Book #24 Little Boy Blue

Little Boy Blue by M.J. Arlidge
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This is the fifth book in the DI Helen Grace series; I have read them all and enjoyed every one. Grace is different - she continues to lead a double life that must remain secret. She is no stranger to sadomasochism, a characteristic that I have found unpleasant at times for a serving detective inspector. The plot unfolds against the sleazy background of BDSM practiced in Southampton - Grace's patch. And when a body is found in a Southampton nightclub Grace finds herself perilously close to her private life unwinding. When the killer strikes again Helen finds herself at odds with her team of officers. Tempers flare and friendships fray. Developments are too close to Grace's private world and there are those who would love to see her disgraced, not least her protagonist, Emilia Garanita, crime journalist at the Evening News.

Arlidge uses short chapters to maintain a relentless pace throughout and the ending will leave you hanging and gasping. Oh no! Thank goodness that DI Helen Grace is due to return in September 2016 in 'Hide and Seek'. I can't wait...

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Book #23 Black Eyed Susans

Black-Eyed Susans by Julia Heaberlin
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This is a beautifully crafted and brilliantly conceived thriller about one woman’s fight against relentless evil. It’s 1995 - Tessie Cartwright is a healthy, happy 16 year old star of her High School track team. She is abducted near her home in Fort Worth and more than 30 hours later she awakes, battered and torn, partially buried in a field carpeted with Black-eyed Susans (I had no idea this was a flower and couldn’t help continually thinking about Black-eyed Peas for some reason). Sharing her ‘grave’ are a dead college student and the bones of two other victims.

Tessie tells her story in alternating past and present chapters that describe two points in her life: as a teenager in the months leading up to the trial of Terrell Goodwin, the man accused of abducting her and killing the others; and as a 34 year old, using her grown up name Tessa, resuming her story as Goodwin faces his long-delayed execution….

And that’s enough of the plot. There is much more to it. The pace is perfect, the last 50 pages or so left me breathless. Certainly one of the best books I have read this year. Don’t miss it.

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Book #22 The Shepherd's Life: A Tale of the Lake District

The Shepherd's Life: A Tale of the Lake District by James Rebanks
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I was born in the country, in the county of Kent. I spent most of my early school holidays on my uncle's farm. I am a countryman at heart. I realise now though, that I knew little about sheep farming. James Rebanks does, as did his father and his grandfather and generations before them. The Shepherd's Life is a book about continuity and roots and a sense of belonging. It is a beguiling story told by a remarkable man. A story of the seasons, of hardship, of determination against the elements and describes in vivid prose the hard labour of a shepherd's life. It made me look at the countryside differently through the eyes of a man who loves his way of life. It is Rebanks' autobiography about himself, his family, the hills and the fells of the Lake District. it is beautifully written, unsentimental, vivid, profound, outstanding.

If you have even a passing interest in the countryside and the farming community you should read this glorious book.

I loved it. I am sure I will read it again.

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Oliver at 15

Cats have been an integral part of our lives for forty years or so. Many have come and gone during that time. They have all brought joy to our lives. So many fond memories - much heartache over those who have gone. We have just two now. Oliver and Riley. Today is Oliver's 15th birthday and he has shared our lives for 14½ years since we rescued him at just 6 months old. He is a gentle, loving individual and begins to show his age...

Oliver's soulmate, Bertie, died last August, aged  a few days short of 15½. Oliver was inconsolable. They had been together for all of Oliver's life. I know he still misses him as we do. So, today is a special day and I hope, Oliver, that we will share many more birthdays. And try and excuse Riley for being so boisterous. He is only 3½....

Love you to bits....

Book #21 The Girl in the Red Coat

The Girl in the Red Coat by Kate Hamer
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I am emotionally drained after reading The Girl in the Red Coat. I couldn't wait to finish it. For all the wrong reasons. I wanted it to be over; to move on to something else. Compelled to finish and at times wondering why. Another plot about an abducted child - 8 year old Carmel. Thought to be endowed with the gift of healing. Snatched from under her mother's nose, Beth, by a man who professes to be her grandfather, but isn't, and later identified as a religious fanatic, who sees in Carmel a means to make money using her "special gift". Some of the plot is preposterous. Too many unanswered questions. Snatched from Norfolk, a few chapters later, we find Carmel in the USA. An eight year old girl, no passport, smuggled into America through the most rigorous immigration process I know and she has no memory of how she got there. And the author doesn't tell us.

I am not going to dwell further on the plot; other reviewers have done that, but for me it gets bogged down in the middle. The constant switching between chapters from the voice of Carmel to the voice of the desperate mother Beth. Compelling at first, tiresome at last. I found myself saying - good grief, how much longer? And yet, for all that, I had to finish it quickly. The ending, after the prolonged story line, came all too quickly, in a matter of ten pages or so and still left much unanswered.

This is probably a good read to get you through a long flight but it left me feeling rather disappointed, having read so much hype about this book, shortlisted for the Costa Book Awards.

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Book #20 The Little Shop of Happy Ever After

The Little Shop of Happy Ever After by Jenny Colgan
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I have never taken much notice of the moniker - Chick-lit. Ever heard of Bloke-lit? No, neither have I. But the label Chick-lit probable puts off a lot of men from reading them and that's a pity. I came across Jenny Colgan's work through the pages of a Rosie Hopkins story and I was hooked. This latest offering from Jenny is just as enjoyable. I love books (don't we all?), I love people who love books and I have a certain envy of those who own and run a bookshop. So, how about a mobile bookshop?

Nina Redmond is 29 years old. The library where she works is to be closed, like so many, and Nina finds herself facing a bleak future in Birmingham where she lives. The library services are to be compressed into the centre of town where they would become a 'hub' with a 'multimedia experience zone'. Ugh! Not for Nina who is caught looking at adverts for large vans for sale, by her friend Griffin. A mobile bookshop? Why the hell not? There are thousands of books available as the library is closing. The snag though is that the van that really catches Nina's eye is in Scotland...

And thereby lies the tale of another delicious read from Jenny Colgan. What's not to like about a bibliophile selling books from a van, following her trials and tribulations and her love life, as it is, in the Highlands? Curl up in front of the fire with a cup of tea (OK, a single malt felt more appropriate) and enjoy this story that makes you feel warm inside.

I loved it.

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Shetland Series 3 on BBC

I am just one of many fans of the Shetland series of books written by the author Ann Cleeves. Of the six books that so far comprise this series, four have been adapted for television by BBC scriptwriters. These episodes that made up series 1 and 2 loosely followed the plots in Ann's books, although on one occasion they decided to change the identity of the murderer. Only scriptwriters in their infinite wisdom get away with this. For all that the first two series were enjoyable; the main characters known to all readers were there: DI Jimmy Perez, DS Alison McIntosh, DC Sandy Wilson, Sgt Billy McBride and Fiscal Rhona Kelly. Two books have not been adapted for TV and Ann is in the throes of writing book #7 entitled 'Earth to Earth'. She herself has said: "The TV adaptations are very often very different from the books - the scriptwriters cut some characters and add others, cut big chunks of plot and sometimes they even change the murderer!" 

So, I have watched Shetland series 3 to its conclusion with both dismay and anger. This series is only based on characters created by Ann Cleeves. It is not remotely based on any book. It created plot lines that are irreversible and clearly pay no heed to the fact that Ann is writing a 7th book. The programme includes the gratuitous and totally unnecessary rape of DS Tosh McIntosh, who come the end hands in a transfer request, to leave Lerwick (Shetland). This single act will have a cataclysmic affect on the 7th book that Cleeves is writing. You cannot undo something that has appeared on TV and will remain in the minds of all her fans who have read her books and await the next with great anticipation. Did the scriptwriters consult with Cleeves over the outcome of TV series 3? Would she have agreed to this horrible development? I think not. How can any reader now look forward to book #7 with great anticipation having watched this travesty of television? Can Cleeves' 7th book in the series adopt the happenings of this latest TV series or will she just ignore them?

I can only wait now until October when book #7 is expected to be published. But this latest TV airing has left a bad taste....

  

Book #19 The Bones of You

The Bones of You by Debbie Howells
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

For a debut psychological thriller/whodunnit author Debbie Howells has certainly left the blocks full tilt. The Bones of You is an accomplished first book. I seldom get through with a 370 page read in two days. It speaks volumes for my overall enjoyment and yet hides a level of irritation that developed as I progressed with it.

When eighteen-year-old Rosanna (Rosie) Anderson disappears, the idyllic village where she lived will never be the same again. Local gardener Kate is struck with guilt. She had come to know Rosie well, and thought she understood her – perhaps better even than Rosie’s own mother. Rosanna dies before we meet her, right there on page 2. Every alternate chapter belongs to the voice of Rosie who spills clues to her attacker like confetti. And whilst I raced to finish this book it was this plot structure that began to annoy me. It went on just a little too long.

A dark side of suburban England is very well portrayed. Rosie came from a loving family and she had her whole life ahead of her. Who could possibly want to harm her? And why? The clues are there and I did figure out the identity of her killer well before the end. This did not however spoil the enjoyment; I had to get to the end to be sure.

The Bones of You is well worth a read despite that little irritation I referred to. Give it a go.

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Book #18 Orkney & Shetland Islands Focus Guide 2nd Edition

Orkney & Shetland Islands Focus Guide, 2nd by Alan Murphy
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I guess that a travel guide is not intended to be read from cover to cover. But, I have and it required a lot of patience as the typeface is so small! The publishers have managed to cram each small page (18x11cm) with around 680 words. The content is certainly informative and provides most of what you need to know to enjoy a visit to these Northern Isles. This Footprint guide contains no pictures apart from a few maps, which is another disappointment.

Despite my 3 Star rating I shall carry the book with me on my visit to Shetland in May. At least it's pocket sized and lightweight!

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