PS I can no longer participate in WWW.WEDNESDAY via that link because her blog won't accept Blogger comments. I mention this only to save you the frustration I experienced trying to link up.
1. What are you currently reading? Hounded by David Rosenfelt. When ex-convict Danny Diaz is murdered, Detective Pete Stanton calls on his friend, lawyer Andy Carpenter, to come get Diaz' basset hound, Sebastian. That's no surprise, since Andy has an outsized love/affinity for dogs. What is a surprise is that, holding the leash, is Diaz' son, Ricky. With his father's death, the little boy is now an orphan. Soft-hearted Det. Stanton doesn't want Ricky to get mired in the child welfare system and persuades Andy to take the boy as well as the dog. So far, it's heartwarming, right?
Things take a shocking turn when a suspect is arrested and Andy is called upon again, this time to provide a solid defense. So he's representing the the accused killer in court while the victim's son and dog are sleeping in his guest room.
So far I'm loving this book because it's so very Andy Carpenter. He's quick witted, smart mouthed and refreshingly void of physical bravery. He's also funny and I enjoy learning how he preps for a big, high profile trial.
2. What did you recently finish reading? The Girls by Emma Cline. Evie Boyd is kinda invisible. She's in her 60s, childless, never married. Her "career" consists of getting by, taking care of other people's plants, pets and homes. While crashing at the summer home of an old friend, she's awakened when she hears someone opening the refrigerator. She immediately thinks the intruder is going to kill her. Instead, it turns out it's her friend's college-aged son.
The kid remembers Evie. He recalls his dad mentioning her notorious past. Back in 1969, she
was a member of a cult. An infamous murderous cult. You know the one: a California wild man collected girls at a ranch and somehow persuaded
them to kill.
In flashbacks, we see how 14-year-old Evie was seduced -- not by the cult leader but by "the girls." How they gave Evie something she ached for. It wasn't the drugs or the sex, it was belonging.
Why do people join cults? What made teenage girls follow Charles Manson, or makes church goers applaud every cruel, crude, illegal action of a twice-impeached, 90x indicted ex-president?
This is a serious, challenging novel.
3. What will read next? I don't know.
