THE WEDDING DRESS (Rachel Hauck)

I was initially attracted to this novel because of the theme: a wedding dress worn by 4 different women and the mystery of how they are all connected.  I didn't notice that it was classified  inspirational, but that quickly became evident in the gentle tone of the narrative and the frequent references to scripture throughout.

Charlotte Malone owns a bridal boutique in Brimingham, Alabama, yet, with just two months to go before her own wedding to Tim, she is unable to commit to wedding dress for herself.  While visiting the grounds of a local mansion to think about her life and upcoming marriage she is drawn to an old trunk pointed out to her by a stranger in a purple tie.  After purchasing the trunk she is faced with a dilemma: how to open it, since the lock has been welded shut.

Despite having broken her engagement to Tim, Charlotte enlists his aid in opening the trunk. Inside  Charlotte finds a perfectly preserved vintage wedding dress and she resolves to find both the perfect bride for the dress and information about its history.  Hauck intertwines Charlotte's quest with the story of  Emily, the young bride-to-be who commissions the dress from a prominent black seamstress over to objection of her social-climbing mother. Emily is having doubts about the fidelity of her husband-to-be and frustrated over her mother's control in this age of women's suffrage.

Hauck has created a lovely story full of hope, intrigue, and romance mixed in with a little bit of magic.

DAY OF VENGEANCE (Jeanne Dams)

I just never tire of Dorothy Martin and Alan Nesbitt!  Their bittersweet memories of their deceased spouses, their aches and pains, and  their obvious affection and respect for each other combined with all of the little details of their everyday lives in Sherebury (their quaint old cottage, neighbor Jane, dog Watson, and their 2 cats) make for a wonderful cozy series.  Somehow Dams manages to involve Dorothy in murder after murder, but it all seems perfectly logical.  This time one of the candidates for Bishop (Alan is on the selection committee) is found dead, so naturally Alan and Dorothy become involved in the investigation.  I like the way Dams involves old friends and new in each investigation.  She always leaves me wanting desperately to visit a quaint English village and, perhaps, stumble over a body or two (but not that of anyone really nice, of course).  These are wonderful English village cozies.  I love them!

AN EXPERT IN MURDER (Nicola Upson)

Mystery author and playwright Josephine Tey (real name Elizabeth MacIntosh) is the star of this series, which closely follows actual events in Tey's career (aside from the occasional murder).  This story takes place near the end of the 14-month run of Richard of Bordeaux, Tey's  most successful historical play, which was written under the name Gordon Daviot.  On a train from Scotland for a London meeting about the upcoming tour of the production, Josephine befriends an animated young woman, Elspeth Simmons, who is a big fan of the play and thrilled to meet Josephine.  After joining her friends on arrival at the station, Josephine learns that a young woman has been murdered on the train. Based on evidence at the scene, Josephine's old friend, Detective Inspector Archie Penrose, believes that the murder must be tied to Richard of Bordeaux.  Josephine is devastated to learn that the victim is her new young friend, but Archie believes that Josephine may also be in danger.  After yet another murder and the discovery of Elspeth's irregular adoption years before,Archie and Josephine look to the past to solve the crimes before more lives are lost.

I am not very familiar with Josephine Tey's life and career, but Upson seems to have done a fine job of remaining true to Tey's life story and personality.  I would definitely recommend this series.

THE BUNGALOW (Sarah Jio)

A deserted bungalow on a remote and romantic island during World War II is the setting for Jio's lovely story of young nurse Anne Calloway and Westry, the intriguing and mysterious soldier that captures her heart.  Anne decides to postpone her elaborate wedding to sweet but boring banker Gerard Godfrey to sign up for a year's stint as a nurse in Bora Bora with her headstrong best friend Kitty.  Her expectation is that she will find adventure, self-actualization, and peace of mind in Bora-Bora.  Instead, she finds love with Westry.  They discover an abandoned artist's cabin (the artist is eventually identified as Paul Gaugin) near the beach, a cabin that becomes both their sanctuary and a place of violence when Anne witnesses a horrifying murder on the beach.

We realize at the beginning of the novel that when Anne returns from the war she does marry Gerard and has lived a happy, fulfilled life with him.  She is an  elderly widow as the story begins in contemporary times, still wondering what became of Westry.  As in Morning Glory, Jio provides the reader with some twists and turns that, while perhaps just a little bit cliche, keep you wanting to read more.

BEST TO LAUGH (Lorna Landvik)

I am fortunate that Beth, my friend and coworker, went to Book Expo America recently, because she came back with a signed advance reader's copy of Lorna Landvik's latest (and semi-autobiographical) novel, Best To Laugh! It's been a while since Lorna came out with a new novel and this one was worth waiting for. If you are familiar with Landvik's work (which means that you also love it) you know that quirkiness is her hallmark.  No on does a better job of taking a group of disparate, slightly off-kilter people and making you love them.

Candy Pekkala is half Korean, one quarter Swedish, and one quarter Norwegian, so it shouldn't be surprising that comedy is her forte.  Losing her mother at a young age and her distant, broken-hearted father when she was a teen, Candy forms a close bond with her paternal grandmother, a loving, supportive, and stabilizing influence in her life.  After drifting through her college years in a haze of recreational drugs and casual relationships, Candy is offered the opportunity of a lifetime when her cousin sublets Candy her apartment in the heart of Hollywood for 3 months.  Her decision to move from Minnesota in the late 1970's set the direction of her life and career and she pursues her dream of making people laugh.

Landvik has created a wonderful troupe of supporting characters, some of whom are based on real people in her own life.  Candy's close-knit group of friends include a handsome writer/musician with a girlfriend,  an elderly European clairvoyant named Madame Pepper, a disgraced Hollywood club owner, an aspiring punk rocker whose primary hair product is glue, and a female body builder overshadowed by her famous and beautiful actress mother.  Best To Laugh is a testament to the power of laughter and the warmth of true friendship.  I wish I were a better writer so I could express the real depth and breadth of this novel.  Suffice it to say. I loved it.  The official publication will be in September.  Look for it!