From the E Shelf...

Author:  Aaron Elkins

Title:  A Long Time Coming

First line:  "My name is Val Caruso and I'm a curator at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. I have been having one hell of a day, and I don't mean in a good way."

It was the cover of this one that first caught my eye. Then, when I saw that the story involved a Holocaust survivor, two Renoir paintings, looted art, a trip to Italy, mystery and murder, I knew I had to check it out. And I'm glad I did. I enjoyed the way this story unfolded from Caruso agreeing to do a favor for a friend, to Sol Bezzecca's story of his great grandfather's two Renoir paintings and how they were stolen during World War II, to the quirky characters Caruso meets in Milan as he tries to get one of the paintings back for Sol. Throw a little art theft and murder into the mix and the story gets even more interesting. This book is a well-plotted and entertaining mystery. I especially liked all the art history bits. And Caruso, or Tino as he's called in Italy, is a very likeable character. This was another serendipitous library find. I'm so glad I found it. Aaron Elkins is an author I'd definitely read again.

Happy Reading!

The Enchanted April by Elizabeth von Arnim

To Those who Appreciate Wisteria and Sunshine.

Small mediaeval Italian Castle on the shores of the Mediterranean 

to be Let Furnished for The month of April. Necessary servants remain.

 Z, Box 1000, The Times.

Sounds like a dream, doesn't it? April in Italy. Mrs. Lotty Wilkins and Mrs. Rose Arbuthnot think so, too. They both live in Hampstead, England in the 1920s and both want a change from their humdrum lives. Lotty "was the kind of person who is not noticed at parties. Her clothes, infested by thrift, made her practically invisible; her face was non-arresting; her conversation was reluctant; she was shy." And Rose, with "the face of a patient and disappointed Madonna" has, for years, "been able to be happy only by forgetting happiness." San Salvatore is the cure they both need. So they, along with Lady Caroline Dester and Mrs. Fisher who help share expenses, rent the Italian castle for an entire month. One heavenly month of beauty, freedom and love.

     "All the radiance of April in Italy lay gathered together at her feet...She stared. Such beauty; and she there to see it. Such beauty; and she alive to feel it. Her face was bathed in light. Lovely scents came up to the window and caressed her. A tiny breeze gently lifted her hair. Far out in the bay a cluster of almost motionless fishing boats hovered like a flock of white birds on the tranquil sea. How beautiful, how beautiful. Not to have died before this...to have been allowed to see, breathe, feel this...She stared, her lips parted. Happy? Poor ordinary, everyday word. But what could one say, how could one describe it? It was as though she could hardly stay inside herself, it was as though she were washed through with light."

I love the lyrical quality of von Arnim's writing, and each of her delightful characters, especially Lotty and Lady Caroline (or Scrap, as she calls herself). I've seen the movie version of The Enchanted April many times, but I'd never read the book until now. And I'm glad I did; in fact, I savored every word of it. It's definitely the perfect book for April.

Happy Reading!

(And don't forget to watch the movie, too.) 

"Were you ever, ever in your life so happy?" asked Mrs. Wilkins.

"No," said Mrs. Arbuthnot.

The Whisperer by Donato Carrisi

Death is highly seductive.

Corpses always arouse our curiosity.

Death, especially violent death, 

exerts a strange fascination on the living.

Five missing girls. Six severed left arms. One criminal mastermind. Dr. Goran Gavila, a noted criminologist, is searching for the monster behind these crimes. Helping him, is Mila Vasquez, a young detective who's solved 89 missing-person cases. This case leads them and the other members of their team into a labyrinth of darkness, where each new clue that they find adds another twist to the mystery and seems to take them even further from the truth. 

I love a good mystery and The Whisperer is a chilling psychological thriller that is hard to put down. Not only is it literary and intelligent, it's also haunting. Carrisi's characters are complex and multifaceted, and each one has a secret, including Goran and Mila. And you won't believe the ending! I never saw it coming. This is definitely one of the best books I've read this year. In a lot of ways this book reminded me of two other books I really loved: In the Woods by Tana French and Now You See Me by S.J. Bolton. If you're a fan of either of these authors, I think you'd really like Donato Carrisi, too.

Happy Reading!