Rogue Women Writers: WHEN YOU COME TO A CROSSROADS TURN RIGHT by Jenny Milchman

 Rogue Women Writers: WHEN YOU COME TO A CROSSROADS TURN RIGHT by Jenny Milchman

Aubrey Hamilton Reviews: The Second Mother by Jenny Milchman

The Second Mother by Jenny Milchman (Sourcebooks Landmark, 2020) is Milchman’s fifth book in seven years. In that time her work has achieved critical acclaim, winning the Mary Higgins Clark and Silver Falchion awards and being shortlisted for PEN/Faulkner, Macavity, and Anthony awards; receiving starred reviews from Publishers Weekly, Library Journal, and Booklist; and showing up on Strand Magazine and Suspense Magazine's Best Of lists. She is the co-chair of International Thriller Writers' Debut Program and a member of the Sisters in Crime Speakers Bureau.

Julie Weathers and her husband have been living in an alcoholic haze since the sudden death of their daughter. During an intermittent period of sobriety, she decides to leave the small town in New York State she’d lived in all her life and start over somewhere else. In her fuzzy and grief-stricken frame of mind, she decides a teaching job on an isolated island off the coast of Maine would be just right.

The island and the surrounding ocean are exquisite in their beauty. The lonely house she is given to live in on the other hand is strange. The people who lived there previously still have keys and feel free to wander in without notice. Small items appear and disappear, her dog is let out one day while she runs errands, weird sounds; in short, it’s scary. Then there’s her job. One of the children in her class is an odd youngster. His mother appears to take no interest in him, and his grandmother takes far too much. The grandmother rules the island and wants Julie to know it. She is obsessed with keeping families with children on the island to maintain its centuries old way of life and obviously to keep her power and influence which is waning as families move away. Julie is caught up right away in trying to help the grandson while keeping the grandmother at bay. She’s also unexpectedly attracted to one of the islanders.

Beautifully written, this book is billed as a psychological thriller but I heard echoes of Victoria Holt’s Gothic novels as I read. Young woman trying to escape her past – check; isolated and dangerous locale – check; resentful and powerful older woman– check; troubled child – check; attractive single man who rescues her from danger – check; old creaky house with unexplained noises – check. Pretty much hits all of the right buttons to be considered a contemporary Gothic. The icing on the cake is Depot, Julie’s huge Newfoundland-mix rescue dog, who will appeal to animal lovers everywhere. A fast-moving engaging read.

 

·         Hardcover: 464 pages

·         ISBN-10: 1728226368

·         ISBN-13: 978-1728226361

·         Publisher: Sourcebooks Landmark (August 18, 2020)

·         Language: English 

 

Aubrey Hamilton ©2020 

Aubrey Hamilton is a former librarian who works on Federal It projects by day and reads mysteries at night.

Mystery Fanfare: HOW TO RELEASE A BOOK IN A PANDEMIC: Guest Post by Jenny Milchman ...

Personal Note: Jenny Milchman is one of my favorite people. The author thing is all well and good and she certainly can write, but, the fact is she is also, as those of us who are of a certain age say, "good people." That means the world to me.)

Mystery Fanfare: HOW TO RELEASE A BOOK IN A PANDEMIC: Guest Post by...: JENNY MILCHMAN: How to Release a Book in a Pandemic  Hi Mystery Fanfare readers! My name is Jenny Milchman, and I write suspense novels...

Buried Under Books Book Review: Wicked River by Jenny Milchman

Buried Under Books Book Review: Wicked River by Jenny Milchman

Dru's Book Musings: The Manicurist by Jenny Milchman

Dru's Book Musings: The Manicurist by Jenny Milchman

Mystery Fanfare: How to Survive a Trip to the Wilderness (With or W...

Mystery Fanfare: How to Survive a Trip to the Wilderness (With or W...: JENNY MILCHMAN: How to Survive a Trip to the Wilderness (With or Without a Madman)  If you plan on taking a camping trip this summer, i...

One Bite at a Time: A Conversation With Jenny Milchman

One Bite at a Time: A Conversation With Jenny Milchman: Jenny Milchman gets around, and I mean that in the most flattering sense. She spent eleven months in her car taking her debut novel Cover ...

Jenny Milchman is on Patreon

I first heard about Patreon a few weeks ago. While it was suggested to me to use it for reviews or my own fiction, I could not figure out a way to do so. With three books out and a fourth on the way, author Jenny Milchman did. Check out what she came up with on her page.

Jenny Milchman is creating page-turning psychological suspense fiction

Suspense Your Disbelief Blog: Guest Post: Derek McFadden

Suspense Your Disbelief Blog:  Guest Post: Derek McFadden

Why I Went on the World’s Longest Book Tour by Jenny Milchman (BooksByWomen.Org)

Why I Went on the World’s Longest Book Tour by Jenny Milchman (BooksByWomen.Org)

Book Reviews: As Night Falls by Jenny Milchman and Dance of the Bones by J. A. Jance (Buried Under Books Blog)

Book Reviews: As Night Falls by Jenny Milchman and Dance of the Bones by J. A. Jance (Buried Under Books Blog)

More New Reviews at Flash Bang Mysteries

We spend a lot of time at the hospital and it is hard for me to keep up with things. In recent days new reviews from both Barry and myself have appeared at Flash Bang Mysteries.

Barry now has up:

Review: COVER OF SNOW (2013) by Jenny Milchman

Review: JULIUS KATZ AND ARCHIE (2011) by Dave Zeltserman

Review: UNFAITHFUL SERVANT (2004) by Timothy Harris

Barry also has a mystery short story in the debut issue of Flash Bang Mysteries coming next month. Titled Brianna's Way the tale is one of two stories that are the editor picks. 

My new reviews are:

 

Review: UNCLE DUST by Rob Pierce

Review: BAD MEN by Graham Powell

I had intended to work on something to submit for this inaugural issue. Unfortunately,  things got away from me as they constantly do these days and nothing fiction writing wise was accomplished. 

Jungle Red Writers: Jenny Milchman--Road Warrior

Jungle Red Writers: Jenny Milchman--Road Warrior: RHYS BOWEN: When I started out in the mystery genre I decided the only way that people would hear about my books was to hit the road an...

Bookish events in Texas for the week of August 24 - 30, 2015 (Texas Book Lover Blog)

 Includes Jenny Milchman's book signing events in Austin (Monday) and Houston (Tuesday) as well as Bill Crider with his daughter Angela Crider Neary joint book signing event in Houston on Saturday.
 
Bookish events in Texas for the week of August 24 - 30, 2015 (Texas Book Lover Blog)

Jenny Milchman’s Top Five Tales of Domestic Suspense (MysteryPeople Blog)

Jenny Milchman’s Top Five Tales of Domestic Suspense (MysteryPeople Blog)

MysteryPeople Q&A with Jenny Milchman (As Night Falls Book Tour)

Jenny Milchman will be at THE WILD DETECTIVES in Dallas on Sunday at 6 PM.

MysteryPeople Q&A with Jenny Milchman (As Night Falls Book Tour)

Bookish events in Texas for the week of August 17 - 23, 2015 (Texas Book Lover)

Includes Jenny Milchman's book signing at THE WILD DETECTIVES in Dallas on Sunday at 6 PM.

Bookish events in Texas for the week of August 17 - 23, 2015 (Texas Book Lover)

Medical Update

Sandi's blood work was "borderline" today which means she could have a blood transfusion, but it was not mandatory. She was also symptom free though the lab results showed her to be a little more anemic than normal. This sort of thing is how she is most times. If she is running true to form this is a momentary dip and not the start of her going off the cliff again.


Since we all have been through this before the decision was made to leave her alone today. If she dips anymore over the weekend she will have to have a blood transfusion. Not only because she will be below the various thresholds making it necessary, but to try and stabilize her before the next round of chemo. it would be much better for her if her body could adjust on its own without medical intervention by way of yet another blood transfusion.


The plan is for her to go back Monday and then based on the labs firm up the schedule for the next round of chemo. This would be the fourth round of this particular chemo version and would take four to five days in the hospital again. The chemo will most likely start late next week (Thursday or Friday) though the day will depend on where she is at Monday.



Assuming there are no major setbacks, this most likely means Sandi will be in Medical City Dallas Hospital when Jenny Milchman is here on August 23rd at The Wild Detectives for her book signing with Texas Author Julia Heaberlin. Both Sandi and I are disappointed as we were really looking forward to this event and hoping to see Jenny. Health stuff the last few years has stolen a lot of fun things away from us and it most likely is going to steal another. The good news is that Sandi is still here and can be ticked off about that. Other folks we know are not nearly so lucky.

A Conversation with Suspense Novelist Jenny Milchman (OmniMystery News)

A Conversation with Suspense Novelist Jenny Milchman (OmniMystery News)

Jenny Milchman's Magical Mystery Book Tour (Chronogram Blog)

Jenny Milchman's Magical Mystery Book Tour: This June, when the nation was riveted by the escape of two convicts from a maximum security prison in the Adirondacks, Phoenicia author Jenny Milchman was astounded: her third novel, As Night Falls, (Ballantine, 2015) has the same storyline, right down to the physical size of the pair and their plan to cross uncharted woods into Canada.