The Stranger by Albert Camus

"Of course, I had to own that he was right; I didn't feel much regret for what I'd done. Still, to my mind he overdid it, and I'd have liked to have a chance of explaining to him, in a quite friendly, almost affectionate way, that I have never been able really to regret anything in all my life."
           -Meursault's reaction to the prosecuting attorney

This novel, written by an Algerian author in 1942 and translated in this version by Daniel Ortega, is one I likely would never have read except for Jenny Torres Sanchez's Because of the Sun. I'll explain:
The May Page Turners book was Because of the Sun and YA fiction writer Sanchez attended our meeting to discuss her latest novel. (Several of us know her personally.) In her book, protagonist Dani, after the death of her mother, is reading The Stranger from her school summer reading list and coincidentally finds herself a stranger to herself much as Meursault experiences at the death of his mother at the beginning of The Stranger. At our book club meeting Ms. Sanchez shared that she had read the Camus novel in high school and it had left an impression on her. (Interestingly my 22-year-old granddaughter saw the book at my house and said she had read it in high school, as well.) So from mentions of The Stranger throughout Because of the Sun and Ms. Sanchez's reflections, I became curious enough to borrow a copy and read the classic (?).

I would rate The Stranger a 3.5. I did not expect to like it at all and I did---a little. I don't care much for stream of consciousness writing and both these novels use it as a narrative device, Camus even more extensively than Sanchez. Both protagonists, Mssr. Meursault and Dani Falls, are difficult-to-like characters at first. Further into the novel the reader becomes more simpatico with Dani, not so much with Meursault. At least one secondary character describes him as "being devoid of the least spark of human feeling." The quote I began with somewhat reflects his lack of compassion.

There are some fairly interesting secondary characters introduced, keeping my attention, and one must finish The Stranger to see what M's fate will be (no spoiler here!) but it IS a short book, only 132 pages.

I now find myself wanting to reread Because of the Sun to see if it will have more meaning after having read The Stranger.

Kill the Messenger by Tami Hoag

" He drove Jace crazy when he asked questions like that. Why am I me, instead of someone else? Why was this his life? No mother, no father. Why was the family he knew someone else's family? Jace told him there was no sense wondering things like that, but Tyler wondered anyway. Some questions didn't have answers, Jace said. Life was what it was, and all they could do was live it the best way they could."
           -Tyler's thoughts, from the novel

I have enjoyed several of Tami Hoag's murder mysteries but none recently. When I spotted this one at our condo association's mini-library, it jumped right off the shelf into my hands! It did not disappoint as a true page-turner. It starts out with a bang and hardly slows down. I rate it a 5.

The story involves two protagonists. First, we meet Jace Damon, a very young man who works as a bicycle messenger in L.A. in an effort to support himself and his 10-year-old brother. Their parents are gone and life is a struggle, to be sure, hinted at in the quote above. When Jace does a late pick-up he is chased down by a mysterious driver who is apparently trying to kill him. He survives with his street smarts but his bike---his livelihood---does not fare so well. The reader soon finds out the low-life lawyer who gave him the package to deliver has been murdered, leaving Jace to feel he will be a suspect and causing him to go on the lam.

In the meantime, detective Kevin Parker, self-professed best homicide cop in town, is involved with the murder of the "scum-sucking member of the bar" already mentioned. He is training a new cop, Renee Ruiz, who as it turns out, has questionable motives. Early in the course of his investigation, Kev learns of the bike messenger and knows he may have vital information to help solve the crime and searches for him.

Jace, his boy genius brother, Tyler, and Kevin are all likeable characters and I found myself very sympathetic. Some of the other bike messengers were described in such a way as to add some humor and there is even some romance thrown in to alleviate the intensity. The plot takes some twists and turns and in the end Kevin Parker gets a big surprise and I think you will too!

A Reluctant Queen The Love Story of Esther by Joan Wolf

“Do not think that because you are in the king’s house you alone of all the Jews will escape. For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance for the Jews will arise from another place, but you and your father’s family will perish. And who knows but that you have come to your royal position for such a time as this?”
           -Mordecai's advice to Queen Esther, the Book of Esther 4:13-14 (NIV)

Several years ago my women's church circle was involved in a Bible study of the book of Esther which I found very interesting. When I saw that the library had a book bundle (multiple copies in a set) of this title, I was determined to use it as a Page Turner selection. I waited quite a while to find it available for checkout but I kept trying because I knew it would be different from anything we had read in a while and all our book club folks are people of faith. I enjoyed it---will rate it a 4---and hope they liked it, too.

In the Biblical book the quote with which I began was quite a notable scripture reference. All through the novel, I kept looking for a statement that was similar and never really found it. In the Author's Note, Ms. Wolf does admit to "tinkering a bit with the Esther story as it is presented in the Bible." After finishing the novel, I reread the Bible original and realized there was a lot of tinkering! The characters come alive with the author's fleshing out of their emotions and motivations and of course the dialogue adds even more realism. A true Biblical scholar would have problems with some changes and additions to the Esther story but if read as fiction, A Reluctant Queen is quite enjoyable, especially if the reader likes a good love story once in a while!

I look forward to meeting with our group and hearing their thoughts....more later.
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Page Turners rate the book 3.7, with all votes either 3 or 4. I'd say we liked it. We agreed you could not read it as history and appreciate it, only as a work of fiction. One member of the group told me she had a library copy of the book that had editing marks and indignant comments written in it---obviously a reader who did not take that advice. Almost all participants said they reread the Bible book of Esther either before or after The Reluctant Queen.

I compared The Red Tent, a novel by Anita Diamant which is also Biblical fiction, a Jacob, Rachel and Leah story. I had recently seen the mini series on TV and was reminded of the "tinkering" Diamant did with the Genesis story. Many knew just what I meant.

Refreshments are always offered at our meetings, supplied by volunteers. On my way to the meeting I was thinking we should have a "Queen's feast."  As it turned out, two of our members had planned just that, theming our edibles with the book. We had Haman's ears---lovely triangular shaped cookies with jam in the centers---poppy seed muffins, grapes, figs, dates, nuts and a lovely warm potato dish. Delicious! All of that plus a very stimulating discussion!

Dead Certain by Adam Mitzner

"DEAD CERTAIN A Novel by Charlotte Broden
For my sister, Ella...because

CHAPTER ONE
Even in the beginning, I wondered about the end. I could envision only two outcomes, with nothing in between: happily-ever-after with a man I love, or my entire world blown to hell."
                  -from the novel-within-the-novel

I haven't read a thriller in a while and this one certainly was! Definitely a change of pace.

Ella Broden, attorney-at-law, meets her sister Charlotte for lunch in the beginning pages of the novel. Charlotte shares the good news that she has a partially-finished novel that has been accepted for publication. It just happens to be titled Dead Certain. She gives a manuscript to Ella to read. The next day, Charlotte's live-in boyfriend reports her missing. Ella enlists the help of NYPD detective and former lover Gabriel Velasquez to help her find her sister.

As it turns out Charlotte's novel is somewhat autobiographical in that the protagonist has a lawyer sister and is romantically involved with 3 men, thinly veiled representatives of the multiple lovers of Charlotte herself. When Ella realizes this, she begins trying to discern which of Charlotte's actual lovers could be implicated in her disappearance. The plot takes some twists and turns but I did predict the culprit perhaps half-way through the book. No spoilers though!

I am giving the book a 4 rating. I admit to being captured by the story. The novel-within-the-novel was an interesting technique but when another narrator is introduced, three first-person narratives get a bit confusing. There is some rather tedious repetition as the reader gets the same event from two perspectives but they sound almost the same. I thought the author did a creditable job of writing from a woman's (actually two women's) point(s) of view. I do think I would read more by this author.