Just finished reading...

The Most Dangerous Thing by Laura Lippman.*

Brothers Tim, Sean and Gordon Halloran played ball in a field near Gwen Robison's house on the outskirts of Baltimore. When Gwen and her friend Mickey see them, Mickey tells them they can't play there unless they let the girls join in. Soon, the five of them are exploring the nearby woods, something that would not be allowed today.

Fast-forward to the present-day. Gordon, the youngest of the five, stumbles out of a bar. Certain that he's not drunk, he gets in the car and heads home. Then he makes a detour to a dead-end stretch of highway where they used to drag race, and drives into the barrier wall at the end.

The remaining four friends, who haven't been close since their early teens, meet for the first time in years at Gordon's funeral. Someone wonders why they stopped hanging around together, and that's when the memories begin to resurface.

Laura Lippman has created another fascinating tale of human nature and its foibles. The narrative alternates between the group's childhood in the late 1970s and the present-day (which requires that the reader pay attention to the chapter headings). As is common in Lippman's novels, the city of Baltimore is almost a character itself.

Lippman uses an unusual technique when chronicling the group's youthful adventures. The narrative is written in first-person plural, referring to the five as "we", but never in the first-person singular. It does provide a feeling of immediacy to events, but unfortunately pulled this reviewer abruptly out of the story. Still, it's a gripping story, and difficult to put down once begun.

*FTC Full Disclosure: This was a library book.

Just finished reading...

A Pinch of Love (Originally published in hardcover as Simply From Scratch) by Alicia Bessette.*

We meet Zell Carmichael as she's attempting to enter a baking contest. Unaware that there is something in the oven, she turns it on to preheat, and is soon overcome by smoke. Luckily, the local volunteer fire department shows up, gets Zell and her dog Ahab out of the house, and deals with the fire.

Zell is a widow who lives in Wippamunk, Massachusetts. Her husband, Nick, a news photographer, was killed while on a mission trip to New Orleans. She and Nick grew up in Wippamunk, along with most of the members of the fire department. Zell lives in half of a side-by-side two-family home. She has new neighbors in the other half, whom she meets for the first time while she's sitting outside her home waiting for the smoke to clear. Garrett Knox and his nine-year-old daughter Ingrid moved in a month earlier, but Zell hasn't met them because since Nick died, she's been extremely depressed and has hardly left the house.

A few days later, Garrett knocks on her door and asks her if she'll look after Ingrid, whose babysitter had quit. Ingrid brings her homework over to Zell's house, and Zell explains about the contest. The prize is $20,000, which Zell would like to donate to a New Orleans restoration fund in honor of Nick. Ingrid is enamored with Polly Pinch, the television cook who is hosting the contest, and since part of the prize is to appear on Polly's show, Ingrid asks if she can collaborate with Zell.

Taking care of Ingrid while Garrett is at class twice a week becomes a routine for Zell, and the two develop a bond. Zell still doesn't leave the house much, except to walk her dog Ahab, but spending time with Ingrid (and by extension, Garrett) increases her social life dramatically.

This charming story follows Ingrid and Zell as they create many spectacularly unsuccessful recipes for the contest, as their relationship grows, and as Zell slowly begins to heal. Although it initially seems like a sad story about a woman dealing with the recent loss of her husband, it's really a tale of persistence and hope.

If you enjoyed The Knitting Circle by Ann Hood, or any of Terri DuLong's Cedar Key novels, you'll love this book.

*FTC Full Disclosure: Many thanks to the publisher, who sent me a copy of the book for review purposes.

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Just finished reading...

Threading the Needle by Marie Bostwick.*

At the age of twelve, Madelyn Beecher and her best friend Tessa Kover had a misunderstanding that ended their friendship. Madelyn lived with her father's mother Edna, an aloof and unpleasant woman who abused her granddaughter, who had few friends and was considered odd.

Decades later, Madelyn's wealthy husband Sterling Baron is arrested for running a Ponzi scheme, and with no money and nowhere else to go, she reluctantly returns to New Bern, Connecticut, to the house she inherited from her grandmother. With no other means of supporting herself, she decides to fix up the dilapidated Victorian house and turn it into a bed and breakfast.

A few years earlier, Tessa and her husband Lee Woodruff had given up their stressful life in the city and purchased a small farm near New Bern. Tessa opened a shop selling herbal products in town, while Lee grew produce and small livestock which he supplied to local restaurants. Their hopes of living on savings and investments were dashed when Sterling Baron's Ponzi scheme is uncovered.

When Madelyn and Tessa realize that the are both back in their old hometown, they at first make an effort to avoid each other, but circumstances throw them together.

This is a charming and captivating story of two women with difficult lives who discover the strength of true friendship. Although it's part of a series (Cobbled Court), it's not necessary to have read the previous titles (A Single Thread, A Thread of Truth, and A Thread so Thin) to understand this one. If you're a fan of Debbie Macomber or Beth Pattillo, you'll probably enjoy this series.

*FTC Full Disclosure: Many thanks to the publisher, who sent me a copy of the book for review purposes.