Parker grants peek into her personal life
Preston & Child return with ‘Crimson Shore’
By Lincee Ray
ear Mr You’ (Scribner), by MaryLouise Parker Mary-Louise Parker may be best known for her roles in “Weeds” and “Angels in America,” but she also has a pretty impressive byline. Her writings have appeared in numerous publications, and “Dear Mr You” is her first book.
Parker takes readers on a biographical journey through a series of letters written to the men in her life.
The collection of men includes family members, co-workers, friends — and strangers. Each character represents a significant time in Parker’s life. She shares intimate details of lost love, the beginnings of her acting career and cherished moments with her children. Whether it’s a loin-cloth-wearing surfer dude or a New York City firefighter, Parker is able to introduce another piece of her personal timeline in a creative way.
Readers will be drawn into her epic tale of the day her son was born. Hearts will melt when The Neighbor shows up for a visit. Tears will flow when the details of her daughter’s adoption unfold after a trip to Ethiopia. And you can bet your heart will race when you read about the great lengths a daughter went through to secure oysters for her ailing father.
“Dear Mr You” is a colorful anthology of funny, lonely and poignant moments from one woman’s life. Her biographical approach is extremely innovative. Parker takes a hard look at the men in her life in order to analyze their impact on the woman she is today. And that woman is complex, compassionate, loving and talented.
“Crimson Shore” (Grand Central Publishing), by Preston & Child
FBI Special Agent Pendergast returns in a simple theft case that takes a turn and soon becomes more elaborate and terrifying in “Crimson Shore” by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child.
Pendergast doesn’t usually take private consultations, and he’s initially reluctant to investigate a missing wine collection. When he learns the thieves left behind an extremely valuable and rare case of wine, Pendergast agrees to look into the matter. With his ward Constance Greene, he heads to a small village on the coast of Massachusetts near Salem, the town notorious for witch trials centuries earlier.
The moment they arrive in town, the two can tell they aren’t welcome. Even the police chief treats them poorly. The crime scene reveals something unexpected: a bricked-up section that holds the skeletal remains of someone who was chained and tortured.
Secrets and mysteries abound, and when legacies of the past collide with the present, whoever stands in the way will end up dead.
Preston and Child know how to write gothic tales of suspense, and fans of their previous novels will be thrilled to see how much Constance Greene has grown as a character.
Though the main story line is resolved, the cliffhanger ending indicates their latest is only the beginning. While this type of ending should fail and frustrate the reader, the shock and twist are perfect. The unusual becomes believable and normal in the authors’ capable hands. (AP)