Editor’s note: The opinions of the smart, well-read women in my Denver book club mean a lot, and often determine what the rest of us choose to pile onto our bedside tables. So we asked them, and other readers, to share these mini-reviews with you. Have any to offer? Email bellis@denverpost.com.
“The Last Devil to Die,” by Richard Osman (Viking, 2023)
This long-awaited addition to the Thursday Murder Club mystery series delivers. A group of lively octagenarians, each possessing a unique skill or background, unite to assist (or outshine?) the local police in solving murders. The characters are all sympathetic and believable, and their individual stories develop with pathos and humor throughout the series. — 4 stars (out of 4); Kathleen Lance, Denver
“The Dance Tree,” by Kiran Millwood Hargrave (Picador, 2022)
Lisbet is a beekeeper in Strasbourg in 1518. It’s the hottest summer ever known, when the Holy Roman Empire is faltering, the Ottomans rising, and women are, as always, powerless and marginalized. As she tries to protect her familiy’s small farm from the powerful and corrupt ruling Council of Twenty-one, in town women begin a frenzied “dancing plague” that ends in death for many. Mesmerizing and shocking both, Hargrave’s lovely prose describes an exceptionally ugly time to great effect. It’s not a stretch to see in this story our 21st-century world. But read this for the testimony of quietly strong women who “toe the line” while dancing outside it. (Note: The audiobook narration by Rita Gedmintas is superb.) — 3 stars (out of 4); Neva Gronert, Parker
“Nothing Daunted: The Unexpected Education of Two Society Girls in the West,” by Dorothy Wickenden (Scribner, 2012)
Think Eastern women in the old days were softies? Think again. This is the captivating true story of two restless young women who left their affluent lives to “rough it” as teachers in the wilds of Colorado in 1916. (They would have been your great pals.) The granddaughter of one adventurer, Dorothy Wickenden, found the teachers’ buoyant letters home, which captured the voices of pioneer women, children and other unforgettable people who the women knew. In reconstructing their journey, Wickenden created an exhilarating saga about intrepid women and the “settling up” of the West. — 3 stars (out of 4); Bonnie McCune, bonniemccune.com
“The Unsettled,” by Ayana Mathis (Knopf, 2023)
This novel explores themes of systemic racism through the eyes of three African-American family members: a grandmother struggling to retain her property in rural Alabama; the fragile daughter/mother who flees her roots, tries to support and protect her son at all costs, and then becomes enthralled with and ultimately controlled by a shady, charismatic Black Panther-like charlatan in Philadelphia; and the grandson/son who tries to survive it all by becoming as invisible as possible. Through the characters’ life experiences, we see first-hand the problems that so many Blacks confront: disputed property rights, white supremacy, domestic violence, homelessness, foster care, encounters with police and more. This novel should leave you unsettled. — 3 1/2 stars (out of 4); Kathleen Lance, Denver
