February 2015

January always seems like it lasts a year, with post-holiday blues and crappy weather, and I didn’t have many good reads last month. But February is here, bringing with it more promising books.

Here’s what my book blogger pals and I recommend this month. (Previous NSLs can be found here.)

From Jen at Jen’s Book Thoughts:

Wanted: A Spiritual Pursuit Through Jail, Among Outlaws, and Across Borders by Chris Hoke (HarperOne, February 3) 

Growing up, Chris Hoke struggled with his faith. He felt a calling, but found the traditional avenues of pursuing his faith unfulfilling.

Then a volunteer opportunity in Washington State with an organization called Tierra Nueva changed everything for him. He left his suburban, middle-class life in California—where he was attending college—and relocated to the Skagit Valley in order to work as a prison chaplain, serving gangs and violent offenders. Here he discovered miracles and his true calling.

This is the story of Hoke’s experiences, told through a series of “Wanted posters” that describe the unlikely people who have led him down his intended life path. Wanted is inspiring and eye opening, at turns heart-wrenching and funny. It is stunningly written, thought provoking, and will touch readers in the darkest depths of their souls. While this was the very first book I read in 2015, I can guarantee it will end up on my favorites list for this year. It is that good.

The Long and Faraway Gone by Lou Berney (William Morrow, February 10)

Lou Berney takes a hiatus from his Shake Bouchon series in this standalone mystery set in his hometown, Oklahoma City. Two unrelated and unsolved crimes from 1986 collide in the present day when their survivors go looking for answers.

Wyatt Rivers was a teenager when he survived a mass murder at the movie theater where he was employed. He left Oklahoma City to escape the trauma but his job forces him to return to the scene of his nightmare. Julianna Rosales was even younger when her big sister, Genevieve, left her eating cotton candy at the fair, telling her she would be right back. Genevieve never returned and her loss haunts Julianna so deeply she’s willing to put her own life at risk to find out what happened.

Berney’s written a dark, layered, and psychologically intense story but still manages to weasel in an element of humor. Dialogue is top-notch and sense of place is vivid and authentic. This one’s hard to put down once you pick it up.

From Rory at Fourth Street Review:

The Marauders by Tom Cooper (Crown, February 3)

When the BP oil spill devastates the Gulf Coast, the already tenuous lives of the residents of Jeanette, Louisiana turn dire. Featuring a memorably odd cast of characters, Tom Cooper’s debut is smart, dark, and funny. There’s the one-armed, pill-addicted, treasure hunter Lindquist; the pot-smuggling, identical Toup twins; angst-ridden teenager Wes; and a few other misbegotten residents of the deep south. Part crime novel, part ode to Louisiana, this is a novel for fans of Richard Russo and Elmore Leonard.

From Erin at In Real Life:

Hush Hush by Laura Lippman (William Morrow, February 24)

Tess Monaghan is back, and not a moment too soon. Fans have missed her, and readers new to the series will love meeting her as she struggles with a complex case while balancing the practical and emotional demands of motherhood.

Tess is a compelling character because she seems to be a detective—quite a good one—almost in spite of herself. Her case this time concerns a mother who (might have) killed her baby daughter, and while Tess wants nothing to do with her or the case at first, she is drawn in by forces she simply cannot resist, ones grounded in her own history and family.

Lippman’s prose is perfectly balanced, and her cast of supporting characters is a wonder to behold. Hush Hush does not set out to omg-shock you, but instead builds moments of intertwined tension that are resolved with exceptional storytelling skill.

From Lauren at Malcolm Avenue Review:

Monday’s Lie by Jamie Mason (Gallery, February 3)

Raised by their government operative mother, Dee Aldrich and her brother Simon had an unconventional childhood, constantly tested in spy game techniques, earning points for being alert and noticing their surroundings. Because she yearns for a “normal” life, Dee gravitates to and settles down with Patrick Aldrich, a “smooth groove in a bumpy road” she meets in college.

Jamie Mason’s firecracker of a second novel begins ten years into Dee and Patrick’s marriage as things are beginning to come unraveled. Dee’s well-honed observational skills alert her to some strange goings-on she assumes are related to her mother’s covert past. As she investigates, Dee becomes more and more uncertain which part of her life the potential danger is emanating from—her operative mother or her “normal” husband.

Monday’s Lie is a smart, skillfully plotted thriller sustained by a perfect mix of tension and character. There were several characters I’d love to revisit, but Dee’s mother, Annette Vess, blew my doors off in particular. Mason infuses Lie with just the right amount of her barb-sharp humor and  turns some beautiful phrases. Highly recommended on all fronts.  (Read Lauren’s full review here.)