SHORTCUTS PART II (Electric Boogaloo)

TWISTED RIVER by Siobhán MacDonald
Penguin
March 22, 2106

Siobhán MacDonald’s TWISTED RIVER is the tale of the O’Briens, who live in Limerick, and the Harveys, who live in Manhattan. Both families are going through a rough patch and decide to take a break from their troubles by trading houses for a few days. At first, it seems like the swap will benefit everyone involved, but then tragedy strikes, secrets are laid bare, and lives are forever changed. MacDonald uses readers’ assumptions to brilliant effect, resulting in a taut, tense domestic thriller chock full of surprises—none of them cheap, all of them earned. And at just 258 pages, it’s the perfect length for a lazy Saturday. Get you some.

AUNT DIMITY AND THE BURIED TREASURE by Nancy Atherton
Viking
May 24, 2016

I’ve been reading Nancy Atherton’s Aunt Dimity mysteries for at least a decade now. Sweet, sentimental, and cozy in the extreme, they’re the literary equivalent of comfort food.

Atherton’s latest, AUNT DIMITY AND THE BURIED TREASURE, finds the village of Finch in the grips of metal-detector-mania and protagonist Lori Shepherd tasked with tracking down the man who gave Dimity his heart and a gold-and-garnet bracelet after the war.

This 21st (!) installment isn’t the series’ strongest, but it’s an enchanting read nonetheless. The story’s a tad slow to start, but it makes good use of Atherton’s large and colorful supporting cast. In addition to being a love-letter to village life in England, it paints a vivid picture of post-WWII London, and includes a ration recipe for eggless fruitcake, to boot. A good choice if you’re in the mood for a mild-mannered mystery that eschews murder.