“Women and Children First,” by Alina Grabowski (SJP Lit, 2024)
This novel examines the impact of an unexpected and unexplained tragic event on a small town in rural Massachusetts. The story unfolds through the perspectives of 10 different women living there. An understated exploration of grief, family and community, and how relationships and even truths can shift when tragedy upends your world. — 3 stars (out of 4); Kathleen Lance, Denver
“The God of the Woods,” by Liz Moore (Riverhead Books, 2024)
An 8-year-old disappears from his wealthy family’s “preserve” in the Adirondacks. Fourteen years later, his sister disappears, too. How? Why? Liz Moore’s latest suspense novel is so compelling I pretty much couldn’t put it down. Moore crafts a well-rounded story from the points of view of several characters during events in 1961 and 1975. I particularly liked newly promoted detective Judyta Luptack and hope she returns in another novel. We don’t get an answer to every question, but I found the ending surprisingly complete. — 3 1/2 stars (out of 4); Neva Gronert, Parker
“The Beginner’s Goodbye,” by Anne Tyler (Knopf, 2012)
This novel’s protagonist, Aaron, works for his family’s vanity press, largely known for its series, “The Beginner’s (fill-in-the-blank),” guides into various mini-subjects for the uninitiated. He marries Dorothy, an independent, professional woman and they coast along contentedly in somewhat parallel lives. But when she is killed in a freak accident, Aaron suddenly doesn’t quite know how to live his now totally solo life. The rest of the novel details his quotidian and sometimes mystical journey through grief, essentially his very own book in that quaint series of his family’s press, which would have been called “The Beginner’s Goodbye.” — 3 stars (out of 4); Kathleen Lance, Denver
“The Cloisters,” by Katy Hays (Atria/Simon and Schuster, 2022)
Ann Stillwell has led a quiet life in eastern Washington and wants to escape her provincial upbringing. Upon graduation from college, she becomes a summer intern at the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s medieval museum, the Cloisters, which sits high on a bluff overlooking the Hudson River. Atmospheric is one of the words to describe this mystery as the author depicts the gardens and exhibits in the stone re-creation of various monasteries from France and Spain — gardens that include poisonous plants used in medieval times. It’s also a coming-of-age story as Ann navigates her passion for research in niche areas and
the individuals who she must please to continue her work. A satisfying read with a twist at the end. — 3 stars (out of 4); Susan Tracy, Denver
“What You Leave Behind,” by Wanda M. Morris (William Morrow, 2024)
A real page-turner! Deena Woods returns to her home in Brunswick, Ga., following the death of her mother, the breakup of her marriage and the loss of her job with a prestigious Atlanta law firm. A chance encounter with an emotionally wrought, elderly man fighting to keep his family’s oceanfront property outside Brunswick leads Deena into dangerous territory when he suddenly disappears and she tries to uncover what happened to him. Her discovery of illegal land theft from rural, mostly poor families by greedy developers with powerful connections puts her in extreme jeopardy, as she hurries to find legal heirs to challenge the land “sale” and simultaneously tries to bring the developers to justice. Will Deena beat the odds? — 3 stars (out of 4); Kathleen Lance, Denver
