Reliability is Overrated – 10 Books With Unreliable Narrators

September 13, 2017August 20, 2017 / Louise / 3 Comments

Recently, I was discussing two of my favorite television series’ of the past year, “Mr. Robot“, and “Legion“, when it occurred to me what I found compelling about both of them – they are both told by unreliable narrators. The narrative characters in each show have major difficulties perceiving reality, which means the viewer sees the story through their skewed lens, often having to puzzle out what is real and what is not.

It’s a challenging concept, relatively uncommon in television, but more often used in literature. In the literary device of the Unreliable Narrator, the character who leads the reader through the story cannot be taken at face value. The reason could be because this character is lying, insane, or simply seeing events from a very limited viewpoint. In every case, though, it leads the reader to form conclusions beyond what is being disclosed in the narrative. A puzzle of sorts, where questioning what everything really means becomes part of the reading experience.

As I thought about it, I realized that many of the novels that have stayed with me long after reading them have had some kind of unreliable narrator. I remember finishing some of these books, and immediately starting them over again, looking for the “tells” that would have clued me in to the real truth of the tale if I had recognized them the first time. Here, with as few spoilers as possible, are some of my favorite unreliable narrators, (and a few whose heads I could not wait to get out of):

1. Silver Linings Playbook – When we meet the point-of-view character Pat, he’s being released from a mental facility into the care of his parents. That’s the first indication that situations in the story may not be exactly as they seem. As Pat’s repressed memories start to come forward, we’re able to piece together exactly why Pat was institutionalized in the first place.

2. Flowers for Algernon – Charlie Gordon is a learning disabled man who undergoes an experimental operation to increase his intelligence. The novel is told through entries in Charlie’s journal, and the reader is able to see the improvements in self-awareness and intelligence through those entries. Then, too, we witness his deterioration as the long-term effects of the operation make themselves known. Bring a hankie.

3. Life of Pi – A fantastical tale of a boy set adrift after a shipwreck, with a tiger sharing his life raft. It’s a beautiful and uplifting story, until it is revealed that it may be what the narrator’s chosen to believe rather than what actually occurred.

4. Room – Told from the very limited point of view of a five-year-old boy, Jack, who has spent his entire life in an 11-square-foot soundproofed room with Ma, his mother. When Ma devises a plan for Jack to escape, we experience the exhilaration and confusion the world for the first time along with him.

5. The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime – The engaging narrator of this book is an autistic teen, so we perceive the events in the story the way he would. When he comes across a neighbor’s dog stabbed with a fork, his obsession with Sherlock Holmes takes over to help him solve the mystery.

6. Fight Club – Whether you’ve seen the movie or read the book, the twist that’s revealed about the identities of characters in this story packs a real punch (sorry, I couldn’t resist).

7. Shutter Island – In this gripping psychological thriller, nothing is quite what it seems. It starts out as an investigation into the escape of a mental patient, and well, to say more would be too spoiler-y.

8. Lolita – A compelling and beautifully written book told by a pedophile who is as charming as he is perverse. His justifications and attempts to win the reader’s sympathy are as fascinating to read as they are icky.

9 & 10. The Girl on the Train & Gone Girl – I’ve lumped both of these together even though they both contain different types of unreliable narrators (a blackout drunk and just plain liar) because they came out close together, are both murder mysteries, and if you’ve read one, you’ve probably read the other. I couldn’t wait to close the covers on both of them, though, the characters were just too unlikable for me to want to spend much time with.

Cozying Up With New Cozy Mysteries

December 21, 2016December 14, 2016 / Linda / Leave a comment

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It seems that in November and December, our feet don’t stay planted in one spot for too long. Be sure you take some time to put your feet up and take a step away from all the hustle and bustle by picking up a new cozy mystery to read!

Twice Told Tail (A Black Cat Bookshop Mystery) – Ali Brandon – While being suspicious of an anonymous online bidder who is offering a lot of money for one of her antique books, Darla Pettistone is roped into helping bridezilla Connie Capello get ready for her big day until their shopping excursion ends in murder.

Deck The Hallways (A Fixer-Upper Mystery) – Kate Carlisle – While trying to transform a Victorian mansion into apartments for homeless families in time for the holidays, contractor Shannon Hammer must pull-off a Christmas miracle to save her father from prison and find the real killer of a miserly bank president.

Hooking For Trouble (A Crochet Mystery) – Betty Hechtman – When she believes she has witnessed a murder, Molly Pink, the founder of the Tarzana Hookers Yarn University, calls in her ex, homicide detective Barry Greenberg, who reports that nothing is amiss, forcing her to unravel the clues herself to find the truth. Includes recipes and crochet patterns.

We Wish You A Murderous Christmas (A Year-Round Christmas Mystery) – VIcki Delany – When the son of Jack Olsen, who owns the Yuletide Inn, decides to no longer celebrate Christmas at the Inn, sending the local shopkeepers into a tizzy, Merry Wilkinson is faced with a holiday homicide when he is found stabbed to death.

The Good, The Bad, And The Guacamole (A Taste of Texas Mystery) – Rebecca Adler – When her best friend, Patti Lopez, is accused of murdering her ex-boyfriend, smooth-talking country crooner Jeff Clark, Tex-Mex waitress and part-time reporter Josie Callahan must put her sleuthing skills to good use to serve up the real killer.

Shades of Wrath (A Caprice De Luca Home Staging Mystery) – Karen Rose Smith – Hired to decorate a run-down mansion, which will now house Kismet, Pennsylvania’s women’s shelter, home stager and stray animal rescuer Caprice De Luca must instead design an investigation that will expose a crafty killer after the shelter’s director is murdered.

First Degree Mudder (A Pacific Northwest Mystery) – Kate Dyer-Seeley – An outdoor writer, Meg Reed, deciding to take her job to the next level, trains hard for Mud, Sweat & Beers, an extreme 5K mud run, only to find herself getting down and dirty in a murder investigation when her coach, Billy the Tank, is found dead.

Crime and Catnip (Nick & Nora Mystery) – T. C. LoTempio – Agreeing to look into the disappearance of a museum director’s niece, caterer Nora Charles and her faithful feline, Nick, are plunged into a world of coded messages, false identities and murder where they must solve this mystery in order to survive. Includes sandwich recipes.

Pros and Cons (A Magical Bookshop Mystery) – Amanda Flower – When she finds one of the members of the local writing group dead right before the annual Food and Wine Festival, Violet, after the shop magically tells her she will need to rely on the works of Edgar Allan Poe to solve the murder, must act fast before someone else’s heart beats nevermore.

Better Off Thread (An Embroidery Mystery) – Amanda Lee – While playing elf to Captain Moe’s Santa for sick children at a local hospital, embroidery shop owner Marcy stumbles upon the dead body of the hospital’s administrator and must, with the help of her police officer boyfriend and her Irish Wolfhound, find out who is trying to pin this murder on Moe.

Frosty The Dead Man (A Snow Globe Shop Mystery) – Christine Husom – When she finds Mayor Lewis Frost, Frosty to his friends, dead, apparently struck by the snow globe she sold him earlier that day, curio shop owner Camryn Brooks must shake things up to find a killer who is cold as ice.

The Ghosts of Misty Hollow (Ghost of Granny Apples Mystery) – Sue Ann Jaffarian – While visiting a best-selling crime writer who needs her input as a medium, Emma Whitecastle is immediately contacted by a family of ghosts who originally owned the historic Massachusetts farmhouse and need her help in locating the spirits of their two children who disappeared, which results in the appearance of a dead body.

Spouse on Haunted Hill (Haunted Guesthouse Mystery) – E.J. Copperman – When the cops show up at her doorstep, searching for her ex-husband who, owing some scary people a lot of money, has disappeared and left a body in his wake, Alison Kerby, with the help of ghosts Maxie and Paul, sets out to find her ex and clear him of the murder before the bad guys get to him first

Enjoyable Reads

December 12, 2016October 24, 2016 / Linda / Leave a comment

Life has a way of getting in the way, and I’ve had to cut back on my reading. I used to finish a book even if I didn’t like it. But now, if it doesn’t draw me in after the first two chapters, it goes back to the library. It’s been awhile since I’ve finished a book. But, finally, I actually finished two in a row! Not only finished, but I actually finished each one in a day! On two beautiful Sunday afternoons, I sat and read, and read, and read. It was wonderful!

The first one was J.D. Robb’s Apprentice in Death. If you’ve been a fan of Nora Roberts/J.D. Robb, you probably noticed that her last several books were, well……different. Some say she has a ghost writer (which she vehemently denies), others say writer’s block, and others say she’s just spreading her wings and trying something new. Apprentice in Death is more in line with her earlier writings and I was hooked in the first chapter. There is a subtle difference. In the earlier In Death books, Ms. Robb spent a lot of time writing about the actual killings in very graphic detail. In Apprentice, she spends her time inside the characters’ heads and their lives. I love how Roarke and Eve have ‘grown up’. There is a quiet maturity about them, but they still sizzle and crackle. All the supporting characters are back and a few new ones have been introduced, giving hope that future books will be as entertaining as this. This is my favorite book of the In Death series.

Summary

“The shots came quickly, silently, and with deadly accuracy. Within seconds, three people were dead at Central Park’s ice skating rink. The victims: a talented young skater, a doctor, and a teacher. As random as random can be. Eve Dallas has seen a lot of killers during her time with the NYPSD, but never one like this. After reviewing security videos, it becomes clear that the victims were killed by a sniper firing a tactical laser rifle, who could have been miles away when the trigger was pulled. And though the locations where the shooter could have set up seem endless, the list of people with that particular skill set is finite: police, military, professional killer. Eve’s husband, Roarke, has unlimited resources–and genius–at his disposal. And when his computer program leads Eve to the location of the sniper, she learns a shocking fact: There were two–one older,one younger. Someone is being trained by an expert in the science of killing, and they have an agenda. Central Park was just a warm-up. And as another sniper attack shakes the city to its core, Eve realizes that though we’re all shaped by the people around us, there are those who are just born evil.”

The second book I finished was Always A Cowboy (The Carsons of Mustang Creek) by Linda Lael Miller. This is book two of a trilogy. Ms. Miller has been writing about cowboys for a very long time. You think she couldn’t possibly write something new and different, but she proves over and over that she can! Again, I was hooked in the first chapter. This is a gentle romance with just the right amount of spice and it gives us a good look into modern life in the American West. Ms. Miller has a way of making her characters come to life and the settings are rich with details. The story moves along quickly and there is an eclectic assortment of secondary characters that adds a richness to the story.

This book has an added bonus. At the end of the book, Ms. Miller wrote a very personal essay giving us a glimpse into her life. Ms. Miller is one of those authors who shares a lot about herself. She has a wonderful website with news, a blog, and contests. Check it out here.

Summary

Drake Carson is the quintessential cowboy. In charge of the family ranch, he knows the realities of this life, its pleasures and heartbreaks. Lately, managing the wild stallions on his property is wearing him down. When an interfering so-called expert arrives and starts offering her opinion, Drake is wary, but he can’t deny the longing—and the challenge—she stirs in him.

Luce Hale is researching how wild horses interact with ranch animals—and with ranchers. The Carson matriarch invites her to stay with the family, which guarantees frequent encounters with Drake, her ruggedly handsome and decidedly unwelcoming son. Luce and Drake are at odds from the very beginning, especially when it comes to the rogue stallion who’s stealing the ranch mares. But when Drake believes Luce is in danger, that changes everything—for both of them.

Book one in this trilogy is Once A Rancher. It too, was an outstanding read. “ Offering a troubled boy a job on the ranch he shares with his younger siblings, Wyoming businessman Slater Carson falls for the youth’s beautiful guardian, Grace, a resort manager whose busy life is threatened by dangers from her past.”

A New Batch Of Cozy Mysteries

October 22, 2016October 19, 2016 / Linda / 1 Comment

autumn reading

Finally! The cool weather is here! If you like it hot and humid, this was the perfect summer for you. Hope you were able to enjoy some cozy mysteries by the beach, pool, or in some air conditioning! Now Fall is here and we have a bunch of new titles for you to snuggle up with. Enjoy!

Digging Up The Dirt (A Southern Ladies Mystery) – Miranda James – When eligible bachelor Hadley Partridge returns to Athena to restore his family mansion, he finds a dead body and he must weed through the clues to discover the killer.

Cancelled by Murder (A Postmistress Mystery) – Jean Flowers – When the dead body of fabric-shop owner Daisy Harmon is found after a massive storm, postmistress Cassie Miller is asked by Daisy’s widowed husband to find the truth before someone else is swept away by a killer.

Murder of a Cranky Catnapper (A Scumble River Mystery) – Denise Swanson – When her pet-therapy project ends in murder, Scumble River School psychologist Skye Denison Boyd must find out who killed a curmudgeonly school board member before she meets the same fate.

No Farm, No Foul (A Farmer’s Daughter Mystery) – Peg Cochran – When the minister’s wife is murdered on her property during a fundraiser for a local church, Shelby McDonald, the owner of the Love Blossom Farm in the small Western Michigan town of Lovett, must dig in her heels and find the killer herself.

Behind Chocolate Bars (A Chocolate Covered Mystery) – Kathy Aarons – While preparing for the annual West Riverdale Halloween Fair, business partners Michelle and Erica find themselves trick-or-treating for the truth as they try to prove the innocence of one of Erica’s comic-book club members when he is accused of murder. Includes chocolate-making recipes.

The Hammett Hex (A Book Collector Mystery) – Victoria Abbott – While on a romantic trip to San Francisco with Officer Tyler Smiley Dekker, Jordan Bingham, in the process of returning a rare copy of Dashiell Hammett’s Red Harvest for her employer, discovers that someone is trying to kill them.

High Kicks, Hot Chocolate, and Homicides (A Happy Hoofers Mystery) – Mary McHugh – When the Happy Hoofers score a gig at New York City’s Radio City Music Hall with the legendary Rockettes during the Christmas Spectacular, the toe-tapping troupe must solve a murder in between rehearsals and sightseeing before someone else dances to their death.

It’s Your Party, Die If You Want To (A Liv and Di In Dixie Mystery) – Vickie Fee – While planning a riverboat gambler-themed engagement party, a murder mystery dinner for charity, and a businesswoman’s’ retreat, party planner Liv McKay must solve the murder of a party girl with a penchant for married men, but her efforts are thwarted by a killer with one seriously haunting vendetta.

Killing Thyme (A Spice Shop Mystery) – Leslie Budewitz – When she encounters an old friend who disappeared years ago, and who then is murdered only days later, spice shop owner Pepper Reece digs up the dirt on Seattle’s Pike Place Market to catch a killer only to place her own life in danger.

Masking for Trouble (A Costume Shop Mystery) – Diane Vallere – When the venture capitalist who was trying to push out local businesses, including hers, is found dead during a Halloween party, costume-shop owner Margo Tamblyn is the top suspect and must unmask the real killer before she is forced to wear prison stripes.

The Semi-sweet Hereafter (A Chocolate Whisperer Mystery) – Colette London – While in London to lend her expertise on all things chocolate to a posh chocolaterie-patisserie, detective constable Hayden Mundy Moore stumbles upon the dead body of a sexy celebrity chef who just happens to be the ex-husband of Hayden’s client and must unwrap the clues to catch a killer with a sweet tooth.

The Witch and the Dead (A Wishcraft Mystery) – Heather Blake – When she discovers a pile of old bones in her Aunt Ve’s garage under a mess of memories and forgotten possessions, wish-granting witch Darcy Merriweather must solve a cold case to keep her aunt from doing a spell in prison

By Familiar Means (A Witch’s Cat Mystery) – Delia James -While painting murals in a new coffee house, witch and artist Annabelle Britton is asked by the owners to evict a restless spirit before the grand opening, which leads to the discovery of hidden smugglers tunnels beneath the shop, a dead body and a killer with a score to settle.

Paws and Effect (A Magical Cats Mystery) – Sofie Kelly – When her old beau, Detective Marcus Gordon, is accused of murder, resourceful librarian Kathleen and her magical felines must paw through the clues to discover who is trying to frame him for murder.

Seeds of Deception (An Orchard Mystery) – Sheila Connolly – While honeymooning at Monticello and enjoying Thomas Jefferson’s orchards, newlyweds Meg and Seth discover that something rotten is going on at home and must cut their vacation short when the police pick Meg’s father as the killer of a handyman.

New Cozy Mysteries For Spring

May 9, 2016May 6, 2016 / Linda / Leave a comment

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Just in time for Spring, a fresh batch of cozy mysteries. Pick your favorite series, or start a new one!

Cinco de Mayhem (A Sante Fe Cafe Mystery) – Ann Myers – When the local restaurateur who attempted to take over all of the food carts in town winds up dead under her friend Linda’s famous tamale truck, Rita—a chef preparing for Cinco de Mayo in Sante Fe, New Mexico—must turn up the heat on the real killer before her friend gets burned for the crime.

Rest In Peach (A Georgia Peach Mystery) – Susan Furlong -When the much-despised mother of the spoiled teenage Peach Queen is found murdered, Nola Mae Harper, who is coordinating both the cotillion dinner and the grand opening of her new shop, must prove that her friend, Ginny, is innocent of the crime by drawing out the real killer.

Reading Up A Storm (A Lighthouse Library Mystery) – Eva Gates -The librarian at Bodie Island’s Lighthouse Library, Lucy Richardson, after a shipwrecked seafarer dies a few days after washing ashore, is once again roped into a murder investigation and must navigate a sea of suspects, all of whom had motives to kill the deceased.

Vanilla Beaned (A Cupcake Bakery Mystery) – Jenn McKinlay – When they arrive in Las Vegas to open their first franchise of the Fairy Tale Cupcakes Bakery, Melanie Cooper and Angie DeLaura aren’t sure about turning their recipes over to brash former showgirl Holly Harzmark until a saboteur with a sweet tooth and a penchant for murder brings out a side of Holly that they both can relate to.

An Unhappy Medium (A Family Fortune Mystery) – Dawn Eastman – When one of the runners in the Zombie Fun Run is found murdered and her estranged sister, Grace, disappears, Clyde and her police-detective boyfriend must clear Grace’s name in the crime while becoming trapped in a tangled web of family secrets, grudges and stolen diamonds.

Crime and Poetry (A Magical Bookshop Mystery) – Amanda Flower – Returning home to Cascade Springs, New York to help her Grandmother Daisy run her magical store, Charming Books, where the books literally fly off the shelves, Violet Waverly must clear Daisy’s name when the body of a dead man is found clutching a book from her shop.

Moss Hysteria (A Flower Shop Mystery) – Kate Collins – When their idyllic new community is suddenly uprooted by murder, flower shop owner Abby Knight and her new husband, Marco, must weed through the suspects to catch a killer who is one bad seed.

Needle and Dread (Southern Sewing Circle) – Elizabeth Lynn Casey – To make her new sewing shop a success, Rose sponsors a series of do-it-yourself weekends for sewing enthusiasts, but her plan is unraveled by the murder of an argumentative guest and it is up to Tori and the gang to piece together the clues before Rose’s life is ripped apart at the seams.

Breach of Crust (A Charmed Pie Shoppe Mystery) – Ellery Adams – When she finds the body of Beatrice Burbank, the president of the high-society Camellia Club, floating in Lake Havenwood during their annual retreat, baker Ella Mae, who was hired to teach the members the tasty tricks of her trade, wonders what she’s gotten herself mixed up in.

A Clue in the Stew (A Soup Lover’s Mystery) – Connie Archer – When she hosts an event with a famous author, small-town soup shop owner Lucky Jamieson is unprepared for the trouble that boils over when a colorful cast of characters descend on the town resulting in a murder that is linked to another recent unsolved crime.

Bossa Novas, Bikinis, and Bad Ends (A Happy Hoofers Mystery) – Mary McHugh – Kicking off Carnival by entertaining the patrons at the most elegant hotel in Rio de Janeiro, the Happy Hoofers trade-in their dancing shoes and become samba-loving sleuths when their exotic Brazilian companion is found dead in her room, without a clue as to what killed her.

Braking for Bodies (A Cycle Path Mystery) – Duffy Brown – Starting a new life in Mackinac Island where she works at the local bike shop, Los Angeles transplant Evie Bloomfield finds herself cycling through her past when, after an old friend comes to the island, her former editor of a sleazy rag, who arrived unexpectedly, is found dead.

Newlywed Dead (A Perfect Proposals Mystery) – Nancy J. Parra – When a bartender at her sister’s wedding drops dead from a lethal nightcap, Pepper Pomeroy, determined to discover who would want to kill a virtual stranger at a county club wedding reception, must outsmart a clever killer who is wedded to the idea of murder.

Irish Stewed (An Ethnic Eats Mystery) – Kylie Logan – To save her aunt’s run-down greasy spoon in Hubbard, Ohio, Laurel Inwood cooks up a plan involving daily specials featuring ethnic cuisine, but must first solve the murder of a local reporter who was found slumped over a table with a receipt spike in his back. Includes recipes.

Gone With The Witch (A Wishcraft Mystery) – Heather Blake – Hired to keep an eye out for a saboteur at the Pawsitively Enchanted pet contest, Darcy, along with her dog Missy, is thrown off the scent when her lead suspect is found dead and someone begins stealing prize-winning pets, forcing her to sniff out both a killer and a thief.

Catch As Cat Can (A Sunny & Shadow Mystery) – Claire Donally – Former reporter Sunny Coolidge, with the help of her boyfriend, Chief Investigator Will Price, must get seafood shop owner Neil Garret off the hook when he is accused of murder before the case goes belly up.

Berry the Hatchet (A Cranberry Cove Mystery) – Peg Cochran – When the mayor turns up dead during the Winter Walk grand opening ceremony, cranberry farm owner Monica Albertson and her stepmother become the prime suspects in the case when it is discovered that he was dating both of them.

Seams Like Murder (A Crochet Mystery) – Betty Hechtman – When the discovery of a dead body interferes with the opening of a series of crafting classes called Yarn University, Molly, along with the Tarzana Hookers, must unravel the clues to solve this mystery. Includes recipes and crochet patterns.

Against The Paw (Paw Enforcement) – While trying to find a convicted burglar who has broken his parole, rookie cop Megan Luz, along with Sergeant Brigit, her K-9 partner, must stop a Neighborhood Watch group on Peeping Tom patrol before they take the law into their own hands.