The Drowned by John Banville

 

I have mixed feelings about this. Banville isn't an author I've read before…I therefore haven't read any of the preceding books in either of the Quirke or Strafford series (they come together in this one). See About the Book below.

The good points are, firstly, I found Banville to be a very skilled writer. I liked his style, and he has an excellent command of the English language. Secondly, I didn't feel disadvantaged by not having read any of the forerunning books. There are references to past cases (which I assume form the plots of the previous mysteries) and to the recurring characters' past life events, but they were woven in succinctly.

My only misgivings are that I had questions at the end…I needed answers to a couple of issues. I'm afraid I found the characters very miserable and not especially likeable…all of them…not least the two main ones, Quirke and Strafford, who are particularly joyless.

Will I read another book by this author? Yes. I did like his writing and was very impressed by the standard of editing…it's not often I can say that.

The Coach Trip by Izzy Bromley

 

This had the potential to be the perfect beach/fireside read. (Despite the loathsome present-tense narrative.)  But it failed miserably. It didn't take long for me to be hugely irritated by the constant reference to 'the old people'.

The narrator, Emma, and her flatmate/best friend, Mel, find themselves accompanying Emma's grandmother on a coach trip. See About the Book below. They find themselves to be the youngest (at a decently adult 28), and therefore, everyone else is ancient. They're immature, childish and disrespectful. I began to wonder how they even managed to get dressed in the mornings without a manual. The assumption was that anyone a day into 70 was a fuddy-duddy, complaining, grumpy old fart who just goes on coach trips. This then turned into an ageist, anti-old-people rant.

I think the following summed up the unlikeability of the main character, and I quote: "She’s around his age and looks like a thousand other old people, sort of grey and plumpish." Seriously? I mean, seriously???

To the author: where's your respect, fictional or otherwise.

Love Letters to a Serial Killer by Tasha Coryell

The author teaches English, apparently. God help her pupils. Not once did she give a human being in the story the correct subjective pronoun, and worse was the constant misuse of I (subject) and me (object). I quote (just a couple out of the many): "…between William and I" (Argh!) and ……"picture of William and I" (Argh again!). And whilst she achieved something or another in creative writing, I can only assume she missed the lessons on 'avoiding the unnecessary use of that as a conjunction'.

Despite these and a host of other unforgiveable schoolboy grammatical errors, the story (see About the Book below) was just about compelling enough, but the characters aren't in the slightest bit engaging or likeable, the main character, Hannah, in particular: a needy and delusional fantasist. It was very easy to guess who the actual perpetrator was within a few pages of his introduction to the story.

All in all, this isn't a book I can recommend.

 

This is Fine by Poorna Bell

 

Reading this novel is like buying a house: you know the minute you step through the front door when a house is the one you have to buy. I knew within a couple of paragraphs that this was going to be one of my favourites of this year. I was immediately captivated by the main character and more importantly, by the author's incredibly insightful writing.

The characters grab you from the beginning; they all have a story, a focus, an aim, a grief, a pain, a trouble, a dream. See About the Book below. You become immersed in them all and you root for them all. It's funny, witty, sad and moving…all at the same time. An author who can do all that is an exceptionally talented one. 

I read a quote about this book that said, 'I will read anything Poorna Bell writes' (Taylor Jenkins Reid). I did something I very rarely do: no sooner had I reached The End, I immediately bought another book by this marvellous writer. I think I too will be reading anything she writes.

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Mrs Quinn's Rise to Fame by Olivia Ford

If you love GBBO, you'll love the story of Mrs Quinn, who, unbeknownst to her husband, enters a television cooking contest and does really rather well.

A pensioner finding fame and stardom on a cooking programme would be a bit of an empty plot, so of course, there is a bit more intrigue: a(nother) secret she has kept from her husband of fifty-nine years. See About the Book below.

It's a lovely snuggly book, as warm as comforting as Jenny Quinn's baking, without being too saccharine and sickly. The perfect feelgood book to immerse yourself in when you fancy a curl-up by the fire on a long wintry evening.

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A Good Place to Hide a Body by Laura Marshall

 

You know within the first few pages of a book whether or not you are going to like a new-to-you author. Despite the present-tense narrative in this (I sooo do not like it), I really did like this author's writing.

The characters are all very well presented and real: some of them unpleasant and menacing, some endearing and others focussed and really rather smart. But all of them entertaining. The plot is well metered…Penny's parents decide to let their basement flat out to help with their bills but discover their new tenant is not entirely a model one. See About the book below.

I thoroughly enjoyed it, and it would have been worthy of the fully five stars but for the too many, and if I'm honest, unacceptable, mistaken use of the subject pronoun when the object pronoun should have been used. Too many 'for Martin and I' (as an example…it should be for Martin and me, of course): six instances in total. If the author misses these, the editor very definitely shouldn't.

That aside, Marshall has very definitely secured a place in my read-more-of list, if not for a very enjoyable book, for thanking her readers in her acknowledgements…always a special touch.

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Ice Town by Will Dean

 

The Chamber was my first introduction to this author, which has a good but slightly 'stodgy' plot, and I found the characters difficult to engage with. I felt much the same about this. Disappointingly, it's in present-tense narrative, something I dislike intensely, and it hampered the story's field of vision. Esseberg or Ice Town as it's known, is reachable only by one tunnel…and that's what present-tense narrative is: a claustrophobic blind alley of tunnel darkness. See About the Book below.

The ending is a tad overdramatic and lacks credibility. Whilst this is #6 in the Tuva Moodyson series, it's pretty much stand-alone, and I didn't feel stranded by back-story gaps, but I found it difficult to feel very much for Tuva, a deaf and, by all accounts, successful, journalist…she came over as a bit wooden. 

Despite all that and some bad grammatical errors, I didn't find it totally unenjoyable. I can't subscribe to the 'unputdownable' it claims to be, but I did find myself compelled to get to the conclusion.

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See Also:

The Chamber

Deadly Choice by S. Lee Manning

 

What a ride! I thoroughly enjoyed this.

It focuses on the ridiculous, draconian American anti-abortion laws and how the legislators' stupidity completely dismiss the health (never mind the rights) of women at risk in pregnancy. Fanatical, misguided pro-life groups go to extreme, murderous lengths to prevent any pregnant mother, no matter her age or health, getting an abortion. (See About the Book below.)

Shocking, but gosh, what an exciting, gripping plot for a novel it makes! It's the sort of book that makes for want-to-go-bed-early to get stuck into night-time reading!

I'm not familiar with the author, so this is a first for me. I definitely intend to read more by her. Good writing, good characters and pretty good editing (but, it's Laura Ashley, not Laura Ashely!) are the most important boxes ticked. I do hope Lizzie and Murphy get more cases…chalk and cheese though they are, they make a very engaging PI partnership.

Final Encounter by D. V. Berkom

 

I couldn't help thinking, three quarters of the way into my reading year, that something was missing. Then I realised, it must be Leine Basso thriller time! And Berkom delivers right on cue.

Having read thirteen of Basso's yearly adventures, I keep dreading my favourite ex-assassin might want to retire, but thankfully, whatever she's sprinkling on her cornflakes in the mornings is keeping her in tiptop form (whatever it is, I need some!).

Chasing after criminals is what she does (very efficiently), but this time, she not only has a greedy one to find, she's got to battle a very here-and-now twenty-first century phenomenon: AI. Fine in the right hands, deadly in the wrong ones. And of course, here, it's the latter. Basso not only has to find the perpetrator, but she's got to do it at lightning speed before potentially disastrous consequences. (See About the Book below.)

As always, Berkom gives you a superbly thrilling, hold-your-breath ride from start to finish. Trouble is, it just leaves you wanting more!

Until next year, Leine, (I hope...).

See Also:

A Killing Truth
A One Way Ticket to Dead 
A Plague of Traitors
Absolution
Bad Spirits
Bad Traffick
Cargo
Claire Whitcombe Westerns, Books 1-3
Cruising for Death
Dakota Burn
Dark Return
Fatal Objective
Final Encounter
Kate Jones Thriller Series Vol. 1
Serial Date
Shadow of the Jaguar
Terminal Threat
The Body Market
The Last Deception
Vigilante Dead

Yucatán Dead

The Girl in the Fire by Sarah K Stephens

 

This is certainly a gripping psychological thriller as the blurb promises, and yes, a page turner, told in alternate POVs (the two main protagonists) over two time periods.

The intrigue starts when a bride-to-be disappears only a few pages in. The mystery behind her disappearance then starts to unravel compellingly. It gets confusing, however: it's hard to grasp who's loyal to whom, the reasons for the actions of bad characters and why their victims suck it all up and seem to walk from one disaster into another. They seem to have plans to escape it all, but we never get to know exactly what they are and how they're going to achieve them.

I found myself enjoying this maze of intrigue, thinking, don't worry, it will be crystal clear by the end. I can't say it was. I was still scratching my head with unanswered questions, so I was left a little frustrated. I was equally frustrated by the many fiancé (male)/fiancée (female) mix-ups, even in the Amazon blurb (corrected below), along with a number of other editorial oversights.

Isolation Island by Louise Minchin

 

I've eaten breakfast for many years watching Louise on the BBC Breakfast sofa, and she was always one of my favourite presenters: genuine, sincere, unconfrontational and just jolly nice. It was sad to see her go, but she's obviously been using her time well to have a successful stab at writing a novel.

Although I enjoyed it, I can't quite give it five stars. I'm present-tense-narrative's biggest hater. I don't like it one little bit, so my heart did sink when I started reading. It wasn't necessary and didn’t work.

Despite the fact that you have to suspend your disbelief a little, and just a couple of other things you found yourself raising your eyebrows at, it's compelling and enjoyable. (See About the Book below.)

Whether or not Lauren (main character) has a sequel or two in her, I do hope Minchin continues after this very worthy debut, as I'd love to read more of her (fiction) writing. And any author who remembers to thank her readers (without whom a book wouldn't even get off the starting blocks), has a special place in my author list.

Guilty by Definition by Susie Dent

 

Susie Dent is a logophile, so it was no surprise to come across a treasure trove of unusual words, along with a cracking plot: an excellent, articulate and perfectly formed novel. (An office team of lexicographers, led by Martha, is sent on a hunt for a very unique bit of literal history, via very cryptic messages, and the discovery of which, could answer the mystery of the disappearance of Martha's sister some years earlier. (See About the Book below.)

Dent uses some wonderful words and phrases you've never heard of before. Some of them really ought to be in current usage. How delightful are words like 'conjobble', ipsedixitism, 'broggle', 'cherubimical' and a whole lot more. I'm not spoiling it, though…you'll have to look them up to discover what they mean...or better still, read the book!

I went from page to page, enthralled by the story, but equally captivated by Dent's wonderful colourful writing.

She's written a few non-fiction books, but I sincerely hope this isn't the last we see of her in the fiction arena. Martha and her team would make a very good team of sleuths.

Well done, Susie, ten out of ten!

One Last Lie by Rob Kaufman

 

Oh my giddy aunt. My first introduction to this author was A Broken Reality, and what stood out for me was the way he could turn a book into a power pack of emotion. I reached the end and thought, well, that's an author I have to read more of. So here we are. This not only endorsed my opinion, it put him in my 'favourite author of the year' category. Obviously, I'm now going to read all his books.

His recipe is to mix a gripping, tense and captivating plot with a cast of strong characters: Philip and Jonathan have a wonderful loving relationship, two lovely people. By contrast, there's Angela, who apart from personifying the 'inside every thin girl, there's a fat girl', also has obsession, resentment, deceit and a cunning that's off the radar inside her. Not to mention she's as nutty as a fruitcake, too. (See About the Book below.)

Page turner sounds a bit tame for this; it's more of a page-devourer. I mowed through each obsessively to reach the end but at the same time really not wanting to get there.

Just one last thing: you might just need a Kleenex. Or two.

Chasing the Edge by Leslie A Piggott

 

This is quite a pacy thriller. Two murders, and trying to solve them are two parties: one, a pair of detectives, the other, a fledgling reporter (Cari) who wants a career-building scoop. It's a nail-biting race as each party investigates if a college athlete's tragic collapse on track and the brutal murder of his nutritionist are linked. (See About the Book below.)

I enjoyed it, despite a few niggles: the ending was all wrapped up in a 'tell' and virtually no 'show' rush, and the dialogue was a little stiff and unnatural. Our reporter, Cari, addresses her grandmother as 'Grandmother'. No one this side of the nineteenth century calls their grandmum 'Grandmother'. Take your pick from Grandma, Nan, Nanny, Nonna, Abuela or any other moniker handed down through generations by tradition or made up by family members. 

However, I do think this author is on her way to becoming a very good one, but is still a bit 'green'. That said, this is compelling and very readable, and kicks off the series very competently.

The Couple at the Lake House by James Caine

 

I discovered when I started to read this that it's a relatively short book…about two thirds the length of your average thriller. By the time I'd got a quarter of the way through, I did start to think, well, thank heavens it's not that long.

Firstly: present-tense narrative. Oof! Why do authors use it? It never works. Secondly: repetition. Not only were the characters constantly nodding, in the worse case of tautology, they were nodding their heads...repeatedly: in fact, 82 times in 251 pages, along with almost the same amount of shaking heads. In between all the nodding and shaking of heads, there are many grammatical errors.

The main character, Sydney, kept referring to Matt, her husband-to-be, as her fiancé, instead of using his name. (Why?)  And when any of the other characters referred to Sydney as Matt's fiancée, the spelling was consistently wrong: she was also a 'fiancé'.

I can't deny the plot had legs (see About the Book below), but the characters were one-dimensional, and it was hard to feel any kind of emotion for any of them. The writing was amateurish and the editing even more so.

Needs work and development.

Beyond the Broken Shore by Rebecca Marsh

 

I'm six books into Marsh's masterpieces, and this is the third in the Princess Island series.

It's always an immense pleasure to lose myself in her books, if not into the company of Marissa and her family and friends on Princess Island. Her characters are real, credible, strong and likeable. You practically want to live on the island and be their friend and neighbour and support them through their trials and ordeals.

Marissa isn't a stranger to tragedy, and in this, she fears history may repeat itself. If that's not enough, Owen, her brother, has to deal with a less-than-welcome face from the past. See book details below.

Marsh brings an organic wholesomeness to her writing so that you feel the grief, pain, turmoil and yes, don't worry, pleasure of all her characters without ever thinking it's been overdone. The saddest thing is getting to the end. Just like a favourite TV programme, I immediately thought, oh no, when's the next episode! It won't be next week, but, whenever, I'll be ready and waiting.

See Also:

Remember the Butterfly
Summer's Runaway
The Rift Between Us 
When The Storm Ends  
Where Hope is Found

The Chamber by Will Dean

 

Up until the last few pages, I'd made up my mind that I was quite enjoying this: it's a little bit chokka with explanations about the severe constraints (and why) around saturation diving, but I kept telling myself they were necessary scene setters. However, I did welcome the relief of dialogue and action.

It's hard to imagine that in an environment where you can hardly move an elbow you wouldn't notice when someone was snuffing out members of a six-strong team, but that's what happens here. (See About the Book below.)

Despite the dense forest of technical blurb to understand the complexity, risk and skill needed to be a saturation diver (all quite interesting and it seems to me the only reason you'd be a saturation diver is for the money because the rest of it sounds absolutely dreadful), there's a fairly decent story there, but it's a little heavy-going. The ending is confusing, and I'm not a hundred-per-cent sure who actually did it or why.

I've not read this author before. I can't deny that he can plot a story, but I couldn't engage with any of the characters despite their dramatic and disturbing back stories.

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AMAZON US

A Broken Reality by Rob Kaufman

 

What a page turner. Fraught with emotion and tension, this was superbly written.

All the usual crime whos, whys and hows are answered at the beginning of the book, but it's the unravelling that's so nail-biting. It's fairly obvious how Jesse will fare at the end, but even so, this is a brilliant read. (See About the Book below.)

Every word is precise and thoughtful. There are no wasted words: there's just enough detail to paint a picture. It's sad, it's tragic, it's heart-rending but so very masterfully written. Every page was playing itself as a movie in my head.

I haven't read any other books by this author before. Will I read more by him? Absolutely.

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The Secret Truth by Barry Finlay

 

It's always an immense pleasure to catch up with widower Jake and his policewoman friend, Dani. He's a retired reporter, but his investigative nose simply hasn't had the memo. In this, his third 'case', he finds himself narrowly missing an untimely end, or I should say 'ends'...much to Dani's distress. Their relationship has been cruising along steadily till now, but they finally turn the cruise control off and go up a gear!

Finlay writes with conviction and authenticity, as always, and I certainly didn't guess 'whodunnit'. That 'wow, I wasn't expecting that' finale is always the icing on the cake for a well-written and enjoyable book.

Jake is a very likeable character: he's honest, he's dependable and he's very determined. It's simply a joy to be in his company for a few hundred pages. Dani may not be too happy about the undesirable predicaments he finds himself in, but, of course, it's those very spots of bother the reader loves!

Don't retire from investigating, Jake.

See Also:

Just Keep Climbing
Searching for Truth
The Burden of Darkness
The Guardians of Truth

End of Story by A. J. Finn

 

This wasn't my cup of tea. I dislike present-tense narrative intensely. It destroys nearly every good book and it doesn't work here; secondly, the formatting is abysmal. There are virtually no scene breaks, so it's like a seriously bad case of head-hopping. Scenes change in the next sentence, not even the next paragraph. Lastly, there just aren't enough dialogue tag lines, so I just couldn't keep up with who was speaking. (See 'About the book' below.)

Even if I could have put up with all that, sadly, I just couldn't gel with the book. It was tedious, rather convoluted and hard to keep up with. The POV change at the end was confusing too. Nicky's character went from third to first POV. There was quite a twist at the end, but like the rest of book, overwrung. It was as if one twist wasn't enough, so the author chucked in another couple, by which time it just got a bit silly.

I'm not a DNF person, and I suppose I was interested enough to see it through to the end, but I didn't pick up my Kindle with relish, eager to continue. It was more of a, 'I suppose I should finish this to see how it all pans out'.

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You Are Here by David Nicholls

 

Not having read anything by this author, it probably took me no more than a handful of pages to ask myself, WHY have I not I read anything by this author?

It's a romance; it's an organic, down-to-earth romance with two very likeable main characters. With such witty, sharp and credible dialogue, I can't help thinking this author would be a very entertaining guest at one of those 'which ten people present or past would you invite to a dinner party'.

It's about two lonely people (Marnie and Michael) who meet on a challenging group walk. But, are they lonely or just alone? That's the beauty of Nicholls' writing…the question is cleverly and beautifully examined.

I thoroughly enjoyed this and loved being in Marnie and Michael's company. The minute I finished it, I headed straight to Amazon to seek out Nicholls' other books. He'll never be at my dinner party, of course, but I'll have many hours in his company.

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Promoted with Tenure by KB Fisher

 

While this calls itself a murder mystery, the actual murder investigation (of a university professor, which is just for starters) plays second fiddle. The main player seems to be the politics, in-house fighting and battles for power that go on in a university…well, this university. I found it tedious and rather laboured, as there is a lot of jargon (academic and entomological) used, which went way over my head. Whilst some of this narrative is necessary to explain the motives for the murder(s), it's overdone. (Full synopsis here)

One other criticism is that there are a few chapters dedicated to flashbacks, but no indication that that's what they are; the chapters merely have a number and no title, so it takes a few minutes to realise, oh, hang on, we've gone back in time here.

However, I was impressed by the writing. The author is very articulate, and I did like the way he described mannerisms, his characters, their personalities…he's very adept at word-painting a scene.

I enjoyed this, albeit with some reservations, and I certainly wasn't expecting who did it!

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The Final Hours of Muriel Hinchcliffe M.B.E by Claire Parkin

 

I wonder how many people are old enough (one of whom would be me!) to remember the very dark, rather lurid, psychological horror film 'Whatever Happened to Baby Jane' because it kept popping into my head as I was reading this. It's many many degrees removed from this, of course, but there is just a teensy essence of similarity. 

We have two women, 'friends' since childhood, one now in a wheelchair, living together in their dotage, but who actually aren't very friendly to each other at all. They are both rather toxic and not wholly likeable and you do, albeit a bit uncharitably, consider they are actually well suited to each other. (Full synopsis here)

It makes for difficult reading sometimes, but, it is deliciously dark and twisted and well written. I didn't foresee the ending…the 'gosh, I didn't see that coming' finale is invariably the icing on a cake of a good read.

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A Beginner's Guide to Breaking and Entering by Andrew Hunter Murray

 

I just didn't want this to end. The narrator's voice is very, very engaging: a little cynical, very witty and all round jolly good fun. It tapped right into my sense of humour.

Al (the narrator) is, as he likes to call himself, an 'interloper'. Others would probably describe it as 'breaking and entering'. He is very particular about the difference. He merely stays in empty houses whilst their owner(s) is/are away on some exotic far-away holiday or in one of their other houses. He doesn't steal anything. He merely temporarily resides in an empty house. He's managed to do this for a good decade, following a meticulous set of rules and always on his own: until events lead him to co-'interloping' with three others, which is when it all goes wrong. Very, very wrong.

This is wonderfully easy to read and even easier to immerse yourself into the characters, all of whom are really rather captivating and fascinating. It's very well written and keeps you entertained right to the end.

Al never explains what led him to an 'interloping' career, he never explains what the nefarious deeds of his past were, but quite often alludes to, and never tells the reader his real name. I was just slightly miffed that these questions remained unanswered, but it doesn't alter my five-star rating and very certainly won't prevent me seeking out this author's other books.

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AMAZON US

And Now There's Zelda by Carolyn Clarke

 

This is Clarke's second book after 'And Then There's Margaret', which I thoroughly enjoyed, once I'd ignored the 'dramedy' banner on that novel. It's a very entertaining, well-written family drama, it's just not funny, merely misgenred!

I was very much looking forward to catching up with Ally and co, now dealing with a new addition to her family…her son's new girlfriend/fiancée. Whilst Ally had to deal with Margaret come what may, being her husband's mother, she's quite hell-bent on ejecting Zelda from the family fold, convinced she's not the right girlfriend/fiancée/wife material for her much-loved son.

Again, it's a very enjoyable ride of ups and downs as Ally and Zelda navigate their relationship. It's a very worthy sequel to Clarke's previous novel and the characters are all very real and credible, and could quite happily be your family nextdoor who you'd be popping in to see regularly.

I think the 'And then/now there's…' might have been wrung out now, but I'll more than happily read another Ally life episode or indeed anything else by this author.

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See Also:

And Then There's Margaret

I Will Find You by Harlan Coben

 

Believe it or not, this is my debut Coben, and now I'm wondering why I haven't picked him up before.

Gosh, what a page turner. And what a writer. I think I picked a good 'un to get a taste of this author.

Serving a life sentence for murdering his young son, David Burroughs is innocent. Five years into his sentence, his sister-in-law finds evidence that there is no doubt his son is alive. The only way he can prove his innocence is to break out of prison and to then find and save his son. (Full synopsis here)

This is a tense and white-knuckle ride and utterly unputdownable. It's well strategised; it has a very credible unfurling and reveal, and is gripping right to the end.

Obviously, I'm going to pick up many more Cobens!

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