The Clouds Roll Away

I was so looking forward to today. My mom and I have been attending the semi-annual Amish quilt auction since before Molly was born (and she'll be seventeen in a few months), but I woke up this morning with no voice, a stuffy nose, a cough, and feeling just miserable. I hate letting Mom down, because this is what we do for Mother's Day each year, but Molly went with her after work, and the two had a good time. Mom picked up a bunch of plants and an outdoor glider rocker, and the two went in together to buy Jesse and I an outdoor bench with built in planters on the arms. I'm so glad that Molly and Mom spent some together, and I spent the day in bed, napping, reading, and hopefully recuperating for tomorrow.

The Clouds Roll Away by Sibella Giroello is the third book in the Raleigh Harmon series about a Virginia FBI agent with a specialty in mineralogy. Raleigh has returned home from her exile in Washington and is assigned a hate crimes case against a high-profile rap star known for his philanthropy. Her boss hates her and regularly throws her scut jobs, including working the phones on a gang task force which leads to more troubles with authority as well as an up close and personal view of the gang members. I fell in love with Raleigh in the first book in this series, The Stones Cry Out, which is definitely a must read to understand the complicated relationships in this volume. Raleigh keeps everyone at arm's length after the murder of her father, which is still unsolved, including God despite her best intentions. The mystery at the heart of the novel is almost overly complex, but some readers will suss out the bad guy early on. But just like TV viewers don't turn in to Bones on a regular basis for the cases, readers will come back again and again for Raleigh's complicated emotions and the strong characters who surround her. Giorello's writing is restrained and occasionally haunting making this more than just your average mystery. It's compelling, enjoyable, and will keep readers coming back for more.

Thank you to Phenix & Phenix Literary Publicists for providing me with a copy of this book for review.

Today's picture is Mia goofing around with her grandpa and my brother Jake's dog Sophie.