Recent Reads - November

I haven't talked about what I've read lately, so here are a few books I've read this fall.  They all happen to be mysteries.

Gone Girl - This book was both compelling and disturbing.  The story revolves around Amy Dunne, a woman who mysteriously goes missing on her fifth wedding anniversary.  Amy's husband Nick starts to look quite suspicious in the wake of his missing wife as evidence is uncovered that alludes to her disappearance.  As we've seen in many real life news headlines, when a wife goes missing, the husband is the first person authorities look at.  The story narration alternates between Amy through her past journal entries and Nick in present day starting from the day his wife goes missing.  The story goes in a certain direction for several chapters and then changes abruptly in an interesting way.  The ending of the book was so-so for me, but overall, it was a good read for your holiday break or next beach vacation.

Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie - This adult mystery set in 1950s England (which is the first of a series) is narrated by an imaginative 11-year-old-girl who has a knack for solving crimes, annoying her older sisters and concocting poisons the way other girls from that time period bake cakes.  The protagonist seemed a little more precocious than was realistic, but this didn't stop me from enjoying this book. I will probably pick up the next book in the series the next time I'm in the mood for an old fashioned mystery.

Murder in Lantern Rouge: An Aimee Leduc Investigation - I love to read books set in Paris, so I started reading books from this series about a Paris-based private investigator/computer security expert earlier this year.  The series is set in the 90's so it's also interesting to look back on technology and current events (like the death of Princess Diana) that are sprinkled through out the book.  Aimee has a great sense style and a knack for finding great vintage clothing from the top designers.  Though I like the series overall, I have to say that this book was my least favorite.  I figured out who the murderer was long before the end of the book and the plot was a little convoluted to be realistic. I definitely recommend trying earlier books in the series if you like mysteries and the city of Paris.

Next, I plan to read Yes Chef which was one of the books on my fall reading list.

What have you read lately?