BRING HER HOME by David Bell

(I received an advance copy of this book from the publisher)

In David Bell's latest novel of suspense, a frantic father tries to discover what happened to his missing teenage daughter. Bill Price's 15-year-old daughter Summer went missing along with her best friend. The two girls are found in a city park. One is dead and one is barely holding on after a severe beating.  As Bill struggles to understand what happened to his daughter and her friend, secrets begin to come out that reveal he may not have known his daughter as well as he thought.

Bell is a classic suspense writer. He know how to keep his readers on the edge of their seat. Most chapters end with a cliffhanger that will make you want to keep on going. The novel is also filled with enough twists and turns to keep you guessing throughout the book. It was a very fast read for me because I had to know what happened. I also enjoyed how Bell explores parenting teenagers and how difficult it can be to know what is really going on in their lives.

**MINOR SPOILER ALERT**

I was disappointed with the title. The author sets you up to believe that Summer is dead for a good portion of the book. I keep wondering why the title was BRING HER HOME if Summer is dead. The reader finds out she may not be which explains the title. Seemed like a bit of spoiler to me and ruined some of the twists and turns.

**END OF SPOILER**

BOTTOM LINE: Recommended vacation read.  This fast-paced book will keep you engrossed until the end. While I was a little let down by the ending, I enjoyed the read overall. I think parents especially will find this book riveting.

I SEE YOU by Clare Mackintosh

I received an advance copy of this book from the publisher.

I have definitely been in the mood for a good suspense book and this one has all the ingredients for a great vacation read. On her commute on the London Underground, Zoe Walker spots her photograph in the classified section in an ad for a mysterious site called "FindTheOne.com." Zoe is surprised but not overly disturbed until she reads a story about a victim of a recent violent crime and realizes that woman was featured in the same ad. Zoe begins to draw connections between the women featured in the ad and violent crimes that have been happening. Desperate to find help before she becomes the next victim, Zoe reaches out to Detective Kelly Swift. The two women must work together to find the person behind the mysterious ads before another woman becomes a victim.

A few years ago, I read a book by Claire Kendal called THE BOOK OF YOU about a stalker and I SEE YOU reminded me a lot of that book. However, Mackintosh's book adds a modern touch of technology and visibility. With all of the cameras that surround us every day and all of the focus on connectedness on the internet, it is easier than ever to find details on strangers. The whole premise is unsettling. I appreciated the fact that it wasn't easy to figure out what was going to happen. The ending wasn't as cut and dry as I expected it to be. The twist at the end was a little hard to believe but it definitely left me with a chill.

Overall, this book would make a terrific vacation read. It is fast-paced and definitely holds one's interest. While I don't think I would ever read it again, it was very entertaining and I will feel very different about public transportation from now on!

BOTTOM LINE: Recommended as a vacation read. Throw this one in your bag or download the ebook for your next vacation. You will want to read this one in a bright, sunny location to offset the the creepiness factor.

LEAVING LUCY PEAR by Anna Solomon

(I received an advance copy of this book from the publisher)

Faced with the prospect of having her newborn daughter taken from her and put into a home, unwed Beatrice Haven sneaks out of her aunt and uncle's house on night and leaves her baby under a pear tree in the hope that the people who steal the pears every year will find her. She stays hidden until she sees another woman carry her daughter away and then leaves to attempt to move forward from her shameful secret. Beatrice comes from a wealthy Jewish family and hopes to move on and become a pianist. Ten years later, Beatrice returns to her ailing uncle's Cape Ann home to take care of him. A local Irish woman named Emma Murphy comes to help care for Beatrice's uncle. Emma is the woman who rescued the infant below the pear tree ten years before.

Set in the 1920s, Solomon captures a moment in time when women were on the verge of getting the vote and becoming more independent but still faced the shame of extramarital sex and unwed pregnancy. The story focuses on Beatrice and Emma and Lucy Pear, the daughter Beatrice left behind. Solomon does a wonderful job portraying Beatrice's conflict about the abandonment of her child and that conflict led to mental illness. I also appreciated the complex feelings that Emma goes through when coming to terms with meeting the mother of her adopted daughter. Lucy Pear herself is a fascinating character who is wise beyond her years. Solomon does a great job showing how families come in different shapes and sizes and the dangers of not being true to oneself.

BOTTOM LINE: Recommended. I really enjoyed this one. I thought the characters were interesting and I loved the inclusion of lots of different issues during the 1920s including racism, birth control, union issues, politics, and the social ramifications of a young woman giving birth outside of marriage at that time. A very interesting read!

PERFECT DAYS by Raphael Montes

(I received an advance copy of this book from the publisher)

Teo Avelar is a young medical student who lives with his paraplegic mother. As the book begins, he is exploring the newfound emotions he is feeling about a woman in life. This seems natural enough until the reader discovers that the woman is the corpse he works on in his anatomy class. At a party, Teo is distracted from his corpse when he meets vivacious Clarice. Clarice is an aspiring screenwriter working on a screenplay called "Perfect Days." Teo becomes obssessed with Clarice and begins to stalk her. When he discovers that she is getting ready to leave town to work on her screenplay at a remote resort, he takes drastic measures. Convinced that he can persuade Clarice to love him, Teo takes more and more extreme measures to maintain control and try to win her love.

This book was creepy and disturbing in the way that King's "Misery" made us fear obssession. Teo is such a damaged and sick person. His complete lack of true emotion and empathy are chilling.  The story definitely keeps you on the edge of your seat as you wait to find out how Teo will manage to continue to control and hide Clarice. I think the marketing department over at Penguin were absolutely geniuses when they put a sticker on the cover of the galley encouraging readers to let them know on social media when they arrived at a certain page. As I got closer to that page, I got more and more excited. And it was definitely chilling!  It reminded me of a certain movie but I can't tell you the title without giving away a major plot point.  (Scroll down to the bottom of the review for a spoiler)

While I found the premise fascinating and the story was definitely creepy, I wouldn't say it was enjoyable. Teo is definitely a very creepy character and I think the ending will be disturbing and/or unsatisfying for some readers. However, this would make a great vacation read. Especially if you are headed someplace tropical. Or, since much of the action in this creepy book takes place on beaches, perhaps it would be better to read in a snowbound cabin.

BOTTOM LINE: Recommended for fans of suspense and psychological thrillers. The content may be difficult for some people. There are many hair-raising moments within the book and I often find stories of obsession to be particularly frightening. Teo is definitely a frightening character and this could make a very interesting movie.

See a book trailer for PERFECT DAYS here.



**SPOILER ALERT***



(This book reminded me of "Misery" meets "Boxing Helena."  That's all I am going to say.)

THE SECRET CHORD by Geraldine Brooks and **GIVEAWAY**

(I received an advance copy of this book from the publisher)

Geraldine Brooks has a real talent for helping readers connect to history in a very personal way. In her latest book, she turns to the Biblical story of David for inspiration. We are given the basic of David's life in the Bible. We know of his fame in youth from his battle with Goliath. We know of his difficult rise to power through conflict with Saul and the punishment brought on through his misstep with Bathsheba. We also know of his famed son Solomon. Brooks takes the bare bones of David's story and fleshes them out so that readers can see David in his his flawed glory.

THE SECRET CHORD is told from the perspective of the prophet Nathan. Brooks uses the traditional Hebrew names in the book so Nathan is referred to as "Natan" and Solomon as "Shlomo." The book begins with Natan looking back on his life with David and remembering one of the tasks that David gave to him. When David no longer took to the battle field, he grew restless and lacked occupation. Natan took the project of writing David's biography and left to interview the key figures in David's life. Through the stories of these characters as well as Natan's own memories, we begin to see the story of David come to life. It is a far darker and unpleasant story than the Sunday School version. However, David's flaws humanize him as much as they also tarnish his golden image.

As someone who regularly attends church and teaches Sunday School, I found myself drawn into this story on a very personal level. I am not sure how the experience would change for someone who is either not religious or not at all familiar with David's story in any form. One of the things I found so interesting about this book was comparing my memory of David's story with the one that Brooks presents in the book. It definitely made me want to get out my Bible and go back over the Biblical story of David.

BOTTOM LINE: Recommended. I found this book to be quite enjoyable. Some more conservative Christians may take issue with David's portrayal but I found it compelling and sympathetic. When the book was over, I found myself wanting more. Perhaps a follow-up on the life of Solomon?


**GIVEAWAY**

I am so lucky to be able to offer a copy of this book to one winner!  (United States address only, please)

To enter, leave a comment telling me your favorite story from the Bible. (if you have one)

Make sure I have a way to contact you if you win.

This giveaway ends on October 5, 2015 at 8:00am PST.

Jen--YOU ARE THE WINNER!

THE DRESSMAKER by Rosalie Ham

(I received a copy of this book from the publisher.)

THE DRESSMAKER is one of those books that manages to be funny and sad and dark and infinitely readable all at the same time. Tilly Dunnage has finally returned to her small Australian hometown after twenty years ago.  She left in the midst of scandal and spent her years away learning about fashion in Europe. She returns home to take care of her ailing mother and discovers that the past has never really left.

Ham has come with an amazing and interesting cast of characters. The small town of Dungatar is filled with all manner of scandals behind closed doors--illicit affairs, children out of wedlock, cross-dressers, madness, financial ruin. Ham's vision of small-town life is utterly captivating even if it can be difficult to keep track of the large cast of characters. As the bastard child of the town "harlot," Tilly was ruthlessly bullied as a child. The flashback scenes to her childhood are horrific and painful. The scandal behind Tilly's departure is slowly revealed throughout the story.

While the book is often funny and always entertaining, it is also very dark and sad. This is a revenge story and no one really gets a happy ending. I found the book very hard to put down. I was a bit disappointed with the ending. There is a complicated plot line involving a play that I felt caused the story to drag. It was necessary in order for the ending to occur but I felt it was a bit of a letdown after such an entertaining story.

BOTTOM LINE: Recommended. This book is currently being made into a movie starring Kate Winslet and Liam Hemsworth. I am interested to see how a story with so many characters and so many plot lines can be developed into a movie. I am hoping the movie will have a little more humor and a little less darkness. While I was disappointed in the ending, I found this book to be a very enjoyable read overall.

See the international trailer for the new movie here.