A Murder at Rosamund's Gate (Susanna Calkins)

A Murder at Rosamund's Gate is Susanna Calkins's absorbing debut novel.  Just a warning that time WILL easily slip away as you become engrossed in this historical fiction mystery.  I was pleasantly surprised that this is deemed Book 1 of the Lucy Campion Mysteries; if there's a Book 1, there has to be a Book 2, right?  So I look forward to reading Calkins's future tales.

It's set in the mid-1600s right around the beginning of the plague's entrance into London.  Lucy is a young servant girl living in the kind magistrate's household.  A series of murders, including of someone very close to Lucy, soon makes the area a dangerous place to be.  Calkins expertly combines not only a "whodunit" but also great suspense as the plague creeps ever closer.

With this novel, Susanna Calkins proves herself to be a literary talent and her protagonist is interesting enough to star in future books. Calkins is off to a rip-roaring start with A Murder at Rosamund's Gate.

MY RATING - 4

NOTE:  This book will be released on April 23, 2013.

Before I Go to Sleep (S.J. Watson)

Imagine this "Cinderella" story (although Watson is a male)...You want to be a writer, and apply for a very selective program. You are asked to do a creative writing assignment. You do so, and your book not only gets published, but becomes an international bestseller. Authors such as Anita Shreve and Lionel Shrive write blurbs of praise for the back of your book. Tess Gerritsen, author of the Rizzoli & Isles series, writes "Quite simply the best debut I've ever read." Seem impossible? Not only is this story completely true, but I couldn't agree with Gerritson more.

The premise of Before I Go to Sleep is a nightmare. Imagine waking up every single day, and not knowing who you are, who your family is, and where you live. There is a man sleeping next to you, and you have no idea who he is. You panic, and rush into the bathroom. On the mirror are pictures pointing out that the man in the other room is your husband. Every day, you live your life knowing that when you go to sleep, you will forget everything that has happened that day. Imagine going through life with no memories and nothing connected.

This is the reality of the narrator, Christine, an amnesia patient. She is a prisoner in her own body. She needs the same things explained to her every day. Her doctor, who she is seeing secretly, behind her husband's back, suggests that she begin to keep a journal. Every night, she should write in the journal, and every morning, she should reread it. We learn about Christine's story at the very same time she does, which is what makes this book so fresh.

Before I Go to Sleep is one giant puzzle with sometimes an unbearable level of suspense. The reader knows that Christine is in danger, but Watson keeps us guessing about the bad guys. This is Hitchcock brought into 2011. I cannot recommend this debut novel highly enough, and I can't wait to read more from this promising new author.

MY RATING - 5

The Embers (Hyatt Bass)

You know a book has you right where it wants you when you just want to get through your ordinary routine of a day to curl up with it. That is "The Embers" in a nutshell. What is so enthralling about the book, however, is not what happens. The plot takes a backseat to the four main characters. "The Embers" is purely a character study, plain and simple.

I am certainly not giving anything away by stating that by page two, the reader knows that one of the four members of the Ascher family is getting married and one has died. Bass alternately juxtaposes the time periods of 1993 and 2007 to tell the stories of the wedding planning and the death. There is very little surprise in the novel and one is not waiting on the edge of the seat to see what happens. You already know what is around the corner.

The reader grows to care about each member of the family, even through all of their faults (and believe me....there are many). I felt happiness for Emily Ascher as her wedding was approaching, but tremendous sadness for Thomas Ascher as his death was imminent.

It is truly hard to believe that this is the debut novel of Hyatt Bass. The prose is at times beautiful and heartwrenching, the cause of laughter and tears. Spend a few days with the Ascher family, and you may appreciate your own just a little bit more.

MY RATING - 5