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BLUE DAHLIA By Nora Roberts.
I asked myself, after finishing Nora Roberts’ latest paperback bestseller Blue Dahlia, why it is that I enjoy her novels so much. I think I’ve got it. It’s her characters. The plots could be criticized for being predictable, but you don’t read Nora for surprise. Her dialogue and her characterization just get underneath my skin. I long to know what happens to her characters more than most any others in fiction.
Blue Dahlia is the first in the In the Garden trilogy. There is so much to enjoy in this novel. For all of you gardeners who are already starting to fantasize about what you’ll plant where in your garden, you will love the hearty portion of this novel that gets your hands in the dirt. The story is of Stella, a young mother of two whose husband is killed in plane crash. Stella moves back to her hometown of Memphis and in with an interesting woman named Roz who owns a nursery called “In the Garden.” Add one more interesting female character, an expectant single mother, and a handsome landscaper named Logan, and you’ve got a fabulous Nora Roberts novel.
The only thing that didn’t quite work for me is the sub-plot with the ghost. Ghosts in fiction have just never been my thing, and Nora’s fiction doesn’t need that device in my opinion.
With that small disappointment, I must admit I thoroughly enjoyed this new bestseller from Nora Roberts, who continues to be one of today’s great storytellers in my opinion. A thumbs up for Nora Roberts hit in paperback, Blue Dahlia. On the Book Beat for KSL Newsradio 1160, I’m Amanda Dickson.
