Author: David Baldacci

This book came to me from a fellow quilter. I’ve read the author before so I expected it would be a good one.

The story is set in Virginia in 1968. Emancipation laws have been enacted but they have yet to be fully accepted by the common people. Jack Lee is a small town lawyer who has never tried a murder case. When the maid from the house down the street asks him to defend her grandson-in-law he accepts, knowing it will be a difficult battle for a white lawyer to defend a black man. When Desiree DuBose steps in, a black lawyer with a lot of experience in defending against racism, the two take on the case together.

Goodreads Rating: * * *

Author: Marilynne Robinson

This is the third book in the Gilead series and since I’m so far in I think I’ll go ahead and read the last one. Her writing style has differed from book to book; this one was more confusing than the others but it certainly filled in the background of the Rev. Ames’ young wife.

Goodreads Rating: * * *

Author: Jo Nesbø

This book was not at all what I expected. Other books I’ve read by this author followed the cases of Detective Harry Hole. Every one of them was hard to put down. This one is hard to put down but for an entirely different reason.

MacBeth is the head of the SWAT team in the fictional city of Fife. Almost from the beginning we see a very dark side to Macbeth and he doesn’t get any nicer throughout the book. His climb to the top leaves a trail of murders, many of which MacBeth is behind but not necessarily the perpetrator. I soon came to dislike MacBeth; the reason I couldn’t put it down was because I wanted to see if he got his comeuppance. The mystery went on until the last few pages; the last chapter hints that the criminality will continue.

Goodreads Rating: * * *