Inside a Book: Mystery Madness or Spring is here!!

The Book Group theme was "Mystery Madness" again this year. Each member reads any mystery book they want and then we all gather for a bunch of "book - commercials" and tell all about what we read. It's fun to watch as each member writes down new titles and we pass around books!! Yippee for me - I read two different ones.

Nevada Barr's ,Firestorm, features Forest Service Ranger Anna Pigeon as she labors to fight both crime and a forest fire in Lassen Volcanic National Park in California. Barr's description of the landscape and feel of the forest gave you the feeling that she's really been there and experienced just what the characters have. She has!! Barr is herself a Forest Service ranger and writes what she knows. The "firestorm" descriptions were downright scary but the solving of the mystery dragged and plodded more than I wanted. I just wanted more. Barr writes about many of the National Parks around the country and my book-buddy, Rich, bought one of her books about Glacier National Park this summer when we visited Montana/Canada on vacation. I do believe I'll be tempted to try that one too!This was the first time I'd read any of Nevada Barr's work but I was glad to recommend it to the group!

The Thursday Club by Lee Martin was book #13 by an author I read a lot of about 10 years ago. When I found this elusive title a few years back I was excited but truly ran out of time to read it and it got shoved to the back of a shelf. When I culled my shelves this spring break I was thrilled to "discover" it again. I loved reading about the characters again, it was like meeting friends at a high school reunion. But like a reunion, you often find that you've outgrown the friends and you're glad that the reunion is a short one. You say all you need to say in a few minutes and then the silence is awkward. The book felt a little bit the same. Deb Ralston is a Fort Worth detective still trying to balance a growing family, private life and career. This time crime hits close to home when her "Thursday Club" jogging buddies come home to find one of their husbands murdered. Deb comes to comfort and help and is dragged into the investigation in more ways than one. I enjoyed the books for a few hours and then was ready to be done. It was nice to tie up some loose ends but I do believe as "friends", we've outgrown each other. Again, it was easy to talk about this book with others at book group, maybe they're ready to start a friendship with the book, but I'm ready to move on.