Morgan's Mysterious June

Mysteries Abound

Growing up I was always a fan of Nancy Drew and a number of other mystery series. This continued into my more mature reading habits and I thought these are some suspenseful, great reads as we head into beach season.

The Eyre Affair by Jasper Fforde

This is a funny, bizarre mystery for the true mystery lover and literary wizard. Focused on our sometimes capable heroine Thursday Next the story takes place in England  in an alternate reality where all of society takes its literary history very very seriously. The mystery comes in as an evil conglomerate starts tampering with works of fiction by entering books (FYI there is some ScFy in here too) and kidnapping main characters. Don't worry, Thursday Next is on the case and will put Jane Eyre back to its rightful condition (mostly). A fun and silly series that definitely gives you an intellectual workout I recommend reading it when you have time to really enjoy it. Also, you may need a dictionary - the vocabulary is out of this world.

Maisie Dobbs by Jacqueline Winspear

For the more historically inclined the Maisie Dobbs series is a fantastic way to bring together mystery, suspense and historical fiction. I found Maisie to be an engaging, intelligent and funny main character and thoroughly enjoyed learning about her background as much as I did trying to figure out the mystery. Based in England after WII this is a great book for those of you waiting for the next season of Downton Abbey or those who are looking for a more modern Sherlock Holmes. The best part is this series already has a number of installments so if you like the first you won't have to wait to continue with the characters!

The Rope by Nevada Barr (Anna Pigeon Series)

This is a fantastic (out of order) addition to the Anna Pigeon mysteries all of which take place at various National Parks. A fantastic series that doesn't necessarily have to be read in order these are fun mysteries that have great backstories and beautiful descriptions of our National Parks. Anna Pidgeon has long been a front runner for my absolute favorite heroine. She is tough, funny and bright and The Rope is the story of how she got her start as the mystery solving park ranger those of us who have read all her books know so well. This is a dark, surprising novel and definitely helps fill in some of the gaps about Anna that we have all been waiting to hear about for years. I found the secondary characters in this novel to also be interesting and engaging and overall this book seemed to fly by. I'd definitely recommend this book to a long time fan of the series or to a newcomer. 

Marti's June Picks

The Daring Ladies of Lowell by Kate Alcott

This is is Kate Alcott's newest book. This book is based on a true event that occurred in Lowell during the 1800s. The characters and their back stories are the author's imagination filling around the basic facts. The textile mill industry with the mill system allowed for large numbers of young girls to work in the mill and live in boarding houses nearby. The girls ran more than one loom at a time and were constantly on their feet in dangerous conditions. Through this story line, we are introduced to the characters and have a chance to bond with them and hear their reasons for their choice to work in the mill. It is in their stories that we are exposed to the dangers in the mill with open machines, exhausted workers, cotton fiber and fires. These stories brought out the resilience of each girl as they struggled.

The Daring Ladies of Lowell follows the girls at a very turbulent time. Alice Barrows left the farm and her home to work in the mills. It was her idea to help her father get out of debt, but it also got her off the farm and away from her father. Alice was assigned a boarding house and made friends with the the girls she worked with. They taught her how to survive in room with all the looms: noise, extraneous cotton materials, heat and huge number of hours every day. She was exposed to the problems with the mills as part of the story. She befriended the girls and stood up for them when she could. It is into this atmosphere that Alice meets Samuel - one of the mill owner's sons. The rest of the plot line follows the dichotomy of their living situations as Alice and the girls become embroiled in a murder of a mill girl. 

The was a good book to find out more about the mills in Lowell. The story line was clear and allowed for the readers to find out more about the girls and the mills. I did read the book quickly and found the story line easy to follow. What a difficult time in our history, while all the technological advances allowed our economic system to grow and expand, the workers were kept in dire poverty with horrible working conditions and no power to change anything if they wished to keep their job.  Kate Alcott's book never fail to tell a great story with memorable characters.

Private LA by James Patterson 

Private LA is one of the new James Patterson books based on a crime-fighting agency called Private. The difference from the police and the alphabet of agencies in the US is that Private does not have to follow police procedure or the laws. Which leads to a moral dilemma all on its own. Jack Morgan, the head of Private has many resources at his disposal and he uses them to solve both of the crimes in this novel. Sometimes I felt the two stories were too disparate and other times I was glad they were not the same. I like the format of crime fighting and the people who I can root for. I enjoy the reoccurring characters that show up in his novels from Private. I also like how each character interacts with each other hand the investigations they handle. Jack Morgan becomes such a real person to the reader, including understanding his situations with his  brother and the mob.  The novel read quickly and kept me totally entertained and entranced. The use of the short succinct chapters helps you feel like you are reading much more quickly and pulled you in deeper.

Far Gone by Laura Griffin

Laura Griffin’s new book Far Gone is a romantic mystery. Each of her mysteries keep you turning pages until late at night, trying to solve them before you fall asleep. The books are set in the Texas area and always have characters in the law enforcement field. Laura Griffin’s characters are relentless in their pursuit of justice. Jon North is a FBI agent who is trying to solve an old crime – six years old. He is positive that he has found the murderer. Meanwhile, Andrea Finch is a detective for the Austin PD, but is on leave. Her brother is in trouble, and Andrea feels she needs to help him, despite his insistence that he does not need help. The problem? Andrea and Jon are not working together. As a matter of fact, they don’t even trust each other. Withholding information is what they do best, however that does not stop the sparks from flying between them. Meanwhile, someone is killing people. Jon is trying to pursue the old case and thinks it ties with the new case. His bosses don’t believe him. Andrea is only out to save her brother. Jon wants Andrea’s brother to help him solve the crimes. 

Laura Griffin leads you right into the midst of a great mystery and the mind of a madman. A great read.