Apple Pies and Poisoned Lies at the Cider Festival by Traci Hall
As soon as I finished the last page, I dashed off to the author's web page to sign up for her mailing list. I cannot WAIT for the second book in this series to come out so that I can spend more time with Macki and her family. This book had me completely, very happily, immersed in the orchards and pie filled kitchen and waiting impatiently for answers. There's a complex mystery with long simmering rivalries and an intense conclusion. The atmosphere will appeal to readers who are ready to finish with Summer and get into the Fall fun. There's a lot of vivid and detailed description, so if that isn't your thing this might not be the best choice for you. I read cozies for the chance to vicariously experience different places and hobbies, so I loved it.
Assisted Living by Gianaclis Caldwell
This eco horror novel has such a vivid, creepy setting that I'm looking at the big fir trees next to my house a little differently and hoping I've never done anything to offend them. (It was the previous owner who cut down their former companions, not me!) The author does a great job of creating suspenseful scenes early on, but when the big scary stuff started to unfold, it left me a bit underwhelmed. It went from being a great, character driven book to a mediocre disaster movie. Then that final chapter got me caught up again and left me curious to see where this trilogy is going. So I'm not sure how I feel about it.
The Secret Attic by Chelsea Conradt
From the first few pages, I felt like a new aquaintance was sharing her story. Addison never got along with her mother-in-law and, after the older woman's death, she finds herself sorting through Barb's belongings, trying to make sense of it all and help her husband deal with his grief even though she'd rather be absolutely anywhere else. This feels like a real person's experience and Addision struggles without jumping to the usual "she was awful and I'm not" that you encounter so often in fiction and in real life. Barb was an awful woman, but throughout the book Addison feels like a genuinely nice person struggling with an impossible situation. The first time she realizes that something is really wrong in the huge old house is chilling. Halfway through the book I felt like the plot slowed to a crawl but it picks up again before the satisfying ending.
Disclosure -- The publishers provided me with advance review copies.
