Mind of Winter - Laura Kasischke

First line: "She woke up late that morning, and knew:  
Something followed them home from Russia.

Holly Judge and her husband Eric Clare overslept Christmas morning. As Eric dashed out the door to the airport to pick up his parents, Holly began the laborious process of preparing for a holiday and a house full of people.

Meanwhile, Holly and Eric's teen daughter Tatiana, who they adopted from Russia, is behaving strangely. She's ignoring her mother's requests for help, changing her clothes repeatedly and swearing at Holly. One minute she's kind and loving, the next she's angry and volatile.

With a snowstorm raging outside, all of the holiday guests are stranded and unable to make Christmas dinner. Eric has to detour to the hospital because his mother is acting confused and disoriented. So Holly's left alone to deal with Tatiana's tantrums until her husband can return. As the swinging door of Tatiana's emotions flips back and forth, Holly remembers the process she and Eric went through to adopt "Tatty" and the life they had once she came home to live with them.

But this Christmas, will Holly discover that more than just a beautiful baby girl came home from Russia with them?

Beware of this psychological thriller, it's addictive. Once you pick it up, you'll likely have a difficult time putting it down. The plot is bewitching and the characters are enchanting. Tatiana is Holly and Eric's fairytale princess, but this story is more in line with Grimm than Disney.

While I feel that the plot is loose and could have been tightened up significantly--detail often had a tendency to be redundant or excessive and the repeated use of parenthetical phrases pulled me out of the story--the foundation is a suspenseful, mind-boggling mystery. The alternation of present day with past memories slows the momentum of the plot down, so it's not especially fast paced, but it enhances the suspense and pumps up the reader's adrenalin levels.

Holly and Tatiana are engaging characters. The reader is closest to Holly as the story's narrator, but her depictions of Tatiana from their first encounter in Russia and throughout her childhood are endearing, starkly contrasting the brooding, erratic teenager tormenting her mother on Christmas. Holly helps the readers to fall in love with her daughter, just as she did, so they're invested in what's plaguing Tatty and how it can be resolved.

Holly is a sympathetic character. As she looks back on her journey to adopt and raise Tatiana, she identifies her faults and failures as a first-time mother, looking for ways she could have changed, been a better mother, so this Christmas day would have turned out differently. Who hasn't experienced regrets and can't identify with this feeling? As Holly learns throughout her day, hindsight is 20/20 and sometimes when we simply don't want to see what's right in front of us, we don't.

As the white pristine snow blankets the world outside her home, chaos rages inside Holly's world. So clear your calendar once you pick this one up because you aren't going to want to take a time out for anything until you discover exactly what followed Holly, Eric and Tatiana home from Russia!

Mind of Winter is available in hardcover (ISBN: 978-0062284396) from Harper. There is also an unabridged audiobook version (ISBN: 978-1482992670), narrated by Justine Eyre available from Blackstone Audio.

My review of Mind of Winter is part of the TLC Book Tour. You can see what other bloggers are saying about the novel, by visiting the tour site for a complete list of tour participants. And you can learn more about Laura Kasischke at her website.

Disclosure: I do some contractual work for one of the owners of TLC Blog Tours. My work does not involve this tour or any other tour I would agree to be a part of here at the blog. Nor does my work with them obligate me to a specific kind of review. The reviews are still my own opinions and reflect only my thoughts on the novels. If you care to read more, you can find more information on my Disclosure page.

Suspicion Nation - Lisa Bloom

My review of Suspicion Nation first appeared in Shelf Awareness for Readers. It is appearing here today with their permission. This is truly a book that should make us stop and think, really think about our society. We can't be passive and hope everyone else fixes things. It starts with the little choices and actions we make every day.

First line: "Maddy had had it."

Trial attorney and legal analyst Lisa Bloom evaluates the George Zimmerman murder trial, sharing her views on where the Florida state prosecution failed in their attempt to win justice for Trayvon Martin. Bloom takes readers step by step through the areas she’s identified as key problems: refusal to address the issue of race, lack of trust in their own witnesses, excluding vital evidence, even in their tendency to pose questions to the jury instead of making firm statements. Then she shares alternate strategies for the prosecution’s thwarted approach.

In the second half of the book, Bloom analyzes why Trayvon Martin’s plight is not uncommon. While Martin made international headlines, many more frighteningly similar tragedies barely make their local news reports. Through a combination of anecdotal and statistical evidence, Bloom illustrates how “our laws, beliefs, assumptions, and blind spots combine to create the conditions that led to the death of Trayvon, and which made Zimmerman’s acquittal by far the most likely outcome.”

No one wants to believe they are racist. And placing the label on anyone is a severe affront. But Suspicion Nation is an alarming, somewhat uncomfortable and brutally honest look at the reality of race, stereotypes and violence in the United States. Racists do exist and race does matter—in education, in employment, in the justice system. The evidence clearly shows continued inequality in all realms of life and how that inequality deprives a significant segment of the population of its chances for success. Reading this book and thinking there is no longer a problem would be a great feat indeed.

Suspicion Nation: The Inside Story of the Trayvon Martin Injustice and Why We Continue to Repeat It is available in hardcover (ISBN: 9781619023277) from Counterpoint Press. An unabridged audiobook version (ISBN: 9781480584297), read by the author, is also available from Brilliance Audio.

Left Coast Crime Social Media Panel

Whoa! Sorry for the long silence there. I'm back from Left Coast Crime and starting to recover from the jet lag. Those cross country trips--and all-day travel adventures--can be a challenge. But the conference was wonderful, and I have much to share with you in the coming days.

Today, however, I'm posting the promised handout for people who attended our panel...or didn't, if you'd like to access the handout but you didn't come, please feel free. This is a collection of tips, tricks, and resources that were shared by the fabulous panelists during our session. It also includes a section on Goodreads. We didn't discuss Goodreads in the session but there was a question about it. Like all the other topics, we could have discussed a full hour on it, so we definitely didn't have time to do it justice during our brief Q&A.

I will also keep a link up in the sidebar to this handout for people to quickly access once this post has moved down and out of visibility.

Thanks to everyone who attended. We had a standing room only attendance. I hope everyone left with something they could use in their social media strategies.

Social Media: Getting the Word Out in Today's Digital Age

More soon! Happy Reading!

Five on Friday - Louis Bayard

Happy Friday and Happy Pi Day everyone! I'm working on prep for Left Coast Crime next week and getting very excited to see a lot of my book-loving friends soon. Are any of you planning to attend?

I will be moderating a panel called "Social Media: Getting the Word out in Today's Digital Age."  It's Friday at 4 if you will be there and are so inclined to attend. We're going to try to touch on some current issues in the major social media platforms. There's another panel opposite us with Craig Johnson and Cara Black that I'd probably choose over ours, so if you're not there, I won't be offended, really! ;-)

If you haven't seen this yet, I'm sure all you Harry Bosch fans will be happy.

For my audiobook-loving friends, you definitely want to check out this contest over at Criminal Element. I'm listening to The Cairo Affair right now and can tell you it's excellent! I'm sure the other three are great as well!

Friday Reads has some dark international crime to give away this week. And me, I have Louis Bayard! Well, I have Louis' Five on Friday interview.

I did some brainstorming and came up with a new final question so we can have some great authors revisit us for Five on Friday. Don't worry, I'm still recruiting new faces, but this will enable you to get to know some of our favorite faces even better. And since Lou is definitely one of my most favorites, it's fitting that we welcome him back first. If you missed my review of his new book Roosevelt's Beast, be sure to check that out as well. I'm sure you'll see that on my end of the year favorites list.

And without any further ado, let me turn this show over to the star!

1. As hard as I’ve tried, I’ve never been able to master: skating. Roller or ice. I held out hope that my two boys would succeed where I had failed, but they turned out to be just as oafish as me. We’re a family that respects solid ground. (But I’m crazy in awe of Olympic skaters.) 


2. My favorite smell is: the smell of an old paperback. Which is cheating, I know, because each paperback has its own smell. The one I remember best was the old, dog-eared copy of “Gone with the Wind” I read as a kid. A sweet rich piney smell I could never get enough of.


3. If I had to perform in a talent show, I would do: my Ethel Merman impersonation. A long time ago, a friend and I put together a show called “Ethel Merman Sings the Music of Boy George.” Today, I would probably have to confine myself to Late Ethel, sliding crazily between notes.


4. I have nearly been driven to road rage when I’ve witnessed a driver doing: I’m big on etiquette, so if I let a driver cut in front of me, I fully expect a thank-you wave. And if I don’t get it, I begin to plot a vast array of diabolical paybacks, all of which climax with the driver sputtering out his last breaths on a hot pavement: “Why? Why?” “’Cause you didn’t thank me, punk.” Cue Sergio Leone music.


5. If you had been born with a warning label, what would it read? “Don’t leave unattended. On second thought, do. Feed with chocolate.” 

When you stop laughing I encourage you to go check out Lou's Facebook page, his Twitter account and his website. And if you haven't read his books yet, put everything else away and go find one!! I've read them in print and listened to audios and I've loved every last word. And if you're in the DC area, I want to encourage you to go see Lou and tell him hi for me at One More Page Books on March 27th. I was going to make a trip to DC, but since I'll just be getting back from Monterey, it's not going to work out. Jenn Lawrence, I'm looking at you, girl! One of these days, I'm determined to meet this man in person!

It is such an honor to not only have this amazing writer here on the blog, but for him to return. What a treasure! My thanks to Louis Bayard. And to all of you for tolerating my fan girl behavior this Friday. Hope your weekend is great.

Happy Reading!

Roosevelt's Beast - Louis Bayard

First line: "After all these years, his best friend is malaria."

Using Theodore and Kermit Roosevelt's famed 1914 exploration of the River of Doubt in Brazil as his foundation, Louis Bayard shifts his imagination into overdrive and creates a thrilling adventure that would make today's action heroes envious.

The Roosevelt-Rondon expedition was moving slowly down the South American river. Their rations were running low and disease was running high. Due to dangerous rapids and currents in the water, the group would often have to carry the boats on land until they passed the hazardous areas. During one of these forays, Teddy and Kermit are kidnapped by the Cinta Larga, a Amazonian tribe.

Communication would have been impossible for the Roosevelt's among this strange group of people were it not for a young woman named Luz. Luz spoke Portuguese--as did Kermit; she wasn't born into the Cinta Larga tribe, but rather was absorbed by them when her family perished in the jungle. 

Teddy and Kermit are determined that they will not remain with the Cinta Larga, nor will they die at their hands. Luz informs them both that the tribe will release them if they perform a special task on their behalf. They must find and kill the Beast, the monster that has been tormenting the tribe. It has killed man and animal alike, gutting its prey and yet leaving no tracks.

Left with no alternative, the Roosevelts--sick and malnourished--set off with two rifles, Luz and Luz's young son Thiago in search of the elusive Beast.

Reading a new novel by Louis Bayard is akin to a midnight ride on Santa's sleigh: it's magical, breath-taking and unforgettable. He gives you a view of the world you can't get anywhere else. Roosevelt's Beast continues his string of exceptional stories and incredible worlds.

Kermit Roosevelt is the "hero" of this story. The reader learns through his eyes and experiences. The expedition was not one he had any interest in joining--he had just become engaged and was wrapped up in wedding planning--but he was pressured to go along by his mother who worried about Teddy. Despite being an accomplished, talented young man in his own right, Kermit perpetually lived in the shadow of his presidential father. He's complex and troubled. Bayard uses this condition of his hero to re-create, re-shape and give voice to an engaging, compassionate and flawed adventurer.

Equally fascinating is the voice that Teddy then has in the novel as experienced through Kermit's eyes. The hodge-podge mixture of greatness and humor, yet vulnerability. Kermit's a son who looks up to his father, yet has to take care of him and protect him at the same time.

Bayard's firm understanding and knowledge of, not only the trip itself, but the entire Roosevelt family, is obvious in his approach to the historical elements as well as his manipulation of them. He brings the Amazonian world to life on his pages, leaving the reader swatting at bugs and hearing the whining call of the spider monkeys.

Roosevelt's Beast is multi-layered and definitely a book meant for re-reading. Forget all of technology's flashy special effects and enhancements, Bayard uses good old-fashioned imagination and creativity to haunt, engage, grip, tickle and entertain. It doesn't get more effective--or more magical--than that.

Roosevelt's Beast releases to the world in hardcover (ISBN: 978-0-8050-9070-3) this Tuesday. It is also available as an unabridged audiobook (ISBN: 978-1629234489), narrated by John Pruden from Dreamscape Audio.

Tomorrow Louis Bayard returns to the Five on Friday seat, so be sure to check back. In the meantime, enjoy his mock book trailer:

The Sound of Broken Glass - Deborah Crombie

First line: "It had been years since she'd been in an English church."

The Sound of Broken Glass marks Deborah Crombie's fifteenth go round with Duncan Kincaid and Gemma James.

Detective Superintendent Kincaid is on leave to take care of the couple's young foster daughter, Charlotte, who is having difficulties adjusting to her new life. Attempts at pre-school have failed miserably and the British copper is starting to worry about how he'll be able to leave the tot and get back to work.

Detective Inspector James, meanwhile, is heading up the murder investigation of a barrister. After a verbal altercation in a Crystal Palace pub, he's found bound, gagged, naked and dead in a nearby seedy hotel where he's been a regular customer on the register as "Mr. Smith."

As Gemma and her Detective Sergeant Melody Talbot dig deeper into the life of the barrister, they find a rather unlikeable individual. And before they can find a solid suspect, another barrister is found murdered in the same fashion.

Gemma and Melody employ some unorthodox approaches to this case that continues to lead them further into a labyrinth of secrets and deceptions, where each new clue only seems to create more questions.

Despite this being the fifteenth book of the series, newcomers can still easily pick up The Sound of Broken Glass and appreciate the strengths of Crombie's writing and the appeal of this series. The crime that the plot builds on does not need background from previous books, even though there are some returning characters.


That being said, one of the strongest elements of this novel--and the series--is the interpersonal elements of Kincaid, James, and their family, as well as Talbot and Kincaid's partner Doug Cullen. New readers will have no trouble grasping each person's fit into the complete puzzle, but the depth of their characters is likely to entice newbies to track down earlier books in the series to see everyone's progression to the present.

Readers familiar with the series will appreciate Crombie's skill of creating empathetic characters when they encounter those that are new and/or less familiar. She may be looking for a way to weave some new faces into recurring roles, or at least readers will hope so. These are characters that will steal hearts and possibly break hearts. But even characters with roles so small that we never see them--a French shopkeeper that Gemma merely quotes--provide a special flare to the book.

Enticing readers to connect with her characters is a fine way to keep  engagement with the story high, but Crombie also weaves a grand mystery. In this contribution to the series, she effectively uses flashback to build suspense and intrigue. Readers will want to discover the final solution, but that desire is intensified because they care about the outcome for the characters, not just their own curiosity.

Finally, Crombie makes special use of her setting, weaving England's history into her characters' history and then into the present. The various layers and symbols blend together for a fascinating education wrapped up in entertainment.

Whether new to the series or a long-time fan, The Sound of Broken Glass is sure to please. And Crombie's resolution indicates she has no plan to let up on the quality. These law enforcement agents can rest assured of job security. Crime fans rejoice!

The Sound of Broken Glass is now available in trade paperback (ISBN: 9780061990649) from William Morrow. And unabridged audio version (ISBN: 9780062249746), narrated by Gerard Doyle, is available for download through Audible.

My review of The Sound of Broken Glass is part of the TLC Book Tour. You can see what other readers have to say about the book, by visiting the TLC website to see the complete tour.

Disclosure: I do some contractual work for one of the owners of TLC Blog Tours. My work does not involve this tour or any other tour I would agree to be a part of here at the blog. Nor does my work with them obligate me to a specific kind of review. The reviews are still my own opinions and reflect only my thoughts on the novels. If you care to read more, you can find more information on my Disclosure page.

The Stolen Ones - Richard Montanari

My review of The Stolen Ones first appeared in Shelf Awareness for Readers. It is appearing here today with their permission.

First line: "The first thing the hunter saw was the shadow, a long silhouette stamped on milk-blue snow, rising near a copse of maples halfway across the field."

A killer who seems to have the ability to vanish baffles Philadelphia detectives Kevin Byrne and Jessica Balzano, and the city’s residents live in constant fear as more victims are discovered, virtually under the department’s nose. But instead of magical powers, Luther Wade has the city under the city.

Born and raised in the Delaware Valley State Hospital, a hospital for the criminally insane, Luther lived an unorthodox life. When the hospital closed, Luther remained, trolling the passageways below Philadelphia and carrying out the nightmarishly evil dreams of one of Europe’s deadliest serial killers.

A mute child found wandering in the street in the middle of the night carries with her a vital clue to the case, as well as a link between the past and the present. Byrne and Balzano have to race to put the clues together and find this mad man before he can wreak more havoc on Philly.

With a plot as eerie and contorted as the catacombs Luther Wade inhabits, The Stolen Ones is a thriller fan’s delight. This is a book readers stay up late to finish, but with all the lights on in the house.

Thrillers tend to be less about mystery and more about the race to stop someone or something. Byrne and Balzano do indeed race to stop Wade, and the reader knows Wade is the murderer, but Montanari has still steeped his story in the devious mystery of the hospital, enhancing the suspense.

Part thriller, part mystery, part horror, The Stolen Ones is a completely great story.

The Stolen Ones is available in hardcover (ISBN: 9780316244701) from Mulholland  Books and as an unabridged audio, narrated by William Hope, from Hachette Audio.

Five on Friday - Orest Stelmach

Happy Friday my friends! I hope you have had a good week and are looking forward to your weekend.

I don't have much in the odds and ends bag for this week so I want to go straight to my special, special guest this week for Five on Friday. I'm thrilled and honored that Orest Stelmach graciously agreed to take the hot seat.

Orest published his debut, The Boy from Reactor 4, in 2013 and this Tuesday his follow-up, The Boy Who Stole From the Dead, is being released. Is that title not great?! You will, of course, hear more about this fabulously-titled book here soon, but I wanted to tell you about something special Orest has done with both books. He's adopted a charity, Chernobyl Children International, to help with profits from his books. You can read all about the charity and his generous contributions to them on his website.


To get a feel for Orest's writing, you can check out some of his essays here. But I especially want to point my animal-loving friends to "Ten-Foot Tall Kitty." When I first read this, I knew Orest Stelmach was a special person. So, I am over the moon excited that he's here today. In addition, with the current unrest in the Ukraine going on, I think you'll especially appreciate Orest's contribution the series!

Now let me quit my yammering and let him take the reigns:

1. When I was a kid, my favorite thing to get in my trick-or-treat bag was: A Milky Way bar. I medicated with sugar (and fats and other carbs) as a child. I was also eager to move to some other part of the solar system where I could be a kid instead of a vessel for my parents’ dreams. “At work, rest, or play, Milky Way. Milky Way.”

2. If I could only listen to one music artist/band for the rest of time, I would choose: Vivaldi. I listen to rock’n roll fifty percent of the time and classical musical the other fifty percent of the time. I would rather listen to Vivaldi’s Four Seasons in a continuous loop than any rock artist’s repertoire. It is the aural equivalent of a year in my native New England and stirs an infinite number of memories, many of them imaginary.

3. My five favorite movies of all time are:

1. Sideways. Yes, I write suspense and this is a comedy, but I love spending time with these characters. We are very close friends, these characters and I – they just don’t know it. Sure, they keep saying the same things over and over again, but the wine in my glass changes frequently.
2. Vertigo. Hitchcock remains one of my primary inspirations. This is my “go-to” film when I make pancakes on Sunday morning. I like to do my mise en place to the sound of Bernard Herrmann’s haunting prelude. When I hear the cop on the roof shout “Give me your hand,” I know the prelude is over. I run from the kitchen to the family room, hit the previous scene button, and start the introductory scene all over again. I do that until I grow tired of it – the running back and forth, that is.
3. The Fugitive. My wife and I bought a small cottage on Cape Cod several years ago. The former owner’s name? Richard Kimball. That coincidence played no role in my insistence that the house was good value. None whatsoever.
4. The French Connection. There’s a scene early in the first act where Gene Hackman walks into the Copacabana nightclub. He’s just a cop surrounded by the city’s finest players, but the way he smiles, lifts his eyebrows, and presses the flesh, you’d think he’s the prince of Gotham City. I watch that scene at least nine times in a row the night before every public speaking appearance. Then, as I rise to the podium to speak the next day, I tell myself I’m at the Copacabana, and my name is Popeye Doyle.
5. The Talented Mr. Ripley. When Ms. Blanchett meets Ms. Paltrow at the piazza and implores her to marry Dickie, and tells her that that nothing, absolutely nothing untoward happened that would prevent her from doing so, her subsequent exit is my single favorite moment of acting ever. Ms. Blanchett smiles, blushes, extends her hand, pulls it back, and twists and turns with such excruciating unease, it’s hard to believe she wasn’t trying to resolve a real conflict with Ms. Paltrow. Awkwardness never looked so good.

4. The most beautiful place I’ve ever visited is: Florence. I was captain of my high school basketball team, but when I made the team as a junior my coach couldn’t pronounce my name. Instead of Orest, he called me Orence. I wish I’d known back then that I was only two consonants short of heaven all that time.

5. The #1 item on my bucket list right now is: To wake up in Kyiv, Ukraine tomorrow morning in the middle of the current protests against the government. The books that I’m working on now – the Nadia Tesla thriller series – concern a Ukrainian-American woman and a boy from Ukraine (Chornobyl to be exact). I chose such ethnic backgrounds because they mirror my own, which has been a source of increased fascination for me. My deceased father was a Ukrainian immigrant, as is my mother, and they raised my brother and me in an insular Ukrainian-American community in Hartford. Ukraine was a repressed satellite of the Soviet Union when we were growing up. Back then, a free Ukraine was unimaginable. To see that freedom gradually erode because of corruption and deference to Russia has been a painful process. My books deal with the historical relationship between Ukraine and Russia that are at the core of the current conflict. I wish I were there right now. 

What a great combination of humor and heart. That's why I enjoy this series so much. I love this little glimpse of Orest and I hope it will encourage all of you to know him a bit better as well. If you have the chance to meet up with him in person, I encourage you to do so. And of course, I encourage you to check out his books as well! You can catch up with Orest virtually on Twitter as well as his website.  And I also want to mention his Tumblr blog because he posts some amazing pictures of the Ukraine and other things related to his books.

Many, many thanks to Orest and to everyone for stopping by today. Have a most wonderful weekend and happy reading!

The Deepest Secret - Carla Buckley

First line: "Birthdays are supposed to be happy occasions, so Eve plans a party."

In Carla Buckley's third novel, she proves that her writing prowess is real, lasting. She wowed readers with the intensity and passion of her first two novels, now in The Deepest Secret, she rises to the next level.

Eve is the mother of an XP child. No we're not talking about the off-spring of a Windows operating system, this is a rare genetic disease called xeroderma pigmentosum. Someone with this disorder doesn't have the necessary enzyme to protect against UV rays, so the person can't be exposed to the sun or any device that emits UV. Most people suffering from this disorder don't make it 20. 

Tyler is Eve's XP child. He lives most of his life locked in his room with the window boarded up. He attends school via computer and can come out at night once the sun has gone down. Tyler likes to roam his neighborhood at night taking pictures.

Melissa is Tyler's sixteen-year-old sister and Eve's eldest child. She battles with being the "perfect" child, meaning she has the enzyme Tyler doesn't. Melissa is far from perfect and she's acutely aware of how lopsidedly her mother's attention focuses on her brother.

David is Eve's husband. He works in Washington D.C. while his family lives in Columbus, Ohio. He commutes back and forth on the weekends when he's able, but Eve is adamant that they can't relocate the family. It's taken too much to create the safe environment they have for Tyler in their present house. Not only adaptations to their home, but educating and helping their neighbors to change as well. She can't do that all over again and risk something happening to Tyler in the process. The long-distance family is stress enough, but add the tremendous issue of Tyler's XP and David's floundering, questioning his marriage, his life.

Most of this doesn't sound at all like a crime novel, and at this level it isn't. The intricate workings of the family and their relationships is a story in and of itself. This life alone would be enough for any human, but Buckley throws a wrench in Eve's meticulously scheduled and organized life. She throws a murder into the mix. 

As Tyler roams his neighborhood at night, he uncovers the secrets that lie within the homes of those living there. He photographs the secrets and studies them. Everyone has secrets, some are just more devastating than others...

The secrets may be buried in this novel, but the suspense and mystery woven throughout keep the intensity level soaring. The urge to know the truth is overwhelming, not because the mystery and secrets exist, but because Buckley convinces us we genuinely CARE about these people. The players in this tragedy could be any of us. And Buckley's choice of the name "Eve" for her mother character reinforces that. Eve who is mother to all of us. 

The Deepest Secret alternates perspectives and Buckley gives us intimate thought-snippets from all of the characters. The approach is especially effective because it prevents the reader from taking sides without all the facts. No one is right OR wrong--and yet everyone is both right AND wrong; they're only human. 

Buckley writes with a flow and beauty that are uniquely hers. Her dialogue is natural; her teens are as authentic as the twenty-something actress-wannabe or the elderly widower. While the novel weighs in at over 400 pages, Buckley employs a sparseness to her writing that allows the reader to bring their own experiences, emotions and ideas to this reading adventure. Buckley beckons her reader, "come on! We're all in this together." And we go. We go willingly, excitedly. And we're changed forever.

The Deepest Secret is available in hardcover (ISBN: 9780345535245) from Bantam Books. There is also an unabridged audiobook version (ISBN: 978-0804192019), narrated by Kirsten Potter, available from Random House Audio.

And as just a final note, if you're one of my fellow Northeast Ohioans, Carla will be at the Berea Public Library tomorrow night at 7 p.m. You can come out and meet the woman who wrote this astounding book. 

My review kicks off the TLC Book Tour for The Deepest Secret. You can follow along with the tour and see what others bloggers are saying as well.  


Disclosure: I do some contractual work for one of the owners of TLC Blog Tours. My work does not involve this tour or any other tour I would agree to be a part of here at the blog. Nor does my work with them obligate me to a specific kind of review. The reviews are still my own opinions and reflect only my thoughts on the novels. If you care to read more, you can find more information on my Disclosure page.