The Scandalous Summer of Sissy LeBlanc

by Loraine Despres

In Louisiana in 1956, Sissy LeBlanc is waiting for adventure to come her way.  Married at 17 and the mother of 3, Sissy lives by the "Southern Belle's Handbook", a series of rules made up in her head to help her get through.  But when her high school sweetheart, Parker Davidson, comes back to town, he brings the adventure she's been missing.  And there's nothing in the handbook that tells her what to do when Parker leans in for a kiss in her kitchen.

Starting off seemingly light-hearted and easy-going, this book snuck up on me by becoming more serious and dark late in the story.  Sissy LeBlanc is the kind of woman you'd like to sit on the porch with, having a drink and talking trash about the people walking by.  She's found herself in a life and she's not sure how she got there.  But you find out that there's more to Sissy than anyone suspects. 

I was surprised by the last third of this book.  I honestly did not see any of it coming.  Check it out.  I think you'll be surprised too.

The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest

by Stieg Larsson

The third of the trilogy, Lisbeth Salander and Mikael Blomkvist are back, trying to prove her innocence in the murder of her father as well as the guilt of a secret government agency who have tried to destroy Lisbeth's life since before her teens. 

Starting with "The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo" and then "The Girl Who Played With Fire", "Hornet's Nest" picks up literally moments after "Fire" ends.  For someone like me, who read "Fire" some time ago, it was hard to get back into the flow and the characters.  It would probably have been easier to read all three in succession.  Like the first book, this one spent a lot of time discussing the government, which tends to bore me.  But I stuck with it, because the other two books were so good.

There seemed to be a lot of extra in this book that could have been cut out.  Government conspiracy themed books hold little interest for me usually, but I enjoyed this series.  It's too bad Larsson died after delivering the manuscript for "The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest".

The Eyes of Darkness

by Dean Koontz

Danny Evans died nearly a year ago in an accident while on a scout trip.  But now his mother is seeing him in a stranger's car.  She dreamed he was alive.  And now she's getting strange messages in Danny's bedroom.  Tina Evans must find out what really happened to her son - or where he is now.

You really can't go wrong with Dean Koontz.  This is an older book - originally published in 1981 under the name Leigh Nichols.  It was revised and re-released in Koontz's name in 1996.  Having not read the original version, I can't speak to any changes that may have been made.  But this book was very good.  

As I try to work my way through most of Dean Koontz's books - a hefty goal, believe me - I look forward to seeing how or if his style changes. 

The Woods

by Harlan Coben

Paul "Cope" Copeland is a county prosecutor trying a difficult rape case.  When the parents of one of the defendants threatens him, the past comes back to haunt him.  Twenty years earlier, his sister was presumed dead after a summer camp.  But now Cope is forced to relive that night and wonders what really happened.

This book was really good.  Shifting between Cope's rape case and the events of the summer camp murder, it was fast paced and kept me wanting to read more.  It sounds like one of the horror movie stories: 20 years ago there was a murder at a summer camp and now strange things are happening to the survivors.  But while Cope is investigating again what really happened to his sister, his current life is also in turmoil.

I look forward to reading another by this author.