The Facts of Midlife
Robyn Peterman
Fiction, audiobook
“I’d only been forty for three hours and it was already seriously bad. The solitary hand was the rancid icing on top of a really crappy birthday cake.”
Daisy knew that turning 40 would mean some changes — gluing body parts back onto ghosts wasn’t on her bingo card. She’s got great friends, plenty of chocolate syrup, and a smokin’ hot new co-worker…who turns out to be even more devilish than he seems. Midlife is about to get weird.
The Facts of Midlife is #7 in the Good To The Last Death series. I sped through the first six last year when they were free on Audible, and may have clapped a little when I saw this one go by. The plot isn’t groundbreaking, the cast of characters is becoming unmanageable, and the stakes are escalating impossibly high, but it’s just been a fun hang!
Start with It’s a Wonderful Midlife Crisis if you like paranormal situations with a side of bad language and aren’t too picky about accurate theology.
The Enigma of Room 622
Joël Dicker
Fiction, paperback, book club
“The magic of the novel is that even a simple fact, any fact, when presented as a series of questions, opens the door to a story.”
When novelist Joël arrives at the luxurious Hôtel de Verbier, it’s with the intention of getting some rest and nursing a bruised heart. That plan starts to unravel with a single discovery: there is no room 622. A chance encounter with a fellow curious guest sets the duo on a mission to unravel a mystery. What really happened in room 622, and who has been trying to cover up the truth?
I stumbled across this while visiting Nowhere Bookshop last year, and was so excited when my book club made it our March selection. At nearly 600 pages we all felt it was too long and slow to get moving. The jumps back and forth were challenging, and one person had to switch from the audiobook to a physical copy to start making progress. That said, I enjoyed the mystery — the book kept me guessing and gasping right until the (arguably less-than-believable) end.
Read if you like a slow burn with some twists and turns along the way.
Thunderstruck
Erik Larson
Non-fiction, paperback
“He had stepped into the intersection of two wildly disparate stories, whose collision on his ship in this time, the end of the Edwardian era, would exert influence on the world for the century to come.”
The true tale of a brutal murderer, an amateur scientist, and the seemingly impossible technology that made them both famous.
I love a good character study, especially when it involves true crime. Thunderstruck dives headfirst into the minds of two men who owe their places in history to each other: Hawley Harvey Crippen for committing a crime that got the world talking, and Guglielmo Marconi for inventing the wireless telegraphy that made that talking nearly instantaneous. What drove each man to take the path he took? What did he gain — or lose — on the way toward his fate?
This is the third book by Larson I’ve read, and unfortunately it’s my least favorite because I felt like I had to wade through too much uninteresting science detail in order to get to the murder and how Crippin and Marconi’s lives intersected. It finally kicked into high gear in the second half, and I don’t regret the time spent. However, I enjoyed The Devil in the White City and The Splendid and the Vile from beginning to end, and I think Larson is a wonderful, detailed storyteller.
Pick up Thunderstruck if you like nerdy shit about radio waves mixed in with your (warning: pretty gross) murder.
My Roommate is a Vampire
Jenna Levine
Fiction, paperback
“…all I really cared about was that the apartment was in decent shape and that he wasn’t an axe murderer.”
When being an artist/librarian/barista fails to pay the bills yet again, Cassie Greenberg is in a bind. She’s about to be evicted, and just about any option will do — even the too-good-to-be-true Lincoln Park address that comes with a gorgeous but grade-A weirdo for a roommate. Little does Cassie know how weird things are about to get…
Books like this are what happen when I’m left unsupervised on Amazon and just need one more purchase to get that sweet free shipping. The plot was wobbly and Cassie felt like the only fully-developed character, but the heart wants what the heart wants. My expectations weren’t sky-high and not every book can win a Pulitzer, so I just enjoyed the romp.
Give this a read if you like vampire-themed, lighthearted, open-door romances.
Murder Your Employer: The McMasters Guide to Homicide
Rupert Holmes
Fiction, hardback
“It is simplicity itself to fire one’s employer. All it takes is some kindling and a match.”
Many people have at some point felt the sudden urge to take a swing at their annoying boss; for Cliff, Gemma, and Dulcie, that desire has become all-consuming. It’s time for each of their odious employers to shuffle off the payroll…and this mortal coil. Fortunately there exists an elite school that will teach them everything they need to complete their chosen “deletion” — all they have to do is make it to graduation.
Why, I wondered recently, would 77% of reviewers categorize a book about murder as “Funny”? As it turns out, because it is. Holmes’ novel is a lovely balance of wordplay, one of those sidewalk shell games, and straight-up getting rid of terrible people in clever ways. I loved the use of mixed media (diary entries and staff notes wrapped within a “textbook” for potential McMasters students), rooted for the characters, and enjoyed the whole thing from beginning to marvelous end.
Try this one if you’re looking for mixed media, smart wordplay, and crafty/non-gory murder.
Photo by Carmen Meurer on Unsplash