Saturday, August 08, 2026
Wednesday, July 29, 2026
Beneath the Stains of Time: The Flow of Time: Case Closed, vol. 98 by Gosho Aoyama
Monday, July 27, 2026
Aubrey Nye Hamilton Reviews: The Amateur: A Novel by Chris Bohjalian
The Amateur
(Doubleday, 4 August 2026) is the latest crackerjack thriller from critically
acclaimed author Chris Bohjalian. Set in the 1970s in the posh suburb of Tallmadge
in Westchester County, New York, where everyone who is anyone is a member of
the country club, the story is a memoir told by Mira Winston in later life and
with the benefit of considerable hindsight.
Mira fell in
love with the game of golf as a tween and became notably proficient, practicing
relentlessly and working with a coach to the point she’s won a few regional
tournaments. Now upon graduation from high school she’s been promised a place
on the golf team at Yale, where she expects to begin classes in a month. On an
ordinary summer day she’s at the club, driving golf balls into the practice net
one after another. The net breaks with the force of her swing and the sphere
weighing an ounce and a half becomes a lethal weapon as it strikes the temple
of one of the high school students working as a caddy that day.
At first the
practice net seemed to be faulty, and the manufacturer was the focus of
attention, then upon closer investigation Mira took the brunt of the blame, as
a secret affair with a married man 30 years older was made public and some of
her impulsive acts from the past were spun as indicators of instability and viciousness.
The entire town turned against her; she eventually was charged with involuntary
manslaughter. While she waited for trial, she was targeted in every way
possible by acquaintances and neighbors. The stress of false accusations and
societal disapproval hit the heretofore privileged teenager like an anvil
falling from the sky.
A strikingly
good book, with complex characterizations, a carefully layered plot, and a
flawless duplication of the 1970s social code. Mira was subjected to societal
censure that from the vantage point of 2026 belonged somewhere else and it is
agonizing to read. Along with toxic social issues, the mechanics surrounding
the failure of the net was examined from all aspects. Considering the damages
likely to be awarded the dead boy’s family in a civil lawsuit, the manufacturer,
the country club, and Mira’s family all pointed at each other. The real cause
of failure was a last-minute surprise I should have seen coming but of course I
didn’t.
Starred
reviews from Publishers Weekly, Kirkus, and Booklist. A
riveting read, highly recommended!
·
Publisher: Doubleday
·
Publication date: August 4, 2026
·
Language: English
·
Print length: 336 pages
·
ISBN-10: 0385551290
·
ISBN-13: 978-0385551298
Amazon Associate Purchase Link: https://amzn.to/4bdgShj
Aubrey Nye Hamilton ©2026
Aubrey Hamilton is a former librarian who works on Federal It projects by day and reads mysteries at night.
Saturday, July 18, 2026
Saturday, July 04, 2026
Beneath the Stains of Time: Everyone in This Bank is a Thief (2026) by Benjamin Stevenson
Sunday, June 14, 2026
Beneath the Stains of Time: The Architecture of Murder (2026) by James Scott Byrnside
Tuesday, June 02, 2026
Monday, June 01, 2026
Aubrey Nye Hamilton Reviews: The Butler by Clare Mackintosh
The Butler
by Clare Mackintosh (Podium Publishing, June 2026) is a stand-alone thriller
from the author of the DC Ffion Morgan and DS Leo Brady series. CWA
recently announced that Clare is shortlisted for the 2026 CWA Dagger in the
Library.
Baxter is a
butler who freelances for wealthy individuals in need of major domo services
for a short time. He’s been hired to prepare and run a villa in the hills above
Cannes for a house party of some half dozen individuals connected to the
industry during the film festival and the accompanying events. Alec Prescott is
the host, he and his ex-wife Sylvie Calloway are also celebrating the 21st
birthday of their only child Carter. Prescott arrives with his current much
younger girl friend Kaitlynn. Baxter is alarmed to learn that Kaitlynn doesn’t
know that Sylvie will be present and Sylvie doesn’t know about Kaitlynn. In
addition to this worrying trio, Prescott and his girlfriend Jade and Prescott’s
godparents Damian and Francesca Huxley, film producer and actress,
respectively, make up the rest of the party.
Damian loses
no time in trying to convince Alec to finance his next film, Alec declines and
tactlessly suggests Francesca is too old to play leading roles. Alec also calls
Prescott to task for not holding down a paying job, and Sylvie and Alec trade
jabs over his youthful girlfriend. The atmosphere is tense and Baxter is
required to supply vast quantities of alcoholic beverages to soothe tempers.
The first two or three days are consumed with cinema viewings and media events,
especially for Francesca who is promoting her newest film. The sniping
continues whenever two or three of the party are together, and dinner with
everyone is downright fractious.
Through it
all, Baxter and the couple he hired to help him stay busy. They plan, shop,
cook, and serve meals on time, clean all the rooms in the villa, change linen
and towels, and cater to the constant demands for booze.
Early one
morning Baxter finds Alec Prescott at the bottom of the swimming pool, quite
dead. Too many people were upset with Prescott for Baxter to believe it was
accidental. He decides to investigate on his own.
Readers
familiar with Agatha Christie’s 4:50 from Paddington APA What Mrs.
McGillicuddy Saw will immediately see the similarity of Baxter to Lucy Eyelesbarrow,
that very expensive but extremely capable housekeeper who worked for wealthy
households a few weeks at a time.
An original
and pleasant read. Mackintosh is a recent find whom I plan to follow more
closely. I particularly enjoyed the details of the job, which gave a strong Upstairs,
Downstairs feel to the narrative. This story has strong potential to become
a series.
·
Publisher: Podium Publishing
·
Publication date: June 16, 2026
·
Language: English
·
Print length: 208 pages
·
ISBN-13: 979-8347009268
Amazon Associate Purchase Link:
Aubrey Nye Hamilton ©2026
Aubrey Hamilton is a former librarian who works on Federal It projects by day and reads mysteries at night.
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