McKenna Jordan used to be an up-and-coming ADA, until she ended up falsely accusing a clean cop of being a dirty one, nearly sparking race riots in the process. Now she works as a journalist, writing mostly fluff pieces with the occasional article that’s more hard-hitting.
One day a teenager tries to steal someone’s phone, and the would-be victim chases him down, and then manages to save his life by lifting him off the train tracks onto which he’s fallen. She then grabs her phone back and escapes. Someone catches it on her cell-phone, and McKenna is sent the video. She is amazed to recognize the woman–a friend of hers named Susan Hauptman, who disappeared 10 years ago. The police at the time were sure she’d chosen to disappear, but McKenna was convinced they didn’t go far enough in their investigations. She begins to dig into the past, and things get hairy pretty fast. Too many coincidences are happening, with her job, her marriage, even her life all suddenly in jeopardy.
If You Were Here
Author Alafair Burke’s own background is evident here; she worked as an Assistant District Attorney herself before moving on to writing novels, and it’s clear she knows the world she’s creating very well. If You Were Here
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is the story of Molly Melching, an American woman who’s had a great impact on the daily lives of many women living in places as diverse as Senegal and Somalia, but it is as much the story of the women themselves and their willingness to make hard choices to change the lives of their daughters and grand-daughters. It’s an inspiring read in many ways, not least as you learn of courageous women–and men too!–who are committed to change in the face of opposition, simply because they’ve become convinced it’s the right thing to do.
is a fascinating book that is a joy to read. A collection of short personal essays followed by recipes, written by a variety of people, the book truly does look at food and the place it plays in our lives–how it goes beyond mere sustenance to offer a glimpse into what we value, how our families are formed, how we show love, how we honour our ancestors, and so much more.
, the latest of the Detective Kubu series, opens with a young girl on her way home from school, her head already full of Christmas even though it’s still months away. A man, known to her, offers her a ride, and she’s never seen again. Her sister is convinced something terrible has happened, but the local police aren’t too concerned about the disappearance of a small girl, an AIDS orphan living with an aunt.
follows the lives of the members of the Sai family, tracing their losses, looking at what has shattered them and what is gathering them together again. It’s a story of familial love, and how divided individuals find their way back to each other. Piercing and poignant, the novel moves in circles, going deeper with each revolution into the hearts of the family members until understanding and grace become possible.
, mother-daughter duo Claire and Mia Fontaine travel the world, first as part of a Global Scavenger hunt, then by spending the summer together in the south of France. Although it describes their travels, the gist of the book is more about Claire and Mia examining themselves, their relationship to each other as adult daughter and mother, and even in part Claire’s relationship with her own mother, a Hungarian Holocaust survivor who is closer to her grand-daughter than her daughter.
