1. What are you currently reading? Little White Lies, by Ace Atkins. It's the latest in the Spenser series, and cracking it open is like reuniting with old friends. Spenser's galpal, the therapist Dr. Susan Silverman, has a patient whose problem is more criminal than emotional. The woman met a wonderful man online, began a promising relationship, lent him a huge sum of money ... and now both the man and the money are gone. Is the new (and now missing) man a crime victim or a con man? I'll soon find out, along with Spenser.
2. What did you recently finish reading? Jackie's Girl, by Kathy McKeon. A charming and true story of how a poor teenager from a small Irish parish ended up working on Fifth Avenue for American royalty, Jacqueline Kennedy.
In her role as ladies' maid, Kathy had a front row seat for history. She rode on Robert Kennedy's funeral train. She was on the island of Skorpios as Jacqueline Kennedy became Jackie O. She furnished her newlywed apartment with an entertainment center that likely was in JFK's White House.
She accompanied "Madam" to Peapack to ride the hounds, she summered on the Cape with the entire Kennedy clan, she spent days on the slopes in Vail and evenings by the fire in an exclusive lodge (outfitted in ski clothes given to her by Jackie). Yet she could be a very whiny young girl. Her frustration, while annoying, was understandable. She didn't leave Ireland to be a satellite in the Kennedy's orbit -- like anyone emerging from adolescence, she wanted her own life. Being on call around-the-clock, six days/week, didn't give her much opportunity to make friends or find romance. And so at times she clashed with her generous but exacting and strong-willed boss.
I applaud this book for the author's authentic voice. From tending the roosters and wearing the same coat to afternoon mass that her sister wore to morning prayers, to cruising the Mediterranean on the Onassis luxury yacht -- she has a story to tell.
