The word “twisty” keeps coming up in regard to “After All I’ve Done” by Mina Hardy. That means it’s probably as apt a one-word description as any. After a reaction to anesthesia following a car wreck, Diana is left with no memory of several months of her life. The “twisty” comes in as various truths begin to emerge. One is her former best friend’s affair with her husband. Another is that the chance encounter with someone in the coffee shop is no chance, as Diana’s new acquaintance already knows much about her.
“The Cookbook Club” by Beth Harbison centers on food and friendship. Margo, dumped unexpectedly by her husband, answers a call for joining a cookbook club, where members can try out new recipes together. Trista, who just left a high-powered job as a lawyer, is the one who issued the call. Aja is the only other person besides Margo to answer the call. The three women bond over their love of food and cooking. Will Margo find a way to support herself with food—and what about that guy renovating her old farmhouse? Will Trista make a success of her new career? How long can Aja hide her pregnancy from her two new friends and her boyfriend?
“Fox Crossing” by Melinda Metz is set in the remote town of Fox Crossing, Maine. A local legend says that a town founder encountered a distinctive looking fox, who still shows up from time to time and brings good luck. Annie doesn’t believe the legend, of course. But the fox recognizes Annie as the descendant of the woman who rescued it two centuries before and watches her. One day the fox appears to lead her to a hiker in need of help on the nearby Appalachian Trail. This encounter turns out to be very good for both of them. Other people helped by the fox include a bartender who gets a visit from his estranged daughter and granddaughter, and a baker who finds purpose in rescuing an abused dog.
Scandinavian crime novels, sometimes called Nordic Noir, are a thing. While not as popular here as elsewhere, the “Girl with the Dragon Tattoo” series did find a readership. A new author from Finland in the genre is Max Seeck, whose debut novel is “The Witch Hunter.” Jessica is a detective assigned to a gruesome murder which seems to be based on scenes from a book by the victim’s husband, a famous author. Soon other murders make it clear that the killings are somehow connected with witchcraft.
Wade Davis is Explorer-in-Residence with the National Geographic Society. In “Magdalena: River of Dreams” he returns to a river which first enchanted him as a young man. The Magdalena River is one of the defining geographical characteristics of Colombia. Davis traveled the entire length of the river by boat and land to write this book, which combines travelogue, history, geography, biology, and memoir.
