Road Trip by Mary Kay Andrews

Publishers Weekly called the latest novel, ROAD TRIP, by Mary Kay Andrews “perfect for the beach bag” and it is a light read, with a combination of historical fiction, mystery, and romance. Two adult (thirty-something) sisters, practical professor Maeve and carefree struggling actress Therese, are brought together by their mother’s recent death and her squandering of funds on a televangelist. She wanted them to repair their relationship with a trip to Ireland and they travel, hoping to establish provenance for a family painting and thereby secure an inheritance. At first, the sisters are not very likeable characters, but the trip gradually transform them. Plus, Andrews weaves in the story of Kathleen Connor, who emigrated to America in 1926 and of an IRA heist in the mid-1970s with the present-day quest. At the end, the sisters learn to admire and emulate “all the gutsy, ballsy women in our family who’ve picked up the pieces and kept going.”

Booked for Murder by P. J. Nelson

BOOKED FOR MURDER by P. J. Nelson is a LibraryReads selection for December 2024 and received a starred review from Library Journal. This murder mystery is entertaining but a little disjointed, including multiple fires, a stabbing, threatening phone calls, and accusations of drug dealing. The main character is Madeline Brimley who has just inherited a Victorian house and bookstore in Enigma, GA, the small town where she grew up but left for the lights of New York almost twenty years ago. As noted, there are several traumatic events, and Madeline also struggles with reconciling her memories with the changes that have occurred. For example, she keeps repeating how she doesn’t have faith in the local cops (just because she used to babysit the policeman?). Instead, she relies on support from her aunt’s dearest friend, Dr. Philomena Waldrop, and Enigma's new Episcopal priest, Gloria Coleman, in order to investigate the murder. Taking unnecessary risks, Madeline confronts more than one suspect, but, of course, her efforts soon point to the killer … or do they?

The Fabled Earth by Kimberly Brock

THE FABLED EARTH by Kimberly Brock is a work of historical fiction set on Cumberland Island off the coast of Southern Georgia. Events in the story take place in two time periods: 1932 when a young debutante (Joanna Burton), an aspiring artist (wonderfully named Cleo Woodbine), and wealthy young men are staying at a Carnegie family retreat named Plum Orchard. One evening, too much alcohol and scary storytelling results in death and transformed lives. The other time period is 1959 amidst the struggle for civil rights and integration. Cleo, now older and reclusive, still lives near the island and is visited by Joanna’s daughter, Frances Flood, a folklorist, who forms a friendship with young Audrey Howell, newly widowed and running the local inn. History still resonates, and tensions exist between local families, including questions of class and race. Attraction and romance simmers, too, for all three women, as Brock includes a former railroad man (Tate Walker), a ghost tour guide (Rosey Devane) and an activist with native American roots (Will Tremmons). The publisher describes the book by saying, “Southern mythology and personal reckoning collide in this sweeping story…” – for me, the start was almost too slow (languid, like our stereotypes of the rural South), but I came to appreciate the haunting atmosphere and to care for the varied characters; plus, the audio book is fantastic.

The AUDIO BOOK is narrated by Cassandra Campbell who is a personal favorite and she did another excellent job with this story; evoking Southern drawls and a sense of place, time, and even social class. I highly recommend the audio book version.

What You Leave Behind by Wanda M. Morris

WHAT YOU LEAVE BEHIND by Wanda M. Morris (Anywhere You Run) centers on Deena Woods, a 39 year-old who recently lost her mother, her lawyering career, and her marriage. She is back in her hometown of Brunswick, Georgia and underemployed when she comes across some disturbing questions about local real estate transactions. Like her earlier novel, Morris explores systemic racism in an objective and powerful way. Deena is in danger, but gradually puts herself in a position where she can be a strong activist and have an impact.  WHAT YOU LEAVE BEHIND received a starred review from Booklist (“Not to be missed”), was a LibraryReads selection for June, and was recommended as one of “5 mystery novels for late-summer reading” by The Washington Post. Readers are sure to learn from and to enjoy this diverting read.

Disillusioned by Benjamin Herold

Described as “a powerful account of the intersection of race, housing, education, and injustice in America,” DISILLUSIONED by Benjamin Herold is the product of four years of thoughtful research and writing. Herold is a prolific journalist with a master’s degree in urban education and he brings that expertise to a study of five families, the suburbs where they live, and their schools. They are geographically and, to some extent, culturally, diverse:  the Becker family from Lucas, Texas, Robinsons from Gwinnett, Georgia, Adesina family from Evanston, Illinois, Smiths from Penn Hills, Pennsylvania, and Hernandez family from Compton, California. However, Herold points to commonalities: the history of “white flight” and “red-lining” discrimination; the dreams and pursuit of a better life; and the more recent reality of high taxes and fragile infrastructures, with a special emphasis on school districts. He skillfully employs personal anecdotes as well as surprising statistics. For example, he notes that for suburbs “white people went from 79% of the population in 1990 to just 55% three decades later.” Those demographic shifts are also outlined in a 2022 report from The Brookings Institution. DISILLUSIONED received a starred review from Kirkus (“ambitious narrative about the simmering inequities in American suburbs”) and this title appeared on The Washington Post’s list of “10 noteworthy books for January.” Herold’s own essay in Kappan Online provides an overview. Interested readers may also wish to turn to Dream Town by Laura Meckler, The Injustice of Place, or even Our Hidden Conversations by Michele Norris.