Bill's Best of 2023 - Non-Fiction and Most Interesting

I conclude Bill’s Best of 2023 with the categories of Non-Fiction and Most Interesting. The latter is a list of books that were not favourites of the year in Fiction or Non-Fiction but had qualities that I found intriguing.

As with 2022, I have chosen 2 books for Best of Non-Fiction in 2023.

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NON-FICTION

1.) We Keep the Dead Close by Becky Cooper - It is a book for which I have not yet posted a review. I expect to post in 2024. This note will be part of the review:

Harvard is a world of its own. Cooper recounts how it is filled with elite people displaying all the variations inherent in “elite”. It was no different in 1969 when Jane Britton was working on her Ph.D. in archaeology.

Cooper is intrigued, ultimately obsessed, with the murder of Jane Britton. She has had a fascination with solving mysteries since she was a child. A 40 year old murder with a striking victim, a glamorous professor and a potential coverup by one of America’s great institutions is perfect.

Cooper’s style appeals to me. She tells the story from the alternating perspectives of the actual investigation of the murder and her search decades later. She is open about herself and how she reacts to the investigation. She writes narrative very well. The stories, past and present, flow as they unfold. I ended up with almost 5,000 words in notes upon the book. It took me much of the book to appreciate she is telling Jane’s story through seeking to solve a murder.

2.) Nothing But the Truth by Marie Henein - She is currently Canada’s best known criminal defence lawyer.

The daughter of Middle Eastern immigrants she grew up in Toronto. I found the description of her youth and attending law school the best part of the book:

In the book Henein sets out the best and worst of law school.

The best involves critical thinking:

Navigating a case effectively requires an ability to critically think, set aside your ego, and most importantly, challenge your own and your client’s assumptions.

In her next sentence she discusses the worst:

While law school does some of this, it completely fails to teach students about the actual practice of law. Very little time is spent on how to interact with clients, tackle ethical issues, or master the art of negotiation and advocacy.

I regretted that she chose not to discuss any of her high profile cases.

MOST INTERESTING

1.) Livingsky by Anthony Bidulka - Last year Anthony’s Going to Beautiful was my favourite book of the year. In 2023 his next book Livingsky tops Most Interesting.

Private Investigator, Merry Bell, is returning to Livingsky (inspired by Saskatoon), Saskatchewan from Vancouver. She arrives in the midst of the harsh Saskatchewan winter. Her days are long as no one is calling. 

I was caught offguard when Anthony reveals Merry is transgender who has completed her physical transition to a woman in B.C.

Looking for cheap housing she finds an inexpensive house through the son of a notorious slum landlord:

Gerald tells Merry that he rents to those who have no choices.

In return, she investigates a fire for which he is a suspect. 

Merry is a good investigator.

The book is another illustration of Anthony crafting an excellent mystery featuring the under-represented in crime fiction.

I especially appreciated his reply to an email asking him numerous questions on the book.

2.) Thursday Murder Club - I loved the concept of a group of senior citizens forming a club to solve murders in England.

In my review I set out why I thought I could be valued addition to the club. I summed up:

The club members are relentless. Each is resolute in solving murders. I enjoy the challenge of trying to solve murders in crime fiction. My determination is reflected by having over 1,000 murder experiences through reading mysteries.

I really enjoyed the club members. They are witty, kind and bright. Each is an engaged senior using the talents acquired during their lives. They are a dynamic quartet. I hope they call. I would relish being a member of the Thursday Murder Club.

I regret to report they have yet to call me.

3.) Scorched Grace by Margot Douaihy - Sister Holiday of the Sisters of the Sublime Blood in New Orleans swears, smokes, has tattoos and is queer. She is also devoted to her vocation. She is unlike any nun I have met in my life.

She is teaching music in a high school when there is a fire and a member of the staff is killed.

She joins another unique woman, Magnolia “Maggie” Riveaux, New Orleans first black female fire investigator, in investigating the arson. 

Douaihy is a strong writer. I stated in my review:

There is a lyrical quality to Douaihy’s prose as she drives the story forward.

The striking cover caught my attention in the bookstore. Fair or not, I doubt I would have picked up the book except for the cover.

I expect to read more of Sister Holiday.

3.) Death and the Conjuror by Tom Mead - I cannot recall the last time I read a classic locked room mystery written by a contemporary author.

Mead does set the book in 1936 in London. Joseph Spector is a former music hall conjuror who aids the police in their investigation of murder.

I said in my review that:

Mead’s prose flows smoothly and I glided through the book. It is a good book. Mead is a clever man. The solution is suitably complex. As usual, my efforts to understand how murder was committed and how the killer escaped the locked room were futile.

I followed with a post featuring Hercule Poirot analyzing Spector and Inspector George Flint. Mead kindly said my review and Poirot analysis were “highly entertaining”.