Book of the Month: May

My favorite book for this month is Alan Brennert's Honolulu. While there were 2 other books that I loved I had to pick Honolulu because I am enthralled with Hawaii.  Psychological thrillers The Girl From Silent Lake and The Lantern Boats were close seconds.  Honolulu concerns the lives of seven picture brides who emigrated from Korea to Hawaii around 1913.  A picture bride is a woman chosen by an overseas man for marriage on the basis of the woman's photographs. They don't see who they are marrying until they step off the boat. Most of the women were married on the ship's dock having just set eyes on their men. The lives of these seven ladies are detailed through 1957.

The Banks

Roxane Gay's The Banks is a heist thriller in comic book form. The Banks are a family of thieves from the South Side of Chicago and include married couple Melvin and Clara, their daughter Cora and their granddaughter Celia, an investment banker.  Their philosophy is to get in, get out, get paid and don't get greedy.  They are the most successful thieves in the city.  When Celia, who has long turned her back on her family, comes across a great idea for the heist of all heists it brings together three generations to determine whether it is feasible.

The Banks is a fun read. I especially loved the illustrations and coloring. The story begins in 1972 and I remember the fashions and hair styles well. It's what made me read the comic twice before writing a review. Ming Doyle drew the illustrations and Jordie Bellaire did the coloring. The colors that Bellaire used are all cool jewel tones which I found attractive. 

The Banks family accurately reflects the the time and place of the story. All three of the Banks women are products of the era in which they were born. Clara and Celia have a particularly rough relationship as Celia wants to be an honest worker in a high paying career while Clara didn't feel she had many options for a career. Celia is an investment banker and her grandmother tells her that being a thief is not as bad as being an investment banker.  Cora tells Celia that Celia steals from more people than Clara and steals much more money. Thus, Clara is more honest than her granddaughter. While the heist itself is prominent, these three characters are a major part of the story. 

Highly recommended!  5 out of 5 stars.

Redfork

The advertisement that I read for Redfork went as follows:  "Ex-con Noah McGlade returns to find his coal mining hometown of Redfork to be blighted by opioid use and economic decline. But there is something even darker draining the life from this town. As Noah digs deeper he unearths a dormant horror that threatens to consume what little he has left to live for." I was not expecting to read a dark supernatural horror comic but that's what I got. Obviously I missed the clues in the description.

Tragedy follows Noah upon his return to his hometown. His younger brother gets trapped in a mine and his daughter, who suffers from asthma, cannot get medical attention becauseshe is not insured. When a scab miner, Gallowglass, rescues Noah's brother during a strike, he sets up the townspeople against Amcore. Amcore is an energy giant in the country and owns the mine. 

This comic has alot of foul language, even too much for me. The artwork  reflects the horror story that is Redfork. The pages are colored in dark blues, greens and purple and supernatural creatures abound. This type of comic is not my cup of tea but other readers may enjoy it. It had a detailed plot and character development so I hate to give the book a poor rating just because Redfork is not the type of book I enjoy.  I will leave that up to other reviewers.

Persian Perpetrator

When I purchased this cozy mystery for my Kindle, I thought it was a full length  novel. However, it is only 113 pages long. The story began well with the introduction of the characters, including a Persian cat named Monkey Business.  The coronavirus shutdown has just begun in Christchurch, New Zealand where the story takes place. The author's dialogue between the characters was the apparatus used to advance the plot. In a modern twist, all of the dialogue was via Zoom community meetings. I knew that one day we would be reading stories that take place during Covidtide but I didn't expect it to happen so quickly.  

Because of the shortness of the script there was no sleuthing here.  Gossip among the city residents tells the reader who killed Lilith, an elderly woman. No investigation of Lilith's murder is mentioned either. In this respect the book was a let down. I was impressed, though, at the naturalness of the conversations between neighbors as well as showing how they had a hard time adjusting to lockdown. I also expected that the series would prominently feature a feline. Monkey Business did not have a role in the plot so I am unclear what the title refers to.

There are 4 more books in this series. I can only assume that they are short like Persian Perpetrator. I think I will skip them. 1 out of 5 stars.

Reckless

Reckless is part one of a new comic book series by Ed Brubaker. Part 2, Friend of the Devil, was published last month and the third and final part will be published later this year.  Reckless follows a man named Ethan Reckless.  He has a home business where he fixes your problems, for a price.  If someone owes you money, he will get you the money.  If someone stole your artwork, he will get it back.  It is something that he fell in to after helping out a few friends.  His jobs increased due to  the spread of word of mouth and after 2 years Ethan decided that it would be his career.  The setting is 1980s Los Angeles where sex and drugs were rampant. However, Ethan's past as a radical in the 1960s comes back to haunt him when a former girlfriend, Rainy, asks for his help. She has been running from the law ever since she took part in a bombing for the Weathermen group.  It's funny that Ethan Reckless is considered the good guy in this comic.  When compared to some of the people he does business with Ethan seems likable but he is clearly breaking the law just as his clients are.  

The artwork was drawn by Sean Phillips and colored by Jacob Phillips.  The dark color palettes used are monotone.  For me, it was a little depressing. There are a few pages colored in oranges which I liked better.  I prefer that the artwork be lighter but I must admit that the Phillips duo matched the feel of the story.  

Having come of age in the 1960s, Reckless was a trip down memory lane.  I enjoyed reading about the chaos of the times and even was proud of the "work" the Weatherman group was doing.  Today, I view their activities as domestic terrorism but back in the day, they were cool. Also, I hate to admit that I used to dress the way Rainy dressed.  

All comic fans are going to love this graphic novel.  I highly recommend it.  5 out of 5 stars.

The Henna Artist

The Henna Artist is a captivating story about a businesswoman in 1950s India. Our heroine, Lakshmi Shastra, is a thirty-year-old henna artist who lives in the pink city of Jaipur. She has left her husband because he frequently beat her and she has since built up a nice business drawing her original henna designs on the wealthy women of Jaipur. She has become the confidante of many of the ladies and must tread carefully in order to hide her own secret that she left her husband. One day her husband Hari shows up with a dirty young girl wearing rags. Hari wants money from Lakshmi for bringing her younger sister to her. Lakshmi did not know that her mother had another child after Lakshmi married and left her parent's home. However, she gives Hari some money and takes the girl in. 

I read several reviews of the book before writing mine and was surprised that many focused on abortion. Some of them gave a poor review because abortion was part of the story. I didn't even remember this part of the book as I began to compose my summary of the book. It was not central to the plot. Lakshmi uses herbs to heal people from whatever ails them. It is a skill she learned from her mother. Part of her herbal remedies includes a herbal drink that will cause a spontaneous abortion.  She also had a concoction that aided conception but other reviewers focused on abortion. In 1955 India when the story takes place it would not have been unusual for a pregnant woman to seek out someone with these skills. I think it is realistic to have a character perform this service for her community. It does not offend me that it happened. It is history.

That said, the novel has plenty of historical detail. The author lavishly describes the clothing, food, and atmosphere of India.  The reader learns what it feels like to ride in a rickshaw, visit the noisy street markets, have an arranged marriage, as well as seeing how the division of the upper castes and lower castes affects the daily lives of the characters. I particularly loved reading about the bright colors of the saris that the women wore. The artistry of Lakshmi's henna designs was vividly illustrated, another aspect of the novel I relished.

I loved this novel. I can highly recommend it but if you do not want to read about an abortion provider, you will want to skip this one. 5 out of 5 stars.

The Moonlight Child

The Moonlight Child is a riveting suspense novel. It is intense and will keep you up all night reading. The story begins with Sharon Lemke heading outside her home to see a lunar eclipse on a cold January night. While outside, she notices something odd at the house behind her backyard. Through her neighbor's window, she sees a little girl washing dishes late at night. However, the Fleming family does not have a child that age, and even if they did, why would she be doing dishes at such a late hour? Sharon could not let go of her concerns over the child. When eighteen-year-old Niki, a former foster child, comes to live with Sharon, she too notices suspicious activity at the Fleming house.  When they call child protective services, a short interview is conducted at the Fleming home.  Because nothing more was going to be done with the Flemings, Sharon and Niki decide to investigate on their own.

This book takes spying on the neighbors to the ultimate degree. The back and forth nastiness between neighbors Sharon Lemke and Suzette Fleming provides much of the suspense in the novel.  Every bad deed deserves another.  Right?  The book begins with Sharon googling her neighbors after she took that photo of the child washing dishes at 11 pm.  She finds out their names, the name of their son, what they paid for their home, what the husband does for a living and their prior addresses.  All of the characters have dramatic life stories and secrets that enhance the suspense and I would have to say that this book has one of the best suspense plots that I have ever read. 

The characters reside in a small town. Usually everyone in a small town knows everyone else's business.  When you grow up in a small town you know that someone is always watching you and talking about you.  While you may have only a nodding acquaintance with someone, if you have a car accident everyone will know in a matter of hours.  As a contrast, when the Flemings moved in six months ago, they were secretive and did not associate with their neighbors.  Suzette only became friends with those who could help her maintain a philanthropic reputation. She is a great villain!

The Moonlight Child is one of my favorite books of the year. I highly recommend it. 5 out of 5 stars.

The Cartiers

The Cartiers is scheduled for publication in June 2021. However, I was able to buy a Kindle copy last month.  The author, Francesca Cartier Brickell, is a Cartier descendant.  When her grandfather, Jean-Jaques Cartier, was still alive she found a box full of old letters and documents in his home.  They reviewed them together and this knowledge became the basis for the book.

The book covers the beginning of the Cartier jewelry dynasty from its beginning in 1819 with Louis-Francois Cartier.  Louis-Francois started out in the jewelry business as an apprentice to Bernard Picard who owned  a well established workshop.  Workshop managers were known to use a whip when apprentices made mistakes. Many apprentices did not fulfill their apprenticeships but Louis-Francois was very determined because he had watched his father build a life from nothing.  His son Alfred learned the business from him and was able to pass it on to his three sons, Louis, Pierre and Jaques. The next generation sold their jewels to the Romanov dynasty as well as other royal families throughout the world.  Today, Cartier is a prominent international jeweler known for their creativity and excellence in workmanship.  

This book is an inspiring read for entrepreneurs.  Entrepreneurs will learn how to run a business so that it grows and maintains relevance through good economic years and bad.  The Cartiers figured out how to survive during the French Revolution, the rise of Napoleon, the fall of the Romanovs and both world wars.  It was interesting to read about the thoughts of the family on how to accomplish this. The book is also a behind the scenes look at how the Cartiers sold to the rich, royal and famous and offers tidbits on some of their best clients.

The Cartiers is a wonderful history book on the world of high jewelry.  5 out of 5 stars.

The Murder of Emma Brown

This short murder mystery is packed full with interesting twists and turns. Emma Brown's best friend is Charlotte Martin.  Charlotte drinks excessively, takes plenty of drugs and is a bad influence on Emma.  Emma has future plans of owning a business and refrains from pharmaceuticals as best as she can.  However, one night the two women go out partying in their hometown on Saskatoon in Saskatchewan, Canada. Only one of them returns home. Major Crimes Division inspectors William Gagnon and Scarlett Gauthier have to find a killer.  Someone severely beat and strangled a woman to death with bare hands and a leather belt. At first they think that only a man could have committed the crime.  It would have taken someone strong to strangle Emma as hard as her wounds showed.  Scarlett believes that it could have been a woman though. They wonder whether a gang war had broken out as two young people were killed in a single night in town.  Friends and relatives turn on each other, battling it out on Facebook and blaming each other for Emma's death.

While it was obvious who killed Emma, it was interesting to read how the killer's memories of the day of the crime were revealed. The killer had blacked out and could not remember what happened that night.  Through reading social media posts about the party, the killer was able to recover some memories but not all of them.  The police felt that they knew who the guilty party was but were unable to obtain a confession. There was no character development here.  If there had been I am sure that this 205 page book would have been longer and with more mystery. It is strictly a whodunnit. 

3 out of 5 stars.

Murder in Venice

Murder in Venice is a historical mystery that takes place in Venice in 1752.  High magistrate Marco Pisani is tasked with investigating the grisly murder of a man found strangled in a dark alley. When two more bodies are discovered, it is clear there is a serial killer on the loose.  Helped in his investigation by lawyer Zen, daring gondolier Nani and the cunning Chiara Renier, Pisani is determined to uncover the truth before the murderer strikes again.  In order to find answers, he must move among the city's criminal underworld of spies, shady taverns and gambling halls.  When the innocence of the victims is called into question, the case is turned on its head.  For the first time in his career, the principled Pisani has to ask himself what is more important: following the letter of the law or pursuing justice?

I am so glad that this story is going to be a series. The Pisani, Nani and Chiara characters work well together and I would hate not to read about them in the future.  They are a marvelous team of investigators. The secondary characters were interesting as well.  The first person to be arrested for the murder is Tommaso Grassino, a/k/a Maso, and he is Chiara's apprentice.  He is quickly let go after the other murders occur. The first person to be killed, Marino Barbaro, is an impoverished noble who cannot stop gambling his money away.  His business dealings are suspicious and are subject to Pisani's investigation as well. Several other noble families were prominent in the story and it was interesting to read about their power, businesses and foibles.  The lives of their servants were also chronicled and the lack of influence of these characters revealed even more about the Venetian power structure.

The Venetian setting is charming.  If you have ever been to Venice you will recognize the street and place names.  You will also know how far it is for the characters to go from point A to point B.  The descriptions of the markets and foods served at parties always captivates me and I cannot get enough of novels set in Venice.  The grand palaces that the nobles lived in contrasted with the tenements that their servants resided in.  I was surprised to read that there were slum areas of this great city. It as always seemed golden to me.

Marco Pisani was methodical in his solving of the murders.  As an avogadro (magistrate) he was in charge of the investigation.  His gondolier Nani was meticulous in garnering information for Pisani.  Since he was not a noble, people felt more free to talk with him concerning what they knew about the suspects and their businesses.  Chiara did not become a part of this team until the latter third of the novel.  What she was able to reveal about the murders through clairvoyance was confirmed by Pisani as he carried on with his investigation. 

I loved this novel and cannot wait for installment #2 to be published.  Since the author is Italian, her books need to be translated into English and that takes time.  5 out of 5 stars.

Honolulu

I cannot wait to retire to Hawaii. It has been my dream for over thirty years and since I can't be there for another year, reading about my favorite state is the next best thing. This book  follows an earlier book published by the author called Moloka'i. I don't know why I decided to read Honolulu first. It just happened. Honolulu is about a young bride who emigrates from Korea to Honolulu in 1914 and lives through the city's rise from a ramshackle town to a great modern city.

The publisher's summary:

"In Korea in those days, newborn girls were not deemed important enough to be graced with formal names, but were instead given nicknames, which often reflected the parents' feelings on the birth of a daughter. 'I knew a girl names Anger, and another called Pity. As for me, my parents named me Regret.'  Instead of the affluent young husband and chance at an education that she has been promised, she is quickly married off to a poor, embittered laborer who takes his frustrations out on his new wife.  Renaming herself Jin, she makes her own way in this strange land, finding both opportunity and prejudice.  With the help of three of her fellow picture brides Jin prospers along with her adopted city, now growing from a small territorial capital into the great multicultural city it is today.  But paradise has its dark side, whether it's the daily struggle for survival in Honolulu's tenements, or a crime that will become the most infamous in the islands' history.  With it's passionate knowledge of people and places in Hawaii far off the tourist track, Honolulu is most of all the spellbinding tale of four women in a new world, united by dreams, disappointment, sacrifices, and friendship."

Honolulu is more than a history of a city. It is the story of picture brides who emigrated from Korea to Hawaii. The husbands who bought them selected them from photographs and sent money for their transportation and other expenses. The brides did not meet their husbands until they disembarked the ship and saw them standing on the shore.  Some were married right there on the beach after disembarkation as was our heroine Jin.  The book is also the story of five other picture brides that Jin met on the ship.  The lives of Jade Moon, Wise Pearl, Sunny, Beauty and Tamiko and two other women central to Jin's life, Evening Rose and Blossom are prominently featured. Sunny took one look at her soon-to-be husband and went back to board the ship to sail home.  Blossom was engaged to marry Jin's youngest brother at the age of 5 and was left by her parents in Jin's family home until she was old enough to marry.  Evening Rose was a prostitute who befriended Jin during a dark period in her marriage to Mr. Noh.  There were other picture brides who came from China and Japan.

The history of the city of Honolulu is covered from the 1914 to 1957.  This time period began with the abdication of Queen Liliuokalani to the post-WWII boom in population from the U. S. Mainland. When Jin arrived in the city, she did not recognize it as a city.  The Korean city of Taegon, near Jin's ancestral home, was bigger and had more infrastructure.  The beautiful Waikiki Beach wasn't created until the Ala Wei Canal was built, revealing the sandy shoreline.  The homes of the immigrants and natives were nothing more than poorly built wooden structures. Only the wealthy white residents had opulent houses.  Jin remarked upon her arrival that the home she grew up in was sturdier with lovely decor inside.  Her Hawaiian homes were unstable and bare of decoration. 

The lives of workers on the pineapple and sugar plantations are covered in great detail.  The author did not sugarcoat his story to match today's idealism of the Islands.  The work was backbreaking and everyone worked 12 hours per day in the fields under the hot sun.  Not everyone could handle it and some people decided to leave even though they had no means of getting food once they left.  The quality of the food that the workers received from their bosses was poor.  Jin ate better food at home in Korea.  

Prejudice among the white elites is also shown.  A famous murder committed by the white family members of a rape victim against a native, Joseph Kahahawai, has a central place in the story.  The white family, U. S. Navy officers and their mother, kidnapped and beat Joseph to death.  The jury convicted them but the judge sentenced them to one hour in jail.  It caused a huge uproar in the community and became the basis for the emergence of local culture in Hawaiian society.  It stirred pent up anger over the local's oppression from wealthy whites.  History books have been written about this case, known as the Massie case.  The natives referred to the whites as haoles, (pronounces howlies) which they still do today.  Given that Hawaiian Natives cannot afford housing in today's climate and have to leave their home state, not much has changed in their feelings toward haoles.  

I thought it was interesting that Jin had better food and housing at home in her poor Korean village than in Honolulu.  She expected something better which is why she agreed to become a picture bride.  What she did gain from emigration, were legal rights concerning education and divorce.  Freedom.

5 out of 5 stars.

The Hawaiian Discovery

This is the second book in a three part series. I have already read books 1 and 3. I was not aware that these 3 novels were connected and read them out of order. It was easy to follow the story though.

On this installment of the series Ellen Lambright, an Amish girl living in Middlebury, IN, receives permission from her church to fly to Kaui in order to help a friend deal with her husband's accident. Ken Williams was attacked by a shark while surfing and might not survive. His wife Mandy, also from Middlebury, is Ellen's best friend so after the accident happened Ellen knew Mandy would need support.  When she arrives Ellen meets Rob Smith, a farm hand working on the organic farm owned by the Williams family. Sparks fly between them and both try to ignore their mutual attraction. With Ellen having joined the Amish Church she cannot marry an Englisher and it is best not to become involved with one. Both of them know this and try to resist the temptation.

I love Amish fiction and I also love Hawaii. Put the two together and you have a winning novel. I love reading about these characters and hope Brunstetter continues their story in another book. However, it is the setting that grabs my attention most. With every description of the scenery I feel as though I have been transported there.  Yes, I feel that warm sun even though I am living in a cold climate. While these characters are hard workers, I have some problems relating to their fatigue after a day's work. They have the sunshine when the day is over which gives me a disconnect. I cannot imagine feeling tired in such a glorious setting. My personal issues do not affect my enjoyment of the story. It was well written and I read it this morning before I went to work.

5 our of 5 stars.

The Night Away

The Night Away is an unputdownable book. The story opens with Amber struggling to care for her newborn daughter Mabel. Her husband George thinks that they need a short vacation with just themselves in order to rekindle their relationship. Amber finally agrees to one night away in a resort hotel and her sister Ruby will be babysitting Mabel. Just as she is about to leave, Amber worries about Ruby being alone with her daughter. Ruby is known to be a little scatterbrained and forgetful. Still, Amber leaves with her husband. What she doesn't know is that someone has been following her and noting her habits. Someone who desperately wants a baby of their own and who believes that Mabel is supposed to be their's. 

When Amber's sister Ruby reports that Mabel's cot is empty, Amber's world implodes. She knows that if her baby is not found, she will never forgive her sister. However, Amber also has a secret.  She wonders whether the person who knows the truth will try and make her pay for her actions. Amber will do anything to get Mabel back but in the back of her mind she wonders if her lies have put Mabel at risk.  

I think that the point of view that the story was written from provided much of the suspense. The reader does not know who the person is until the end. What is known from the beginning is that this person does not like Amber.  Amber isn't a likable character. Before she gave birth to Mabel, she took advantage of her co-workers and ignored any one who could not help her advance in her career. She stopped being lovey-dovey with her husband George as soon as the baby was born, causing a rift in her marriage. Amber was always berating him while George was excessively "understanding." This made me suspicious of George but there will be no spoilers here.  

Lilac Park is the setting of the story. It's name evokes wealth and beauty. George and Amber are well off and seeing well dressed neighbors in the park where mothers stroll with their babies contributes to this feeling.  Everyone knows everyone else here. In the park there are tennis courts, kid's play area,  rose garden, ornamental pond, and a cafe. Mothers gather there, clustering around large tables discussing baby issues on weekday mornings. Amber was there every day too but she did not always meet the other ladies,preferring to be alone.  

The solving of the crime, namely the kidnapping of Mabel, begins with the week before Mabel is taken. The reader gets information here that will give clues to whodunit. Then it is told 7 days before the kidnapping, the day of the kidnapping and then one, two, three, etc. . . days after it occurs. I think this was written well. I could not put the book down and read into the early hours of the morning to finish reading it. I highly recommend it to fans of psychological thrillers.

5 out of 5 stars.