NIGHT ROAD by Kristin Hannah

I am veering from my usual mystery reviews to critique a novel by the very talented Kristin Hannah. This novel blew me away. I have read several of Ms. Hannah's books and have enjoyed them all as women's lit. I  liked her previous novels, recommended them to my daughter and her friends, and then sort of thought of them as a nice interlude to other books on my list. However, NIGHT ROAD goes way beyond that; it is remarkable in that I still think about this book days after I finished reading it. It sort of hangs about you, a spectre of a very well crafted novel with so very much to say. NIGHT ROAD delves into very modern issues, does not shy away from them, but does so without preaching which I found refreshing. Her characters are sympathetic  without being treacly. They too, at times, are exasperating, unlikable and extremely flawed. Her characters in this book are no "cookie cutter" one dimensional  protagonists or antagonists. This is what I find so compelling about this book. It does not rely on traditional Women's Lit (not to be confused with Chick Lit), development and sympathetic, tissue soaking to be the backbone of the story. This is not a Kristin Hannah for those who want only roses and perfume and sweet moments on a moonlit beach. I would highly recommend this to anyone who likes a well-written, dare I say it, Women's Novel, who also does not like the dumbing down and sappiness of so much of the genre.

New Author Discovered Recently.

I am always excited when I discover an author previously unknown to me,especially if they have a series. It gives me the wonderful opportunity of meeting new characters and with every subsequent novel watch them evolve into full-fleshed  beings. Recently I discovered, via the Stillwater Public Library, Chris Grabenstein and his wonderful mysteries. Mr. Grabenstein's novels take place on the very picturesque and quirky Jersey Shore. (Absolutely no relation to the inane TV show of the same name.) The stories take place on or around the boardwalk and the titles are named after rides; TILT A WHIRL, ROLLING THUNDER, MAD MOUSE, etc.etc.. The two main protagonists, John Ceepak and Danny Boyle , are likable and endearing. There is a hint of Nero Wolfe and Archie Goodwin  in their character personalities. I also found a little bit of Bertie Wooster in Danny's personality. Danny Boyle acts as the narrator and foil to the somewhat tightly wound John Ceepak, a veteran of the Afghanistan and Iraq wars. The plots are very well thought out and tightly woven, something many mysteries do not have in today's over saturation of the genre. Mr. Grabenstein's mystery novels would appeal to those who like a tightly crafted plot, a generous dose of humor and characters one wants to get to know better. I so enjoyed these books, I ended up reading all of them within a 10 day time span. They are that good and that addicting. I would highly recommend this author and his series to anyone who likes a good yarn and well-developed characters. Start with TILT A WHIRL as it is first in the series.