The Absinthe Earl by Sharon Lynn Fisher

From the publisher: The Irish lord Edward Donoghue, Earl of Meath, consumes absinthe to stave off his sleepwalking, but the liquor has the unintended consequence of causing fairy hallucinations. When he meets Ada Quicksilver, a Celtic mythology scholar from London's Lovelace Academy for Promising Young Women, he begins to entertain the possibility these visions may be due to the overlapping of the living world with the world of Faery. One of these visions seems to herald the young woman's death, so Edward joins Ada in her scholarly exploration of his country in hopes of protecting her. Together they uncover a plot for the takeover of Ireland by the enemies of its most ancient people, the Tuatha De Danaan. In the process, they discover their own connections to a Danaan hero and heroine who want more than anything to use their bodies for a reunion that's been centuries in the making.

The Absinthe Earl has everything a reader of paranormal historical romance could want – a handsome, brooding, and gentlemanly earl, a beautiful, spunky, and independent scholar, and a mystery surrounding Ireland, Faery and absinthe. If you are a fan of Irish mythology and legend, you will relish the appearance of every creature, hero, heroine, and rogue you ever heard of.

I read an advance reader copy of The Absinthe Earl from Netgalley; it will be published on October 15 and will be available at the Galesburg Public Library.

Follow Me by Kathleen Barber

Kathleen Barber’s new thriller Follow Me does a fabulous job of capturing the shallow self-absorption of the average “social media influencer.” Audrey cares only about her latest insta and her followers. Her new apartment is a mess – but in one corner is a perfectly staged table that looked amazing in a photo enhanced by one of Audrey’s special filters.

I was intrigued from page 1 – and I loved the use of the familiar magnifying glass “search” symbol luring me on from page to page. Follow Me is sharper than Barber’s first book – which I also enjoyed – and the title is a perfect fit.

Not since Gone Girl have I so disliked every single major character in a book. For this reason I did not find Follow Me “unputdownable.” I just could not stand to spend that much time with those people. But the narrative is well written - it flows smoothly from section to section. It’s a good read, with nice touches like a morbid art exhibit that mirrors Audrey’s life. It’s clear the author is familiar with the New York and Washington D.C. settings.

You do have to set aside a certain amount of skepticism with psychological thrillers, but a few of the plot twists strained my credulity. I found Follow Me a little slow toward the end, like something else needed to happen before the big climax.

What Barber does best is capture the self-focused narcissism of those who want to be social media stars and who think everyone in the world is interested in every little thing they do. I believed in Audrey as a real person 100%. Some of the other characters felt a little flat.

Recommended for fans of psychological thrillers and mysteries. I read an advance reader copy of Follow Me, which comes out on February 25, 2020. It will be available at the Galesburg Public Library in print and as an ebook. 

The Galesburg Public Library is planning to host the author sometime around the date the book comes out. Watch our Facebook page or newsletter for details!