Two new and very different books tackle the same complicated and largely inscrutable Russian history. One makes the ghosts of Russian past very real, and the other explores the demons haunting a Soviet escapee.
REVIEW: What Time the Sexton’s Spade Doth Rust
There is nothing better than embarking on a new adventure with Flavia de Luce. I too enjoy riding my bike to an old cemetery while solving a crime. I just need a manor house in the English countryside. But luckily we can drop in and visit Flavia anytime.
REVIEW: The Examiner
It’s all well and good until the students become more interested in their own agendas than the coursework. When a corporate client with a sketchy past “hires” the the team for a launch party a crosscurrent of morals turns into a whirlpool of chaos.
REVIEW: The Lost Boy of Santa Chionia
The strength of the novel is in Francesca’s voice. Her memories of the hardscrabble town clawing to the side of a mountain are vibrant. The characters were drawn with a sharp, dark charcoal pencil — impressionistic in style but specific and bold.
REVIEW: She Left
It’s a better than average thriller, with a smart protagonist and a cracking mystery. There are psychological complications, a dusting of clues, well-drawn characters and a quickly moving plot.