I Read 10 Books in April, Part 2

"You Can't Catch Me" by Catherine McKenzie is a clever psychological thriller with a revenge plot. Twelve years ago Jessica Williams was rescued from a cult. She has re-entered society and adjusted as well as one can with her past experiences. She has just lost her job as a journalist and has received a large severance package. She is at the airport one day, waiting for her flight to be called when she seemingly accidentally meets a woman named Jessica Williams. The two women share a drink and laugh and chat over the coincidence of having the same name. They even have the same birthday…Jessica goes on her trip and when she comes home, her bank account has been emptied. What follows is a twisty tale of revenge as Jessica tries to find the woman who stole all her money and identity. Gripping and entertaining. I listened to the audio version of this book and thought it was well narrated by Julia Whelan. 4 stars 

"The GIrls Are All So Nice Here" by Laurie Elizabeth Flynn is another psychological thriller with a revenge plot. Two former best friends return to their alma mater for a reunion. It soon becomes clear that someone is out to pay them back for a terrible thing they did 10 years prior. All I can say is that these mean girls sure had a lot of free time at college to behave badly. Unlikeable characters who I hoped would get what was coming to them. This book was not for me. Meh. 2 stars

"Bitter Orange" by Claire Fuller is a book that came out in 2018. How gorgeous is that cover? The author is coming out with a new book soon and I thought I would pick up something from her backlist. So glad I did. Set in 1969, our frumpy and peculiar protagonist Frances, has been hired to do architectural research at a dilapidated English country estate called Lyntons. She shares the house with Cara and Peter, an attractive and enigmatic couple she is unhealthily fascinated by. Frances has spent the past ten years caring for her demanding mother and is extremely inept socially, never having had friends of her own. She becomes obsessed with Cara and Peter, even spying on them through a peephole in her room. The couple befriends her and begins to include her in all their daily activities. There are only five characters in the book. The mood is atmospheric, dark, and suspenseful. If you liked Daphne Du Maurier's Rebecca or any of Shirley Jackson's books, you'll love this one. Throughout the story, you feel as if you aren't getting the whole picture, as the author reveals things a bit at a time up until the book's shocking end. Everything is definitely not as it seems. This was such a well-written literary suspense novel. 5 stars

"The Lost Apothecary" by Sarah Penner is a dual timeline novel that alternates between the present day and early 18th century London. The present-day timeline was not nearly as interesting to me as the historical one, so I took a bit off my rating due to that. The Lost Apothecary is about a woman in the past named Nella who mixes lethal poisons for desperate women who want to do away with a male figure in their lives who is abusing them. If you can accept that premise you will enjoy this atmospheric book. Nella's shop is very well hidden in a storage area behind a shop on a back alley in London. Somehow her customers manage to find her and secure the poison to do the job of eliminating the abusive person who is making their lives miserable.  The present-day main character Caroline finds herself in London alone on what was supposed to be her 10 year wedding anniversary. She participates in an activity called "mudlarking" (fascinating stuff) and finds an ancient apothecary bottle in the muddy shores of the Thames. This leads her to an investigation that reveals the story of Nella and her hidden apothecary shop. The atmosphere of 1790's London was really well done in this book. The writing had some flaws, but overall I enjoyed the book. I wish the author had taken more time to explore the stories of the sad women who were seeking Nella's help. 3.5-4 stars

"Yellow Crocus" by Laila Ibrahim. I have mixed feelings about this book. The story is about Mattie, an enslaved woman who is separated from her own newborn to be the wetnurse for Lisbeth, the child of the plantation owner. Lisbeth comes to love Mattie even more than she does her own emotionally distant mother. She loves to follow Mattie into the slave quarters and to interact with Mattie's family and the other slaves. Obviously, in mid 1800s Virginia, this activity would not be without consequences. The mistreatment of enslaved people is a hard subject for me to read about, so the book was at times hard going for me. The story also seems rather over-simplified. Nevertheless, many of you will find this a worthwhile book to pick up. I started the sequel "Mustard Seed", which is set after the Civil War, and continues the stories of the characters in Yellow Crocus. The characters made such foolhardy decisions which put them right in harm's way that I could not continue and DNF'd the book half way through. 2.5-3 stars

Overall, April was a terrific reading month for me. I've made a great start with my May books and look forward to sharing those with you as well.