Takes One To Know One by Susan Isaacs is funny. It is also a love story and is a fictional “whodunit”. Corie Geller is a former FBI agent who traded in her badge for a less stressful way of life when she married Judge Josh Geller and adopted his 14-year-old daughter, Eliza.
In her new and quiet life Corie searches out Arabic fiction for publication. Every Wednesday she also attends a lunch gathering where she gets to know others who freelance, including Pete Delaney. After a few lunch times, Corie’s sixth sense leads her to believe that Pete is hiding something. Maybe it is because Corie has something in common with him. She too has hidden her former FBI experience from the group.
Just little things about him have her on alert. For instance, he always sits in the same chair at lunch, watches his car constantly, and he keeps changing phones. Most others would not notice those habits, but Corie cannot let it go. Plus, his regular three-day trips out of town do not make much sense to her.
Besides being a former FBI agent, she also grew up with a father who is now retired from the NYPD. Sleuthing is in her blood. She finds herself wondering if Pete is up to something. After sharing her thoughts with her dad, the two decide to do their own sub-rosa investigation.
From this point on Takes One To Know one really starts to move. So many possibilities. The twists and turns just keep rolling through this thriller. You will keep guessing just how it will turn out for Corie. Personally, I had one story line mind when I began reading. Turns out I was not even close!
By the end, you will have laughed at her, cared about her new married life, and will have been concerned for her safety. Plan on being surprised along the way.
Now, if you enjoy a well written true story that reads like a novel, sit back and take a trip to the Deep South during the Depression in Ava’s Man (2001)
Ava and Charlie began their life together during the Great Depression in the backwoods near the Alabama/Georgia line close to a river. They were dirt poor. But Charlie was tough and a hard worker. Charlie was also a roofer and carpenter, plus he worked in the fields. Add to that, he was quite resourceful.
Besides doing odd jobs, he kept his family together by becoming a moonshiner. For every gallon he sold, Charlie drank one pint. Somehow, he managed to avoid the revenuers. Plus, he never drank at home.
He was a tough man, and lived by his own moral code. Charlie loved and cared for his family. It was not an easy life, but he did his best. Enjoy this book written by his grandson.
