Thursday, October 1, 2026
Dear Great Book Guru,
As summer comes to an end, I have started thinking about getting into a good reading regimen. A literary mystery is always a favorite - any recommendations?
Settling into September
Dear Settling into September, I just finished a novel you might like: “Heather” by Caitlin Mullen. Set in 1990 and 2023, it is told from the perspectives of three women.
Callie is a newly commissioned superintendent of police in a small village on the outskirts of the New Jersey Pine Barrens. Annabelle is a twin who has been missing for many years, Blair is a young woman whose role remains a mystery for most of the book.
The story opens in 2023 with Callie’s arrest of her mother, Jennie, on drunk driving charges. As the first woman police commander in the village, Callie is a victim of subtle and not so subtle acts of insubordination. This arrest only complicates a very awkward situation.
We then go back in time to 1993 and the disappearance of twin sisters, Annabelle and Sabrina. Many of the same characters from this time still play active roles in village life.
As Callie learns more about the present drug dealings and coverups, she sees connections to past crimes. The town she thought she knew so well harbors many frightening secrets.
The Pine Barrens’ history as a place of violent endings serves as yet another character. Throughout, we wonder how these many disparate characters and crimes will come together. Recommended.
Would you like to ask the Great Book Guru for a book suggestion? Contact her at annmdipietro@gmail.com.
