Fiction

“Most of us would have preferred a novel, but when it comes to the acclaimed author of The Road and Blood Meridian, we’ll take what we can get, and what we have here is an original screenplay for a forthcoming film directed by Ridley Scott. A lawyer, identified only as Counselor, is setting up a onetime drug score with some of his bad-guy associates. If all goes as planned, Counselor and his fiancé can ride off into the sunset. It will come as no surprise when the best-laid plans go awry and brutal acts of violence ensue. In the hands of a lesser author, this conventional plot would seem trite, but McCarthy’s philosophic and erudite dialogue, vivid exposition, and intriguing characters give the story a unique vitality.”

“Lady Emily Hargreave’s latest case presents itself, literally, on her doorstep with the abrupt collapse of handsome Archibald Scolfield, her newest neighbor and latest in a line of victims who “have no sense of decorum at all.” Scolfield arrived to claim his inheritance as the new marquess of Montagu, and his demise in this isolated location is extremely awkward. Lady Emily, whose intrepid personality rivals Elizabeth Peters’ fearless Amelia Peabody, chooses at once to investigate Scolfield’s new household and, surprisingly, when clues lead her there, to grill her own house staff. … This delightful addition to Alexander’s Victorian series, with its requisite cast of aristocrats, locals, and disgruntled staff, is an eminently readable romantic puzzler reminiscent of Deanna Raybourn’s Lady Julia Grey novels and the mysteries of Georgette Heyer.”

“Reading Southern as a Second Language is like sitting with a keen-eyed, witty best friend while she whispers her secrets that seem meant only for you. Lisa Patton writes with profound intimacy as she reveals the wonder of love and acceptance and its transcendent power to change a life.”