The Forgers by Bradford Morrow: an unconventional mystery with an unreliable narrator. In fact, the narrator is so repellent -- an ex-felon, unremorseful, snobbish, egotistical, and worst of all too willing to lie and deceive the supposed love of his life -- by the second chapter I accurately predicted his character arc. I didn't enjoy this nearly as much as I hoped I would.
The Shadow Hero by Gene Luen Yang and Sonney Liew: Yang and Liew revive a very obscure Golden Age superhero, the Green Turtle, and give him an explicitly Asian identity and backstory, and the result is delightful -- poignant and clever and laugh-out-loud funny. The trade paperback collects the 6-issue mini-series, and I really hope they plan to write and draw more someday.
Evvie Drake Starts Over by Linda Holmes: I've been a fan of Holmes's pop culture writing for a while, so I was pleased to see she had published a novel, and even more pleased to have enjoyed it. It's a romance between a widow (Evvie of the title) who's not grieving the way everyone expects her to and an MLB pitcher whose career was derailed by the yips, but it's also about Evvie's relationship with her best friend, and most importantly about her healing.
Time After Time by Lisa Grunwald: A novel about time-crossed lovers meeting in Grand Central Station, in the vein of The Time Traveler's Wife. The story was fine, the characters were fine, the writing was fine, and I had to force myself to finish it.
I'll Be Gone in the Dark by Michelle McNamara: Despite loving mysteries I generally don't read true crime books, especially about serial killers, because all too often I find the works exploitative, sensationalistic, and occasionally downright creepy in the way the perpetrators are treated. This book came highly recommended, though, and the praise it has received is justified. McNamara's writing is compelling without being excessive, and she is deeply respectful of the victims and their families.
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