Nevermore: Keller, Blaedel, Mrs. Sherlock Holmes, Matthews, Quinn, Heinlein, Her Mother's Laugh

Reported by Kristin

Nevermore began with laughter, as one reader exclaimed that she really did not enjoy A Killing in the Hills by Julia Keller. This series debut is based in Acker’s Gap, West Virginia as three old men are shot at a local diner. Bell Elkins is an attorney and her teenage daughter Carla was an unfortunate witness to the violence. Our reader claimed that she found the plot very predictable, and that the author wasted much paper on the young girl’s angst. Alas, our reader suffered through to the end.

Despite the title, the same book club member found The Undertaker’s Daughter by Sara Blaedel to be a much lighter read, and a very fun book. Photographer Ilka Nichols Jenson is living in Copenhagen and hasn’t heard from her father for decades when she learns of his death, and her inheritance: a funeral home in Wisconsin. Ilka’s father had issues with gambling debts, as she finds when she returns to the states. Murder and intrigue follow, which kept our reader happily reading to the end of this one.

Dog On It by Spencer Quinn proved to be another light read as canine Chet narrates the story of his human Bernie, a private investigator looking into the case of a missing teenager. Chet sniffs out the clues alongside Bernie, guiding him in ways that the human might be too oblivious to notice. Our reader said that it was so enjoyable that she felt as if she were ten-years-old again reading a Nancy Drew mystery.

From fictional mysteries to a real-life female sleuth, our next reader picked up Mrs. Sherlock Holmes: The True Story of New York City’s Greatest Female Detective and the 1917 Missing Girl Case That Captivated a Nation by Brad Ricca. Grace Humiston was the first female United States District Attorney, and acted as a private detective in addition to her law career. She solved the mystery of missing Ruth Cruger when the New York Police Department could not. The press soon began calling her “Mrs. Sherlock Holmes” as she had her day in the limelight. Despite her accomplishments, Humiston was quickly forgotten until Ricca brought her story back to modern readers a century later.

The Kremlin’s Candidate by Jason Matthews is the final installment in the Red Sparrow Trilogy. Our reader said that he was really enjoying it, and found parallels in today’s real life politics to the international espionage in the thriller. In fact, he called it “a little spicy” with a ballerina being caught up in the dark Russian world of seduction of spycraft.

Another book club member went back to the classics with the 1956 science fiction novel Time for the Stars by Robert Heinlein. While one telepathic young boy explores space, he is able to maintain communication with his twin back on Earth. When the spaceship returns after only a few years traversing the stars, the traveler finds his brother celebrating his ninetieth birthday.

Finally, Nevermore discussed She Has Her Mother’s Laugh: the Powers, Perversions, and Potential of Heredity by Carl Zimmer. Every gene and experience we have shapes our future and our children’s futures. Our reader has a medical background and was fascinated by the way that Zimmer writes about medical subjects. She was particularly intrigued by the up and coming genetic procedures which may be able to cure so many ills, but commented that the economics of medicine will likely keep those cures for the 1% of society with the most wealth.

Nevermore: Dovekeepers, Bookshop of Yesterdays, Paris Seamstress, Spy and the Traitor, Alice Network, Great Mortality

Reported by Ambrea

Nevermore started their meeting off by sharing The Dovekeepers by Alice Hoffman, which tells the story of four women and the tragic events of Masada nearly two thousand years ago.  The stories of these women—Yael, Revka, Aziza, and Shirah—intersect and weave a powerful story of secrets, hope, truth, and love.   Our reader said The Dovekeepers was actually a re-read for her, but she was glad she had the chance to check out Hoffman’s novel again.  She found the story interesting and she thought the characters were fascinating, complex.  Overall, she liked the book and she recommends The Dovekeepers to any and all fans of Hoffman’s work.

Next, Nevermore checked out The Bookshop of Yesterdays, a new novel by Amy Meyerson.  Miranda Brooks spent much of her childhood reading through the books of her Uncle Billy’s store and solving scavenger hunts he created just for her.  But when Miranda turns twelve, her Uncle Billy and her mother have a sudden falling out and he disappears from Miranda’s life—until sixteen later when she receives news of his death and clues to one final scavenger hunt.  Our reader found she really enjoyed The Bookshop of Yesterdays.  Although the story was pretty predictable—“I kinda had things figured out early on,” she noted—she said it was a novel well worth reading.

Nevermore also looked at another book from the new fiction shelves:  The Paris Seamstress by Natasha Lester.  Estella Bissette is a young seamstress living in Paris during the early months of World War II; Fabienne Bissette is her granddaughter, a museum curator who is attending the annual Met gala, which is honoring her grandmother’s accomplishments in fashion.  Their stories, both in 1940 and 2015, soon begin to interweave as Fabienne uncovers secrets about her grandmother that she never knew.  Our reader said she enjoyed reading The Paris Seamstress.  Intricate and heartbreakingly poignant, Lester’s novel was an interesting mix of history, romance, and mystery that seemed to hit all the right notes.  She highly recommended it to her fellow Nevermore members, especially those who enjoyed The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah and Lilac Girls by Martha Hall Kelly.

Next, Nevermore explored a particularly thrilling book titled The Spy and the Traitor:  The Greatest Espionage Story of the Cold War by Ben Macintyre.  Oleg Gordievsky was the son of two KGB agents and spent time at the best Soviet institutions; he became one of the top intelligence agents in Russia and quickly became the best spy in London—and then he secretly started working for MI6 in 1973, quickly becoming one of Britain’s most important resources and a target for both the Soviet Union and the CIA.  Our reader said she “thoroughly enjoyed The Spy and the Traitor.”  Macintyre’s book read like an espionage thriller, alternating between nail-biting action and fascinating insight into the social and political atmosphere of Britain, the United States, and the Soviet Union.  “It was truly fantastic,” our reader finished.

Staying in the vein of espionage, Nevermore took a look at Kate Quinn’s novel, The Alice Network.  In the aftermath of World War II, Charlie St. Clair is an American college student on the verge of being cast out by her family—after all, being pregnant and unmarried is hardly proper.  Now, sent to Europe to take care of her “little problem,” Charlie finally has a chance to break free and, with the help of a former spy, find the cousin who disappeared from Nazi-occupied France.  Our reader said The Alice Network was “a good, intense story.”  Filled with a little espionage, some romance, and plenty of adventure, Quinn’s novel was an immediate hit for our reader and it was quickly passed along to another member.

Last, Nevermore shared The Great Mortality:  An Intimate History of the Black Death, the Most Devastating Plague of All Time by John Kelly.  In 1347, the Black Death began its journey across the Europe and Asia; five years later, nearly twenty-five million people were dead and many more were left reeling from the devastation of one disease.  Our reader picked out The Great Mortality on her Kindle on a whim and she was pleasantly surprised to find she enjoyed reading Kelly’s book.  She was fascinated by The Great Mortality, by how much detail and research Kelly put into his book to create such comprehensive and intriguing guide to one of the most gruesome times in history.  “It’s incredible what happened to [all of these people and countries],” she said.