Fiction – Ring Reads

Sherlock More Than a Role in ‘Final Problem’

The cover of The Final Problem, featuring a bold blue background reminiscent of the 1960s, with an illustration in white and red of a striped lounge chair on a balcony with a fedora, towel, and puddle of dripping blood on the railing.

In glamorous 1960 Europe, a chance encounter between those on both sides of the second world war, and Hollywood’s golden-age camera, makes for a deadly combination. That’s the setup in The Final Problem, the latest from Spanish writer Arturo Perez-Reverte, now translated into English by Frances Riddle. Ormond Basil, a one-time movie star now flirting withContinue reading “Sherlock More Than a Role in ‘Final Problem’”

Emotion and Mystery Threaded Through ‘Mothering’

The cover to Mass Mothering, featuring two circles, one blue and the other dark gray, stacked vertically against a tan background. The blue circle has a faint image of city buildings, while stylized hills are in the gray circle. Black birds and white birds fly across the blue and gray circles, respectively. The title and author name, respectively are on top of these images, as well.

In any book that’s made up of multiple parts, there’s always a risk of one being more compelling than the other, or for the relationship between the two to be confusing before the intended connection is clear. Those questions are central to the tension in Mass Mothering, the latest novel from Sarah Bruni.

In ‘Infamous,’ Minutiae Gives Meaning to Family Life

Painted portraits of five children peek out from torn antique-looking wallpaper with the title and author of the book in yellow cursive in the foreground.

The Gilberts and Thornwalk are fictional, but the equivalents in our own homes and families and lives aren’t. These bits and bobbles, these trinkets and signs of wear that mean nothing to anyone else and might not even mean a thing to ourselves but nevertheless bear aching witness to, well, life.

‘Magician’ A Pleasant, Low-Stakes Romp

The cover of The Magician of Tiger Castle, which features illustrated tigers among gold filigree around the edge of a dark-green background and the book's title and author.

Magician isn’t exactly a “cozy” fantasy, per se, but it didn’t seek to keep me on the edge of my seat in a way that was really nice, given the current geopolitical climate.

‘Fever’ a Layered Gothic Novel

The cover of Cape Fever by Naia Davids, on which the title and author are superimposed on what looks like peeling wallpaper, gold in color with branches and birds printed on it.

The growing closeness between Soraya and Mrs. Hattingh seems at first harmless, though this wouldn’t be a very good gothic novel if it stayed that way.

‘Before I Forget’ A Pleasantly Gentle Story of Forgetting

An illustration of a loon on a small bit of blue water is in the center of this otherwise tan-colored cover, which also features the title and author name in hot-pink sans-serif font.

Before I Forget is a sweet, swift read that focuses on the emotions surrounding memory and self, though it shies away from some of the gnarlier aspects of end-of-life caregiving.

‘Murderers’ Blends Horror of Haunted House and Family Reunion

An illustration of two young white men in early-20th century clothing looking concerned and walking away from a large, foreboding mansion. The title, All of Us Murderers, and the author, KJ Charles, are superimposed upon the image.

Murderers was just the kind of book that I didn’t want to put down and go to bed, while also being the kind of book you shouldn’t read at night when the house is dark and quiet and you’re the only one awake. In other words, perfect for spooky season.

‘Bug Hollow’ Gives Its Characters Nuance

The cover of Michelle Huneven's latest novel, Bug Hollow, featuring the title and author over a blurry, 1970s-era picture of a white girl in blue pants and a pink coat sitting in a blue station wagon and presumably her father loading suitcases while a woman walks from a house toward the car.

It’s easy to draw heroes and villains from the members of this family, but nuance is more interesting than caricatures, and Huneven gives each character plenty of shades of gray with little narrative judgement.

‘Lost Souls’ Examines Love and Grief in Many Forms

A large bubblegum-pink moon sits in the background amidst a dark blue sky. Partially covering it are golden clouds and a large cloud-like shape in black that evokes a tear between worlds. In the lower right-hand corner is a small illustration of a bicycle.

Each seeker of these meetings into the afterlife represent relatable facets of grief, and love, letting the book, and reader, consider these emotions in many ways.

‘Doll Parts’ Blends Timelines, Narrators, and Genres

A closeup black-and-white photo of a young white woman with light-colored hair and a lot of mascara looks up at a point somewhere to the right of the cover. The title and author are scrawled across the front in bubblegum pink text.

The mysteries and deaths and drama in Doll Parts are merely details to that time-worn tale of lasting, if not always active, friendship.