Once again, I’ve been plowing through some books. Here’s what I’ve been reading:

• The Outlander by Gil Adamson– I’d describe this book as a crescendo. It starts out slow, even though you begin with the main character on the run from her two vengeful brothers-in-law in 1903 northern Canada. Mary is nineteen and already a widow–widowed by her own hand. Its dreamy and pretty brilliant.
• An Incomplete Revenge by Jacqueline Winspear– The next installment in the Maisie Dobbs series, finds psychologist Dobbs investigating a series of crimes in the small rural community in Kent. I find this series soothing, as it’s always well-written, well-plotted, and full of an interesting cast of characters. Winspear didn’t disappoint with this latest.
• The Silver Swan by Benjamin Black (aka Jon Banville)– Perhaps a stronger book than Christine Falls (itself a strong debut in mystery), Black writes for an audience that doesn’t need all the answers handed to them. We find a reluctant Quirke, a pathologist in 1950s Dublin, trying to make sense of the suspected murder of a young shop owner, investigating against his own instincts. Black doesn’t rely on clichés and switchback plots to keep the book going. I hope he continues to write such gripping books.