Summer House with Swimming Pool

Herman Koch

When a medical procedure goes horribly wrong and famous actor Ralph Meier winds up dead, Dr. Marc Schlosser needs to come up with some answers. After all, reputation is everything in this business. Personally, he’s not exactly upset that Ralph is gone, but as a high profile doctor to the stars, Marc can't hide from the truth forever.

It all started the previous summer. Marc, his wife, and their two beautiful teenage daughters agreed to spend a week at the Meier’s extravagant summer home on the Mediterranean. Joined by Ralph and his striking wife Judith, her mother, and film director Stanley Forbes and his much younger girlfriend, the large group settles in for days of sunshine, wine tasting, and trips to the beach. But when a violent incident disrupts the idyll, darker motivations are revealed, and suddenly no one can be trusted. As the ultimate holiday soon turns into a nightmare, the circumstances surrounding Ralph’s later death begin to reveal the disturbing reality behind that summer’s tragedy. (from Netgalley)

My Thoughts

 

Dr. Marc Schlosser is well know with his patients for being pretty easy with writing prescriptions. This brings actor Ralph Meier to his practice. The two develop a somewhat loose relationship. One summer, Ralph invites Marc and his family to stay at their summer house with a swimming pool. Something bad happens to one of Marc’s daughters. Is it possible Dr. Marc sought his revenge via his medical treatment of Ralph?

The author has given us two despicable characters in Marc and Ralph. Marc has a blase attitude about both his medical practice and his marriage. Ralph is glutinous in every aspect of his life. It’s almost as if these two negative personalities were attracted to each other.

I will admit, I was not sure I was going to like this book. But given time, I discovered that the author wrote with strong description and a good dose of subtle humor. When I finish a book, I ask myself - would I read more from this author? With regard to Herman Koch - the answer is yes.

My thanks to Crown Publishing for allowing me to read this in exchange for an unbiased review.

Remember Me Like This

Bret Anthony Johnston

Four years have passed since Justin Campbell’s disappearance, a tragedy that rocked the small town of Southport, Texas. Did he run away? Was he kidnapped? Did he drown in the bay? As the Campbells search for answers, they struggle to hold what’s left of their family together.

Then, one afternoon, the impossible happens. The police call to report that Justin has been found only miles away, in the neighboring town, and, most important, he appears to be fine. Though the reunion is a miracle, Justin’s homecoming exposes the deep rifts that have diminished his family, the wounds they all carry that may never fully heal. Trying to return to normal, his parents do their best to ease Justin back into his old life. But as thick summer heat takes hold, violent storms churn in the Gulf and in the Campbells’ hearts. When a reversal of fortune lays bare the family’s greatest fears—and offers perhaps the only hope for recovery—each of them must fight to keep the ties that bind them from permanently tearing apart.(from Goodreads)

My Thoughts

This book hit home because we had a very similar situation occur in our general area. A young boy goes missing, only to be “found” four years later. I still remember thinking - wow, I wonder what that whole experience was like for this young boy and his family.

Obviously, I can’t answer that on a personal basis. But I get the feeling that this author has probably come fairly close to hitting the nail on the head. He writes about the people who were left to deal with the sudden disappearance of Justin the Mom and Dad, a younger brother and a grandfather. How their grief is tearing their world apart. How they don’y know if they should give up or hold on to hope forever.

And then - Justin is found! Oh - the joy, the disbelief, the yes to be asked and answered questions.

The writing was compelling. This is a story that unfolds slowly and by the end, my stomach was in knots. It was wonderful!

My thanks to Random House, via Netgalley, for allowing me to read this in exchange for an unbiased review.

The Shadow Queen

Sandra Gulland

From the author of the beloved Josephine B. Trilogy, comes a spellbinding novel inspired by the true story of a young woman who rises from poverty to become confidante to the most powerful, provocative and dangerous woman in the 17th century French court: the mistress of the charismatic Sun King.
1660, Paris

Claudette’s life is like an ever-revolving stage set. From an impoverished childhood wandering the French countryside with her family’s acting troupe, Claudette finally witnesses her mother's astonishing rise to stardom in Parisian theaters. Working with playwrights Corneille, Molière and Racine, Claudette’s life is culturally rich, but like all in the theatrical world at the time, she's socially scorned.

A series of chance encounters gradually pull Claudette into the alluring orbit of Athénaïs de Montespan, mistress to Louis XIV and reigning "Shadow Queen." Needing someone to safeguard her secrets, Athénaïs offers to hire Claudette as her personal attendant.

Enticed by the promise of riches and respectability, Claudette leaves the world of the theater only to find that court is very much like a stage, with outward shows of loyalty masking more devious intentions. This parallel is not lost on Athénaïs, who fears political enemies are plotting her ruin as young courtesans angle to take the coveted spot in the king's bed.

Indeed, Claudette's "reputable" new position is marked by spying, illicit trysts and titanic power struggles. As Athénaïs, becomes ever more desperate to hold onto the King's favor, innocent love charms move into the realm of deadly Black Magic, and Claudette is forced to consider a move that will put her own life—and the family she loves so dearly—at risk.

Set against the gilded opulence of a newly-constructed Versailles and the War of Theaters, THE SHADOW QUEEN is a seductive, gripping novel about the lure of wealth, the illusion of power, and the increasingly uneasy relationship between two strong-willed women whose actions could shape the future of France.(from Netgalley)

My Thoughts

Claudette was raised in a family of “players” - people who are in the theatre. As a young girl, she has a chance meeting with Athenais, another young girl who in later years ends up becoming a mistress to the king. Claudette becomes the only person Athenais can trust and ends up devoting most of her life in service to “The Shadow Queen.”

This was a thoroughly entertaining, well written historical fiction novel. The author paints a very interesting picture of 1600 France. The first half of the book is spent with Claudette and her family as they struggle to survive a life in the theatre. The second half of the books has to do with Claudette’s time within the French court, becoming the only person that Athenais trusts.

This book is another reason why I have become such a fan of historical fiction!

 

Thanks to Doubleday, via Netgalley, for allowing me to read this in exchange for an unbiased review.

American Statecraft

J. Robert Moskin

American Statecraft is a fascinating and comprehensive look at the unsung men and women of the U.S. Foreign Service whose dedication and sacrifices have been a crucial part of our history for over two centuries. Fifteen years in the making, veteran journalist and historian Moskin has traveled the globe conducting hundreds of interviews both in and out of the State Department to look behind the scenes at America’s “militiamen of diplomacy.”

As the nation’s eyes and ears, our envoys pledge a substantial part of their lives in foreign lands working for the benefit of their nation. Endeavoring to use dialogue and negotiation as their instruments of change, our diplomats tirelessly work to find markets for American business, rescue its citizens in trouble abroad, and act in general as “America’s first line of defense” in policy negotiations, keeping America out of war. But it took generations to polish these skills, and Moskin traces America’s full diplomatic history, back to its amateur years coming up against seasoned Europeans during the days of Ben Franklin, now considered the father of the U.S. Foreign Service, and up to the recent Benghazi attack. Along the way, its members included many devoted and courageous public servants, and also some political spoilsmen and outright rogues.

An important contribution to the political canon, American Statecraft recounts the history of the United States through the lens of foreign diplomacy. (from Netgalley)

My Thoughts

I have always been fascinated by the men and women who are willing to serve in the U. S. Foreign Service. Mr. Moskin has provided the reader a finely detailed and informative book on this very topic. I found this to be educational and sometimes humorous. To have made a book of this size come across as very readable was no small task, and yet the author handle it quite well.

Many thanks to St. Martin’s Press, via Nethalley, for allowing me to read this in exchange for an unbiased review.