Would someone harm: A Stolen Child by Sarah Stewart Taylor

I love this new series by Sarah Taylor Stewart that features Maggie D’Arcy and those around her. In this book, Maggie is now living in Dublin with her boyfriend, his son and her daughter. She is currently a Garda, not a detective, as she had to begin again in the Irish system. For those who don’t know, Maggie previously lived in New York.

Maggie and her work partner Jason like one another and do a good job on their beat. In the novel, some of those that they have met will figure in a murder case. Happily for Maggie she is seconded and gets to be a detective again, at least some of the time looking into the complex situation.

Who murdered beautiful Jade? And what happened to her daughter, the stolen child of the title? Ms. Taylor makes a suspenseful story with a fully created world to answer those questions.

In addition to the relationship with Jason, of course, there is Maggie’s relationship with boyfriend, Conor. They are having a few growing pains. Will their relationship be strong enough to hold? That is another question to be answered.

Publishers Weekly stars this one. I could not agree more. Highly recommended for those who enjoy mysteries, police procedurals, novels set in Ireland and just good stories. I am already eager for the next title in this series.

This novel can be read as a standalone but why would one? Each of the previous three stories were excellent and provided hours of reading pleasure. So, readers who start with this may then want to look for the earlier books.

Many thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for this title. All opinions are my own.

The Phone Booth at the Edge of the World is an ebook bargain today!

Favorite books of mine include The Book of Dreams and The Little Paris Bookshop by Nina George, Becoming Mrs Lewis by Patti Callahan, and Everything Love Is by Claire King. One quality that these novels have in common is a deeper emotional resonance than is found in much fiction. To this list of my own treasured favorites, I am adding The Phone Booth at the End of the World. It is a unique and uniquely moving read.

The tsunami that swept Japan over a decade ago left much destruction in its wake. There was loss of property, community and the lives of those that many loved. Yui, the protagonist of this novel, lost her mother and daughter. She continues her work at a radio station but is broken inside.

Yui hears of a phone booth at a remote location in Japan. It is not connected but has become a kind of shrine. People go there to speak into the phone with the loved ones that they have lost. On her first trip to this pilgrimage site, Yui meets Takeshi. His wife died in the tsunami, leaving him with a beloved daughter who has been mute ever since. Yui and Takeshi become companions who visit the phone booth each month. They come to know each other well and to share in life, loss and healing. There are other characters who also have faced this incomprehensible loss, as for example, a high school student. They also take their places in the book.

This novel has a gorgeous design. Each chapter has a line drawing at its start. The reader might see birds in flight, an old fashioned telephone or a book for example. Short chapters alternate with even shorter chapters. The very short chapters are lists. A reader might learn what Yui’s favorite Bossa Nova music is or what her daughter was wearing on the day of the storm or what gifts Yui had bought for her but had not, as yet, given to her. These chapters add to the poignancy of the story.

I highly recommend this novel. It will engage you, make you think and, perhaps, inspire you.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this title. All opinions are my own.

An excursion

This weekend I am lucky enough to be attending the first Hamptonswhodunit.com festival in New York. This is my first mystery convention ever and it is so much fun.

I attended three panels yesterday. One was with Nita Prose, Greer Hendricks and AJ Finn discussing going from being editors to becoming authors. I learned a lot about the anxieties of first books, cover art and their second, forthcoming new novels. All agreed that writing a second novel , after a first success is challenging. This discussion was led by Carol Fitzgerald of the Bookreporter.

Next was a panel on women writers and their bonds moderated by Alafair Burke. The authors were Kellye Garrett, Alison Gaylin and Megan Abbott. They take on tough and current topics in their works. All are glad that women thriller writers now command more respect.

Third was AJ Finn interviewing Anthony Horowitz who is an incredibly engaging speaker. We heard about everything from Foyle’s War to the recently televised Magpie Murders. He talked about how much books have meant to him ever since his unhappy time at boarding school. All of his series were discussed and he, like all the others, did book signings.

I got to chat with Carol Fitzgerald about reviewing books and her work. It was a pleasure to meet her.

Let me know if you want to hear about today.

Definitely worth coming to this event!