Five picks for March

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

Famous Last Words by Gillian McAllister (thriller) – Camilla’s life is about to change in the blink of an eye. Her maternity leave is ending, and she plans to drop her baby daughter at daycare for the first time and resume her literary agent job. Instead, when she wakes, her husband Luke is gone, and he has left her a mysterious note. As she watches the TV while she gets ready, she hears that a hostage situation is developing in London and, moreover, the police tell her that Luke is in the midst of it all – as the gunman. McAllister returns with another page-turner that subverts the usual thriller conventions. There are some great twists and turns that kept me guessing. Famous Last Words will appeal to those who like intelligent thrillers that keep the reader guessing and for those who enjoy new takes in standard tropes.

Follow Me to Africa by Penny Haw (historical fiction) – This fantastic book is historical fiction inspired by the story of Mary Leakey, who carved her own path to become one of the world’s most distinguished paleoanthropologists. It is a dual timeline tale that explores the consequences of our choices, the wisdom that comes with time and reflection, and the relationships that make us who we are. The sense of place is outstanding; Haw transported me to the plains of Africa. This book is a great fit for fans of well-crafted historical fiction based on fact and trailblazing women.

Nesting by Roisín O’Donnell (fiction) – When Ciara Fay makes a split-second decision to grab a few clothes and her two young daughters and flee, she knows that leaving is the right thing to do, but she finds that staying away is much harder than the leaving was. With no job and little support, she struggles to find a home for her girls and herself as her emotionally abusive husband Ryan launches an unrelenting campaign for her to return home. Navigating the broken Irish housing system and constantly second-guessing herself, Ciara bravely fights the odds in this compelling tale of survival and the effects of enduring the long-term consequences of emotional abuse. O’Donnell’s vivid prose brings to life the unsettling brutality of gaslighting and coercive partner control where the bruises are not physical and keeps the suspense taut and gripping. This beautiful book will appeal to those who enjoy character-driven tales focusing on making your own way, trauma, loss, and love. 

Raising Hare: A Memoir by Chloe Dalton (memoir) – During the Covid lockdown in the English countryside, Dalton stumbles across a leveret (a baby hare) and brings it home. As she learns to feed it and take care of it with little guidance because raising a hare is quite rare, what results is an unlikely relationship between her and the hare, a development that completely changes the way Dalton views the world. This book contains so many beautiful passages that I stopped to absorb and reflect on and helped me evaluate how I move about in the world. I loved Raising Hare from beginning to end. This book is good for readers who enjoy a strong sense of place as well as for fans of stories about nature, animals, and making connections.

The Story She Left Behind by Patti Callahan Henry (historical fiction) – This beautiful book is inspired by a true literary mystery. In 1927, Clara Harrington’s childhood shatters when her mother, Bronwyn Newcastle Fordham, disappears off the coast of South Carolina. At age 12, Bronwyn amazed the world with a book written in an invented language that became a sensation across the country. By 1952, Clara is raising her own daughter when a stranger contacts her from London claiming to have discovered a handwritten dictionary of her mother’s lost language. She heads to London to investigate the found dictionary. I reveled in all of the literature-related references, including a cameo from Beatrix Potter, as well as the mystery and Clara’s search to understand her family’s legacy. This book will appeal to fans of books about books and family secrets.

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.