The Death of Bees by Lisa O’Donnell 309 pages

Marnie and her younger sister Nellie live in a housing estate in Glasgow. Their parents have disappeared. Which isn’t really a problem for the girls, they like it like that. Marnie only has to make it through the year without anyone knowing to avoid going into foster care and being separated from her sister. If it were not for Social Services, a long lost relative recently found, a drug dealer who wants his money back and an odd assortment of wacky characters, the girls lives wouldn’t seem nearly so bleak.

But then an elderly neighbor with issues of his own and inexplicably, a Russian mobster on the run, reach out to the girls and once again hope is on the horizon and just maybe everything will work out.

The Death of Bees is a beautifully written, achingly sad, raw at times, hilariously funny and always hopeful, read in one sitting, book. I absolutely loved it!

The Hollow Girl by Reed Farrel Coleman 303 pages

Moe Prager an unlikely hero to say the least. Widower, grandfather, stomach cancer survivor, living in a bottle. Although to be fair, his fiancé was just killed in a tragic accident and he did lose his first wife to murder. Not an easy life for anyone. But then an old could have been girlfriend had other things not intervened resurfaces to ask his help in locating her missing daughter and Moe, ex-policeman and sometimes PI lays the bottle aside—sort of— delves into the case, and finds that nothing is at it appears.

The Hollow Girl is the ninth book in the Moe Prager series and the first one I’ve read. I will read the others because Moe is a very real, humble and likeable character; you can’t help but root for him. He never forgets where he’s been and he doesn’t take crap from anyone. He doesn’t quit—although he does take a few detours—until he gets his man. I was highly entertained.

Good People by Ewart Hutton 326 pages

DS Glyn Capaldi is banished to the backwoods of rural Wales after he messes up a big case and a man dies. Determined to work his way back he decides to investigate what he deems a suspicious occurrence although he seems to be the only one who thinks so. Six men and a female hitchhiker disappear in the woods after a night of gaming and drinking and only five come back. And while everyone else—including the police is satisfied with the ridiculous explanation they give, Capaldi isn’t. As he delves deeper into the mystery he finds he is very much the outsider and neither the townspeople nor the police want anything to do with him.

While this book is well written and Capaldi is an extremely likeable character the story itself leaves a lot to be desired. It’s hard to believe the police would overlook the heinous nature of the crimes that were committed simply because they’ve known the suspects all their lives. Even his superiors forego their support and every battle is an uphill climb for Capaldi. Despite this I was engaged throughout the story until I reached the end and then it just fell off.

Good People is the first in a series starring DS Capaldi. I’m pretty sure I’ll read the second installment but I’m hoping the author will iron out the wrinkles before then.

Watching You by Michael Robotham 421 pages

Marnie Logan’s husband Daniel disappeared without a trace 13 months ago. She cannot access his accounts or life insurance because she cannot produce a death certificate. The police have no leads. She is about to be evicted, her young son needs specialized medical help and Daniel has left thousands in gambling debts that she is required to pay or else. At her wits end, she enlists the help of psychologist Joe O’Loughlin. With the help of his friend retired detective Vincent Ruiz they begin to investigate and find that people (more than they can count) who have hurt or disappointed Marnie over the years have died, been hurt or made to pay a horrible price. 

 

Watching You is the 7^th book in the Joe O’Loughlin series. His desperate need to get back to the family he is separated from, his ongoing battle with Parkinson’s disease, and his relationship with his dearest friend Vincent all serve to make him one of fictions most cherished characters. I have yet to read a Michael Robotham book that I have not finished in one sitting or that I haven’t enjoyed immensely. I would recommend that those new to Michael start with the first book Suspect and I have no doubt you’ll see exactly what I mean.

Stay Close by Harlen Coben 387 pages

I spent the weekend with Harlen and what a wonderful time I had. I started with Stay Close and finished with Six Years.

Stay Close has three main characters. Ray a photographer who drinks too much because he can’t let go of the past, Meagan a stay at home mom with a husband, two kids, picket fence and a secret past and Broome  a detective haunted by his failure to solve a missing person’s case seventeen years ago. When another man goes missing mirroring the same circumstances as the first all three lives intersect. Stay Close has lots of twists and turns, a fast paced plot, coincidences that just keep piling up, and just when you think you have things figured out everything changes again. Where has Harlen been all my life?