This Month's Selection: Suspect by Michael Robotham

Mystery Readers Book Club

 

Suspect 

by Michael Robotham

 

Wednesday, Feb. 4, 2 p.m.

“A gripping first novel…taut and fast-moving.” —Washington Post

From the publisher:

The renowned psychologist Joseph O’Loughlin has it all—a thriving practice, a devoted, beautiful, fiercely intelligent wife, and a lovely young daughter. But when he’s diagnosed with Parkinson’s, O’Loughlin begins to dread the way his exceptional mind has been shackled to a failing body, and the cracks in his perfect existence start to show.

At first, O’Loughlin is delighted to be called in to a high-profile murder investigation, hoping his extraordinary abilities at perception will help bring a killer to justice. But when O’Loughlin recognizes the victim as one of his former patients, an emotionally disturbed young woman who nearly brought ruin upon him, he hesitates—a fateful decision that soon makes O’Loughlin a target of both a bullish detective and a diabolical killer.

Pick up a copy of this month's selection at the library or any library near you. Whether you're in the group or not, you will make us happy if you use the comments to join the discussion!

What We Thought: The Other Woman by Hank Phillippi Ryan

The Other Woman

by Hank Phillippi Ryan

“Everybody, soon or late, sits down to a banquet of consequences.” Robert Louis Stevenson

The Other Woman is an intricately plotted story of suspense written by bestselling award-winner Hank Phillippi Ryan. The theme of the first year of the Holmes Mystery Readers Book Club is "First in a Series," and in The Other Woman, heroine Jane Ryland makes her debut as a high-profile television reporter who has lost her job and now works for a Boston newspaper.

The time flew by with a very lively discussion of the characters with plot twists and turns making the discussion move along just as speedily as the writing style of the author. Members felt that Ryan’s background as a television investigative reporter and journalist drove the pace of her story. Although some readers were not very interested in the details of a political campaign they did pay attention to the scandals that were generated by many of the characters as a result of typical political intrigue. They were especially interested in the lights-out scene during an important fund raising event. The bridge killer red herring initiated a discussion of Boston bridges and descriptions of their favorites. The comment was made that “It’s tough to kill people.”

Some readers thought that the characters of adult children and spurned girl friends were confusing and needed more elaboration to set them apart from each other. Readers also said that  the character of Owen Lassiter, a candidate for governor seemed quite naïve for a current-day, experienced campaigner and perhaps should have disclosed more of his background to avert the scandal  surrounding his family and stop the tragedy resulting from it.

This discussion of The Other Woman was very productive with everyone participating with fascinating opinions and ready to read the sequels; The Wrong Girl and Truth Be Told to find out more about the blossoming romance between Jane and Boston Police Detective Jake Brogan.

This Month's Selection: The Other Woman by Hank Phillippi Ryan

Mystery Readers

Wednesday, Jan. 7

2:00 p.m.

Reporter Jane Ryland is tracking down a candidate’s secret mistress just days before a pivotal Senate election. Detective Jake Brogan is investigating a possible serial killer that may be hunting down Boston’s young women under the city’s bridges. As the body count rises and election looms closer, it becomes clear to Jane and Jake that their cases are connected...and that they may be facing a ruthless killer who will stop at nothing to silence a scandal.
Dirty politics, dirty tricks, and a barrage of final twists, The Other Woman is the first in an explosive new series from Hank Phillipi Ryan. Seduction, betrayal, and murder—it’ll take a lot more than votes to win this election.

 Have you read The Other Woman? Please chime in with your comments!