Resurrection in May ***

*** Resurrection in May, Lisa Samson, 2010

The novel has been sitting on my shelf for some time like a fine wine as I was reluctant to precipitately imbibe the only extant Lisa Samson novel I haven't read and be left bereft. But I finally cracked it open and drank.

Here's the takeaway: If a book has Lisa Samson's name on the front, it's worth buying an reading. Period. I've read all her novels since The Church Ladies and haven't been disappointed once. (Well, there is that dark period where she wrote historical romances, but I don't talk about those.)

I have to admit Resurrection in May has not displaced my other favorites, the most recent being Embrace Me, but it's still got lots to recommend it. The Rwanda segment was vibrant and visceral and the ending, beginning with the prison visit, was powerful. And there is that spot that caught me completely off guard the way Embrace Me did. Wonderful stuff.

From a technical standpoint, I think this is the first contemporary novel Lisa has written in third person. I also found it an interesting choice to place almost half the book in the POV of Claudius, even though it is May's story. Person and POV decisions are sometimes very difficult, but they can make or break a story.

But enough of the inside baseball talk. If you haven't read this one, yet, then get to it. I hear she's got another in the works. Good thing, since I just depleted my stock.