Summer reading: Mystery author Elizabeth George’s top three beach reads

Mystery author Elizabeth George, whose most famed characters are the aristocratic Inspector Thomas Lynley and his rough-edged sidekick Barbara Havers, interestingly strays out of her genre for her top reads for summer vacation time.

The Chaperone by Laura Moriarty, $29.
My publisher just sent me this novel and it looks wonderful, so I'll be anxious to get to it this summer. It takes place between the world wars, which is an especially favourite time of history for me.

The Lost Saints of Tennessee by Amy Franklin Willis, $29.
Amy was awarded a grant by my foundation as an emerging writer and this is the outcome of her time spent writing. It's a gorgeous book and a terrific story of brotherhood, love, loss, and redemption. I've read it once and am reading it again now that it's out in hard cover.

The Big Burn by Timothy Egan, $20.
This is the story of the hideous fire that resulted in our entire national park system being developed. My husband is a retired firefighter, and he and I regularly read fire books. Previously I've read books like Fire on the Mountain and The Thirty Mile Fire, and I have Fire Monks on my to-be-read pile as well.