A Hiding to Nothing by David Wallen

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AMAZON US

It’s always good to read a book where the author does such a wonderful job of making you want to visit a particular town or country, but it’s equally enjoyable when he writes about somewhere you've been. You can place the characters in the location with such ease that you’re not imagining them there, you’re almost there with them! This was so true of this book. Paris, the French Alps, Switzerland are all places I know, so I felt immediately at home in this thriller. 

While a young couple (Marc and Frances) are attempting a potentially lethal off-piste ski run in Les Deux Alpes in the French Alps, a keen and mean Russian is ransacking their apartment in France. He is looking for something Marc has and doesn’t intend to stop at turning over their home. When the couple appears on missing posters in the ski resort, a weekend skier, Don Ward, finds himself curiously intrigued by their supposed disappearance and embarks on an unofficial investigation. A P.I he is most definitely not, and he and his Estonian girlfriend find themselves way out of their depth and trying to keep a step ahead of one particular Russian and his yes-men. He has to hope that his obsession with getting to the bottom of a young couple’s disappearance won’t mean a tragic end to himself or his girlfriend.

This book draws you in from the very first page and holds you in its grip right to the end. You are transported to a number of European settings: you’re on the go the whole time! The unscrupulous Russians are somewhat stereotyped as ruthless stop-at-nothing thugs, but they’re essential players to the plot. And Don Ward as the struggling investigator of a mystery is rather endearing. He’s never delusional about trying to be a hero: he just wants to get to the bottom of it all. As an employee of a wing of the UN, he has many humanitarian qualities.

My only reservations are that the ending left me with an ‘oh, is that it’ sort of feeling and the whole book needs a massively intensive copy-edit.

It’s Wallen’s first novel and he should be very pleased with it. It’s compelling, the characters believable, the scenes very well set, and all-in-all, it’s a very enjoyable read.

Love Letters by Jane Larry

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AMAZON US

This was a YA short story. Unfortunately, the immaturity of the writing, the poor editing (it couldn’t seem to make up its mind whether it was third-person or first-person POV, or if was in the past or present tense) were a bit of stumbling block to the enjoyment. 

The concept was reasonable enough; whilst her school friends are off enjoying their spring break, Lisa knuckles down to complete her English assignment: to compose a short story. She gets her inspiration from some love letters she finds in a library book. They only provide her with half a story, though, and not wanting to invent her own ending, with the help of John, she tries to find the author and subject of the letters for closure of the little romance and her own assignment. Her romantic notions, however, turn out to be very different from the actual outcome of the sweet love portrayed in the letters; and what’s more, her opinion of John, whom she thought to be a little shallow and cocky, undergoes quite a transformation.

There’s mileage in this short story, but it needs structure. The ending is rather rushed and garbled. The writing is a little disjointed and stilted (some not-quite-there phrases) and just a little juvenile. However, the main character(s) are quite convincing and likeable—I did like the fact that Lisa, perhaps not your normal run-of-the-mill teenager, was proud to be who and what she was— and the development of their relationship is touching. 

The author’s style is just a little rough around the edges, but she shows great promise.

Wheezer and the Painted Frog by Kitty Sutton

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AMAZON US

When a dog is the hero of a story, what on earth is not to like?!

What an excellent tale from Kitty Sutton. One of fact and fiction, married perfectly to create a story set around the appalling eviction of the Cherokee to new territories, in the nineteenth century.

Vital supplies from government are not reaching these destitute people. Though many—old and young—are dying from the hardship, the death of a little boy is incomprehensible to his older sister, Sasa, who is confused by his dying words. And so, she has a puzzle to solve. Alone—but determined—companionship, protection, and help, arrive in the form of a four-legged assistant: Wheezer, no less. A very smart Jack Russell terrier, who has fled his beloved master in terror when an explosion frightens his whiskers off. When his owner finally catches up with him, Sasa finds another unexpected ally in solving her puzzle and the mystery surrounding a carved painted frog, and together they uncover betrayal, greed, and the reasons why their lifeline is being cut off from them. 

The title—and indeed the cover—belies the content of this book. I confess I was expecting a children’s story. How wrong was I! There was murder, crime, fraud, mystery, deception, a teensy weensy bit of romance, and adventures aplenty for one very smart little dog. The story is fictional, yes, but the historic Cherokee ‘Trail of Tears’ is not, nor is the intelligence and lovability of Jack Russells. The factual perimeters envelop a compelling story with wonderfully conceived and portrayed characters (how about Mary Walkingstick? Fabulous!). Kitty’s research has left no stone unturned and has created a vivid and detailed setting for this easy-to-read and enjoyable novel.

Alpha and Omega - A Short Story by Caleb Stephens

AMAZON UK
AMAZON US

I enjoyed this short sci-fi story. Peter’s life isn’t exceptional: he has a job, a wife (an unhappy one), an empty marriage, two children, and a 'bit on the side'. After a car accident from which he emerges uncannily unscathed, his life seems extraordinarily opposite. He adores his wife, and he uncharacteristically throws himself into being a hands-on dad. Life would be just peachy if only he didn’t have disturbing dreams and didn’t feel like he was observing his life, rather than actually living it. 

This was well constructed. Time is of the essence with a short story: you don’t have long to develop both character and plot, every word has to count and there should be an ending. Alpha and Omega delivers on all fronts, though the ending is very neatly enigmatic: it finishes the story, but on the other hand, there’s hint there could be more. 

A very enjoyable forty-five minute read.

3:53 a.m. by Nocomus Columbus

AMAZON UK
AMAZON US

Hmm…a little weird, a bit ‘out there’. I didn’t get it, I’m afraid. Upon finishing, I felt I needed to reread it in order to try to understand, and therein, I think, lies the problem. A reread for me would be to revisit some thought-provoking elements, not as a necessity to comprehend. 

The story starts with a shocking murder, and the ensuing chapters flip back to the events leading up to it: four friends, secrets, betrayal, distrust, revenge and lies...all of which also contribute to a somewhat unexpected ending. 

This short story does need a pass through a good editor, but whether or not the quality of the editing was what clouded my perception, I’m just not sure. The plot line is good, strong, but it may have been too big for its word count, and…I don’t know whether this is intentional or not…I felt nothing at all for any of the characters. I’m going to give the benefit of the doubt to the author and say that perhaps he’s just too clever for me. He certainly has a unique style. 

The simplicity of the cover embodies the ‘less is more’ concept and certainly arouses curiosity, which I believe is satisfied by a ‘challenging’ short story.

The Children Shall Be Blameless by W. Jack Savage

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AMAZON US

Quite a book, this one. I did find myself wondering as I read it whether or not I was looking into the window of the soul of the main character (Richard Smith) or of that of the author…it was written with such conviction, passion and heart. 

Richard Smith is unceremoniously dumped in an orphanage along with his two sisters (whom he thought they were), but things don’t turn out too well for the latter. Without them, he survives his pre-teen years in the orphanage to then join the armed forces with whom he does a tour of duty in Vietnam. Back in civvy street, he proves himself an astute businessman and property owner. An electric shock one day, during routine maintenance of one of his properties, opens a Pandora’s box of memories and unanswered questions, which send him on a journey of discovery and extraordinary experiences. A journey he hopes will take no more than three days…but...some questions are answered, some are not, and a whole new set present themselves. His focus, sincerity, trustworthiness and compassion remain with him throughout, qualities that he acquired and which sustained him all his life, in spite of his shaky orphanage years: all because of one man, Father Brown, who saw in him a uniqueness and whose unerring support gives Richard what he never received from absent parents, nor indeed from the orphanage’s nuns. 

This is a compelling book. It is quite long, a little slow in places, there’s perhaps a bit too much telling rather than showing, the subplots are a trifle complicated at times, and the cast of characters seems to multiply infinitely! BUT…Savage has conceived a mesmerising and fascinating main character. Every dialogue of which Richard is part is charged with emotion or pathos or suspense, even. The story follows Richard from his first days in the orphanage to his last breath and every stage of his life draws you in. For every time he accepts his lot…which he does so admirably…your heart bursts with hope that he may find that for which he yearns the most. It’s not just Richard’s character who was brilliantly portrayed, however: just about all the cast and crew were extremely well conceived. You ‘got’ them all. 

The book is fiction, but the man on whom Richard was based lived, lives, will live, somewhere, sometime. It’s about a man who is searching, in this case, for his roots, love, fulfilment and contentment. Each of us looks for at least one of those things at some point in our lives. 

I really enjoyed this, not just for the story, but for the depth of thought and sentiments therein. 

Escape to Love by Emma Calin

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AMAZON-US

Escape to Love is a short story featuring Maria, a young single mother trying to put her years of physical abuse at the hands of her violent partner behind her, along with her young autistic daughter, Lucy. When her daughter is late home one evening, her anxiety is heightened by broadcast news that two prison escapees are on the loose, after a prison officer has been hit over the head and killed. One is a convicted rapist and murderer, the other a fraudster. Her daughter arrives home safely: but one of the escapees also turns up on her doorstep. Which one is he?

I have to be honest, the whole thing is just a tad incredible and unlikely, especially as Maria’s feelings towards the escapee turn to something quite improbable. The writing is rather ‘raw’ and unrefined, the text is riddled with punctuation errors and omissions, and the dialogue is a bit stilted. I think there’s more mileage in the plot which would have made it all a little more believable. And yet, I have to say it’s quite an enjoyable story that you can read in just an hour, and Maria’s emotional confusion over the situation in which she finds herself is well conveyed. The author shows promise: a good developmental and technical editor will buff this shortie to a shine. 

Where the Bulbul Sings by Serena Fairfax

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AMAZON-US

A story that spans seventy years or so, starting from the beginning of the Second World War, this book is a rich tapestry of determination, love, politics, discrimination, wealth, desperation, secrets and survival, set in India, a country equally rich in language, culture, religion, customs, landscape and people. 

The main character is Hermie, a focussed and single-minded young lady who is determined to abandon her Anglo-Indian roots, her mundane existence, and her family for a better future. She certainly manages to take out the mundanity in her life; her rocky road to happiness isn’t quite the one she hoped for, but it brings special people into her life, in particular, Edith, a German exile, no less focussed than Hermie but less idealistic and, thankfully, more clear-headed. Their lives are almost inextricably linked by the choices each makes, the people they meet, and the people they love. When Kay, another resolute young lady, enters their lives in their twilight years, Hermie discovers that some secrets cannot be hidden forever. 

This is quite a long book, and not only did I find it just a tad slow-going at first, I found the lack of good editing rather irritating: there is a good deal of head-hopping, some lack of continuity, spelling errors and missing words in the narrative, and poor punctuation throughout. The progression of time is a little erratic. However, I have to admit that it was extremely easy to be totally drawn into the characters’ lives and the setting, and when I finished the book, I found myself a little disappointed that I was no longer being transported to India! 

Serena portrays strong women, and what I liked is that she bounced your feelings about them back and forth between respect and reservation about the choices each makes. The story is expertly entwined with Indian history and culture: the use of Indian terminology for servants and food, for example, added richness to the scene setting which Serena does superbly. She has excellent descriptive techniques to paint a fine and detailed picture of many aspects of India, and the dialogue is sharp, sometimes witty, and appropriately ‘regional’. 

Very definitely worth a read. 

Childhunt by Faith Mortimer

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AMAZON-US

Poor Diana Rivers, our amateur sleuth extraordinaire; Faith doesn’t allow her to lead an uneventful life for very long! 

In this story, she finds herself in danger once again, in pursuit of a heinous criminal. And I think this is Faith’s finest Diana Rivers’ mystery yet. It’s compelling, fast-paced and gritty. 

Christmas is approaching, and Agios Mamas, in Cyprus, is having some unusually cold and snowy weather. Diana, her husband, Steve, and their toddler daughter are looking forward to bringing an English flavour to the village festivities. When her quiet and reserved neighbours’ young children go missing, secrets, fears and tragedies are revealed, and the hunt is on for two small children lost in cold, inclement weather. They have to be found before the elements overcome them, or worse, their abductor carries out his plans for them. 

Faith paints a perfect, suspenseful and chilling scene: her in-depth knowledge of Cyprus, its weather, its customs and its people authenticates the setting of her latest novel. With her usual flair, she uses what she knows best to dramatic effect; the tension and suspense will have you reading this book in one sitting and certainly hoping that Faith doesn’t give Diana too long a rest before she’s solving yet another murder!

How Not to Murder Your Grumpy by Carol E. Wyer

Probably not the sort of How To book you would think of looking for, is it? This is a hugely entertaining, informative, interesting and fun book of all sorts of things you can suggest to your newly retired better half to keep him out of your hair, and possibly prevent him from becoming a train-spotting anorak and even more grumpy. This isn’t just an A to Z of weird and wonderful activities, it’s delightfully funny and witty, (written by a very lovely funny and witty lady), peppered with fascinating facts and figures and jokes. 

There aren’t just twenty-six pursuits to cajole your grumpy into: there are no less than 700. Anything from astronomy and antiques to juggling and jousting to yodelling and zorbing. See, what did I tell you? I was almost tempted to keep this from my very own Grumpy and take up the hobbies myself. 

Even if you aren’t approaching those ‘senior’ years, this is a treasure trove of suggestions to keep anyone of any age out of mischief, fit and mentally active. 

A superb ‘handbook’ written in Carol’s inimitable style. An absolute gem.

Also by Carol:

Surfing in Stilettos

This Möbius Strip of Ifs by Mathias B Freese

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AMAZON-US

I panicked a little when I started to read this: it was instantly evident that the writer is very intelligent, well read, extraordinarily articulate and profound (and I confess I don’t even understand the title). I feared this was going to be rather highbrow; would I ‘get’ it and how on earth was I going to be able to review it when the author is clearly a good deal more astute than I? What we have here is a collection of essays on various topics by a man who was once in therapy, then turned to the profession himself to become a therapist; topics or reflections which are of profound significance to the author either because of his antipathy towards or passion for them. And quite a jamboree: actors, America, his children, his parents, his youth, his pain and personal discontent, Krishnamurti, Kazantzakis, the Holocaust, Jews, Jefferson…

I have to be honest and confess that I haven’t heard of Krishnamurti and Kazantzakis, nor am I particularly motivated to research them, so references to them did go over my head just a tad. The author, however, is clearly an adherent. Nevertheless, I found Freese’s writing fascinating and awe-worthy. What I found a little strange, however, was that he describes himself as a ‘private person’, but I thought the essays were quite soul-baring, which perpetuated a mystery through the whole reading experience: for whom was he writing, himself or the reader? 

This is a book to be reread: there is a quality and depth to the writing which can’t be grasped instantly (but that may be my own inadequacy, of course). It is also one that can be ‘dipped’ into at intervals. I still haven’t been able to get it out of my head, and therefore, the author may be able to shout ‘Success!’.

Escape from the Big Green Button by Clara Harland

AMAZON-UK
AMAZON-US

If you want to know all about TEFL (Teaching English as a Foreign Language), then this book tells you a good deal about it. Whether this worked as a novel, I’m not so sure. 

Emma is a post-graduate spanning the gap between university and finding her career path with boring, mundane office jobs with nothing more interesting than mind-numbing clerical duties like filing and endless hours at the photo-copier (the source of that Green Button). After an I’ve seriously got to change my life moment, she embarks on a TEFL course in Prague, Czech Republic, where she meets a motley crew of both teacher trainees and ‘guinea-pig’ students. She then returns to the UK to put her training into practice and finds herself in charge of an unruly group of cheeky Italian teenagers. And then there’s the rather gorgeous Xavi… 

This book can be divided into two halves, the first where Emma makes some firm plans to embark on and complete her course, then the second when she uses her training. I found the first half very interesting, but the second half was just a little ‘stretched’: I wanted something exciting to happen. Emma and Xavi’s will they won’t they wasn’t quite enough to keep me captivated. The book needs a professional editing eye: apart from some grammatical and punctuation errors, the author has a tendency to write long, convoluted sentences with little punctuation. I almost found myself out of breath as I read! 

That said, Clara has used her own TEFL experiences to create an authentic and very credible setting. A perfect example of ‘write what you know’. I gained a fascinating insight to the workings of the TEFL programme in a witty and entertaining way, and I can confidently say that I learnt something. Emma has a lot of mileage as a character: she’s young, hard-working, committed and funny, and I can (just about) remember being in that post-graduate wasteland, which makes her all the more believable. 

A good book to learn about TEFL. A compelling novel: not so much.

Saving Saffron Sweeting by Pauline Wiles

This was a debut chick-lit novel by Pauline Wiles, of which she should be very proud. The story focuses on saving not only Saffron Sweeting, a (fictional) small village in Cambridgeshire, in danger of losing its traditional landmarks to greedy developers, but also the marriage of a young interior designer, Grace, whose husband’s one-off drunken indiscretion rocks the foundations of her marriage to the core.

Grace and her husband, James, are living in Silicon Valley in the US. When she discovers he has been unfaithful to her, she flees home to the UK and finds a small, cosy, pretty little village in Cambridgeshire in which to lick her wounds. She finds herself working for an estate agent run by Amelia—herself not a stranger to errant husbands. As chance would have it, Grace finds herself making the most of her interior design talents, when the effervescent Amelia pushes her into active village life…which also blows a certain handsome young property developer, Scott, into Grace’s path. Teetering on the ‘rebound’ tightrope, can Scott help her forget her rat of a cheating husband, or does her history with and love for her ex provide too much competition? And can Saffron Sweeting haul itself into the twenty-first century and defend itself against greed?

Wiles has certainly picked all the right ingredients for this chick-lit novel, and the result is a crisp, clean, witty, and well-devised book. She has portrayed some colourful and entertaining characters (all of them believable), and Grace is a strong and very likeable protagonist.

A very commendable first novel.  A professional edit has been overlooked and would certainly upgrade it from 'commendable' to 'excellent'.  Lack of attention to some editorial areas were just a little jarring, but it was enjoyable nevertheless. Hopefully, this promising author will address this, if not with this novel, with any future projects, which I would be happy to read.