REVIEW: Ironwood by Michael Connolly (Book 2 of the Catalina books)

 

I have enjoyed Michael Connelly - I need to catch up on the Bosch books, but I'm up to date on Sergeant Stillwell and the Catalina books! From the first page, Sergeant Stillwell is in it.  He's at an airstrip scene where two of his deputies are jeopardized and it goes full throttle from there. 

As background or explanation, an Ironwood tree has a single root that spawns often multiple, beautiful trees. And somehow, it manages to encapsulate Stillwell, who is exiling in Catalina. He still loves the island, its people and the people that he works with - he would never have thought that he was going to be into community policing but here he is. So when the particular tragedy at the center of this book happens it's as close to devastating for him as anything he has experienced to date. As a result of that tragedy, Stil is relegated to the substation but really? Do you think he's actually going to listen? HECK NO. When he starts cleaning out the lost and found, he locates a backpack that belonged to a girl that went missing while hiking on the island many years prior.  Once he reports that to the mainland, the Cold Case unit becomes involved including fan favorite Renee Ballard (who is a badass in her own right). He gets invovled in that investigation AND manages to deal with run of the mill stuff on the island as well as get to the bottom of the tragic events that landed him, supposedly, on the bench to begin. 

I LOVED  this book. I brought it to the beach with me when I went on vacation and finished it the same day that I started it. It is VERY fast paced  and readable - it kept me hanging on wanting to know more and of course, the characters are AMAZING and memorable. Stil is one of my favorites because he wants to do the right thing and nothing is going to stop him.  Be prepared, there is a lot going on with three major cases (an story lines) going on at the same time. I had a chart to help me keep track so it didn't bother me, but if you get easily thrown by that then it might not be the book for you. 

I am certainly looking forward to the next installment. Keep it coming!

REVIEW A Summer Affair by Elin Hilderbrand

 

This book checks off two challenges that I'm doing this summer! Look at me go!

In this book, the first of the Nantucket series (also, who knew Elin Hilderbrand was so prolific), Claire is the protagonist.  She seems to be a happy, married, mother of four who lives full time on the island of Nantucket with her family. Claire is widely known to have been in a relationship with Max Dust, a famous rock star, when they were both teenagers. Claire is asked to co chair the biggest fundraiser of the year as a result, she believes, of that relationship and what the other members of the board of the organization benefits perceive as her ability to get him to perform for free at the fundraiser. Claire is a pretty atypical co chair - she's not very wealthy and she's a professional glassblower by trade. So when Claire is asked to chair the fundraiser by a man named Lock, who is the director of that organization and whose wife Claire believes she single handedly didn't convince to not drink and drive (the wife got into a devastating car accident), Claire agrees. During the course of the gala planning, many things continue to happen, including addiction, affairs, fights, extortion and a number of other things.

I am consistently surprised about how drawn in I get to Hilderbrand's novels.  I didn't expect this of myself given my book snobbery - these books are marketed as easy beach reads for crying out loud!  That's pretty deceptive because this book, told in the various points of view of the main characters, actually reveals the surprising complexity that resides within and between people.  And those complexities are very realistic and not beyond the pale. They are complexities that we, as readers, could have ourselves or see in other people. The novel also struck a chord for me insofar as Claire's need to go back to work and regain some degree of self-expression and creativity. After experiencing an accident during her most recent pregnancy that led to preterm labor, Claire stopped working as a successful glass blower but she goes back to work when she is also tapped to create the main auction item.  That really resounded with me. What she felt and her motivations could have been my motivations and my feelings.

I have The Perfect Couple (which is also a Netflix series) on my list and I'm looking forward to reading it.  This one is a great summer read. 

REVIEW The Castaways by Elin Hilderbrand

 

This book checks off two challenges and two of the spots on my summer reading challenge scorecard:  there is a beach on the cover and it takes place on Nantucket, a summer destination! Look at me!

In this novel (which is Number 2 in the Nantucket series), Hilderbrand sets her exploration of friendship, love and loyalty on the island of Nantucket. The novel opens with the death of married couple Tess and Greg Macavoy, leaving behind their two children and their closest friends, all of whom are trying to figure out how the couple died. As the novel moves forward, it reveals drug addiction, mental health issues, secrets, indiscretions and infidelity amongst the friends and also how they deal with it.

This was a compulsively readable book and kept me hooked from the beginning. Hilderbrand deftly and expertly developed her characters using mainly flashback while her characters are experiencing tragic loss in the present. I couldn't help but be drawn into the lives and emotions of the characters. It did, sometimes, feel like one character was getting way too much attention, but all in all, loved this novel.  It's compulsive and easy pacing makes it a good, interesting beach read. 

20 books of summer reading challenge

 

This also looks like a great challenge to read! Head over to Annabookbel for the rules!  I'm going to do this one too. :) 

There's even a helpful Bingo card for you!