On Harrow Hill - John Verdon

John Verdon is the author of the Dave Gurney series. On Harrow Hill is the seventh book in the series. What's it about? Here's a description from Random House Audio - my thoughts follow.

"When an old colleague comes to him for help solving the mysterious death of his town's most prominent resident, retired NYPD detective Dave Gurney must use all of his analytical skills to hunt a murderer who just might be killing from beyond the grave.

The idyllic community of Larchfield is rocked to its core when Angus Russell, its wealthiest and most powerful citizen, is found dead in his mansion on Harrow Hill. A preliminary analysis of DNA gathered at the crime scene points to the guilt of local bad boy Billy Tate, whose hatred for the victim was well known. Except that Tate fell from the roof of a local church and was declared dead by the medical examiner the day before Russell was killed. When police rush to the mortuary, they discover Tate's coffin has been broken open from the inside and the body is gone.

A series of murders soon follows as Larchfield loses its collective mind. Gun sales explode. Conspiracy theories and religious fundamentalism spread. The once-peaceful town becomes a magnet for sensation seekers, self-proclaimed zombie hunters, TV producers eager for ratings, and apocalyptic preachers rallying the faithful for the end of days. His quiet retirement shattered, ex-NYPD detective Dave Gurney finds himself not only facing down a murderer, but struggling to restore order to the town rapidly spiraling out of control.

My Thoughts:

I've been a fan of John Verdon right from the first book 2010. I've enjoyed every one since.

Verdon crafts some great plot lines - and this one is a doozy with quite a few red herrings and garden paths - which I happily travelled. I really enjoy Gurney's deductive processes. His calm, cool, intuitive manner belies an intense curiosity and drive to solve cases.

Verdon has developed his characters over the course of seven books. We know what kind of detective Gurney is, but we also get to see beneath his controlled exterior.  Gurney's enigmatic wife Madeleine continually intrigues me. Her love of nature, colour and life are in stark contrast to Gurney's pursuit of killers. She rarely gets upset and seems to know the right thing to say at the right time. 

This is the first time I've listened to one of Verdon's books. I discovered that one of my favorite readers - Scott Brick was the narrator. He has the most versatile, expressive voice. And after so many years of visualizing Dave Gurney, he has the right voice as well. Brick conveys the tone and tenor of Verdon's plot easily, drawing the listener deeper into the story. His voice is easy on the ears, clear and the pace of speaking is just right. Here for yourself - listen to an audio excerpt of On Harrow Hill.

I'm looking forward to the next in this series - Gurney might be retired, but he loves a good mystery - as do I!

Sooley - John Grisham

John Grisham writes legal thrillers. But he also writes stand alone sports novels that are just as wonderful. The latest is the newly released Sooley.

Samuel's home in is South Sudan, a war torn country beset with violence. Samuel dreams of someday playing basketball in the US - and bringing his family with him. And through a series of events...he makes it to the US....

Oh, I love a good underdog story! Sooley's story is one of those. The listener will fall in love with him and have their fingers crossed that he fulfills his dreams. Grisham has done a fantastic job building his characters. The supporting cast of coaches, teammates and supporters drew me in just as much as Sooley did. There are some real life people woven into the story as well.

Sooley is told in alternating settings - with Sooley in the US and then cutting to the Rhino Refugee Camp in Uganda where Sooley's family is.

I thought the plot was fantastic, believable and possible. I was caught off guard with an unpredictable development that I must admit, made me a little angry. But it was indeed a believable turn. Grisham hits many social issues in this book. 

All in all - I loved it! 

I chose to listen to Sooley. The narrator was Dion Graham and he was the perfect choice. His voice is rich and full and really pleasant to listen to. He provided different voices for every character - they suited the mental images I had of the characters and it was easy to discern who was speaking. The voice for Sooley was so very good. Graham easily interprets Grisham's book with his expressive voice. And extra points for  'calling' the basketball games. It sounded just like we were in the stadium. I've said it before and I'll say it again - listening immerses me in a book and I feel like I'm part of the story. Even more so in this case. Hear for yourself - listen to an excerpt of Sooley.

Troop 6000 - Nikita Stewart

I am drawn to non fiction that informs me, teaches me and opens my eyes. Troop 6000 by Nikita Stewart is one of those books.

It's hard to see the subtitle on the cover but it reads 'The Girl Scout Troop That Began in a Shelter and Inspired the World'.

Giselle Burgess worked a full time job to provide for her five children. Rising rent, spiralling bills and health issues had her falling behind and finally.....homeless. She became one of the 60,000 people that are housed in one of New York City's homeless. shelters daily.

She and her five children lived for a year in a room at a Sleep Inn in Queens. Two beds, six people, one bathroom, no kitchen. Curfews, sign in and out procedures, rude 'resident care' staff and more. Giselle had worked for the Girl Scouts of America in the past and came up with an amazing idea - a Girl Scout Troop in the shelter. The ideas, ideals and community would help out not just the children living in the shelter but their parents as well.

Giselle is a force of nature. She made connections, weathered uncertainty, overcame adversity and kept on trying. And Troop 6000 was born. Investigative report Nikita Stewart wrote a story for The New York Times and that led to support, networking - and other troops. She followed the members of the original troop and the leaders for a year.

I became so immersed in the story of this group of women - their strength and determination. And that of the girls as well.

I chose to listen to Troop 6000. The reader was Robin Miles. She did a fantastic job of bringing this story to life. I find that listening to a book immerses me in a story more. This time for sure - I felt like I was part of the conversation. Miles has a pleasant voice, easy to listen to, well enunciated. She captured the tenor of the book well.  Listen to an excerpt of Troop 6000.

"Troop 6000 is both the intimate story of one group of girls who find pride and community with one another, and the larger story of how, when we come together, we can find support and commonality and experience joy and success, no matter how challenging life may be."

Read an excerpt of Troop 6000.