I’ve noticed that a great many mystery novels whether they are amateur detective, domestic fiction, or center on a police detective seem to delve into unresolved issues which the main character is forced to deal with throughout the book and sometimes throughout the series. These books are very personal journeys that the character must take to resolve grief or childhood trauma. Paula McLain’s (“When the Stars Go Dark”) latest very much falls into that category as does Liz Moore’s “Long Bright River” which came out in 2020. While the main character in” Long Bright River” is a police officer, her journey deals with her own family drama, addiction, and ultimately social problems and the failure of the police.
Reading right now:
I was happy to get to read the recent new books by David Baldacci and John Sandford, both long standing authors which I depend on for fun, exciting reads with characters that I know and love. After finishing those, I decided I wanted something new and found Paula McLain’s latest stand-alone “When the Stars Go Dark.” This book takes us on a journey to recovery from trauma and grief with Detective Anna Hart who has worked for many years in San Francisco on missing persons cases. When tragedy strikes in her personal life, she flees back to where she grew up only to get involved in the case of a missing teenage girl. Going home brings back difficult memories for Anna who now finds herself dealing with her grief, the terror surrounding the missing person case, and the ghosts of her past.
May Cobb’s “The Hunting
Wives” centers around a clique of wives whose socialite status allows them time
to play dangerous games. When a teenage girl dies in the woods close to where
they gather, the latest member to the group finds her life has become dangerous
and full of secrets.
Karen Slaughter’s latest stand-alone is “False Witness.” Two
decades ago, two sisters did something terrible which resulted in violence and
a life of secrets. Now someone comes forward who knows the truth and could tear
their world apart.
Tess Gerritsen’s latest is a stand-alone written with Gary Braver
(called “Choose Me”). While Taryn Moore’s death looks like a suicide, Detective
Frankie Loomis suspects that there is more to the story including a possible
affair with her English professor. Did her secrets make her a target for
murder?
Other Mysterious Things:
The books mentioned above revolve
around secrets: childhood secrets, secret desires, secret affairs, and so on. Often
involving things that were done to the characters as children that are too
shameful to even remember or things that were done to others that could destroy
their lives. These books are often heartbreaking and frustrating and leave us
questioning the very nature of human existence. After reading too many of these
books we are driven to read a cozy!
