Joyce's Choices

BY JOYCE B. WILCOX SLEUTH N SIZZLE

If you’re looking for a beach read to hold your interest as you sunbathe in Canadian Lakes, look no further. Joyce’s Choices will transport you in two directions: romance to thriller. You’ll discover the romantic beaches of Cape Cod, Key West, and yes, even Lake Superior with traditional, literary, and contemporary romance novels. Naturally, to balance the reading interest, there are also a suspense thriller and legal thriller waiting to captivate you. Your choice of book to devour, of course, but Joyce’s Choices recommends a sample platter.

Out of the Clear Blue Sky

by Kristan Higgins

I can’t begin to tell you how appropriate the title of Kristan Higgins’s book was for me when I stumbled upon this find out of the clear blue sky. My husband and I were out antiquing this summer when we wandered into Horizon books, a fabulous little bookstore in Cadillac, and this book jumped off the shelf and into my heart. Upon reading the first few pages, I was instantly smitten with the author’s wit, whimsy, and her way with words. Needless to say, Higgins is now on my-must-readauthor-list and I will be investigating her previously written twenty novels.

The novel begins after Lillie and Brad have shared about twenty years of marriage, raised their son together, and are about to become empty nesters. This major life change would be enough to carry the plot along, but rather abruptly Brad reveals that there’s a new love in his life and he files for divorce. The premise of Out of the Clear Blue Sky is predictable and quite simple; how the protagonist handles the situation with all of the bizarre problems is unexpectedly hilarious and heartwarming. Rather than have Lillie suffering through her sorrows, the author permits her to find humor and hope in her heartbreak. Time and again the reader is deftly transported in Lillie’s shoes as she strives to overcome each obstacle and remain hopeful. Higgins’s Cape Cod community is the ideal setting for this summer beach read brimming with just the right amount of surprises, stumbling blocks, and silliness.

What follows are the first two sentences of Out of the Clear Blue Sky which instantly persuaded me to read the rest of the book: “Six months ago, if you had asked me what I thought I’d be doing today, the answer would not have been transporting a drugged skunk to the house where my soon-to-be exhusband lived with his much-younger fiancée. Yet here I was.”

South of Superior by Ellen Airgood Horizon Books, the same fabulous little Cadillac bookstore where I discovered Kristan Higgins’s Out of the Clear Blue Sky, also revealed this little beach read gem, South of Superior. Ellen Airgood is a novice novelist with a remarkable talent for blending the best ingredients of two genres of fiction: romance and literary. True to their forms, the end result is that her book is both plot driven and character driven, making it a well-paced, heartfelt read. If you’re looking for that small town cozy read that’s set in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula and is filled with embraceable characters with interesting intersecting lives, then South of Superior was written just for you.

As a thirty-three year old waitress, Madeline Stone finds herself engaged, but still struggling with her identity, her past, and with her projected future as the wife of a professor at Northwestern University. Raised on the other side of the tracks, Madeline hasn’t lived a life of luxury like her fiancée and she has second thoughts about their marriage. When the opportunity arises for her to travel five hundred miles north to help an aging family friend in the small town of McAllaster in Michigan’s UP, she does the unthinkable. She breaks her engagement, quits her job, packs up, and moves north. As Madeline uncovers her family history and also reveals secrets about the town and its residents, she discovers a new understanding of who she is and what’s important in her life. Madeline also discovers love, second chances, and an opportunity to feel like she belongs; readers discover that they love this small town and its quirky residents with big hearts.

No Words by Meg Cabot

If you’re a fellow book lover like me, can you think of a better recipe for a beach read than a contemporary romance novel set on sunny Little Bridge Island in the Florida Keys during their first ever book festival? From the music emitting from beachside hideaways to fruity nightclub cocktails complete with tiny umbrellas, there’s sensory overload. Did I mention that there were romantic cruises on a catamaran and sunset celebrations overlooking the Gulf of Mexico? Dinner plates and wine glasses overflow; books and authors abound; and love and laughter are in the air.

After having penned twenty-six novels in her young-adult series, Jo Wright is suffering from writer’s block. As her agent hounds her for the next book, an invitation to speak at a book festival in Florida arrives so Jo naturally accepts the opportunity to re-energize her creativity. She’s looking forward to the mixing and mingling, as well as the generous stipend she’ll be receiving. Of course there’s a delightful assortment of eccentric characters to liven up her stay and cause additional mishaps. Unbeknownst to Jo, her writing nemesis, Will Price, is not only going to be in attendance, he’s also helping to host and fund the event. Paths will cross and sparks will fly. Why has she been invited and what is he up to? What secrets from their pasts will be revealed? Will there be close encounters of the worst kind or fireworks of the heart? No words except No Words by Meg Cabot can answer these questions.

Righteous Prey by John Sanford

From the first few pages to the very last chapter of Righteous Prey, you’ll be spellbound. Five Bitcoin billionaires, unknown to each other or the authorities, are linked through a sixth techno-savvy party and they form a secret group of vigilante killers known as The Five. Their purpose is to kill the very worst of society, leak the news of their kills, and donate untraceable sums of Bitcoin to charities in order to offset their crimes. The vicious actions of The Five gradually unfold from California to New York and states in between. As bodies are discovered, press releases of the murders are broadcast and the federal, state, and local authorities are in a coordinated pursuit. This is a fast-paced and truly addictive book with surprises around every corner.

For those of you who were already John Sanford fans, Righteous Prey also contains a special treat. Sanford reprised the partnership of the dynamic duo team of Lucas Davenport, U.S. Marshall and Virgil Flowers, an agent with the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension. The author’s gifts for developing strong, fascinating characters, as well as his ability to create authentic dialogue are largely due to his many years as a journalist earlier in his career. His quest for obtaining the facts as a reporter in real life has led to believable, intriguing, well-developed plots in his thriller-mysteries. It’s still a mystery to me as to how I hadn’t picked up a John Sanford novel until this year, especially since the man has been a best-selling author and written over fifty books. But this is a page-turning oversite about to be corrected as I’ve already started my next Sanford novel.

The Judge’s List by John Grisham

My previous reviews of John Grisham’s novels have taken you onto the basketball court with Sooley and across the football field with Playing for Pizza With an author known for legal thrillers, I thought it was time to take you back into the courtroom.

The Judge’s List showcases Grisham’s understanding of the potentially good, bad, and horrific elements possible in our legal system. He also keeps you on the edge of your reading chair throughout the novel.

Lacy Stoltz has been a brilliant investigator, capable of delving deep into the private lives of lawyers and judges in order to uncover any possible misdeeds involving bribes or corruption. Her line of work is extremely dangerous and she’s ready for a change when the leads in a cold murder case emerge. Stoltz is hired by the mysterious daughter of a murder victim killed twenty years ago with links to clues of multiple other murders. All indications are that the killer is versed in forensics, police procedure, and the law. Stoltz is forced to tiptoe around the courtrooms when she discovers that her primary suspect is a well-respected judge of many years. The killer is brutal, savvy, and relentless. Lacy Stoltz is brilliant, patient, and relentless. Will she be able to stop the judge’s list from growing? Will her name be added to the list? Only time and Grisham will tell, because I certainly won’t. Grisham has once again proven that he remains a remarkable read and The Judge’s List should be added to your reading list.

What are the rules?