NEXT OF KIN (Joanna Trollope)

Death and all of its accoutrements are the stars of this novel, which reminded me of a rainy day with occasional breaks of sunshine.  Not everyone dislikes gray, damp days, though, as long as they don't go on forever.  The funeral of Caro Meredith, American wife of Robin and mother of Judy, sets the tone for the mood of "Next of Kin."  Caro was an American, married to dairy farmer Robin for more than a quarter of a century when a brain tumor claimed her life.  Atypically, this event doesn't inspire a series of flashbacks leading to the inevitable end of Caro's life, but rather propels the characters, the next of kin of the title, into a future without a woman who left an indelible mark on each of their lives.  Robin seems both bewildered and accepting, the stoic, hard working man of the earth whose intimate relationship with his inscrutable wife had ended years before.  Adopted daughter Judy is angry at her father, blaming him for Caro's apparent unhappiness and her own lack of direction.  Robin's brother Joe, supposedly happily married to Lindsay, seems bereft at the loss of Caroline. 

Judy brings her rommate, Zoe, a spiky, maroon-haired waif, along to Tideswell Farm for the weekend.  This quirky young woman falls in love with farm life and becomes an unexpected catalyst for change and self-examination for the Meredith family.  As in her other novels, Trollope is a master at developing real, flawed characters.  Here she also does an admirable job of potraying the gritty hardships of farm life in the English midlands.  Trollope specializes in immersion.  Coming out of this book I felt like I had lived through it rather than just reading it.  Depressing?  Yes, but there is light at the end of the tunnel.

THE MOON SPINNERS ( Sally Goldenbaum)

This third in the Seaside Knitters series continues the adventures of sixty-something Nell, Ben, and Nell's niece Izzy Cahmbers, owner of the Seaside Knitting Studio.  Two things stand out in this cozy mystery:  the friendships and the food! This time the murder victim is Sylvia Santos, the beautiful, controversial wife of millionaire Angelo Santos.  When her red Ferrari careens off a cliff, the initial assumption is that she was the victim of an unfortunate accident.  Then it is discovered that the brake line hs been cut.  Complicating the investigation are Sylvia's unpopular decision to cut off beach access to the community, circumstantial evidence against Angelo's unstable sister Julianne, and an unexpected pregnancy.  As usual, Izzy, octogenarian Birdie, Nell, and the others knit their way to a surprising solution.  There is actually not too much knitting in this installment, but there is enough mention of yarn and knitting patterns to satisfy yarn enthusiasts.  I have to admit that I was surprised when I found out who the perpetrator of the crimes was.  Goldenbaum did a decent job on this one!

CARDINGTON CRESCENT (Anne Perry)

I didn't realize how much I missed Anne Perry's astounding ability to immerse her readers in the everyday life of Victorian England.  From the squalor of London's slums to the unabashed hypocrisy of the privileged classes, Perry makes us feel as if we are there.  When Charlotte's brother-in-law, George, is found poisoned at his cousin's family home, Bow Street detective Thomas Pitt, her husband, is called in to investigate.  With today's plethora of television shows and novels about forensics and police procedures it is fascinating to see how far we have come from Victorian times!  The family stands in the way of Thomas's investigation, insisting (with no evidence whatsoever) that widow Emily must be guilty, primarily because of her lower social standing!  A simultaneous investigation involving the murder and dismemberment of a young woman is rather too neatly tied into this upper-class murder, but the investigations of both are intriguing from start to finish, as are the various related sub-plots that round out the novel, enriching the Victorian experience.  Thomas and Charlotte are an intelligent, practical, and very loving couple. They will charm and entertain you through every page.  Read this series, or re-read it!

TROUBLE IN THE TOWN HALL (Jeanne Dams)

This is the second in Dams' charming Dorothy Martin series.   American ex-pat Dorothy, now a widow of one year, has grown increasing closer to Chief Constable Alan Nesbitt while establishing a new life in the shadow of England's fictional Sherebury Cathedral.  While out walking (she still has trouble adapting to England's driving habits) one day, Dorothy happens to notice movement in the town's deserted old town hall, prompting her to enter and to meet charwoman Ada Finch, leading (of course) to the discovery of a dead body in a closet.  Since the ancient town hall is the subject of a tug of war between developers and preservationists, suspects and possible motives abound.  Naturally, Dorothy is drawn into investigating the death.

Dams (who does NOT live in the UK!) has a way of interweaving so many details of small-town English life into her novels that you would swear you were actually in Sherebury.  Readers are almost able to feel the rain relentlessly dripping down their necks or pounding on the roof or to taste the chocolate biscuits and piping hot tea.  Dams creates an almost flawless sense of place in her mysteries.  As for characters, Dorothy is level-headed, age appropriate in her behavior and dress, and emotionally realistic while Alan is gentlemanly and  intelligent.  There are few "Perils of Pauline" type adventures here and the realism adds immeasurably to the appeal of this series. I can't wait to order some more!

FLY AWAY HOME (Jennifer Weiner)

When I started reading the description of this novel, my first thought was, "Older woman deals with marital problems by moving to vacation home in CT, eventually joined by adult daughters with problems of their own?....The Three Weissmanns of Westport!"  I imagine that Jennifer Weiner must have been dismayed when Catherine Schine's novel was first publicized, because the similarities in plot seem striking.  Closer reading reveals a completely different feel to Weiner's novel, though.  Her heroine, Sylvie Serfer Woodruff, is strong and resilient, living firmly in the real world and facing her husband's infidelity by withdrawing to her family's country ocean-side vacation retreat to heal and to think about her choices for the future.  Daughters Lizzie, a recovering drug addict, and Diana, a high achieving, staunchly correct physician who has herself been unfaithful to her boring husband, also face life-changing dilemmas that result in their joining their mother in Connecticut to think through their options, or perhaps to hide. 

Weiner has an interesting way of taking current events like the ubiquitous trend toward cheating married politicians and turning them into a thoughful, entertaining novel.  Her treatment of Sylvie's approach to dealing with her husband's infidelity is right on the mark.  I think I might behave the same way, assuming that I am an itelligent, thoughtful woman, in a similar situation.  Lizzie's happy ending and Diana's marriage are a little too trite and predictable, but perhaps Weiner preferred to produce an uplifting, life-affirming novel rather than a contender for an eventual Oprah pick.  If you are a fan of Jennifer Weiner, or even if you are not, this novel is well worth taking a look at!