The Institute by Stephen King

First Line: Half an hour after Tim Jamieson's Delta flight was scheduled to leave Tampa for the bright lights and tall buildings of New York, it was still parked at the gate.

In the middle of the night on a quiet street in Minneapolis, a house is silently broken into. Inside, Luke Ellis's parents are slaughtered and he is drugged and loaded into the back of a black SUV. When he wakes up, he's in the Institute, in a room that looks like his room but isn't. When Luke opens the door, he finds other kids with special talents-- telekinesis and telepathy-- who got to the Institute the same way he did. These kids are in the Front Half. Other kids have graduated to the Back Half, the Institute's version of the Hotel California: these kids can check out... but they will never leave.

The director and staff of the Institute are dedicated to extracting from these children the force of their extraordinary gifts. No compassion. No scruples. If you do what they say, you get tokens for the vending machines. If you don't, punishment is swift and brutal. No one has ever escaped from the Institute, but as his friends begin disappearing into the Back Half, Luke is determined to get out and get help.

In any reading of the synopsis of The Institute, it should be clear that the torture of children figures highly in the story. If this is something you simply cannot read about, do not pick up this book. I've always seemed to have a higher tolerance level for some things and having read many Stephen King novels, I knew that the payback for the perpetrators would be extremely satisfying. King takes time in setting up his story, laying out plots and subplots, populating his landscape with memorable characters, and using pop culture references like spaghetti Westerns, Dr. Seuss, and Reese's peanut butter cups to make us feel as though we're part of the story, too.

Those who have read The Institute will know what I'm talking about when I mention the humming that can be felt with increasing frequency. I experienced my own hum... more of a visceral thrum of anger... as it became more and more clear what was being done to these children. King made me want to take part in his payback, oh did he ever!

King has written before about the amazing power of what children can do together as a group, and as I neared the climax of The Institute, I realized once more that there's nothing better than the end of a Stephen King novel when the Forces of Good finally have their act together and have taken aim at the Forces of Evil. Payback can be a wonderful thing in the hands of a master.

The Institute by Stephen King

eISBN: 9781982110598

Scribner © 2019

eBook, 576 pages

Standalone Thriller

Rating: A+

Source: Purchased from Amazon.


 

Macramé Murder by Mollie Cox Bryan

First Line: The bride resembled a mermaid princess in her sparkling white-blue outfit.

Cora Chevalier and her cohorts have taken a break from their own crafting business to teach classes at the Sea Glass Island Craft Retreat in South Carolina. Cora's boyfriend Adrian has also come along, and when she isn't teaching or participating in other crafting classes, she's hoping this time with Adrian will help strengthen their relationship. 

When they arrive, Cora and Adrian encounter a stunning beach wedding and blissful newlyweds, but the next day the bride is found dead, and Cora is in shock-- even more so when Adrian is a suspect in the woman's murder. With locals believing Adrian is the killer, there's only one thing Cora can do-- find the real murderer herself.

I continue to enjoy this mystery series with its emphasis on crafts and murder. Cora is the type of character I really like (even though she suffered from a few too many panic attacks in this book)-- she's smart and compassionate, and the years she spent being in charge of a shelter for abused women gives her a different perspective on the human race. Her former career also taught her not to behave as though she's a trained police officer. Cora is primarily a businesswoman who hires teachers for her craft retreats; she isn't the Martha Stewart type who can run any sort of class she puts her mind to, so I was puzzled when I learned that she was teaching at this South Carolina retreat. When I found out what her class was all about, it made perfect sense-- and I'll let you find out what it was for yourself.

I was happy to see that Cora and her friends were in South Carolina. This avoids the old Cabot Cove Syndrome nicely, and-- let's face it-- if you found out people kept getting bumped off at a craft retreat you were thinking of going to... would you go? Probably not, unless you believe yourself to be Miss Marple reincarnated.

I enjoy the craft retreat setting and the characters, and I also enjoy trying to solve the mysteries. The mystery in Macramé Murder is complex, and I didn't have it all figured out before the reveal, which is always a good thing. Speaking of "good things" (didn't Martha Stewart used to do that?), that sums up Mollie Cox Bryan's cozy series perfectly, and I hope you give it a try.
 

Macramé Murder by Mollie Cox Bryan

eISBN: 9781496704696

Kensington Books © 2017

eBook, 352 pages

Cozy Mystery, #3 Cora Crafts mystery

Rating: B+

Source: Net Galley

Lowcountry Boil by Susan M. Boyer

First Line: The dead are patient.

When her beloved grandmother is killed and Liz Talbot inherits her estate, the thirtysomething private investigator moves back to Stella Maris, an island off the South Carolina coast. Her grandmother's death is considered to be an accident and her brother the sheriff tells her to let it be, but Liz has no intentions of doing so. With her Golden Retriever, Rhett, riding shotgun, she reopens the case and discovers that her life-- as well as the lives of others-- rests on her ability to find a killer.

Used to be, I'd never read any of the prefaces, introductions, or acknowledgements at the beginning of the books I read; I'd skip straight to chapter one and dive in. I've since learned that it's a good idea to read those things, but I still have one holdout: casts of characters. It's my opinion that if the characters aren't written well enough to differentiate themselves in my mind, no amount of flipping back to that cast list is going to help matters. Does Lowcountry Boil have a cast of characters? Yes, it does. The good news is that all the characters are well-written and did not jumble themselves into a Gordian knot as I read the book.

Liz Talbot is smart, funny, and brave. I liked her style as she went out to investigate her grandmother's death. The only thing that drove me nuts was her constant use of hand sanitizer. It was mentioned so often that whenever Liz touched something and did not whip out the sanitizer, I thought something was wrong. That little detail kept pulling me out of the story, and I hope it's used much less in subsequent books in the series because I do intend to read them.

The ghostly presence of her childhood friend, Colleen, was well- (not over-) done, and I liked the idea that Colleen could actually have an effect on the events around her. Moreover, Boyer's sense of humor comes to play with characters like Liz's mother, who believes that life's little problems can be put to rights with a bit of lipstick.

The South Carolina setting is superb. The author's descriptions are vivid, and I didn't realize how claustrophobic the island was until Liz drove to Charleston. That takes skill, and I look forward to more stories set in this locale.

If the book has a weakness, it is the plot. The reason for all the deaths seems almost commonplace to any true crime fiction fan, and the plot never had the edge, the sense of urgency, it needed to transform it into a true page-turner. Be that as it may, there's still an awful lot to like about Lowcountry Boil. Susan Boyer has hit the jackpot with her characters and her setting, and I'm looking forward to seeing what sort of trouble Liz Talbot gets herself into next.
 

Lowcountry Boil by Susan M. Boyer

eISBN: 9781938383052

Henery Press © 2012

eBook, 344 pages

Private Investigator, #1 Liz Talbot mystery

Rating: B

Source: Purchased through Amazon for my Kindle.

Sweet Tea Revenge by Laura Childs

First Line: Rain slashed against stained-glass windows and thunder shook the rafters as Theodosia Browning hurried up the back staircase of Ravencrest Inn.

Charleston, South Carolina, tea shop owner Theodosia Browning is late to her friend Delaine Dish's wedding, but that turns out not to be a problem. You see, the groom is stone cold dead in his room at the wedding venue, the Ravencrest Inn. A killer has crashed Delaine's nuptials before the "Wedding March" ever had a chance to start. Now Theodosia has to sort the suspects (Bride or Groom?) in an attempt to find the killer before the killer plans a reception for her.

I began reading Laura Childs' Tea Shop mysteries when she first began writing them. I loved the Charleston setting and the quirky, edgy characters were fun. Unfortunately that was several books ago in this--so far-- fourteen-book series. When I dove headfirst into this latest book, Charleston was as I remembered it, but the delightful characters seem to have lost a bit of their edge, and the mystery was rather perfunctory.

I think one of the things that surprised me most was the fact that one of the shallowest characters in this series-- Delaine Dish-- has graduated to being one of Theodosia's "dear friends." For me, Delaine is much too unlikable to focus a mystery upon. Frankly, my dear, I don't much care how upset she gets or which poor soul she's led into marriage. (Bless my heart, aren't I the cold-hearted reader!)

Theodosia has a new beau, Max, and she's evidently devoted to him, but he's scarcely seen or heard throughout the entire book. In fact, I'm wondering if-- with the inclusion of a new man showing lots of interest in the main character-- if Theodosia might have a few man troubles in a future book? That might certainly spice things up!

Besides the fact that the book is focused on a very shallow character, the mystery seems a bit thin on the ground, with fewer than normal twists, turns, and red herrings. Sweet Tea Revenge is a light, quick, enjoyable read, but it doesn't quite stand up with the earlier books in the series. It will be interesting to see what happens next.

Sweet Tea Revenge by Laura Childs

ISBN: 9780425252888

Berkley Prime Crime © 2013

Hardcover, 336 pages

Cozy Mystery, #14 Tea Shop Mystery

Rating: B-

Source: the author 

Farm Fresh Murder by Paige Shelton

First Line:"What?" I yelled into my cell phone.

When Becca Robins' aunt and uncle were killed in a car accident, her twin sister Allison inherited enough money to pay off her college loans and save some for her children's educations, and Becca inherited the couple's farm. Allison manages Bailey's Farmers' Market in rural South Carolina, and the morning she calls her sister in a panic, Becca has to stop working on her latest batch of jam to head straight over there.

Becca is well acquainted with Bailey's since she makes a living selling her jams and preserves there. When she arrives, she discovers that one of the new vendors, Matt Simonsen, has been murdered. The prime suspect? "Old, bald, and cranky" Abner Justen, seller of extraordinary wildflowers and the man who treats Becca like a daughter. Things are looking bad for Abner-- who's disappeared-- and Becca is determined to call a halt to her jam making until she's found the clues that will lead to the real killer.

This first book in the Farmers' Market series introduces us to homegrown and handmade treasures, a murder that involves unlocking many past secrets, and a cast of very interesting characters. If you're the type of reader who doesn't care for southern vernacular speech, you're not going to find it here. One of the few things that I didn't particularly care for was the fact that the book didn't really feel as though it was set in South Carolina, and I don't mean to infer that a writer needs to have all the characters spouting "y'all" in every sentence. The rural and small town atmosphere, however, is done very well. The mystery is also a good one. I unraveled several clues, did my own deduction, but I still hadn't figured it all out.

As with most cozy mysteries, it was the cast of characters that drew most of my attention. Becca is the most interesting, not just because she is the main character, but because she's flawed. She tends to be very focused and self-centered, and as a result, she's really only socialized with her co-workers at the farmers' market itself. She doesn't know where most of her friends live, and she's only ever invited them to her own home if she's needed help with her work. I liked watching her learn a few uncomfortable truths about herself during the course of her investigation, and I look forward to seeing if she's really learned her lesson. I also liked the character of cranky old Abner as well as another stall owner named Jeanine, who "didn't make a habit of being friendly, but she wasn't rude." Naturally Becca was the character in the spotlight throughout Farm Fresh Murder, and I'm looking forward to seeing the other characters Shelton created being developed more fully in subsequent books.

The farmers' market is a winning setting. Combine that with a keen eye for a mystery and a cast of characters you want to get to know better, and I know I'll be wandering through Bailey's Farmers' Market again in the future.

Farm Fresh Murder by Paige Shelton

ISBN: 9780425233870

Berkley Prime Crime © 2010

Mass Market Paperback, 304 pages

Cozy Mystery, #1 Farmer's Market mystery

Rating: B

Source: Paperback Swap

Bloodline by James Rollins

First Line: They once called her a witch and a whore.

Author James Rollins brings us the eighth adventure of Sigma Force, an elite covert arm of the Defense Department composed of former Special Forces officers who've been trained as experts in various scientific fields.

Once again that fascinating organization of old, the Knights Templar, provide background for a novel. Of the nine original members of the Templars, only one is not known by name-- and that is the member Rollins weaves his story around. In the eleventh century, this Knight Templar uncovers the Bachal Isu-- the staff of Jesus Christ-- deep within an ancient citadel. This priceless object contains a power capable of changing humankind forever.

One thousand years later, Somali pirates kidnap a young pregnant American woman. Gray Pierce of Sigma Force is enlisted for a covert rescue mission because the young woman is not your average rich tourist: she is Amanda Gant-Bennett, the daughter of the President of the United States. For this mission, the help of two new operatives is enlisted because of their special talents. On board for this rescue are former Army Ranger Captain Tucker Wayne and his military war dog, Kane.

What soon becomes clear is that the kidnapping of the President's daughter masks a much larger and more complex plot. Gray and his fellow Sigma Force operatives are facing a shadowy group which has been manipulating events throughout history... and now they have plans for the presidency.

If you feel the need to devour an occasional high-octane thriller that contains large doses of cutting edge medicine, genetics and technology, you're going to love this book. If you like the occasional read about power-mad thugs who believe they are entitled to carry out any insane scheme they can concoct because you love to grind your teeth and feel your blood pressure spike, this is the book for you. If you have obtained enjoyment from people not following the old actors' adage to never work with children and animals because they always steal the show, you're going to love Kane the war dog. (He's an absolute treasure.) If you like a bit of comic relief, then Kowalski's your man.

Were there any huge surprises in the plot for me? No, unless you count the fact that these characters are much more developed than the characters in most thrillers. Did I feel as though I were missing something by joining this eight-book series with the most recent adventure? Not at all. This book hit the ground running and the action never let up. I will admit that I'd like to check into previous books in the series because I enjoyed some of the characters so much and would like to know more about their backstories.

Was the plot always plausible? No, but-- if you really think about it-- isn't that part of the fun with thrillers like this? Lots of action, lots of things blowing up, you get to root for the Good Guys and hate the Bad Guys, and you even get to learn a few things along the way. Result: a good time was had by all... at least in this house!

Bloodline by James Rollins

ISBN: 9780061784798

William Morrow and Company  ©2012

Hardcover, 464 pages

Genre: Thriller, #8 in the Sigma Force series

Rating: A

Source: Publisher

Wicked Weaves by Joyce and Jim Lavene

Title: Wicked Weaves, A Renaissance Faire Mystery
Author: Joyce and Jim Lavene
ISBN: 9780425223307
Publisher: Berkley Prime Crime, 2008
Mass Market Paperback, 272 pages
Genre: Cozy, Amateur Sleuth, #1 Renaissance Faire mystery
Rating: B-
Source: Paperback Swap

First Line: "We believe he is dead, faithful squire," Queen Olivia pronounced in grand, dramatic fashion.

Assistant professor Jessie Morton spends every summer at the Renaissance Faire Village in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, learning centuries-old crafts and working towards her Ph.D. This summer she's working with master basket weaver, Mary Shift, a woman whose secrets are as well hidden as her talent is amazing. When Mary's estranged husband is found in the village, murdered in broad daylight, suspicion falls upon Mary and shows no signs of shifting. Jessie, however, is convinced that the woman is innocent and is determined to find the real killer.

The setting of this book is marvelous. The Renaissance Faire Village is on an old airfield, and everyone lives by rather arcane rules and regulations. (For crying out loud, don't let Robin Hood and his Merry Men know that you just bought a new toaster oven!) With all the disparate types of people living and working there, it's Gossip Central and reminds me more than a little of a fictional New England village called Peyton Place. I also liked the misdirection in the plot that kept me from realizing the identity of the killer, and although I questioned having a basket shop in a Renaissance village that features Gullah baskets, I really appreciated learning a bit about both that style of basket weaving and the customs of the Gullah people.

I think what is going to make or break this book for readers is their opinion of the main character, Jessie Morton. I found her alternately irritating and endearing. She often bemoans the fact that she's got a shiftless twin brother who can't-- or won't-- hold down a job and is constantly trying to borrow money from her, but her brother isn't the only one who hasn't really grown up.

Jessie's love life occurs only in the summer when she's working at the Renaissance Faire Village, and as I read further and further I began to wonder if there was a male left in the village that she hadn't bedded. Of course there was: the bailiff as a matter of fact, smart and handsome Chase Manhattan. (All the characters in the book were used to the name and had stopped snickering.)

Although Jessie has to be around the age of thirty, she just plain doesn't act like it. When it looks as though Mary is going to be arrested for murdering her husband, Jessie lies and gives Mary an alibi-- then becomes upset when Mary doesn't thank her profusely. This isn't the only time she does this. Jessie is also the sort of sleuth who decides she doesn't like someone and then tries to pin the crime on that person. Since she tends to be a bit emotional, she can have a new suspect every thirty minutes or so. Yes, Jessie can have you talking to yourself, but she has real potential.

Now that the scene is set and Jessie is well and truly introduced, I'm looking forward to seeing what other crimes and misdemeanors occur in this very original-- and entertaining-- setting.

Virals by Kathy Reichs

Title: Virals
Author: Kathy Reichs
ISBN: 9781595143426
Publisher: Razorbill, 2010
Hardcover, 464 pages
Genre: Young Adult
Rating: A
Source: Paperback Swap

First Line: A gunshot is the loudest sound in the universe.

Tory Brennan is the niece of forensic anthropologist Temperance Brennan (of the Bones novels and hit television series). She's an admitted technology addict and "sci-phile" who loves the excavation tools and other technical gifts her aunt gives her. She and her friends live on a remote island off the coast of Charleston, South Carolina, and hang out in an old Civil War bunker.

Tory is fond of a small pack of wolf dogs who roam a nearby island, and when she discovers that one of the pups has been caught and is being used for medical testing, she and her friends rescue the canine, not knowing that it carries a contagious new strain of parvovirus. At roughly the same time on the same island, Tory finds a dog tag that sparks her curiosity. As she tries to find out more about the person who wore the tag, she and her friends unearth a skeleton. Things-- and their health-- begin to get seriously weird.

Reichs had me feeling as though I'd crash-landed in a bunch of teenagers that I'd have a blast with-- basically because I'm interested in the same things and had the same "fun" with the popular kids in my own high school. The chapters are short, move quickly, and pack a punch. Even though I'd deduced the identity of one of the villains, I didn't care, because the mystery involving the dog tag and skeleton held my interest so tightly. (The setting was superb as well.)

With Tory and her friends learning how to deal with the aftereffects of this strain of parvovirus, I'm really looking forward to the next book in this series.

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The House on Tradd Street by Karen White

Title: The House on Tradd Street
Author: Karen White
ISBN: 9780451225092, New American Library, 2008
Genre: Romantic Suspense
Rating: C+

First Line: Pewter reflections of scarlet hibiscus colored the dirt-smudged windows of the old house, like happy memories of youth trapped inside the shell of an old man.

Realtor Melanie Middleton hates old houses. She also specializes in them in her business, which may make you raise an eyebrow. In an ironic twist of fate, Melanie meets an old man who dies days later and leaves her his historic Tradd Street home in Charleston. Melanie does everything in her power to avoid accepting the house, but she fails. Now she faces renovating and living in a wreck for several months, so it's a good thing that two men named Jack and Marc enter her life to take her mind off sawdust and electricians.

I absolutely loved the Charleston, South Carolina, setting of this book as well as the description and renovation of the old house Melanie inherited. Where the book fell flat for me was in the romantic leading men, Jack and Marc. It was all too easy to spot which was the charming rogue Melanie should fall for and which was The Bad Guy. It pains me to say that Melanie reacted to both in very predictable ways as well.

In the sense of place, having a fascinating house with a few resident ghosts, and an interesting central character, The House on Tradd Street was a winner for me. When it came to matters of the heart, it just didn't cut the mustard. However, if romantic suspense is your genre, this may be your perfect cup of tea.

[Source: Book Depository.]

South of Broad by Pat Conroy

Title: South of Broad
Author: Pat Conroy
ISBN: 9780385413053, Doubleday, 2009
Genre: Fiction
Rating: A

First Line: It was my father who called the city the Mansion on the River.

It is said that Pat Conroy has a remarkable command of the language of the heart. For me over the years, this has been very true. Where some may see sentimentality, melodrama, and florid prose, I have always seen the mists of memory and the abiding power of friendship to transform and to strengthen. Beauty is always in the eye of the beholder.

When I learned that, at long last, a new Conroy novel was about to be published, I was happy. When I discovered that the title of the novel was South of Broad I think my smile stretched from ear to ear. To me, "south of Broad" can only mean Charleston, South Carolina, and it is in the beautiful city of Charleston that Conroy places his disparate band of friends.

In 1969, Leo "Toad" King was about to embark on his final year of high school. It's never been particularly easy for Toad. When he was a child, he found the body of his beloved older brother Steve in a blood-filled bathtub-- a suicide. No one knew what on earth could've made this golden teenager take his own life, and in his horror and denial Leo rapidly became a misfit. It is remarkable that, in this final year of high school, he is able to become a part of a very interesting mix of friends: Ike Jefferson, the son of the first black high school football coach in Charleston; two orphans Niles and Starla Whitehead; Molly, Chad and Fraser, members of Charleston aristocracy; and the twins Sheba and Trevor Poe who, along with their alcoholic mother, are on the run from their psychotic father.

The story alternates between these friends' senior year in 1969 and 1989 when Sheba-- now a Hollywood star-- comes back to Charleston to ask her friends to help her find her HIV-positive brother in AIDS ravaged San Francisco. Conroy touches upon some major themes in South of Broad: racism, homosexuality, classism, and religion. Most of all the book is a love letter to Charleston and to the power of friendship.

Leo usually speaks in rather awed tones of his friends. No matter how old he becomes, he will always be "Toad", always the misfit, always the one who doesn't quite measure up to the glamor, style and success of his friends, no matter how nice he genuinely is or how hard he tries. He speaks to all those who have ever felt themselves to be outsiders.

If there is any part of this novel that I had a problem with, it was the plot element concerning Sheba and Trevor's psychotic father. This character was a one-dimensional bogey man that I had a difficult time believing. For the most part, I was carried away on the tide of Leo's memories and of my own of a magical day I spent wandering the streets of Charleston four months before Hurricane Hugo hit. Conroy made me remember a very special city, and he made me remember and give thanks that there are people in the world who truly know how to be friends.

*Review copy provided by Random House through Shelf Awareness.