Book Event

Wednesday, March 6, 2013

Bodies in the Backyard

These three compelling but different books all start with a body (or two) in the backyard.


The Death of Bees by Lisa O’Donnell

 “Today is Christmas Eve. Today is my birthday. Today I am fifteen. Today I buried my parents in the backyard. Neither of them were beloved”- Thus begins this darkly comic novel set in Glasgow. Life with her drug addicted, neglectful parents has made bright but troubled Marnie older than her years and determined to keep her odd younger sister, Nellie, out of the system after she finds her parents dead.  Struggling to get by, they form a tentative bond with Lennie, the gay old man next door, who has problems of his own. Soon however the life they have built together starts to unravel as people come looking for their parents. Told from the perspective of three flawed but sympathetic characters this novel is both heart wrenching and heartwarming.


Three Graves Full by Jami Mason

Mild-mannered Jason Getty has a big problem; his gardeners have discovered two bodies in his front yard.   While anyone would be distressed by this, Jason is especially unnerved since elsewhere on his property is the grave of the man he killed.  With the police on the scene, Jason knows his secret won’t stay buried long and devises a desperate plan to hide his crime –one that leads to more trouble than he dreamed.  Throw in an angry, grieving woman, a twin with secret, suspicious detectives and a loyal police dog and you have this well written thriller.


The Secret Keeper by Kate Morton
 
Returning to the family farm for her mother’s 90th birthday, successful actress Laurel Nicolson’s memories of a summer when she saw a man lying dead in their yard after being stabbed by her normally loving and gentle mother are re-awakened.  Determined to find truth, Lauren begins to delve into her mother’s past and the secrets that she has been keeping.  With plenty of twists and turns, this intriguing novel follows both Lauren on her quest to find answers and her mother’s life in World War II London.