The Maltese Falcon by Dashiell Hammett

The title was chosen for our wonderful library's Big Read.  I guess I was 1 of the few people in American who not only had not read the book but have never seen the movie.  I can't say that I have been a fan of the detective novel genre but it was a fun read.  Of course even though I have not seen the movie, Sam Spade sounded like Humphrey Bogart in my head.  Can't say he matched Hammett's description though - which I think is one of the things that distinguishes the detective novel from the mystery novel.  In this book, we get the kind of details of every individual that would allow us to pick them out in a line-up but little internal dialog or back story.  It's all about the plot - all action - made for the movies - a great escape.

The Paying Guests by Sarah Waters

Francis and her mother find themselves is desperate financial straits following WWI and are forced to rent out the 2nd floor of their London home to "paying guests" - a term designed to keep them from having to admit they are taking in borders.  Leo and Lily, the renters, seem to be an interesting young couple.  Assuredly they are of a lower class but Francis still feels a strong attraction to Lily.  As the two women explore their strong sexual attraction, with almost no detail left to the readers imagination, lies and deceptions pile one on top of another.  Ultimately a line is crossed that puts both women in jeopardy.  This was on the Bookbub's "10 best books of 2014" list. 

Defending Jacob by William Landay

Assistant D.A., Andy Barber, is shocked when a boy in his son's eight grade class is found stabbed in a park near the school.  He is certain that an identified local sexual predator is responsible.  As the facts begin to point in a different direction, his son Jacob becomes a likely suspect.  The search for the truth reveals how little truth each family member knows about each other and how little any parent may know about any child.  The author deftly weaves the record of Andy being questioned in court within the larger story. And the ending is a "killer" - pardon the pun.

What came Before He Shot Her by Elizabeth George

I'm not much of a mystery reader but this book was recommended to me as having insight into why some people turn to crime. Joel Campbell is abandoned and abused from a very young age and still it is his essential goodness that puts him at risk in the mean neighborhood in London. In such a place, with such a life, the line between good and evil is blurry except in the eyes of the law. There is certainly much truth in this story - enough to make you marvel that anyone can break out of such a situation.