I just read Evans Above the first book in the Constable Evans series by Rhys Bowen.  This book has been in my TBR pile forever, no really I mean it, at least two years.  I don’t know why I never seemed to get around to it but now I am so glad that I did.  I loved the setting, a small Scottish Village and the ancillary characters are done quite well.  The murder plot was well crafted and I did not solve it until close to the end.   There was quite a bit of action, both related to the original crime and in addition to it.   In addition, there is quite an interesting love triangle brewing in the village between the Constable and two very different ladies.  This was a fun cozy read and I am sure the series is going to prove to be great.  Anyone who likes British cozies with small village settings will probably enjoy this.

This is a meme from Midnightbookgirl.com.    My entries are below:

I will start this brief review  by saying that for me Marian Keyes can do no wrong.  I love her books and her sense of humor.  This book was no exception.  The characters were funny and engaging.  The mystery was well thought out, with red herrings, some quite clever.  The book is ostensibly about a missing “rock star”, I’ll use that term loosely since he is a former boy band member.  What the book is really about is depression, both having depression and others reactions to it.  I found it to be an honest and refreshing treatment of the subject.  Too often women’s fiction about depression takes itself so seriously that the books themselves are depressing and having been there I can tell you that is the last thing you need.  The dialogue, both inner and actual, reveals truths about depression with an accuracy that can only be expressed by someone who has been there.  Overall, an  interesting mystery plot, enjoyable characters, laugh out loud humor all add up to a highly recommended read.

I really, really tried to like this book.  I enjoyed the first in the series.  The theme of a literary agency is one that is really interesting (I like book related themes). .  In the first book, the main character was likable and I found that I could relate to her, a single working mother with college aged child.  This book was the second in the series, I ordered it from the library right  after I finished the first one.  This outing had several issues, first the culprit is obvious almost  from the first ten pages, so obvious that you keep thinking it must be a red herring but it isn’t .  Lila, the protagonist, rather than being a character I can relate to from the first book, is almost hysterical, jumping to conclusions and racing around like a chicken with her head cut off.  Then she veers off into hand wringing guilt, that only seems attention seeking to me.  The reveal was a let down because there was no mystery to it.  The subplot about the co-op just seems contrived and unnecessary, as though it was just thrown in as an excuse to get rid of the co-op in future books in the series.  Very disappointed in this outing in what I thought was going to be  a great series.

I checked this book out of my local library after reading about it on various book blogs.  I am so glad that I did!  On the face of it, the story is about a man walking to visit a dying friend, but the book is about so much more than that.  The book speaks to the mundane life, how many, dare I say most people, live life going through the motions, not appreciating the small moments, the small joys in their life.  Harold, through walking sees things he never noticed driving along in his car.  He meets and talks to people he never would have talked to in his “normal” life.  Through his journey he connects with others and they with him, after a lifetime of  seeming disconnectedness.

The conclusion is beautifully drawn and brings closure to a wonderful story.  Characters, not just Harold, show growth over the course of the story.  The major theme of this story is faith, not in the sense of religious faith but just in the sense of belief in something.  It also deals with friendship, loyalty, grief, death, and the fear of aging.

Some have criticized this book for moving too slowly, but I feel that is the point, a message, not to be trite, but “slow down and smell the roses”.  You need to appreciate each of the small moments, that is what life is made up of, don’t discount them as unimportant.  Yes, there are big moments in life, weddings, graduations, funerals, but those are rare occasions.  Wonderful book.

I had read about this book on several blogs so I was really happy that my library had it and I finished it early the other morning but didn’t write anything about it…and as is my problem, if I don’t do something right at the moment I forget about it.  Anyway, I was sorting out my library books and saw this in the pile to return and realized I hadn’t posted about it.  So here goes…

“I don’t much care where I go when I die, as long as it’s where the animals are.”   ~ Josh from Looking for Me  Beth Hoffman

This was a wonderful book, full of southern charm and characters.  Teddi Overman plays the strong survivor southern woman to a T.  All the characters are well drawn and Beth Hoffman manages to paint vivid pictures of characters through skillful use of dialogue and scenes.  The premise is a woman returning to her roots.  Her childhood had ended with the disappearance of her brother, who she believes never died and keeps hoping to find.  The disappearance of her brother fractured her family irreparably and she spends the book dealing with the fallout of this and acknowledging the impact this has had on her life.

This was a well crafted book with no cardboard cutout characters or tired plot lines.  The characters are multi-layered people and the author uses dialogue and the interactions between the characters to peel away the layers.  I really enjoyed this book and was sad when it ended and what an ending…. it was perfect in keeping with the book.  I won’t say more and spoil it for anyone.