Nevermore: Math, Magic, Marijuana, Mr. Mercedes and More!

Nevermore readers this week eked a little more mileage out of How Not to Be Wrong: The Power of Mathematical Thinking by Jordan Ellenberg.  Our most recent reader commented that the book is more about how figures can be used to manipulate the facts, such as when political advisors portray statistics in a way that makes public figure actions seem more favorable.  “Figures don’t lie but liars figure” was quoted.

Next up was Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell by Susanna Clarke.  Set in the autumn of 1806 in Great Britain, this novel begins with academics debating whether or not magic is still alive and real.  Mr. Norrell has made it a personal goal to collect as many books about magic as possible.  The narration is in the style of Austen and flows along smoothly.  However, not all Nevermore members thought this sounded like a book they would like to read.  One member said, “The more you talk, the worse it gets!”

A couple of readers have enjoyed Caught by Lisa Moore.  Set in the 1970’s, two friends were caught smuggling marijuana.  Hern got away, but Slaney served four years in prison.  After Slaney escapes, he is determined reconnect with his friend and go back to Columbia to successfully smuggle the drugs and make a fortune.  Hern has been working on his PhD in modern English literature.  The journey for the friends to reconnect and the absurdity of Slaney’s plan makes this a very readable book.

Another reader has been enjoying The Other Rebecca by Maureen Freely.  A retelling of the classic 1938 novel Rebecca by Daphne Du Maurier, Freeley sets out to tell the “real” tale of the unnamed narrator.  Fast forward to the 1970’s, the young woman and the infamous “Max Midwinter” take up with each other in a wild love affair.  Max has an interfering Aunt Bea, housekeeper Danny, and two children: Hermione and William.  The sly humor and entertaining dialogue make this a promising novel.

Last, another reader mentioned that she was surprised at how much she liked Stephen King’s Mr. Mercedes.  She said it was very readable and covered the whole spectrum of human emotions.

Note:  This is Kristin's last Nevermore report.  She's moving on but will be missed!  She's promised to continue to send reviews.

Caught is Captivating!

Reviewed by Doris

Caught by Harlan Coben (F COB Main; SSB F COB Main; and CD F COB Main)
Harlan Coben creates plots that twist, turn, take your around corners, and drop you on your head. His stories tend to dash along, pulling you head over heels with them and leaving you a bit breathless at the ending. Caught certainly lives up to that pattern.

Do you ever watch that MSNBC series where the sexual predators are caught when they respond to emails from what they believe are underage girls? Coben takes that premise and develops it into a story that grips you from the beginning. Haley McWaid is a great kid. She has a great family and parents who are involved and devoted. She disappears one night, and three months later no one still has a clue what happened to her. Wendy Tynes is the TV host of “Caught in the Act,” and she is driven to bring down the predators who feast on the kids in her community. Dan Mercer is a youth counselor who works with troubled kids, but he may not be the caring, outstanding citizen he seems. Is Dan connected to Haley somehow? Is Wendy doing the right thing setting up the predators and outing them to the public? What if she is wrong and the “predator” is really innocent? Coben puts all the possibilities into play, and you question every move made by every character.

Dan Mercer shows up at the house where Wendy and her film crew wait for him. There have been a series of emails to Wendy from an anonymous source accusing Dan of being a predator. When taken down by the police Dan says he came to the house to help a troubled young woman who approached him at the youth center where he counsels teens. He denies he has done anything wrong, but there is evidence to the contrary. Wendy has to go by the evidence as do the police, but Wendy’s gut is telling her something just doesn’t click. The more she investigates, the more she questions. Cyber sabotage, old grudges, new methods of tracking predators, a grieving father bent on “justice,” and threats on Wendy’s life and that of her son all factor in to the mix.

Harlan Coben is one of the best of the contemporary thriller authors at creating tension and Caught builds tension with each chapter. It will have you questioning everything. His characters are engaging—some good, some nasty—but all of them keep you tied in knots. Who are the good guys? Are the bad guys even scarier than you thought? Is there a conspiracy? Has Wendy brought a predator and possible murderer to justice or destroyed the life of a good man? You will not know until the very last page of the book, so don’t read ahead! This one is a winner—my favorite so far of the new books from late summer and early fall.