The Piano Teacher, by Janice Y.K. Lee

 Usually I just read mystery and suspense novels but now and then I will venture into what I think of as ‘good fiction’ territory.  I had to try this novel because I like stories set in the World War II era and I also like stories with an Asian locale.  This novel has both.  It’s 1952 England and blond, beautiful Claire Pendleton, a somewhat sheltered only child, has rather hastily married staid, dour Martin, mostly to escape her domineering mother.  Shortly after their marriage, Martin is posted from England to Hong Kong to work in the water department.  Claire never dreamed she would ever leave England but she gamely goes with Martin to exotic Hong Kong.  Once there, and with Martin working long hours, Claire decides she needs some interests of her own and she takes the job of teaching piano to the young daughter of a wealthy Chinese family, the Chens. While she is at the Chen’s house, she meets their English chauffeur, handsome, mysterious Will Truesdale, and the two begin an affair. Claire is intrigued as to why upper class Will is working as a driver after being in banking.  As Claire gets to know him, she—and the reader—will discover what has happened to Will in brilliantly written flashbacks to 1942 and Hong Kong just before and during occupation by Japanese forces during World War II.  Ms. Lee has made a stunning debut with this terrific first novel filled with interesting, unforgettable characters and wonderfully interwoven plotlines.  Can’t wait for her next novel. 

True Detectives, by Jonathan Kellerman

 Our true detectives are half-brothers Moe Reed and Aaron Fox, introduced in a previous Kellerman novel.  Moe is a detective with the LA police and Aaron is a former cop now working as a private eye.  Moe and Aaron have sort of a love-hate relationship but they are thrown together for better or worse when they find themselves both working on the same case.  Caitlin Frostig, a blond, beautiful college student, has gone missing.  Her widowed father is distraught and his rich boss has hired Aaron to look into her disappearance.  Moe has been working her case but without any luck and he has about exhausted all avenues of investigation.  Even ace detective Milo Sturgis and psychologist Alex Davenport aren’t much help when he consults them.  Not getting anywhere on their own, Moe and Aaron decide to team up and start all over with the case—this time taking a harder look at Caitlin’s seemingly straight arrow college boyfriend.  Kellerman’s two new characters are interesting additions to his always entertaining Alex Kellerman/LA police mystery series. 

The Birthday Present, by Barbara Vine

 The author Ruth Rendell also writes under the pen name Barbara Vine.  I think this is the first novel I have read by her under either name.  It won’t be the last.  We’re in London and most of the novel takes place during the Thatcher-Major era.  Dashing Ivor Tesham is a rising, young member of Parliament.  Still single, he begins an affair with Hebe Furnal, who is married to dull Gerry and has a young son. For Hebe’s birthday, Ivor plans an elaborate ruse that involves staging a fake kidnapping of Hebe by two masked men.  Also involved in the ruse is Hebe’s best friend, Jane Atherton, who has been providing cover for Hebe’s affair with Ivor.  The fake kidnapping goes horribly wrong and two people end up dead. The events that follow the tragedy are looked back on by Ivor’s brother-in law, Rob, who writes in the first person but intersperses his recollections with the journal of Hebe’s friend, Jane.  Together they chronicle the fascinating downfall of a life of promise. This is an excellent story with interesting, fully-formed characters.

Just Take My Heart, by Mary Higgins Clark

 Natalie Raines, a big Broadway star, has been murdered in her New Jersey home. At first there are no suspects but then Jimmy Easton, a career criminal, comes forward with the claim that Natalie’s soon to be ex-husband, Gregg Aldrich, hired him to kill Natalie.  Jimmy swears to the police that he backed out of the deal and he thinks Gregg did the killing himself.  Gregg doesn’t have an alibi and there is enough evidence for him to be charged with the murder.  Enter Emily Wallace, a young assistant prosecutor, who is given the case.  Emily is a widow—and she has also had a heart transplant.  Emily feels the case is strong but part of her wonders if Natalie’s murder might somehow be related to the unsolved death ten years ago of her college roommate.  Natalie always felt her roommate was killed by a married lover she was seeing. Emily decides to do a little digging on her own—which throws her own life in peril.  This kept my interest and had a nice twist at the end.

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