Neshama’s Choices for February 3

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What Happened to Nina?

How could Nina simply vanish during a weekend at her boyfriend Simon’s parents’ cabin in the woods? He said they’d broken up, he took the car and  hadn’t seen her since, but that seems improbable.  Nina’s mother and stepfather keep pushing the police for answers with no results. Simon’s influential parents use clout and money to lift suspicion from their handsome, arrogant son. In this compelling thriller, we learn how social media can be used to distort a story—the family hires a pr firm to throw all sorts of rumors out there and it’s frighteningly effective. Through her mother’s increasingly bold and desperate actions, we finally find out what happened to Nina, against considerable obstacles. 

The Breakaway

A patron told me she’d just returned this book and she loved it, so I squelched my resistance to the rom-com genre and pounced on it because I was in the mood for lightweight entertainment. And gobbled it up.  Abby has not fulfilled her parents’ expectations. She’s still fat (but happy) and has cobbled together an almost functional life. She has a  boyfriend, Mark, who seems ideal but after an erotically thrilling one-night hookup with Sebastian, she questions the staidness and limitations of her ongoing relationship. She’s an avid bicyclist, is drafted to lead a two week tour, and guess who shows up by chance—that very guy who she never expected to see again. Her busy-body mother Elaine also surprises her by signing up, and once again she’s under scrutiny for every morsel she consumes.  A great cast of characters and a thoughtful exploration of toxic fat-shaming. Fun and enlightening. 

The Unquiet Bones

Detective Janet is pregnant, and her partner has gone missing, so her department relegates her to the lighter duty of cold cases. But when an excavator uncovers said bones, they might be those of a young girl who disappeared years ago. Back then a small group of high school chums were investigated but it came to nothing.  Now that same six realize that the lies they concocted may no longer hold up and their well-established reputations are in peril. Angela, an ambitious journalist, keeps pushing boundaries and imperiling the investigation by leaking information. Fascinating forensic work and dark psychological underpinnings make for a gripping tale. 

Under the Storm

Young Isak loves his Uncle Edvard. But when his uncle’s girlfriend’s body is found in a farmhouse, which was set on fire, all fingers point to Edvard who has a violent streak. Isak worries that this will erupt in him one day, though he’s a quiet outsider who tries to keep a low profile. A young policeman, Vidar, is not completely convinced of Edvard’s guilt despite the verdict. Over time, his obsession with the case leads to a surprising conclusion. I love Scandinavian noir, hadn’t heard of this author, and was drawn into the psychological depth of the story. Note: Carlsson has a doctorate in criminology and knows whereof he speaks.