Belle Cora by: Phillip Margullies

Title: Belle Cora Author: Phillip Marguilles Publisher: Doubleday, 2014 Pages: 594

The first time I began reading this book, it was a sample excerpt from Kindle which in no way did the book justice. It began in the first chapter. To really "get" this book, one must read the Foreward and Author's Introduction, which set the stage and give the background information necessary for understanding the story. I am so glad I picked up a print version and tried again. I truly loved this book. After surviving the San Francisco earthquake, a wealthy elderly woman reveals her life story as a former madam. The story begins with her childhood in New York City, where she was part of a large, well-to-do family. I won't provide spoilers, but the story follows her throughout her life and loves, triumphs and  tragedies until she decides to give up being a madam and assume a respectable identity where no one knows her past. As a lover of historical fiction, I found this book fascinating.

Read this book if...
*you enjoy historical fiction
*you enjoy sagas

The Witch of Little Italy

Title: The Witch of Little Italy Author: Suzanne Palmieri Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin Pages: 320

From Amazon:

In Suzanne Palmieri’s charming debut, The Witch of Little Italy, you will be bewitched by the Amore women. When young Eleanor Amore finds herself pregnant, she returns home to her estranged family in the Bronx, called by “The Sight” they share now growing strong within her. She has only been back once before when she was ten years old during a wonder-filled summer of sun-drenched beaches, laughter and cartwheels. But everyone remembers that summer except her. Eleanor can’t remember anything from before she left the house on her last day there. With her past now coming back to her in flashes, she becomes obsessed with recapturing those memories. Aided by her childhood sweetheart, she learns the secrets still haunting her magical family, secrets buried so deep they no longer know how they began. And, in the process, unlocks a mystery over fifty years old—The Day the Amores Died—and reveals, once and for all, a truth that will either heal or shatter the Amore clan.

I devoured this book. It drew me in from page one and I could not put it down. I loved it. A story of family, of mothers and daughters, of coming home. Palmieri melds the supernatural and the everyday world into a totally believable story. Both heartwarming and heartbreaking, this is the story of Elly, who has no memory of her childhood and comes to her long-lost grandmother's front steps in the Bronx, pregnant and on the run from an abusive lover. She is taken in by her grandmother and two great aunts, all old-world practicing witches with the sight. How did Elly lose her memory in this very house so long ago? And what happened on a fateful day in 1945 that caused half a large, loving family to disappear from the earth? Stories like this are why I love to read. I highly recommend this one. Read it.

Read this book if...

*you love stories of mothers and daughters

*you love family sagas

* you love stories with a touch of supernatural

*you love stories that take place in NYC

The Diviners

Title: The Diviners Author: LIbba Bray Publisher: Little, Brown & Co. Pages:578

I borrowed this book from my local library.

From Amazon:

Evie O'Neill has been exiled from her boring old hometown and shipped off to the bustling streets of New York City--and she is pos-i-toot-ly thrilled. New York is the city of speakeasies, shopping, and movie palaces! Soon enough, Evie is running with glamorous Ziegfield girls and rakish pickpockets. The only catch is Evie has to live with her Uncle Will, curator of The Museum of American Folklore, Superstition, and the Occult--also known as "The Museum of the Creepy Crawlies."

When a rash of occult-based murders comes to light, Evie and her uncle are right in the thick of the investigation. And through it all, Evie has a secret: a mysterious power that could help catch the killer--if he doesn't catch her first.

This review may contain a few spoilers. I usually don't include spoilers, but I found it impossible not to do so in this case.

I admit this book is different from my usual reads, but the trailer sounded intriguing. I actually found it hard to put down. It does contain a few things I normally avoid- brutal murder, animal sacrifice- but, aside from those unpleasantries, it was a pretty good book. I got a little bogged down in some spots- had to skip a few paragraphs and get on with it. The slang can get annoying- the words pos-i-tute-ly and jake get used on every single (I kid you not) page. Set against the backdrop of 1920's NYC- speakeasies, flapper girls- the story follows several characters with unusual psychic gifts. Evie can hold any object and know the innermost secrets of the owner. Memphis has the power to heal, and his brother Isaiah has the gift of prophecy. Sam has the ability to be invisible, and is searching for his mother who was taken by the government as part of Project Buffalo- a mysterious, top-secret government paranormal project. Theta's gift I never completely understood except that she killed her ex-husband with it. Why are these characters being brought together and why are they dreaming the same dreams? Who is the mysterious man with the tall hat? And what exactly is Project Buffalo? I hope these questions will be answered in the next book....

And then, of course, there is the murder mystery itself. An evil spirit is released from a Ouija board and begins wreaking havoc on the city. Who is the spirit and what are the strange symbols left behind on his victims? Why are some of their body parts missing? Can Evie, Sam, her Uncle Will, and his assistant, Jericho, stop the killer before it is too late?

I had to struggle between 3 and 4 stars on this one. On the one hand, I  couldn't put it down. On the other, the slang and the bogged-down-in-detail parts got annoying. Evie, the main character, is a selfish spoiled brat who isn't all that likable. Will I read the next one? Sure- I will give it a try. Will I finish it? I'm not sure...

Read this book if:

*you love murder mysteries

*you love reading about the supernatural

*you love stories set in the Roaring 20's.

*you want to get wrapped up in a new series