Dark Blossom

by Neel Mullick

Rupa Publications 2019
214 pages     Fiction

Sam and his therapist Cynthia are each fighting their own demons. Sam has just lost his wife and son in a car accident. Cynthia has divorced her abusive husband and is struggling to maintain a relationship with her uncommunicative teenage daughter, Lily. The relationship between client and therapist is told through the words of the therapist, and early on, it is easy to see that the relationship is going to include some drama. The reader is exposed to what is happening in Cynthia's life, but not so much about Sam's life other than his interactions with Cynthia and Lily.

The mystery of the death of Sam's family develops slowly while the reader becomes enmeshed in the drama between Cynthia and Lily, Cynthia and Sam, and Sam and Lily. We begin to think that Sam is falling for Cynthia and that this book might end up being a romance, even though the reader entered the novel thinking it is going to be a mystery. But oh, just when you think it is a indeed romance, a twist in the plot begins to emerge, and the reader is in for a bit of a shock.

There is an OMG factor to the novel that holds the reader's attention until the conclusion, which, frankly, left me scratching my head and having to go back to reread and refigure the relationships. Dark Blossom sucks you in and holds you fast.

In many ways, it is easy to see that Dark Blossom is the first novel for Neel Mullick, a businessman and entrepreneur. There is a minimum of plot development with few subplots. Additionally, the character Sam is not very well developed. I would have liked a broader definition of Sam's marriage and his career. One little thing that bugged me was that the author used British English spellings even though the book takes place in New York City. Although a small thing, the spelling made the setting lose some of its authenticity.

It will be interesting to see how Mullick's career as a writer develops. He offers a contest for Dark Blossom readers and will donate half of the book's royalties to a children's charity. Here is his website. He calls himself a "geek turned storyteller." Love it! By the way, the title of the book only comes clear at the book's closing. Another aha moment!

Watching You

by Lisa Jewel
Atria     2019
324 pages     Thriller

One day while I was reading Watching You  by Lisa Jewel, I observed a man drive slowly by our house and then stop and take a picture of the house. I freaked out! I was way involved in Watching You  where everyone is watching or stalking everyone else, and my imagination took over! In fact, it was much more mundane than that--an appraiser, for a refi on our house.

Lisa Jewel does a masterful job of character development and suspense in her creation of a neighborhood full of secrets. Several of the characters take turns leading the plot forward as well as becoming suspects in a murder whose victim is hard to anticipate. The setting is Melville,  a colorful, closeknit, Victorian neighborhood in Briston. Newly married to Alfie, Joey has just arrived iin the community to live with  her brother and his wife, who welcome them into their home. They live a couple of doors down from the Fitzwilliams--Tom, the esteemed principal of the neighborhood high school, Nicola his much younger wife, and Freddy, a voyeur teenaged son, who documents all the neighbors with his photographic binoculars. Jenna and her psychotic mother live nearby. Jenna goes to the school where Fitzwilliams is the principal, but she is enduringly suspicious of the principal.

One of the unique aspects of Watching You is that everyone is a voyeur. Jenna's mother watches everyone because she is sure everyone is out to get her and her daughter. Her Internet conspiricy theorists feed her neuroses and paranoia. Freddy, on the other hand, is trying to chronicle all the events in the lives of the young girls in the neighborhood. The cover illustration of windows is totally appropriate and totally telling.      
                       
The reader is given clues about the victim and the murderer, but the clues are opaque, which causes the suspense to build. We delve into the histories of each of the main characters, but most of the suspicion focuses on Joey, who seems to know something about the murder. Each of the other characters also have their own moments of suspicion, but I was about three-quarters through the book before I put the whole picture together. Great plot development!

Lisa Jewel is the author of several mysteries, so the appearance of Watching You came with great anticipation. It was the first of her mysteries that I had read, but I am eager to read another. Here is her website.

Cyber Smart: Five habits to protect your family, money, and identity from cyber criminals

by Bart. R. McDonough

Wiley     2019

267 pages     Nonfiction

The Shortlist

The rise of powerful mobile phones, fitness trackers, smart appliances and other new technologies over the last decade has vastly improved our lives. Yet every new device, application and online service we use now leaves us vulnerable to a black market of criminals eager to exploit this new landscape by hacking and selling our passwords, bank accounts, personal photos, and, in some cases, our biggest secrets. 

In Cyber Smart, McDonough uses his extensive cybersecurity experience consulting for the FBI, major financial institutions, and his clients to answer the most common question he hears: “How can I protect myself at home, on a personal level, away from the office?” 

McDonough simplifies the process of digital security, identifying five simple habits that will allow you to protect yourself and your family from:

·         Identify fraud

·         Device hacking

·         Financial account theft

·         Breached email and social media accounts

 

When it comes to cybersecurity and data privacy, the good news is you don’t need to be a tech genius to protect yourself like one. With clear instructions, a friendly tone, and practical strategies, Cyber Smart will help you rest easy, knowing you and your family are protected from cyberattacks.

The author, Bart R. McDonough is a cybersecurity service provider. Certainly he is an expert, and the book reflects his expertise. It is pretty easy to read and understand.  I passed Cyber Smart along to my husband, who is in charge of our cyber security.

Bellini and the Sphinx

By Tony Bellotto

Trans. by Clifford E. Landers

Akashic    2019

270 pages     Hard Boiled

Tony Bellotto is a well-known Brazilian author, guitarist, song-writer, and commentator. Bellini and the Sphinx is the first of his series of hard-boiled detective fiction featuring Remo Bellini. It was published in Brazilian Portuguese more than 20 years ago and made into a Portuguese language film in 2002. Bellini is making his debut in an English translation this week.

Bellini is a classic private eye, having fallen into the career from a failed attempt at the law. He works for a woman PI, Dora Lobo, and generally does run-of-the-mill cases like adultery. In this particular case, the firm has been hired by a local doctor to find a missing dancer, Ana Cinta Lopes. But then the doctor turns up murdered. What is going on here? Why doesn’t anyone know Ana? Who is the hulking live-sex performer known as the Indian? What role does he play in the whole mess? Little by little the mystery unravels these questions, leaving both Bellini and the reader with answers but no satisfaction at its conclusion.

Although the case itself is rather mundane, the reader is exposed to the underbelly of the city of Sao Paulo. Also to the bruised psyche of Remo Bellini. Of course, most hard-boiled detective stories expose the bruised psyches of the detective. The reviewer in Publisher’s Weekly says that the book “starts off strong but falls flat in its overly familiar execution.” If a reader were interested in knowing what hard-boiled detective fiction is all about, this would be a good place to start. Bellini chases women, drinks too much, and listens to the blues—all classic PI behaviors.

Here are some things I did like about the book. The theme is expressed in the early pages by a club manager, Khalid. “Take it from me, women are an illusion. Women are like champagne; they seem real but they only exist as long as there’s music in the air.” That theme is repeated again and again throughout the book. Another thing I found appealing was the musical play list that Bellini soothed himself with throughout the book. I had Alexa play Muddy Waters, John Lee Hooker, and Charlie Patton as I read. Really helped to set the scene. I like the references to Greek and Roman mythology—a fun addition to the story. Finally, I liked the Sao Paulo setting because, most likely, I am not going to get to Brazil and certainly not to the part of Sao Paulo that Bellini frequents.

Tony Belloto is also the editor of two of Akashic’s Noir books—Sao Paulo Noir and Rio Noir. I enjoy these books a lot because each setting brings an entirely new look at a city as well as a new understanding of Noir fiction in its many varieties. I am assuming that more of the Bellini mysteries will be published by the company. I looked for a way to access the 2002 movie, Bellini e a Esfinge, and I did find it in Portuguese on YouTube. The music is amazing.