Love May Fail by Matthew Quick
An interesting redemption tale told from multiple perspectives, Love May Fail manages to tie up all the loose ends before the final page, and that is saying something. The opening pages had me howling with laughter, as Portia Kane hides drunkenly in the closet of her own bedroom so she can catch her philandering husband, Ken, in flagrante and shoot him. (spoiler—she doesn’t) She is having a personal crisis and if I hadn’t known the author was a man, I would have sworn it was a woman, so accurate was his writing about a woman’s thoughts, hopes, fears, and issues. The plot is pretty complex, but revolves around the redemption of Portia’s high school English teacher, Nathan Vernon, who quit teaching and withdrew from life in general after being attacked by a student in his classroom. Quick nails this part, too. Mr. Vernon’s meandering thoughts about the futility of teaching, the thanklessness of students and the hopelessness of the whole enterprise are spot on. Through a series of coincidences, or fate, or the hand of God, whichever you prefer, Portia and Mr. Vernon are brought together, but that part of the story is just the beginning. Portia also finds true love with someone from her own home town and makes peace with her hoarder mother. If it sounds convoluted, it is, but it is worth every twist and turn. Love May Fail will make you laugh; it will make you cry; it will make you think—the three best things a book can do. Join Portia and the gang on the quest to save Mr. Vernon. You may just save yourself while you’re at it.
In a Dark Dark Wood by Ruth Ware
This starts off a little slow, but once you get sucked in, and you probably will, it is a fun mystery read for people who like to figure out whodunnit. An experienced mystery reader will not be surprised, but it is a whole lot of fun getting to the end. Leonora is invited to a hen weekend (bachelorette party for those of us state side) by Clare, her best friend from childhood, whom she has not seen for ten years. They had a falling out, which is revealed slowly as the plot unfolds. The assorted guests are an odd mix and Leonora wonders why she was invited and why she chose to come, but stays anyway. The party takes place in a glass house (yes, it is really a house made of glass) in , you guessed it, the dark dark woods in the north of England. Flo is Clare’s current bestie, and she is a little off from the beginning—too eager to please and extremely needy. Tom, the requisite gay friend, is pretty flat as characters go, but he is the most normal of the hen night guests. On the last night of the house party, something goes horribly wrong. I don’t want to spoil it, but the whole thing is slightly reminiscent of Agatha Christie, without the clever and entertaining Hercule Poirot or Miss Marple to figure out what happened. it is fun and fairly gripping, but there are some plot problems, such as why Leonora would even go to this party in the first place and why it takes her so long to figure out what happened—she is supposed to be a smart crime writer after all. Light fair for the plane or a weekend at home; nothing that will cause you to think too hard, but we all need a bit of fluff now and then, and this is pretty decent fluff compared to other options for mystery lovers.
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