The Procedure: Margaret Belle

I've shared before that I tend to download a lot of free Kindle books and that a lot of them are pretty terrible or trashy.  Recently, however, I discovered an awesome website called Book Bub which sends a daily email - customized based on your stated interests - sharing a few free or "on sale" e-book recommendations.  I get 4-5 books every day that I might like to download to my Kindle.  Let's just say I've been adding a lot of books to the queue that I haven't had time to read yet!  Best part?  I'm not spending a dime to do so.  I highly recommend you check it out.
No disclaimer needed - Book Bub has no flipping idea who I am so I can guarantee I won't get any special perks by recommending them.

One of the first books I downloaded based on a Book Bub recommendation was The Procedure by Margaret Belle.  The story focuses on a woman named Melanie who is volunteering some time working at a fertility clinic.  She has a long-standing relationship with the clinic - she and her sister were "products" of the doctor's fertility treatments and she is a single mom raising a son who was also born due to the work of the clinic.

The story quickly takes a weird turn.  In some ways, I believed it was a little too quick - there are definitely parts of this book that need to be better developed and plot lines that need more explanation.  That being said, it is rare that I read a medical suspense story that I don't get completely confused by.  This was an exception.

Like many of the other books I've read in recent years, The Procedure made me question the world we live in.  Have we taken such a moral downturn that it is just accepted that our bodies do not truly belong to us?  Are these medical advances really making the world a better place?  Is this a problem with specific individuals or is it more a commentary on our society as a whole?

If you're at all into medical mysteries, I suggest you check this one out.

If It Isn't Broken, Don't Fix It

Remember back in July (was it really that long ago?!) when I won a complete set of Tana French's books and I said I would write my review of the new one ASAP?

Apparently "ASAP" is actually an abbreviation for 2.5 months later.  Sheesh.

I decided to re-read her first three books (reviews here and here) which is part of what took me so long.  That and the whole "taking a break from blogging" thing, and the fact that I'm traveling a lot, and am in the midst of some pretty big life things.  It's not even like I read it a long time ago and haven't written about it yet.  I just finished it last weekend.  Finally.  But let me tell you, the first three were just as good the second (third or fourth) time around.

Just like her other books, she follows the familiar formula of focusing on a character that was first introduced in the book before.  In this case, the detective solving the murder in Faithful Place is the lead in Broken Harbor.  I've noticed a trend after reading all four back-to-back that she has been tying the books back into the previous stories less and less, which I miss.  Nonetheless, this novel does not disappoint.

"Scorcher" - the aforementioned detective - stumbles upon a case that at first glance is open-and-shut.  An entire family is murdered, the mother barely hanging on, and a suspect is in custody (well not at first, but whatever... not really a spoiler in a detective novel that there is a suspect in custody at some point.)  But everything about this case is not what it seems.

I can honestly say that I had no freaking clue what had actually happened until just as the catharsis was unfolding.

A few weeks ago, I had a conversation with a friend who had also read In the Woods who was really upset with the ending because we were never really given all the answers.  But I will say that (again, after reading the books back-to-back) I have to disagree with my friend.  I think the beauty of French's books is that she doesn't give it all away.  You're still left with questions.  It's what makes these mysteries so haunting.  Can anyone disagree that the creepiest horror movies are those where the creature / spirit / evil being aren't actually shown clearly?!  Has anyone seen Signs?!  That movie is ruined when the creature is shown.  These books wouldn't give me chills if French revealed exactly what happened.

In the case of Broken Harbor, I'm left with a few very important questions that will eventually be answered...

1 - When is her next book coming out?

2 - Who will she feature as her next lead character?

3 - Will she begin tying the characters back together?  Because that would make me very happy.

...and a few that probably won't ever be answered...

1 - How much of a psychological mess is Scorcher really?

2 - Should he really have seen was was going on?

3 - (Ok, I can't reveal number three because it would give away the ending)

There you have it.  Another excellent read by Tana French.  Like I said in my post heading - if it isn't broken, don't fix it.  Keep bringing up these mysteries full of intrigue but lacking answers and I can guarantee I'll keep reading.