• No One was Supposed to Die at This Wedding, Catherine Mack
• Knave of Diamonds, Laurie King
• Nemesis, Gregg Hurwitz
• The Bachelorette Party, Camilla Stern
• Great Big Beautiful Life, Emily Henry
• The Spell Shop, Sarah Beth Durst
• Pompeii, Robert Harris
• Fever Beach, Carl Hiaasen

I read Catherine Mack’s first book about Eleanor Dash, bestselling writer, so I enjoyed the second one, No One was Supposed to Die at This Wedding. Eleanor is attending the destination wedding of her friend, Emma Wood, who is marrying the actor playing Connor Smith (Eleanor’s ex) in the movie of Eleanor’s book. Convoluted! There is a huge literal storm headed their way, and also a virtual storm . . . when people start dying.

Laurie King is a wonderful writer, and her series about Mary Russell, Sherlock Holmes’ apprentice and later wife, is widely acclaimed. Knave of Diamonds deals with Mary’s black sheep uncle, Jake, and his reappearance in her life when he needs her help to deal with the complications of a long-ago theft. It’s just as good as the rest of the Mary Russell books.

Gregg Hurwitz is best known for his Orphan X thrillers. Evan Smoak (Orphan X) has reconfigured his life after being a black ops assassin. His one friend, Tommy Stojack, who has always aided and abetted Evan, is on a different path. The collision of their two philosophies makes Evan decide he has to confront Tommy, no matter what the result is. But the Nemesis plot is far from simple, and the situation is dire.

The Bachelorette Party is Camilla Stern’s novel about a death on an isolated island, a secret kept for ten years, and four women who have kept that secret. In the ten years after the terrible incident on Vinyasa, which has since become an expensive yoga retreat, all the women have changed. Tessa, who has been consumed by the story of the four women, is on hand to solve the mystery . . . but instead, she’s caught up in someone’s revenge story.

I enjoyed Great Big Beautiful Life from beginning to end. Two writers are invited to “audition” for the chance to write the biography of Margaret Ives, whose life is legendary. One is relatively unknown (Alice Scott), and the other (Haydon Anderson) is a man with a big reputation. They are both hoping for the chance to be chosen. But Margaret is having a terrible time making up her mind . . . and the two writers are getting to know each other very, very well

The Spell Shop is Sarah Beth Durst’s equally appealing novel about a reclusive librarian who steals all the books she can when she has to flee for her life during a revolution. Kiela flees to her parents’ home island, since their house now belongs to her. She is awkward with people, and she has no idea how to cope with this new life in a new place. Her sentient plant, Caz, is her only ally. Trying to find a new way to make a living (and keep the precious books concealed) Kiela discovers the bakery is good, but no one is making jam to go with the baked products. She’s found her niche, and she begins making friends for the first time in her life. This is a delightful read.

Robert Harris’s Pompeii was a gift from a friend who knew how much I valued my visit to the city now fixed in time. It’s a story about the miracle of  Roman engineering, the power of crooked politics, and the savagery of everyday life in the Roman empire.

Carl Hiaasen is a wonderful writer, biting and funny, with a sharp eye for the absurdities of today’s Florida. His characters in Fever Beach, all unique in some way or another (or many ways) are vastly entertaining. Viva is renting a room in the home of a right-wing nut (Figgo) since she can’t afford anything else. Twilly is wealthy but has severe anger-management issues. There’s a congressman who has committed many indiscretions, a conspiracy theorist who has pets named after Nazis, and two aging wealthy extremists who have no idea they are mortal. The way they all come together is amazing.

Blog:

I had an excellent time at Dragon Con and Bouchercon. My friend Paula, who travels with me, and I had so many adventures along the way. I met many interesting new people, said hello to many old friends, and enjoyed some great panels.

Dragon Con is notoriously huge. It takes over downtown Atlanta every year and is spread over five hotels. Paula got me to and from my panels and signings like a real trouper, I think I did just about everything I was supposed to do. I had events on the Horror track, the Urban Fantasy track, and the Writer track. I had some good signings, too. In between, I got to see my long-time reader and friend Kerri Sauer, and two of my three cousins who live in the Atlanta area.

Bouchercon in New Orleans was much smaller and easier to navigate, to my relief. It was a great convention, well-organized and in a hotel that had a logical layout. Even the book bags were pretty! And I was honored to take part in the banned book event.

Unfortunately, Paula and I got food poisoning Thursday evening, and that was effectively the end of the convention for us. We were still in the hotel, but we weren’t coming out of our room except for very brief forays until we left for the airport. God bless wheelchairs! And our flight home was on time. I would have cried if we’d been delayed.

Now I’m home, laundry done, my whole system feeling better, and slowly taking on my duties again. If I got to see you and say hello, thanks for stopping by my panel/table/signing. If I didn’t get to see you, maybe next time?

Charlaine Harris