Bad Blood
by Linda Fairstein
MCN Fai
McNaughton Collection, 2nd floor
Last time I introduced you to Eve Dallas, a feisty police lieutenant from New York City, circa 2058. Now meet Alexandra (aka Alex) Cooper, Assistant District Attorney in charge of the Sex Crimes Unit of the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office. She works closely with New York City detectives Mike Chapman and Mercer Wallace to solve any murders that come their way. In Bad Blood, Alex is prosecuting Brendan Quillian for the strangulation death of his wife, Amanda. Unfortunately, Alex’s case is not very strong, but an explosion in an underground water tunnel leads to an old unsolved crime of which Quillian was also accused, which might bolster her case. Family skeletons and a courtroom shocker are thrown in for good measure. And of course, a possible new love interest for Alex.
Linda Fairstein, former chief prosecutor in the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office Sex Crimes Unit, has interesting characters in Alex, Mike, and Mercer, and a neverending source of plotlines in their respective jobs. But, her dialogue is often a bit stilted, and the faint “will they or won’t they” romantic undertone between Alex and Mike doesn’t add much to the series, now nine books long. You might ask why I’ve read all nine, and honestly, I don’t know. Maybe because most of the action where I live shuts down by 6 p.m. and I need something to do.
Come by the University Library and check out Bad Blood. Let me know what you think. In my opinion? A pleasant way to spend an evening, but you won’t have trouble putting it down when it’s time to go to bed.
Strangers in Death
by J.D. Robb
MCN Rob
McNaughton Collection, 2nd floor
For some fun, “light,” non-mind-expanding summer reading, try a book from what I call the “death series” by J.D. Robb, aka Nora Roberts. The series starts with Naked in Death, and many, many books later, the latest is Strangers in Death. (Mind you, I got this information from Nora’s website, as I long ago gave up trying to remember which book follows which.) The plot line seldom varies: set in the late 2050’s, Lieutenant Eve Dallas and her trusty sidekick, Peabody, solve horrible murders with the help of Eve’s fabulously rich and unbelievably handsome hubby, Roarke. A cast of other regulars, such as the eccentric e-detective McNab, and the wild and colorful singer, Mavis, appear in each book. The plots are similar enough that I can’t keep the books straight, but little thought is required to digest the titles, and Eve is a feisty, take-no-prisoners (pardon the pun) dame. And for the romance-minded among you, there are at least two or three steamy love scenes in each book—this is Nora Roberts, after all.
So stop by the University Library and pick up Born in Death, Innocent in Death, Creation in Death, and/or Strangers in Death, all in the McNaughton Leisure Collection under the call number Rob. You’re guaranteed a good murder mystery, a relaxing time, and you probably won’t learn a blessed thing. Perfect for summer reading.
When I went to Denver for a conference last month, a person that I met there recommended that I read The Time Traveler’s Wife. It just so happened that we were at the Tattered Cover, one of the largest independent bookstores in the country, so I decided to pick up a copy to read.
The title of this book does give a bit away, as it tells the story of Henry, the time traveler, and his wife, Claire. He could disappear at any time for any amount of time and be transported into the past or on rare occasions, the future. At one point, his travels take him to the year 1977, in which he meets a six year-old girl named Claire. The novel develops through time as the lives of Henry and Claire progress at different rates until they crossed paths in 1991. Although Claire knows all about Henry, he has no idea about her, as these events hadn’t yet occurred.
I know it sounds kind of bizarre and borderline science fiction, but it’s actually a great well-written love story between a ‘normal’ woman and a ‘chronologically-impaired’ man. If you’ve read this, share your thoughts. If you’d like to read it, the UW system has several copies available to check out.
Cry Rape:
The True Story of One Woman’s Harrowing Quest for Justice
KF225 .B66 L84 2006
Main Collection, 3rd floor
Madison, Wisconsin, prides itself on its open-minded, progressive image. But one woman knows just how mistaken that image can be. Patty was raped in September of 1997 in her own bedroom by a man who broke in to her Madison home. He threatened her with a knife, and he made threatening remarks about her 18-year-old pregnant daughter, asleep in the next room. Patty, legally blind, kept quiet and did as she was told, and she survived. After the rapist finally left, she called 911 and reported the crime to the police.
What happened next is the harrowing quest referred to in the title of the book, Cry Rape: the True Story of One Woman’s Harrowing Quest for Justice. Because the main detective on the case didn’t believe Patty. He thought she was lying, that she made the rape up. And he also convinced many others involved with the case that she was lying. Patty spent the next seven years fighting within and fighting against the legal system, trying to prove she was telling the truth. And when physical evidence was finally uncovered that backed up her story, did the police start looking for her rapist? No. They still didn’t believe her.
Everyone who lives in, has ever lived in, or has ever visited Madison should read this story.
The Good Husband of Zebra Drive
by Alexander McCall Smith
MCN McC
McNaughton Collection, 2nd floor
The latest installment of the international best-selling No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency series is sure to keep fans coming back for more. Mr. J.L.B. Matekoni is a master mechanic, who loves his job as the proprietor of Tlokweng Road Speedy Motors. But feeling the need for a new kind of challenge, he takes on a case at his wife’s detective agency. Meanwhile Mma Makutsi is also feeling restless and threatens to resign as assistant detective at the agency. Things go even more awry as Charlie, the older apprentice gets big ideas about his future. Meanwhile, trouble is brewing at a local hospital where patients are dying in the same bed at the same time on Fridays. As always Mma Ramotswe, the only private lady detective in Botswana, must use all her female intuition and good judgment to keep her little corner of the world from unraveling.
You won’t need to read the previous seven books to appreciate The Good Husband, though. This book will give you a glimpse into life in a modern African city whose heart is still shaped by the broad savannahs and wide open skies of Botswana.
The Sugar Camp Quilt is part of the Elm Creek Quilts series, by Jennifer Chiaverini (a Madison author). Before you think, “Quilting? Yuk!,” keep reading! This book contains adventure, romance, prejudice, and family dynamics, all with a little history thrown in. I read this book in less than 2 days and found it hard to put down. It’s set prior to the Civil War. In a nutshell, feisty Dorothea Granger, who lives with her parents in the home of her very stern uncle, is commanded by her uncle to create a quilt with a very specific design. When he dies unexpectedly, they discover that the quilt design is actually a guide to a station on the Underground Railroad. Dorothea herself becomes involved in guiding slaves along the Railroad, and she has some harrowing adventures dodging slavecatchers while doing so.
The Sugar Camp Quilt is a little different than the other Elm Creek Quilts books. It doesn’t involve any of the characters Elm Creek readers are used to, although some of the names have been mentioned in the present-day books. Don’t worry if you haven’t read the other books in the series; this one can easily stand by itself. You’ll find it in the University Library’s McNaughton Leisure Collection, call number MCN Chi. And check out the other Elm Creek Quilts books in the Library, also in the McNaughton Collection under call number MCN Chi: Master Quilter, Christmas Quilt (this one’s a little dull), Circle of Quilters, and Quilter’s Homecoming. The earlier Elm Creek Quilts books are likely available at your local public library. I recommend trying to read them in order if you can. They’re great for a little light reading!
