I'll Walk Alone

Who has not read about - or experienced - with a sinking feeling the fear that someone else out there may be using your credit cards, accessing your bank account, even stealing your identity.

In I'll Walk Alone, Alexandra "Zan" Moreland, a gifted, beautiful interior designer on the the threshold of a successful Manhattan career, is terrified to discover that somebody is not only using her credit cards and manipulating her financial accounts to bankrupt her and destroy her reputation, but may also be impersonating her in a scheme that may involve the much more brutal crimes of kidnapping and murder. Zan is already haunted by the disappearance of her own son, Matthew, kidnapped in broad daylight two years ago in Central Park - a tragedy that has left her torn between hope and despair.

Now, on what would be Matthew's fifth birthday, photos surface that seem to show Zan kidnapping her own child, followed by a chain of events that suggests somebody has stolen her identity.

Hounded by the press, under investigation by the police, attacked by both her ex-husband and a vindictive business rival, Zan, wracked by fear and pain and sustained only by her belief, which nobody else shares, that Matthew is still alive, sets out to discover who is behind this cruel hoax.

Even Zan's supporters, who include Alvirah Meehan, the lottery winner and amateur detective, and Father Aiden O'Brien, who thinks that Zan may have confessed to him a secret he cannot reveal, believes she may have kidnapped little Matthew. Zan herself begins to doubt her own sanity, until, in the kind of fast-paced explosive ending that is Mary Higgins Clark's trademark, the pieces of the puzzle fall into place with an unexpected and shocking revelation.

Deeply satisfying, I'll Walk Alone is Mary Higgins Clark at the top of her form.

The troubled man

This is Henning Mankell's last Kurt Wallender book. I won't give away the ending but Kurt does acquire one of his greatest yearnings. Suffering from memory problems that lead to his suspension from the Ystad police, he takes on a case that is part mystery and part spy novel. His daughter's future father-in-law unexpectedly disappears and she asks him to look into the case. Hakan von Enke was a former naval commander who is obsessed with an incident which involved a Russian submarine in Swedish waters during the Cold War. Kurt pursues the idea that this led to his disappearance, but after Hakan's wife also disappears, he has to rethink his strategy. As this is the last book, Mankell brings the reader up to date on many of Kurt's colleagues and friends. His daughter Linda is very prominent in the story and Kurt has a grandaughter named Klara. This is a bittersweet and emotional story. Kurt wrestles with his old demons and a new monstrous one. The last 2 paragraphs of the book will break your heart.

Secrets of Harmony Grove by Mindy Starns Clark

What Secrets Lurk Deep Inside Harmony Grove?

Philadelphia advertising executive Sienna Collins learns she is under investigation by the federal government for crimes she knows nothing about. Suspecting the matter has something to do with one of her investments, the Harmony Grove Bed & Breakfast in Lancaster County, she heads there, only to find her ex-boyfriend dead and the manager of the B & B unconscious. As Sienna's life spins wildly out of control, she begins to doubt everyone around her, even the handsome detective assigned to the case.

As Sienna searches for the truth and tries to clear her name, she is forced to depend on the faith of her childhood, the wisdom of the Amish, and the insight of the man she has recently begun dating. She'll need all the help she can get, because the secrets she uncovers in Harmony Grove threaten not just her Bed and Breakfast, but also her credibility, her beliefs, and ultimately her life.

Overall, this book was a really good mystery and suspense novel. It has great build up and lots of suspense about what was really going on at the bed and breakfast. Well written and enjoyable to read. If you are in the mood for a good mystery, with a touch of history, this is the perfect read for a Saturday afternoon.

Mothers and Daughters...and Fathers, Too

Joyce Maynard has written another winner. Her novel The Good Daughters features two families whose lives interact in surprising ways. The Planks are farmers, living and working the land on a New Hampshire farm that has been in their family for generations. The Dickersons are more of a fly-by-night family, who drift from place to place depending on their moods, dreams, and the next big idea. We learn at the beginning of the novel that Ruth Plank and Dana Dickerson were born on the same day in the same hospital, so Ruth Plank's mother Connie calls them "birthday sisters." She makes sure that the families stay in touch after the Dickersons move away, and at least once a year drags her family to visit the Dickersons wherever they currently have taken up lodging. This is a strange thing for Ruth and Dana, who don't have much in common and don't care much about each other at all. In alternating chapters, we hear from Ruth and Dana as they live their separate and different lives, and see how the strands that weave their families together are tangled and significant. Maynard is a sensitive, smart writer, and provides multidimensional characters and beautiful descriptions of the landscape in which all of the characters live. The result is a wonderful book. Read it.

FINDING FRANKIE by Maeve Binchy

A single young man named Noel is shocked to find that he's going to be a father. He had a brief affair with a woman who now says she's pregnant with his child and is she is terminally ill. Noel is not the best person to become a father for he spends too much time drinking, is a loner, still lives with his parents, and dislikes his "going nowhere"job. To further all these problems the social worker assigned to this case does not want Noel to have baby Frankie and seems to want him to "mess up". But many people want Noel to succeed. Emily, a visiting cousin. is a great help to Noel. People he barely knewant to help take care of Frankie. The community comes together to take turns babysitting when Noel works and attends night school. Everyone loves Frankie and wants Noel to succeed. You find yourself cheering Noel and Frankie on. The author portrays person so true to real life. Enjoyable read.