The Forest of Vanishing Stars

Kristin Harmel's latest World War II novel, The Forest of Vanishing Stars (#1,047) is yet another gripping story based on the experiences of Polish Jews during the war.  

Stolen as a toddler, Yona is brought up in the dense woods of Eastern Europe by Jerusza, the elderly woman who abducted her, living off the land and learning its hidden secrets.  The pair only rarely ventures into villages for needed supplies as they sustain themselves from the land.  After Jerusza dies, leaving Yona all alone, she encounters people in the forest.  Jerusza has taught her to avoid all men, but these people are different - Jewish families fleeing the Nazis.  She makes a life-altering decision to help these people the best she can, teaching them how to survive in the wilderness.

Not all of the refugees are willing to follow her lead, placing her growing band in danger with their careless ways.  When Yona is forced out on her own again, her past meets up with her present in a disastrous way.

During World War II, a number of Jews and others hunted by both the Nazis and the Russians managed to eke out an existence in the impenetrable forests and swamps of Eastern Europe until after the conflict was over.  Although Yona's story is fictional, the perils and difficulties those hardy survivors faced is told here, with references for further reading listed by author Kristin Harmel.  It's an intense and unusual read.

The Newcomer

 I'm still a newcomer to Mary Kay Andrews' novels, but I thoroughly enjoyed her latest, The Newcomer (#1,046).  Possibly because most of the novel's action takes place on Florida's Gulf Coast, but the snowbird/retiree population in this story is all too familiar everywhere in South Florida.

Letty Carnahan finds her sister's body in her expensive New York apartment.  Tanya had told Letty that if anything happened to her, it was Evan Wingfield's fault, and to grab Tanya's pre-school daughter and run.  So that's just what Letty did.  Along with emergency money, Tanya had an old, faded clipping of the Murmuring Surf Motel near Tampa, Florida.  It seemed as good as any other place to go to ground with her niece.  It turned out to be an old-fashioned motel populated almost entirely "in season" by snowbirds from the chilly North.  They didn't take too kindly to a young woman and a four-year-old.

Fortunately for Letty, the owner of the motel takes a shine to Maya and offers a storage room as a place to stay if Letty is willing to clear it out.  Her son Joe, part-time handyman and full-time local cop, isn't quite as trusting as his mother.  Danger and complications ensue in this diverting suspense novel.

It's a perfect beach read with some interesting characters and plot twists.  Just the thing for when you are in the mood to be entertained, but don't want to do any mental heavy lifting.  Also, I thought the cover art for this book was very cleverly done, with Letty in the middle of shark infested waters.  It's the perfect metaphor for the book!

This Dog For Hire

I was trying out a new app on my library's website, Novelist.  It's supposed to pull up titles for similar fiction to the title you are searching for in the catalog.  I decided to give it a try after looking for Spencer Quinn's Chet and Bernie series, and it suggested Carol Lea Benjamin's This Dog For Hire (#1,045).  The Rachel Alexander and Dash series features former dog groomer turned P.I. Rachel Alexander with her pit bull dog Dashiell, solving mysteries from her cozy Greenwich Village apartment.

In This Dog For Hire, Rachel is contacted by Dennis Keaton following the death of his close friend and fellow artist Clifford Cole.  The police have written off Cliff's death as a gay-bashing incident. (The book is set in the 90s.)   But Cliff's champion basenji dog, Magritte, has been missing since Cliff's death.  Dennis isn't sure the police have looked hard enough into Cliff's death, and besides, he wants Magritte found.  He's due to be shown at Westminster in a few weeks.  Rachel accepts the case, not convinced that she will turn up any more than the police have, but sure enough, one thread pulled leads to another.  Magritte is recovered, but now Cliff's death has proven to be personal, particular crime...

It's an interesting window into how things used to be in the New York Art scene, gay culture (remember AIDS?) and the politics of the Westminster Dog Show.  It was a little overwrought for my taste, but there were redeeming flashes of humor that moved the story along.  I'm just not sure I'm motivated enough to go seek out other titles in this series.

Things Past Telling

Maryam Prescilla Grace goes by many names in Things Past Telling (#1,044).  She remembers her life from great old age in the United States when a US Census Taker comes calling.  Momma Grace won't answer him; she leaves that to her family.  But she thinks about the many twists and turns her life has taken to bring her here, to this porch chair, surrounded by her family.  

Sheila Williams paints amazing word pictures to describe Little Bird's life in West Africa before she and her sisters were captured in a raid on their village by slavers.  Not to give away too much here, but her life takes an unexpected detour which allows her to come under the wing of a wise woman in the Caribbean who trains her to follow her footsteps as a midwife.  Her skill with languages as well makes Little Bird, eventually Maryam, to become a valuable asset, both in and out of slavery.  Her life is never easy, full of loss and grief, and yet she continues.

I couldn't wait to find out what happened next in her story.  What more could you possibly ask of a gifted storyteller?  Highly, highly recommended.