Mystery and more ...

THE 7½ DEATHS OF EVELYN HARDCASTLE by debut author Stuart Turton is fabulous and slightly crazy – a truly unique, adventuresome and challenging mystery which fans will definitely enjoy.  Seriously, I started the ebook version and thought maybe the pages were somehow out of order. This is most certainly a twisty tale – think Gosford Park’s house party mystery filled with time travel on steroids. Don’t believe me? Consider the review from best-selling author Sarah Pinborough: "If Agatha Christie and Terry Pratchett had ever had LSD-fuelled sex, then THE 7½ DEATHS OF EVELYN HARDCASTLE would be their acid trip book baby....this is a locked room mystery like no other."

I will not inadvertently give away any surprises because I am only about a third of the way through this intriguing debut mystery. I simply could not wait to alert readers to this mystery title, especially since Turton's work received starred reviews from Booklist and Library Journal, is a LibraryReads selection for September and is also highly anticipated by publications like Harper's Bazaar and Marie Claire – Enjoy! 

A favorite quote:  “Do you know how you can tell if a monster's fit to walk the world again, Mr. Bishop? If they're truly redeemed and not just telling you what you want to hear? You give them a day without​ consequences, and you watch to see what they do with it.”  ― Stuart Turton

I also really enjoy the Sam Blackman myatery series (beginning with Blackman’s Coffin) and its emphasis on literature and historical locales or events. Until recently, I did not realize that author Mark de Castrique had another series (Buryin’ Barry) which includes the newly released title SECRET UNDERTAKING.  Here, the main character is Barry Clayton, undertaker and part-time deputy near Gainesboro, North Carolina.  In this new mystery, Barry and Sheriff Tommy Lee Wadkins set out to solve two – then three – violent murders in the county which appear to be related to convenience stores and an organized food stamp scam, perhaps somehow involving witnesses under federal protection. If it sounds complex, it is; fans of police procedurals will especially like this story.  Multiple levels of law enforcement (local, state and federal) are involved, often with overlapping jurisdictions and investigations. This makes it difficult for Barry to know whom to trust and for the reader to follow at times. The Sheriff and Barry cleverly hypothesized several connections, although not offering conjecture on some that I thought were fairly obvious. In any case, we were all fooled with an exciting, surprise ending! Overall, I enjoyed SECRET UNDERTAKING and despite slow development in some spots, I would recommend it, particularly for its likeable characters and folksy, small town charm.  

More YA debut fiction ...

OUT OF THE BLUE by Sophie Cameron is an emotional coming of age story.  The main character in this debut novel is 16 year-old Jaya. She recently lost her Mom in a freak accident, feels abandoned by her first girlfriend, and is angry with her father. He has quit his job and temporarily uprooted the family including her younger sister in order to pursue a quest to find a Being. Yes, Beings (or angels) have been falling from the sky and no one knows why. 

Sounds strange, right? But I really liked OUT OF THE BLUE much more than I thought I would.  Jaya is an appealing character and her adventures in Edinburgh somehow felt plausible despite the idea that she is the one to find a Being who is the first to miraculously survive the fall to Earth. Jaya enlists new activist friends Allie and Calum to protect and hide the Being from fanatic cults and exploitation. Cameron provides a very read-able (790 lexile) exploration of mortality and grief, while also probing the consequences of good intentions and their impact on both friends and family relationships. OUT OF THE BLUE credibly reflects a diverse society (including biracial, lesbian and disabled characters) and received starred reviews from Kirkus and School Library Journal (grades 9 and up).  Look for it on our shelves.

THEY COME IN ALL COLORS by Malcolm Hansen is another debut novel that features a biracial character, Huey Fairchild.  The story begins in early 1960s rural Georgia when Huey is a child and the local pool is closed rather than being opened to Black swimmers. He and his Mom move to New York where he is given a scholarship to a private school; the only other person of color there is the janitor. I was intrigued by the time period and premise; plus, Malcolm Hansen has some first-hand experience on which to draw since he, too, is biracial and moved quite a bit as a child. Hansen is a talented writer; for example, he memorably describes how young Huey met his Mom at a diner and “jumped into a booth beside her and squeezed her like she was the very last of the toothpaste.” However, THEY COME IN ALL COLORS seemed very disjointed with the story moving back and forth between Huey (age 8) in Georgia and New York (as a teenager). Like many young people, Huey is uncomfortable with being different, but he is very naïve about it, too, and that stretches believability. I found it difficult to develop empathy for Huey and this feeling was reinforced as he frequently acts out and invites trouble for himself and his Mom.

Hansen does prompt readers to think about important points like the assumptions we make.  Here, Huey describes a baseball error where one outfielder was not able to avoid another: “[I] explained to Suzie that Chacon was from Puerto Rico, which is why he wasn’t able to call off Thomas in English.  She asked if that was where my family was from. I’m from Georgia, I answered. I couldn’t believe what came out her mouth next. Oh. So-you’re American?”

Sadly, THEY COME IN ALL COLORS, like in the above passage, was made much more difficult to follow because of the absence of any quotation marks and overall I would have preferred a more linear, traditional telling.