THE SWEDISH ART OF AGING EXUBERANTLY

4 stars out of 5

Delightful! It helps, no doubt, that I'm close in age with the author (although there's good advice here for readers of just about any age). But She tells it like it is - or should be - in a humorous, entertaining but matter-of-fact manner.

Truth is, I decided to request this one simply because her other best-selling book, The Gentle Art of Swedish Death Cleaning, sounded so right-on-the-money (I don't know about you, but my potential heirs are way less than thrilled at the thought of having to get rid of all the things my husband and I have collected over the years). To me, they're all precious memories; but to them, almost all of it is George Carlin "stuff." Anyway, I identified with the author's take on that subject, so I wanted to see what she has to say in this one.

And I certainly wasn't disappointed; she offers more practical advice for us oldies but still goodies. But this time, happily, I've already put much of it into play in my own life (well, except for the getting a walker or cane part; that one, I think, I'll resist to the very end - or at least till one of my doctors tells me that unless I get one, it's my end is likely to come sooner than I want). Like her, I'm up for "making aging itself into an art." Her creative approaches, even those I'm already doing, are a huge boost in that direction.

Of course, I can't get too specific without spilling too many beans, but I'll mention a couple of personal favorites: First, if you bring something new into the house, take something else out. Nobody wants to clean up your stash after you're gone. Second, surround yourself with younger people. You'll stay in touch with what's going on around you and learn a lot; but as the author points out, they also provide a way to "stay in tune" with the young person you used to be.

The book concludes with a few more tips on "death cleaning" - which I heartily recommend as well (even if at this point it's more of a do-as-she-says than do-as-I-really do issue). Bottom line? Love the book; it's great for older folks like me, but there's plenty of good advice here for younger generations as well. Thanks to the publisher, via NetGalley, for allowing me to read and review a pre-release copy.

The Swedish Art of Aging Exuberantly by Margareta Magnusson (Scribner, December 2022); 160 pp.

THE HOUSE IN THE PINES

3.5 stars out of 5

Overall, this is far from a bad book; problem is, I never quite got "into" it nor felt much of a connection with any of the characters. More often than not, I was a little confused as to the current time period - chapters flip back and forth between main character Maya's past and present lives - and being a bit annoyed with her unending paranoia and rationalizing why she can't share her experiences with her boyfriend or mother. The ending was pretty much what I'd expected, although the details were rather intriguing.

When Maya was a senior in high school, she was expecting to head for college when she met Frank, with whom she instantly formed a relationship that made her want to stay put. Her bonds with her best friend, Aubrey, are loosening somewhat when Aubrey dies abruptly and in front of Frank. It's a trauma from which Maya has trouble escaping, although she manages to go on to college, with help from an addictive drug prescribed by her therapist. Now, she's living in Boston, has a boyfriend (with whom she hasn't been totally honest) and is trying to kick the drug habit.

In between, she keeps consulting an unfinished book written in Guatemala by a father she never knew; can it somehow help her deal with what she experienced with Frank, even though she has no idea what that really was? In the end, it's a tale of manipulation and head games that many readers will find very appealing. Thanks to the publisher, via NetGalley, for the opportunity to read and review a pre-release copy.

The House in the Pines by Ana Reyes (Dutton, January 2023); 330 pp.

DEVIL'S WAY

5 stars out of 5

After finishing this, the fourth in the series featuring private investigator Kate Marshall and her partner, Tristan Harper, I remain the fan who has enjoyed all the other books (as well as all the other books by this talented author, also a favorite). This time, the plot centers around a young boy who went missing 11 years ago.

Kate learned about the boy while she was hospitalized following an early-morning swimming accident; her roommate is an elderly woman named Jean, and the missing boy was her grandson Charlie. The pair, plus Jean's daughter and partner, were tent camping in a remote area known as Devil's Way; her daughter Becky, Jean says, blamed her for leaving the boy alone in their tent, if only for a short time.

Visits to the boggy area from which the boy disappeared don't reveal much, but more digging reveals that a social worker who apparently didn't think much of Becky's parenting or Jean's grandparenting was murdered not long after Charlie disappeared. That brings a major shift in the investigation, which in turn takes readers on twists and turns that lead to a not-too-surprising, but exciting end. At least that's the way it was for me, and I thank the publisher, via NetGalley, for allowing me to read and review a pre-release copy. Well done!

Devil's Way by Robert Bryndza (Raven Street Publishing, January 2023); 334 pp.

THE BOYS FROM BILOXI

4 stars out of 5

Despite the fact that this prolific author is one of my favorites, after reading the first couple of chapters of any of his books - including this one - I always suspect I'm not going to enjoy it very much. And every single time - including this one - once I get back in the no-dialogue groove and start paying attention to the expertly crafted narrative that centers on intriguing characters and places, I'm hooked.

So it was with this one, which takes place in the coastal town of (as the title suggests), Biloxi, Mississippi, a popular destination for those looking for great beaches and scrumptious seafood. But to those who lived there, it was also a haven for corruption, with much of the vice under the tightly held reins of the so-called Dixie Mafia. Here is was, in the 1960s, that Keith Rudy and Hugh Malco first became friends as teenagers; but once the glow of their school baseball team faded, they went their separate ways: Rudy to law school, following the path forged by his successful lawyer father, Jesse; Hugh, to follow in the path forged by his equally successful mob boss father, Lance. As Keith's father makes it his mission to rid the city of ne'er-do-wells, Hugh's father vows to bring down those in government and law enforcement who are not in his pocket. That puts the two fathers and their two sons squarely at odds - in and out of the courtroom - that makes readers constantly question who, if anyone, will emerge triumphant and suspect that the story won't end well (some will argue, no doubt, that it didn't).

And that's all I can say without spoiling it for other readers, except to say it's a captivating story that I really didn't want to put down. Kudos (once again)!

The Boys from Biloxi by John Grisham (Doubleday, October 2022); 453 pp.

DESERT STAR

5 stars out of 5

I've long been a fan of now-retired Los Angeles Police Department Detective Harry Bosch, with or without his half-brother, "Lincoln Lawyer" Mickey Haller. Another of the characters frequenting the books is LAPD Detective Renee Ballard; quite honestly, I liked her not so much, but since she became a partner of sorts with Bosch in recent books, I've warmed up a bit. 

Here, she pretty much shares the show with Bosch as she recruits him for the newly formed cold case unit she's heading up - and my interest in her is far more toasty. Despite the animosity between the two former LAPD cops, Bosch took her up on the offer, in large part because an old unsolved case of his - the gruesome murder of a family of four - has bothered him ever since he retired. This new volunteer job offers the possibility of bringing closure. But Ballard has other ideas; she's in charge of the unit, and in part to keep her new unit funded, she's hot to trot on the years-ago rape and murder of a city councilman's sister.

Old and not-so-old tensions between the two raise their ugly heads every once in a while, as do a few misgivings about a couple of other members of the new cold case unit (one of whom is an "insist" from the aforementioned councilman's right-hand man). All of those interactions, plus the exhaustive and sometimes dangerous investigative work that's being on on both murder cases, makes for an intriguing, hard-to-put-down book that held my attention throughout. So did an unforgettable, emotion-inducing ending that left me itching to have the next installment on my Kindle - would you hurry that up, Mr. Connelly, please?

Desert Star by Michael Connelly (Little, Brown and Co., November 2022); 401 pp.

NUMBER ONE IS WALKING: MY LIFE IN THE MOVIES AND OTHER DIVERSIONS

5 stars out of 5

If you want a truly unique coffee table book, here you go. If you want a unique walk through the life of a comic (and musical) superstar, well, you get that here as well. The cartoon-style graphics alone are incredible, and when coupled with insights by one of America's best-known (and arguably best-loved) entertainers, it just doesn't get much better.

My description will be brief, simply because this is a book that's better seen than talked about. Basically, it outlines the experiences of the incomparable Steve Martin in motion pictures - he made 40 of them before, about 15 years ago, leaving that industry for, among other things, a successful other career in music (he's a banjo player extraordinaire). His recollections of the movie years include clever and witty depictions of "The Jerk," "Three Amigos," Roxanne" and more; I just named three of my favorites. All are depicted in cartoon format with amusing, sometimes downright funny, narratives. Also included are references to many of his well-known partners in the funny business, like Carl Reiner, Robin Williams and Diane Keaton. The whole thing ends with "And Other Diversions," an extensive series of cartoons.

In short (which reminds me, his buddy and fellow comedian Martin Short is another who gets some page time here), this is a very well-written and perhaps even better-illustrated book I think any student of comedy - and certainly any Martin fan - will enjoy. It's said that a picture is worth a thousand words, but why settle? This delightful book delivers the best of both. Many thanks to the publisher, who sent me a hardcover pre-release copy to read and review. 

Number One Is Walking: My Life in the Movies by Steve Martin and Harry Bliss (Celadon Books, November 2022); 256 pp.

NIGHT SHIFT

4 stars out of 5

Medical (and legal) are my favorite sub-thriller genres, and I'm always delighted to see a medically-focused book from this author. For the most part, this one did not disappoint. Smack dab in the middle of the action are husband-and-wife medical examiners Jack Stapleton and Laurie Montgomery (well, she's now the chief ME for the city of New York, technically Jack's boss and a bone of contention between the two, as is the fact that he refuses to give up riding his bicycle to and from the ME's office). The two share a couple of young kids, both with medical issues; they're cared for by Laurie's mother, who's exceptionally competent despite being an anti-vaxxer (her odd-woman-out status and the mask or not to mask issue is interspersed throughout the story).

Early on, another physician, Sue Passero, is found dead in Laurie's hospital parking garage; an autopsy is a must, and because Sue was a good friend, Laurie asks Jack to handle it. Sue's diabetes ups the odds that her death was a heart attack, but the autopsy shows that clearly wasn't the case. Suicide? A not-likely possibility. The other option? Murder - but with an autopsy that turns up no means or motive (and, of course, no whodunit).

Perplexed - an emotion he does not enjoy experiencing - Jack sets off to determine Sue's cause of death; after all, he needs to sign a death certificate, the sooner the better, or so Laurie insists. So, he circumvents a few of the rules instituted by the hospital (now owned, it is noted several times, by a big bad conglomerate known for putting profits above professionalism) and meets with a few of Sue's admirers and a few who are not. What he learns from one on the friends side - and what happens next - is even more perplexing and worrisome, making Jack even more intent on getting to what may be a deadly truth in ways guaranteed not to please him or his wife.

There's plenty of action, and of course, I love all the descriptions of medical procedures (also plentiful), but of course I can't get into more detail without giving away too much. The only thing confusing me a bit is that the book, which I received pre-release courtesy of the publisher via NetGalley - thanks very much - is why the description shows 432 pages when I downloaded it and only 240 on Amazon, where it's for sale. That's a big chunk to lose - gotta wonder what didn't make the cut! 

Night Shift by Robin Cook (G.P. Putnam's Sons, December 2022); 240 pp.

SUCH A BEAUTIFUL FAMILY

3 stars out of 5

I had high hopes for this story, if for no other reason than I'm a fan of other works I've read by this author. But while I read it eagerly from start to finish, most of my attention centered on the hope that the three main adult characters would stop behaving like children and there would be a bang-up surprise ending. Alas, neither happened. The only character who had both common sense and intelligence, in fact, was a boy who had way too much of both to be believable at his newbie-teen age. And the ending? A ho-hum resolution, leaving me with the feeling that nothing much really changed from the beginning to the end.

Here's the gist: Nora Harmon has a wonderful husband, two growing-up-fast children and a successful career. Out of the blue, she's contacted by Jane Bell, the owner of a whiz-bang software company, who makes Nora an offer of employment she can't refuse (never mind that any sensible person would have done exactly that, at least until the "too good to be true" sound of it was debunked by facts). Very soon, it becomes clear that Jane is at the very least emotionally needy; there's nothing she won't do, it seems, to solidify her relationship with Nora and make Nora's family hers - and that includes lying through her teeth.

It also becomes clear that Nora and her aging parents have been hiding a dark secret - and her attempts to justify never telling her supportive husband David nor their children Hailey and Trevor left me shaking my head. Still another turn-off is that despite some serious misgivings, Nora also manages to justify Jane's attempts to ingratiate herself into the family, even when it's clear they're doing more harm than good.

Of course, it doesn't take readers long to figure out that Jane may have an ulterior motive, and not much longer to figure out what it is. From that point on, it's just a matter of when (or if) Nora - or anyone else in the family besides Trevor, who as I mentioned earlier somehow managed to end up with the brains of the family - figures out what Jane's really up to. The result for me is that while the book is well written and definitely held my attention throughout, overall it was a bit disappointing. Thanks to the publisher, via NetGalley, for the opportunity to read and review a pre-release copy.

Such a Beautiful Family by T.R. Ragan (Thomas & Mercer, November 2022); 266 pp.

NYPD RED 7

5 stars out of 5

This, the seventh book in the series co-written by James Patterson and Marshall Karp, marks Karp's first solo effort. And I must say I enjoyed it thoroughly and hope to read many more. For those not familiar with the series, the books focus on the elite New York group of detectives known as NYPD Red and specifically on detectives Zach Jordan and Kylie MacDonald.

Two in-your-face assassinations happen in fairly rapid succession - one man killed by a long-range sniper and the other done in by a killer obviously well versed on where a knife should slice to do the damage quickly and efficiently. As the investigation picks up steam, Zach and Kylie learn about an old guy who brags about a "sorority" called Kappa Omega Delta (Killers On Demand) that's actually a group of elderly military-trained male assassins who apparently have been plying their trade for years. Finding them, however, doesn't come easy; they may be good at killing, but they're even better at eluding identification and capture.

Tracking them down is only part of the story, though; both Kylie, has a serious boyfriend who develops a serious issue, and Zach has a current main squeeze and at least one in his past who comes back to haunt him - though not necessarily in a bad way. All in all, there's plenty of action that kept me turning pages, and I'm already looking forward to the next installment. Thanks to the publisher, via NetGalley, for allowing me to read and review a pre-release copy of this one.

NYPD Red 7 by Marshall Karp (Blackstone Publishing, November 2022); 350 pp.

PERIL IN PARIS

5 stars out of 5

Golly - another stellar installment of this wonderful "Royal Spyness" series set in 1930s England (more accurately, Paris, where Lady Georgiana Rannoch and her husband, Darcy O'Mara, are visiting - he on spy business, she, at least at the outset, on holiday). Of note in this one is that Georgie, as her friends call her, is pregnant - finally moving past the morning sickness that made her early months miserable.

When they arrive in Paris, Georgie is content to visit friends and see the sights, providing readers with one of the most interesting elements of the series (well, at least to me): descriptions of the period in which the stories are set and her "connections" to the rich and famous (would you believe her cousin is the King of England and she's well acquainted with Wallis Simpson, who has a somewhat prominent role in the plot)? Georgie's friend works for noted designer Coco Chanel, who is preparing for the latest fashion show, and Georgie gets tapped to model a Chanel-created maternity dress (albeit rather outlandish). Georgie also goes to a party in one famous writer of the day's apartment, where another famous writer drops by, and her mother currently lives in Germany and runs in the same social circles as Adolf Hitler.

But of course, best-laid plans aren't meant to go smoothly, and Darcy asks for Georgie's help with his secret mission. Then comes Chanel's fashion show, where an unlucky guest turns up rather dead - and Georgie is a suspect (French policemen, it seems, have very little respect for British aristocracy). Readers, of course, know she's not guilty, but it's great fun to find out the lengths to which she'll go to prove her innocence and, in the process, find the real killer. Overall, it's another truly enjoyable adventure - many thanks to the publisher, via NetGalley, for allowing me to ride along on a pre-release journey. Well done!

Peril in Paris by Rhys Bowen (Berkley, November 2022); 300 pp.