The 9th Girl by Tami Hoag

From the Timely and Timeless book discussion group on February 25, 2014.

What a fun lunch we had today. We had nine in attendance for our discussion, and the book was a big hit with a rating of 4.875 out of 5.

We started our meeting with a review of the characters. Since some of our group read this book a while ago, this approach seemed to bring the story back to life for all of us. The characters were in two camps. They were the "bad guys" and the "good guys." Ms. Hoag kept us guessing about to which category some of them should belong. With twists and turns, and characters who were well drawn, the read was always interesting. Even the title provided an interesting line. This is a book that sends us one direction while creating an undertow to suck us back. The character at the center of the plot at the beginning is a teenage girl who is brutally murdered and disfigured with acid thrown on her to cloak her identity. With a serial killer on the loose, the detectives Sam Kovac and Nikki Liska work on piecing together what happened to this socially challenged girl. Along the way we meet people in different parts of her life as the detectives unravel her story. But, stay tuned to the end. While most all is finally revealed, as in real life, there were still a few places for Sam and Nikki to go in a new installment. This was the fourth book in the series. The previous titles are: Prior Bad Acts, The 1st Victim and Dust to Dust. The 9th Girl will appeal to young adults as well as adults for its quick prose and its pulse on current day teens. Tami Hoag has a web site with other titles listed and bio information on this 55 year old sportswoman and author. http://tamihoag.com/

COMING UP:

Tara Road by Maeve Binchy - Northside Grill on March 25th at Noon

Having read and enjoyed Circle of Friends, I am looking forward to traveling along with Ms. Binchy on this new journey. Unfortunately, Maeve Binchy died in July, 2012. After a long and successful career, she finished her last novel, A Week in Winter just days before passing away. Here is an excerpt form her web site about Tara Road:

Ria Lynch and Marilyn Vine have never met. Their lives have almost nothing in common. Ria lives in a big ramshackle house in Tara Road, Dublin, which is filled day and night with the family and friends on whom she depends. Marilyn lives in a college town in Connecticut, New England, absorbed in her career, an independent and private woman who is very much her own person.

Two more unlikely friends would be hard to find. Yet a chance phone call brings them together and they decide to exchange homes for the summer. Ria goes to America in the hope that the change will give her space and courage to sort out the huge crisis in her life that is threatening to destroy her. Marilyn goes to Ireland to recover in peace and quiet from the tragedy which she keeps secret from the world, little realising that Tara Road will prove to be the least quiet place on earth.

They borrow each other's houses, and during the course of that magical summer they find themselves borrowing something of each other's lives, until a story which began with loss and suffering grows into a story of discovery, unexpected friendship and new hope. By the time Ria and Marilyn eventually meet, they find that they have altered the course of each other's lives for ever.

--Susan

Follow the River by James Alexander Thom

From the Timely and Timeless book discussion group on February 11, 2014.

Braving another extremely cold day, five members met for our delayed meeting. In this historical novel, Mr. Thom follows the true story of Mary Draper Ingles on an incredible journey. Set in Virginia in 1755 when a tribe of Shawnee Indians attacks their small settlement, we join Mary on the trail as she and her two small sons and two others are kidnapped leaving behind brutally murdered members of their families and their neighbors. Mary is pregnant and nearly ready to deliver. The story deals with this woman’s strength of character and incredible will to find her way home. The writing is heart wrenching for the immediacy of the dangers she faces and for the harrowing decisions she must make – not only for herself, but for her family. The extreme circumstances written by Mr. Thom seemed a bit hard to believe in places, especially toward the end of Mary’s journey. But I have no doubt that this real woman suffered enormously – physically and emotionally.

We rated this book a 4.75/5 from the six members who responded. It is a book that adds information to the historical perspective of that time in history. It was a good book to curl up with under warm covers on a cold night and to contemplate the wonders of our modern life while appreciating the sacrifices of those who came before us.

COMING UP:

February 25, 2014 – THE 9TH GIRL by Tami Hoag – at Richard’s AT NOON

From the book:

“Kovac had seen more dead bodies than he could count: Men, women, children; victims of shootings, stabbings, strangulations, beatings; fresh corpses and bodies that had been left for days in the trunks of cars in the dead of summer. But he had never seen anything quite like this…”

From Ms. Hoag’s web site, this is her description of the story:

“On a frigid New Year’s Eve in Minneapolis a young woman’s brutalized body falls from the trunk of a car into the path of oncoming traffic. Questions as to whether she was alive or dead when she hit the icy pavement result in her macabre nickname, Zombie Doe. Unidentified and unidentifiable, she is the ninth nameless female victim of the year, and homicide detectives Sam Kovac and Nikki Liska are charged with the task of not only finding out who Zombie Doe is, but who in her life hated her enough to destroy her. Was it personal, or could it just have been a crime of opportunity? Their greatest fear is that not only is she their ninth Jane Doe of the year, but that she may be the ninth victim of a vicious transient serial killer they have come to call Doc Holiday.”

March 25, 2014 – TARA ROAD by Maeve Binchy – at Maria’s AT NOON

From Goodreads:

“New York Times best selling author Maeve Binchy has captured the hearts of millions with her unforgettable novels. Binchy's graceful storytelling and wise compassion have earned her the devotion of fans worldwide--and made her one of the most beloved authors of our time. Now she dazzles us once again with a new novel filled with her signature warmth, humor, and tender insight. A provocative tale of family heartbreak, friendship, and revelation,Tara Road explores every woman's fantasy: escape, into another place, another life. "What if..." Binchy asks, and answers in her most astonishing novel to date.”

--Susan