Book #88 The Salmon Who Dared to Leap Higher

The Salmon Who Dared to Leap Higher by Ahn Do-hyun
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

A gentle, heartfelt fable for our time. Ahn Do-hyun is a multi-million copy bestselling, award-winning Korean poet. Told through the eyes and the heart of Silver Salmon as a shoal cross the great ocean towards their spawning grounds on the Green River, facing the dangers of humankind, not just from net fishing and fish eagles but the pollution of river water caused by man. He falls in love with a female: ”My name is Clear-Eyed Salmon”. The salmon will swim upstream to the place of their birth to spawn, and then to die. A tale about aching and ardent love as Silver Salmon and Clear-Eyed Salmon pursue their dream, to swim upstream, to leap high over rapids, to continue the existence of their species.

To those who believe hope and love still exist in this world - this book is for you.

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Book #87 Murder on Christmas Eve

Murder on Christmas Eve: Classic Mysteries for the Festive Season by Cecily Gayford
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Perfect for this time of year. Ten stories edited by Cecily Gayford, not all include a murder I should add. My favourites are The Trinity Cat by Ellis Peters, about a cat that knows who killed its owner (perfect for any cat lover!), A Wife in a Million by Val McDermid, a rather chilling story told in just sixteen pages, As Dark as Christmas Gets by Lawrence Block, masterful tale about a missing manuscript told in forty pages and No Sanity Clause by Ian Rankin.

This collection of tales probably would not have the same impact if read at any other time of year. They all feature Christmas Eve. Perhaps get yourself a copy for Christmas 2018, then….

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Book #86 The Hazel Wood

The Hazel Wood by Melissa Albert
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

This has confirmed that I should be more circumspect in the ARCs I accept to read. The Hazel Wood was not for me. Unfathomable, well almost. Is this a dark fairy story, a story within a fairy story, is it supernatural, is it ”an unfathomable vastness, like lentils scattered through ashes”?

I can say it’s about seventeen-year-old Alice and her mother Ella, spending life on the road, no permanent abode, habitually having to avoid bad luck - until Ella is taken - to the Hazel Wood, the Hinterland? The abode of Alice’s recently deceased grandmother, author of supernatural fairy stories, Tales from The Hinterland. Her mother leaves behind a message for Alice: Stay away from the Hazel Wood. But, like a magnet, the Hazel Wood pulls Alice into a nightmare world of dark characters and monsters, stories within stories, as Alice seeks her mother. It’s all rather bewildering.

One character says to Alice: ”The quickest way to end this is to begin it, and that’s no way to start, is it?” Well, I rather wish I hadn’t. I struggled to finish The Hazel Wood, almost abandoned it, several times. Not my cup of tea at all.

I must still thank NetGalley and Penguin Random House for the opportunity to read this ARC.

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Book #85 The Woman In The Window

The Woman in the Window by A.J. Finn
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

With thanks to NetGalley and HarperCollins UK for this ARC of The Woman In The Window.

I had heard so much about this book by A.J. Finn; so much praise from highly regarded authors including Stephen King ”unputdownable”, Val McDermid ”twisted to the power of max” - such comments I often ignore. How wrong can I be?! WOW!…

Without a moments hesitation let me say that The Woman In The Window is a read-in-one-sitting-book. No doubt. I know. Half way through I was faced with the distraction of meeting good friends for drinks and dinner. That’s the evening gone I thought. I almost cancelled, to my shame. I didn’t. My wife and I got back home at 10:30pm. I picked up where I left off and read into the early hours. (I still count this as a one-sitting-read. It would have been if an evening out hadn’t interrupted). I could not read fast enough! Page turning in a blur. Pulse racing. Short chapters racking up the unbearable tension. The first reveal, when it comes, smacks you in the face! Everything you thought you knew turned on its head… as Dr Anna Fox haunts the rooms of her old New York house that she hasn’t left for ten months, suffering with agoraphobia. And for understandable reasons. Separated from her husband and daughter, a separation that is heartbreaking. Anna is just too terrified to step outside. Uses her Nikon camera watching her neighbours, through her window, particularly the Russells, on the face of it a happy family of three and a reminder of what once was hers. And then…

The scream. It hurtles across the silence and Anna witnesses something - dreadful. What to do? Does she report what she has seen? Given her state of mind will anyone, including the police, believe her? Can she uncover the truth? Can she believe herself?

Haunting, harrowing, creepy, frightening - the last sixty pages or so are a real white-knuckle ride, really left me stunned and breathless. As Ruth Ware said: ”Hitchcock would have snapped up the rights in a heartbeat”. There is no doubt about that!

My thriller of the year…


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Book #84 The Heart's Invisible Furies

The Heart's Invisible Furies by John Boyne
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

My thanks to NetGalley and Random House UK Transworld for my ebook copy of The Heart’s Invisible Furies.

The Heart’s Invisible Furies by John Boyne is the best book I have read this year, one of my all time best, featuring alongside Birdsong by Sebastian Faulks and An Equal Music by Vikram Seth. It is that good. A novel that spans seven decades, a tapestry of social and political events in post-war Ireland. A tale of one man seeking happiness, looking for his true self in a country beset by the Catholic church, moral hypocrisy and sexual repression. One man - Cyril Avery.

Who is Cyril Avery? Adopted at birth in 1945 by Charles and Maude Avery his adoptive parents who persist in telling him he is not a real Avery and never will be. Despite this he is well looked after and cared for by the wealthy Averys. He was born out of wedlock to a teenage girl cast out from her rural Irish community. Cyril has no idea who his birth mother is. Cyril will spend a lifetime seeking an identity, a journey that will take him to many countries over his three score years and ten when happenstance will feature so often. The reader knows what Cyril doesn’t. Throughout, this results in passages of belly-laughing hilarity and heartbreaking moments that reduced me to tears.

This is the story of Ireland from the 1940s to today through the eyes of one ordinary man. It has made me laugh out loud and well up with tears, often on the same page. it reminds us of the redemptive power of the human spirit. The Heart’s Invisible Furies is a joy to read, a treasure, near six hundred pages of perfection.

I loved this book and have been fortunate enough to obtain the hardback edition signed by the author. A wonderful keepsake.


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Book #83 A Maigret Christmas

A Maigret Christmas by Georges Simenon
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I received with thanks a pdf for Kindle from NetGalley, which should contain three stories. For some inexplicable reason the file I opened contained only the first story - A Maigret Christmas - that I am happy to review as I enjoyed it so much. Just a pity that I did not get to read the other two.

”It wasn’t snowing. It was ridiculous for a man of more than fifty to go on being disappointed that there was no snow on Christmas morning…” Maigret and his wife are spending a quiet Christmas at their apartment in Paris, in Boulevard Richard-Lenoir. Christmas morning they exchange presents: “A pipe for him as usual. For her, the latest model of a brand of electric coffee-maker which she had wanted plus, to remain true to tradition, a dozen finely embroidered handkerchiefs.” A cosy start to Christmas day - what could possibly go wrong. Georges Simenon was a master at creating an intriguing plot from everyday occurrences.

Maigret is rather taken aback when two women, who live in an apartment across the boulevard, come calling - on Christmas morning. Mademoiselle Doncoeur and Madame Martin are perplexed. Martin is looking after her niece, Colette (since Colette’s mother died). Colette told M Martin that she saw Father Christmas in her bedroom, in the early morning hours, looking in a hole in the floor. Put a finger over his mouth and “Sshhh” before leaving. The two women have no idea who he might have been but are nonetheless - concerned…

How do you take such a minor, albeit intriguing, event and create a tale of thrilling complexity? Simenon knew how. He did it with A Maigret Christmas. How the storyline unravels is mystery writing at its best - a delight to read.

I loved it.

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Book #82 A Map of The Dark

A Map of the Dark by Karen Ellis
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

My thanks to NetGalley and Hodder & Stoughton, Mulholland Books for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Is this the first in a new series perhaps? It bears all the hallmarks and the notes do say a thrilling new FBI series…

A Map of The Dark introduces FBI agent Elsa Myers. An agent with a troubled past, a past riven by physical abuse from her mother. Elsa specialises in finding people. Detective Lex Cole asks specifically for Elsa to help find a missing seventeen-year-old girl. He knows of her reputation. Their investigation indicates the work of a ‘repeater’; other girls are known to have gone missing.

This is a slow starter; indeed the first seventeen chapters or so look back on Elsa’s early years and that of her sister - an abusive mother and a hapless father, Roy. The mother is now dead and Roy is dying from cancer. Perhaps rather too much of the story is spent on providing this background. (A protagonist with a similar past to that of DI Helen Grace…) But then, Chapter eighteen onward and suddenly the brakes are off…

A Map of The Dark becomes a helter-skelter ride, the chapters shorten, the pace quickens - often no time to catch ones breath. The plot becomes dark and disturbing as the investigating team race to find the missing girls before it’s too late.

And there is a twist in the tale that is not entirely unforeseen but completes a darned good thriller.


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Book #81 The Crow Road

The Crow Road by Iain Banks
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

My thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for this free e-book of the 25th Anniversary Edition of The Crow Road.

Prior to this I had read just one book by Iain Banks - Raw Spirit, In Search of the Perfect Dram. The Crow Road is a revelation, first published in 1992 and contemporaneous with that time. A great panoply of a story, a lengthy tale, a huge canvas covering the trials and tribulations of the McHoan family, narrated for the most part by Prentice McHoan, who has returned to the bosom of his Scottish family in Gallanach.

”It was the day my grandmother exploded. I sat in the crematorium, listening to my Uncle Hamish quietly snoring in harmony to Bach’s Mass in B Minor…” A riveting start to a story, indeed!

Warm, funny, enchanting, poignant - the scope of The Crow Road is complex, telling the tale of the McHoan family - past present and future. A tale of unrequited love, a man preoccupied with death, sex, drink, God and illegal substances. There are passages that had me shaking with laughter; stuck in the mind, had me laughing out loud hours after reading them. Yes, it’s that good! With a satisfying mystery that Prentice is determined to solve, with unexpected consequences.

Bearing in mind that The Crow Road was published twenty-five years ago it still reads as a contemporary tale, although any background events take place in the 80s and 90s.

The Crow Road is considered by many to be Banks’ finest novel.

I loved it.


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Book #80 Green Hell

Green Hell: A Jack Taylor Novel by Ken Bruen
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Jack Taylor #11. Devoured in one sitting. Cannot remember the last time I did that. That is three JTs back-to-back. KB completely wrong footed me at the end of number 10. Learning that in number 11 was something of a relief.

This is an avalanche of a book, thudding, staccato paced, page turner in Ken Bruen's sharp prose. Jack's friends are gone and he has, once again, given in to his addictions. He still maintains a sense of justice; takes up a vigilante case against a professor of literature who has a very nasty habit... rescues an American student from street thugs, encounters Emerald, an edgy young woman - Goth in the wind - and does what Jack does - remorselessly - fuelled with the black and a large Jay...

I love this series.

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Book #79 Purgatory

Purgatory by Ken Bruen
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

To quote Samuel Beckett: "It's quite a good idea: when words fail you, you can fall back on silence."

Words fail me. I thought, having read nine Jack Taylor books, that nothing worse could befall our dark protagonist. 'You don't want to meet Jack Taylor in person, ever, but if you're a big crime fan, you do want to read every book he features in'. IRISH TIMES. Well, I do - and I am...

Jack has had more than his share of ill-fortune. But this? How will Jack survive the carnage? What carnage you might ask? I cannot say, do not want to spoil a story line that has run for years and finally sees Jack caught between Heaven and Hell. Had been back on the wagon. Clean - for a few months. But then. Purgatory. A killer is writing to Jack, signing with the name C33. Read your Oscar Wilde, have you? No matter... might be relevant, though... The killer is removing scum off the streets of Galway: a drug-pusher, a rapist, a loan shark. The Garda aren't interested in these vigilante attacks. Neither is Jack until his friend Stewart gets drawn in. Taylor has no choice... justice is rarely delivered through ordinary channels...

Who is Reardon? A charismatic billionaire buying up much of Galway. Wants Jack on board. Huh? And Jack is beguiled by Reardon's assistant, Kelly. Look into her eyes though, Jack. What do you really see?

And then, Ken Bruen, you lead the reader to the darkest of places - developments that left me speechless. My worst fears, there - on the page. Stunned..

And compelled to read on - #11 Green Hell - it cannot get any worse for Jack. Can it?

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Book #78 Headstone

Headstone by Ken Bruen
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Back to black - and a Jay. Back to Jack Taylor; cannot stay away for long, Jack.

'Pick battles big enough to matter, small enough to win.' Irish saying, appropriate for Taylor who often bites off more than he can chew. A group called Headstone, enough to terrify Jack, this manifestation of pure evil. Who are these monsters who beat up an elderly priest. A special needs boy is brutally attacked. They appear to have an agenda as their violent spree spreads through Galway.

Jack needs to act, needs to fight back, needs to settle a score after he is ruthlessly disfigured by 'Bine' who controls Headstone. And Jack will cross the line... contacts a serious hard case named Kosta, a man completely at ease with violence for whom Jack had done a major service in the past. "I need a Mossberg pump" (not exactly something you can ring up Tesco and order.) No hesitation: : "Give me your address, I'll swing by round seven".

Jack's kind of guy....

All hell is going to break loose...

Headstone/Jack Taylor #9 - innovative noir at its best. A relentlessly paced page turner from the get go. Ken Bruen does it for me...



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Book #77 The House at Sea's End

The House at Sea's End: The Dr Ruth Galloway Mysteries 3 by Elly Griffiths
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This really is an excellent series; Elly Griffiths has pulled off another gripping mystery featuring her protagonist Dr. Ruth Galloway and the impatient and quick-tempered DCI Harry Nelson. Apart from the intriguing plot there are threads running through this series (this is #3) that are tantalising; but I cannot mention them for fear of spoiling the ongoing drama for anyone who has not yet embarked on this journey set on the eerie landscape of the Norfolk coast.

Bones unearthed at the foot of a north Norfolk cliff; the skeletons might have lain there since the Second World War - has a dreadful crime been concealed all these years? As events unfurl it becomes evident that someone wants the truth of the past to stay buried when a body washes up on the beach. Does the owner of Sea's End House know something, or a member of his family?

The characters already seem like old friends: Michelle Nelson, wife of Harry and a dedicated wife and mother; Michael Malone (aka Cathbad), born in Ireland, raised as a Catholic and now thinks of himself as a Druid and shaman; Shona Maclean, one of Ruth's closest friends and a lecturer in English Literature and Phil Trent, Ruth's head of department at the University of North Norfolk.

The ending once again is unbearably tense and that last, short paragraph - another cliffhanger - a real teaser! Guaranteed to make you read on in the series. I am waiting for numbers 4, 5 and 6 to arrive from Waterstones....

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Book #76 The Janus Stone

The Janus Stone: The Dr Ruth Galloway Mysteries 2 by Elly Griffiths
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This is fast becoming one of my favourite series. OK, I've only read two so far! Which leaves six to go...

Clever and intelligent murder stories with likeable characters. Dr. Ruth Galloway is vulnerable and engaging. As a forensic archaeologist she finds herself embroiled in police investigations almost by accident. At the request of DCI Harry Nelson. As in #1, bones have been found, on this occasion at a Victorian house in Norwich, which is being demolished by builders to make way for a luxury apartment development. The skeleton appears to be that of a young child - minus the skull. How long has it been there? Could it be hundreds of years old or much more recent? The house was once a children's home and Nelson learns from the priest who used to run it that two children did go missing forty years ago - a boy and girl who have never been found.

As the investigation gathers pace sinister events occur; someone wants to put Ruth and Nelson off the scent, the scent of a long forgotten crime, events that put Ruth's life in danger.

Superstition and myth, Druid worship, Roman gods, forensic archaeology woven into a superb crime story set in the wild and bleak area of North Norfolk and another breathless and gripping climax that had my pulse racing once again. And that signature Elly Griffiths' cliffhanger of an ending. I am well and truly hooked. Number 3 it is then....

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Book #75 The Sacrifice Box

The Sacrifice Box by Martin Stewart
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

With thanks to Penguin Random House and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this ARC.

Hmmm. Clearly aimed at a young readership, nevertheless I accepted the invitation to read The Sacrifice Box enticed by the considerable hype about the book. First off, for me, there is some ambiguity about the location. Definitely on an island, New York City is mentioned but I was puzzled by references where price is mentioned in Pounds Sterling - £1.70 for example. Martin Stewart is a native of Glasgow, Scotland; why would he set his story in the USA?

Sep, Arkle, Mack, Lamb and Hadley. Five youngsters on their own rite of passage. Doing what young folk do, one long, hot summer when they stumble across a stone box hidden in the forest and for some reason they decide to make a sacrifice to the box, something pertinent to each of them, that should stay in the box forever, like an old, stuffed teddy-bear:

They make a pact:

never return to the box at night;
never visit it alone;
never take back their offerings.

Four years later their ‘friendship’ has drifted, they have pretty much forgotten about the box, until…. someone has broken the pact… Horrifying events start to occur, their sacrifices come back to haunt them with terrifying consequences. Perhaps they weren’t the first children to come across the box…

SPOILER ALERT

There are moments of humour particularly with Arkle’s dialogue. But… I struggled to persevere with a plot that contains so much violence to animals. Zombie animals for goodness sake? Much of this I found most distasteful. Maybe I am too sensitive, but considering the book’s target audience, I don’t think so.

2.5 stars from me.

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Book #74 White Bodies

White Bodies by Jane Robins
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

With thanks to Harlequin UK and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review, to follow on publication date, 28th December.

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Book #73 The Mysterious Affair at Styles

The Mysterious Affair at Styles by Agatha Christie
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

If I have read The Mysterious Affair at Styles before I really don't recall the occasion. The Christie book that introduces the famous Belgian detective Hercule Poirot was first published in January 1921 and in the original manuscript, Poirot gives his explanation of the crime from the witness box during the trial. The publisher, John Lane, opined that this courtroom scene was not convincing and he requested that she amend it. Christie agreed to a rewrite. The explanation of the crime remains the same where Poirot unveils the murderer in the drawing room of Styles in the kind of dénouement that would be replicated in many later books. This edition of The Mysterious Affair at Styles is the first to restore Christie's original unpublished courtroom ending to her book. Was John Lane right in insisting on a rewrite? Well, the reader has the opportunity to decide as both versions of chapter 12 "The Last Link" are included in this new edition. A unique edition and a definite keeper for me.

TMAAS is a very well contrived, skilful tale - full of surprises as Hercule Poirot uses his little grey cells and powers of detection to find out who poisoned the wealthy Emily Inglethorp. How did the murderer penetrate and escape from her locked bedroom? And the amiable Captain Hastings is on the scene to help (or one might muse - hinder!).

If you haven't read TMAAS and you enjoy a classic whodunit, treat yourself to a copy of this unique edition. It is worth adding that I bought my copy from Amazon USA as it is in America that this edition is published by William Morrow.

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Book #72 The Crossing Places

The Crossing Places by Elly Griffiths
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I have rather lost count of how many 'series' I subscribe to. I am always in catch up mode! The Crossing Places came as a recommendation - something different - a forensic archeologist, Dr Ruth Galloway an inspired creation. I was not aware that this is just #1 in a series currently numbering eight! Another series added to the ever lengthening TBR list...

Ruth Galloway is a very likeable protagonist; not only because she likes books and cats (good enough for me); she is not the stereotypical character - rather overweight, no eye for fashion, down-to-earth and living in an isolated cottage on the edge of the North Norfolk Saltmarsh - a bleak, rather menacing location where the sky meets the sea.... Ruth is Head of Forensic Archaeology at the University of North Norfolk.

Ruth's life becomes rather more complicated when she is approached by DCI Harry Nelson; he wants her help in identifying bones found buried on the marshes. Are they the remains of a local girl who disappeared ten years ago? And all the while Harry has been taunted with a series of anonymous notes about ritual sacrifice - before a second child goes missing. Events that propel Ruth into danger and a fast-paced, gripping and terrifying ending and a thread left hanging....

Well written, clever plotting and highly recommended. I guess I had better order #2...


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Book #71 Murder on the Orient Express

Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

My first read of MOTOE was in the early 1970s with a second punt in the 1990s. This latest paperback edition is exclusive to Waterstones and it is a pity that the wonderful art-deco cover has not been reproduced. It was this that drew me to the novel, once again. It has been published to coincide with the latest screen adaptation directed by and starring Kenneth Branagh as Hercule Poirot. He will find David Suchet a difficult act to follow!

There cannot be many, if any, in the Goodreads fraternity, who have not read Murder on the Orient Express so I won't dwell on the plot. It was a joy to read once more and reacquaint myself with the characters. Needless to say there were passages and events that I had completely forgotten and to follow the clue trail once again proved to be - difficult, even though I knew 'Who did it'!

Christie's evocation of the golden age of travel is sumptuous and it remains a desire of mine to travel on the Simplon-Orient Express, although I doubt that the romance, so endearingly described by Christie, could ever be the same.

I find myself now on a mission to revisit Christie's back catalogue. I have read most of them during the last forty years but the thrill, I am sure, will be the same. How about 'The Mystery of the Blue Train'. Anyone?

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Book #70 The Wicked Cometh

The Wicked Cometh by Laura Carlin
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

A most accomplished evocation of early nineteenth century England, written in prose that dazzles. Such erudition is the result of Laura Carlin’s impeccable research into life in the 1830s in London and the provinces.

Hester White, a parson’s daughter, has fallen on hard times following her parents’ untimely demise at their Lincolnshire parish. Circumstances dictate her remove to London to live with her father’s gardener Jacob and his wife, Meg, whose services are no longer required by the incoming priest. The slum life that Hester endures is accompanied by the alarming disappearance of vulnerable innocents from London’s streets.

When fate takes a hand Hester’s fortunes are changed for the better following an accident with a horse drawn cab. The occupant, Calder Brock, is a physician and Hester soon finds herself convalescing in an aristocratic world and seizes the chance to improve her wellbeing under the tutelage of the intelligent Rebekah Brock.

Past events soon thrust Hester and Rebekah into a sinister world. Do the disappearances of persons in London have repercussions closer to home? What will happen when they are faced with unfathomable evil? Evil described in such graphic detail. There is a whiff of Edgar Allan Poe here, amidst the pallor of murky London: ”London Particular; it tastes of coddles eggs and coal-smoke, smells of quenched fires and horse-dirt…”

And passages that have even Wikipedia confused: ”…sells you the best and most fashionable frocks and sutes of Fustian, Ticken and Holland, stript Dimmity, flannel and canvas…”

The Wicked Cometh is a remarkable book, particularly as it is Carlin’s debut novel. It is like reading something published in the nineteenth century and yet with great lucidity; part romance, part Gothic terror and a final redemption that is totally satisfying.

I loved this book and recommend it without reservation.

With thanks to Hodder & Stoughton, Laura Carlin and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

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Book #69 The Hanged Man

The Hanged Man by Simon Kernick
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Hugh Manning is on the run in fear for his life. Erstwhile accountant for high-octane criminals, he has become a hunted man. His crime bosses are killers and Manning has seen too much. He has skimmed off enough to provide him and his wife with a wealthy future, if only they can escape and flee the country…

Ray Mason is a cop who has a history of flying by the seat of his pants. A cop with a cavalier attitude. There are many references to previous events that saw him suspended. Events that occurred in ‘The Bone Field’ (1st in the series that I was not aware of). The remains of seven unidentified women have just been discovered at a remote location and Mason and fellow officer Dan Watts are determined to hunt down the killers. I often found myself at a disadvantage not having read The Bone Field, where this all began…

Mason and Watts need to locate the witness to these murders before the killers do. And Mason is in a relationship with PI Tina Boyd, herself a former policewoman, and she adds another dimension to the investigation…

The Hanged Man just about reads as a stand alone although I am certain that reading The Bone Field first would explain a great deal and fill in much useful background information. The quest to find Manning is fraught with danger at every turn, littered with bodies and tainted with betrayal.

This is a cracking read (even if, like me, you haven’t read #1). The last 100 pages or so are breathtaking. I had to finish the book and did so in the early hours. Pulse-racing, heart-stopping action led to a nail biting finish. Wow!

Simon Kernick has written a gem of a thriller and, given that ending, there must be a Bone Field #3 in the pipeline. I cannot wait!

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Book #68 The Innocent Wife

The Innocent Wife by Amy Lloyd
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Samantha. Clingy, paranoid and possessive Words uses by Mark to describe Sam, the woman with whom he wanted a “no-strings” relationship. Sam knew how to sulk and her fighting destroyed their relationship, in Bristol.

Sam takes to her computer and comes across an online group campaigning for a case review for ‘the boy from Red River’, a prisoner on Death Row in the USA, found guilty of the horrific murder of a young girl some 20 years ago. Sam doesn’t just participate, she becomes involved. Why on earth would she do that? There are many persons in the USA who consider the verdict unsound. Dennis Danson is innocent…

Sam begins to correspond with Dennis - for months. Declares that she loves him. Naive and sentimental, stupid even. When he replies that he loves her too she decides to travel to Florida where Danson is incarcerated, to meet him. Meets his campaign team and… decides to marry him. A strange companionship develops between Sam and Dennis, either side of a visitor’s glass screen. And all the time I felt somewhat detached from the story line…

When the totally unexpected happens and another inmate confesses to the murder, Danson is pardoned and released from prison amidst mounting media hysteria. Sam is faced with the reality of a real husband/wife relationship.

Revelations emerge about other girls who went missing from Red River, so many years ago. Sam becomes indignant when locals voice their opinion that Danson was responsible. But as their relationship develops, doubt starts to fill Sam’s mind. Is there anything in these accusations? Does her paranoia emerge? Does she find evidence that she tries to conceal? Foolhardy?

There is much more to the plot that, to reveal, would spoil for others.

For me? It did not make my pulse race. It is well written, but I expected more.

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Book #67 Origin

Origin by Dan Brown
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

All art, architecture, locations, science and religious organisations in this novel are real

Always a good start...

Where did we come from? Where are we going? Questions that continue to frustrate brilliant minds. Evolution or creation? Rapid progress made with the development of AI. "Singularity" - the moment when artificial intelligence surpasses human intelligence and the two fuse into one. Could this happen? When the miracles of religion will have an increasingly difficult time competing with the miracles of technology.

Edmond Kirsch, a friend and former student of Professor Robert Langdon (AKA Tom Hanks for his fans!) is an atheist whose predictions and stunning inventions have made him a controversial figure, a thorn in the side of established religions worldwide. Kirsch has invited Langdon and several hundred other guests to the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao to attend the unveiling of a discovery that 'will change the face of science forever'

The event is blown apart and in the blink of an eye Langdon finds his life under threat and is forced into a desperate bid to escape with the museum's director, Ambra Vidal, who just happens to be betrothed to Prince Julian, a king in waiting... They need to find the key to unlocking Kirsch's revelation, a world-shaking truth that religious factions are determined to prevent.

For those who have read Inferno there is a lot of deja-vu here. A similar approach to a plot that resonates with breathtaking research by Dan Brown.

Will there be a Robert Langdon #6? I really don't see where Brown can go with this now. For me, this is the final chapter in a great series. But I might be wrong.....

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Book #66 The Fourth Monkey

The Fourth Monkey by J.D. Barker
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Oh my goodness! The Fourth Monkey really is totally addictive. Comparisons to Hannibal Lecter are inevitable as J.D. Barker unleashes a genius serial killer who the Chicago Metro police have been trying to identify for six years. Porter and Nash are the two coppers who have been working the case and trying to stop this psychopath for good. And 4MK taunts them as, revoltingly, he leaves his calling cards - dismembered body parts. And as the title suggests it is not too difficult to reckon what comes next when a severed ear is found in a white box tied with black cord....

The Fourth Monkey is creepy and scary and everything a good thriller should be. Impeccably written with just a touch of black humour; and a moment of such devious plotting that reminded me so much of Red Dragon. You will know what I mean when you read this.

One of the best thrillers I have read - ever.

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Book #65 Meet Me at Beachcomber Bay

Meet Me at Beachcomber Bay by Jill Mansell
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I had not heard of Jill Mansell until I saw her appear on 'Pointless Celebrities' a couple of weeks back. I was rather taken aback to learn that she has written twenty-eight books and still writes in longhand with a fountain pen! I had to take a look and bought a copy of her latest book 'Meet Me at Beachcomber Bay'. Pigeonholing a book in the Chick Lit category never puts me off as a male reader. I am a romantic at heart and this is a delightful read. What's not to like?

It is set in Cornwall, a county that I love, and it is full of likeable characters. Clemency, Sam, Ronan, Kate, Josephine, Marina - and Belle at a push! A heartwarming tale of love and buried secrets. Witty and humorous, the plot just resonated with me.

Jill Mansell is right up there with Jenny Colgan and Katie Fforde. And I loved it!

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Book #64 Deadly Partnership

Deadly Partnership: Murder, Blackmail and Voices from the Spirit World by Richard Gardner
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Deadly Partnership is a classic thriller laced with black humour. It starts with a particularly gruesome event that occurred some 30 years ago and hangs, teasingly, in the background. Paul Jenkins, a widower, has enjoyed a successful career in finance and on his retirement plans to go a and live with his sister at the family home on the coast where Julie now lives alone.

Paul has great plans for the house. He can sell his domain in Chiselhurst and use some of the funds to renovate and extend Julie's house. His son Gary is a builder and is having difficulties with creditors. He needs a significant sum of money to keep them at bay and Paul sees him as the obvious choice to carry out the work required. Having paid his workforce what is owed his employees leave him in the lurch and Paul decides to adopt the mantle of Gary's 'labourer'. So far so good. They have been warned about a spate of burglaries locally and advised to keep all windows firmly closed, particularly at night. When a window is inadvertently left open the end result has extraordinary consequences. A disaster that has repercussions that lead to a series of events that spiral out of control.

Can a book be called delicious? This can. It has all the elements of sinister appeal, a dose of spiritualism, talking to the 'other side', as Julie enlists the help of a medium to try and come to terms with what is happening at her home. And there I must leave it, difficult to say more without spoiling the plot.

Hats off to Richard Gardner for a terrific read and my thanks for the PDF. Get yourself a copy. It is well worth it!

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Book #63 The Betrayals

The Betrayals by Fiona Neill
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

A family friendship betrayed with a deception to reverberate through the years. Rosie and Nick appear to be happily married with two children, Daisy and Max. Rosie’s best friend Lisa is married to Barney with children Ava and Rex. The two families share a week’s holiday on the Norfolk coast in the cottage where Rosie grew up. But tensions mount between Lisa and Barney, a failing journalist in the music industry, who dwells on past successes as he hits the bottle. And, that summer, Lisa had an affair with Nick.

The repercussions have a terrible affect on Daisy, whose fragile hold on reality begins to unravel. Her level of OCD is chronic with repetitive actions she believes are necessary to protect her mother. Max blames himself for all that happened that summer with his cruel deception…. There is a flavour of Ian McEwan’s ‘Atonement’ here.

Recounted by four principal characters - Rosie, Nick, Daisy and Max this is an accomplished novel depicting a family in crisis. Four sides to a story, who to believe.

And then the letter from Lisa to Rosie, years later, that exposes dark secrets…

A family drama with much to recommend it although I did find the ending a little disappointing.

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Book #62 The Sussex Downs Murder

The Sussex Downs Murder by John Bude
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

A real delight from the golden age of crime fiction. First published in 1936 and republished in 2014 as a British Library Crime Classic. John Bude was the pseudonym of Ernest Gilmore (1901-1957) who was a co-founder of the Crime Writers' Association. The wonderful art deco cover was enough to make me pick the book up in Waterstones.

The setting is pretty much my own locale - the Sussex Downs, featuring Bramber, Steyning, Washington, Findon, Cissbury Ring, Chanctonbury Ring and the police headquarters in Lewes.

A classic detective novel featuring Superintendent Meredith and his sidekick Hawkins, who use old-fashioned police work bereft of computers, tablets and mobile 'phones to investigate the disappearance of John Rother, a local farmer and owner of lime kilns (you might have to Google that!). His abandoned car is found and first thoughts are that he might have been kidnapped. But then human bones are found on Chalklands farmland where his brother William and wife also live. Is John's disappearance more sinister? Is it connected perhaps to his growing rather too friendly with his brother's wife? Meredith is a patient, careful detective and his methodical approach starts to disentangle the clues as suspicion shifts from one character to the next. He still finds time to enjoy his afternoon high tea though!

If you like Agatha Christie you will enjoy this elaborately constructed puzzle. It tested my wits and, no, I didn't guess the outcome!



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Book #61 Autumn

Autumn: Shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize 2017 by Ali Smith
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

This just did not resonate with me. I often find that books shortlisted for the Man Booker just leave me - cold. Autumn has been acclaimed by critics as the ‘first post-Brexit’ novel. Really? There are some vague references to a nation split by the referendum outcome but Autumn is far more than that. It recounts the relationship between Elizabeth, a junior lecturer, and her sometime mentor and neighbour Daniel, who is now a centenarian whose long life is slowly slipping away in an assisted care facility. There are levels of wit and humanity throughout the book that help with much of the tedium elsewhere. There are some laugh out loud moments when Elizabeth visits the Post Office to complete a Check and Send application for a new passport. The conversation between her and the PO clerk is hilarious. Offset by passages that bewildered: ”art like this examines and makes possible a reassessment of the outer appearances of things by transforming them into something other than themselves. An image of an image means the image can be seen with new objectivity, with liberation from the original” Blah, blah…

There is a lot of indifference in this story about daily lives; there is also a quiet heroism as Elisabeth visits Daniel to read to him. There is also much that bored the pants off me….

No more Man Bookers for a while at least.


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Book #60 Career Of Evil

Career of Evil by Robert Galbraith
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

The third book in the Cormoran Strike series and by far the best. J.K.Rowling writing under her pen-name Robert Galbraith also says this is her best. The series is made even more immediate with the screening on BBC television of the first two books: The Cuckoo’s Calling and The Silkworm, although we will have to wait until 2018 to see Career Of Evil.

This is a masterclass in writing detective fiction. Strike and his assistant Robin Ellacott work off each other so well. Robin has established herself as Strike’s equivalent when it comes to investigating misdemeanours, the day-to-day stuff in running a private detective agency. Strike has sent her on surveillance and counter-surveillance courses and Robin is fairly handy when it comes to self defence. Just as well…

A package arrives at the office in Denmark Street, addressed to Robin. It contains a woman’s severed leg and this is where the horror begins. Someone is out to ruin Strike’s career and reputation. There are persons in Strike’s past who he considers capable of such brutality and - there they are - listed in plain sight. More fiendish acts occur and Strike’s business is close to insolvency as clients turn away as his reputation is further damaged.

The time comes when Robin’s and Strike’s personal lives become intertwined. Will Robin marry Matthew? Will Strike stay with Elin? Will he manage to keep Robin out of harms way as it appears that the killer is targeting her?

Career Of Evil is a terrific read full of twists and turns and unexpected developments. And the ending leaves the reader balanced on a cliff edge. Where are we going from here? How much longer before #4 is published?!

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Book #59 The Chalk Man

The Chalk Man by C.J. Tudor
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Beautifully crafted with a sinister edge. Five twelve year old youngsters on their rite of passage, doing what kids do, related through the eyes of Eddie. Innocent lives soon to be changed forever when a young girl is horribly injured and disfigured in a fairground accident. It is 1986... And then Eddie meets the Chalk Man, the kids create a secret method of communication using symbols in chalk. Find chalk arrows that point to dismembered parts of a murder victim - a girl - whose head is never found. There are times when the plot put me in mind of Stephen King's "The Body" (made into the movie 'Stand By Me') the innocence of the young tainted by events beyond their control.

2016 - Eddie is now 42, a teacher. Lives in the same city. His mates remain the same; still wonder the true identity of the murder victim from 30 years ago. And whatever happened to the head? Who committed the crime? Who do you believe? And then the denouement, the ending that turns everything on its head...

Brilliant!

My thanks to NetGalley for the opportunity to read this ARC. The Chalk Man will be published in January 2018.

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Book #58 The Limehouse Golem

The Limehouse Golem by Peter Ackroyd
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

With the film soon to be released I bought a copy of the book to read before seeing the film. An enjoyable gothic tale from Peter Ackroyd set in 1880 in London. A plot that includes real people mixed with fictional characters: stage name Dan Leno (real name George Wild Galvin) a leading English music hall comedian, George Gissing, an English novelist, teacher and tutor and Karl Marx, the philosopher, social scientist, historian and revolutionary. Clever stuff. Add in Lambeth Marsh Lizzie, who marries John Cree, Aveline Mortimer, housemaid and Inspector John Kildare and a series of brutal killings as Kildare tries to track down a serial killer who becomes known as the Limehouse golem - and you have all the makings of a macabre tale centred on the glamour of the music hall and the slums of the East End, dank, dark and chilling.

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Book #57 Anything You Do Say

Anything You Do Say by Gillian McAllister
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

With thanks to Net Galley and Penguin Random House UK for the opportunity to read this ARC. Opinions expressed are entirely my own. Anything You Do Say will be published in January 2018.

Laura and Joanna. Enjoying a Friday drink as they do most weeks. A crowded bar. A swarthy bloke with a smart-phone. Pushes in for a selfie. Takes an aggressive fancy to Joanna. Grabs her, pushes against her. A frisson of fear invades the atmosphere. “Leave us alone…” The girls escape and leave the bar. They go their different ways. Joanna takes Warwick Avenue, away from Little Venice and towards the canal. She is being followed and her life is about to change - forever. A moment of panic, on the bridge over the canal, she pushes him. A bad fall - hits his head, lands in a heap at the bottom of the steps.

Two ways to go, two choices. Fight or flight. Call the emergency services or leave him and run? Parallel lines, different outcomes. Two stories in one book. Damned if she doesn’t, damned if she does.

Comparisons to ‘Sliding Doors’ are inevitable. Two stories, two outcomes, one final destination. But Gillian Mcallister handles this with tremendous skill. To develop two outcomes with such credulity and power is masterful. The pace, whichever route you follow, is relentless. Reveal or conceal. Beautifully written with a forensic eye for detail.

I cannot say much else for fear of giving away too much. I can say that you won’t read a better book this year…

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Book #56 Good Me, Bad Me

Good Me, Bad Me by Ali Land
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

With thanks to Net Galley for the opportunity to read an ebook of Good Me, Bad Me.

This is a debut novel. Hard to believe. Ali Land has written a stunning psychological thriller with a rather unique twist. It is recounted through the eyes of a teenage girl, Annie, whose mother is a serial killer. Annie reports her mother's horrendous crimes to the police. As the plot unfolds we see Annie with a new identity - 'Milly' - fostered with a couple, Mike and Saskia and their teenage daughter Phoebe, a spiteful girl who shows her intense dislike of 'Milly' and the attention she gets from her father, who is a psychologist. Phoebe is not aware of Milly's disturbing past and sees her as a threat to her own comfortable existence. But how long can it remain a secret, as the plot unravels, waiting for the forthcoming trial at which 'Milly' has to give evidence against her own mother.

The pace is relentless, often staccato in rhythm, which adds to the tension. Where is this going? Will we see 'Milly' as the teenager given a fresh start or might Annie, the serial killer's daughter come to the fore?

A great read with a satisfying, if not entirely unexpected, ending!

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Book #55 Behind Her Eyes

Behind Her Eyes by Sarah Pinborough
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

I am going to stick my head above the parapet here expecting pot-shots from 5* reviewers. And there are so many of them. All pretty much focused on "the ending"...

It started well, a ménage-à-trois, Louise, David and Adele. But it soon entered into that tedious: Louise - Adele - Then - Louise - Adele.... that filled the best part of what is supposed to be a psychological thriller. Psychological? Supernatural? Far-fetched! That ending, for me, is so absurd I had to shake my head in disbelief. I cannot say much more without a reveal, or spoilers.

It's a shame. Pinborough writes well, conversational passages are realistic for the most part. But the plot. I started to see where this was going with dream sequences and second doors....

The ending - sorry, for me it was just too preposterous.

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Book #54: Beginner's Watercolour: Simple Projects for Artists

Beginner's Watercolour: Simple projects for artists by Pavilion
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I have in the past dabbled with pencil sketching with a modicum of satisfaction. I like watercolours and have a number painted by local artists, framed and displayed. Watercolour seems to offer more scope to experiment with and I have decided to 'have a go'. I bought this ebook edition of Beginner's Watercolour, which is ideally suited to this format. The illustrations are bright and clear on a Kindle screen or, indeed, my iPad.

It is well laid out and the first chapter: Understanding Washes taught me a great deal about different wash techniques that can be used. I had no idea before reading this about how to approach the basics of watercolour. Chapter 2: Understanding colour, is particularly useful to the novice: mixing colours on paper or palette, basic colour theory, working with a limited palette, working with tone, etc. Chapter 3 is a real eye-opener: Adding Textures and Effects - spattering, sponging, stippling, sgraffito and scratching techniques. Chapter 4 shows different approaches to watercolour subjects - buildings, flowers, portraits, skies, water, seascapes and so on.

Each section is illustrated with step by step instructions and these are a revelation. I don't expect to ever produce anything as accomplished as these coloured steps depict but this delightful book has certainly given me the enthusiasm to produce watercolours that are, at least, pleasing to me!

Finding the time to practice is key. I usually have my head stuck in a book!

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Book #53 Black Water Lilies

Black Water Lilies by Michel Bussi
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Extraordinary. Plotting that sets ones head in a spin. Mesmerising. ‘Twin Peaks’ came to mind. There were times when I wondered if I had strayed into the pages of some dystopian place, somewhere imaginary. Riddles within riddles. And yet, this accomplished work is set in Giverny, Normandy - the home of Claud Monet and the famous lily pond that featured in so many of his paintings.

Jérôme Morval is a resident, a renowned ophthalmologist, has a passion for art and women and meets an untimely death, found dead in the stream that runs through the gardens of Giverny. In his pocket is a postcard of Monet’s Water Lilies with the words: Eleven years old. Happy birthday.

Three women are entangled in the plot: a young painting prodigy, a seductive schoolteacher and an old widow who watches over the village from a mill by the stream.

All three share a secret…

Do they know anything about Morval’s corpse? Is there a connection to the mysterious, rumoured painting Black Water Lilies?

The timeline had me flummoxed moving as it does from 1937 to 2010 and there were times that I lost track of where on earth I was as Bussi breaks all the rules of plotting. And the ending when it comes - the reveal - is seismic in its effect. I was completely blind-sided. A triumph, elegant and haunting.

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Book #52 I Know Where She Is

I Know Where She Is by S.B. Caves
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

10 years ago Francine's daughter, Autumn, was abducted, whilst Francine dallied in a store. Abducted - in an eye-blink. Gone. Any parent's worst nightmare. It caused an inevitable rift with her snowflake of a husband, who blames her for what took place. On the tenth anniversary of her daughter's disappearance Francine receives a note pushed through her letterbox: "I know where she is". The next day a young woman approaches Francine, claiming to have sent the note. The stranger knows things only Autumn would know. Get prepared for a white-knuckle ride. A descent into the dark world of child kidnapping with unseen terrors that Francine will face - alone. A world so shocking in the scope of its evil and depravity that it had me reeling. And Francine embarks on a journey fraught with danger and will accomplish things she never thought herself capable of. As the story unfolds and Francine begins to learn the truth about Autumn's kidnapping, the relentless pace of her terrifying journey had me totally gripped. Not for the squeamish - this is a novel of real intensity that you won't be able to put down.



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Book #51 The Art of Hiding

The Art of Hiding by Amanda Prowse
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

With thanks to Net Galley for this uncorrected proof copy.

I undertook the reading of this knowing that it was classified as Women's Literary Fiction, a tag that will probably put off many men from doing the same. A pity. The Art of Hiding is a well written domestic drama, a story of riches to rags. Nina McCarrick has it all, or so she believes. A successful husband running a construction business, a beautiful home, two sons - Connor and Declan - attending a superior school. It appears that money is no object until her husband Finn is killed in a car accident and her world comes crashing down. Finn has left behind a bankrupt company, an enormous debt, school fees unpaid. As the bailiffs descend Nina has to face the horror of losing everything.

Nina and her sons are forced to return to her roots in Southampton to face an impoverished future. The despair of the first half of this book is depressing but change comes as they all have to face the reality of poverty. Money does not buy happiness and Nina and her boys are courageous in the face of adversity. Nina's sister Tiggy plays a key role in helping Nina, Connor and Declan find their true selves.

I enjoyed it.


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Book #50 Mr Gandy's Grand Tour

Mr Gandy's Grand Tour by Alan Titchmarsh
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Another heartwarming story from Alan Titchmarsh. Timothy Gandy has had a successful career, has three grown up children and a marriage that has become somewhat moribund; he and his wife tolerate each other and Gandy has resigned himself to a life without much to look forward to. That is until he is suddenly (if tragically) released from his hen-pecked existence. He will embark on something many of us might have considered at some time - a Grand Tour of Europe - much to the dismay of his children, particularly his son and daughter-in-law Oliver and Vita who see their inheritance being put in jeopardy.

He sets off with the full support of his favourite daughter and her partner Ace and grand-daughter Alice - first stop Paris. His encounters on this journey of a lifetime are unexpected and endearing. He might be somewhat naive when it comes to new relationships but he has a heart of gold, which leads him to an event that will change his whole outlook on life.

A charming tale of a man following his lifetime's ambition on the Grand Tour....

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Book #49 He Said She Said

He Said/She Said by Erin Kelly
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

He Said/She Said. And I said, when I had had time to catch my breath - This is THE BEST book I have read this year. How many times I uttered 'Oh-my-God' - I lost count. Totally befuddled. A plot that involves Eclipse Chasers. Those who will travel to any part of the world to experience the wonder of a total eclipse. Like Laura and her boyfriend Kit. And what happens, what Laura witnesses in the hushed aftermath of a total eclipse in Cornwall - will change their lives forever. Not only theirs, but the life of the victim Beth who's attack they reported to the police. Fifteen years on, Laura and Kit live in fear. Why? Just who do you believe? Is anyone who or what you think they are? Laura believes she was right to speak out about what she saw. Kit seemed somewhat reluctantly to agree. But events have a nasty way of turning upside-down or should that be inside-out?

He Said/She Said will make you question everything you read. You won't unravel this taught, psychological drama with more twists and turns than even "Last Seen Alive". There is so much misdirection in this story that will have your head in a spin.

Don't take my word for it. Get a copy and see if you can figure it out - before the end!

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Book #48 Heavenfield

Heavenfield by L.J. Ross
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

The final part of the Holy Island trilogy and the best in my opinion. Those sinister characters that make up the higher echelons of The Circle have become well known, that sinister cult that worships 'The Master'. A surreal backdrop to a serial killer thriller, particularly when the hunter becomes the hunted as Ryan is lured to the scene of a mysterious death at St. Oswald's church, Heavenfield - on the Roman Wall. Ryan finds himself considered to be the prime suspect. We think we know who the key suspects are as the plot comes full circle and the contest to become the next High Priest sees more individuals meet their untimely end. Ryan's bagman, Sgt. Frank Phillips stands resolutely with his boss to conclude the investigation and identify the real culprit. Plot and counterplot, twists and turns, kept me guessing - right to the breathtaking end.

Another terrific read from L.J. Ross.

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Book #47 Sycamore Gap

Sycamore Gap by L.J. Ross
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Continues seamlessly from DCI Ryan Mysteries #1 Holy Island and the trilogy is completed (I think) with Heavenfield. There are so many threads running through from book #1 that it is necessary to start there, if you haven't read Holy Island.

The satanic sect known as The Circle takes centre stage once again. What Ryan thought was over - isn't. The nightmare for Ryan was seeing his sister brutally murdered on Holy Island, the perpetrator finally brought to justice. But it doesn't end there as Ryan is soon to find out. Someone will take over The Circle as its new High Priest and Ryan and his team will, once again, be pitted against the power of 'The Master'.

This is a great police procedural conducted with diabolical overtones. L.J.Ross is up there with the best when it comes to serial killer thrillers. I loved it.

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Book #46 The Roanoke Girls

The Roanoke Girls by Amy Engel
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

So much hype surrounded The Roanoke Girls: "the most addictive thriller of the year". Well, it did not keep me enthralled. This tale of small town America and one family cloaked in a long running secret spanning decades. It is a disturbing story line but all too soon it became obvious what had occurred in the Roanoke family. The constant switching between 'then' and 'now' began to irritate and I breathed a sigh of relief when I had completed the book, particularly as I had figured out who had been doing what well before the end. A bunch of characters with no redeeming qualities, save perhaps Cooper and, at a pinch, Lane Roanoke. Amy Engel writes well and I am sure there are readers who will enjoy this more than I did.

With thanks to the publisher and Net Galley for an ARC.

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Book #45 The Devil

The Devil by Ken Bruen
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

'Nightmares are the dress rehearsal for the dread awaiting'.

Jack is having nightmares alright. He should have been in America but past misdemeanors have put paid to that. Stopped at the departure gate, prevented from boarding his flight. Jack does what Jack does. It's a large Jay and a pint of the black in the airport bar. A tall, slender man in a beautiful suit, long blonde hair, handsome, slides onto the stool next to him. "Sure is hell here today" - "Get you something, Jack?". Guy has a killer smile. Talks about evil: "Evil hones in on those closest to redemption". His name is Kurt 'with a K' and he is so going to fuck with you Jack.

Later, you take on a case to investigate the frenzied murder of a student, crucified upside down. And several murders follow and too many encounters with Mr. K. Has Jack met his nemesis? Is Jack dealing with the Devil himself?

Reading this there were times I thought I had strayed into the pages of a Dennis Wheatley occult novel. This is diabolical territory for Ken Bruen. It certainly is for Jack. 'The divil knows his own' is that right Jack? How do you fight evil? Evil of the worst kind? Can Father Malachy help? I doubt that Jack. Get yourself a Sig Sauer and cap this monster....

But do be very, very careful Jack. I would like to see you again....

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Book #44 A Hero Of France

A Hero of France by Alan Furst
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

A wonderful, emotional account of of one Resistance cell, in Paris during 1941, helping downed British airmen to escape back to England. Code named Mathieu, he leads this small group - a covert network that numbers Lisette, Joëlle - who falls in love with Mathieu, Max de Lyon, an arms dealer turned nightclub owner, Daniel, a Jewish teacher fuelled by revenge, Chantal and Annemarie. This intimate tale reads like a prose poem as this band of heroes risk everything to outmaneuver collaborators, informers and spies and the threat of discovery by the ruthless German military police.

Alan Furst has made this period of history his own. For me, nobody does it better. Romantic, melancholic and full of suspense and, as The Washington Post said: "And it's not giving anything away to say that in the end many readers will want to stand up and sing 'La Marseillaise' through their tears." C'est vrai....

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Book #43 Slow Horses

Slow Horses by Mick Herron
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

How on earth do you walk in the footsteps of Len Deighton, Graham Greene and John Le Carré? Well, if you are Mick Herron, you don't. You write a new spy novel with such authority, such authenticity and a touch of black humour that left me dazzled. How do you think up Slough House and its band of "slow horses"? What a wonderful play on words! Slough House - the backwater of MI5. Where, as a spook, you finish up when you have screwed up, big time. Debunked from the achievers at Regent's Park. A bunch of misfits. Spending days listening to endless tapes of banal chit-chat on social media and mobile 'phones in the hopeless task of finding something that registers a sniff of information that might be worth reporting to Regent's Park. Making coffee, counting paper clips, set adrift in a sea of incompetence.

Wait a minute. Are these "slow horses" so incompetent? You are one of Jackson Lamb's crew. You are highly trained joes and you are not going to sit around just pushing paper. You didn't join the Intelligence Service to be a "slow horse". So watch out, Regent's Park, when a boy is kidnapped and held hostage and his beheading is scheduled for live broadcast on the internet. Despite the instructions from the Service, the slow horses aren't going to just sit quiet and watch....

A delicious piece of skulduggery combined with an intimate knowledge of 'The Service', twists galore, a bunch of 'joes' stirred into action and a protagonist, that might be 'getting on', might be overweight, but still has a forensic mind to out-spook the spooks! Jackson Lamb, Head of Slough House, a latter day reincarnation of the darker side of George Smiley. This is a fabulous British spy novel with an intricate plot and believable characters. I did at times have trouble following who was who; I should have made notes as I read! Definitely though, a spy novel for our time.



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Book #42 Last Breath

Last Breath by Robert Bryndza
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

It's Wimbledon fortnight. So what on earth was I doing starting to read the latest DCI Erika Foster? Last Breath? I nearly took mine! How can Robert Bryndza keep getting better? A short while ago I read Dark Water - Foster #3. Robert sure as hell knows how to rack up the tension. But Last Breath truly had me gasping. Until 2:15am in the early hours of yesterday morning. I don't do that! Well, you try putting this down! Those chapters that get shorter and shorter. As DCI Erika Foster chases down a monster - a serial killer who exhibits the most despicable traits as the mutilated bodies turn up.

I am not giving away any of the plot; it's darned clever, there are blind alleys, there are heart-stopping moments when you do catch your breath. You have to carry on. You know who the killer is, one of the most despicable individuals you will encounter in a serial killer, thriller. And Last Breath has thrills galore! I was completely sucked in with the almost unbearable tension.

And completely forgot about Wimbledon. No mean feat. If you haven't read Last Breath, get a copy. And be prepared to stay awake nights. It doesn't get any better!

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Book #41 Bill Evans: How My Heart Sings

Bill Evans: How My Heart Sings by Peter Pettinger
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

It has taken me a while to read and digest this enthralling book about Bill Evans as I constantly cross-referenced Pettinger's forensic examination of the recorded works of Evans, my favourite jazz pianist of all time, with my own comprehensive collection of his music - on CD, on vinyl and some by download. This approach has made the reading of this classic biography all the more enjoyable and I know I will be revisiting the text on a regular basis.

Peter Pettinger was a keen pianist. His classical training took place at the Royal Academy of Music, where he studied with pianist Vivian Langrish and composer Hugh Wood. He was also intrigued by jazz music, in particular that of Dave Brubeck and of course, Bill Evans. The book is laid out in chronological order as Pettinger discusses the making of every important Evan's recording and the discography lists 168 of these.

Evans was vexed by heroin addiction for much of his career (as were so many jazz musicians of his era) and suffered with chronic, low-grade hepatitis. Evans's life could be summed up by both personal tragedies and commercial successes. His technique stood head and shoulders above any other jazz pianist of his time. His compositional methods and approach to ensemble playing have become his legacy.

As I read How My Heart Sings I found myself listening to Sunday At The Village Vanguard recorded 25th June 1961, with Scott LaFaro on bass and Paul Motian on drums, considered by many to be his best triumvirate. LaFaro was just 25 years old, a bassist of unbelievable talent. Ten days after this set was recorded LaFaro was driving back late to his parents' home in upstate New York when he veered off into a tree and was killed outright. Evans had embraced LaFaro as a kind of alter ego. The bass player's death killed something in the pianist himself. Evans and Motian were both devastated at the news. Evans did not play for many months after this, not even at home. I cannot listen to this album without getting rather choked up.... Just one of the tragedies that befell this giant of jazz composition and unique style of playing.

If you enjoy jazz, especially jazz piano, you should get yourself a copy of this wonderful, critical commentary on the life of Bill Evans, who died on Monday September 15th 1980, aged just 51. He lies at rest in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. There is not a week goes by that I do not listen to something played by this jazz legend....

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Book #40 Last Seen Alive

Last Seen Alive by Claire Douglas
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Thanks to Net Galley and Claire Douglas for an ARC of Last Seen Alive in exchange for an honest review.

More twists and turns than Spaghetti Junction. The comfortable atmosphere of a seemingly opportune house-swap - a flat in Bath for a magnificent house in Cornwall. Was Libby Hall rather naive to accept, at face value, a note pushed through her letterbox offering the swap from someone who claims urgent need for such an arrangement as he and his wife need to visit their daughter, who awaits an operation, at the local hospital. Would you not be suspicious at least? Well, not for Libby and her husband Jamie, who are going through a rough patch in their marriage.

The secluded house in Cornwall is not everything it at first appears. Is Libby being watched? Does her paranoia come to the surface? What is she hiding from her past? And what of Jamie? Does he have secrets that he keeps from Libby? Is Libby really who she has claimed all along to be? Do past events in Thailand have a bearing on the way she acts? Just what is she hiding?

Those past events will lead to a cataclysmic outcome as the secrets and lies unravel with terrible consequences. Atmospheric, claustrophobic, a plot that often left me blind-sided and not a little confused at times. And then, the final twist.... Great stuff!

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Book #39 The Portrait

The Portrait by Antoine Laurain
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I came across The President's Hat a couple of years back, bought it, read it, loved it. In a recent foray to Waterstones I spotted this - The Portrait - by the same author, Antoine Laurain. A gentle piece of Gallic whimsy, "a hymn to la vie Parisienne" for anyone who loves all things French.

It is beautifully written as we follow the nostalgic journey of Pierre-François Chaumont, a lawyer and avid collector of all things antique. On a visit to his favourite auction house he is stunned to discover an eighteenth century portrait of an unknown man who looks just like him!. His jaded wife and circle of friends say they are unable to see the resemblance. Clearly, they have a hidden motive...

Chaumont remains convinced and his researches into the painting's history lead him on a journey into a brand new life, in a plot with a totally unexpected twist at the end. A joy to read, not quite up to The President's Hat, but delightful nonetheless.

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