Kim B's Picks

“Gone Girl” has two narrators, the halves of a broken marriage: Nick Dunne and his wife, Amy. Nick comes home on the day of their fifth anniversary to find their suburban house tossed and Amy vanished. His account of the unfolding media circus following his wife’s disappearance alternates with excerpts from Amy’s diary, in which she describes how they met as two young magazine journalists in New York and how they ended up, miserable and estranged, in North Carthage, the economically depressed Missouri town where Nick was born and raised. the novel has two mysteries: What happened to Amy, and what happened to Nick-and-Amy? Why does this marriage, or any marriage, fall apart? Was it external pressures? Both partners lost their media jobs thanks to the Internet-enabled mentality that Nick describes as “free is better than good.” Or is it that they’ve taken each other for granted? Both husband and wife have totted up lists of slights, oversights and grievances, most of which result from inattention. You couldn’t say that this is a crime novel that’s ultimately about a marriage, which would make it a literary novel in disguise. The crime and the marriage are inseparable. As “Gone Girl” works itself up into an aria of ingenious, pitch-black comedy (or comedic horror — it’s a bit of both) This page turner is Dark fun! You won’t guess the ending.

What a fun read. Though Dr. Diana Bishop is a witch and her love interest is a vampire this novel has none of the teen angst of most popular vampire stories today. Historical fiction, romance, mystery, and part action thriller are apt descriptions. We first meet our intrepid, youngish heroine Diana Bishop as she recalls a few archival manuscripts from Oxford’s Bodleian Library. The scholar is on leave from a tenured teaching post at Yale and is continuing research on the history of science, specifically the Newtonian era of the late 17th century where science begins to overtake the belief in alchemy and magic. Diana immediately recognizes that one of the alchemical manuscripts, Ashmole 782, is bewitched. Her skin prickles at every touch of the leather-bound volume, and she is immediately both drawn and repulsed. Naturally—or unnaturally—Diana Bishop comes from a long line of powerful witches, descending from Bridget Bishop, the first woman executed for witchcraft in Salem, Massachusetts, in 1692. Diana has been denying her heritage and the use of magic, trying to pass as human her entire life. She can count on one hand the number of times she’s used her powers in a year, and those instances were specific emergencies (like casting a spell on an overflowing washing machine). Ashmole 782 turns out to be a palimpsest—a manuscript hidden in a manuscript—believed lost until Diana unwittingly recalls it from the stacks. With manuscript in hand, she attracts unwarranted attention by vampires, witches and demons at Oxford who want to possess it and know the secrets it may hold. They’ll use force, if necessary, to extract the knowledge they need from Diana. One creature tracking her every move is fellow academician and doctor Matthew Clairmont. I couldn’t help recall Anne Rice affectionately throughout this novel. Be warned that this is a fast paced read that leaves you wanting more because it is trilogy. The next one is due out in July 2012. Can’t wait!

Jesse Parker is back in this follow up to local favorite Storm Peak. Although Steamboat Springs plays a small role in this book, locals and visitors will enjoy the snowy setting of a fictional Utah ski lodge. Once again filled with tense action and Hollywood attractive characters Flanagan has added some international intrigue. Terrorists, drug lords, inadequate politicians, the FBI, and hostages all add to the fast paced fun. These books would make great action movies. For a fun romp in the snow check this book out.