The Forgotten Girls

author: Sara Blaedel

I tend to have very girdy loins when it comes to dark and twisted fiction, so imagine my surprise when I discovered that The Forgotten Girls was a little too disturbing for me.TW/CW: discussions of sexual abuse and rape. 

The seventh book in the Louise Rick series can be read as a stand alone and centers around a Danish investigator (Louise Rick) who heads up a Missing Persons Deptartment. When the body of a woman is found in a forest, it’s up to Louise to identify her, and what she finds is troubling. The woman, and her twin sister, were both wards of the state and lived in an institution for the mentally handicapped. They were declared dead when they were still children, but clearly that’s not the case. Louise is now determined to find out what happened to the woman, and the sister, who she worries might still be alive and in distress.

The mystery is sound, and the plotting pacing is technically superb. Also this is the most “readable” Scandinavian noir book I’ve read yet (I often find them a bit dry). The issue was I found the topic of sexual abusive of the mentally and physically disabled so upsetting that I left the book feeling worse than when I started it. I’ll check out Blaedel’s other titles and hope they leave me less disheartened.

– Elyse

Mystery/Thriller

The Rise and Fall of the Dinosaurs

author: Steve Brusatte

The Rise and Fall of the Dinosaurs was getting a lot of love on Twitter and Instagram, and I can understand why. This paleontological history is told with warmth and humor; it’s eminently readable, never dry, and full of fascinating information. Brusatte, a paleontologist, answers questions like: how did sauropods get so big?; what kind of parents were dinosaurs?; and how smart was a T Rex?

This is the type of book that works well for a dino enthusiast, someone mildly curious after seeing Jurassic World: We’re Just Committed to Bad Choices Now or even a young adult who has an interest in paleontology. Along with the history of dinosaurs we get a glimpse into Brusatte as a kid amazed at dinosaurs, his journey through academia, and an opportunity to meet some of his cool scientist friends and colleagues.

The Rise and Fall of the Dinosaurs is a lot of fun, and it will give you plenty of ammunition for trivia games.

– Elyse

Nonfiction

Siren’s Tide

author: Philippa Ballantine

Siren’s Tide is the first book in the Sea King’s Daughter novella series that follows six mermaid sisters. I thought the novella was a little rushed and uneven, and while it sets up the world for the remaining five books, it didn’t do a great job of capturing my imagination.

Ianthe Liakos is a mermaid and paranormal investigator (she looks human when she’s not in the water). She’s working in DC with her assistant/friend the ghost of Dolly Madison (not making that up) when a new Big Bad shows up in town and starts killing people. Ianthe realizes she needs to stop the threat targeting the supernatural community, and she finds an unlikely ally in Clayton Abernathy, a revenant from the Revolutionary War.

There’s a lot of world building that takes place in 82 pages, and the romance between Clayton and Ianthe never really comes to fruition (although it might in later books). I felt like it was too much too quick, and I’m not sure it hooked me enough to try the next five novellas. Someone who loves mermaids or needs a quick paranormal read might find themselves more intrigued.

– Elyse

Novella, Urban Fantasy