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In this autobiographical novel, Brigitte explores every aspect of “if only.” Her husband Claude took a spin on her brother’s dangerous motorcycle which led to the accident that took his life at 41. Like peeling an onion, this anatomization of everything leading up to the tragedy reveals family history from Algiers to Lyon, the places they lived, and relationships. It’s a slim book, packed with vivid detail. Written 20 years after the tragedy, a quality of heartbroken detachment I think of as very French makes it quite special.
Florence, a single mom, is kind of crude compared with those other mothers at her kid, Dylan’s, private school. She grew up poor, but her ex pays the tuition. The problem: nasty Alfie, a classmate, is a notorious bully and picks on Dylan. He’s very rich, he disappears, and Dylan becomes a suspect. By necessity, Florence must solve the mystery to clear Dylan. It’s a propulsive plot which kept me glued even though I didn’t exactly love Florence myself. But her abrasive, over-the-top personality provided lots of entertainment on the page.
How could Olivia go into a blind alley and disappear? CCTV cameras reveal nothing. Julia, the detective on the case, is blackmailed into planting evidence to frame Matthew, an innocent man. Both Julia and the unknown blackmailer have secrets. Julia’s teenage daughter, fending off an attacker, inadvertently killed him and Julia covered it up. More intricate plotting and great suspense in another fine psychological thriller by this prolific author. I’m hooked.
The Sawbrooks have lived in this small Michigan town bordering Canada for decades. Now as wealthy folks start buying up property and taming the wilderness, various members of the family develop issues. Rhoda, head of the clan, left three parcels of her spread to her three grown children and they’re not doing what she’d envisioned: to keep the land wild for the family and out of the hands of developers. Park ranger, Lucy, has created a sanctuary with open trails; Buckner’s an alcoholic and couldn’t care less; and Jewell is well-intentioned but clueless and gets caught up in a big mess. It’s the old versus new ways exposed in solid prose that matches the atmosphere of place.
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