The Only Survivors

 

The Only Survivors by Megan Miranda. New York, MarySue Rucci Books/Scribner, 2023. 352 pages. ****

Ten years ago,  two vans filled with high school seniors set out on a school service trip and crash into a Tennessee ravine, only 9 survive. The nine teens make a pact to meet once a year to commemorate that horrible night and to support and protect each other. A few have moved from their hometown and continued their lives, however, they meet once a year in a house on the Outer Banks, a refuge, to reconnect and revisit the tragedy. Cassidy Bent has decided on this tenth anniversary to distance herself from the others, she deleted the email reminders, changed her cell phone number, and is finally happy with her new boyfriend. On the morning of the reunion, she sees an email with an obituary attached and realizes that she must be with the others to mourn her friend and fellow classmate from the trip. Throwing caution to the wind and lying about a business trip, Cassidy arrives to a house filled with suspicion and distrust. Finding a locked cell phone on the beach takes Cassidy on a journey back in time to that fateful night and causes her to question her oldest friends and what exactly happened that night.

I received an ecopy for a review

Megan Miranda has done it again. This psychological thriller with its many twists and turns will have you guessing from beginning to end. What really caused the accident and what secret have they vowed to protect?  The towns people  have not allowed anyone to forget the lives lost by dedicating the new library to them and hanging brass plaques with their names. Survivors' guilt has made them suspicious of each other and their role in who to save.  Hard to put down, once started, you will continue breathless until the very end. 

From Amazon

Megan Miranda is the New York Times bestselling author of All the Missing Girls; The Perfect Stranger; The Last House Guest, a Reese Witherspoon Book Club Pick; The Girl from Widow Hills; Such a Quiet Place; and The Last to Vanish. She has also written several books for young adults. She grew up in New Jersey, graduated from MIT, and lives in North Carolina with her husband and two children. Follow @MeganLMiranda on Twitter and Instagram, @AuthorMeganMiranda on Facebook, and visit MeganMiranda.com

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A World of Curiosities

 

A World of Curiosities  (Chief Inspector Gamache Novel, 18) by Louise Penny. New York: Minotaur Books, 2022. 390 pages. *****

In this latest Gamache novel, Three Pines is preparing for the end of winter and new beginnings. A previous case haunts Gamache and Beauvoir and has left them unsettled and unsure of themselves. The case involved a young girl convicted of the murder of her mother, however, Gamache isn't convinced that she did it, rather than her younger brother. Both young children were prostituted by their drug addicted mother. The sister has been released from prison and is graduating and her brother has come to Three Pines to join in the celebration. John Heywood's proverb comes to mind, "It's an ill wind that blows nobody any good." Throw in a room that has not been opened in one hundred and sixty years and when unlocked opens a "world of curiosities." 

There are many layers to this book, and I was mesmerized from the very beginning. The good versus evil is well-played leaving the reader wondering is Gamache losing his edge? 

Sometimes when there is a long series of books, the author loses their edge, not Louise Penny. In my opinion, this is her best book yet! I am hooked! I've decided I may need to start with book 1 and reread the series before the next book comes out. In her own words "My books are about terror. That brooding terror curled deep down inside us. But more than that, more than murder, more than all the rancid emotions and actions, my books are about goodness. And kindness. About choices. About friendship and belonging. And love. Enduring love.

If you take only one thing away from any of my books, I'd like it to be this:

Goodness exists." 

There is a series on Amazon Prime, The Three Pines,  based on her characters and books. The series has  received mixed reviews. I have enjoyed the shows; however, I watch them as a standalone and do not expect them to follow a particular book or storyline. 

For more information on Louise Penny and her books - https://www.louisepenny.com.

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The Lipstick Bureau

 

The Lipstick Bureau A Novel Inspired by a Real-Life Female Spy by Michelle Gable. Graydon House: 2022. 464 pages.  Selected List of Sources ****

Niki Novotna, a Czech native, with multiple degrees and speaking many languages, is married to an American from a prominent family. Inspired by the true story of Barbara Lauwers, Gable has written a gripping novel about the OSS Moral Operations in Rome during WWII. Not your typical WWII novel, we have a behind the scenes view of a small propaganda operation that provides big results in affecting the morale of the German soldiers and citizens in Italy. Using prisoners of war to infiltrate and distribute flyers, handouts, etc. Niki who plays a pivotal role in designing operations with the nicknames of Sauerkraut, Cornflakes, and Monte Rosa, fears that she may have crossed the line in paying prostitutes to keep the select POWs happy and will be charged with violating the rules of the Geneva Convention. With her career in jeopardy, her marriage in name only, her parents and brother unaccounted for, Niki is facing some harsh realities as the war is ending. 

I read this book in one weekend and didn't want to put it down. Gable presents the realities of war alongside the personalities and desires of the main characters. Survival is the name of the game and it's not always predictable or pretty. Historical fiction fans will enjoy a glimpse into how propaganda works and the OSS. An excellent Book Club selection for the many moral and ethical discussion points. This is the first book I have read by Gable and it won't be the last. 

I received an ARC from the publisher for a review. 

From Amazon- "MICHELLE GABLE is the New York Times bestselling author of A Paris Apartment, I'll See You in Paris, The Book of Summer, and The Summer I Met Jack. She attended the College of William & Mary and spent twenty years working in finance before becoming a full-time writer. She grew up in San Diego and lives in Cardiff-by-the-Sea, California. Find her on Instagram, Twitter, or Pinterest, @mgablewriter."

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