The End of 2015 - Part 2

If you missed it, yesterday I summed up my reading stats and shared my favorite audiobooks, debuts and non-fiction works. Today I'm going to reveal my favorite crime novels of 2015 and my favorite overall reads of 2015, so let's not waste any time. As with yesterday's lists, these are in no particular order.

My favorite 2015 crime novels:

Hush Hush by Laura Lippman - This return of Tess Monaghan was just spectacular. Laura Lippman knows how to spin a good yarn, pull you into and make the hours just disappear.

Dry Bones by Craig Johnson - "Save Jen!" Walt, Vic and a dinosaur, what's not to love? This series remains in my all time favorite list and Dry Bones epitomizes why. The dialogue is exceptional, the sense of place is rich, the characters are dynamic and the plot is fascinating. Dem bones, dem bones, dem dry bones is tops this year!

The Gates of Evangeline by Hester Young - If you missed yesterday's post then you won't know that I picked The Gates of Evangeline as one of my favorite debuts. And yes, I think it's good enough to make my overall favorites list as well. This was a book that kept me glued to the pages, and I look forward to what Hester Young does from here.

The Investigation by J.M. Lee - This translation from the original Korean is stunning. The story revolves around a central murder and then just builds in exquisite layer after layer from there. The Investigation is an appreciation of the arts in all forms. It's beautiful, inspirational, heart-wrenching and I very much hope that more of Lee's work makes it way to the U.S.

Woman With a Blue Pencil by Gordon McAlpine - It is quite rare for me to feel like I've happened on a truly unique story concept. And maybe this one has been done before, but I've not experienced it. The creative blending of plot lines made this one fascinating book. Its themes are especially poignant given our own political current events. This is a short one, but boy is it ever powerful.

House of the Rising Sun by James Lee Burke - Sadly it's been a little while since I've had a chance to pick up a James Lee Burke so my return with House of the Rising Sun was that much more delectable. I savored every beautiful word of this unparalleled tale of family, faith, betrayal and redemption.

The Promise by Robert Crais - Elvis Cole, Joe Pike, Maggie and Scott James. That's almost too much wonderfulness for one book. We waited awhile for this one and it was certainly worth it.

The Long and Faraway Gone by Lou Berney - Berney stepped away from his series character Shake Bouchon and took on a darker tone for this standalone proving he has a wide range of talent when it comes to storytelling. The psychological elements of this novel were intense and effective. Even if Berney's next work is paranormal romance, you can rest assured I'll read it.

The Devil's Game by Sean Chercover - While I mentioned this book several times as I was reading it, I'm ashamed to say I never got my review finished. So if you haven't picked this one up yet, I hope you'll give it a go. The follow-up to The Trinity Game kept me engaged and on the edge of my seat. Daniel Byrne is a fascinating protagonist and I'm anxious to see where Chercover takes him next!

The Lake House by Kate Morton - In my interview with Kate Morton she told me that no one ever considers her a mystery writer. So here she is on my crime fiction list...officially a mystery writer. I guess I'm the late one to the Kate Morton party because this was my first experience reading her, and I was swept off my feet. She managed to surprise me (not easy) and envelope me in her grand fictional world...for almost 600 pages...and I never lost interest. Consider me now a Kate Morton evangelist!

So there you have my favorite crime novels and finally *drum roll* it's time for

My overall favorite reads of 2015:

Trigger Warnings by Neil Gaiman - This collection of short stories felt like the variety pack of chocolate candies. You know the commercial where the mom asks all the kids what they want and they all scream something different and she says, "I've got that!"? That's what Trigger Warnings is in literary form. Want poetry? He's got it. Want a crime story? He's got it. Want a love story? He's got that too. And of course the fantasy. Gaiman's talent is astounding and I'm embarrassed it took me as long as it did to discover it, but now that I have, there's no turning back!

Dry Bones by Craig Johnson - You can see above for my gushing, but I just can't resist repeating, "Save Jen!"

Woman With the Blue Pencil by Gordon McAlpine - Yep, another one you can reference from the first list.

House of the Rising Sun by James Lee Burke - I'm feeling like a broken record here.

The Investigation by J.M. Lee - Another one you can see above for my gushing...I'm a crime junkie through and through, even when I'm reading other stuff.

Mobile Library by David Whitehouse - Stop the presses, this one isn't repeated from the first list. This story was so delightful, packed with quirky and wonderful characters on a magical adventure. It still makes me smile even though I read it a year ago. If you missed it, find this one. So worth the read!

The Bassoon King by Rainn Wilson - This is a repeated title from yesterday's lists where I lauded Wilson in both the non-fiction and audiobook lists. He's written a smart, funny and inspirational memoir that you don't have to be a fan of The Office to completely adore. If you ARE a fan, you'll adore it as well, I'm sure.

Penguin Lessons by Tom Michell - Another repeat from yesterday, this one as a favorite debut and favorite non-fiction. Michell has just won my heart with his tale of Juan Salvador the penguin.

Wanted by Chris Hoke - I think I hit that groove in the record where I'm repeating myself again. Chris Hoke's book was on my lists for favorite non-fiction and favorite debuts as well. Wanted is masterfully written and so incredibly powerful. It's a book that will resonant with me for a very long time.

My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She's Sorry by Fredrik Backman - If Backman needs disciples, I'd like to sign up. Last year I shouted from the rooftops about A Man Called Ove, this year I'm equally enamored by Grandmother. I described this book recently as fantasy wrapped in reality and while that sounds a bit ridiculous, I think it sums up the Escher-esque complexity of this wonderful book. It stole my heart and there was no doubt at all that it would be on this list.

So, there you have it! That sums up the great reads of my year. Of course there are a stack of books I really wanted to get to and haven't yet--I'm not giving up yet, but there are also fabulous books for 2016 starting to hit my pile as well. 2015 was great and I have high hopes for 2016 as well. Please, let me know what topped your reading lists this year. I'm excited to know.

Happy reading and happy end to 2015. May your 2016 be full of exceptional reading material.

The Gates of Evangeline - Hester Young

My review of The Gates of Evangeline first appeared in Shelf Awareness's Maximum Shelf issue for Wednesday, July 15th. I am posting it today with their permission. I encourage you to also check out the interview I did with Hester Young. The story of this book is fantastic! Hope you enjoy.

First line: "I can't pinpoint the moment I cross over."

"There is nothing more unnatural than losing your child. Not even talking to the dead."  Charlotte "Charlie" Cates should know; she's experienced both. At 38 Charlie is divorced, unhappily working in New York City as the managing editor of a woman's magazine and reeling from the tragic death of her four-year-old son, Keegan. Ambien has provided her a nightly escape, but when Charlie decides she no longer wants to numb herself with the pharmaceutical, the dreams start.

The first premonition shows Charlie an image of her friend Rae's young daughter falling in a dance recital and hurting her ankle. When the injury actually occurs, Charlie writes it off as a spooky coincidence. But there's no denying the existence of something supernatural when Charlie sees what happened to a missing girl and can describe her fate in vivid detail before she's discovered.

It's one of these dreams that convinces Charlie to accept a job offer she initially doesn't want. Her previous employer is publishing a series of books about high-profile, unsolved crimes. They'd like Charlie to cover the 30-year-old kidnapping of toddler Gabriel Deveau. The Deveau family is "like the Hilton family, only the granddaughter is better behaved, and their upscale hotel chain was founded with Old South plantation money."  Before Gabriel turned three, he was abducted from the Deveau's Chicory, Louisiana estate. A ransom note was left, but the kidnapper didn't contact the family again, and the child was never found. Neville, the Deveau patriarch who kept a tight lid on his son's disappearance, is recently deceased, freeing the boy's sisters to support a book about their family, including giving the author access to their Chicory estate, Evangeline.

Charlie is disgusted by the idea of profiting off the disappearance of a small boy, and she doesn't want to involve herself in another family's tragedy. Her own is enough to deal with. However, she experiences a change of heart when a new premonition shows her a small boy she determines to be Gabriel in a swamp asking for her help. "Will you help me? The boy asked, and truthfully, I'm not sure. Can I help a boy who has been dead for nearly thirty years? But there is nothing else for me. So why not try?"  And with that, Charlie heads for Louisiana.

First time novelist Hester Young may not have realized she was writing a Southern gothic work, but the rich atmosphere of the American South in The Gates of Evangeline clings heavily to every page in this book. From the eeriness of the swamplands,

The silence is, to a city dweller, unearthly. No birds, no rushing water. Only stillness. I walk out onto the dock and gaze at the green-brown water. There's a smell I don't like, a dank and almost moldy odor, like someone's leaky basement 

to the grandness of the Evangeline estate,

the white pillars, the rows of French windows opening onto the second-floor balcony, the sculpted hedges and stone cherub perched atop the fountain out back. Although the home seems a bit misplaced in an area so remote--who exactly are they showing off for?--it's as picturesque as I've imagined.

the spirit embraces the reader much the same way Charlie's dreams envelope her.

The mystery at the heart of the novel mirrors Young's resonant atmosphere--a quiet, dark and sinister tone in a crime that, at the time, dominated the spotlight. The code of silence surrounding the kidnapping is indicative of the plantation culture, part allegiance and part fear. While Charlie's job is to write about the event, Young's integration of the local law enforcement re-opening the case lends additional credence to the investigation.

Charlie's special gift--her dreams--is delivered with a sense of reverence. She exhibits a fear of what she doesn't understand but also a respect for the duty that comes with it. This approach gives the miraculous events a more grounded effect, encouraging readers to believe instead of expecting them to let go of reality. Young's parallel examination of her characters' faith intensifies this element of the novel even further.

The Gates of Evangeline is adeptly constructed to maintain suspense and a swift momentum. Young times plot twists well and incorporates clever red herrings. She also distracts her reader with fascinatingly colorful characters who stand out in the murky setting of the Louisiana bayou. The Deveau twins, Sydney and Brigitte, reek comically of entitlement while their closeted homosexual brother, Andre, is burdened by the obligations of his family name. A gun-toting gardener from Texas, a detective from the sheriff's department and the Deveau's young cook become Charlie's closer friends, providing a counter balance to the wealthy elite. Young takes advantage of everything from clothing to dialect in the development of these authentic personages.

The Gates of Evangeline is a wonderfully evocative, chilling mystery layered with themes of love, faith and devotion that is sure to pleasantly haunt readers' dreams long after they've turned the last page.

The Gates of Evangeline will be available September 1st in hardcover (9780399174001) from Putnam.

  

  

Quote of the Week

'Ask me whatever you like, but understand this case is colder than a cast-iron commode on the shady side of an iceberg.'
     –The Gates of Evangeline by Hester Young