Shelf Talk/Mysteries: Book Group Suggestions
The following is another in our Shelf Talk series--the first focused on mystery books. Here
Mary Alice Gorman, co-owner of Mystery Lovers Bookshop, Oakmont, Pa., offers advice on titles for mystery book groups.
At Mystery Lovers Bookshop we have several book groups who meet here over food . . . an important factor. The oldest one is the Women Lawyers Group who celebrates 14 years in May. The others who have all met for more than 10 years--Second Thursday, Second Monday, History, No Lunch Bunch--and they read mysteries, too, while the Eclectic Book Group reads just that. There are other groups for whom we make suggestions when asked and order all books. Each year about a half dozen other groups come to the store for a mystery field trip. So you can see we have much experience with what works and what doesn't. We try to suggest books that prompt good discussions, provide some new and interesting information and hold their own among the readers of the more "literary" novels. The following is a list of some hits and misses when Reading Groups come calling for a mystery suggestion.
1. Nancy Pickard's The Virgin of the Small Plains has headed our bestselling trade book list several times because it is such a good choice. Pickard sustains crackling suspense from the opening truck crash to the stories of what happened on January 23, 1987, and the impact of those events on the tiny town's professional leaders and their families. She also depicts the gorgeous country, a vicious tornado and lingering love with the sure grace of a gifted writer. The plot and characters are very rich and always promote a discussion of the element of suspense and the fate born of secrets.
2. Ken Follett's marvelously tense Jackdaws introduces a fictionalized version of the story of a heretofore little known group of English women. The central figure is Flick Clairet, an Englishwoman married to a Frenchman in the Resistance, who works for British intelligence--one of a small number of women serving behind enemy lines. The action takes place just before D-Day--the goal is to take out a crucial German installation before the invasion. Follett does his typically fine job of keeping you turning pages while filling in a slew of facts about the Resistance movement and why this operation had to be undertaken by women. Loads of discussion here about the real story behind the novel and the role of women in war.
3. Killer Smile by Lisa Scottoline is one of her best. In it, she moves beyond the legal thriller with mystery elements to embrace a story founded in her own personal history: the genesis of the book came from Lisa's discovery of her grandparent's alien registration cards. In the book, Mary DiNunzio--who fans may remember as the protagonist of Scottoline's debut, Everywhere That Mary Went--is involved in a case related to the internment of tens of thousands of Italian-American immigrants during World War II. (While many of us are familiar with the internment of Japanese-Americans, the internment of Italian-Americans was less well known.) This case involves a man interned during the war who committed suicide in the camp. Mary represents his estate, which is seeking reparations. All of Scottoline's trademark humor and suspense are present in full measure in this absorbing book. Discussion of the plot always brings forth a variety of memories of World War II.
4. Laura Lippman's To the Power of Three is a brilliant look at the lethality of loyalty when three best friends are found in a locked girl's room after a school shooting. The role of family, the details of teenage communications and the gripping secret that compels all of the survivors are riveting. Much discussion ensues about female relationships and teen-age experiences. 5. Mystic River by Dennis Lehane is a big surprise. At the book's heart are three men, once friends, whose lives have diverged although still bound by complex threads that lead back to their childhoods in the immigrant, working-class neighborhood of East Buckingham. Lehane has done an extraordinary job of bringing these characters to life. The neighborhoods, so well evoked, became a powerful fourth character. Much of the long discussion generated by this book involves neighborhood as well as the relation of the women characters to the story.
Misses
What doesn't work so well in book groups are the humorous mystery books like Janet Evanovich's. While mystery readers do love them, the discussions tend to be limited to punch lines and favorite scenes. Groups who read Sayers or Christie also report the same sort of flagging discussion. My suggestion to all booksellers is to invite a group to meet in your store, if you don't have one already. Join the discussion and you will learn much. If a group needs a pick-up, try Enchanted April by Elizabeth von Armin or Angry Housewives Eating Bonbons by Laura Landvick. Enjoy!
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