Review: The Cold Vanish

4 stars. The Cold Vanish is about the unexplained disappearance of Jacob Gray, and the astounding number of similar disappearances in National Parks across the US. It is not strictly historical or descriptive non-fiction (though it appears to be incredibly well-researched); the author spent some time with Jacob's father and offers a lot of personal insight into the tragedy and its impact. I should mention: I've seen some back-and-forth about whether or not Billman may have exploited, manipulated or mischaracterized Jacob and his family - I can't offer an informed comment on this, but I truly hope this wasn't the case.

I think it's pretty clear that this is for fans of true crime, Missing: 411 and especially Unsolved Mysteries. I would argue that this is probably ONLY for fans of those things. It's appeal to me was and still is the premise and that alone. If you're the type of person who can read chapter after chapter containing slightly varied versions of what is essentially the same super dark story, you won't hate this. You'll be gripped by the mysteries, the bizarre details, the lure of answers and the ultimate lack of them. So in that sense, The Cold Vanish succeeds. In execution, maybe less so.

Yeah, the writing is a bit weird here. There are impressive moments of description and observation, but in between those are instances of amateur repetition and over-the-top levels of detail. As I mentioned above, it's very well-researched. It perhaps could've used some sharper edges, or some smarter editing. It's not bad, by any means. It gets the job done. I also could have gone without the long chapter about Duff and his bloodhounds. It smelled like a vehicle for the author to try out a sort of darkly funny attempt at gonzo journalism, or something. Sure, Duff sounds like a character and his hounds seem very talented. I was just bored.

Conclusions are few and far between. You'll know this going in. The questions, and the possibilities, are endless. A few things that really got me:

- If you go missing in a poor county, you are far less likely to be found. I suppose I knew this, being somewhat familiar with local governments and SAR budgets, but to really see and feel that was sickening. This country, man. This fucking country.

- To have hope is far worse than having closure. I also sort of knew that already, but the stories told here paint it as painfully true.

- In the wilderness, it's actually not that difficult to disappear. That's what's so fascinating about it - what's difficult is to pinpoint the how/why/where.

Jacob's story - and the other stories featured here - are haunting and deeply unfortunate. But the book is full of heartening stories, too... stories of survival and determination and resilience. I've always personally been drawn to the dark stuff, especially mysteries like these, but I always try to appreciate and respect the impact on those involved. In my opinion, Billman threads that needle as well as possible.

The Cold Vanish on: Amazon | Bookshop.org | Goodreads

Review: Vengeful (Villains #2)

4 stars. I DON'T KNOW, OKAY? I just couldn't focus on this one - it took me weeks - WEEKS - to read! I was even considering 3 stars but the truth is I'm not sure I can actually identify what's wrong with it... I really try to be critical in a fair way, but sometimes my rating is just all about my personal, instinctive, gut-check reaction. So, 4 stars it is.

Vengeful picks up where Vicious left off. Victor Vale, resurrected by Sydney at the end of book 1, is back and ready to resume his mission to kill his nemesis, Eli Ever. Except he's sick. And he can't get to Eli until he gets better. So he starts hunting down EO's, trying to find one who can fix him. Meanwhile, Eli is locked up in EON's super freaky monster jail, and oh yeah, there's a new, scary EO taking over the city with her deliciously destructive powers. Heroes fall, villains rise, yada yada yada.

It's so awesome. I absolutely adored Schwab's expansion of this universe, even if I didn't connect to the plot that much. It was fun getting a peek into some other POVs, and learning more about EO origins. Marcella is a tremendous character, and it was particularly enjoyable to watch her, ahem, burn it all down.

“How many men would she have to turn to dust before one took her seriously?”

I would also say that, like the first book, this series is a must-read for comic book and graphic novel fans. The twists and turns, the level of insanity, the character names, the settings, the campy villains, the attention to visual details - the architecture of a building, the color of nail polish - elevate this story to a steady level of fun I experience reading about superheroes.

I loved the narrow focus of the first book - it felt like such a prequel - and I could just feel the tremors of possibility. Schwab opened all those doors and then some. Despite not getting that super orgasmic 5 star feeling, I really enjoyed it. I'm officially joining the chorus: I WANT MORE!!! THIS IS SOME CRAZY GOOD SHIT!!!!

Vengeful on: Amazon | Bookshop.org | Goodreads

Review: The Secret Place

3 stars. I mean ... incredible. I have no idea why this didn't work for me, because objectively - it's an incredible book. Maybe I didn't leave myself enough time between French books, maybe the subject matter was too ... crushing, familiar territory, or something. I just found this one to be too much. Too floral, too soft, too mushy, bloated with whimsy and weird imagery. (Was this book even edited?) I also had some trouble, well, following along, which felt like such a slap in the face after the tight clarity of Broken Harbor. Tana French will always be a must-read for me, and there's nothing less impressive about this one. I'm just having a strange reaction, is all.

Here she dives into the dangerous jungle of female adolescence. Told in alternating flashbacks from various POVs, The Secret Place is about the murder of a young boy on the grounds of a girls' boarding school. Like all of her mysteries, it's more about the how/why than the who, and yep, we take a really, long, meandering, spiraling, detail-filled journey to get there. Her detectives have to learn to work together, two friendless misfits who share an ambition, and navigate among - OMG like, so gross and terrifying? - the youths to get their solve. There are rival girl gangs, secrets, illicit romances, and more. It's all a little gaggy sweet, if I'm being honest. Like, light nasty instead of dark nasty. If that makes any sense.

I really appreciate that she changed up the format, though, and tried something a little new. I adore Frank Mackey and was happy to see him again. There's also a touch of special here - magic, mystery, strange forces - that really freshens things up. I can see why it threw other fans for a loop; she often comes across as strict when it comes to her crimes. But I didn't mind it, especially because she was so casual about it. Her characters (everything from the way they speak to the way they interact) are as usual, pretty damn perfect, pretty damn engaging. The mystery itself is less so, also, I couldn't help but cringe a few times thanks to the unrealistic but personally-triggering re-emergence back into the world of being a female teenager. Fuck. That.

Man, French's world, or worlds - from the Squad to the school to the neighborhoods to the workplaces to the family homes - are all so fucking brutal, aren't they? This one was excruciatingly sad, to me. Her writing is something else really. I say this all the time about Stephen King, and I think it applies here as well: a mediocre Tana French is still going to be an incredibly good read. She's dependable like that.

The Secret Place on: Amazon | Bookshop.org | Goodreads

Review: The Echo Wife

3 stars. Ahh, interesting. I see why this is compared to a Megan Abbott book - it's a delicious thriller with a solid premise and some serious twists and turns. It's a well-written pageturner with a questionable protagonist who makes questionable decisions while navigating very specific and severe traumas, both old and fresh. I guess I kind of thought it would be more of a straightforward sci-fi, focused on the science and the tech and the clone aspect. But this really is about so much more: identity, a marriage, secrets, and laboratory ethics. There's actually a lot of writing in this book that takes us through the narrator's long thought spirals into each of these topics.

The plot, though, is this: Evelyn, a successful scientist, discovers that her husband has stolen her research with the intention of replacing her with her own clone, manufactured and programmed without flaws and designed to have his child. Evelyn, deeply wounded by this betrayal, embraces a cold and focused part of her identity and thrown herself into her work, determined to avoid the emotional nature of the situation. But when her clone - Martine, his new and newly pregnant fiance - calls her, begging for her help to come and clean up an impossible situation, Evelyn can't refuse, taking them both down an insane, irreversible, groundbreaking path.

I want to talk about Nathan, and how he is barely a part of this story, though the consequences of his actions drive the entire plot from beginning to end. Evelyn may be the narrator, but she has been shaped by abusive men her entire life, as has Martine, and both of them continue to be even in their absence. The tragedy here to me is that they must carve out a way to exist beyond and without Nathan - and go to great lengths to do so - while ensuring they are safe from him, in a way. And he barely appears on screen. It's an interesting angle.

So why 3 stars? This obviously made me think a lot, and I was engrossed. I think what it comes down to is that I liked the idea of Evelyn (cold, calculating, bloodthirsty, cruel, self-awarely selfish, focused, constantly simmering with rage and ambition), but I didn't like the reality of being in her head, mostly because her inner monologue delayed the action so often. I mentioned her thought spirals above - I did find myself skimming a bit in the second half as she tried to navigate descending (or climbing?) the hill she'd built for herself. I am also embarrassingly, personally triggered by toxic bosses and couldn't stand the way she tried to justify being a cruel employer.

That's a lot of words for a short book, though, so I do recommend picking this one up, maybe as a beach read. The scientific aspects are super well-done for something so implausible (for now...). I can't wait to read more from this author!

The Echo Wife on: Amazon | Bookshop.org | Goodreads

Review: Black Sun (Between Earth and Sky #1)

4 stars. SO FUN. So interesting. I highly recommend this new book from Rebecca Roanhorse, a fantasy set in the Pre-Columbian Americas as an important change of pace. It has all the complex world-building of, for example, ASOIAF, but it's accessible, fast-paced, inclusive, and much more fun. I'm really excited for the next installment, because this in a lot of ways did feel like a prequel; a set-up; a tease.

The story is multiple POV, set primarily right before the Convergence: a solar eclipse that marks the Winter Solstice. It is also meant to bring, for only some expectedly, the rebirth of the Crow God, set to emerge from a human vessel marked for this purpose since birth. This God will bring vengeance to those who betrayed his clan decades ago, and throw the world into a dark chaos brimming with magic old and new.

That all sounds really bloody and grim, which it is, sort of. But the characters navigating this dark premise are charming, funny, lovable, and determined, plus a slow-burning romance gives as many light moments as it does angsty ones. There's a disgraced sea captain, feisty and clumsy and struggling with her own identity. There's a savvy and smart priestess, focused on political strategy for good rather than personal gain. And there's the human vessel himself, powerful and dangerous and duty-bound to sacrifice the unimaginable.

It's quite a collection of characters, and I cheered for every single one, despite them all being on different sides (...for now). The world-building is pure and imaginative but not overly detailed or heavy - plus magical elements create some really sparkly moments. I docked a star for occasional preachiness and a somewhat amateur feel during certain moments, but please know that I highly recommend this book. I'm really looking forward to what happens next.

Black Sun on: Amazon | Bookshop.org | Goodreads

Review: The Vanishing Half

3 stars. What can I say about this that hasn't already been said, more eloquently than I ever could? The Vanishing Half is another must-read from this author, a compelling study of race, family, and identity. Twins Stella and Desiree were born in a small town meant for light-skinned black people, and both of them carry this with them through their upbringing, adolescence, and eventual adulthood, veering in opposite directions until separate from each other, forging different lives. Their daughters, born into different worlds, bounce around each other through happenstance, tightening the tapestry's weave until a full and colorful picture emerges. It's thought-provoking, beautiful, and interesting.

I love Brit Bennett's writing. She takes these huge, thorny themes and writes about them with such ease. The Vanishing Half is so smooth, so flowy, it's almost a trick. I really rooted for her true and distinct characters, occasionally insufferable in understandable ways, as we all are. The way she writes about place, too, felt absolutely crucial to the story's success, from sunny L.A. to cold New York to the small town vibes in Mallard, Louisiana. These details and others, like the glimpses into drag shows and musical theater and medical school, make the snapshots of each arc even more vivid and bright.

Books like this are truly humbling and important. It's probable that I'm deeply underread, but I don't think I've encountered a book that so clearly and plainly explores the ties between race and family. Bennett is certainly not the first - and there were times I honestly felt like The Vanishing Half was a little referential - but that's where she stuck the pin for this one, and it really worked. I have my own thoughts about blood ties, kin, family, however you want to say it, but there's no doubt it does shape your identity, stamping you visibly or invisibly in ways that will never wear off.

So, why 3 stars? I loved the subject matter, the plot, the characters, the ending, the writing style ... but for me, it really came down to my personal reading experience. I dragged my heels a bit, losing interest halfway through. Bennett also tip-toes around using a device she used in The Mothers, writing as a sort of collective voice on behalf of a small town. That sort of thing is not for me, as a preference. I want to be clear though that I'm RECOMMENDING THIS, because it is masterful and worth studying and worth considering long after you finish it.

The Vanishing Half on: Amazon | Bookshop.org | Goodreads

Review: Broken Harbor

5 stars. Broken Harbor ---> Broken Heart. This one was excruciating, and I caught myself with a clenched jaw more than once. I don't think I know of another author who can write so deeply about serious, acute, emotional pain. Why do we love this stuff?! I don't know, but I can't wait to dive into the next one, lol. If I were to rank the Dublin Murder Squad books, this one would be near the top.

The mystery: a family is found murdered in a stalled housing development near the ocean, outside of Dublin. (The setting: appropriately gloomy, isolated, half-constructed and half-abandoned, bleak and freezing cold.) Patrick Spain has been brutally stabbed, and his two children smothered in their beds. Jenny Spain, having suffered a similar knife attack, has survived and is in the hospital. Our hero: Mick "Scorcher" Kennedy, strolling onto the scene with his own story after his cameo in Faithful Place. Step right up to the plate, Scorcher, it's your turn for one of those classic Frenchian life-altering, terror-inducing, world-shattering mysteries that leaves us, as witnesses, equally shattered.

Honestly, not sure how I'm going to get through this spoiler-free, so FYI - SPOILERS AHEAD. You've been warned.

Kennedy, like most of French's protagonists, starts his book confident and capable, having stuffed a painful past into an ordered, black-and-white, neat and tidy life. To him, there's a reason, or an explanation, for everything. Even caring for his mentally ill sister has strict parameters - a deep-seated strategy he refuses to veer from. He's good at his job, he follows the rules, and he keeps his temper under control. Control the chaos - that's his thing. Without control, he's adrift. Everything’s adrift.

(I've read him described as a really unlikeable protagonist - not to me. Toxic boss behavior aside, I loved him. Or maybe, I understood him.)

And I totally thought we were going to witness the crumbling of that carefully-built lifestyle, from start to finish. I totally thought the lesson would be that his need or desire to have control = a futile, useless effort, all the way. The final act (by this I mean, Dina and Richie's betrayal) was a swerve, and a satisfying one. I was glad, honestly, to see Kennedy, not totally, but just slightly, justified. I was glad to see his need for control even mildly validated, even if he didn't want it to be, necessarily. Even if I didn't want it to be. (Again, I'm referring to Dina and Richie's actions - nothing pertaining to the case itself.)

Does that make sense?

Probably not.

Re: the case itself - French always weaves Ireland's Issues - economic and otherwise - into the narrative and it's phenomenal (and phenomenally relevant) here. The precise clarity with which she writes about shattered hopes and dreams is almost horrific. And I loved the animal aspect. When we got to read the wildlife forum posts, it was a genuine WTF moment for me. A couple of the clues weren't exactly ... groundbreaking, but they unfold themselves nicely enough. It's a scary case, though the scariest moment for me personally involved considerable damage done to an alphabetized bookshelf.

I always think of Tana French's books as Very Adult. They're wordy, thinky, contemplative. When I pick up something by her I have to be in the mood to 1) pay attention and 2) wallow in something muddy for a while. Though she nails family dynamics well, I was glad they were on the lighter (though no less dramatic) side here. I LOVED THE ENDING. I loved the themes. The Witch Elm was disappointing and very feel-bad, but I'd love to keep going with this series and check out The Searchers.

Broken Harbor on: Amazon | Bookshop.org | Goodreads

Review: The Survivors

4 stars. Jane Harper is a must-read for me, and she should be for anyone else interested in exquisite mystery thrillers with complex characters involved in complex crimes. In this one, a body of a young woman is found, throwing a small coastal town into chaos. But the core of the story is not a traditional whodunnit - it's also about a storm that ravaged the town over ten years ago, leaving three victims in its wake. I say this adoringly, but: blah blah blah, secrets, clues, family drama, unanswered questions, misplaced blame, etc. etc. etc.

For some reason this one is less of a compelling mystery and more like a ........ feel-bad story. Don't get me wrong, it's a pageturner and I wanted to know the answers, but it felt very grim getting there. Maybe I've forgotten how Harper flavored her other books, and maybe I'm inactively looking for a pick-me-up / grand escape in my reading these days, but it didn't quite hit the spot like I expected it to.

That being said - how wonderfully refreshing to read a book with a young father as the hero, unraveling the mystery with his loving, reliable partner. Also refreshing: a twist I didn't see coming, unexpectedly profound words on grief and guilt, a fantastic ending. Harper really nails those. I also appreciated the pacing and the length of this one, just concise enough to keep me up late thinking "just one more chapter..."

Clever title, BTW! The concept of the Survivors as an art piece is awesome, but obviously the word refers to our characters - each a trauma survivor in his or her own way. I really loved the very human and very heroic failures illustrated in this story, despite the utter darkness seeping out from between the lines. Harper plays with the concept of hero/villain once again, exploring the choices and decisions that lead us down one path or another. Or, maybe, landing us somewhere in-between.

The Survivors on: Amazon | Bookshop.org | Goodreads

Review: Pet Sematary

4 stars. Absolutely horrific. This took me eight months to read, for multiple reasons: pandemic burnout, lack of interest, but also maybe lack of enthusiasm for a book filled with such potent dread you can taste it. I'm so glad I stuck with it, though, because I blasted through to the end in a kind of obsessed panic. Phew, it's dark. Despite the fact that Pet Sematary narrates the story of a doctor who moves his family from Chicago to Maine for a new job - and their subsequent adjustment to the new way of life - this is really, quite definitely, undoubtedly, unsubtly about death.

Death in all its forms, shapes, and sizes. Death as an act and an experience and a thing to be feared, or revered. Death as tragedy; death as escape. Death through the eyes of children; adults; victims; survivors. Death as it is dealt with by different cultures and faiths and religions. King dives deep - really deep - into the idea that death is somehow both the most natural, universal truth of being human, and also one of the most unnatural, surreal events to encounter. Worse still, should it be somehow reversed.

I went in knowing already many of the iconic moments in this book, but the one that truly twisted me up inside was the revelation about Rachel's sister, Zelda. The sequence describing her illness and death had me terrified. It's often King's scenes like this - unexpected detours or side scenes - that really dig deep. Another one that comes to mind is the parlor scene from The Stand ... the interaction between Franny and her mother had me struggling to breathe. It's so good.

From a technical perspective, I would argue that this isn't one of King's best-written books (he knows this). That ending, lol. But also the pacing seems off, and the level of detail during certain scenes (and normally I love his level of detail!) had me skimming. It's a little outdated, a little misogynistic like a lot of King's older writing. Still, it's a must-read for fans of horror and of King. I sort of feel like I have an experience under my belt now, like a notch in my bed post, or an achievement unlocked. There's something really vivid about this one.

Pet Semetary on: Amazon | Bookshop.org | Goodreads

Review: All Things Cease to Appear

5 stars. Wow, how brutal was this? I can't believe I went from the magic of Daevabad to All Things Cease to Appear. Guess it's true: I really do read everything I can get my hands on. And you know what? I loved it just as much. This is one of the most harshly human stories I've ever read, and also a lot of other things: a pageturner; a character study; a mystery. There's a murder, and a small town, and a marriage, and it takes those familiar ingredients and bakes something truly special. Painfully, sharply special. Haunting in every meaning of the word.

This book really sneaks up on you, and I highly, highly recommend going in blind, so I won't summarize except to say, broadly, that this book is about a young couple that moves into a house with a past in a small town. But it really is about so much more than that - grief, hope, despair, love, faith, art, belief, loyalty, and betrayal. Tragedy. Joy after tragedy. Arrogance. The hunt. Rage. Peace. And so much more.

By the time it ended, my heart was in my throat. Sometimes it's hard to turn my analytical brain off, but this book washed over me to the point of serious emotional investment. I ached for these characters and I felt connected to them - the female ones, particularly, dug under my skin and will probably live there for awhile. They made interesting, different choices, and pursued unusual paths, which lent itself to the plot but also a sense that this story is real. It feels like real life. I think I fell in love with each of them, a little. For whatever that's worth.

I really commend Elizabeth Brundage for taking a familiar skeleton of a story and painting its image in a new light. The way things unfold and the way she writes about the in-between spaces and the way she leaves nobody untouched and the way she works through darkness and light and the way things unfold ... it's absolutely brilliant. I want to read it again so I can sift through the sand more carefully; the first read was too white-knuckly, in a good way. I need to think about it some more and maybe, if I’m lucky, discover some of its secrets.

Flagging this for my best of the year list, for sure.

All Things Cease to Appear on: Amazon | Bookshop.org | Goodreads