The first book that I completed was a last minute add-on that really paid off, thanks to a prize from the First Look Book Club. Darling Rose Gold by Stephanie Wrobel is an unusual mother-daughter story to say the least.
The title heroine was a victim of her mother's twisted need for attention and control via doses of ipecac syrup for nearly eighteen years. Mother Patty was ultimately found out and sent to prison , leaving Rose Gold on her own for the first time in years.
Five years later, Patty is released from jail and is thrilled to be staying with Rose Gold, who she has reconnected with. While she's not happy that her daughter testified against her in court, Patty is willing to forgive her in order to get back in the emotional driver's seat here. Especially since Rose now has a newborn son named Adam.
That may be harder than she thinks as Rose has sharpened her own claws and is ready to take on her mother in more ways than one. To start, she brought her mother's childhood home for them to live in, a place that holds dark memories for Patty. Also, Rose keeps her bedroom door locked at all times, which drives Patty to distraction.
That mixed reception from her daughter is compounded by the town wide rejection of Patty's return as she also manipulated so many people by using her daughter's "illness" to gain money, sympathy and friendship over the years. This slow yet steady stand-off between the two blood bound women is bound to lead to a most bitter end but will there truly be a winner?
Wrobel is a debut author who writes with a solid surety and the pacing of this book is excitingly electric. You can pitch this as "Sharp Objects teams up with Gone Girl" but that only scratches the surface of this scarily slow burn of a page turner:
All of the stories take place in the North Carolina town of Miracle Springs where a quartet of women gather together in friendship and some mystery solving.
The center of this group is Nora, owner of Miracle Books where she practices some "bibliotherapy" for those who need it. During a terrible weeks long bout of rain, her business is booming, so much so that Nora has no choice but to replace the unique shelf items that she sells along with the books at the local flea market.
A beautifully made bowl catches her eye during that visit, made by Danny, a Cherokee potter who along with his wife Marie, love their handcrafted work as much as each other. While Nora is pleased to meet him and buy that bowl, their second encounter is sadly tragic as she is the one who discovers Danny's body floating in the overflowing river a few days later.
Determined to do right by Danny and his grief stricken wife, Nora decides to look into the matter even though it's being written up as an accidental death. With the help of her friends June, Hester and Estella(along with a new buddy, Sheldon Vega), it turns out that Danny's demise was no accident indeed.
Oddly enough, a new inn in town may hold some of the answers that Nora and company are seeking yet when another person is found dead, can those secrets of the past be revealed in time to protect the ones who are in dire need of it in the present?
The friendship between the four female mainstays is the spine of each story but it's also nice to see personal changes for the ladies such as a growing romance for beauty salon maven Estella, heartfelt baker Hester overcoming some fears to bond better with the man in her life and an unexpected reunion for spa attendant/sock knitter June.
Naturally, Nora is front and center but you just know that she'd gladly share that spotlight with her gal pals(and new employee Sheldon is a marvelous addition here!). Also, the backstory of this mystery brought in a charming romance from long ago, which was anchored by an Elizabeth Barret Browning poem, that would make for a lovely tale on it's own merits. I love how literature always manages to pop up just right in this series:
When Donna lashes out at Alice, the new nanny for her rambunctious teenage daughters, during the event, Lana hopes that will be the worst of things to happen. Unfortunately, that incident is only an awful appetizer as Alice is later found dead in the family pool.
Given her past experience with sleuthing, it's not surprising that Donna wants Lana to look into the case. However, as more and more clues are leading down a path that's deadly than even Lana has walked before, it may be time to let the experts handle things. Yet, can Lana really leave Donna in the lurch, so to speak, without a true ally to step in and help save the day?
I'm happy to report that not only is there another Noodle Shop Mystery due out this year(entitled Killer Kung Pao), Chien has been given a contract for three more books! We already have the titles and there's so pun-tastic: Fatal Fried Rice, Hot and Sour Suspects and possibly my favorite one of all, Misfortune Cookie. With everything so off kilter these days, it's wonderful to see such a good writer get the appreciation she deserves and then some:
Meanwhile, I've started Fiona Barton's The Suspect for my next new Spring Into Horror read and as for my Easter reads, both of the Lyssa Kay Adams Bromance Book Club books were completed(and yes, I look forward to reading book three, Crazy, Stupid Bromance this fall). The Kiss Quotient, I decided to add to my current reading rotation as a necessary break from the tension in my fictional and all too real world that we see daily apart and yet together there.
One thing that I am so glad to have right now is a good book to read and whether or not you're doing a reading challenge or just sick of binge watching stuff(Tiger King was truly engaging and godawful at the same time), grabbing a book is your best option in times like these. Stay safe and keep working through those TBR piles, folks!:
No comments:
Post a Comment