U IS FOR UNDERTOW

Kinsey Millhone gets asked to try to help a young man who believes he remembers some details related to an old case. About twenty years ago, a little girl was kidnapped and was never seen again. Michael Sutton believes that he may have seen some men burying the body. Kinsey is skeptical but once her curiousity is aroused, she is like a dog with a bone who must see the story to its finish. For awhile, it seems like Sutton is crazy with an agenda of his own. However, the more Kinsey investigates, she becomes convinced that he may have seen something after all. It takes some time to fill in the blanks, but Kinsey is the one to do it.

I haven't read Sue Grafton's books in a very long time. I think I quit somewhere around "M". I always planned to go back, though, and I kept hearing great things about this one. I listened to it on tape and other than the narrator sounding way to old for Kinsey, she did a good job of relating the story in a different way for each of the five points of view. All in all, this story was very intriguing and I was delighted to be reading a favorite old author once again. I may have to go back and get caught up in this series - or I may just wait for "V"!

Rating - A

THINK TWICE

Bennie Rosato has been tricked by her twin sister, Alice. Bennie and Alice have had a rocky relationship since Alice reappeared in Bennie's life several years ago. But now, Alice is in trouble herself, so she buries Bennie alive, leaving her for dead. She has also stolen Bennie's money, taken over her law firm and she's even reconnected with Bennie's old boyfriend. Bennie is frantically trying to convince everyone that Alice has pulled a switch but she can't get anyone to believe her. Finally, she discovers that anyone who is pushed far enough has the capacity for violence and a desire for vengence.

Lisa Scottoline is one of my very favorite authors. Her last stand alone was not my favorite. I am so glad to be back reading about Bennie and the all-girl law firm. The last story with Alice got a bit tedious but this one was a page turner right from the start. The chapters are short and the action was quick, keeping the reader absorbed in the storyline. I loved this book from beginning to end. There was also some great character development in the characters of Bennie and Mary. Can't wait for the next book!!!!

Rating - A+

BAD DAY FOR SORRY

Stella Hardesty but up with her husband, Ollie's abuse, until one day when she couldn't take anymore. Now, she has a sideline business helping other women deal with men who are hurting them. Stella uses very unusual methods for getting the attention of men who need to start treating women better. She thought that she had gotten Roy Dean in line until his wife, Chrissy, come to Stella and tells her that Roy Dean has taken her son. Chrissy needs help getting her little boy back and Stella is the only one who has the capabilities to help her, even in the sherrif has his eye on Stella already.

This is the first book by Sophie Littlefield. It was very funny and a quick read. Not for the faint-hearted, though, as Stella is a tough gal who is certainly not a cozy character. Her descriptions of her abusive husband and all she has endured are hard to read but much of the rest of the book is hilarious as Stella gets her man to behave. The story is set in the Ozarks and there are certainly some hillbilly characters that are quite funny. I'll be looking forward to Sophie Littlefield's next installment in this series.

Rating - A

HELL'S GATE

Alexandra Cooper gets called to a ghastly crime scene. A ship is wrecked just within the safety of New York and there are human trafficking victims aboard. It is Alexandra's job to sort out who might be responsible for bringing these women to America from the Ukraine. At nearly the same time, a local congressman is cited for drunk driving and it comes to light that he has a mistress and a love child. The repercussions are affecting local New York politics as everyone tries to spin the situation for their own gain. With the help of Mike and Mercer, Alex manages to sort out all of the pieces and tie together several seemingly unrelated crimes.

I love Linda Fairstein. In every book, she teaches the reader about New York history and landmarks. This book talked of Gracie Mansion and some of the old homes in New York. As always, Alex, Mercer and Mike are human and loveable characters. I keep hoping that Alex and Mike will finally become romantically involved. In this book, it seemed that Alex was leaning that way, too. Still, we are left hanging, waiting for the next installment in this awesome series.

Rating - A

APPLE TURNOVER MURDER

Hannah Swenson has her hands full. In addition to running the Cookie Jar, Mayor Bascomb's wife has asked Hannah and Lisa to bake thousands of apple turnovers for the town's charity festival. Hannah and Lisa are thrilled with the business - if they can keep their sanity while they fill the order. The last thing they need on their hands is a murder. Hannah finds her old professor murdered and she needs to find the murderer to save her own reputation and that of her younger sister, Michelle. Mike is on the trail of the murderer, too, but Norman seems to be distracted.

Joanna Fluke's Hannah Swenson series is one of my favorite cozy series. I like Hannah and I love all of her Cookie Jar recipes. I thought that the love triangle had taken a shift towards Norman in the last book. It seems to be tipping a little more towards Mike in this one. Ms. Fluke leaves us with something of a cliff-hanger, at least as far as Hannah's love life in the last pages. I, for one, can't wait to see where the story leads next.

Rating - A

Thereby Hangs a Tail

Chet and Bernie have been hired to provide protection for a dog at the Western Dog Show. At first, Bernie feels that this is a waste of time but soon he realizes that the dog, Princess, and her owner, Adrianna, are indeed in serious trouble. The story is once again told from Chet, the dog's, point of view.

This was the second in the Spencer Quinn Chet and Bernie series. It is always amusing to have the story told by a dog. It is mostly lighthearted fun but not so silly that it detracts from the story. I enjoyed this book and I'll certainly look forward to the next one.

Rating - A-

THE HELP

This book is filled with wonderful characters who live in Jackson, MS in 1962 where many of the old ways are still going on even though a man named Martin Luther King is doing his best to change things. Skeeter Phelan graduated from Ole Miss and came home with a degree instead of a husband, much to her mother's dismay. Aibilean has been working for forty years as "house help" and she raises white women's children until they begin to feel that whites are somehow superior. There is Minny who is too sassy to be a good maid. She's been fired from 17 jobs and she desperately needs another one. The maid who raised Skeeter, Claiborne, is missing and no one will tell Skeeter where she went or why. Elizabeth is a busy young mom who would rather let a black woman raise her children than to have to love them herself. Hilly Holbrook is president of the Junior League and her goal is to have everyone install separate bathroom facilities so the help won't be using the same toilets as the white people.

This book was recommended to me and everyone had good things to say about it. I believe it is the first novel that Kathryn Stockett has written. I loved it! It was poignant and funny. It really made me think about how complicated racial relations were in the South and how I hope we have gotten so far past all of this. It also made me think that every person deserves to be treated with dignity and that sometimes we all forget and feel that for one reason or another we are superior. This is a book that I will reccomend to other and that I won't forget for a long time.

Rating - A+