Five picks for December

Buzz Reads is a column about books by reviewer Cindy Burnett. Each month, Cindy recommends five recently or soon-to-be released titles.

Every Moment Since by MaryBeth Mayhew Whalen (fiction) – On a Saturday night over 20 years ago, TJ Malcor and his younger brother Davy biked to a nearby cornfield to hang out with their friends. At the end of the evening, Davy disappeared without a trace, and he has not been seen since. Two decades later, Davy’s jacket that he was wearing that night is found, causing everyone in the town and elsewhere to focus on his disappearance again, including a reopening of the cold case. Told from the perspective of four individuals impacted by Davy’s disappearance, the book unfolds at a fast pace as the reader slowly learns more about that fateful evening. The novel delves into themes of guilt, regret, and the crushing impact on those left behind when a family member goes missing. This one will be a great fit for fans of family dramas and compelling stories.

Rental House by Weike Wang (fiction) – This character-driven novel stars Keru and Nate, a married couple who has been together since college. Their lives now consist of working a lot; they have no children, and they exist somewhere between content and stagnant. They both grew up feeling like they did not fit in – he in the small Appalachian town where he grew up and she as an immigrant whose parents put extraordinary pressure on her. Some years into their marriage, they decide to take a vacation and invite their parents at separate times to visit. Both Keru and Nate have complicated relationships with their parents for different reasons, and they each struggle to relate to their in-laws as well, and the families cause a fair amount of strain on the couple. In Rental House, Wang focuses on marriage and what people owe or don’t owe their parents, when issues may cross the line and how that should be handled, and what happens in a relationship when someone may not really understand their significant other. How much stress can a marriage take when careers, in-laws, parents, and dreams take more precedence than the relationship? This book will appeal to people who enjoy quiet and thoughtful novels with quirky characters.

The Seventh Floor by David McCloskey (mystery/thriller) – The Seventh Floor is an outstanding addition to the espionage genre. From page one, the tale is gripping and immerses the reader in the complex world of intelligence operations and geopolitical intrigue as well as the characters’ individual struggles and interconnected relationships. Operational chief Artemis Proctor takes the fall when one of her agents ends up tortured in a Russian SVR prison leading to her ouster from the CIA. When the agent is released from prison, he tracks down Artemis with news that the CIA has a mole, leading her to conclude that one of her closest colleagues must be a mole. McCloskey’s ability to convey the devastating personal toll working at the CIA leaves on its agents while also demonstrating the importance of their work adds to the book’s depth. I haven’t read the first two books set in this world (they are billed as standalones), but the novel stands well on its own. Fans of spy thrillers and intrigue will love this one.

The Small and the Mighty: Twelve Unsung Americans Who Changed the Course of History, from the Founding to the Civil Rights Movement by Sharon McMahon (nonfiction) – America’s favorite government teacher highlights 12 unsung and seemingly ordinary American heroes who accomplished important work and whose acts of heroism helped shape our nation's history. This is the story of men and women, left out of our history books, who forged ahead in the face of increasing trials. Most never knew the full impact of their work nor the legacy they would each leave behind. McMahon’s exhaustive research helps craft a thoughtful, nuanced, and mostly nonpartisan account of American history through these extraordinary but very human individuals. The book does occasionally jump around, which can make it a bit hard to follow at times so focus is required when reading it. I listened to the audiobook which McMahon narrates, and her enthusiasm for the material is very evident. This book is a good fit for those who love history and anyone who enjoys timely reads.

The Treasure Hunters Club by Tom Ryan (mystery) – The Treasure Hunters Club is a classic Agatha Christie-style mystery set in Maple Bay, Nova Scotia. The book is told from the perspective of three characters: Dandy, a 17-year-old who is native to the area and has recently lost her grandad; Cass, an adrift YA author looking for a publisher, who finds herself housesitting in Maple Bay; and Peter, who has arrived in Maple Bay in response to a mysterious letter inviting him to the manse his estranged family has lived in for many decades. These three individuals are drawn into a century’s-old mystery that has haunted Maple Bay. The appeal of this mystery is in its creativity and the author’s ability to weave several storylines together seamlessly and cleverly. I thoroughly enjoyed the setting, and the authentic and well-crafted characters and all the twists and turns make the story an engaging read. This one will appeal to people who like twisty and clever mysteries that do not read like the majority of other mysteries or thrillers coming out now.

Editor’s note: Book reviewer Cindy Burnett also writes our weekly Page Turners column. She hosts an award-winning book podcast entitled Thoughts from a Page Podcast www.thoughtsfromapage.com, runs the Instagram account @thoughtsfrompage, and regularly speaks to groups about books