Books That Keep You Guessing

I read three books while I was traveling last week! One I loved, one I probably would have liked better if I hadn’t just read the first one, and one I probably would have liked better if I hadn’t been expecting something different. All three are books that keep you guessing in their own ways.

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My favorite book was The Life I Left Behind by Colette McBeth.

The “Life I Left Behind” refers to the life that Melody Pieterson left behind when she was attacked and left for dead, and her friend and neighbor (David) was found guilty of the crime and imprisoned. She lost her ability to trust anyone–including herself–and became a recluse.

As the story begins, David is released from prison and soon thereafter another woman is murdered in an attack very similar to Melody’s. Was David released only to attack again? Was it a copycat crime? Did the real killer strike again knowing David would be blamed? Can Melody help put the pieces together without falling apart?

There are so many twists and turns in the story, sometimes I felt like I was getting whiplash. If you are looking for an engaging page-turner, I think you will like this one.

The second book I read was The Good Neighbor, by A.J. Banner.

The crime at the heart of this story is arson, but combing through the ashes raises more questions than answers, revealing lies, deception and infidelity. Our narrator is Sarah McDonald, a next-door neighbor of the arson victims, who tries to figure out why anyone on her idyllic street could have been the target of such a crime. As she gets closer to the truth can she handle what she will find?

I liked this book less than “The Life I Left Behind” because Sarah seemed more naive (and annoying?) than Melody, and the plot twists seemed more predictable, although the ending still caught me by surprise. So, if you want another thriller to add to your reading list, this one wouldn’t be a bad choice. 

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The third book was Dear Mister Essay Writer Guy by Dinty W. Moore. 

I selected this book to review for Blogging For Books based on this teaser:

Dear Mister Essay Writer Guy,
I have a hot crush on the em dash. What does my need to stuff—while simultaneously fracturing—my sentences—with the meandering, the explanatory, the discursive, the perhaps not-entirely-necessary—say about me?
—Cheryl Strayed

Have you ever wished there were an advice columnist for writers, but one who didn’t take things so damned seriously? This unique writing guide pairs questions sent in by top contemporary essayists with hilariously witty answers and essays from acclaimed author Dinty W. Moore. ….

I do have a crush on the em dash. I would enjoy reading a light-hearted advice column for writers. But that’s not what I found in this book.

First and foremost, “Dear Mister Essay Writer Guy” is a collection of essays, organized as responses to “questions” sent in by other authors. To the extent the essays answer specific questions about writing, they do so by example. So, there’s an essay that illustrates how annoying too many em dashes can be; there’s an essay about his daughter in response to a question about topics he won’t write about, and there’s an essay about his old girlfriends in response to a question about writing about old girlfriends. Some of the essays were funny, some of the essays were interesting, and some of the essays had me leafing through to the next one.

If I were a “real” writer–if I knew that Dinty W. Moore was an award-winning author and English professor without looking him up on-line–or if I enjoyed reading essays, I might have enjoyed this book more. (I can’t explain why I enjoy reading blogs but do not enjoy reading collections of essays!) As it was (or as I am), it was a decent way to pass the last hour or so of my flight from SFO to AUS.

I received Dear Mister Essay Writer Guy from Blogging for Books for this review.

Are you usually able to guess the ending of a mystery?

Please join us this weekend for the September Coffee Date Link Up!