is the final year when Truman Capote is at the height of his success, having published the well-known nonfiction books, In Cold Blood and Breakfast at Tiffany’s, as well as numerous stories, plays and other articles.  In the 50’s and 60’s he has gathered around him a coterie of socially powerful, famous but challenged woman.  Beloved by these women, whose fragile natures he has emotionally healed and strengthened, Truman at first is bolstered by their admiration, indeed adoration.  Their fragility, however, simply mirrors Truman’s own inner turmoil.  This is their volatile story!

First we meet Barbara (“Babe”) Cushing Mortimer Paley, a stylish trend setter who is married to a top executive of CBS, William S. Paley, devourer of women and autocratic businessman feared by all.  Even he is enamored of Truman but the anomaly here is that Babe really doesn’t care about his opinion of “True Heart” Truman because for the first time in her life she knows what it’s like to love and be loved.  This will prove to be a catastrophic surrender on her part.

We next meet Marella Agnelli, C. Z. Guest, Gloria Guiness, Pamela Churchill Harriman and Slim Keith, who have all told Truman their deepest, darkest secrets. They represent the trendsetters of the period and those who love the world of fashion, beauty, style will love the numerous descriptions of these ladies’ dress, makeup and food preferences.  What begins as meeting for champagne and hors oeuvres will degenerate over time into drinking and pills.  Unity and love o so slowly evolves into whispered, malign comments arising from unacknowledged jealousy.  Money and power, however, rule the day and their secrets are secure until one momentous day of betrayal by their best friend, Truman!

What begins as a delicious and amusing bonding of these friends, whose daily concerns are about perfect appearances, rapidly becomes a cruel expose that breaks all concerned but especially one declining character!  Truman himself is transformed in ways that startle readers, a picture so far from one would have imagined when starting this story.

This novel is supposedly based on reality and as such stands as the iconic tale, a period piece of literary, historical fiction.  The Swans of Fifth Avenue depicts the fashionistas of the mid-20^th Century! Remarkable fiction!

The Forgotten Room by Karen White, Beatriz Williams and Lauren Willig

The Forgotten Room. Karen White, Beatriz Williams and Lauren Willig. Penguin Publishing Group (USA). Copyright 2016. 384 pp.; ISBN: 9780451474629.

Dr. Kate Schuyler is treating very wounded soldiers in a New York Hospital in 1945.  She has to deal with a huge amount of resentment and anger from her male colleagues.  One of the wounded soldiers, Captain Ravenel, insists she looks familiar to the woman in the miniature portrait he wears around his neck.  Add to that she’s wearing a ruby pendant that was passed down to her from her mother but one that Ravenel recognizes immediately later on in the story.

Then there’s Olive Van Allen, a maid in the home of the man who once refused to pay the architect bill and therefore ruined Olive’s father together.  Olive’s persistent desire for revenge is palpable; but instead she’s serving as a drudge maid who is exhausted from the pace of cleaning, etc. that this job entails.  Then she meets one of the Pratt sons, and her life begins to dramatically change.  She wonders if her motives will eventually be exposed at the same time she is becoming romantically attached to Harry’s romantic and artistic skills.

Finally, there is Lucy Young, who has come to work in New York but really is seeking out the identity and presence of her father.  She is actually coerced into serving as a companion to someone who just might know about the secret solution Lucy is seeking. 

The three women in this novel live in different times but their stories begin to coalesce.  The discoveries gradually and sensitively revealed are shocking to each of the three women.  Their quests will and will not be fulfilled, but the roller coaster ride is sure to satisfy every lover of adventure and mystery fiction.

These three notable authors have managed to create a smoothly plotted but solvable mystery with a life-threatening, hostile ending sure to send shivers down every reader’s spine.

Very nicely done!

The Newsmakers by Lis Wiehl with Sebastian Stuart

The Newsmakers.  Lis Wiehl with Sebastian Stuart. Thomas Nelson, Inc.  January 2016. 352 pp.  ISBN#: 9780718037673.

Jettisoned!  That’s how Erika Sparks’ news anchor job is progressing!  She’s finally made it to the big time at a cable news network that is also working its way upward.  Her background is wounded and her daughter has become a stranger to her; Erika’s goal is to establish herself financially so that her daughter can become a meaningful part of life again.  She knows that fame can be disastrous if one forgets from where one began, and she’s determined to grow into her position but keep her head on straight in more ways than one.  However, circumstances will test her resolutions in several ways!

To begin with, Erika happens to be in place when a disastrous ferry accident causes numerous deaths and injuries.  She attempts to save the life of one of the victims and the pictures of her desperately working over this woman plus her own coverage propel her to be covered on every news channel, including CNN.  She becomes famous almost overnight. 

Then a potential Presidential hopeful nominee, Kay Barrish, has a heart attack and Erika again attempt CPR to save the life of this brilliant and well-respected woman. All of a sudden, the previously scornful owner of Erika’s news program is promoting her, although someone else had attempted to steal the limelight from Erika.  Add to that her supervisor, Greg Underwood, is showing romantic interest in Erika.

It’s all rather overwhelming, but Erika is still holding on to her level presence and is even planning on her daughter’s first visit.  However, something strange comes to her attention, the possibility that the ferry accident was caused deliberately.  Her independent investigation reveals something startling and frightening, something that gradually reveals a horrific connection.

The Newsmakers is a nail-biting crime novel with a very credible plot that promises fame and success to several people, Erika included, but which should not happen because of its unnatural evolution.  Erika is a skilled, spunky character who deserves every ounce of her success but who is humble enough to know that the nefarious plans of a certain person must be stymied now before it runs out of control and causes more tragedies at the expense of innocent victims.  Highly recommended reading and kudos to the authors for a mystery, criminal story that says a great deal about integrity and injustice – all for a goal that is highly questionable!

The Bitter Season - Kovac and Liska #5 by Tami Hoag

The Bitter Season (Kovac and Liska #5). Tami Hoag. Penguin Group (USA). Copyright 2016. 416 pp.; ISBN: 9780525954552.

Nikki Liska is very good at what she does as a detective in the sex crimes unit in Minneapolis.  It gives her better working hours and therefore more free time with her teenage sons.  She clearly has her priorities straight, a fact that her peer Sam Kovac clearly respects, although Nikki’s tough verbal stance prevents him or anyone else from uttering that respect. Now she and Sam aren’t working together.  Instead Nikki has been put to the task of solving a 20 year-old cold case in which one of their peers, Ted Duffy, was shot to death and the killer was never found. No one except a very nasty neighbor even knew the victim well. So it’s quite a large task Nikki has to complete in just a few short weeks. Add to the fact that there’s another detective who never managed to solve the mystery of this murder but is extremely angry that the investigation of it has now been given to Nikki when he’s put in 20 years trying to find the killer.

There are plenty of suspects: a wife who married Duffy’s brother, a daughter who took years to recover some type of sanity after her father’s death, and two foster children who were returned to the system after Duffy’s death.

Sam, on the other hand, has been given the task of investigating the brutally horrific murder of a professor at the University of Minnesota and his wife.  The professor and his daughter are not on good terms, as he is vying for a promotion in the East Asian Studies Department, and his daughter has compromised his eligibility by submitting a complaint against him with that same department in which she also works.  The two children of these parents have little love apparent and are suspect as well.  But how could this be when the killer was quite proficient in Japanese weapons, a skill that would be hard for most Americans to learn, let alone master.

The two separate crimes will unite eventually but the investigation of both is intriguing and quite amazing, displaying how skilled this author is in presenting a complex, harrowing plot.

The Bitter Season is another crime investigation novel that will be sure to please readers of Tami Hoag’s previous novels and new fans who love the mystery and/or crime fiction genre.  Very nicely crafted, Tami Hoag!

The View From Prince Street: Alexandra Novel by Mary Ellen Taylor

The View from Prince Street: Alexandra Novel (Alexandria Series). Mary Ellen Taylor. Berkley. January 2016. 352 pp.  ISBN#: 9780425278263. 

A vicious car accident kills Rae McDonald’s sister, and Rae is horribly scarred from this devastating loss. So much does it affect her that after beginning and ending a relationship she finds she’s pregnant and actually gives up the child for adoption because she cannot deal with the fact that she could lose someone precious again.  But this very rational act actually has dire consequences as Rae is haunted by who that son is with, what he’s like, and what are the parents like who adopted him.  She constantly imagines what it would be like if she were to find the adopted parents and tell them she wants her child back again and continues to fantasize about such a scene though logic tells her it’s an extremely improbable scene.

Now Lisa Smyth appears, a woman who was also in the crash and who has a secret to which she will not admit. 

Both of these women are living now in Alexandria, Virginia exploring some family artifacts of interest to those with a historian’s predilection.  The search brings out the history behind some witch glasses.  These are glasses with certain ingredients inside them that when combined creates a curse against enemies.  There are also rocks that were part of the fireplace which were given away and one returned; those rocks are said to hold a spell of protection for whoever resides in the home.  The long history said to derive from those original settlers who came from England to the shores of America is still present and actively present in spirit form, affecting the lives of those who honor the presence of these relics of colonial life.

In the course of accepting these events and the dangerous scenes that naturally and suspiciously follow, Alexandra and Lisa rise above their greatest fears to discover some redeeming and freeing truths that will dramatically change the future.

The View from Prince Street… is thrilling reading with a cover that equally parallels the thrills and reflections of its brilliant plot.  A very different, mysterious new story from this talented writer – which this reviewer recommends as a great read!

Stars Over Sunset Boulevard by Susan Meissner

Stars Over Sunset Boulevard.  Susan Meissner. Penguin Group (USA). January 2016.  400 pp.  ISBN#: 9780451475992.

Christine McAllister discovers a hat that looks familiar.  It is, in fact, a hat worn in the filming of Gone With The Wind in 1938.  She has a strong sense that she needs to return it to its owner and in doing so will learn of a friendship that endured so much mistruth and even accidental betrayal.

Back in 1938 Violet Mayfield has come to Hollywood to escape heartbreak of a lost love, a severe illness and the knowledge she will never get to have the family with children she so desperately longed for. On arrival she immediately meets Audrey Duvall, who is in Hollywood to achieve her movie star dream.  Audrey had once been chosen to be a star in a big film but that movie project was canceled at the last minute.  Now she’s just as determined to attain her dream with hard work and placing herself near those in power who make the decisions on who will be the next big film star.  So far Audrey’s efforts have been in vain.  On meeting Violet at the railroad stations, Audrey and Violet hit it off and decide to become roommates.  Violet brings zest and old Southern comfort food cooking to brighten up Audrey’s bleak days.

Violet and Audrey work as stenographers in the production offices and later get to work on the actual set of Gone With The Wind.  They find plenty of good times after work with an old friend of Audrey, Bert.   Violet will make a huge mistake in trying to connect Audrey with a well-known star, hoping she will be noticed and asked to audition for a role.  Although her effort was totally innocent and loving in intention, it turns out to be a huge mistake that almost destroys their friendship.  Other scenes of an even worse nature will follow which test their relationship to the max.  The family backgrounds of both women, as well, are painful and await reconciliation.

Years later, Bert and Violet are married, happy in their work and taking care of a daughter who calls Violet’s best friend Aunt Audrey.  Secrets will gradually be revealed that will test again relationships, secrets that should have been honestly exposed years earlier.

Stars over Sunset Boulevard is an intense, engaging and riveting novel about what Hollywood offers and the adventure-filled, exciting but costly consequences of entering the limelight of stars, assistants and underlings who work in the evanescent atmosphere of those who yearn for fame.  Be careful, indeed, for what you wish!

Very nicely crafted, Susan Meissner!

This is Where It Ends by Marieke Nijkamp

This is Where It Ends.  Marieke Nijkamp. Sourcebooks.  January 2016. 288 pp.  ISBN#: 9781492622468. 

It could happen anywhere and it has happened in far too many places, places where a deeply disturbed individual decides to leave a memorable imprint of a hopeless, damaged person crying out for meaning and dignity.  Noble words to express the deepest hurt and rage imaginable!

This is the scene the reader meets in this intense and poignant story of students in the ironically named Opportunity High School.  Over the next 54 minutes, we will watch Tyler, a seriously troubled student, kill far too many teachers and students at the tail end of the principal’s encouraging speech for the upcoming semester.  It happens gradually and in between the random shots we learn his story, that of his family and those of his acquaintances (since he insists he has no friends).

There’s Tyler’s sister, Autumn who dreams of being a classical dancer and her newly discovered girlfriend, Sylv.  Tomas, Sylv’s brother, and Fareed, an Afghanistan friend, attempt to unlock the chained doors during the disaster.  Claire, Tyler’s ex-girlfriend, believes she’s the one responsible for this disaster and seeks to find a way to break the momentum of his killing.  There’s a young man who’s physically challenged but not pitied enough to avoid being shot.  These and other forceful scenes play out.  Some characters will truly examine the past and attempt to analyze the background of Tyler in order that he might realize they do care.  Some will show troubled backgrounds modified by attempts to reach out to each other in their obvious or partially revealed needs.

In between the account of these terrible hours are snippets of emails being rapidly sent, some caring and concerned, some prurient in their looking to sensationalize what is already beyond the word “sensation.”

The purpose of such a novel is to sensitize readers beyond the horrific events of this day to seeing the lives herein as more than worthy, hurting and therefore in need of being addressed as issues that could just as easily erupt elsewhere.  

A highly commendable and recommended, necessary account!