"Change of Heart", by Jodi Picoult. ****

• Audiobook
• Stewart Place Book Club selection
• US author
• Originally published 2008
• Characters:  claire(needs heart), shay (murderer, miracle worker), curt(cop, stepdad), elizabeth (murdered daughter), lucius(AIDS inmate), michael(priest, juror feeling guilty), maggie(aclu attorney)
• Review:  Jodi Picoult has a real knack for tackling controversial issues and illuminating multiple perspectives to consider.  This time around she tackles the death penalty and organized religion, with a touch of medical ethics.  No small feat!  The story was thought provoking and the characters were memorable.  Well done!

"The 100 Year Old Man Who Climbed Out The Window And Disappeared" by Jonas Jonasson ***

• Audiobook
• Swedish author
• Originally published 2009
• Review:  A sweet story which, for me, was like stepping inside the mind of a 100 year old whose internal world is significantly more vivid than his physical world.  The reader  is privy to a set of adventures through history, with the protagonist playing quietly dynamic roles in major political events.  Meet characters like Albert Einstein's adopted half brother, an elephant who save's the protagonist's life by sitting on a villain, and a mob boss.  I imagine an elderly person's hazy blending of history, both personal and political, with the yearning to escape the restrictions which accrue with age.

"The Hangman's Daughter" by Oliver Potzsch ****

• Audiobook
• German author
• Originally published 2011
• Review:  A medieval murder mystery?  A clever mix of medieval values, beliefs, and characters make for an intriguing story.  I think this is an example of " the more things change, the more they stay the same".  Is there witchcraft afoot?  Or is it corporate espionage?  Or did a simple desire to be safe create a situation where innocents lose lives?  You will have to find out for yourselves.