December 16, 2006 10:27 pm
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By Susan A. Snider
Globe columnist
Sometimes I expect too much. When my favorite authors can’t keep up with my demand for new material, I often feel at a loss. What now? Should I re-read something? Or should I be adventurous and try a new author?
The decision has been made easier for me by an online book club through the Joplin Public Library called Dear Reader. This free subscription will send short bits of books each weekday right to my very own e-mail inbox. By the end of the week, I will have read two or three chapters — a painless way to sample unfamiliar authors and titles. I found two good mysteries that way, things I might never have tried otherwise.
‘Bitter End’
By Christine Kling
The main character in this mystery is Seychelle Sullivan, a 30-ish salvage tug skipper in Florida who witnesses the murder of a prominent businessman. The dead man happens to be the ex-husband of Seychelle’s estranged best friend, Molly, who is eventually arrested for the crime. Seychelle becomes a surrogate aunt to Molly’s grieving and bewildered 13-year-old son, and, despite her misgivings, sets out to prove that her friend was not the killer. The novel was inspired by a real crime story in Florida.
“Bitter End” is one of those specialty mysteries written according to the writer’s rule “write what you know best.” Kling grew up in Florida on and around the waters near Fort Lauderdale and knows her stuff when it comes to boats and sailing. Although the book is full of nautical terms, Kling does a good job of explaining the meaning without sounding like a sailing primer. The mystery is a good one, as well, with characters as diverse as Russian mobsters, an elderly Native American woman for whom English is a second language, an elderly eco-activist, a Mutt and Jeff team of detectives and the crew of a floating casino adding spice to the mix. Altogether, an entertaining read.
‘Eden Close’
By Anita Shreve
For some reason, I had never read any of Shreve’s best-selling books. Having bits of this novel come to my inbox each day hooked me and I had to finish it, and I’m glad I did.
On a hot August night, the silence is broken by the sound of screams and a gunshot. The house next door is the scene of something dreadful and life-changing, and Andrew remembers it very clearly in his dreams. That was when he was Andy, teetering on the brink of manhood. He hasn’t seen his friend Eden, who lives next door, since they took her away in an ambulance that night nearly 20 years ago.
This book shows Andrew’s quest to piece together that night’s events after he returns to his boyhood home following his mother’s death.
Shreve’s prose is often lyrical, almost sensual. The characters are well drawn, only seeming two dimensional when Andrew realizes that’s how he’s always seen them.
Andrew is a good guy, but not saintly; he struggles to come to terms with the fact that what he has always known is not necessarily the truth. His experiences in life since he left home have afforded him some of the wisdom he needs to put his past in perspective. Eden is a mystery, a complex and troubled girl now living as a recluse next door. Andrew’s quest for answers may destroy her, but it is their destiny to cross paths once again.
“How do I sign up for this great online book club?” you ask. Simple. Just go to the library’s Web site www.joplinpubliclibrary.org and click on “Book News” on the menu. Then click on the “Online Book Clubs” icon and enter your e-mail address to sign up for as many of the clubs as you like. It’s free and you don’t need a library card to sign up.
Each day’s reading comes with a note from Suzanne Beecher, president of Dear Reader.com, along with links to author sites, book discussions, contests, recipes and more. If you like what you read, there’s even a link to the Joplin Public Library catalog so you can place a hold (a JPL card is required to place holds) on a book you particularly like. If you have any questions, you can call the library at 623-7953.
Susan A. Snider is the programming and publicity coordinator at Joplin Public Library.
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