Reviews of New Books August 10th, 2010

Broken by Karin Slaughter

The suspense that builds in the first few pages of Karin Slaughter’s new crime novel is just superb. We meet Allison Spooner, who is clearly upset, desperate to get in touch with her boyfriend who’s not answering his phone, and freezing cold on the shores of Lake Grant in sub-zero temperatures. When her body is subsequently discovered deep beneath the icy waters, with a suicide note left on the shore, investigators dig into 21-year-old Allison’s background. It soon becomes obvious that this is no suicide, and former Grant County medical examiner Sara Linton – home for Thanksgiving – is drawn into the case much against her will. The chief suspect has begged to see her, but she arrives at the local police station to find he has apparently killed himself. Deeply suspicious of the local police inquiry into the two deaths, Linton calls in the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, and Special Agent Will Trent is duly dispatched. With the close-knit community closing ranks around their own, and the impenetrable police wall of blue, Trent finds it hard to make headway on the case.

Family Ties by Danielle Steele

When Annie Ferguson’s older sister and her husband are killed in a plane crash, it’s up to Annie to provide a stable home environment for the couple’s three orphaned children. Overnight, her life – including a successful career as an architect and a promising love affair – is put on hold. At the age of 26, she becomes an instant mom, concentrating on raising her nephew and nieces to the best of her ability. Thirteen years later, Annie thinks she has done a pretty good job: the kids are all grown with successful careers of their own, and her architecture firm is doing well. The only thing she doesn’t have is a life of her own, other than work. This is the standard Danielle Steele fare, where hearts break audibly and characters “smile knowingly” quite a lot. But for those who like happy endings, it’s sure not to disappoint.

And Thereby Hangs a Tale by Jeffrey Archer

In this, his sixth collection of short stories, Jeffrey Archer travels the globe with his characters. Jamwal and Nisha fall in love while waiting for a traffic light to turn green in Delhi. A centenarian rings Buckingham Palace to report the non-delivery of a telegram from the Queen on the occasion of his wife’s 100th birthday. A priceless oil painting has remained in the same German family for over 200 years, until now. “I Will Survive” singer Gloria Gaynor enjoys an expensive shopping spree on the eve of her London concert. A golf ball falls out of a Christmas cracker and changes the life of a young man forever. Ten of the stories in the collection are based “on known incidents”, as the author and former politician points out, “while the remaining five are the result of my imagination.” He adds: “While there may not be a book in every one of us, there is so often a damned good short story.”