Book Review: The Hidden Man by David Ellis

A teaser sentence from the thriller, The Hidden Man by David Ellis:

"I'll do that," I promised. "But I need more than a month to prepare, Sam. I need six months, minimum."

(ch. 10, from an uncorrected proof. Final edition may differ.)
I thought the plot of this mystery was very good. I also like the relationship between the lawyer Jason Kolarich and his childhood playmate, Sammy, who suddenly, just before the trial, requests that Jason defend him in a case of suspected murder. Jason balks but then reluctantly agrees; he and Sammy go back a long way. Sammy hasn't confessed to the crime, and no one except the law seems to blame him for the death of a pedophile suspected in the disappearance of his little sister Audrey thirty years ago.

The Hidden Man has lots of twists and turns, enough to keep you going, although I had to navigate a maze of different ways to try a case and to defend in criminal court. Those familiar with courts and trial law will get the most out of the intricacies of this very good legal thriller.

From the publisher:

" Jason Kolarich is a midwestern everyman with a lineman's build and an easy smart-ass remark. He's a young, intelligent, and successful lawyer, but he's also struggling with an overwhelming emotional burden - one that threatens to unravel his own life, and possibly the lives of those around him.

When a long-estranged friend resurfaces needing Kolarich's legal help, the lawyer has to try to salve old wounds. Yet as the trial looms, it becomes clear that unsettling events from the past are precisely what need to be exposed in order to crack not only this case but also a mysteriously connected one that went unsolved more than thirty years ago."

Author David Ellis, an attorney from Chicago, is counsel to the speaker of the Illinois House of Representatives and was the prosecutor in the Governor Rod Blagojevich impeachment trial. He has written six other mystery novels and is an Edgar Award winner.

Thanks to Putnam, New York for an advance review copy.

Book Review: Trail of Crumbs, a Memoir by Kim Sunee

Trail of Crumbs: Hunger, Love, and the Search for Home by Kim Sunée
Genre: memoir
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Trail of Crumbs is the memoir of a young woman haunted by memories of being lost or abandoned by her mother at age three in a Korean markeplace. Persistent nightmares and her longing for "Omma" to come back to claim her in that marketplace suggest an unfulfilling childhood in the U.S. with her adoptive family. Her adoptive mother she describes as distant and disapproving. Her happy memories in the U.S. are of her adoptive grandfather, who taught her about New Orleans food and cooking.

The book is partly about travel - Provence and Paris, France - and partly a memoir of the author's love affair with Europe, European food, and European men - very different from the "narrow" and circumscribed life in New Orleans. Kim Sunee escapes to college in France and stays to live in Europe for many years with her French lover Olivier and his young daughter. When she doesn't find fulfillment in this either, Sunee finally tries psychotherapy in France, where a psychiatrist tells her the problem - she is divided.

A quick trip to Asia, suggested by Olivier, doesn't do anything to heal this divide. Korea is unsatisfactory, and she becomes sick on a trip to China. She finally accepts herself and her life while spending time in French Guiana - a simpler place than any she has ever lived in.

Those interested in memoirs, adoption and adopted children, French food and recipes, and Provence, will enjoy the book - the personal journey of a Korean American woman and food writer seeking to find out where she belongs.

Kim Sunee is "founding food editor for Cottage Living and the host of 'Local Flavor with Kim Sunee' for MyRecipes.com." Her website is www.KimSunee.com

Thanks to the Hachette Book Group for the review copy of this book.

Book Review: The Fruit of Her Hands by Michelle Cameron

The Fruit of Her Hands: The Story of Shira of Ashkenaz by Michelle Cameron
Genre: historical fiction

I was amazed and impressed by the way in which the author took her research of her 13th century ancestor, Rabbi Meir ben Baruch, and wrote an historical novel based on his life. Although she knew little about his wife, the author recreated her, Shira of Ashkenaz, as the main character in her novel.

The book details the childhood of Shira and her interest in biblical studies, created a love connection to the apostate Nicholas Donin, and gave him an additional motive for his hatred of the Jewish religion - his unsuccessful bid for Shira's hand in marriage. The book develops the character Shira as the perfect woman and mother, a "pearl" of a wife to Meir ben Baruch.

From the Author's Note:

" I don't remember the first time my mother told me I was descended from a famous rabbi who lived in Europe in the 1200s....I stumbled upon a reference to Rabbi Meir ben Baruch of Rothenbert, the Maharam....

I had never known that in 1242 an apostate Jew named Nicholas Donin, having been excommunicated by the chief rabbi of Paris, convinced the Pope and French royals to burn every copy of the Talmud in a Paris market square. My ancestor, Rabbi Meir ben Baruch, was among the witnesses.... I learned how, years later, Meir ben Baruch settled in Rothenberg, founded a Jewish seminary, and became known throughout Europe for the wisom of his responsa, letters written in response to Talmudic questions."

Those interested in the history of religion in 13th century France, Germany, and England, and in the conflict between the Jews and Christians on an official basis and in the daily life of the time, will be fascinated by the research as well as by the fictional story of Shira as wife and mother.

My thanks to the author/publisher for an advance copy of The Fruit of Her Hands and the opportunity to review it. You can visit the author's website for more information on the book and book tour at Michelle Cameron

Chinese Literature: Reading Challenge

Music listened to for the challenge:

1. Chinese Classical Music video online

2. Erhu - Spring Scenery South of the Yangtze River video

Book reviews completed for the challenge:

1. Tao Te Ching by Lao Tzu

2.Waiting by Ha Jin

3. A Map of Paradise: A Novel of Nineteenth Century Hawaii by Linda Ching Sledge, Chinese migration and settlement in Hawaii.

4. I Ching: A New Interpretation for Modern Times by Sam Reifler

5.Pearl of China: A Novel by Anchee Min, March 2010.

The China Challenge is hosted by Jen at Biblio File. I was persuaded by the excellent review of The Uninvited by Geling Yan, posted by Mel U of The Reading Life.

There are several levels of the challenge, from a pledge of just one book to planning a trip to China and learning some Mandarin! I chose Hiking the Great Wall:

Read 10 books about China
1 should be a work of translated fiction
1 should be nonfiction.
Here you can read 1 book (but only 1) about Chinese immigration. So, stories of Chinese people abroad, or nonfiction about overseas Chinese communities.

Anyone can join and you have until Sept. 2010 to complete the challenge.

New Book: Deconstructing Sammy by Matt Birkbeck

Received from the author for review, a Harper Collins paperback edition just available Sept. 1, on the life of legendary singer, Sammy Davis Jr.

Description from the publisher:

Award-winning investigative journalist Matt Birkbeck delivers a stunning work of reportage that is equal parts cultural history, celebrity biography, and ultimately, a shocking behind-the-scenes look at the world of Sammy Davis, Jr.

Description from Goodreads:

Adored by millions, Sammy Davis Jr. was considered an entertainment icon and a national treasure. But despite lifetime earnings that topped $50 million, Sammy died in 1990 near bankruptcy....

Deconstructing Sammy is the extraordinary story of an international celebrity whose outsize talent couldn't save him from himself.

Harper Paperbacks
304 pages
ISBN: 978-0-06145-067-9

Watch for my later review!

Have His Carcase by Dorothy L. Sayers

"I'm tired of giving details," grumbled Harriet, perversely.

"You'll be tireder before the police and the newspaper lads have finished with you...." (ch. IV)

Picked up this Dorothy Sayers mystery over the weekend and got involved with Harriet Vane, detective writer, and her admirer Lord Peter Wimsey, both main characters in the famous detective series by Sayers.

In Have His Carcase, Harriet wanders about the seacoast of England trying to sharpen her detecting skills by noticing all the details there are. By lucky or unlucky chance, she comes upon a corpse on a remote section of beach.

It looks like suicide but Lord Wimsey decides otherwise. They both do their sleuting and come up with some interesting answers. Good book with a good start, but my interest started flagging half way through. Since this is by Dorothy L. Sayers, I know it'll pick up again!

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly meme hosted by Should Be Reading. Choose two sentences from your current read, and add the author and title for readers. Anyone can join in.

New ARCs

The Hidden Man by David Ellis, a thriller


Hardball: A V.I. Warshawski Novel by Sara Paretsky, a mystery

Thanks to Putnam for the chance to read these ARCs of brand new mystery novels set in the Midwest!