Bad Blood - Casey Sherman

Recently I was sitting at the YMCA pool talking with my friend about books.He said, somewhat louder than usual though he tends to be loud (in a good way) anyway, "YOU SHOULD READ CASEY SHERMAN."
"Really?" I said. "What does he write?"
My friend looked sheepish so I wondered what was up.
"Um, non-fiction. True crime stuff," he said.
"Oh I'll have to.." I said but turned when the woman next me to me spoke up, "He's my husband, that's why he's saying that."
"Oh, cool," was my usual intelligent response.
As you may expect I then proceeded to probe her about her husband's agent, whether I might speak to him, how he first got published, etc.
She, clearly being well versed in this approach, directed me to his Facebook page. I did and found his impressive listing of books including Bad Blood.
Bad Blood is about a townie from Franconia, NH named Liko Kenney and a police officer, Bruce McKay. The two men come from different backgrounds and ideologies. Liko is a free spirit with a wild bent, while Bruce is a disiplinarian who doesn't play favorites. Their first interaction is during a 2003 suspicious loitering traffic stop. The situtation dissolves as Liko refuses to bend to Bruce's will. As the author takes us through this troubling event, he takes great care not to take sides. It's difficult to understand how either man wouldn't have walked away from the situation at some point but neither did and Liko ends up squeezing Bruce's testicles in front of two other officers. The hatred from this event lingers in both men's souls for years until their final showdown after which both men end up dead.
In order to understand where these two were coming from the reader must know the history of both the Kenney and McKay families and of Franconia itself. Throughout the story, Mr. Sherman shows his expertise at weaving pertinent historical information into a action packed narrative.  I was so enthralled after finished the book I looked up more information about Liko on You Tube and found a great video of him describing how much he loved living in the North Country and how outsiders just didn't get it. He reminded me of a lot of young men: confident, self-assured, and naive.
Bad Blood is the story of a sad confluence of events but stands as a great lesson to police officers and wild youth alike - holding a grudge doesn't do anyone any good and sometimes it can kill you.
Check out Casey Sherman on Facebook or click here to buy Bad Blood.

Caught - Harlan Coban

Harlan Coban is the new Sidney Sheldon or Lawrence Sanders of our times. He has seventeen novels in print including Caught, his most recent release.
In this thriller/mystery, Wendy Tynes is a sensationalistic television reporter. She works for a tabloid show that "outs" sexual predators. When she realizes that her latest journalistic victim, Dan Mercer, may be just that, a victim, she begins an investigation into the case of a young girl that was recently abducted and attributed to Dan.
As the story unfolds, Wendy ends up questioning her career and her motives, along with the validity of her investigation into this charming alleged predator. In the end we find out things aren't always as they seem and justice should be left in the hands of the law. It's a thrilling, beach read, just like the other Coben novels I've read. Worth the read!

Loose Girl - Kerry Cohen

In general I'm not a huge fan of memoir. They tend to meander into personal opinion and intricate detail of events I don't care about. Not so in this novel. Loose Girl - A memoir of promiscuity is the story of Kerry, the daughter of  divorced parents. Her mother leaves her and her sister to go to the Phillipines to get her doctorate depositing the two girls with their father, a self-involved 80's capitalist.
Kerry and her sister are left to their own devices. Kerry turns to men while her sister retreats into herself. Much of Kerry's adventures are scary. I read them now - a mother of two young daughters - wanting to stop her. At 14 she frequents New York City bars - one of which is the infamous location of the "Preppy Murder". In fact, Kerry knew Robert Chambers and Jennifer Levin and had seen them a few nights before her murder. She weaves this story and a myriad of others into her tales of searching for her next mate hoping to fill the void her parents have left behind.
Many of Kerry's conquests remain nameless but a few she hangs on to for longer periods of time. Leif, Eli and Heath are ships she returns to again and again giving us a glimmer of hope for this lost little girl. The story ties up somewhat neatly but I was left with the impression that Kerry's nature, her longing and search, may continue though she clearly hopes it doesn't. It was a very satisfying ending, not romanticized but realistic.
Any woman who sowed her wild oats at one period of time will appreciate this story while thanking her lucky stars these days are behind her.

Life without Summer - Lynne Griffin

Lynne Griffin is another South Shore writer I met at the Muse & Marketplace conference. Her debut novel, Life without Summer, is the story of two families struggling to deal with the deaths of their young daughters.
The stories are interwoven when one woman's four year old daughter, Abby, is hit by a car while walking from the park to her pre-school (cringe, I know!) The driver of the car speeds away leaving poor Abby to perish. The mother, Tessa, works through her pain by resolving to find her daughter's killer. As her pain threatens to drag her down she begins therapy. The therapist, Celia, while helping the grieving mother, is dealing with issues of her own. Her ex-husband is a recovering (we think) alcoholic and her son has just left her house to live with his father.
The beauty of this story lies in Lynne's ability to make each chapter flow seamlessly from Tessa to Celia's story. Each chapter is titled cleverly, keeping you in the proper storyline.
If you are a mother and in need a reminder of all that you have (and have to lose) this book is definitely for you. I know I'll never complain about my children again without thinking of Abby.
Lynne also has a website and has just launched her newest book, Sea Escape, which I'm planning to pick up as soon as possible. She's reading at Buttonwood Books in Cohasset tonight but, unfortunatley, I can't make it. If you are in the area please check it out.