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!