Today I am reviewing Elizabeth is Missing for TLC Book Tours. As always, I am provided with a copy of the book in return for my honest review.

About the book (from the publisher): In this darkly riveting debut novel, a sophisticated psychological mystery, one woman will stop at nothing to find her best friend, who seems to have gone missing…

Despite Maud’s growing anxiety about Elizabeth’s welfare, no one takes her concerns seriously – not her frustrated daughter, not her caretakers, not the police, and especially not Elizabeth’s mercurial son – because Maud suffers from dementia. But even as her memory disintegrates and she becomes increasingly dependent on the trail of handwritten notes she leaves for herself in her pockets and around the house, Maud cannot forget her best friend. Armed with only an overwhelming feeling that Elizabeth needs her help, Maud resolves to discover the truth – no matter what it takes.

As this singular obsession forms a cornerstone of Maud’s rapidly dissolving present, the clues she uncovers lead her deeper into her past, to another unsolved disappearance: that of her sister, Sukey, who vanished shortly after World War II. As vivid memories of a tragedy that occurred more than fifty years ago come flooding back, Maud’s search for Elizabeth develops a frantic momentum. Whom can she trust? Can she trust herself?

A page-turning novel of suspense, Elizabeth is Missing also hauntingly reminds us that we are all at the mercy of our memory. Always compelling, often poignant, and at times even blackly witty, this is an absolutely unforgettable novel.

My review: What sets this mystery apart from others is the dementia of the protagonist. What an amazing choice for this author to make! The standard mystery devices are all there: a missing person, clues, time, place, characters past and present, the need to solve the mystery. But filtering all of that through the mind of a woman who at one moment has a thought only to forget that thought completely a moment later changes everything. Healey writes beautifully and compassionately. She manages to take us on a journey seen through the eyes and thoughts of Maud; living on her own, coping with daily caregivers, writing notes to herself so she will not forget what to get at the store, or how to make tea, or what to say to the police. What Healey creates for her readers is a real sense of the frustration and embarrassment and fear that Maud (or anyone else with dementia) feels as she struggles to remember that one thought, that one clue, that one thing she must convey to others.

I confess to being completely blown away by this novel. My mother suffered from dementia in the months before her recent death. So did my grandmother. Maud’s struggles hit home in a way that is painful, but ultimately, so important.

So, not only do we have the mysteries of the human mind to contemplate, we also have the very real mystery of the missing Elizabeth, along with the disappearance of Maud’s beloved sister Sukey so many years before. Moving back and forth between the past and the present, Maud struggles to find some answers.

Healey writes so movingly about what it must be like to be elderly and forgetful; the embarrassed looks of others, the sense that no one takes Maud seriously, the ‘there, there’ kind of placating she receives, the pity, and the reality that no one really ‘sees’ her anymore. One of my favorite passages:

Everyone in the congregation is a bit dressed up. Or they’ve made some effort, anyway, winding silk scarves around their necks or sliding sparkly things into their hair. I feel rather drab and shy for a few minutes. But then I remember that I am old and nobody is looking at me.”

Breaks my heart.

I loved this book. Emma Healey is a wonderful writer and I guarantee you will be as moved as I was as you take this journey with Maud – a character that is drawn fully, completely and beautifully.

And one you will not soon forget.

About the author: Emma Healey holds a degree in bookbinding and an MA in Creative Writing. Elizabeth is Missing is her first novel. She lives in the UK.

Good news: one of you will win a copy of Elizabeth is Missing. Just leave a comment on this post and you will be entered. I will pick a winner on Friday evening. Good luck!

Happy Tuesday.

Today I am reviewing Supreme Justice by Max Allan Collins for TLC Book Tours. As always, I am provided with a copy of the book in exchange for my honest review.

About the book (from the publisher): After taking a bullet for his commander-in-chief, secret service agent Joseph Reeder is a hero. But his outspoken criticism of the president he saved – who had stacked the court with hard-right justices to overturn Roe v. Wade, amp up the Patriot Act, and shred the First Amendment – put Reeder at odds with the Service’s apolitical nature, making him an outcast.

FBI agent Patti Rogers finds herself paired with the unpopular former agent on a task force investigating the killing of Supreme Court Justice Henry Venter. Reeder – nicknamed “Peep” for his unparalleled skills at reading body language – makes a starting discovery while reviewing a security tape: the shooting was premeditated, not a botched robbery. Even more chilling, the controversial Venter may not be the only justice targeted for death…

Is a mastermind mounting an unprecedented judicial coup aimed at replacing ultra-conservative justices with a new liberal majority? To crack the conspiracy and save the lives of not just the justices but also Reeder’s own family, rising star Rogers and legendary investigator Reeder must push their skills – and themselves – to the limit.

My review: The premise is promising, with a setting in our nation’s capitol and a cast of characters that includes Secret Service agents, politicians, local police and the FBI. Certainly, we are no strangers to the assassination of political figures – our country has seen more than its share. So I was looking forward to reading this mystery/thriller.

Though all the elements for a fast-paced ride are in place – Max Allan Collins has done a good job on that end, and he clearly knows his setting and the environment of Washington DC – I was left curiously unsatisfied. I love this genre, as you know, and am no stranger to plots that might seem fantastical on any given day- that doesn’t bother me at all. But fantastical or not, the underpinnings must be written in such a way that all the parts come together and lead to a logical conclusion that, bizarre though it may seem, makes absolute sense. So, if an author decides who the bad guy is going to be in the end, that decision has to be fully supported by the writing. I don’t think that happened here.

And once again, I figured out who that bad guy was well before it was revealed on the page. Ah, well.

Though it wasn’t my particular cup of tea, it surely will appeal to other readers. I kept thinking of Tom Clancy readers as I read it, which leads me to believe that there will definitely be an audience for this book.

About the author: Max Allan Collins has earned fifteen Private Eye Writers of America “Shamus” nominations, winning for this Nathan Heller novels, True Detective and Stolen Away, and receiving the PWA life achievement award, the Eye. His graphic novel, Road to Perdition, the basis for the Academy Award-winning film starring Tom Hanks, was followed by two novels, Road to Purgatory and Road to Paradise. His suspense series include Quarry, Nolan, Mallory and Elliot Ness, and his numerous comic credits include the syndicated Dick Tracy and his own Ms. Tree. He has written and directed four feature films and two documentaries. His other produced screenplays include The Expert, an HBO World Premiere, and The Last Lullaby. His coffee table book, The History of Mystery, received nominations for every major mystery award and Men’s Adventure Magazines won the Anthony. Collins lives in Muscatine, Iowa with his wife, write Barbara Collins. They have collaborated on seven novels and are currently writing the Trash ‘n’ Treasure mysteries.

One of you will win a copy of this book. Just leave a comment on this post and I will choose a winner on Monday.