Richard Osman’s debut novel is a polite, heartfelt version of a crime story involving a retirement home and a handful of murders. At times laugh-out-loud funny, it’s a cracking good yarn with memorable characters.
REVIEW: Piranesi
Piranesi opens with strange and unintelligible descriptions of archways, empty chambers, marble statues and unending stairways. Slowly, clues to the narrator’s labyrinthian world take form.
REVIEW: The Vapors
Mostly a history, with a dash of memoir thrown in, David Hill recounts the history of the gambling and corruption that built Hot Springs through the lens of his grandmother and father’s lives.
REVIEW: The Lady from the Black Lagoon
As Mallory O’Meara uncovers in her book, there are worlds of fascinating stories behind the Black Lagoon costume. It was designed by Milicent Patrick, and following a triumphant publicity tour with her creation, she disappeared from the film world.
REVIEW: The Dead Mountaineer’s Inn
This is a difficult book to describe. There’s an avalanche, a slobbery dog, maybe a ghost, maybe an alien, maybe a spy, probably some mafia, and definitely a world weary cop. Also, it’s really funny and a good mystery.