The most apt word I can think of to describe this book is sumptuous! This is a book to delight the reader with the layers of detail which build a pictThe most apt word I can think of to describe this book is sumptuous! This is a book to delight the reader with the layers of detail which build a picture of a household in London in the 1920’s. Mrs Wray and her daughter Frances found themselves struggling to make ends meet after the loss of the men during World War I and the solution is to take in some paying guests, their gentrified term for lodgers. With the household rejigged to make space for a couple of rooms the day arrives for Leonard and Lillian Barber to move in. Lily sets about decorating her rooms in her own style while Leonard works away at his job at an insurance company and the household begins to adapt to the new routine. The Wrays meanwhile remain suspended in the disagreeable place between accepting and despising the changes the new occupants bring to the house.
As you would expect from a Sarah Waters novel there is a sapphic element to this tale which has far reaching consequences for a number of the characters so much so that the household becomes embroiled in a court case. The scenes during the investigation made for fascinating reading especially as it was underpinned by research which was used to give a feeling of authenticity and at times my heart was in my mouth as the wheels of justice turned.
The other area of research which shone through although without ever overpowering the story line was the role of women during this age. With those men that had returned from the war often destitute the role of women was at a turning point but for most the freedom to make their own decisions was a long way into the future. Lilian has little to do with her days except to put fripperies up around her rooms while Frances fills her days with the housework that only a few years before would have been performed by servants. Her free time sees her walking to London to visit her old friend who has more independence, having rented some rooms and making money by typing for money. Mrs Wray still makes visits to friends and her worthy causes, showing her determination to carry on as before, but these interactions are marked of earlier times, whereas the younger characters are forging ahead uncertainly and with differing degrees of success into the new age.
All of that is underpinned by the brilliant characters, all from the most minor, to those who hold the spotlight, are exquisitely drawn, the nuances betray a depth makes this a book to savour and I found my reading speed slowing to immerse myself in these details. With no character being all bad, or all good, this book is one that will make you question what you have learnt through Frances� telling of the tale from her point of view; who really drove the action? What secrets were bought into the unsuspecting Wray household? And maybe most importantly what on earth happened after the book ended. Yes there is an open(ish) ending, not a device I often agree with but this one is clever, it doesn’t smack of laziness or a wish to give each reader the ending they want but mirrors the content of this rich and luxurious book, one of those books which you know will give up even more details on a second read, a definite ‘keeper.� ...more
The premise to this book had me hooked, Jennifer is the mother to three children the eldest of which is Emma who at twenty is studying in Spain. One nThe premise to this book had me hooked, Jennifer is the mother to three children the eldest of which is Emma who at twenty is studying in Spain. One night Jennifer takes a phone call that changes her life, Emma is at the Police station, suspect in the murder of a local boy. I love books that let me play the ‘What would I do game� and this is definitely one of those reads.
This book is as much about Jennifer and her relationships than the murder of Rodrigo Perez which almost becomes the backdrop to the drama being played out in Jennifer’s life as she is faced with the reality that her daughter which is different to that of the pretty, intelligent honour roll girl who goes to Princeton, this is a girl who has been lying to her parents about where she lives and how she spends her days for months.
This book has obviously been based on the killing of Meredith Kercher, an English student studying in Italy whose roommate, American Amanda Knox was suspected of being involved in her murder. That case hit the international news and to this day hasn’t properly been resolved. However, although the headlines to that case have been used by Nina Darnton this is book does not seek to directly copy that murder but rather used it a starting point. What is similar is the reporting by the media in the country of the murder using the fact that Emma was an American and allegedly brash and promiscuous in their news while back in America Jennifer enlists the help of a friend to brief a PR company to emphasise that Emma was the perfect daughter and her supposed involvement is all a horrible mistake. The other similarity is the way both Italy and Spain come up with a narrative that includes motive to build their prosecution case and it is up to the defence to disprove this. All of this makes for a fascinating read.
There are some good supporting characters to this story including Emma’s father Mark who is a US Attorney along with the local defence lawyer Jose and his support assistance Roberto. Jose and Roberto are Jennifer’s main support in the early days of the investigation while Mark remains in the US appearing in court and assisting Jennifer’s parents in looking after Emma’s younger siblings. Any parent will recognise albeit in an extreme form the prioritisation of everyday life and multiple children who need you.
I really enjoyed this book on many different levels and although both of the key protagonists are not people that I’d want to spend time with their reactions to the events as they unfold were suitable for the story being told.
I’d like to say a big thank you to the publishers Penguin Group Plume for allowing me to read and ponder over this book ahead of publication on 25 November 2014. ...more
In The Last Anniversary we are introduced to the most colourful array of characters, each distinctive and ranging in ages from babies to the eldest reIn The Last Anniversary we are introduced to the most colourful array of characters, each distinctive and ranging in ages from babies to the eldest resident of Scribbly Gum who is ninety. The name of the island, derived from the name of a native tree, meant this book already deserved a read without a seventy year old mystery of an abandoned baby to spice things up.
All Liane Moriarty’s books have been very different but what they all have in common is superb writing which draws on everyday observations of life at its best and bleakest. In this readable tale we have the enduring ‘Munro Baby Mystery� which has put the island of Scribbly Gum on the map, bringing tourists to their guided tour with good food to sweeten the suspected horror which occurred all those years before and every year on the anniversary of the day when Connie and Rose found the abandoned child they named Enigma, a special evening is held with entertainment and food, the food features quite largely in this book so it is probably a good idea to have some on hand to avoid saliva spotting the pages/screen.
With a large family Enigma has two daughters, three grandchildren as well as a couple of great-grandchildren you would have thought that Connie would have left her house to one of them when she died, but she didn’t, instead she chose to leave it to Sophie Honeywell a former girlfriend of Thomas. Sophie is flighty and perhaps a little shallow and has a propensity for blushing, all quite unlike a stereotypical woman approaching her forties. In anything but the most expert of hands this character would be irritating but I didn’t get very far through the book before I was rooting for Sophie, hoping desperately that the family would welcome her and that she wouldn’t do anything stupid.
Sophie’s girlfriends become quite deranged. There is a frenzied debate. It’s brains versus brawn! But solicitors can be brawny!
Gardeners can be brainy! Aunt Connie was clearly referring to the gorgeous gardener. Aunt Connie’s opinion is no longer relevant. She must not sleep with either of them. She must definitely sleep with both of them�.. Sophie’s girlfriends are starting to annoy her, just a bit.
Although on the surface this is a lighter book than The Husband’s Secret or Little Lies, there are plenty of issues explored, many to do with parenting, and there are plenty of examples right across the spectrum from Sophie who was adored from the moment she was born, to Grace who tells a truly jaw-dropping tale of her childhood and of course we have Enigma who was too young to remember her parents and instead had the substitute two teenagers to mother to her while they found their way in the world.
Callum still hasn’t turned the television back up. ‘I can’t believe you’ve never told me this� ‘It’s not that interesting. I don’t know how your parents disciplined you.� My father roared at me and my mother chased me round the house brandishing whatever she happened to have in her hand�..�
This isn’t a book to examine to closely for realism but it is a wonderful tale to lose yourself in with something for everyone, romance and mystery can be a winning combination especially when served with a healthy dollop of truisms.
He still remembers how he felt watching her cry her heart out at her dad’s funeral. Margie was always such a Daddy’s Girl and it made him want to punch something because there was nothing he could bloody well do to fix it for her.
At times I laughed especially as Sophie stored up funny anecdotes for her friends, and at other times I found I had a serious lump in my throat as the emotion all got too much for me!
If you haven’t read any of this author’s books which in my opinion are all worth five stars you are missing out....more
This wonderful book opens with the voice of Helen, a somewhat bored mother of two, married to Richard who works away as a data analyst, a mother who hThis wonderful book opens with the voice of Helen, a somewhat bored mother of two, married to Richard who works away as a data analyst, a mother who has reached the point in her life when she wants to do something for her. Helen decides to join an evening class in writing and meets a tutor Henry Ross who sees something he likes, something he wants. Is it because she has inherited her talent from her Grandfather, the post-war writer Edward Barton? Could the literary genetics which meant that his book, Interlude was turned into a film be her inheritance?
Helen remembers Edward Barton from her early childhood but there was a family split in her early teens and she hasn’t seen him since. She embarks on a journey to find out more about him, and boy she certainly does that. Helen’s voice is perfectly pitched, you may not admire her actions, but they are certainly both recognisable and understandable from her narrative.
I was momentarily confused when the book switched from Helen to excerpts from Edward Barton’s most famous book, Interlude which tells the story of Derek who joins a theatre in the run up to World War II, historically intriguing with tales of illicit passions and a strong survival instinct to make enough money to keep a roof over his head and some morsels of food to keep him going. These are clues to Edward but the bulk of his narrative appears after his death, when Helen who was given his literary works in his will, discovers diaries and manuscripts which tell a story that twists and turns through lost and found love.
I loved this book, the tale told is fascinating, the time period as expertly described as the emotions and motives that assault the reader as each character’s lack of morals is raised from seediness by the affection Rupert Smith creates, this isn’t a book of black and white, there is always just enough room for doubt that like those sinned against I had an inkling of hope that the emotions were real and this time everything really would be ok for the whole cast of characters, well maybe not Henry Ross, but at the same time knowing that such was the tangled lives that were carefully hidden beneath layers of deception, that this was an impossible outcome.
This is a truly fantastic find, a read quite unlike any other this year that marries my love of past actions having consequences on the present, family secrets, and these are explosive, and beautiful language that meant I knew I would enjoy the book for the writing alone from the very first page. This book is one of those where I’ve closed the page but I know that Helen, Edward, Billy and Geraldine will linger on for a long time, in my mind they are real people and there is enough uncertainty that I can conjure up an ending for Helen....more
There is something quite fascinating about women who murder, and judging by the amount of contemporary reporting of the details about the cases featurThere is something quite fascinating about women who murder, and judging by the amount of contemporary reporting of the details about the cases featured in this book, nothing much has changed over time. In this book the author has selected an Englishwoman and a Frenchwoman for each chapter based upon the circumstances, rather than the method of their crimes. All the women featured are from the middle-classes and a certain amount of conjecture is used to paint a picture of this class of women from the details of their cases the reasoning of the author being that these women’s lives weren’t documented or studied in the way of the lower classes and so using these cause celebres can give us a glimpse behind the drawing room curtains of their lives. I’m not completely convinced by this argument but for some of the broader details it works, for instance the chapters that touch upon contraceptive gives us an idea of how widespread or acceptable this was in Victorian England for the middle-classes.
The beauty of this book is threefold; the details of the crimes committed the resulting investigation and if appropriate trial, the popular opinion at the time of the guilt or innocence of those accused using contemporary media and lastly the particular social issues that may have led these women to act outside the law and kill another person. Each case presented was interesting and appeared to be well-researched, although one of the downsides of reading this kind of book on the kindle is that following the notes as you go along is very time-consuming so I tended to wait until I’d finished a chapter to catch-up on these. The fact that there were two women per chapter means that the reader does need to concentrate once the initial setting of the scene has happened, as the author switches between the two subjects to compare and contrast the difference between the two societies in a number of different spheres, including popular opinion and expectations.
The author states in the preface:
These accused daughters, wives and mothers have little to teach any would-be twentieth-century practitioner about the art of murder; nearly all of them bungled badly in the ac, and those who got away with it relied upon methods that required special circumstances and relations between the sexes which no longer obtain.
And that is precisely what makes this study so interesting, women can no longer act coy in the witness box, but they could, and were expected to, in Victorian England and so many of the more salacious details are hinted at rather than baldly stated both at the trial and the resultant reporting.
The cases cover the years 1840-1890’s and the subjects covered are: Marie Lafarge and Euphemie Lacoste which covers the use of arsenic in matriomony Madeline Smith and Angelina Lemoine who were both between school and marriage when they were accused of killing their lovers Celestine Doudet and Constance Kent who were both spinsters when they murdered Florence Bravo and Henriette Francey the so called new women who were defying the old order of society Gabrielle Fenayrou and Adelaide Bartlett both wives of shopkeepers who were reported to have committed adultery Florence Maybrick and Claire Reymond who were allegedly victims of the double standards held at the time.
I found this book both interesting and informative although the language at time is quite dry, this is a study rather than a book for entertainment but one that I will be seeking a physical copy of on my bookshelf to supplement my Victorian crime selection.
This book was originally published back in 1976 but has been re-released in 2014 for a new generation of readers by Dover Publications who were kind enough to give me a copy of this book in return for my honest review.
On 29 May 1914 having left Quebec for Liverpool, the Empress of Ireland, an ocean liner sank following a collision with SS Storstad, a Norwegian colliOn 29 May 1914 having left Quebec for Liverpool, the Empress of Ireland, an ocean liner sank following a collision with SS Storstad, a Norwegian collier. Of the 1,477 people on board that night 1,012 people died, the largest Canadian maritime loss of life in peacetime, one hundred years later Jefferson Tayte is trying to track down the true fate of Alice Stillwell a second class passenger on the liner.
Empress of Ireland
The Lost Empress is the fourth in the Jefferson Tayte series where the affable genealogist who is more prone to taking on more dangerous assignments than is surely normal for a profession, has an assignment that takes him across the Atlantic to England in search of the truth about the Admiral’s daughter. Armed with a locket in possession of a descendent of an Alice Dixon living in the US who has a strong suspicion that Alice didn’t die on 29 May 1914 as the records indicate but if not why does no-one know?
I have enjoyed all the stories featuring JT, he is a likeable man who has turned to making genealogy a business despite not knowing his own birth family, this story arc continues in this episode but otherwise each book can be read as a stand-alone with each book concerning a different period of history and its own dangerous adventure it finding the truth. This book is no different, within hours of landing in England, JT is turned away by the first name on his list, the descendent of Alice Stillwell, leaving only slightly perturbed, he is used to this kind of behaviour, he is nearly run off the road in a seemingly calculated move. When he gets to the next name on his list he finds that the man has been recently murdered but all is not lost the friendly policeman agrees to let JT help with the investigation in case it is related to the one hundred year old mystery.
JT’s investigation leads him into many areas including spies during WWI and those tasked to catch them, the Secret Service Bureau. Spying was dangerous, if caught it was a matter of high treason and the sentence was to be shot by firing squad at the Tower of London. Steve Robinson adds colour to JT’s tale by alternating chapters from Alice Stillwell with his present day investigation, a device that has worked well in all these books and lifts the subjects from pure research into a character that the reader can relate to.
Another fantastic episode and once again an informative and well-researched read especially as it details activities that were never mentioned as part of the history of WWI I learnt at school!
I’d like to thank the publishers Amazon Publishing for my copy of this book which I received in return for this honest review. The Lost Empress will be published on 21 October 2014 ...more
For anyone who thinks that the good old police procedural has had its day, think again. Isabelle Grey has come up with a cracking new novel which is tFor anyone who thinks that the good old police procedural has had its day, think again. Isabelle Grey has come up with a cracking new novel which is the first in a new series featuring Detective Sergeant Grace Fisher.
Grace Fisher left her last posting in Maidstone after being driven out for grassing up a fellow officer, losing her job, home and husband in the process. Taking a demotion she joins the Major Investigation Team in Essex and starts on the day a student is reported as missing following the end of year exams. Anxious that her past hasn’t followed her Grace is keen to make her mark, but reluctant to tread on anyone’s toes in the process during the investigation into Polly Sinclair’s disappearance she meets up with an old friend who is a journalist on the local paper.
When a body of another student is found and the media turn on the police details only known to a favoured few are soon splashed across the local paper. Grace is under suspicion for leaking the news and Grace is soon fighting to avoid disciplinary action.
This is an intricately plotted story which has a number of threads that held my attention from beginning to the end. As in any good detective novel the red herrings are carefully placed and far from obvious, the motive believable and above all populated by a great range of characters. Grace is an appealing protagonist and one who despite her unfortunate start in Essex is more normal than many who populate this genre. Her partner Lance is equally affable although understandably cautious about Grace and the range of secondary characters from victims to suspects and everyone in between all realistically portrayed. As in real life there are the public faces and the private faces, none more so than the hack from the national paper The Courier, Ivo Sweatman who is easily the best secondary character to grace the genre for years.
I love the way the media activity is seamlessly integrated into the storyline with Ivo chasing his headlines in a ruthless manner which mirrors contemporary news stories rather too well. Ivo is clear that while the Senior Investigating Officer may want the truth he is chasing the story and sad though it may be, the longer the police take to find a suspect to charge the story will keep rolling, and as we know it doesn’t take long for the media to turn on the police. Isabelle Grey hasn’t ignored social media either keeping this story right up to date.
Isabelle Grey’s training in screenwriting shines through, this is well-written and engaging which despite the number of different lines of enquiry being followed as well as some sub-plots both past and present, is easy to follow where a lesser writer could have tripped themselves up on the knots.
This is a series I will be following without a doubt, particularly as the first book of the series can be far too much background and not enough present, this author has provided just the right combination of both. I’d like to say a big thank you to the publishers Quercus for allowing me to have a copy of the book ahead of publication on 9 October 2014 in return for this honest review. ...more
This slim novel packs a mighty punch which is going to linger in this reader’s mind with some powerful issues covered under the guise of a murder mystThis slim novel packs a mighty punch which is going to linger in this reader’s mind with some powerful issues covered under the guise of a murder mystery.
The story is told eighteen years after the death of Afra and her young son in a small German village when a stranger turns up in a tavern, drunk he has an old cutting from a newspaper about the crime provoking memories of what happened on that day when the storm clouds rolled in on the washing hanging in the cottager’s yard.
Afra had returned to her catholic parent’s home in post-war Germany years after she left as a 14 year old girl, she had no choice, her employer’s had thrown her out for having relations with a Frenchman and so with she returns to a house which slowly fills with anger. When her pregnancy becomes apparent her father, Johann, is resentful of the shame she has bought on him and his wife Theres and suspects both his daughter and his wife of hiding things from him as his dementia takes hold. When the police are called, Johann confesses and the case is closed.
So what is the book about? Where is the mystery? The story is told by recreating the day of the murder from different viewpoints, including Afra’s to build layer upon layer until the whole picture is clear. These multiple narratives range from Police Officers who visited the scene of crime remembering the events of years before, to Afra’s unwanted suitor, to the itinerant salesmen who passed through the village and the shame that Afra’s parents felt about their illegitimate grandson Albert and the ever pressing need for money to cover the cost of two extra mouths to feed. As the day is reconstructed piece by piece despite the evidence being provided as fact with no excitable emotions or race to find the killer that our crime fiction is usually full of, this incredibly powerful novel that made this reader think about the crime committed in terms of the lives it affected and sheer pointlessness far more than those action-packed thrillers ever do.
This is a nuanced and dark tale, based upon a real story in Andrea Maria Schenkel’s native Germany. If the names hadn’t been foreign I would have forgotten that this wasn’t originally written in English so seamless was Andrea Bell’s translation. It is unsurprising given the depth of this novel that Shenkel has won critical acclaim of a literary nature in Germany for this book. I’m pleased to hear that this is her fourth novel and I will be seeking out her earlier work to see if that packs as mighty a punch as this one does.
I’d like to say a big thank you to the publishers Quercus for allowing me to have a copy of this book to read in return for this honest review....more
Reading a book when you know what happens, particularly when that book is from the mystery genre, may seem a little bizarre but what I’m realising is Reading a book when you know what happens, particularly when that book is from the mystery genre, may seem a little bizarre but what I’m realising is that I now notice nuances that perhaps evaded me before I immersed myself in crime fiction and so there was plenty to keep me amused on this fascinating journey, mine being more successful than the Orient Express’s as I didn’t encounter any snow-drifts.
This book was originally published as a novel in 1934 following Christie’s trip on the train where she noted down all the details required to perfectly recreate the scene, yes the placing of the lock on the interconnecting doors was researched to that level of detail! Christie used the real life disappearance of the abduction of Charles Lindbergh’s son as inspiration for the plot indicating that the Queen of Crime relied on real criminals to recreate in fiction, something that some commentators complain that it is disrespectful for our contemporary authors to do. Anyway back to the plot, a closed room (or train) mystery featuring Poirot who just happens to be on the Orient Express on his way back to London from Istanbul to deal with an urgent matter, after all travelling days on a train was the response to something urgent in the 1930’s. Once aboard the train which is unusually full for the time of year Poirot is approached by a Mr Ratchett who tells him that his life is being threatened and he needs protection. Poirot having taken a dislike to the man while at the hotel in Istanbul declines to take on the job stating ‘I do not like your face Mr Ratchett. On the second night of the journey Mr Ratchett is stabbed to death and since the train is stuck in a snow-drift the Yugoslavian Police are unable to attend so it falls upon dear old Poirot to carry out the investigation.
The plot is peppered with clues and the characters each drawn to enhance the differences of culture and class so that the reader is easily able to follow the various suspects and their actions so that while the amateur sleuth is pitted against the far superior little grey cells of Poirot they still have a chance to solve the mystery, and what a mystery it is!
I love this book the plot is ingenious, the pace fast and the victim a man who is despised by all so not a moments sorrow is wasted upon the deceased instead the pleasurable seeking the clues and fitting them together into a fitting scenario but best of all is the ending where with all the travellers are called to the fine dining car as Poirot outlines two possibilities of what could conceivably explain what happened in carriage number 2, and I can’t imagine a more perfect finale. ...more
The Life I Left Behind is told from three different viewpoints; Melody who was attacked so badly she was in a coma for a while, now six years on her aThe Life I Left Behind is told from three different viewpoints; Melody who was attacked so badly she was in a coma for a while, now six years on her attacker has been released from prison, Eve who is dead and DI Victoria Rutter who is on the trail of Eve's killer.
Now I know that having a narration via a dead person isn't new, think Lovely Bones, but I do think this device needs to be handled carefully especially for those of us who are sceptical about the paranormal. So question number one: How well-integrated into the story is Eve? Answer: Extremely well, her narrative is key and while the reader isn't allowed to forget she is dead, she is one sassy ghost. Her character is not some whimsical, all-seeing apparition, she doesn't appear to others and nor does she dwell on where she is, but her narrative critical to the reader piecing together who killed her.
Detective Inspector Rutter is a mother, but one who has the support of her husband to bring up her two children while she concentrates her efforts on catching the man who killed Eve. A strong and tenacious woman she is also capable of admitting mistakes making her a truly likeable character. It is nice to have a fictional police officer who isn't overcoming some trauma or a complete maverick for a change!
So onto question two: Did I enjoy this book as much as Precious Thing? Answer: Yes, although this time I planned my reading time carefully so there was no need for cooking. The elements I enjoyed in Precious Thing are here too; truly likeable and authentic characters partnered with an enjoyable writing style. I love observational moments to lighten the moment when reading scary stuff and Colette McBeth has the balance just right. Along with this there is a proper puzzle for the readers to contemplate. Now I admit I'm not all that good at working out whodunit but I do read a lot of psychological fiction, I know how it works and I thought I had this one all sewn-up quite early on.
Question three: Did I spot the killer? Answer: No, as usual I was wrong and despite suspecting nearly everyone towards the end, even I can't delude myself that I was even close.
In answer to that final question: Do I recommend this book? Answer: If you love crime fiction, but don't want anything gruesome, you want a book with a great mix of characters and enjoy a book firmly rooted in the present then yes, this is a great book to gorge yourself on....more
I’ve been anticipating reading this book for an age, I have loved all Tana French’s previous books but this one truly surpasses them all. With most ofI’ve been anticipating reading this book for an age, I have loved all Tana French’s previous books but this one truly surpasses them all. With most of the action taking place in an exclusive girls boarding school, St Kilda’s, this is Mallory Towers for grown-ups and I loved it!
The main mystery is clear from the beginning when a Chris Harper from the neighbouring boy’s school is found dead in St Kilda’s grounds, the police interview everyone in the days following but have no suspects for the murder and the case is put on the back burner. All is quiet for the best part of a year until Holly Mackey takes a card to Detective Steve Moran with a picture of Chris and the words ‘I know who killed him� she had removed it from the secret place, a board at school where the girls could anonymously post their secrets. Steve Moran who was introduced in Faithful Place, has been working cold cases since then which he found interesting to begin with but his ambition is driving him onwards and as far as the detective is concerned, the pinnacle would be the murder squad.sees an opportunity to get in with the Murder Squad. Seizing the opportunity Steve talks his way into joining feisty Antoinette Conway who works on The Murder Squad to find out who put the card up. All too soon he finds himself immersed in the bewitching world of teenage girls, with a smattering of totes amazeballs, secret texts and alliances so strong that the girls appear welded together but, there is also a dark side, with a flash of the supernatural and rivalries that run deep. You really have to feel sorry for the poor man!
This is one of those books which had me totally immersed in the time and place, it is a long time since I was a teenage girl and Tana French perfectly captures the mixture of excitement and dread at a life full of possibilities lying ahead, the intensity of every moment and the longing to stand out from the crowd while in no way wanting to be on the outside. Even though I am not a fan of the supernatural, the few elements present in this book just about worked in this setting pushing into sharp relief the detective’s careful work to find out what happened on that fateful night.
The book is split between times, we meet Chris when he is alive, with a countdown of how many months, weeks and days he is going to live, a simple statement that didn’t lose its power to hit me in the solar plexus each time it appeared. The girls from St Kilda’s also take their turn at telling the tale against the backdrop of the investigation.
The plot is brilliant with the twists and turns keeping me guessing, torn between wanting to race through the book but holding back in case I missed a scrap of information that would hold the key to the mystery. I am pleased to report that the ending works well, this author hasn’t cheated us, the clues were all there revealed slowly but surely in amongst a whole bucketful of red-herrings.
If the plot was good as always Tana French has provided us with a superb cast of characters from the teenage girls to the nuns and head teacher Eileen McKenna, from Steve Moran to Mr Mackey, Holly’s detective father who is walking the tightrope between policeman and father all felt so real that I would swear I knew them. A mark indeed of a fantastic writer.
he Secret Place, as with the rest in the Dublin Murder Squad series, could be read as a standalone since only one character is followed on from one book to the next there are no important story arcs or previous details required, although of course I would suggest anyone who loves a good crime novel reads each and every one.
I’d like to thank the publishers Hodder & Stoughton for allowing me to read a copy of this book in return for this review....more
David Raker makes his fifth outing as the Private Investigator that locates missing people, a thorn in the side of the Metropolitan Police because altDavid Raker makes his fifth outing as the Private Investigator that locates missing people, a thorn in the side of the Metropolitan Police because although he normally finds what he is looking for it is done by playing by the rules, but now a member of the force is looking for his help in tracking down her father Leonard Franks.
The trail for Franks is set across Dartmoor where he and his wife Melanie moved to enjoy a retirement in an oasis of calm after years of top level policing in London. David Raker takes the case and sets about putting the meagre clues left behind to work out what had happened to a man who appears to have disappeared into thin air.
I have only read the third book in this series, Vanished, which I awarded five stars, and in the meantime I’d forgotten quite how much I enjoy the quality of Tim Weaver’s writing. As a reader I care about David Raker, the plot is full of twists and turns with danger appearing to lurk around every corner but at no point did I feel that the tale had veered off the path of reality. Don’t get me wrong, as in Vanished there are some characters that you wouldn’t want to meet in broad daylight, let alone on a dark night, but once unravelled their motives are understandable.
Underpinning this book are the secrets kept hidden along with relationships of almost every description: friends, colleagues, partners, parental and sibling and at no point do any of these feel out of place but instead add to the complexity of this novel.
To break up the current investigation into Franks death we are treated to some psych evaluations going back many years, the purpose of these isn’t immediately obvious but even while I was waiting for this to become clear they add to the feeling of menace that threads through this book.
This can be easily read as a stand-alone book, although like me, you may regret not reading the books in order as there was quite a big piece to the story arc that I missed by not reading the fourth book, Chasing the Dead. I am now going back to the beginning to read this set in order, the writing is too clever and too captivating for me to miss out on a single sentence of Tim Weaver’s writing, he has now sealed his position of an author whose books I need to read.
I want to say an enormous thank you to Penguin Books (UK) for giving me the opportunity to read this book in return for my honest opinion. Fall From Grace was published on 14 August 2014. ...more
Broadchurch aired as a British Crime drama in the UK in 2013, a labour of love from the creator, Chris Chibnall, who aim was to create a big ensemble Broadchurch aired as a British Crime drama in the UK in 2013, a labour of love from the creator, Chris Chibnall, who aim was to create a big ensemble drama which concentrated on what happens to a community when a death happens within its midst, particularly when that death is that of a child.
Set in Dorset the book starts with a brief introduction to the Latimer household along with the introduction to Detective Inspector Alec Hardy who has been relocated for mysterious reasons to Broadchurch where he now holds the position which Ellie Miller had hoped would be hers. With the death of Danny Latimer the whole town suspect each other of the murder while the police battle to find the truth and the media battle to tell the best story.
I think this is the first time that I have read a book based on a TV series, it usually works the other way around, and in the early chapters it did feel like a different type of reading experience and I could clearly imagine a silent shoot of a darkened town as the book opened.
Obviously this tale has an incredibly strong plot and what Erin Kelly has done is translate this into a great read, handling the sheer number of characters alone must have been quite a task and she does it magnificently. This is a clear-sighted read, with the language used to conjure up the fear in the town flawless, the grief of the Latimer’s acute and the actions of those with secrets to keep gently exposed. I’m fairly sure that the roots to the dry humour were present in the show but the author has managed to translate all those looks into inspired words which say so much There are so many themes of grief, secrets, love and trust that at times this was an emotional read, I have to confess shedding a few tears at one point which rarely happens when reading and it is even rarer while reading crime fiction. There really is something for everyone in this book as well as a being a big fat juicy whodunit.
This has my wholehearted recommendation, I will definitely make sure I watch the next series and for those of you who are Broadchurch aficionados apparently there is a clue to the second series early on it this book, I missed it but apparently if you know the show well there is a line that doesn’t fit.
I’d like to say an enormous thank you to The Little Brown Book Group UK for my copy of this book in return for my honest opinion; it’s a brilliant read! Broadchurch is due to be published on 14 August 2014 ...more
Liane Moriarty creates the most believable of characters even if those characters and these characters are built up in layers through their interactioLiane Moriarty creates the most believable of characters even if those characters and these characters are built up in layers through their interactions and the views of other observers; this is my favourite type of story-telling.
The story is set around Pirriwee Public School and in particular its fund-raising Trivia Night where someone is dead, but who is left unsaid. Mrs Ponder a kindly retired lady living close by heard the screams that ripped through the night air. Not only is the perpetrator a secret, we don’t know who died either so the mystery is two-fold. As those attending start to recount the months leading up to The Trivia Night to both journalists and police the finger is pointed squarely back to the kindergarten orientation day. Yes, you read that right the trail leads back to something that happened to poor five-year old Amabella, an assault where the aggressor was another five-year old.
This story is about bullies, but not you’ll be relieved to hear just about small children hitting each other; this book explores the degrees the adults in this book exert their power over each other. After the opening chapter where the scene is set the author takes us back to the orientation day, using the excerpts from the interviews and the narrative from the main protagonists: Jane, the single mother, Madeline who is loud and says what she thinks and the very beautiful but distracted Celeste. Unfortunately the group of middle-class women that run the PTA are instantly recognisable to anyone who has stepped into a school. Pretentious, competitive and bitchy is how I’d sum them up. But Liane Moriarty manages uses her witty dialogue to undermine them without being quite so direct.
The pace of the plot is addictive managed by lots of revelations as the veneer of the characters are stripped back to reveal more complexity than initially imagined. This is the second book this week where I have stayed up late to find out what happened next as I read just one more chapter!
Despite the children being the background to the plot their characters are distinct, this is not some amalgamation of a random children used for cute effect, they behave randomly as real children do including the teenage Alice who is Madeline’s eldest daughter.
Despite giving the previous books I have read by this author 5*’s this book surpasses them both and will be a book I recommend to everyone this summer as it has the right mix of the good read elements: drama, mystery, issues, characters and plot and no, I didn’t guess the ending, in fact I was way off!
I’d like to thank the publishers Penguin UK for allowing me to review a copy of this book ahead of the publication date of 31 July 2014.
Dr Kate Phillips is a psychologist who works with the Irish Police force assisting by providing profiles of suspects. If you like Criminal Minds, thisDr Kate Phillips is a psychologist who works with the Irish Police force assisting by providing profiles of suspects. If you like Criminal Minds, this series is so much better!
The introduction grabs you by the throat as it details a teenage girl giving birth to her baby in the wood. What happens within the first three pages is haunting and sets the chilling scene for the rest of the book.
In the present day an art dealer is found dead, brutally stabbed to death in a hotel room, his body arranged to mirror the Hangman from the tarot cards. Detective Mark Lynch is revelling in his position in charge when he calls Kate in to help out and she begins reading the crime scene examining it for insights into the killer’s mind.
I love Louise Phillips writing which switches between characters; we hear from a married woman devastated to find evidence on her husband’s computer which indicates that he is having an affair. She seeks the assistance of her close friends but becomes more afraid when items in her house are moved about. Kate Pearson gives us updates on the progression of the investigation while the killer is also allowed a voice which gives the reader clues about their identity but also the opportunity to see how good Kate is at her job.
In this book we have the contrast in life between rural Ireland, the more cosmopolitan Dublin and then the continent where Kate and DI O’Connor fly off to Paris to examine the death of a man involved in S&M. The distinction between the opulence of the dead man’s hotel room vying with that first scene as well as the artistic devices used by the killer to capture the right image both of herself and her victim are powerful in bringing the visual aspect to the written word.
I loved both the previous books in this series Red Ribbons and The Doll’s House and this book easily matches these two, and maybe even surpasses them in terms of the depth and complexity of the plot. This is a dark book with the inclusion of the S&M and Tarot cards so that when the killer and their motives are unmasked, it left me with a feeling of profound sadness, as if this were all somehow more than just fiction.
I'd like to thank the publishers Hachette for my copy of this book in return for this honest review...more
Sometimes you know a book is for you from the very first page and for me, this was one of those books.
Valentine’s Day 2012 was the date of Zach HopkinSometimes you know a book is for you from the very first page and for me, this was one of those books.
Valentine’s Day 2012 was the date of Zach Hopkins accident; tragically his car turned into a fire-ball after hitting a tree. It takes Lizzie a whole year before she is strong enough to visit the site of his death and his cottage in Cornwall. Reaching the tree which he’d hit with a bunch of flowers she notices another offering to Zach from Xenia, someone she has never heard of.
� and so the story begins. Told in the years running up to his death by Zach and in the present day by Lizzie, his widow. After finding the flowers Lizzie realises there was a lot about Zach that she didn’t know and when she starts her own investigations she realises there were far more gaps than she could have imagined. To make matters worse Lizzie is sure someone is following her and. Lizzie’s sister Peggy believes that this is because she is grieving, the problem was that Lizzie hadn’t been entirely honest with anyone before Zach’s death.
Sabine Durrant has created a truly terrifying character in Zach and Lizzie’s revelations about what life was like with her husband are all the more chilling because of the matter of fact way they are relayed. Zach’s own assessment of his relationship with Lizzie is even more disturbing. With Zach’s narrative echoing Lizzies many chapters later is an excellent device that allows the reader to see two sides of the same story without it appearing repetitive.
I rarely mention the ending of a book in my review because I don’t want to spoil the book for others but I’m going to break my own rules here by saying: the ending wasn’t what I expected but it wasn’t a disappointment either. That doesn’t give anything away as along the way there were enough twists and turns to make my head spin and I am notoriously bad at predictions!
I’d like to thank the publisher’s Hodder & Stoughton for allowing me to read this fantastic book for this unbiased, though glowing, review....more
Mia is in a bar, she’s been stood up by her boyfriend and then she is approached by a man, Colin Thatcher, she leaves with him but fairly quickly realMia is in a bar, she’s been stood up by her boyfriend and then she is approached by a man, Colin Thatcher, she leaves with him but fairly quickly realises that this could have been the worst decision of her life.
Not only is the story told in the first person by four different characters; Colin, Mia’s mother Eve, Detective Hoffman who is searching for her and Mia herself, the narratives also switch backwards and forwards and if that wasn’t enough to follow there is no warning when the narrative changes.
At first I found this style mildly off-putting but it has the effect of dragging you into the story, after all there is no reading to the end of the chapter in this book because there are no chapters; just one swirling narrative backwards and forwards. In the hands of a less accomplished writer this style of writing could easily have turned into a disaster but I loved it. Colin’s was by far the most compelling of the narrators but all shine a light on different aspects of the tale.
Beneath the main plot there are prosaic truths some often repeated: ‘You can’t judge a book by its cover� others dealing with the nature of complicated relationships. Mia’s with her parents, Colin with his mother and Eve’s with her husband, Judge James Dennett all of which pull the plot in different directions as the reader considers what is known at any given point.
This is one of those books where I got to the end and wanted to reread it again to see how it reads once you know the main point, I didn’t but I think this one will be re-read because I think what is beneath the surface of this book is as important as the plot.
This is a cracking debut and I look forward to more from Mary Kubica in the future.
I received my copy of this book from the publishers, Harlequin UK in return for my honest review....more
Maeve Kerrigan is back and if like me you were eagerly awaiting this episode, you won’t be disappointed. If you haven’t read any of this series yet, yMaeve Kerrigan is back and if like me you were eagerly awaiting this episode, you won’t be disappointed. If you haven’t read any of this series yet, you are missing out.
Jane Casey’s books contain a superb array of complex characters, not for her the caricature of a policeman (or woman), mother, schoolteacher or member of a gun club. No, instead the characters have layers, even Josh Derwent, Maeve’s superior officer, who spends most of his time being the most obnoxiously sexist man you’d ever have the misfortune to spend time with, turns everything on its head with a kind word or action where you’d least expect it. Maeve, is a real woman too. Yes she is brave but she has a loving side, she is a good counter-balance to Josh and I love her put-downs, particularly when suffixed with ‘Sir�!
Not only does The Kill have the wonderful array of characters, including those from the previous books but it also has a plot that feels current and fresh. The Police are being targeted by an unknown assassin and the media aided and abetted by a politician trying to make a name for himself are keen to point out that the Metropolitan Police have bought this on themselves when they shot and killed an innocent boy. The boys mother provides a dignified display and brief sound bites to the press, pleading for peace on the streets of London. Jane Casey is careful to give her reader the references to connect to the story, most notably the riots in England in 2011, without ramming the point home. For those of us that watched those very real incidents unfold, that is all that is needed to connect to the fear of what would happen if lawlessness was allowed to go unchecked for any length of time.
But this is fiction, and Josh and Maeve are working, along with the rest of the team, to put the pieces together and find the killer and in the best tradition of a good story, just as you thought it had all been worked out there are some more loose ends to tie up!
I have found all the books in this series compulsive reading, the pace is just right, although like me you may need to forgo so sleep or suffer a racing heart as the killing escalates and the violence seems unstoppable. All this is softened with by the perfect ratio of Police work to personal life, moving the story forward while giving the reader more than just endless action scenes.
If this series has passed you by you should start with the first book The Burning because although this could be read as a stand-alone you will miss out on some of the great story arcs....more
This, the third in the Alice Quentin series has our protagonist leaving Guy’s to carry out a study of psychopaths at Northwood. She is leaving London This, the third in the Alice Quentin series has our protagonist leaving Guy’s to carry out a study of psychopaths at Northwood. She is leaving London and her work with the Metropolitan Police as an advisor following the trauma of her last case with them, A Killing of Angels.
This book has a very strong story-line which links the present crimes to those committed by infamous Louis Kinsella who had killed young girls years previously and was the subject of renowned psychologist Alan Nash’s published study. In the present day a killer is pursuing young girls and presenting them in cardboard coffins dressed up in a Victorian white dress as were worn by the foundlings who were taken into the Foundling Hospital in London, before sending Louis Kinsella a token in a macabre imitation of the tokens originally given to the children by those families who hoped to reclaim their children when the hospital originally opened. As in the previous books in this series The Crossbones Yard and A Killing of Angels our protagonist’s character is well-defined and likeable. Alice’s family is still the backdrop to the main plot but continues to give the reader an insight into her beginnings and why she sometimes reacts the way she does. The other characters are also realistic, obviously readers of the whole series will have already met DCI Don Burns but there are also a whole host of new characters to get to know and to confuse the investigation.
The plot is well thought out, the whodunit had me totally fooled although in no way undermined by the preceding story. With a pace that is swift but not so much so that this feels like there is too much packed into the story and despite the harrowing story-line none it is not gruesome. I like the fact that as in Crossbones Yard the story links back to historical fact. Alice visiting the exhibitions at the Foundling Museum had the hair on the back of my neck standing on end because this part is not a story, it really happened. To add the feeling of claustrophobia and horror England is gripped in the midst of a snowy winter and it is testament to the author’s skill in that I felt chilled to the bone.
I’m sure this book would read well as a standalone book as there is no complex story arc. This is my favourite book of the series mainly because of the link to the historical background and I have my fingers crossed that Kate Rhodes has another book in the pipeline.
I’d like to thank the publishers Hodder & Stoughton who gave me a copy of this book in return for my honest review. The Winter Foundlings was published on 14 August 2014...more
The opening chapter foretells the end by detailing a life-sentence for murder, the mystery of the book is what happened? How does a neighbourhood frieThe opening chapter foretells the end by detailing a life-sentence for murder, the mystery of the book is what happened? How does a neighbourhood friendship degenerate to such a level?
On the day Martha Frazer moved into Mulberry Close, Jennie, her neighbour was captivated this heavily pregnant and full of life young woman. After all Jennie had been the first occupant of Mulberry Close, an aspirational group of executive lodges, close to what soon becomes a sink estate, has already assumed a territorial attitude. As the two women got on with their lives first as wives, and then as mothers, Martha with her large group of friends and laissez-fait attitude appears to be everything Jennie is not, but nevertheless the two women’s lives soon become intertwined.
Told in alternating chapters each picking up the narrative by using the last line of the previous chapter to start the next
‘And I think she never learned how to love.�
Although the words used are the same, the meaning behind them illustrates the completely different outlook on life that the two women have.
As the book isn’t told in chronological order, the reader will soon be in no doubt that Jennie’s early admiration for the laid-back Martha soon turned to jealousy and obsession, but then, Martha’s life isn’t the trouble-free existence that Jennie believes it is either. The tension is raised by the fact that everything described is only too believable, the children playing together whilst their mothers exchange confidences over a glass of wine. Petty childhood arguments diffused by fraught mothers while something dark bubbles beneath the surface. Shared holidays with other friends which only serve to highlight not only the difference between the parents but also their offspring, all the while Martha’s attitude fluctuates between sympathy and frustrations with her neighbour.
This review has my firm recommendation for any lover of psychological thrillers in a domestic setting. If you want to ponder, as I did, what would I do? Well this is the book for you. Without a doubt this is one of the darkest of any of the domestic dramas I have read. ...more
Loading...
