That Darkness

Finished October 8

That Darkness by Lisa Black

This psychological suspense novel is set in Cleveland, and we get two perspectives. One is Maggie Gardiner, who works as a civilian for the police department and does trace evidence, fingerprints, and other crime scene evidentiary work. She's worked there a long time, and seen many Jane Does, some of which her work was able to identify. In the latest case, a teen girl is found dead in a graveyard with injuries showing that she was severely beaten. A few comments from the pathologist, and the fact that no one has reported her missing have Maggie exploring some ideas about the girl. Maggie is happily divorced from a police detective in the homicide unit, and likes her small place downtown near her work. She also likes solving the puzzles that her work brings her.

The other character we follow is Jack Renner, a homicide detective who has a hidden agenda to make the world safer for everyone. Privately, he's on the trail of a woman who was arrested for a case he investigated in another city, one that became personal. She's eluded him before, and he hopes that in Cleveland, he'll catch up with her. Meanwhile he works hard in his spare time to identify other people that, like her, make the world less safe, and deal with him. The opening scene is one example of this work. When his private work crosses paths with the unidentified girl in Maggie's case, then things get very interesting and Jack finds himself in danger of being discovered. 

This is a fast-moving story with questions of morality at the core. A story that will definitely have you thinking. 

Waiting for Tom Hanks

Finished June 16
Waiting for Tom Hanks by Kerry Winfrey

This is a novel romcom. The main character Annie Cassidy has dreams of being her generation's Nora Ephron. She is working on a screenplay, and doing freelance writing to make a living. Annie's dad died when she was just a baby, and her mother was a big rom-com fan, telling wonderful stories of Annie's dad and their special romance. Annie's mom died while she was in high school, and she responded by throwing herself in schoolwork and extra-curricular activities, becoming valedictorian and then graduating college summa cum laude in film studies. When her mom died, her uncle Don moved into the house, to provide stability, companionship, and a parental figure. Her uncle Don is a bit of a nerd with a social life mostly consisting of a Dungeons and Dragons group and the occasional comic-con outing.
Annie believes that someday her personal rom-com will happen with a Tom Hanks-like figure, some initial confusion and a great love. So she's been waiting for that to happen. Her best friend Chloe works in the coffee shop that Annie does a lot of her writing in, an independent shop owned by a young man, Nick Velez. Chloe is taking some business school courses, gradually earning a degree, but also paying for her dad's memory-care facility. The two women spend a lot of time together. Chloe is constantly trying to get Annie to go on dates, occasionally setting her up, to no success. As the book begins, the two hear about the upcoming filming of a rom-com in their very own neighbourhood.
Through a series of connections, Annie manages to get a job on set, and meet some people in the industry she longs to be part of. As she begins her employment with a meet-cute with the film's male star, spilling coffee on him, she is off to a good start, but keeps getting in her own way.
This is a fun, light read, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Lots of humour and interesting characters.