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The Obituary Writer by Ann Hood

March 2013

Looking at the cover of Ann Hood’s THE OBITUARY WRITER, I was not sure what to expect. I know that she is well known for her works THE KNITTING CIRCLE and THE RED THREAD, but this looked very different.  It opens in 1960 when the country is caught up in the Kennedy/Nixon election. Claire is a young mother who, along with her friends, idolizes Jackie O. Over dinner parties and cocktails, couples are caught up in the moment when the country feels young and vibrant and ready for a change. Young housewives are greeting their husbands as they come home from dinner, but as they move through their routines, they also are restless. And Claire’s restlessness prompts her to start an affair that unlocks parts of her that makes her feel alive. She also finds herself pregnant, which leads to new questions.

Week of October 7, 2013

Mystery Writers of America Grand Master Lawrence Block brings back his hit man, Keller, in this fifth book of the series, HIT ME. Keller’s life might have changed for the better with his new wife and life in a new city, but he still practices his dark side profession in five new assignments that take him everywhere from a West Indies cruise to his old haunts in New York City.

End-of-the-Year Contest 2013

Congratulations to the winners of our 2013 End-of-the-Year Contest! One Grand Prize winner received all 36 of Carol Fitzgerald's Bookreporter.com Bets On picks from 2013, while 36 others won a copy of one of these titles. You can see all the winners below, along with 2013's Bets On selections.