Evan Keogh always wanted to be a painter. He loved abstract art and thought he had something of a gift for it. His father wanted him to become a footbEvan Keogh always wanted to be a painter. He loved abstract art and thought he had something of a gift for it. His father wanted him to become a footballer, something he definitely had a gift for, yet this was something Evan had no interest in. We’d briefly met Evan in Boyne’s previous novella (in this set of four) Water, at the end of which he’d escaped the small island off the west coast of Ireland where he’d lived with his parents. His aim is to find a new life.
When we catch up with him here he’s a professional footballer, playing for a club in the second tier of English football. Evan is gay, which is a challenge in itself given football’s homophobic environment. Details of his sexuality are not widely known, even amongst his teammates. But at least one is aware - Rob, his closest friend at the club. So Evan is successful and has money, but is he happy? The answer is no; Evan simply see’s football as a way to build up sufficient savings to allow him to live the life he really wants. But now he’s in trouble: he’s due to appear in court along with Rob, accused of sexual assault.
So how did he end up in this place, and what does it all mean for his future? As the story of Evan’s life after leaving the island begins to be told, we learn how a collision of bad people, bad luck, and poor choices have led him here. There are unexpected linkages to be revealed, too, and in the end, Evan is left with decisions to be made that will determine how his life will play out from this point.
It’s another powerful story from a writer whose themes and whose characters often highlight the significant challenges life can throw up. Who is to be trusted, and what light will guide us through the maze set out in front of us? The choices we make will sometimes have little significance, and yet others are likely to define us. A moral compass is a useful ally, but it might yet lead us to places we've no desire to go.
My thanks to Random House UK for providing a copy of this book via NetGalley in return for an honest review....more
Manako Kajii is a convicted serial killer. She’d seduced three men by cooking them gourmet food and then killed them off, one by one. Or did she? TherManako Kajii is a convicted serial killer. She’d seduced three men by cooking them gourmet food and then killed them off, one by one. Or did she? There is a degree of ambiguity surrounding the circumstances of each death. Perhaps she’s just been unlucky, and the deaths were actually caused by suicide, accident, or misadventure? A retrial is scheduled, and it’s the talk of Tokyo. Manako is remaining tight-lipped and is refusing visitors, but one woman - journalist Rika Machida - is determined to speak to her to wheedle out Manako’s account of events.
Inspired by a real case, that of a 34 year old woman labelled The Konatsu Killer, this story is part murder mystery, part cookery book. Manako is portrayed as a somewhat portly woman (something highly unusual and also, it seems socially unacceptable in Japan), someone who is unrepentantly fond of eating lavishly prepared dishes. So, in order to ingratiate herself to Manako, or at least pique her interest, Rika starts to correspond with her on the subject of food. Eventually, she manages to get permission to visit her in prison, and a relationship of sorts is developed.
There are other characters close to Rika here, too, but really, it's this central relationship between the journalist and the convicted killer that’s at the heart of the story. In the course of the weeks that follow Rika’s interest in cooking - and eating - accelerates to the point that she too begins to gain weight. Several people comment on this, none positively. There is a good deal of detail here on food preparation, cooking, and the experience of eating the painstakingly assembled dishes. In truth, I began to find this all a little monotonous. But what did interest me was the associated impacts of these events on Rika’s life: the way she was perceived by and treated by others around her.
There are features of Japanese culture covered here that I was hitherto blind to, or at least somewhat dismissive of. These include what seems to be institutional misogyny in the workplace and a work ethic that is collectivist, in the sense that each worker forms ‘a family’ with their colleagues and anything less than total commitment to the cause is deemed to demonstrate of a lack of loyalty. Manners matter a great deal, and adherence to unwritten standards of behaviour is paramount. I found this to be an absolute education. I liked some elements and wished we employed more of these in my own country, but others I found to be strange and disturbingly controlling.
In the end, I thought the story rather petered out without coming to a definitive or rounded ending. The lessons learned by Rika, and to a lesser extent, some of her friends are the only real points of focus. I think the book could have done with some serious editing (less on the food) and also a more rounded summary of how things played out at its conclusion. That said, there’s a certain quality to the writing and, in particular, the way in which characters are developed and portrayed that I found engaging. Overall, it’s a three star rating for me.
My thanks to 4th Estate for providing a copy of this book via NetGalley in return for an honest review....more
I’d enjoyed two books written by this author (The Burning Girls and The Drift), both were mysteries that were somewhat different to those I normally rI’d enjoyed two books written by this author (The Burning Girls and The Drift), both were mysteries that were somewhat different to those I normally read - but in a good way, they surprised me and challenged me. So when I started reading this one - without first reading the blurb, just relying on my previous experiences with this writer - I quickly realised that there was a fantasy element here. Now, this is something I try to avoid. It’s something that really switches me off. But I pressed on, for a while…
Set in a small town in Alaska, a detective arrives to investigate a murder. But the twist is that a colony of Vampyrs have recently descended on the community and housed themselves nearby, outside of the town. Twenty-five five year, ago there had been a murder attributed to such a c, lony and the residents of the town had been uneasy about this new group’s arrival, to say the least. This death has all the hallmarks of the previous event. The town residents have already made up their minds andhell-bent bent ‘culling’ the Vampyr community. The visiting cop, though, isn’t so sure.
The characters introduced in the early part of the story are generally strong. I particularly liked the police officer sent to investigate the latest death, a Vampyr specialist - a doctor, in fact. Others, such as the police chief and ex-police , hief are interesting too. But I just couldn’t get past the fact that the book was essentially about Vampyrs and their relationship with humans.
I feel like I’ve cheated the book somewhat as it’s not something I’d have picked up had I read the blurb. So I’m going to award it three stars, even though I usually award only one star for any book I fail to finish. The reason for this is simply that, based on the portion I read, I think for the right aud, ence this story might work well. It’s just not for me.
My thanks to Penguin, Random House for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review....more
A young woman's travels documented in words and pictures. I was initially struck by the photographs as I perused Autumn’s online blog prior to requestA young woman's travels documented in words and pictures. I was initially struck by the photographs as I perused Autumn’s online blog prior to requesting this book – the photos are stunning! It’s harder to appreciate the quality via the e-book I was given access to, but I do believe they’ll show brilliantly well on paper. There are some good practical tips too for aspiring travellers, for instance how to make a ‘proper’ cup of English tea (clue: it doesn’t involve a microwave) and the fact that when visiting an English pub you have to approach the bar to order food and drink, the staff won’t come to you. From a personal point of view these both tickled me.
But aside from the tips and photos what really grabbed me was Autumn’s story: her bravery in undertaking the trips alone, her angst when faced with challenging situations (e.g. getting an uninvited mauling twice when in Italy or travelling to Australia with a potential diagnosis of cancer overhanging her). It really is a gripping account, written with modesty and honesty. I couldn’t help seeking out a few places listed that I’d visited and checking her reaction against mine. It really is great fun and, I think, truly inspiring.
My thanks to the author for providing a copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review....more
It’s some point in the future, we’re not sure how far. A catastrophe has struck the planet, a man-made catastrophe we’re led to believe. A fog has graIt’s some point in the future, we’re not sure how far. A catastrophe has struck the planet, a man-made catastrophe we’re led to believe. A fog has gradually covered the planet, inhabited by insects that destroyed every living thing in its wake. There was only one place spared, a small Greek island, and ninety years after the devastation, a hundred or more people lived here. The leaders – referred to as the ‘elders’ - are three scientists. There’s also an AI system in play called Abi.
It’s not clear why the fog didn’t reach this island, but it does hover in the distance, a constant threat. The people here are a mild, friendly group, and it seems that there is no violence, no disruption to their tranquil lives. But there are also secrets, and soon there will be a murder – a death that will threaten the future of these people. They will learn that they must identify and execute the perpetrator of this act, or the fog will descend upon them. And they will have very little time in which to do this.
Turton writes carefully constructed, unconventional and complex crime thrillers; The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle is, I think, a masterpiece. But what of this one? Well, it’s certainly complex, and its premise does seem to offer plenty of mystery. It took me a while to get my head around the set-up on the island and, unsurprisingly, quite a bit of information is held back and carefully parcelled out as the story unfolds. The world he constructs here is an interesting one, too. Yet I found myself strangely unengaged by the whole scenario.
One issue for me is that I struggle with stories that include the opportunity for scientific and technological developments or inventions that don’t currently exist to suddenly crop up and surprise me. This obviously offers the author the opportunity to introduce all sorts of strange twists that I couldn’t possibly have envisaged. I just find this exasperating; I like to use my wits to try to solve any puzzle I’m faced with and therefore a mystery set in a time when this vehicle exists is always likely to frustrate me.
I enjoyed the story, but I didn’t love it. It is surprising, and it is inventive, and yet I never found myself fully engaged with the fate of these people. That said, the ending is frantic and exciting, and it did keep me urgently turning each page to see how things would finally play out. I’m pretty sure many others will love this one more than I did, but it’s a three star offering for me.
My thanks to Bloomsbury Publishing for providing an early copy of this book via NetGalley in return for an honest review....more
I’ve been an occasional visitor to this series, featuring sports agent and qualified lawyer Myron Bolitar, and his devoted (and deadly violent) sidekiI’ve been an occasional visitor to this series, featuring sports agent and qualified lawyer Myron Bolitar, and his devoted (and deadly violent) sidekick Win Lockwood. So, I’ve picked up the general thread of their passage to this latest episode, whilst missing out on quite a few of the key moments in their journey. Those I have read have been fun, in particular I’ve enjoyed the banter between the pair. For me, the books are a successfully mix of a decent plot, interesting characters, and a good dose of humour.
When I picked up this latest episode (due for release 23rd May 2024) two things immediately struck me:
1. Both Win and Myron have aged. It’s been 8 years since the previous episode was published. The most recent book I’d read in this series was written twenty five years ago. Coben has made the decision to age his characters as the series progresses (in the same way Michael Connelly and Ian Rankin have with their most successful series). I like this approach, even if it has the impact of making me feel the passage of the years a little more intensely!
2. I’ve missed out on some crucial moments in Myron’s life. This story can certainly be enjoyed as a stand alone tale, but I cant help feeling that it would have felt so much richer had I been more closely acquainted with Myron’s past.
In short, Myron is asked to look into a case involving a man accused of murder – the accused being an old foe of Myron’s, one who has been dead for several years! How could this be? How could the man’s DNA turn up at the scene of the crime? It’s a tangled web indeed, and I had great fun seeing how Myron and Win set about untangling it. Yes, it’s a tall story. But it’s one that kept me guessing and entertained throughout. I really must go back and read all those books I’ve missed out on.
My thanks to Random House UK, Cornerstone for supplying an ARC of this book via NetGalley in return for an honest review. ...more
Elizabeth’s son, Lydon, doesn’t want to go to school today. He says he has an ‘icky’ feeling and asks his mum if he can please stay at home? She’s symElizabeth’s son, Lydon, doesn’t want to go to school today. He says he has an ‘icky’ feeling and asks his mum if he can please stay at home? She’s sympathetic and would like nothing more than to stay at home with her beloved boy, but he’s not ill, and as a teacher at his school it’s not a request she can sanction. It proves to be a seminal moment. What transpires that day will change everything - on this day, a man with a gun will enter the school.
Elizabeth will survive the events that transpire, but it will change her. Later, she watches the strutting owner of a gun shop announce his intention to run for president, as he also declares that more guns, not less, is the answer to the ongoing succession of mass killings. She knows that someone needs to do something about this idea about this man. Could that somebody be her? Adopting the name Lilith – the moniker attributed to the woman theorised to be the first wife of Adam and supposedly the primordial she-devil – she decides she will concoct and execute a plan of her own.
I recently read Bloodbath Nation, Paul Auster’s reflection on America’s relationship with guns. In this memoir/essay, the esteemed writer says that the country has done nothing to address the problems that arise from this irrational love affair, one that is unique to the United States amongst developed nations. It’s a powerful and totally scary piece, as he talks readers through his own experience with guns and lists details of many mass murders across the country. In his conclusion, he concedes that the current impasse between the anti-gun and pro-gun proclaimers will not be resolved any time soon. This novel picks up a different angle to this phenomenon: that just about every mass killing is born from the actions of a man. So perhaps it’s about time women did something about it.
This is a thrilling told story. It's short but totally absorbing. I raced through it in a few sessions, never quite knowing how events would play out or what fate awaited our anti-hero. The suspense is maintained throughout, right up to a gripping finish. I liked the way it was set out, too, in an unusual way with sometimes only a few words on a page. It definitely worked for me. I’d enjoyed the author’s previous novel I Am Not Who You Think I Am and this story definitely picks Rickstad out as a writer I’ll be looking out for in the future.
My thanks to Blackstone Publishing for providing a copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review....more
I’ve been a big fan of Elton John since the early 1970s. My elder brother bought a copy of his album Don’t Shoot Me I’m Only the Piano Player and playI’ve been a big fan of Elton John since the early 1970s. My elder brother bought a copy of his album Don’t Shoot Me I’m Only the Piano Player and played it continually in our house. He then added Madman Across the Water and I was completely hooked, this becoming my favourite album of all time – by anybody! I subsequently added other albums to the family collection, in fact all Elton's albums up to and including the biographical Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy. Keep in mind that in the the first half of the 1970s Elton was releasing a new album at roughly six-monthly intervals. After captain Fantastic I admit that I somewhat neglected EJ for a period; his music had diversified somewhat as he explored a new writing partnership and he lost me for a bit. I was to return again later, re-listening to the early albums, though I never did invest in his work from 1976 onwards, with the exception of the excellent Songs from the West Coast (2001).
This book details Elton’s rise to fame, explores his early life, his fledgling career and walks us through each album (complete with critique) and then practically every major event in his life to date. It’s comprehensive, up to date and has loads of photos to supplement the text. I found that there’s a great deal I didn’t previously know about the singer/song writer, for instance: that he’d been a session player on Tom Jones’s Delilah and also the Hollies track He Ain’t Heavy, He’s My Brother and that an album called Reg Dwight’s Piano Goes Pop was once release in which he sings covers of songs by artists such as Mungo Jerry and Canned Heat.
If I had to find something to criticise, it would be that I don’t agree with some of the thoughts here on the merits of a number of Elton’s albums and also that I found the writing a little ‘dry’. In addition, I noted that a reference to the song Tiny Dancer states that Bernie Taupin wrote the lyrics to recount the time he met his first wife - something he refutes in his own memoire Scattershot: Life, Music, Elton, and Me. But I know that this is nitpicking, this book really is as comprehensive a study of the man and his work as I’ve come across and the collection of photos here really are fantastic. This book would make a fabulous addition to the bookshelf or coffee table of any Elton John fan.
My thanks to Quarto Publishing Group for providing a copy of this book via NetGalley in return for an honest review....more
The Devlins are a family of successful lawyers: mum, dad, son, and daughter. But then there’s another son, TJ, the black sheep of the family. We learnThe Devlins are a family of successful lawyers: mum, dad, son, and daughter. But then there’s another son, TJ, the black sheep of the family. We learn early on that he’s had trouble in his life and we’re to learn more about that as the story plays out. Meanwhile, he’s working as an investigator for the family law firm, thrown a bone by them, not really expected to do much of any value. But then, one night, his brother, John, a man whom TJ has always looked up to, revered, in fact, asks for TJ’s help. John is in trouble, or at least he thinks he is.
The family are an entitled bunch, hard to warm to, and it’s not initially clear what shadow, or shadows, from TJ’s past are haunting him. But perhaps by helping his brother, some kind of redemption may be achieved. Perhaps then he’ll be considered something more than just an unfortunate appendage to this otherwise high achieving family. More importantly, maybe TJ will achieve some semblance of self-worth.
It all had the feel of a routine thriller with a twisty plot but populated by characters who seemed largely shallow and one-dimensional. But slowly, as the story developed, the characters began to evolve a degree of depth and complexity. It turns out that TJ’s sister, Gabby, was not the same driven money making machine as her parents and brother John – in fact, she was working pro bono on a case involving the abuse of prison inmates. TJ was actually closer to Gabby than the others, and in time, he became involved with this case, too, helping her out. John and TJ's parents also had a little more going on than I'd initially glimpsed, though I found it hard to warm to any of them.
The problem is, I'm not sure that the story ever really takes off. In time, TJ comes to recognise John for who he really is, and there’s some excitement as we approach the end, with a pretty good action scene. Loose ends are tied off, and conclusions are reached. But really it’s a pretty low-key tale that retained my interest without ever truly exciting me.
My thanks to Penguin Group Putnam for providing an ARC of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review...more
Townie, published in 2011, is possibly the most haunting memoir I’ve read. It tells of the author’s tough upbringing in rough New England towns and hoTownie, published in 2011, is possibly the most haunting memoir I’ve read. It tells of the author’s tough upbringing in rough New England towns and how his violent past eventually shaped him into the man he now is. This books builds on Townie, it’s a series of essays – more often than not born out of memories of events in his life or related to people he was, or still is, close to – in which Dubus reflects his past and attempts to draw learning from it. Andre is the son of the renowned short story writer of the same name and first cousin to renowned novelist James Lee Burke (who he doesn’t mention here and possibly has had little contact with, their families having lived far apart from each other). So there is writing in his blood, so to speak, but he says here that although he's always enjoyed words and has always written, for a very long time he didn’t consider himself a writer.
For most of his early life, in fact right up to the time House of Sand and Fog, his third book, became a success he'd earned no real money from his endeavours. By the time money did start to come in, he was in his forties and hadn’t owned a house or even ever lived in a house that wasn’t rented. to this point, his income had primarily come from his work as a carpenter and a night-time barman as well as his wife’s earnings as a dancer and a dance instructor.
He talks of his relationship with his father, who’d left his mother quite early in his life but who’d stayed in touch and remained close through to his death. Around the time of his fiftieth birthday, his father lost a leg following a motor accident, he’d been mowed down on an interstate highway after he stopped to assist at the scene of an accident. He battled pain and depression for the remainder of his life. A really touching anecdote recalls the time Andre took his dad to an award ceremony where he met his fellow acclaimed short story writer Raymond Carver for the first and only time. Carver was to die shortly after this meeting.
Another reminiscence tells of the time when he’d just met the lady who was to become his wife and he took her up the roof of the New York Marriott Marquis hotel, in Times Square (coincidentally the hotel I stayed in during my only visit to the city). They looked down at the lights, the cars, and the tiny people below – a scene I can vividly recall from the floor to ceiling window of my room, more than forty floors up. The length of the stories – because stories is how they felt to me – varied considerably: some were barely a page or two in length whilst others, such as his rumination on his history with guns and his concluding desire to have nothing more to do with them, being of almost novella length.
There’s a sense of jeopardy in just about every piece, and though some are sad, others are unbelievably powerful in their messages of love and hope. A letter to his sons on the subject of love made me pause for an hour or more, so struck was I by it that I simply needed time to reflect, to clarify my thoughts and to attempt to rank myself on the pecking order of familial love. I’d call it all emotionally draining, but that feels like it contains a negative, and I really have no negative thoughts about this book. It’s full of honesty, humbleness, and clearly articulated feelings about how things, and above all people, have impacted him through his life, and also what lessons he’s drawn from this.
This is a deeply personal book. Some might find it somewhat self-ingulgent but certainly not, I believe, self-aggrandising. At heart, I think the author is simply a man who loves his family, acknowledges his weaknesses, and strives to be a better person. I guess we can all take something from that.
My sincere thanks to W. W. Norton & Company for providing an advanced reader copy of this book in exchange for an honest review....more
I found the first half of this book enthralling, shocking, upsetting, and about as impactful as any thriller I’ve read. It’s the kind of story that wiI found the first half of this book enthralling, shocking, upsetting, and about as impactful as any thriller I’ve read. It’s the kind of story that will benefit from the reader knowing as little as possible about the plot in advance, and for this reason I’ll attempt to give very little away.
Jason Bennett, his wife, and two children are about as close to a perfect family as it’s possible to get. The parents dote on a son and daughter, who seem to be a thriving and well-adjusted pair. Both parents run successful businesses of their own but somehow still seem to find enough time to be fully participative in their children’s lives. Everything is rosy in their garden. So when a setback inexplicably arrives one day it’s a shock – a terrible shock. Suddenly, this family's future is derailed, and who knows which direction it will take from this point.
With their once bright future now looking anything but the ‘safe’ and rather dull, Jason decides that it’s time he stepped up and owned the task of defining their way forward. From this point on it’s all action as he challenges not only those who have clearly set out to destroy their lives but also question those who claim to have become their protectors. Now events pile upon each other with everything happening at breakneck speed. The climax, when it comes, is violently conclusive.
In truth, I’m not sure that the second half of the tale quite lives up to what precedes it, my threshold for accepting what a well meaning but underprepared individual can achieve in a short space of time having been somewhat stretched here. But I do admire the inventiveness of the storytelling, and I really can’t overstate how compelling I found the opening chapters to be.
My thanks to Bedford Square Publishers for providing a copy of this book via NetGalley in return for an honest review....more
My latest literary visit to the Antipodes proved to be a trickly one. In recent times, I’ve been used to tales set in Outback settings where an isolatMy latest literary visit to the Antipodes proved to be a trickly one. In recent times, I’ve been used to tales set in Outback settings where an isolated group of people are pretty much cut off from what’s going on in the rest of the world. This creates a rather primitive environment where communications with anyone outside their enclave are few and far between. This time around, the setting is a small town mid-way between Melbourne and Sydney, albeit a town that feels almost as cut off as the Outback. It turns out that this town used to be on the main drag between the two cities, but a new major road now bypasses the town, leaving it a place that few people stop.
We learn that some years ago, there had been a series of murders here, these attributed to a serial killer now incarcerated, most likely for the rest of his life. A proposal is now to be debated in the town to allow a ‘tour’ to be set up to attract the type of ghoul who might be interested in visiting a place where such dreadful deeds had once been perpetrated. Understandably, there were those who feel this might bring much needed money into the town and others who are repelled by such a plan. A town meeting had been set up to debate the proposal and vote on whether to agree to the venture or scrap it.
The first snag here is that a large troupe of characters are quickly introduced together with details of their respective links to each other, these being often complex and multi-stranded. Without a back story to go with each of them, I quickly found that I’d lost track of who was who. My solution was to create a manual ‘map’ of names, complete with arrows and annotations, to help me navigate my way through the book. I’d very soon added around twenty names to my crib sheet. I’ve resorted to this type of exercise as a means of maintaining some kind of grip on a narrative before, but it’s something I really hate having to do.
The second issue is that the very little happens in the first half of the book. It drags along as additional figures are constantly introduced (each being added to my dramatis personae, which by now was starting to resemble a complex engineering schematic). I was struggling badly, but I’d put so much effort into trying to keep abreast of things that I felt I now needed to stick with this tricky tale with a labyrinthine cast.
Thankfully, beyond the halfway point, things started to liven up as events took an unlikely turn – in fact, it was a very unlikely turn! The pace had now stepped up a notch, and I’d at least become interested in the fate of a few of the major characters. But this is when the third major issue raised its head: an endgame in which the author attempted to make use of various linkages between the characters in order to arrive at a frankly ludicrous conclusion.
I’m afraid it’s a two star offering for me – and that much only because I managed to haul my way through to the finish.
My thanks to the publisher for supplying a copy of this book via NetGalley in return for an honest review....more
Any new book published by James Lee Burke is an event worth celebrating. I really prefer his longer fiction, but a collection of short stories is stilAny new book published by James Lee Burke is an event worth celebrating. I really prefer his longer fiction, but a collection of short stories is still, for me, a satisfying feast. This collection features at least one story I’d read before (there may be others, but I’ve been reading his material for so long I really can’t be sure). There’s also a novella that is published here for the first time.
As is the way with JLB, the themes are consistently dark and feature acts of extreme violence. The settings and timeframe vary but a certain bleakness, or at least a sense of threat, permeates every tale. One of my favourite stories is set in a prison, where an inmate tries (unsuccessfully as it turns out) to mind his own business and simply get through his days peacefully. Another tells of a man who wishes to publicise an event he’s witnessed in order to forewarn others, but as a result he finds himself pitted against the forces of evil. As I worked through these tales a I noticed that a degree of metaphysical activity started to creep in. This is the 42nd book penned by this author that I’ve read, and my experience is that this element is a relatively new component in his writing - although it’s fair to say that his novel In the Electric Mist With Confederate Dead (1993) strongly featured such elements.
The novella – entitled Strange Cargo – is a direct follow-up to his 2022 novel Every Cloak Rolled in Blood. Novelist Aaron Holland Broussard has now purchased an antebellum home built by his ancestors in Southern Louisiana, where he continues to be regularly visited by the spectre of his late daughter, Fannie Mae. As is frequently the case in Burke’s tales, a bully – this time in the form of the local sheriff – is to become a threatening figure in his life. In addition, Aaron starts to find himself visiting places and meeting people who haven’t existed here for many years. It’s a haunting story which features the author’s recurring themes of regret, loneliness and an ache for things to return to the way they used to be.
It’s a not a collection I was able to work through at any pace, partly because each story here takes it’s emotional toll. Also, although the writing is beautiful, if stubbornly uncompromising, the author’s constant references to historical events kept interrupting my flow as I researched yet another happening of which I was previously unaware. I’m a huge admirer of Burke’s writing and I’d urge anyone who hasn’t yet dipped into his catalogue, but who enjoys literary crime fiction or who simply appreciates top quality writing, to give him a go.
My thanks to Grove Atlantic for providing an early reader copy of this book, via NetGalley, in return for an honest review....more
Eve Ronin and her male partner ‘Donuts’ Duncan (the nickname makes sense if you move his surname to the fore) are homicide detectives in the LASD, whoEve Ronin and her male partner ‘Donuts’ Duncan (the nickname makes sense if you move his surname to the fore) are homicide detectives in the LASD, who police an area north west of the city of Los Angeles, incorporating the mega-rich cities of Malibu and Calabasas, where many of the new rich of La La Land reside. In quick succession, several bodies are found in a vast wild park sitting outside a private gated community, and then a member of one of the families living in this seemingly peaceful enclave is brutally murdered. The bodies have been in the ground for some time, so it seems that the events are linked only by proximity. Though evidence suggests that travelling Chilean gangs, who are known to have be operating in the greater L.A. area for some time, may actually be linked to both.
The murder victim is a young woman, a member of a family who lives in this small community. We discover that this family star in their own reality television series (thoughts of the Kardashians are hard to avoid). And as the detectives carry out their investigations we’re treated to a lesson in how the family promote and monetise their banal escapades, leveraging social media and carefully constructed storylines to manipulate and grow their audience. It’s all pretty good fun and there’s the added irony of Eve having to stomach the fact that filming of a television series detailing her own rise through the police ranks has now kicked off, with her hated father directing the action.
I like the chemistry between Eve – who is punchy and often rude – and Donuts, who’s funny and is loving the fact he’s also featured in the television episode being filmed. Also, Eve is despised by many of her colleagues for queue jumping to her current grade - courtesy of a filmed takedown of a celebrity caught abusing his girlfriend – and also for exposing corruption within the force. All of this backstory is described in detail in earlier books in this series, as are her relationships with her absentee father and her failing but desperately ambitious mother. For this reason, I believe it’s better to start at book one and work your way through to this episode, this way the subtleties attached to Eve’s relationships with many of the people who surround her will not be missed.
I don’t believe this is the strongest story in the series, but Goldberg has invented a group of people I enjoy meeting up with and enough trouble and strife to go with them to keep me interested. So, it's 3.5 stars for me (rounded up to 4).
My thanks to Thomas & Mercer for supplying an advanced reader copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review....more
According to the Gaia hypothesis, the Earth is a living organism with the overall thrust of life being cooperative. Life on Earth self-regulates its eAccording to the Gaia hypothesis, the Earth is a living organism with the overall thrust of life being cooperative. Life on Earth self-regulates its environment to create optimum conditions for the advancement of life. The correct balance is held in place, perhaps cruelly, through population limiting disease. But some believe that this balance is at threat as the world’s population expands, unchecked. Could it be that Gaia is now being destroyed. If that’s the case, how can this imbalance be addressed?
Doctor Lionel Scott, a British subject now working in America, had studied viral and bacterial diseases before working in a series of Third World countries. He’d subsequently found his way to the U.S. Army Medical School of Infectious Diseases and has, for the past year, been working at Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico – a primary research facility into diseases that might be weaponised by an enemy. But now Scott is missing, and very high-ranking people are worried.
Letty Davenport works for the Department of Homeland Security and is asked to undertake some background investigation into Scott, to ascertain whether he’s someone who might possibly go off the rails and, in essence become an existential threat. Her investigations begin in Oxford, England, where Scott began his studies. There, she makes contact with a weather-beaten but handsome MI5 agent, Alec Hawkins. Before long they’ve assessed that Scott may well pose a threat – a very serious threat.
Letty’s dad, Lucas, is brought in as a member of a team whose mission is to find Scott and deal with any threat he poses. Also in this group are several other carry-over characters from previous books. Lucas is a natural hunter, and he’s in his element here, but Letty is a hard nut in her own right and is also never far from the heart of the action. They each have a role to play, and I think Sandford just about pulls off the trick of ensuring their partnership here doesn’t feel forced or false. However, events quickly escalate, and soon, the group is faced with a potential crisis.
Sandford is a consummate storyteller, and once again he’s come up with an intelligent plot to grab his audience: it’s at once outlandish but also spookily plausible. In Lucas and Letty he’s developed characters who are clever, relentless, and unafraid of conflict. In addition, there’s always humour in his stories, and here’s it’s largely provided by Lucas as he’s forced to deal with Letty’s ambiguous relationship with Hawkins. It’s all cleverly balanced: I couldn’t help but be grabbed by the seriousness of the challenge faced, and yet a grin was also never far from my face.
I wasn’t sure how I’d feel about the prospect of Lucas and Letty working together (something that’s felt inevitable for a while), but it really does work well here. That said, I hope this isn’t something that he repeats too often as I do like the subtle distinction he currently draws between books featuring his major characters (Lucas, Letty, and Virgil Flowers). Overall it’s another winner from one of the top crime fiction writers operating today.
My thanks to Penguin Group Putnam for providing an ARC of this book via NetGalley in return for an honest review....more
I’ve been a fan of Elton John’s music since the early ‘70s, a time in which he’d release up to three albums in a twelve month period. But it wasn’t unI’ve been a fan of Elton John’s music since the early ‘70s, a time in which he’d release up to three albums in a twelve month period. But it wasn’t until the release of his biographical album Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy (1975) that I became aware of the close collaboration between Elton, who composed the music, and Bernie, who wrote the lyrics for the songs. Whilst Elton became all glamour and glitz, as the years passed, his song writing partner steadfastly stayed in the shadows. This self-penned story of Bernie’s life therefore throws a good deal of light on a man who’s definitely isn’t the shy and retiring bloke I imagined him to be.
Brought up in the rural eastern English county of Lincolnshire, he walks us through his life in rough chronological order. That said, there are few dates here, so it’s sometimes hard to accurately follow the timeline. He didn’t enjoy school, but always loved music. Eventually he started writing down lines that might later turn into songs. His early influences included American country, R&B, improvisational jazz and even Scottish ‘runt’ Lonnie Donegan. His eventual partnership with Elton John, via an advert in the New Musical Express is, of course, well documented.
Taupin constantly refers to himself as a loner, and yet he’s been married four times, has had a lengthy string of girlfriends and lists a number of close friends, in addition to his best buddy Elton. Included in this list are American singer Alice Cooper and ex-Beatle Ringo Starr. His addictions to booze and what he refers to as the White Lady, or the powder, fuelled many late nights as he made the acquaintance of a seemingly endless stream of well-known singers, actors, artists and writers. He comes across as a wonderer, a man who struggles to settle, who is happy to dine and holiday alone, but who is forever seeking stimuli and is always excited to meet new and interesting people.
I listened to an audio version, narrated by John Lee. There were times when I though his delivery wasn’t quite suited to the material, but his jocular pub raconteur drawl definitely worked for the many hilarious anecdotes that pepper this book. In fact, I really can’t recall when I laughed so much. Like most celebrity bios I’ve come across, it drifts into a list of achievements towards the end, but on the whole this is a fine overview of the life of a gifted man who has actually led a particularly varied and interesting life. Highly recommended.
My thanks to Hachette Audio for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review....more
I’m fond of crime fiction stories set in Australian towns situated beyond the coastal fringe of major inhabitancy. These outback towns are largely selI’m fond of crime fiction stories set in Australian towns situated beyond the coastal fringe of major inhabitancy. These outback towns are largely self-sufficient, with supplies routinely being trucked in from the large coastal conurbations and law enforcement being carried out by a few, generally junior ranking, officers. Yuwonderie is such a place, five or six hours drive from the either Melbourne or Sydney. In this town water matters, there just isn’t enough annual rainfall to allow it grow and ultimately thrive – without radical intervention, that is.
But the intervention came, some generations ago, in the form of an irrigation system tapping into the Murrumbidgee River, which was planned and executed by a group of families known as The Seven. These families are still the major players in this town, which did grow and did thrive. Only now a body has been found on land owned by one of the families, and it’s clear that foul deeds have been at play. Law enforcement is now on its way, in the form of detectives Ivan Lucic and Nell Buchanan.
This is the third book featuring this pair, operating in the lesser populated areas of New South Wales. We will learn of events leading up to the murder not only by following their investigation but also through a series of letters, written by an Aboriginal woman in the early 1900s, and flashbacks to the 1990s, when a student descendent of one of the families conducted some research into the history of the town’s development.
In some ways this story has echoes of the previous book in this series, Dead Man's Creek in the respect that both are set in similar sized outback towns and concern a body found in water. But the main point of common interest for me is the opportunity to increase my understanding of Australia and its people, particularly those living outside of the major cities. I enjoy learning of the relationship between the indigenous population and those descended from the later European arrivals; the way in which the country has been developed, particularly in those areas where the climate and lack of beneficial natural resources fight settlers at every turn; the culture of the people and the place and how it differs to what I see and experience daily, living in a rural English town.
This is a long story (over 450 pages) and, in truth, it’s probably too long. And although the tale itself rattled along pretty well, I found the resolution to be unappealingly labyrinthine. In fact, I had to read the wrap up section twice to fully get a grasp on it. But what I continue to enjoy about Hammer’s books is the characters he draws – I’m certainly invested in Ivan and Nell and look forward to catching up with them again – and the way he opens my eyes to things I’d no idea existed. Water trading? I’d never come across that before, but it exists, in all its complexities.
My thanks to Headline for supplying a copy of this book via NetGalley in return for an honest review....more
In a follow up to The Last Mona Lisa, New York art history professor Luke Perrone is one again thrust into a mystery concerning a famous painting. In In a follow up to The Last Mona Lisa, New York art history professor Luke Perrone is one again thrust into a mystery concerning a famous painting. In this case it’s a self-portrait by Vincent Van Gogh, which was reportedly displayed at the artist's funeral and then never seen again. Perrone’s girlfriend, Alex, purchased a portrait of a woman at an antique store for $25, but Luke then accidentally knocked the picture, causing a small piece of the painting to chip off. What was revealed beneath stunned the pair of them. It was potentially the very last self-portrait painted by the Dutch Post-Impressionist painter.
What follows is another mix of fact and fiction as we are taken back to a time in which the Nazi regime stole an estimated twenty per cent of all European art of value. In an effort to save important pieces, some were hidden by their owners or keepers. Quite how this painting made its way to the New York antique shop is a story in itself and is told through a series of flashback sequences dropped in at intervals throughout the book. But Luke and Alex don’t have time to celebrate or even to confirm whether the painting is what they hope it to be, because on the very day they discover it, they lose it.
In addition to Luke and Alex, INTERPOL Analyst John Washington Smith also makes a re-appearance, ostensibly, to help the pair become reacquainted with their lost picture. But it soon becomes clear that nothing is straightforward here, and as more people from the art world are introduced into the tale, we are to realise that few are wholly what they present themselves to be. It’s a story that takes us back to the artists homeland in a search for truth and for the painting itself, in the course of which a good deal of interesting information is disclosed concerning the life, and tragic death, of Van Gogh.
It’s an adventure story that, to my eyes, was written by the author with his tongue firmly in his cheek. In particular, the INTERPOL officers are painted as Keystone Cops style figures - well-meaning but often dangerously inept – whereas the art afficionados are either larger than life show-offs or loose-handed lotharios. As a result the whole search and chase becomes one that’s harder and harder to take seriously. In truth, I enjoyed the serious discussions that took place regarding paintings and art history more than the rather wacky story these elements were submerged in. It’s also a story that’s told in a choppy series of chapters and from the perspective of various characters (sometimes unidentified) featured in the book. I found this both confusing and irritating.
So it’s a real mix, but a rather uncomfortable one in my eyes: 4 stars for the bits I enjoyed but only 2 stars for the bits I didn’t. Therefore, 3 stars it is.
My thanks to Sourcebooks Landmark for providing a copy of this book via NetGalley in return for an honest review....more
A woman arrives on a small island off the coast of Ireland, where she immediately changes her name and takes steps to ensure her appearance is radicalA woman arrives on a small island off the coast of Ireland, where she immediately changes her name and takes steps to ensure her appearance is radically altered, too. She’s obviously in hiding, but from what or from whom?
The answers to these questions are not provided quickly. At least not overtly, but it’s not difficult to join up the dots. So this is not a mystery novel, it’s a short tale about things that can happen to individuals and to families that profoundly change everything. And in the aftermath of these events, how it might strike some of them that they may in some way be responsible – or at least partly responsible – for bringing this catastrophe upon themselves.
The meat of this story is how the woman – now called Willow – wrestles with how events had played out and how she copes with the mental torture this evokes. There’s a little more to the story, mainly in terms of the few people she engages with whilst on the island, and this weaves comfortably enough into the narrative.
It’s a disturbing story of betrayal and of serious damage done, but also of renewal too. It's not a comfortable read, but it is a short one. Another brilliant piece of writing from an author who never ceases to surprise me.
My thanks to Random House UK for supplying a copy of this book via NetGalley in return for an honest review....more
At what point in life do you find yourself looking back at what has been more often than you look forward to what is to come? In truth, I believe I maAt what point in life do you find yourself looking back at what has been more often than you look forward to what is to come? In truth, I believe I may have already reached that point. Certainly, Sy Baumgartner, the seventy one years old academic featured in this story, has. As we meet up with Sy he’s not having a great day, he’d been contemplating how to invest his time but now he’s had a fall, which has really scuppered any plans he might have tentatively formed. however, following a telephone call from an old friend, he's become somewhat reinvigorated, he’s been prompted to dig out and sort through the unpublished writings of his late wife, Anna. It seems that a young scholar is interested in writing a thesis based on Anna’s work - Sy had arranged for a collection of her poems to be published some years earlier - and now it seems that her unpublished pieces would also be of interest.
This exercise causes Sy to recall events from when he’d first met Anna right up to the point a tragic accident took her life, some ten years ago. As he works through a large pile of poems and other assorted pieces, his mind is filled with thoughts prompted by Anna’s writing, or at other times it’s his own recollections that take over. This might all sound somewhat maudlin, but actually it’s anything but in the hands of someone as skilled as Auster. Yes, Sy misses Anna terribly, and in many ways, he knows he’ll never really get over his loss. But to some extent he’s forced himself to move on, and, in fact, he’s now mulling over the idea of proposing marriage to a woman he’s been seeing regularly for some time.
Auster has amazing range: he’s written some of the most imaginative stories I’ve ever read (Timbuktu and Mr. Vertigo immediately spring to mind); In the Country of Last Things took readers to a disturbing dystopian future; The New York Trilogy is a series of interconnected detective novels, and the list goes on. He’s also reflected deeply on his own life in books such as The Invention of Solitude and Winter Journal. So where does this one fit? Well, Sy is a little younger than the author, but not by too much, and other links also stand out: a home city of Newark, a period of living in Paris as a young man and Jewish parents with some Austrian ancestry. So, though it’s not a story of Auster’s own life, I do feel that he brings something of himself to this short but brilliantly observed novel. Sy is a man reflecting on the life he’s lived and on his more limited future, about what he’s had, what he’s lost and also the randomness of things - how things might have played out so differently. It’s not my favourite Auster novel - maybe it’s a little too close to home for that - but it is an affecting tale, one that’ll certainly stay with me, and perhaps haunt me, for some time to come.
My thanks to Grove Atlantic for providing an advanced reader copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review....more
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