Joan's picks: Mad Honey and The Boys from Biloxi

Mad Honey by Jodi Picoult and Jennifer Finney Boylan. Yes, a dual effort for reasons which I will explain – this really is classic Jodi. Small town, ethical and moral dilemma, some court room drama - a young man is charged with the murder of his girlfriend, and at the trial it comes to light that not everything is as it seems. His mother is an apiarist, and there’s quite a lot of really interesting narrative about bees and beekeeping which keeps the story rocking along, and the characterisations are really good. There’s a lot in this book but at the heart of it is the question, if your father was a violent man, does that mean that you might be too…..?  The Boys from Biloxi by John Grisham. Two boys grow up in the 60’s in the Mississippi town of Biloxi as best of friends. The father of one of them is the local criminal kingpin and the other’s is a high profile prosecutor. The boys each follow their respective parents into those same careers, which ultimately leads the two families into a showdown, one which – of course, being Grisham – takes place in a courtroom.  These are two longstanding writers, both at the top of their game after all these years.  LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.