A Stroke of Luck: My Journey through a Traumatic Brain Injury by Aithal

 

I don't often read a book like this…about another person's journey through a health trauma…but I've read more than one of Aithal's books, and he has a very gentle, chatty and conversational style that engages you with whatever he writes.

Aithal is a survivor of a TBI that occurred some twenty odd years ago…it was severe, but his guardian angel kept him alive. However, the road to recovery was a very tough, uphill climb. It needed a half-full-glass mentality and a shedload of positivity. Fortunately, Aithal has all of that (along with a wonderfully supportive family and circle of friends) and two decades later is, mercifully, around to be able to share his experience.

The account is certainly a testament to his incredible determination, an appreciative nod to the medical assistance he received and a loving acknowledgement to his wife, who was his constant supporter and encourager.

A humble and inspiring memoir.

Murder at Church Lodge by Greg Mosse

 

This* is a gripping and entertaining cosy murder mystery. It's well-written, suspenseful and thoroughly enjoyable.

Maisie is our amateur, would-be Miss Marple (a much younger version!), trying to piece together the events that led to her estranged brother's murder, helped by the policeman with whom she'd been at school and whose soft spot for her all those years ago is still there. See About the Book below.

The cast of characters is diverse and the clues lead you down many different paths. The seventies setting brought back many memories of those miserable power-cut days!

It's well strategised and well paced and brought to a gentle conclusion, but I am now curious if Maisie and her policeman ever pick up where they left off so many years previously. I was very pleased to discover that this new-to-me author has written other Maisie Cooper mysteries, so I shall enjoy familiarising myself with them all.

*Provided by NetGalley

By Your Side by Ruth Jones

 

The saddest day of the year last year was the last episode ever of Gavin & Stacey, which will forever be one of the best things on TV, along with Nessa's iconic, 'Oh! What's occurrin'.'

Ruth Jones is, of course, one of the writers as well as one of the main characters (Nessa), so I had no doubt whatsoever that anything penned by her was going to be excellent. I've watched every single episode of G&S, but I've never, until now, read any of Jones' books. This* was a treat from start to finish.

Utterly readable, thoroughly entertaining, tinged with a teensy bit of sadness but lightly peppered with that amazing, gentle, clean humour we grew to love about the TV programme, it's a book in which you can immerse yourself and feel warm and cocooned. See About the Book below.

What a brilliant writer Jones is. I don't think my reading list will be complete until I've read all her books.

Wonderful, just wonderful.

*Provided by NetGalley

The Retirement Plan by Sue Hincenbergs

 

This* was an absolute delight. It's a melange of coincidences and misunderstandings and utterly, but deliciously, ridiculous! It's tremendous fun and wonderfully entertaining. I thoroughly enjoyed it. (See About the Book below)

It's the author's first novel, so I really must congratulate her on debuting with an absolute cracker. One or two rookie errors grammatically, but nothing you can't overlook and nothing that thwarts your enjoyment of a book that's well written, well cast and well dialogued.

With only a few pages to go, I was really worried about the tying-up of one loose thread, but then, there it was. Beautifully ended.

Well done, Ms H. I shall await your next book eagerly!

*Provided by NetGalley

The Protest by Rob Rinder

 

I love a book you can't wait to pick up at any free moment but is also one you don't want to finish because you enjoy it so much.

Rinder's books are those books. Not only a qualified barrister, he's an extremely entertaining TV personality. As it happens, he's also an outstanding author.

This* is the third in the Adam Green series: a newly qualified barrister, who, in this, is defending a young activist accused of killing a very prominent artist with cyanide-laced spray paint (See About the Book below). It's hugely enjoyable, superbly written with excellent character choices. Adam continues to be a meticulous and thorough barrister, and the dialogue between him and his doting and uber-proud mum is pure class. It's nail-biting until the jury's verdict right at the end, but just when you think it's all over, there's the tiniest, tiniest prospect that it might not actually be 'The End'.

It's a promising hint that there is going to be a book number 4. I do hope so.

*Provided by NetGalley

See Also:

The Suspect

The Trial

The Suspect by Rob Rinder

 

Rob Rinder is one of those TV celebs I never hesitate to watch. He has a wry and intelligent sense of humour and a dry wit. This qualifies him to be a very entertaining writer. His first Adam Green book was very engaging, and I couldn't wait for the next. I must have snoozed because I suddenly spotted number three was available, so of course I had to rush over to Amazon to buy this, book number two!

A brilliant sequel, just as well written (well, just a few punctuation and grammatical errors), just as compelling and masterfully plotted and characterised. The dialogue between Adam and his doting mum that punctuate the drama are just excellent.

The fact that Rinder is a qualified and esteemed barrister just ices this literary cake…the authenticity envelops the courtroom drama to very credible effect, all without bombarding the reader with legalese. It's wonderfully easy to read and understand.

I waited all of five seconds to start the third in the series.

See Also:

The Trial

The Antique Hunter's Death on the Red Sea by C. L. Miller

 

I thoroughly enjoyed Miller's debut novel, The Antique Hunter's Guide to Murder, so of course I was really keen to read novel number two.

We're back with Freya and her wonderfully exuberant and ostentatious Aunt Carole as they search for stolen antiques under the mantle of their fledgling stolen-antiques agency, a side line to their antiques shop. It's an exotic pursuit this time, as they join a cruise to Egypt and Jordan.

It's every bit as enjoyable as the first novel, so very well done to Miller for another perfectly executed book. There is a 'but', though. Too many Americanisms, such as 'gotten', 'afterward', and other American spellings (marvelous instead of marvellous) I found that rather jarring. They didn't sit well in a British-authored novel. Perhaps it was the Canadian editors who were used? Although I'm not so sure who was responsible for overlooking 'an river', and phrases like 'she looked at him from under her eyelashes' belong in a trashy chic lit. (Does anyone actually look at anyone from anywhere else?)

That aside, this* is well written, well characterised and well plotted. I'm ready and waiting for more Freya and Aunt Carole adventures (un-Canadian edited).

*Provided by NetGalley

See also:

The Antique Hunter's Guide to Murder

Altered by Rob Kaufman

 

This* is the third of Kaufman's books I've read. After the first, I knew I had to read more (if not all) of his books, and now, two after that, I can say his books come with excellence guaranteed.

We are in the world of clinical psychiatry in this one (See About the Book below), specifically, multiple personalities. And wow, what a tangled web is woven. It's gripping, intense and utterly unputdownable. The ending is brilliant…conclusive enough to end the book, but with a tantalising hint of a sequel. I wanted to rush over to Amazon and buy the next book. I didn't. I rushed over and bought three of Kaufman's books.

This is a talented and articulate author with a knack of making each of his books unique, very readable and totally absorbing.

*Provided by Booksirens

See Also:

A Broken Reality
One Last Lie

The Boy from the Sea by Garrett Carr

 

I'm afraid I found this* rather tedious and stodgy. It was less about the 'boy from the sea' (baby abandoned on a beach, then taken in by husband and wife, Ambrose and Christine, and son Declan…see About the Book below) and more about the hardships of the fishing industry: something I'm perfectly aware of but didn't particularly want to read about.

The characters are rather wooden and one-dimensional. I felt nothing for any of them. There are long, long, rambling passages without a paragraph break or dialogue, all the harder to read because of a distinct lack of correct punctuation. The 'narrator' was unusually, 'we', i.e., the residents of the community, where the story is set.

The ending was inconclusive and left me with questions. I always finish a book, no matter what, but this was very hard-going.

*Provided by NetGalley

 

What He Left Behind by Benjamin Bradley

 

This* is a little word-dense, but as I progressed, I realised how important all the words are. Every character has a history and baggage (emotional or otherwise), and the author's talent lies in making each one multi-dimensional and alive, to the point I almost forgot there was a crime to solve…a murder, in fact, which the main character, Detective Grace Bingham, has to solve. Her investigation is complicated by two things: the victim appears to be linked to an unsolved tragedy fifteen years before and the return to her town of her teenage sweetheart, Detective Jacob Sawyer.

It's intense, philosophical, reflective (I sensed there is a lot of the author in this) and, if I'm honest, a little convoluted, but you are totally sucked in by the characters, the sleepy town and what the future might hold for Grace and Sawyer…or what you hope for Grace and Sawyer. See About the Book below.

I was slightly narked, however, by the oversight of quite a few grammatical errors, mainly the use of I for me (too many times), which should have been picked up. (Eg.: …'between Sawyer and I.' Like fingernails on a blackboard!)

That said, any author who acknowledges his readers as a priority has a very, very special place in my reading list…as well as being an excellent writer, of course.

*provided by BookSirens

Into the Storm by Cecelia Ahern

 

Ahern's In a Thousand Different Ways was the first book I read by her, and I enjoyed it enough to want to read another of her books.

Despite the unpopular present-tense narrative, along with slapdash editing, this* had me hooked to the end. Ahern managed to toss my smugness all over the place. Within only a few pages, I thought, oh, it's obvious, I know how this is going to pan out, but then Ahern throws you curveballs and twists and turns, and your powers of detection are all over the shop. Now that's clever.

The story is tightly and intensely coiled with emotion as GP Enya Pickering worries about her upcoming birthday—the age at which her mother tragically and suddenly died—and then has to deal with lasting trauma of tending to a road-traffic victim on a cold and stormy night. See About the Book below. The storm isn't just literal, it's metaphoric as well.

Well-written and very compelling, I was glad I read another book by this author, as it tipped her into my 'definitely read more of' list. It's a shame she didn't acknowledge her readers at the end, it's always a nice touch.

*Provided by Netgalley

See Also:

In a Thousand Different Ways

So Thrilled For You by Holly Bourne

 

You realise how good an author is when, despite not really liking any one of the four main characters (four women, friends since university), despite the dreadful editing (neither author nor editor seemed to know the difference between lie and lay, when to use an adverb or when to use me and I: "through Matt and I's marriage" (Really? REALLY???), or how to use an apostrophe) and despite the complete lack of a nod to her readers by the author in her acknowledgements—publishers, friends, family, advisers, experts…oh yes, Uncle Tom Cobley, but not all….despite all that (yes, I know it's a lot!), you simply can't put this* down. See About the Book below.

The above aside, it's very well written with (whether you like them or not) characters with a lot meat on them (figuratively!). There's Lauren with severe post-natal depression, Nicki with a mend-my-marriage pregnancy, neuro-divergent Charlotte who can't get pregnant, and career-girl Steffi who has no need of babies in her life. And then, Nicki's baby shower changes everything.

I enjoyed this a lot but for me to read anything else by this author, I want better editing…and less nonsense like "It’s no coincidence that every woman in this country over the age of 60 has some kind of clinical anxiety disorder." Clearly, I'm unique…'nonsense' is a ladylike word for what I actually think of that.

*Provided by Netgalley

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.

AMAZON UK

AMAZON US

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.

AMAZON UK

AMAZON US

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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.

AMAZON UK

AMAZON US

 

 

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.

AMAZON UK

AMAZON US

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.