The Last House on the Street by Diane Chamberlain

 

North Carolina author Diane Chamberlain wraps a mystery in historical fiction as she interweaves the stories of two women, Kayla Carter and Ellie Hockley, in her latest novel The Last House on the Street, hitting shelves on January 11, 2022.

Kayla is hesitating about moving into the house she and her husband designed in Shadow Ridge Estates in Round Hill, North Carolina, because he died in an accident during the construction of the home. Adding to her concern is a visit to her workplace by a strange woman who warns Kayla that she is “Thinking about killing someone.”

Down the road from Shadow Ridge, Ellie returns to her family home after decades of estrangement from her mother and brother. She fled to California in 1965 after her experience in a project to register black voters in the South led to harm for herself and others as well as opposition from her parents, her brother, her best friend, and her boyfriend.

In a small-world moment, Kayla learns that her father Reed had once been Ellie’s boyfriend. Ellie downplays that relationship as she seems to hold a grudge against Reed. What really happened to Ellie during her voter registration experience? How might Reed have been involved in Klan activity in 1965? Does the last house on the street hold the answers? A startling climax will be the impetus for some devastating revelations as well as some heartfelt healing.

Diane Chamberlain has created an intriguing story about two women who are dealing with major transitions in their lives. With a master’s degree in clinical social work from San Diego State University, Chamberlain was a hospital social worker and a psychotherapist in private practice before she turned to a writing career. Last House is her 30^th novel.

 

 

The Boys: A Memoir of Hollywood and Family by Ron Howard and Clint Howard

 

When I started to read The Boys: A Memoir of Hollywood and Family by Ron Howard and his brother Clint Howard, I couldn’t help but hear in my head “Da-da-dah, DAH-da-da-da, DAH-da-da-da,” the famous whistled theme song from “The Andy Griffith Show.”

Released October 12, 2021, this memoir chronicles their lives thus far through their upbringing by parents Jean and Rance Howard as the “boys” captivated TV viewers in Griffith’s show as well as Gentle Ben and Happy Days in the 1960s and 1970s to today’s highly successful filmmaker that Ron is and the constant character actor that Clint is.

While many child stars were crippled by the way show business treated them once they outgrew their cute kid selves, Ron and Clint claim it was their parents' solid, down-to-earth parenting that allowed them to blossom as the men they are today.

Ronny, as he was known as in the credits as a child actor, describes how Mayberry was an idealized version of Mount Airy, North Carolina, as Andy Griffith remembered it. He shares that Griffith wanted his show “to counteract Hollywood’s prevailing stereotypes of southerners” that were showcased in “The Beverly Hillbillies” and “Petticoat Junction.”

Clint tells some behind-the-scenes stories of incidents involving animals like Bruno who played the bear Gentle Ben, including practices that wouldn’t be allowed in today’s more enlightened times like removing teeth and claws.

The “boys” come clean that life was not always roses without thorns as Ron endured bullying when on hiatus from his stint as Opie when he returned to public school and dealt with some disillusionment with Hollywood when he wasn't picked up right away for another juicy part at the conclusion of his Mayberry years. Clint experienced a downfall as the “family dopehead,” saying he “spent the majority of my teenage years learning how to catch a buzz;” unfortunately his drinking and smoking led to alcoholism and drug addiction.

All in all, their story is a warm tribute to their close family and a big thank you to their late parents for not only allowing them to become child actors but also for balancing their work life with opportunities to just be children. Admirers of the work of Ron and/or Clint Howard will find time well spent with this memoir.

The Replacement Wife by Darby Kane

 What infuriates Elisa Wright the most about her brother-in-law Josh is that he has begun dating again even though his fiancée has been missing for seven months in The Replacement Wife by Darby Kane.

Josh maintains that Abby left him, practically abandoned him at the altar, but Elisa is not buying that because Abby was her friend, who would not have disappeared without a trace if she was just breaking up with Josh. Besides, Josh has one dead wife to his name. Wait, make those two dead wives, reveals Elisa’s husband Harris when he is forced to come clean about his beloved brother’s marital history.

Elisa’s feeling that Josh is a murderer is almost enough to knock her off balance when she has already had a horrible trauma in her life. Last year she witnessed the murder of her boss and was grazed by a bullet herself. She is fragile enough dealing with the post-trauma of that incident let alone being devastated about Abby’s disappearance.

Elisa’s resurging panic attacks and a strange illness cause Harris to believe that his wife is headed for a full-blown breakdown. How can he prove to his wife that Josh is not a murderer? How can he convince her to go back to her therapist for help before all of this impacts their marriage and family further?

Darby Kane is a former divorce lawyer turned author who debuted her first novel Pretty Little Wife in 2020. The Replacement Wife is due out on December 28, 2021.

Wish You Were Here by Jodi Picoult

 

When bibliographies are compiled with titles of novels about the coronavirus pandemic, Wish You Were Here by Jodi Picoult will be on that list. While most Americans were “stranded” at home, Diana O’Toole embarked on a vacation alone to the Galápagos, and now she is stranded on an island as the world shuts down.

Worse, there is scanty means for correspondence, banking, accommodations, and supplies on the island. Because she is now no longer a tourist but “one of them,” a family takes her in to their home, where she slowly develops a relationship with a troubled teen, Beatriz. In this island paradise, Diana is soon swept off her feet by Gabriel, the teen’s father. Why is she suddenly becoming unfaithful to her boyfriend of four years, surgical resident Finn Colson, who is stuck in New York attempting to save lives? Will this tropical island become her home and her future? But then a near drowning changes everything.

As usual, Jodi Picoult’s latest tale is well researched and well written as readers have come to expect. This book is a mini lesson in the flora, fauna, and history of the setting.  Known for her O. Henry-like twist at the end of her novels, she does not wait that long in this one to turn the story upside down. Her notes at the end of the book are illuminating as to her experience during the start of the pandemic, telling readers how she came out of her writing paralysis. Picoult lives with her husband in New Hampshire.

My review will be posted on Goodreads starting October 8, 2021.

I would like to thank Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in return for an objective review.

 

 

 

The Dark Hours by Michael Connelly

 At the intersection of “defund the police” and the “coronavirus pandemic” is hardworking Los Angeles Police Detective Renée Ballard trying to solve a murder case -- maybe two of them -- as well as catching a tag-team rapist duo dubbed the Midnight Men in Michael Connelly’s latest police procedural, The Dark Hours.

Hampered by masking, social distancing, and colleagues who are just trying to “call it in” during the days until retirement or a career change, Ballard turns to her unofficial mentor, Harry Bosch, Connelly’s well-known, now retired, LAPD detective. When Ballard finds a murder book was last checked out to Bosch, she turns to him to help her connect the clues in a murder that happened on New Year’s Eve to an unsolved murder Bosch investigated while still on the force. Trouble is Bosch did not sign out the murder book although he still has his own notes to consult for recall.

While Ballard finds little help from her burned out coworkers, some of whom she does not trust, Bosch is ready to offer her backup on all three cases as he is bored sitting home avoiding the virus. Soon the two investigators start drilling down into the evidence as they attempt to solve both his cold case and her midnight murder case. As Ballard draws nearer to solving the cases, the hassle from “the Brass” about involving Bosch and other tactics finds her questioning her own future with the department. Will she have to go rogue to catch the Midnight Men?

This is the fourth Connelly book featuring Ballard, a cop who is known for her risky and unauthorized actions. However, Ballard continues to show she is a gifted and talented investigator who could be a catalyst for important change within the police department.

After Michael Connelly spent three years covering crime in Los Angeles, he wrote his first novel featuring Harry Bosch, The Black Echo, which he based partly on a true crime. Connelly was the man behind the series “Bosch” on Amazon Prime and is integral in bringing a Bosch spin-off coming to Amazon-owned IMDB streaming service.

My review will be posted on Goodreads starting October 6, 2021.

I would like to thank Little, Brown and Company, the Hatchette Book Group, and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in return for an objective review.