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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