What we're reading in September 2009
Ever wonder what the folks who work at a mystery bookstore like to read? Well, here's your answer. Each month we ask everyone here to pick a book, current or older, that they truly enjoyed and are enthusiastic about. Of course, if you visited the store, we'd tell you directly what we like but for those of you who can't come see us, this is the next best thing. Our special thanks to Judi for pulling this feature together and to all the staff who contributed their picks.
Presented here are the picks for this month, an archive of earlier months is available from the menu at the left.
What Mary Alice is reading
This month I want to celebrate Sara Paretsky and the award winning V I Warshawski series. I say start with Indemnity Only and read the dozen fine mystery books that leads to the superb s pick Hardball, on-sale Sept. 22.
 Indemnity Only
So much mystery history cites the significant contribution Sara Paretsky made to the world of mystery fiction with V.I. Warshawski, the tough, tenacious and non-traditional PI on the case. Reading the now thirteen book series is a study in the development of one of today’s best writers of fiction and the seismic shifts in the professional and private lives of women in the US. As Lottie opines from her grandmotherly perch: “Men can put community first and come home to domestic life, but women, we’re still like nuns in a way: if we have a strong vocation it’s hard to meet our private needs.” No serious writer or reader of this genre can have examined the best until reading all thirteen in the Chicago bestselling series. For just less than $200, this is an advanced field of study. As the recent books have done, VI is tracking a misdeed from the simmering summer days of 60’s civil rights in Chicago woven through the fabric of today’s political landscape. A missing man, a vivacious visiting cousin and nuns continuing to champion the cause of justice for all—these are the living in the powerful Hardball, an elegant mystery with historical gravitas!
Hardball
What Margo is reading
Peter Brown (of Chowder fame) wrote and illustrated this delightful and thought provoking children’s book about a city boy named Liam and his quest to make the world a greener place. Brown’s magical illustrations trace Liam’s efforts at gardening as the city slowly takes on a greener “face”, one garden at a time. This book carries a powerful message to all of us.
What Judi is reading
Meet Bess Crawford, Charles Todd’s newest historical character, in A Duty to the Dead. This time the setting for the award-winning writing team of mother and son is war-torn England in 1916. After surviving the bombing of the hospital ship Brittanic, injured nurse Bess returns home with a mission. While nursing wounded soldier, Arthur Graham, she promises to deliver a message to his family for him. What develops from this promise is both riveting and suspense filled. Great historical read!
What Richard is reading
Sweetheart is, if anything, more intense than the earlier Heartsick. Serial killer Gretchen Lowell is still at the center of the story along with Archie Sheridan, the Portland homicide detective who is obsessed with her. A scandal involving a Senator, fresh bodies in the park and Gretchen's escape from prison are the events that spark this utterly absorbing novel full of unexpected twists.
What Lynne is reading
Brooklyn-born author Jason Starr, author of The Follower and Lights Out, presents his ninth novel, Panic Attack and it is a fine addition to his already accomplished oeuvre. Starr explores what might happen when normal, satisfactory life is forever disrupted. Here Dr. Adam Bloom is enjoying life as usual, when an intruder enters their lives: Xan, his daughter’s new boyfriend. At this point, all hell breaks loose as Xan proves to be more than just an unwelcome intruder. This one is a true nail-biter, so be sure not to open it when you’re home alone.
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