Flannery's Reviews

There is no adequate way to describe this book in the short space I have, or to fully impart how excited I am for it. I’m burned out on dystopic fiction but can’t wait for Borne because I love Jeff VanderMeer’s unsettling, descriptive writing, the mind-bending ways his books make me think, and his worlds—in many ways recognizably ours, yet alien, altered, weird. If you want something different, look no further. - Flannery

Megan Abbot is the queen of nourishing family dramas unfolding around troubled teen girls, and this is her best yet. Katie Knox’s daughter Devon is a gymnastics prodigy, and Katie and her husband will do whatever it takes to see Devon’s dreams realized. When a death happens in the supposedly tight-knit gymnastics gym, fractures in both family and community expose unpleasant truths. I was completely sucked in and didn’t want to put it down. - Flannery

In her new stand-alone novel, Laurie R. King tackles a modern horror—a high school career day gone terribly wrong. Anyone who loves King’s deft writing and nuanced character building will be more than satisfied. King weaves the threads of her characters’ lives and secrets together into a taut psychological tale that is poignant and provocative and an excellent example of her range and skill. - Flannery

If you like Agatha Christie, closed-room mysteries, publishing industry tales, books within books, narrators in crisis, or any combination thereof, Magpie Murders has something for you. Both a delightful homage to the British village mystery (containing the manuscript for a British village mystery) and a fiendishly clever story of an editor on the hunt for what she suspects is a real-life killer, this dark, suspenseful, inventive book is a must-read. - Flannery     

At long last, a book about the A’s! And not just any A’s, but the rowdy championship team of the 1970’s. From the drama behind the scenes and on the field to the mustaches and garish uniforms, Turbow brings the larger than life personalities of the team to life while charting their rise and fall, making this a rollicking ride through one of the most entertaining team’s baseball has ever boasted. - Flannery

I know what you’re thinking: “Another book about Nazi Germany? What could that possible add to our knowledge?” One word: drugs. So. Many. Drugs. This is no sensationalist story, but rather a thoroughly researched examination of the integral role drugs played in the rise and fall of the Third Reich—from the meth that fueled the troops to Hitler’s favorite cocktail of drugs, this book ensures that you will never look at the Third Reich the same way again. - Flannery

I gleefully tore through Mayne’s first two books about magician-turned-FBI agent Jessica Blackwood, and am thrilled to get my hands on a new one! Blackwood’s unorthodox upbringing in a family of magicians gives her unique insight into unusual crimes. In Black Fall, she finds herself pulled into two seemingly unrelated investigations that begin to converge, and may involve her nemesis, The Warlock. If you want a fast, fun thriller, look no further! - Flannery

Skipping through time and character perspective, Ill Will is an ambitious, complex work seven years in the making. Teasing out the details of a long-ago crime with reverberations in the present and the possibility of a serial killer preying on frat boys, it demands to be paid attention to and savored as unexpected turns make you reevaluate what you thought you knew. If you want a literary thriller, this is not to be missed. - Flannery

From 1985 to 1987, a thousand workers, mostly Mexican women, went on strike against Watsonville Canning. In an era when unions were struggling, and while unprepared and disorganized, the workers came together, organized, and held the picket line for 18 months, not breaking it once. While they ultimately triumphed, they also sacrificed and struggled. I’m thrilled to see this important chapter in Watsonville’s history added to the local history section. —Flannery

In time for the 75th anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor this December, Craig Nelson’s new book charts the path to the Pearl Harbor attack from both the American and Japanese perspectives, recounts the events of the bombing in thorough detail, and concludes with an examination of the lasting effects of the attack, starting with the United States’ entry into World War II. Using newly discovered and reanalyzed information, this is a painstakingly researched, absorbing account.  —Flannery