Diane Morello

Mickey Haller and Harry Bosch are a perfect combination. In this book, master lawyer Haller is the main character and former LAPD homicide detective Bosch is the secondary. Haller is all about excellence and quick thinking in the courtroom as he attempts to free a young woman who was jailed — she says incorrectly — for murdering her ex-husband. Michael Connelly is peerless in crafting stories about courtrooms, witnesses, law enforcement and the coordinated strategy required to build a case. Highly recommend, especially for fans of courtroom drama, Michael Connelly or the Bosch, Bosch: Legacy and Lincoln Lawyer shows.

Small Mercies pulled me forward from page 1. Against a backdrop of racial unrest and generational bigotry, Mary Pat Fennessy, a hard-edged character from the start, deals with the unimaginable loss of her 17-year-old daughter, Jules, who disappears one night without a clue. She pieces together what happened and with single-minded persistence and anger, she wreaks violence and vengeance on all involved. Generations of anger and hatred pervading both Mary Pat’s life and the lives of others in South Boston would always yield sadness. Mary Pat was a unique female character and I can see changeable actresses such as Jessica Chastain, Frances McDormand or Kate Winslet transforming themselves into Mary Pat

Bruno Courrèges and his tiny hamlet in France are a delight. I discovered this book through a Private Investigator book club, and I found Bruno a kind and sympathetic man and a keen detective. A murder in Bruno’s sleepy French town has its origins in WWII and — of course — in the Nazis, who again prove to be the world’s most horrible villains. The author, Martin Walker, clearly loves the Perigord commune of France and as a reader I too was drawn to the wealth of beauty, farming and food. I will be back to read more of Bruno.

This poised and lovely woman represented the *only* person with courage and a spine during the January 6 insurrection investigations. Cassidy Hutchinson reveals her early life — including a government-hating suspicious dad — and eventually her thrill of finding a home as a legislative intern and then as “the chief of staff of Trump’s Chief of Staff.” Most notably, Hutchinson had a front-row seat to the January 6, 2021, insurrection and the hatred and violence Donald Trump’s lies unleashed. While my principles and politics are not Cassidy’s, I was brought to tears several times by her truth-telling in the face of the lying men in Trump World who urged her to ignore a government subpoena and to lie on stand. She is 28 years old as of 2H2023 and displays inspirational depth of commitment and grace.