Vermilion Drift by William Kent Krueger

 "Like the beads of that bracelet, all things are connected. The past, the present, the future. One long, beautiful work from the hand of Kitchimanidoo. You, me, those who have gone before us, and those who come after, we are all connected in that creation. No one is ever truly lost to us."

              -Henry Meloux, from the novel

Number 10 and counting down in the Cork O'Connor series by this author! I'm definitely a fan. Pretty much inhaled this one---it was quite a page turner. A five rating, for sure.

I have become very fond of Cork O'Connor but my second favorite character is Henry Meloux, member of the Grand Medicine Society, one of the Midewiwin, one we might call a medicine man, of the Ojibwe nation. At 90+ years, he is very wise and so quotable (see above). 

In this installment, the Department of Energy is considering the storage of nuclear waste in the Ladyslipper Mine, a large iron ore excavation. This causes quite an uproar in the community---the Iron Lake Reservation natives and other residents of Tamarack County, Minnesota. Cork is hired as a security consultant.

Cork soon discovers a secret area of the mine containing 6 murder victims, five dating back to 1964 while his father was sheriff and investigating a mystery called "The Vanishings." The 6th body has been added quite recently. Immediately, Cork becomes involved in the investigation. When a life-long friend confesses to one of the murders and the gunshot wounds of two victims match Cork's own handgun passed down from his father, the mission becomes very personal and more desperate. 

O'Connor has been having frequent nightmares about the death of his father. During the murder investigation, mysteries are revealed about his father, and it will take Meloux to help him recover long-buried memories.

Krueger is very adept at both character and plot development, but his writing style sets him apart from many mystery writers. I found this review from another author which expresses my opinion, as well:

"There's a reason why William Kent Krueger is known as a writer's writer. His stories are works of art, literary wonders that beautifully capture a sense of place while they deliver a powerful emotional punch." --Tess Gerritsen

I look forward to #11, Northwest Angle.

Rough Draft by Katy Tur

 "Our lives are one long rough draft and none of us will know how we've done until many years from now, long after the memories have gone cold, and maybe not even then. All we can do is try."

       -Katy Tur, from the memoir

Apparently, this is Katy Tur's second memoir but the first I have read. I learned about its publication while watching MSNBC. While the title may be a bit obscure, the subtitle is compelling: Motherhood and Journalism in a World Gone Mad. It's a short book, less than 300 pages, easy to read and pretty interesting. I will rate it 3+.

Katy Tur is the daughter of helicopter parents, literally.  Bob and Marika Tur covered breaking news over the skies of California including the O.J.-in-white-Bronco chase. The Turs were the creators of Los Angeles News Service. Ms. Tur lets us know that while her high-profile father may have predisposed her to a career in journalism, he was verbally and physically abusive to her mother, brother and herself.

The author describes her rise through the ranks of broadcast journalism from storm chaser to featured reporter following Trump's 2016 campaign to something of a pinnacle---hosting her own show on MSNBC, "Katy Tur Reports." Her campaign experience was particularly interesting; I only vaguely remembered it. I have learned that her first memoir is titled Unbelievable: My Front Row Seat to the Craziest Campaign in American History. I may have to read that one!

When Tur reveals that her father Bob is now a woman called Zoey, the reading gets pretty intriguing but also a bit confusing when the author is writing of her dad and using feminine pronouns. It seems they have quite a complicated relationship.

Ms. Tur shares a bit about her marriage to Tony Dokoupil, an anchor on "CBS This Morning," (I never watch daytime CBS so I had no idea.) their 2 children and her efforts to balance her passion for covering BIG events with family life.

Empire of Pain The Secret History of the Sackler Dynasty by Patrick Radden Keefe

 "As they sought to hide from a historic crisis of their own creation, the Sacklers could sometimes seem like Pandora, gazing slack-jawed, at the momentous downstream consequences of their own decisions. They told the world, and themselves, that the jar was full of blessings, that it was a gift from the gods. Then they opened it, and they were wrong."

            

Wow! When this book was suggested for our Page Turners list, I had no clue about the title never having heard the name Sackler. I surely know it now! I was intimidated at first by the size---just over 450 pages plus nearly 100 pages of notes but this narrative nonfiction read like fiction and had me turning pages like crazy! I discovered I had read another by this author, Say Nothing about "The Troubles" in Northern Ireland, and found it fascinating, as well. This one rates a 5 in my opinion.

Although I didn't know the significance of the title to start with, I certainly was familiar with the devastating opioid crisis, the focus of Keefe's reporting. He was studying Mexican drug cartels in 2016 when he came across information that would involve him in this expose. He began with an article in the New Yorker about the Sacklers' involvement in "pushing" these addictive drugs which led to the eventual follow up of this book, begun in 2019.

It would be very difficult to summarize this book, which is so dense with facts, figures, people (some famous names), quotes and descriptions. I will just say this much: Arthur, Mortimer and Raymond Sackler are/were three brothers who became doctors and got into the business of pharmaceuticals, making loads of money. When they developed OxyContin, the troubles began. 

Read Empire of Pain to find out more!

Page Turners meet in a week. Wonder what they will think....

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Post Page Turners' meeting 8/25/2022

Our group voted an average rating of 4.2 for this book although several members admitted not having read the entire book and so abstained from rating it. Almost all of us were impressed with the amount of research and the way in which it was presented. Some thought it was just too much information to get through. I believe we all were glad we were exposed to the topic; we learned a lot!

Our discussion was especially engaging since a few ladies present had backgrounds in the medical fields and so had first-hand knowledge of the techniques of pharmaceutical sales reps. A few had personal knowledge of the danger of pain medication---either themselves or others. One member had actually watched the Sackler trial.

Even though this book is certainly not a fun read and, in many places made us angry, it is important to know the origins of the opioid crisis and how adversely it has affected our country.

The Girl with No Name by Diney Costeloe

 "Don't let the loss of your loved ones destroy the rest of your life. Mourn them, remember them with love and then gradually, gently, ease them into a secret compartment of your mind and move one."

              -advice to Charlotte, from the novel

I have read many historical fictions of WWII era but this one highlighted children sent by their parents to London to keep them safe. Sadly, they do not escape Hitler's war as London becomes a target. I was not familiar with this aspect of the war, but the author is quite descriptive of the horrors and destruction of the British capitol and its effect on the citizens and refugees.

Lisa Beck is only 13 years old when she is sent by Kindertransport from Hanau, Germany to London in 1938. She is adopted by a childless couple, and they become very fond of each other. During a Blitz of Luftwaffe bombers, Lisa is injured and ends up in a hospital badly injured and with amnesia. Since she doesn't know who she is, she is given a new name, Charlotte Smith, and sent to a home for displaced children.

This would be her third home but there would end up being at least 2 more. I would say Lisa/Charlotte was a very lucky girl because in every change of residence she finds very caring people.

I found the title a bit strange since this young woman has TWO names in the course of the novel...so why would she be "the girl with no name"? It is interesting that our Page Turners read The Girl with Seven Names, a memoir of a woman raised in North Korea, earlier this year.

I rate the novel a 4. I found it a page turner but with too many pages to my liking (almost 500)!

Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman

"I was fine, perfectly fine on my own, but I needed to keep Mummy happy, keep her calm so she would leave me in peace. A boyfriend---a husband?---might just do the trick. It wasn't that I needed anyone. I was, as I previously stated, perfectly fine."    -Eleanor, from the novel

An ironic title---Eleanor Oliphant is NOT completely fine! In fact, she is a 29-year-old accountant with very poor self-esteem who is also socially inept. When she discovers a handsome singer at a distance, she develops a crush---maybe more like an obsession---and plans a relationship with him even though they have never met. This does not end well.

The beginning of the novel reminded me of Bridget Jones's Diary and although it was definitely humorous, I didn't like the stream of consciousness and was hoping for some dialogue. That would happen when Eleanor met the new office tech guy, Raymond. She has a bad first impression of Raymond but when the two of them helped an elderly gentleman who had fallen, a bond was formed that would eventually rescue Eleanor emotionally. 

Raymond, I felt, was a jewel. His support of Eleanor reminded me of the Diana Ross song "Reach Out and Touch (Somebody's Hand)" and also this past Sunday's sermon about standing with others in need and sharing their burdens.

Eleanor's story was also reminiscent of A Man Called Ove. Although I wasn't thrilled with the book in the beginning pages, I came to love it, rating it a 5. This British author has an amazing vocabulary and turns a phrase brilliantly!

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August 4, 2022         Postponed July meeting of Page Turners

During our meeting a couple of questions came up about the novel and we wondered if there could be an interview with the author which would answer them. Here are two YouTube videos I found, one with the author talking about her inspiration and intention in the book. The other is a brief Q and A with the author---not nearly long enough, I thought.

https://youtu.be/pv6la7JfidY

https://youtu.be/32NjWbDDm40

Our group really liked Eleanor Oliphant.... and rated it 4.3. We had some 19 questions to discuss from two different sources. Some folks knew the literary term "unreliable narrator" and had recognized Eleanor as one right off the bat. Others of us were introduced to that point of view technique. We agreed that the references to British culture were charming as was Eleanor's humorous take on things. Some thought the ending was rather abrupt. The novel provided a rousing discussion.

The Last Lie Told by Debra Webb

"I believe anyone could be capable of murder if the circumstances were just right. But to deliberately set out to take a life---to plan it just so---is something else altogether."

     -Detective Richard Montrose, from the nove

Finley O'Sulllivan is a former attorney, having lost that position due to a meltdown in court, which was understandable considering she had suffered an unspeakable personal trauma. She is now working as an investigator with Jack Finnegan, an attorney who happens to be her godfather.

When a convicted killer recants his confession, he points to the daughter of the victim, Lance Legard, a country music mogul in Music City (Nashville). Although Jack has a personal connection to the widow, Sophia, he takes on the defense of her twin daughters which of course, involves Finley's investigative powers. She has her work cut out for her as she sifts through countless lies (I'm not sure what the LAST lie told was!)  from almost everyone involved. At the same time, Finley is consumed with bringing the murderers of her husband to justice. On top of that, she discovers her much-loved husband may have lied to her.

I was pretty much gripped by the plot until the end which I found very confusing. Because of that, my rating is a 3.