Books are a wonderful way for coworkers and friends to share experiences, even when we’re miles, states, and countries apart. Hearing about what someone is reading is like taking a 5-minute vacation. Each week, one Piper team member will answer the question, “What are you reading?” and take you on a well-deserved, 5-minute vacation.
This week Mary is reading The Witch Elm by Tana French.
“…immediately makes me feel like I’m traveling abroad…”
MARY SAYS…
This book recommendation is about as fresh as it can get: I picked this book up in the San Diego airport yesterday, and I’ve barely put it down. I haven’t read a good thriller in such a long time (I usually go for general fiction), and I suddenly found myself in the mood. Maybe it was the need for something gripping to keep me company during the flight or the summer beach reading I allow myself this time of year; either way, here I am in the early chapters of what promises to be a great escape. It takes place in present-day Ireland, which immediately makes me feel like I’m traveling abroad, and it unravels a murder mystery with twentysomething Toby, a young professional, at the heart of the story. So far I’ve gotten to know Toby and his friends Sean and Dec a bit, and then experienced the unexpected, which was Toby being attacked in his apartment; he has no idea who would do this to him or why. The real mystery that lies ahead, however, seems to revolve around a skull found at Toby’s family home while he’s recuperating from his injuries. I’m not there yet, but I’m in no rush either. I love a slow burn with these mysteries!
If you’ve read The Witch Elm, message me in a week or two and we’ll compare notes.
AMAZON DESCRIPTION
From the writer who “inspires cultic devotion in readers” (The New Yorker) and has been called “incandescent” by Stephen King, “absolutely mesmerizing” by Gillian Flynn, and “unputdownable” (People), comes a gripping new novel that turns a crime story inside out.
Toby is a happy-go-lucky charmer who’s dodged a scrape at work and is celebrating with friends when the night takes a turn that will change his life — he surprises two burglars who beat him and leave him for dead. Struggling to recover from his injuries, beginning to understand that he might never be the same man again, he takes refuge at his family’s ancestral home to care for his dying uncle Hugo. Then a skull is found in the trunk of an elm tree in the garden — and as detectives close in, Toby is forced to face the possibility that his past may not be what he has always believed.
A spellbinding standalone from one of the best suspense writers working today, The Witch Elm asks what we become, and what we’re capable of, when we no longer know who we are.
HAVE YOU READ THIS BOOK?
Tell Mary what you thought in the blog comments below!
