Pegasus by Danielle Steel

   Great story about persecuted Jewish citizens of Germany before and during W.W. II.  The main character, Nick, along with his two sons were able to escape Germany along with the gift of two Lipizzaner horses.  They needed a connection to be accepted in America, but the change from German aristocracy to circus performers was difficult.  In the meantime conditions for all Germans got much worse.  Most of the story takes place in the war years and this part of the novel was great.  The families grew up and moved about, circumstances changed, both in Germany and the U.S. and then it was like a different author stepped up to shift the focus of the story and create a whole different book.  Fast forward a half a century and start to weave a new story with later generations of the family, and slam bam, the book ends.  First four-fifths was a 9 out of 10.  The last part, 4 out of 10.

The Wednesday Letters by Jason F. Wright

This sweet novel reminds me of Nicholas Sparks’ love stories. A loving husband has written his wife a letter every Wednesday of their married lives.  She saved them all.  When the couple suddenly passes away their adult children discover the letters and some family secrets.  As they deal with the ordeal of the funeral and loss, they also have to deal with these secrets.  Nicely woven story.   A 9 out of 10.  I don't give many ratings that high.

Down to the Bone by Karen Harper

   Mystery and romance.  Wonderful story of conflict concerning an Amish widow and the mysterious happenings at her farm a year after her husband dies.  There is a great deal of historical interest in the old barn on her farm.  Enter a love interest, but he isn’t Amish.  She wants to keep the farm going for her twin sons, but Amish tradition means the males in the community do the farm work and her doing it is not acceptable. So, she should remarry.  Lots of community interest there.  Not much of it wanted.  But who is appearing in the dark shadows around the barn and fields?  Great story.  Until the ending.  When the mystery was solved I didn’t think it was possible. So I had to go back and look again at the story.  Weeks later, I still don’t think it adds up.  The guilty person had too many other irons in the fire to spend so many hours and occasions “haunting” her farm and not be missed.  Liked all the characters, setting and plot, until the very end!  8 out of 10.  Want to read another of Karen Harper’s books to see how she wraps up another plot.

The Liar by Nora Roberts

    Thinking she is living the good life of the rich, Shelby is left a widow with a small daughter and a mountain of debts.  She realizes her marriage was not what she thought;  nothing was real.  Her husband had lived an unsavory secret life that threatens her every day.  She goes back home, to her roots and her family, where she meets a wonderful man.  But she cannot escape the dangerous web of her former husband’s associates. 8 out of 10.

Perfect Match by Jodi Picoult

     Another great novel about problems of our times.  A prosecuting attorney who specializes in child molestation is faced with a trial for the priest who molested her own child.  She knows guilty men in  these cases rarely get  their deserved punishment and even if they do, it is at great cost to the little victims.  Her son quits talking altogether and appearing in court would be another nightmare for him.  When the reader thinks it’s all tied up it is just beginning with many twists and turns to keep the pages turning.  Who did what?  Would the evidence convict if it got that far?  And after the trials are settled there is still a surprise.  The only problem is that the plot is told at different times by different characters and while I know the character “speaking” has changed, I don’t know who is leading the plot for awhile.  Confusing.  But a great read.  9 out of 10

Before I Go To Sleep by S. J. Watson

   

      Christine awakens every morning of her life in bed with a total stranger.  Year after year.  But the stranger is her husband of many years and every day he has to explain to her once again that she is the victim of an accident and has amnesia that makes her forget her past except some flashes of a time when she was a child or young woman.  Someone is studying her unusual case of amnesia and without her husband’s permission or knowledge they meet secretly when he is at work to unravel her mysterious case. As she starts to keep a journal, more memories come to the surface and she rereads the journal every day to reacquaint herself with herself!  But snippets of information do not always fit together.  I had to change my mind set to keep up with what she remembers, what is true and what is the mystery.  9/10