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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