Careless in Red -- Elizabeth George; American Eve by Paula Uruburu

For fans of George's series, the utter heartbreak of her last Lynley novel With No One As Witness left all of us gasping for air. Then she went and threw in What Came Before He Shot Her, which I just didn't even bother to read. I was so excited to get this one in my hands, and although it's nowhere near the strongest in the series, it's definitely worth the read.

Thomas Lynley, reeling from the events in his personal life, is on an aimless walk as this one opens, and I'm not talking about a stroll -- he's been walking for almost 2 months! He stumbles upon the body of a young man whom it appears took a tumble while abseiling down a cliffside, and finds a cottage nearby hoping to find a phone to report the "accident." He meets the owner, Daidre Trahair, a woman with deep secrets, and the two of them find themselves suspects in what becomes clear is the murder of the teenager Lynley found at the bottom of the cliff.

In true George (and British mystery) style, though, pretty soon everybody becomes a suspect, of course!

Lead Investigator Bea Hannaford soon figures out who Thomas Lynley is, though, and persuades him into becoming part of the investigating team, and when Lynley's on a case, the irrepressible Barbara Havers (one of my favorite characters of all literary time) can't be too far behind.

There were, in my opinion, a couple of distracting side stories here, but watching Thomas Lynley begin to work himself out of his grief with Barbara by his side was worth a few pointless plot asides. All in all, this is another fine entry in the series, and most assuredly worth the read!

Paula Uruburu's riveting American Eve explores the oft-told (but never this well or thoroughly) tale of the infamous "Girl in the Red Velvet Swing," and the murder of renowned architect Stanford White at the hands of her husband, Harry K. Thaw. I was stunned by the parallels with today's celebrity culture, and if you think there is anything new under the sun, this book will convince you otherwise. I was fascinated to learn that the first sequestered American jury was the one that heard this case. The scandalous situation riveted the nation to such an extent that President Teddy Roosevelt implored the media to stop covering it because he believed the details that were emerging from the trial were so lurid that it was contributing to the moral decay of the country. Underneath the sensational headlines, however, was a young woman who had been ill-served by literally every adult in her life, including her mother, who recognized early on that Evelyn Nesbit's rare beauty was her own ticket out of poverty. This was a totally enthralling read.