Those Opulent Days                                     

by Jackie Pham

Atlantic Monthly Press/IPS

    While this is listed as a mystery, and there is a death, it is a loving portrait of four friends in French-occupied Vietnam. Each boy is beautifully drawn as they age into their roles in the corrupt society of Saigon and as they struggle to prove an ancient seer's words wrong. The strength of the novel is in its clear feeling for the boys and the torn, difficult city.

If you would like to know more about this novel or own it, please check with your local independent bookstore or this great place: bookshop.org

Exposure                                                                 

Ramona Emerson

Soho Crime/PRH

    A great follow to Shutter, this finds Rita Todacheene recovering from her injuries  and rethinking her work with the police. But ghosts won't allow her to walk away easily. There are new bodies to consider, new questions to answer.

    Emerson does a great job engaging the reader with a world of the dead, never considered fantasy. She makes it all as real as the cold snow in the city and the time it takes to recover from horrible injuries.

    This is a very good series.

If you'd like to know more about these books or own them, please check with your local independent bookstore, or this fine place: bookshop.org .