All the Ms: Maron to Marrs

Margaret Maron is a mystery writer. The detective, at least in the book I got out, is Deborah Knott. Death’s Half Acre reminds me of a writing problem: how to introduce lots and lots of characters without overwhelming the reader. Maron seems to manage but I enjoyed the prologue from a single perspective most.

John P. Marquand: The Late George Apley is one of those books I might come back to. It is a fiction novel about a man writing the true memoir of another man. The beginning is quite winsome. 

Krystal Marquis: I have pondered in reference to Bridgerton about the untold stories of upperclass Blacks in America. Dorothy West tackled the genre. But does anyone else? Yes! Marquis’s The Davenport series is about upperclass Blacks in Chicago in the early twentieth century. The series is apparently based on a real-life family. Impressive! 

Andrew Marr: “A conspiracy so bold it would make Machiavelli wince” reads the dust jacket of Head of State (I do try to avoid dust jackets, but I couldn’t avoid the big bold type in this case). I still read the opening chapter, which was well-written. But not enough to change my mind about how deadly dull I find conspiracies. 

Anthony Marra: Mercury Pictures Presents is another book I may come back to. I generally avoid “Hollywood” books since they always seem so desperately focused on the writer or a stand-in for the writer being beloved by celebrities. This book, however, is about the view of a studio during the World War II era from the perspective of one of the people who helps run the studio. The writing is funny and provides quick, strong portraits of various members of the studio. 

John Marrs: The Marriage Act is a dystopian novel apparently about marriage being required by law. However, the opening pages read more like a critique of social media. I’m not much interested in dystopian fiction. I prefer such critiques to in non-fiction form.