Nevermore: Deception Point, The Universe Below, Mind's Eye, Iris Lady, Shifting Tide, and Empire of the Summer Moon

Reported by Ambrea

This week, Nevermore started with an old favorite, a novel that’s passed between numerous readers and received some excellent reviews:  Deception Point by Dan Brown, a thriller that bounced from the offices of NASA teeming with scientists and engineers to the far and distant ice floes of the Arctic.  Featuring Michael Tolland, a scholar, and Rachel Sexton, an intelligence analyst, Deception Point is a suspenseful story about a bold and terrifying deception that threatens to destroy a nation—and possibly the world.  Although Dan Brown’s novel received some high praise from other readers, it didn’t fare so well this week.  Our most recent reader said she just wasn’t thrilled by Deception Point, calling it both “formulaic” and “incredibly disappointing.”  Too much of the novel felt predictable for our reader, and she argued she couldn’t enjoy the trite romantic entanglements between Rachel and Michael; moreover, she just didn’t like it and called it quits.  She decided, as she told her fellow readers, “[If I’m] not hooked by page 107, then it’s not worth it.”

Next, Nevermore looked at The Universe Below:  Discovering the Secrets of the Deep Sea by William J. Broad.  A Pulitzer Prize author and scientific journalist, William J. Broad delves deep into the “planet’s last and most exotic frontier” in his book, taking readers on an incredible adventure to the deepest parts of the sea.  He follows modern and ancient explorations of the ocean, examines the darkest trenches and recesses of the sea to show readers the bizarre wildlife of the depths, and offers compelling articles about advance technology and research that is slowly allowing humankind to explore this last great frontier and uncover what strange things still lurk beneath the surface.  Our reader absolutely loved reading Broad’s book.  A thrilling examination of one of Earth’s little-known territories, The Universe Below is an intriguing and wonderful book that offers unparalleled insight into the ocean and provides readers with beautiful illustrations (courtesy of Dimitry Schidlovsky).  Overall, she was very pleased with her pick, saying the illustrations alone were worth flipping through the book.

Nevermore also picked up an Inspector Van Veeteren mystery by Håkan Nesser and introduced a brand new Scandinavian crime mystery to the group.  In Mind’s Eye, Chief Inspector Van Veeteren is confronted by one of the easiest cases of his career:  Janek Mitter, after a debauched night of wine and excess, is accused of murdering his wife of three months in the bathroom—and having only the flimsiest excuses, Mitter is found guilty and imprisoned in a mental institution.  But when Mitter is found murdered, Chief Inspector Van Veeteren knows his case isn’t as open-and-shut as he hoped.  Our reader greatly enjoyed reading Inspector Van Veeteren’s first mystery.  Compelling and surprising, Mind’s Eye was an incredible little Nordic novel that left our reader reeling with the concluding pages.  The ending, she said, was “really awesome.”  It made the entire novel worth reading.

Additionally, our readers decided to look at local author Marilyn Smith Nielans, reviewing her novel Saying GoodBye to the Iris Lady.  The “Iris Lady” of Williamsburg, Virginia, is an eccentric and obsessive widow who has become an icon in her community.  But when she is hospitalized with cancer, her three middle-aged children must return home to confront their mother’s dwindling health, her house and gardens, and their long-buried sibling roles and rivalries.  Labeled a “true life novel,” Saying GoodBye to the Iris Lady is a poignant story that captures the family dynamics of mothers and children.  Our reader actually had the opportunity to meet the author one year, saying she really enjoyed their conversation.  Neilans was a delightful personality and a wonderful author, and her book was decreed equally enjoyable.

Next, one reader picked up an old, battered paperback from a friend to share with Nevermore:  The Shifting Tide by Anne Perry.  William Monk is a private investigator, spending his days earning his living from the streets and the mysteries which lurk there.  But when Clement Louvain hires him to investigate a missing shipment of ivory from the Maude Idris, Monk finds himself caught in a desperate situation as he attempts to keep his family and his wife’s charity clinic afloat—and stop a terrifying plague from ravaging London.  Although our reader has never been a fan of Anne Perry, she said The Shifting Tide was not a bad book.  She noted it’s quirky and “very improbable,” but it wasn’t a terrible novel.  “It’s a day-and-a-half book, at best,” she pointed out, so it’s a very quick read for a slow afternoon.

Last, Nevermore looked at a familiar title, Empire of the Summer Moon by S.C. Gwynne.  Although our reader had only finished half of the book, he was very impressed by Gwynne’s work and the depth of the author’s research.  Split into two narratives—one, an inspection of the Comanche, Apache, Sioux and other tribes of the western United States; two, a narrative about Cynthia Ann Parker, who was kidnapped by the Comanche, and her son Quanah Parker who was the last and, arguably, the greatest chief of the Comanches—Empire of the Summer Moon was “amazing to read.”  Our reader said Gwynne’s book is incredibly complex.  “There’s so much [to keep track of],” he said, “with the hierarchy of the tribes…and relationships.”  Even between the Comanches, relationships were complex and, sometimes, difficult.  He continued, saying it’s a fascinating book, but it has to be taken in slow doses to remember all the little details, to fully comprehend this vast well of Native American history.

Anne Perry and the Murder of the Century by Peter Graham

Reviewed by Jeanne

In 1954, New Zealand was rocked by news of the brutal murder of a woman by her daughter and her daughter’s friend.  The trial was a sensation because of the nature of the murder, but the girls’ behavior during the trial—smiling, laughing, and seemingly unrepentant—intensified the scrutiny.  Their close relationship inspired much speculation.  The event was one of those seminal moments in a country’s history that shaped a generation, much like the kidnapping of the Lindbergh baby did in the U.S. a couple of decades earlier.

The case remains compelling to this day, more because of the personalities involved than the brutality of the crime.  Juliet Hulme was the daughter of two prominent British citizens.  Her father, a well-known physicist, was the Rector of the local college, while her mother was a marriage counselor and had a radio program.  The family was part of the social elite.  The London Blitz and Juliet’s health problems had kept her away from her family for several years, time she had spent in the Caribbean and South Africa.  At age 13, she was thought well enough to join the family in New Zealand.  Meanwhile, Pauline Rieper had undergone health issues of her own with osteomyelitis, which also left her somewhat alienated from her family.  Unlike Juliet, Pauline’s family was definitely lower middle class, but the two girls shared a fierce intelligence and a love of film and music stars as well as a sense they were special and meant for great things. They believed they would go to Hollywood where they would write movies and act in them alongside their beloved movie stars.

The girls had also developed an elaborate fantasy world.  They believed they were special, able to see the heaven they dubbed the “Fourth World”, an ability Pauline believed only about ten people in the world had.  They created their own religion, with gods and saints composed of the performers they most admired:  James Mason, Mario Lanza, and a changing cast of others.  Pauline wrote, “Juliet and I decided the Christian religion had become too much of a farce and we decided to make up one of our own.”  

The intensity of the relationship began to disturb some of the adults, including Pauline’s mother.  They felt the girls were too fixated on one another.  Things really began to fall apart when Juliet’s father lost his job and his marriage, and the family planned to move back to England. Both girls were determined that Pauline should accompany the Hulmes. Honorah Parker Rieper, Pauline’s mother, was equally determined that she should not.

This was given as the motive for Honorah’s murder: the girls believed if she were removed, so would all obstacles to the girls’ leaving together. 

Peter Graham was shielded from news of the event as a child, but when he began his legal career he found a colleague had actually worked on the case.  His interest was piqued, but it was decades before he began to examine the case in depth.  From my point of view, it was well worth the wait.  Graham brings both honesty and genuine curiosity to the subject, writing without preconceived notions of what he would find. He researched extensively and it shows, but the writing is so clear that the reader never feels bogged down in detail.  Graham uses Pauline’s diaries to provide insight on the girls as well many interviews with those still living and as much documented material as possible. 

This was not my first book choice when I decided to read about the case.  In a clear case of judging a book by its title, I was put off by the name Anne Perry and the Murder of the Century.  I didn’t want to read a book geared toward scandal and sensationalism, and the title indicated to me that the book was trying to cash in on Perry’s name—and that is most definitely NOT what the book is about.  Juliet Hulme’s life after the trial gets only a brief chapter and the "Anne Perry" name is invoked very little.  In fact, when the book was first published the title was So Brilliantly Clever, reflecting a line from Pauline’s diaries.  I can say without reservation that, had Juliet’s new identity never been revealed, I would have enjoyed the book just as much.  However, Graham does call some of Perry’s statements into question, such as the assertion that part of the girls’ release was that they have no contact with each other; in fact, they were released “without condition.”

This book is more concerned with the psychology of the crime along with social context than sensationalism.  It’s well written and compelling, and certainly memorable.  He does draw some comparisons between this case and the notorious Leopold/Loeb case, based on some of the personality traits of the murderers. (The American title also reflects that, as the best known book on that case is The Crime of the Century:  The Leopold-Loeb Case by Hal Higdon.)

Graham doesn’t offer any simple solutions.  In fact, one of my favorite parts is near the end of the book in which various theories are presented, including some contemporary with the crime as well as more modern views.  Graham leaves the reader with questions that are unanswerable but are still interesting to ponder:  what would have happened if the girls had never met?  Or if Pauline’s mother had agreed to allow her to go with the Hulmes? Would the girls’ murderous impulses have emerged or was it all a perfect storm? 

The book also offers the reader some closure on others whose lives were affected by the crime.  While The Search for Anne Perry by Joanne Drayton provided some information on the Hulmes, this book was more thorough in its approach and addressed what became of the Rieper/Parker household.  After the murder, it was discovered that Pauline’s parents were not legally married, making the children illegitimate and causing the struggling family even more financial difficulty.  

In the end the book also acknowledged some themes I had wondered about, including the fact that both Parker and Hulme apparently became quite devout in a religion after their incarceration: Parker became Roman Catholic and Hulme converted to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.  Graham doesn’t belabor the point but does note that the religion the girls created has some parallels to the more orthodox religions they eventually adopted.

I would highly recommend this book to anyone with an interest in true crime, especially of the historical variety.  

(Note:  "Heavenly Creatures," the film by Peter Jackson, is based on the Parker-Hulme case.)

Nevermore: Overwhelmed, Flora, Reptiles, Lee, Divergent, and Much, Much More!

 Reported by Meygan

We had quite the turnout at Nevermore this week! We began with Overwhelmed: Work, Love, and Play When No One Has the Time by Brigid Schulte. This book looks at everyday life and how stress consumes our brains. Did you know that our brains shrink by 20% when it becomes stressed? This book also approaches what we can do about the stress and, just like the title states, suggests how exactly we can work, love, and play when we feel that we have run out of time. Jud stated that in Denmark, everyone on a particular mailing list receives a catalog of classes of various activities that people can attend. He said this is the direction the Bristol Public Library is heading in, and he would like the library to contribute to a saner lifestyle for us all! 

Flora of Virginia by Alan Weakley was discussed next. The Foundation of the Flora of Virginia Project Inc. and Botanical Research Institute of Texas Press worked together to publish an updated publication of the state’s flora (there hasn’t been one since 1726!). Although the book was like gibberish to the reader because of the VERY detailed accounts about flowers, this book is recommended to those who are interested in botany/researching flowers. 

Next was Carl Hiaasen’s Dance of the Reptiles. Hiaasen is well known for writing about the seedy side of Florida and this book is no different. This is a collection of Hiassen’s best pieces from his Miami Herald columns. In this book, he is very critical of the Federal Environmental Protection Agency, which the reader found humorous. He also discusses pollution, animal welfare, the criminal justice system, and other various topics. 

The Man Who Would Not Be Washington: Robert E. Lee’s Civil War and His Decision That Changed American History by Jonathan Horn is the true story of Robert E. Lee and his struggle of being married into George Washington’s family but turned against the union, Washington’s achievement, by war. It was stated that this book was well worth the time for anyone who likes reading about the Civil War. 

Tana French’s The Secret Place (book five of the Dublin Murder Squad series) was discussed next. When a boy is found murdered with a card that reads “I KNOW WHO KILLED HIM”, Detective Stephen Moran finds himself right in the middle of the case. Usually at The Secret Place, where the boy’s body was found, the boarding school girls gather to gossip. But after the body is found, everything changes for the girls. Detective Moran and Antoinette find leads that trace the boy’s murder back to them. This book received mixed reviews from our Nevermore readers. One reviewer said she didn’t care at all for the book and had a difficult time reading it not only because of the content but because of the small print. Another stated she enjoyed the book because of the psychology brought about in the boarding school girls. 

Next was A Wolf Called Romeo by Nick Jans. This is a true story about how Nick encountered a lonesome black wolf when he lived in Alaska. The wolf continues to return to Juneau to see the people of the community. When people first see the wolf, they want him dead, but as the wolf, aka Romeo, starts to come around more, he becomes the town pet. Nick learns to understand Romeo, and he takes it upon himself to watch over Romeo for as long as he can. This book was highly recommended by our Nevermore reader! 

In June 1954, a teenage girl, Juliet Hulme, helped her friend kill her mother. Since the girls were minors, they served 5 years in prison and were given new identities. Years later, one of the girls received a phone call wanting to know if she was Juliet Hulme. Indeed she was, but the fact that she had been found was not the surprise—Juliet Hulme is historical mystery author, Anne Perry. In Peter Graham’s Anne Perry and the Murder of the Century, readers will learn about the murder and the trial. The reader said this was an interesting read of why people do the things they do. The girls originally wanted to plead insanity, but in New Zealand that would mean the girls would have to serve life in prison. Although our Nevermore enjoyed the book, she stated she is not going to read anymore Anne Perry’s books because she can’t understand her way of thinking even after everything is said and done. Another reader stated she felt the same way and after reading an interview with Anne Perry, she felt that Anne was not apologetic at all for her actions. 

The next book discussed has been very popular. Andrew Hodges’ Alan Turing: The Enigma has just been adapted into a movie (The Imitation Game), and both the book and the movie were highly praised in Nevermore. Alan Turing was a British mathematician who was a pioneer in computer science and a gifted cryptographer. It has been said that his work ended the World War II at least two years early.  Alan Turing was a very talented man whose life was too short.

The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt has been a popular Nevermore book. Theo Decker is a 13 year old boy who survives an accident but his mother does not. Theo is taken in by his friend’s family, but nothing can take away Theo’s pain. He desperately clings to the painting of his mother, wishing she were there with him. This painting draws Theo into the world of art and as he becomes older, Theo continues to surround himself with art. When asked about this book, the Nevermore reader stated, “Talk about your dysfunctional family!” She said the book is rather large, but the print is a decent size. She also said although Theo has good role models, he continues to do dumb stuff throughout the book, which aggravates her!

Next was The Chicken Chronicles by Alice Walker. In this memoir, Alice Walker writes about how she raised and cared for chickens. She also writes about caring for her chickens as she travels to Bali and Dharamsala where she serves as a peace activist. Our Nevermore reader had just started reading this book, so perhaps we will hear more about The Chicken Chronicles next week!

For those of you who like reading about gore, then this next book is for you! Working Stiff: Two Years, 262 Bodies, and the Making of a Medical Examiner by Judy Melineky MD is about a woman, Dr. Judy Melineky, who becomes a medical examiner after 9/11. The Nevermore reader stated that even though she found the author’s writing irritating, the book had enough blood, guts, and gore to keep her going! She also said this book provided the most graphic descriptions of dead bodies. One of the most descriptive parts is when the Brooklyn plane crashed shortly after 9/11. This book was highly recommended!

One of our Nevermore readers finished The Divergent series by Veronica Roth. In this series, children are left to deal with a dystopian world that has been ruined by the people before them. Every person is assigned to a group depending on their talents/skills. Our Nevermore reader said she enjoyed the first two books but barely made it through the last book. She said the series was interesting because as tech savvy as children are now days, it made her question how would those children survive in a world where technology would no longer exist. 

Let Me Be Frank with You by Richard Ford was the next book discussed. In this book, Frank is a retired realtor who sells a beach house. Several years after the house is destroyed by Hurricane Sandy, Frank receives a phone call from the man who purchased the home. The Nevermore reader says this book is a feel good story and a study of interpersonal relationships.

The same Nevermore reader has also read Richard Ford’s Women with Men, which is a collection of three short stories about love, passion, and strife. Although he enjoyed Let Me Be Frank with You, he cannot recommend Women with Men because he didn’t like it. He said it is a bit depressing.

The Search for Anne Perry by Joanne Drayton

Reviewed by Jeanne

In 1994, an up and coming young director named Peter Jackson decided to prove to critics that he could create movies that were more than "splatstick," horror films with dark humor.  As his subject, he chose a true life crime tale that shocked New Zealand fifty years earlier:  the Parker-Hulme murder in which teens Pauline Parker and Juliet Hulme had brutally beaten Pauline's mother to death.  The trial was a sensation.  The girls were found guilty and sentenced to prison.  Upon their release, they were given new identities and, according to some sources, told never to have any contact with each other. 

Jackson’s movie, "Heavenly Creatures," was a critical success.  It also brought up questions about where were these girls now.  Soon, one enterprising reporter found at least one answer.

Juliet Hulme was none other than the acclaimed murder mystery author Anne Perry.

Perry's editor was contacted.  She thought the tale preposterous and didn't hesitate to say so.  She also called Perry, who instead of laughing it off,  became very quiet.

Juliet Hulme had indeed been found.

In her book, In Search of Anne Perry, Drayton begins with Anne as an impoverished young writer, struggling to make her first sale.  She succeeds with a murder mystery set in Victorian times, The Cater Street Hangman, which turns out to be the first in a series of books starring Thomas and Charlotte Pitt.  Drayton details plots and themes of Perry's books, along with the struggles she has with her publisher.  Occasionally, there are glimpses of Perry's younger days in California and her conversion to Mormonism.  Then, about mid-way in the book, Drayton goes back and tells the story of the murder and its aftermath.  The rest of the book is divided between recapping book plots and how Perry handled the revelation.

I had been among those shocked when Perry's identity was revealed and had read a few articles about it.  I was curious, but I didn't want to read too much because of the sensationalism most pieces were employing.  This book is definitely not sensationalist.  Frankly, I thought it was too circumspect at first and I tired of reading plot summaries. I also realized that, while this wasn't listed as an authorized biography, there were photos which were from Anne Perry's collection, which meant that she was at least cooperating with the author.  I did feel that Drayton was trying to be fair but I also felt she was accepting Perry's contention that she had admitted her guilt, done her time, and repented so that should be an end to it. There were some curious omissions too; while much time was spent on recounting novel plots, little time was spent explaining the elaborate fantasy world that Parker and Hulme created. Some threads of the story seemed to be dropped, too; at least twice there is great excitement about one or more of the novels being turned into a movie or TV series, but in the end little comes of it.  ("Cater Street Hangman" was filmed as a possible start to a series but that never happened.  We are also told that it is Prince Edward's production company which is interested, and there is a meeting with the Prince.  What does this have to do with anything else?  I’m not sure. I did find it a bit odd that very little connection was made between this and the dreams of Hollywood the girls shared, planning to become starlets and write and direct all their films.)

I finished the book feeling most sorry for Pauline's family, which was torn apart by the murder and subsequent revelations. I was left wondering what became of Pauline’s father and siblings. I was also intensely curious about the movie "Heavenly Creatures," which Perry hated so much, sight unseen.  I bought a copy and watched it.  From what I read, Jackson's version followed the facts fairly closely and gave a better picture of the "Fourth World," the fantasy world created by the girls. 

The bottom line is that, while I'm glad I read the book, as far as I'm concerned the search for Anne Perry goes on.