The Santa Hat by Rebecca L. Marsh

 

I don't often read short stories, but it's always with the greatest pleasure that I open a book by Marsh. Her books are always beautifully written and wonderfully easy and entertaining to read. There is nothing to disappoint and everything to enjoy in this (my seventh book by Marsh!) charming and heartwarming collection.

In these stories, Marsh highlights that Christmas isn't all twinkly lights and sleigh bells ringing for everyone…for some, yuletide invokes not-so-happy memories and thus a desire to get through what for them is a miserable season as quickly as possible. And yet, a simple gift, a mysterious phone call, a stolen sandwich, a marital misunderstanding...are all it takes for Christmas to be the fun it was again.

An absolutely delightful anthology that shows there is often joy to be found in unexpected places and of course all perfectly and masterfully executed by Marsh.

See Also:

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

Shadows of Truth by Barry Finlay

 

Having read three of the Jake Scott mysteries, it was with great eagerness that I dived into this, the fourth.

As homicide detective Dani Perez's gentle sidekick and romantic partner, retired investigative journalist Jake and her make quite the sleuthing couple. In this, they are getting to the bottom of a murder (or two) on the ocean waves: Jake is a reluctant…very reluctant…passenger on a cruise that Dani persuaded him to 'enjoy'. (I'm with Jake on this one!)

Despite having to battle with jurisdiction protocol and some rather stormy weather (I'm very definitely with Jake!), the pair unearth some likely suspects, but when it gets extremely personal, there's no stopping them.

These crime thrillers are an immense pleasure to: there's always a well-written, meaty plot that runs alongside the very endearing growing relationship between widower Jake and Dani. 

'The End' left me sad to have to leave Jake and Dani's company but avidly waiting for their next adventure...on terra firma, I hope, for Jake's sake.

See also:

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

The World's End by Karen Fitzgibbon

 

I recently read Never Look Back by this author, which I thoroughly enjoyed, leading me seek out another of her books pretty promptly.

This* was another cracker…I might have enjoyed it even more than Never Look Back. I often describe good books as 'unputdownable', but for me, it's more theoretical than practical, i.e. if I could find more time to read, I wouldn't be able to put the book down! In this case, it absolutely was practical. I was virtually carrying my Kindle around the house, grabbing any five minutes I could to race to the end.

Well plotted with characters that come to life…be they goodies or baddies…this is a gripping story of a weekend in a beautiful Irish fishing village that turns very sour indeed, changing one young life forever.

A totally absorbing and gripping read.

*Provided by BookSirens

They Had it Coming by Nikki Smith

The Beach Party was my first rendezvous with Smith, which I enjoyed but for the use of the present-tense narrative.

It didn't put me off reading another of her books, but I have the same words for this*: enjoyable but for the present-tense narrative, which adds nothing and takes away a lot.

However, it's a tense thriller about four friends of longstanding, none of whom I particularly liked…but I think that was the intention. (See About the Book below.)  Of course, it's not long before you realise that the word 'friends' has to be used somewhat loosely. And then there's the intrigue of an event that occurred fifteen years previously that weaves in and out of the story, making you wonder what on earth it has to do with anything: until the very end. Nicely done.

Gripping, well-written and entertaining. But let’s ditch that present-tense narrative, shall we?

*Provide by NetGalley

See also:

The Beach Party

Death and Other Occupational Hazards by Veronika Dapunt

 

This* was a fun diversion from my usual diet of crime thrillers.  It's a very entertaining tale about the two major elements of existence, death and life, personified. 

Death and Life are sisters, would you believe. Like most sisters, they bicker, sometimes hate each other, but mostly can't do without each other. 

Death has been in charge of every single death over quite a few millennia and is singularly unimpressed when she learns of three 'unplanned' demises: ones she didn’t know about.  Investigation is therefore essential.  This entails a bright, mismatched, eccentric wardrobe, some unexpected friendships and some rather dicey situations, even for Death. See About the Book below.

Quirky, darkly comic but wonderfully entertaining. 

Just a little note to Ms Dapunt.  In your very comprehensive list of acknowledgements (pet dog included), where was that nod to your readers?  Whilst all your helpers are important, where would you be without readers?  Food for thought.

*Provided by NetGalley

Never Look Back by Karen Fitzgibbon

 

I hadn't read anything by this author before this*. Gosh. Taut, suspenseful and utterly gripping. It's very well written (grammatical errors notwithstanding: apostrophising plurals and a couple of instances where the author got the characters' names wrong), but for that, the characters are well drawn and compelling.

Secrets/lies/deception/the path to truth always make for a good psychological thriller, and Fitzgibbon blends these elements perfectly. (See about the book below.) Set in Limerick, Ireland and London, we have a missing university student with a secret, her mother with a secret, a brother with an unrequited love and a PI who brings it all together…the unrequited love as well!

A tense, psychological thriller you'll find hard to put down. There have to be more 'cases' to be had by Lana, the PI, surely? I do hope so: I would pick them up with relish.

*Provided by Booksirens

False Faces (Edge of Fear Series) by Rob Kaufman

 

You can write a review of Kaufman's books before you've even read them because of the inevitability: it will be excellent, gripping and flippin' brilliant.

This* is, obviously, all of the above. One of Kaufman's (many) talents seems to be managing to make you think you are reading a very long book when in fact, it isn't. Inside 260 perfectly constructed pages, there's War-and-Peace-length tome busting to get out. Carefully chosen words masterfully put together give you an enthralling plot full of suspense and captivating from start to finish.

This is the first in a new series (Edge of Fear): an agoraphobic author is put through a reign of terror by a stalker (see About the Book below). I'll be honest, I did suss out the perpetrator fairly early on, and the ending wasn't a total surprise: as I neared the finale, a (correct) possibility did cross my mind. But, but, but, this didn't spoil my enjoyment one jot, not a one. The journey was just as thrilling, exciting and satisfying.

*Provided by Book Sirens

The Cleaner by Mary Watson

 

Well, gosh. This* has everything: revenge, tragedy, drugs, domestic abuse, deceit, violence, obsession, death, bribery and…believe it or not…love and passion. The whole kit and caboodle. See About the Book below.

I loved it. It kept me glued to the pages (well, my Kindle!) and with all the twists and turns, guessing until the final pages.

It's dark, it's deep, it's tense and the suspense builds as you peel back the layers of secrets and lies to reveal why Esmie, the cleaner wriggled her way into cleaning three homes. Three homes owned by three families of very particular significance to Esmie.

I'm a bedtime reader and couldn't wait to go to bed and devour this book for an hour before lights out.

*Provided by NetGalley

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

.

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