Every year I make a note of all the Goodreads Choice Award nominees, look up their summaries and try to read as many as sound interesting to me. There are so many that I want to check out but here are three that I put at the top of my TBR list…
All the Colors of the Dark, Chris Whitaker
1975 is a time of change in America. The Vietnam War is ending. Mohammed Ali is fighting Joe Frazier. And in the small town of Monta Clare, Missouri, girls are disappearing. When the daughter of a wealthy family is targeted, the most unlikely hero emerges—Patch, a local boy with one eye, who saves the girl, and, in doing so, leaves heartache in his wake.
I read the synopsis’ of all the thriller/mystery nominees and this one really stuck with me. It’s a combination of the time period (which I haven’t read much of) as well as the interesting explanation of Patch, one of the main characters. It left me wanting to learn more about him and why he ‘leaves heartache in his wake’.
The Frozen River, Ariel Lawhon
Maine, 1789: When the Kennebec River freezes, entombing a man in the ice, Martha Ballard is summoned to examine the body and determine cause of death. As a midwife and healer, she is privy to much of what goes on behind closed doors in Hallowell. Her diary is a record of every birth and death, crime and debacle that unfolds in the close-knit community. Months earlier, Martha documented the details of an alleged rape committed by two of the town’s most respected gentlemen—one of whom has now been found dead in the ice. But when a local physician undermines her conclusion, declaring the death to be an accident, Martha is forced to investigate the shocking murder on her own.
I really haven’t been interested in reading much historical fiction lately but the premise for this one has me intrigued. I like that this entwines a mystery and some amateur sleuthing by a woman with the story. I think I’ll like this one.
The Midnight Feast, Lucy Foley
It’s the opening night of The Manor, and no expense, small or large, has been spared. Old friends and enemies circulate among the guests. Just outside the Manor’s immaculately kept grounds, an ancient forest bristles with secrets. And the Sunday morning of opening weekend, the local police are called. Something’s not right with the guests. There’s been a fire. A body’s been discovered.
This was a Book of the Month pick for me last year but I still haven’t read it. In fact, I’ve yet to read anything by Lucy Foley. After seeing it nominated for a Goodreads Choice Award, I decided it was finally time to pick it up.
What do you think of the 2024 Goodreads Choice nominees and winners?
