Did the wife and mother do it? A brilliant new novel by Kathleen McKenna

Today's post is a "two-fer", reviews of two of my favorite recent thrillers, and both by women writers I'm sure we will hear more from.

“AP News Oklahoma City, 12/23/75 -- Manson-like slaying rocks small-town Christmas festivities.” So begins Kathleen McKenna’s brilliant new novel. It is a gem. Spooky, funny, romantic, sexy, touching, it works at every level. The two protagonists, Leanne and Jessie are a Laverne and Shirley pair, only much younger. I found myself laughing out loud at Jessie’s sarcastic, rapier wit and shaking my head at Leanne’s air-headed immaturity. At one point, Jessie tells her friend she is “dumber than a box of hair,” one of the funniest lines in the book.

“The Wedding Gift” is a book I will read again and again. It is the first of a trilogy of novels. The second, “The Comeback”, will be published by Night Publishing in late 2010. I can hardly wait.

Available from amazon.com and amazon.co.uk in paperback and Kindle editions.