In the first book featuring DS Walker (Outback), the Australian Federal Police Officer found himself helping in the search for a pair of missing backpIn the first book featuring DS Walker (Outback), the Australian Federal Police Officer found himself helping in the search for a pair of missing backpackers. As that book reached its conclusion, it was clear that a number of loose ends were yet to be tied off, suggesting the possibility of a sequel appearing at some point in the future. In this second book, the action moves to Queensland’s Gold Coast and is centred in and around the resort of Surfers Paradise. Sure enough, we quickly learn that a number of carry-over characters are to feature in this story, too.
To me, the most appealing aspect of these books is Walker himself. He’s someone who is strong enough to carry off the role he’s assigned but with enough frailties and worries to hold a reader’s interest. Aside from my regard for the lead man, the tale itself bumps along at a decent pace but without ever really introducing anyone or anything that piqued my interest to the same degree. It's all fairly routine and really offers up few surprises, as Walker helps the local cops investigate a brutal home invasion murder.
I spent Christmas at Surfers Paradise some years back, and so I enjoyed the descriptions of this place, which married with my own experience: essentially that of a brash holiday resort with a truly amazing beach. I found this to be a fun and enjoyable read, though it didn’t particularly tax me in working out whodunnit and came complete with a climax which was just as unlikely as that provided in the first book. Three stars it is.
My thanks to Embla Books for supplying a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review....more
A young woman meets a man whilst out swimming off a beach in New South Wales, Australia. He christens her Shark Bait, and a friendship begins, which bA young woman meets a man whilst out swimming off a beach in New South Wales, Australia. He christens her Shark Bait, and a friendship begins, which blossoms into a love affair. Years later, the woman sees a picture of the man with a young child. It seems she’s been tracking him online for some time. The photograph prompts memories of their time together. It’s possible she’s obsessed with him; it was only a relatively short space of time, but it was an intense and memorable period of her life.
She was twenty-four years old. He was forty-two. She liked the symmetry of that. Was she hunter, or was she prey? It’s hard to sure, but her descriptions of that time are peppered with phrases describing her longing: she was always a beggar for his heart even if his heart was a dry country. Make of that what you will.
I listened to an audio version of this story, read by the author. I’d describe Madeleine’s accent as something approaching a posh English but with a discernible Aussie twang. In my view, it suited the character perfectly. The tale is effectively a long monologue, which, in addition to describing the romance and it’s ultimate breakdown, touches on relationships with family members. It’s a slow, thoughtful, and thought-provoking piece. I liked it a lot.
My thanks to RB Media, Recorded Books for providing a copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review....more
Primo Levi (1919 – 1987) was a Jewish Holocaust survivor and the author of books, short stories, essays and poems. His best known work If This is a MPrimo Levi (1919 – 1987) was a Jewish Holocaust survivor and the author of books, short stories, essays and poems. His best known work If This is a Man is an account of the year he spent as a prisoner at Auschwitz. I listened to an audio version of this short play - recorded with a cast of actors and with added descriptions of actions I would have seen had I been watching a stage enactment. It’s a hugely impactful production, comprising a fictional account of Primo’s last day of life alongside flashes of recollection from his time as a prisoner.
It’s the first time I’ve listened to something presented quite this way and I did find a bit of a challenge. There’s a lot going on: directions, voices and a narrative that is ever switching and sometimes confusing. But the overall impact is significant; it’s a harrowing piece, one that I think will haunt me for some time.
My thanks to Ed Davidson Productions for providing a copy in exchange for an honest review ...more
Set in Louisiana midway through the American Civil War, Burke introduces us to a colourful band of characters, including: a beautiful enslaved woman wSet in Louisiana midway through the American Civil War, Burke introduces us to a colourful band of characters, including: a beautiful enslaved woman who may have committed murder and might also be a practitioner of voodoo, a syphilitic commander of renegade Confederate troops who is suffering from cerebral atrophy, a brave and stout-hearted abolitionist schoolteacher, an ex-battlefield surgeon disfigured in a duel and a low ranking law officer who's had some of his toes chopped off by a careless wood splitter. Yes, Burke has a knack for dressing up his stories with the wild, the mad and the disfigured, but here he may just have surpassed himself.
I won’t attempt to summarise the plot here, but suffice to say there’s a lot going on. In fact, the tale is as magnificently colourful as the characters it features. It is brutal in its descriptions of the many violent acts perpetrated, occasionally graphic in a way that might make some readers flinch, but throughout the prose is rich beyond belief with a storyline that continuously bounces along at a lively pace. Some of the author’s sentences impact like a slap in the face, so brutal are they, but this is just JLB’s way. And to keep you on your toes, there are numerous references to historical events and literary figures, with even the odd Biblical citation being dropped in for good measure. The fact is, I spent a good deal of time dabbing the Wiki lookup feature on my Kindle just to ensure I wouldn’t get left behind.
The author has gone on record as stating that he believes this to be his best work. I think that’s a hard one to gauge. His Dave Robicheaux books are amongst the very best of crime fiction, and Clete Purcell, who features in these books, is perhaps my favourite literary character. Add to this his novels featuring various members of the Holland family and a number of stand-alone pieces. Given the exceptional quality of virtually all of these offerings, how do you judge whether or not this book stands above the others? What I can say is that this is an amazing tale, brilliantly told by a man who is undoubtedly one of the outstanding talents still writing today. With Burke now in his eighty seventh year, who is to say how many more opportunities there will be to pick up a new novel penned by this man. My tip is, enjoy the opportunity whilst you can.
My thanks to Grove Atlantic for supplying an early copy of this wonderful book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review....more
When con man Dan Cole finally runs out of luck and is facing a stretch in prison, he instructs his lawyer to find a way of getting him sent to a speciWhen con man Dan Cole finally runs out of luck and is facing a stretch in prison, he instructs his lawyer to find a way of getting him sent to a specific prison, one from which he can volunteer to be part of the prisoner firefighting service. The service makes up something like a third of the total firefighting force in the state of California and offers an alternative way of serving time to those selected. Cole just doesn’t fancy spending time in an environment where the long arms of the cartel he’s just ripped off can reach in and shiv him whilst he’s showering.
Meanwhile, Andrew Walker has just switched from being a US Marshall to join the LA County Sheriff’s Department. There, he will be managed and mentored by Walter Sharpe, an experienced and somewhat maverick old hand. Their brief is to investigate fire scenes when arson is suspected. The pair make up a Stadler and Waldorf combination and their conversations are both deadly serious and also seriously funny. I really enjoyed Goldberg’s introduction of this new law enforcement pairing.
Cole, Walker, and Sharpe are set to cross paths when the former is finally released from incarceration, complete with a new and daring plan to rob millionaire houses situated in the hills inland from monied Malibu. An area known to be prone to vicious wildfires. It’s all great fun as the threesome set about their respective tasks and the Santa Ana winds begin to whip up a series of huge fires, setting the scene for a big showdown.
I’ve only recently discovered Goldberg’s novels, which is surprising in itself, given the author’s prodigious output. I’m already a big fan of his Eve Ronin series and although this tale is a little over the top in terms of both its action and also its accompanying dialogue, I have to say I thoroughly enjoyed it. I was horizontal on a Mediterranean beach throughout my short time with this story and perhaps this somewhat enhanced my mood, but I do know that I’ll definitely be dialling in for the next episode in this new series.
My thanks to Thomas & Mercer for providing a copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review....more
Deborah Levy is a writer who has always challenged me. Her three slim autobiographical instalments are a sheer delight, they’re punchy and illuminatinDeborah Levy is a writer who has always challenged me. Her three slim autobiographical instalments are a sheer delight, they’re punchy and illuminating as she ruminates on segments of her life, providing a wry commentary on some of the challenges she’s faced and people she’s met. But I’ve sometimes found her fiction somewhat less satisfying, in the sense that I’ve always been impressed by the intelligent dialogue she invariably provides but have sometimes found her characters a little soulless. Perhaps that’s a little harsh, as in The Man Who Saw Everything she introduced me to a Jewish historian called Saul Adler who I found utterly fascinating, but it’s certainly true of the people who populated Hot Milk and Swimming Home. So what to make of this one?
Elsa M. Anderson was brought up by the famous piano teacher Arthur Goldstein. Her very early years are initially a bit of a mystery, but it’s clear that Arthur had recognised her prodigious talent and over the years was able to mould her into a world class performer. But one day she inexplicably deviates from the piece she is playing during a concert in Vienna and shortly after simply walks off the stage. Her story is picked up soon after this event.
At age thirty four she seems adrift, travelling around Europe, from London to Athens, Paris, and the islands of Poros and Sardinia. A mysterious woman seems to haunt Ella, appearing (or at least seeming to) in various places. Elsa calls think she’s her ‘double’ and becomes somewhat obsessed by her. The tale takes place during the pandemic and the wearing of masks adds an additional element of mystery to proceedings.
So the set-up is interesting, but what of the reading experience? Well, in truth I failed to identify with Elsa. Her world is very different to mine, infused with classical music as it is and with the overwhelming sense of being adrift after having now abandoned something she’d spent the majority of her life to date cultivating. Then there’s the mystery of the woman – her double – who she spots from time to time; try as I might, I just couldn’t comprehend where this fitted into the overall narrative. In consequence found it all a rather frustrating experience and discovered that I was increasingly reluctant to return to its pages.
I’m sure that other readers will have very different feelings to me about this one, in fact I’ve already read a few reviews to this effect. Would a second reading would unlock something, or is it just that I simply lack the imagination to knit everything together? I don’t know. I remain a fan of Levy’s gifts and I’ll continue to grab her books as soon as they become available; she offers something I don’t get from other writers and therefore even if this one failed to engage me I know I’ll be back for more.
My thanks to Penguin for providing a copy of this book via NetGalley in return for an honest review....more
Alex is in her early 20s and set on living the kind of life she’s aspired to, or perhaps it’s the kind of life she feels deserving of. Her boyfriend iAlex is in her early 20s and set on living the kind of life she’s aspired to, or perhaps it’s the kind of life she feels deserving of. Her boyfriend is in his 50s and rich, with places in the city and by the beach. He’s pretty cold and also controlling, too, but Alex doesn’t really care – it seems she’s never felt love and maybe isn’t even looking for it. Material things are good – nice clothes and jewellery – access to drugs works too, but nothing too hardcore. Yes, her life is pretty well set up right now. But then she’s prone to making mistakes and bad decisions. Very quickly she’s been rejected. She’s out on her ear!
We’d already glimpsed her past and it’s full of problems, not least the fact that a man she had a short acquaintance with (you wouldn’t call him a boyfriend) is chasing after her for things she stole from him. Now she’s in trouble, real trouble. She’s going to have to connive and persuade and lie her way out of it; it’s what she does. who she is. It’s hard to find much to like about Alex. She’s self-centred, dishonest, parasitic, and uncaring. She won’t mind hurting others to get what she needs, Alex is a user, and she’s pretty good at it.
I’d enjoyed the author’s earlier books: a novel based loosely on the Charles Manson group and a collection of short stories. Cline writes really well, and although some of her characters are unappealing, she has a way of making the reader interested in them even if they have little sympathy for their problems or their failures. Here, I think the fate of Alex is pretty clear from the outset and yet I couldn’t help getting caught up in her ever more desperate attempts to create a solution by utilising her wits, her body and her grasping selfishness in an attempt to take advantage of everyone she stumbles across. It’s all pretty heartless, and yet it’s also strangely compelling.
My thanks to Random House UK for supplying a copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review....more
I’ve read quite a few Harlen Coben novels over the years and I find that I need to be in a certain state of mind to fully appreciate where he’s going I’ve read quite a few Harlen Coben novels over the years and I find that I need to be in a certain state of mind to fully appreciate where he’s going to take me. This one is a great example: the setup is somewhat wacky – David Burroughs was imprisoned five years ago for the murder of his own son, though can’t recall all details of that fateful night and isn’t truly sure whether he did it or not – and now I’m just waiting for the surprise that’ll truly kick the story off. That comes when he’s shown a picture of a boy, captured in a recent holiday snap, who shows a striking resemblance to his ‘dead’ son.
The tale is replete with a cast of characters straight out of Wacky Races (for those old enough to remember the cartoon series), including a prison chief who’s best friends with David’s father, a family of despicable plutocrats and – best of all – a couple of FBI agents who carry on a hilarious Abbot and Costello act throughout. Yes, it’s all totally unbelievable but, true to form, it’s also highly entertaining.
It’s a fairly short read and the action never stops. Coben cleverly sidesteps reality by weaving a complex series of events, co-incidences and sense defying escapades as Burroughs wrestles with his memory, his conscience and everyone who is out to thwart him in an effort to discover the truth and perhaps even a son who he was sure was dead. Despite my scepticism, I quickly found that I was anxious to get back to the action whenever I set the book aside. An ideal beach read? Yes, but also (as I discovered) great for late nights when you can’t sleep and you just want something light and diverting to focus on until sleep drags you away.
My thanks to Random House UK for supplying a copy of this book, via NetGalley, in return for an honest review....more
I’m picky when choosing science fiction novels to read, I try to avoid scenarios I can’t simply envisage and for me this includes alien beings, particI’m picky when choosing science fiction novels to read, I try to avoid scenarios I can’t simply envisage and for me this includes alien beings, particularly those with superpowers. So why pick this one, which tells of the invasion of Earth by aliens so powerful that they are able to force humans to scurry away from their homes to the only space they’re allowed to occupy – Antarctica, the most inhospitable place on the planet! Well, my reasons are twofold: firstly, I have previous with Tom Rob Smith, having much admired his novel Child 44; secondly, I have a bit of a thing for apocalyptic novels and this one looked like it would certainly tick that box.
I’m not going to delve into the details of the plot except to say that for me it comprises four elements:
The event: sudden and uncompromising; a statement is made and a timeframe is given.
The People: we’re introduced to a select few whose adventures we’ll follow, notably an American family on holiday in Lisbon, a boy the family meet there and an Israeli soldier (of course we’ll meet others as the story progresses) .
The Journey: chaotic and often heartbreaking.
Arrival and Survival: those who successfully reach their destination have to find a way to live in this virtually uninhabitable place.
I don’t like cold places, so the whole thing gave me the shivers (quite literally at times). But the story is very well told and as a result I quickly became invested in the fate of the key players, though curious as to how this tale would retain my interest for the many pages remaining – I hoped it wasn’t going to become a grim battle of attrition with nothing more interesting to impart. I needn’t have worried, there’s a lot more depth here than the elements I’ve described would suggest. Foremost amongst them is an underlying discourse suggesting that humans might well have been deserving of their fate and, whether this is accepted or not, what could they do to overcome a challenge which presents a real threat to the very future of Homo sapiens on this planet.
It would be easy to pick a few holes in the narrative, but I found that I really enjoyed the story and found some of the science (there’s quite a bit here) and particularly the intrinsic moral debates really interesting and thought provoking. It’s most definitely a piece that I believe will continue to prick my conscience and cause me to re-evaluate how I live my life, the good things and the bad.
My thanks to Simon and Schuster UK for providing an early copy of this book, via NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review....more
The latest episode in this long-running series features Guido Brunetti in a reflective mood. You can feel his age here (though I’m not sure precisely The latest episode in this long-running series features Guido Brunetti in a reflective mood. You can feel his age here (though I’m not sure precisely what that is) as he wonders around his beautiful home city of Venice, picking out routes that will pass a certain church he hasn’t seen in a while or even one that features some flagstones he particularly likes. Guido is a senior police officer, a Commissario, a rank he’s held since Donna Leon first introduced him over thirty years ago. He’s an affable fellow, family orientated, and in love with his city, but he can show a steely side when called upon to do so. This is crime fiction, so there’s always a crime here – but sometimes it’s hard to spot.
Three separate events occur in the opening section of this book: an officer who has played a minor part in the series is arrested at a pride parade; there’s news that a prolific burglar, well known to Brunetti, is back in business; Guido’s well connected and wealthy father-in-law has been asked whether a particular palazzo in the city is for sale. Which one of these will lead us to the core of the story this time? It’ll take a while, and in the meantime, much coffee will be drunk (expresso, of course), meals will be carefully described and consumed, and internal police politics will forever linger in the background.
The beauty for me in these books is in the little things, the details of everyday life and small interactions between the city’s people. An atmosphere is created of a place unchanged on the surface but ever changing underneath. Brunetti harbours a certain resentment in respect of the incremental changes ongoing in this place, but isn’t that true of all of us as we reach a certain age? And as the story settles into the investigation of a recognisable crime, he gathers those police officers close to him (characters well known to regular readers) and, between coffees, they ruminate on possible motives and root around to discover information that might lead them to a suspect. As always, it’s beautifully done and once more I experienced a pang of regret when I reached the story’s end and had to say farewell to these people and this place until (hopefully) the next book in the series is published.
My thanks to Grove Atlantic for providing an early copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review....more
An Aussie detective, Dana Russo, arrives in a tiny outback town on a mission to solve two murders, and in the process probably save her own job. The mAn Aussie detective, Dana Russo, arrives in a tiny outback town on a mission to solve two murders, and in the process probably save her own job. The murders have been investigated before but to no avail. In this town of some fifty people, two hundred kilometres from anywhere else, the inhabitants are close and seemingly closed. Dana has also been given scant time to investigate by her boss - a man she can’t abide and who, it appears, has similar feelings about her. It all looks pretty hopeless.
To aid her investigation she has at her disposal a lone police officer, Able Barillo, who lives in this town and is responsible for law and order here and the vast surrounding area, which in effect comprises scrubland and a small number of large farms. But will he be a help or a hindrance? He’s lived in this place all his life and is consequently tied in many way to his neighbours – one or more of whom are most likely responsible for the murders. Time will tell. Dana is clever and introverted and determined not to follow the standard path to solving these crimes; that’s been tried before and it failed miserably.
There’s plenty to like here as Dana stirs up the local powerbroker and does her rounds asking abstruse questions to those she believes are worthy of attention. Able, who tags along, is as confused as everyone she meets by her approach. And then there’s a man in the background who shuffles around out of sight, moving his metal sculptures from place to place. What’s his role in all of this? The pace is slow but I found both the scenario and the people we meet interesting. I confess, I also learned a good deal about living and farming in the Dry (it hadn’t rained here in years).
It eventually plays out in a way I hadn’t expected, with a complicated (possibly over-complicated) series of signals, deductions and resultant actions. I enjoy mysteries set in unusual places and Australia’s outback is my current favourite. Until I finished this tale I hadn’t realised that it’s the third book in a series featuring Dana, and though I’ll probably not rush out to grab the other two books, I have little doubt that I will at some point in the future catch up with Dana again.
My thanks to publishers Headline for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review, ...more
The author opens up with a section telling how it’s taken him some forty years to write this book. It is, he says, based on events he witnessed; acts The author opens up with a section telling how it’s taken him some forty years to write this book. It is, he says, based on events he witnessed; acts of violence perpetrated on people he knew, friends. He says that he’d tried to write the book years ago but at that time the act of recalling events he’d lived through had freaked him out so much he’d ended up in hospital, suffering from the mother of all panic attacks. When he was a high school senior, at seventeen years of age, a new boy had arrived at his school and joined his friendship group. This boy, it was later revealed, had had a difficult past and though on the face of it he seemed to be fully adjusted, he was actually anything but. He was to become a prowler, a killer and he was to badly hurt at least one of Bret’s close friends.
Bret Easton Ellis attended The Buckley School in Los Angeles, an establishment available to the rich and pampered. At the time of the events he covers here his parents were away on a long trip abroad, so he’d been left at home for an extended period with the family dog and a maid who prepared his breakfast and cleaned up after him. All his friends similarly lived in grand houses, drove expensive cars and seemed to have free rein to do whatever they wanted. In addition, they all had access to the drugs of their choice. Bret had a girlfriend, Debbie, but in all honesty he wasn’t sure if he preferred guys; he was at that juncture where adolescence is about to make way to adulthood, but he wasn’t quite there – he references this thought a number of times.
Set in 1981, Bret talks a lot about the music he and his friends were listening to, and this fixed the timeframe in my mind too, with British singers such as Joe Jackson, Elvis Costello and Glenn Tilbrook also being amongst my favourites in the early Eighties. Having been transfixed by the opening section I truly believed I was reading a true account of events Bret had lived through, and yet as I came across long conversations which he repeated seemingly verbatim and detailed recollections regarding his own thoughts at that time, I concluded that a degree of artistic license was in play. So what was this: a factual account, a piece of fiction or something in between? I couldn’t really work it out. But I didn’t dwell on this too long as either way I was fully invested by now.
It’s a lengthy story - I listened to a 22 hour long audio version, read by the author – but every time I paused I just couldn’t wait to get back to it. I found it to be such a compelling story, and hearing it told through Bret’s voice added something for me. It just felt right. There’s a lot sex and violence here, much of it very graphic. There are other disturbing scenes too, so this one is definitely not for the squeamish or faint-hearted. But there is a richness in the writing and in the narrative that I believe lifts it above all but the very best books. As I approached the end I thought I’d worked it all out, but a surprising and somewhat ambiguous ending cast some doubt on that. It’s definitely one of the most mysterious, addictive and truly impactful books I’ve come across in a very long time.
My sincere thanks to W. F. Howes Ltd for supplying a copy of this audiobook, via NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review....more
Paul Auster has written some of the finest books I’ve read, he’s nimble of mind and without doubt a master wordsmith. Aside from many (perhaps all) ofPaul Auster has written some of the finest books I’ve read, he’s nimble of mind and without doubt a master wordsmith. Aside from many (perhaps all) of his novels, I’ve also read some of his non-fiction, these being almost entirely introspective and largely biographical. But this one is different, here he turns his attention to guns and wonders why has America allowed itself to become a place where the number of guns owned exceeds the number of its citizens? But more importantly, what is it do do about the fact that the country accounts for around three quarters of the world’s mass shootings.
He takes us through the history of guns in his country, explaining how and why this point has been reached. He provides a pretty exhaustive breakdown of legislation and the political backdrop impacting this growth and also talks about power that the NRA has garnered, which pretty much ensures that the impasse between the anti-gun and pro-gun proclaimers will not be resolved any time soon. Accompanying the text are a good number of unpopulated photographs showing sites where mass shootings have occurred: a car park, a nightclub, a school and other such everyday places. The impact of these photos, I found, was to draw my attention to the fact that these terrible events can happen anywhere. In fact, just a few short weeks after I’d visited Las Vegas on holiday the worst mass shooting ever recorded in America unfolded in this city, just a short distance from where I was staying.
Auster doesn’t offer any solutions, just a few suggestions as to minor first steps that could be taken, but he does make his own views clear with a clarity you’d expect from a man with his gifts. The tone here is one of horror but also of resignation. It’s a short, sobering and ultimately scary summary which purveyed a prognosis that I could only read as ‘hopeless, more of the same to come’. As a footnote, on the morning I finished this book I opened up the BBC news page on my phone to be greeted with a headline announcing that a six-year-old child had shot his teacher with a handgun, in America.
My thanks to Grove Atlantic for supplying a copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review....more
With some books it’s just better not to know too much before you start – this is one of those books. So I’ll keep the description simple. We meet threWith some books it’s just better not to know too much before you start – this is one of those books. So I’ll keep the description simple. We meet three groups of people, with the story throwing a particular focus on one member from each group. In the background a deadly virus has created chaos: if it doesn’t kill you its impact might cause you to wish it had. One of the groups are en route to a place where a number of people who are free from the virus are holed up, referred to as ‘The Retreat’. Unfortunately their coach has crashed and they are now stranded in a snowstorm. A second group is also travelling to the same location but they too are stranded, on a ski lift high in the mountains. Group three comprises those already at The Retreat.
It’s told in short alternating sections, each seeming to halt at the point of an unanswered question. There is tension in the groups – all of the groups - which often feels like it might spill over into physical violence. There’s the obvious connection between the strands – potentially everyone could end up in the same place - but it’s hard to see how the two stalled groups will be able to complete their journey. And though we’re fed some background information on the various players it’s hard to tell what is true and what’s a pack of lies. It’s all a massive brain-teaser. In fact I nearly gave up on it all about a quarter of the way in: it all just seemed so kooky, and I was really frustrated at not being able to work out where it was all headed. But I stuck with it, and I’m really glad I did.
When, finally, it became clear just how this all knitted together all I could do was smile and congratulate the author on her clever, clever construction of this tale. It suddenly all made sense and now I had an exciting finale to look forward to. It’s perhaps true to say that the whole concoction fits into the ‘highly unlikely’ box, but that would be to dismiss what is, in effect, a masterful piece of storytelling. It’s definitely a book that will remain long in my memory.
My thanks to Michael Joseph, Penguin Random House and NetGalley for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review...more
The book starts by providing a brief background history lesson on the Rwandan Genocide in 1994, in which half a million Tutsi lives were taken by HutuThe book starts by providing a brief background history lesson on the Rwandan Genocide in 1994, in which half a million Tutsi lives were taken by Hutu militias – all this in a period of around three months. I can remember horrifying nightly news reports of this slaughter at the time, reports that stayed with me for a long time.
The story opens in 2023 when Lockie Kite (star of the previous two books in this series (BOX 88 and Judas 62) is enjoying a sabbatical in Sweden with his wife and young child. He’s notified that an old school chum and ‘friend’ of Box 88, a top secret Anglo-American collaboration, is trying to get hold of him. Once connected, Kite is told that a respected American instigative reporter has gotten hold of information regarding a botched operation carried out by Box 88 in 1995 and is about to break the story to the public. But how much does the reporter know? Does he actually have names of those involved and is he also about to expose the existence of the secret agency itself? The former would be a problem for Kite and would potentially end his career, but it would be a severe embarrassment for both the UK and American governments should details of their undisclosed partnership be made public.
As he’s mulling over what he needs to do – which will inevitably begin with a trip back to London – he takes the unusual step of walking his wife through the 1995 operation. A French journalist had reported the sighting of a man known as the Butcher of Kigali, for his involvement in the Tutsi massacres the previous year. He’d been spotted in Senegal and Kite along with his then girlfriend Martha were dispatched to the country, disguised as a pair backpackers. Once there they would liaise with other members of the team, their goal being to grab their target and smuggle him out of the country. Suffice to say, the operation itself went badly and stands to this day as an embarrassment to the Box 88 team.
Once back in the UK, Kite has to orchestrate a response to the threat posed by the reporter. But he quickly finds out that there are now additional elements in play. It’s a clever story, really well told by an author who, I believe, never lets his readers down. Espionage thrillers can be complex beasts, with the action often being too murky for me to be able to follow. But Cumming has the ability to tell a complex story in a way that’s doesn’t lose me along the way. This is another strong book in what is now an excellent short series.
My thanks to HarperColins UK for supplying an ARC of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review....more
Nathan Waymaker is a big, intimidating guy, an ex-marine who served in Iraq and Afghanistan. Now he’s back in his small hometown in America’s Deep SouNathan Waymaker is a big, intimidating guy, an ex-marine who served in Iraq and Afghanistan. Now he’s back in his small hometown in America’s Deep South, working at his cousin’s funeral home. He’d had a spell as a Sheriff’s Deputy after leaving the army, but that ended when in quick succession his parents were killed by a drunk driver and the evidence to convict the the man responsible for their deaths was ‘lost’. Was this error down to incompetence, or was something else going on? Either way, Nathan demonstrated his thoughts by throwing one of his colleagues through a window. It was time for a career change.
When a local minister is found dead and is reported to have committed suicide, a pair of ladies from his parish approach Nathan requesting that he root around a bit on their behalf as they fear that foul deeds may have been at play. An offer of two thousand dollars for what seems, on face value, to be a simple task of asking a few questions of his ex-boss turns out to be anything but a bargain. The minister, it seems, once owned a local barber shop and dealt drugs on the side, and there’s something about his church that smells distinctly off, too. A bunch of gangsters, a feared crime lord, a porn star, and an assortment of other undesirables enter the stage – yes, I’m afraid this is going to get messy!
Having already experienced the power of the author’s writing in Razorblade Tears I wasn’t surprised by the profanity, violence and explicit sex here. But be warned, this is Southern noir at it’s rawest. If you can accept that, then this story is likely to grab you as it did me - I found it totalling compelling. It’s amazing to think that this was the author’s very first novel. But best of all, in my view, the audio version I listened to was superbly read by Adam Lazarre-White, whose deep lilting tones could not have been better suited to the task. It’s definitely one of the best narrations I’ve ever come across. I’ve already lined up another of the author’s books, and my only complaint is that I’ll have then exhausted the supply, for now. But S. A. Cosby is a writer I will definitely be keeping a close eye on, I’m already a long-term fan.
My thanks to Headline Audio for providing a copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review....more
A hard book to categorise and, to some extent, also a hard book to read. We’re introduced to four people attending a wedding in New York: Yun a musiciA hard book to categorise and, to some extent, also a hard book to read. We’re introduced to four people attending a wedding in New York: Yun a musician and DJ, Andrew an associate professor, Emory an aspiring news reporter and Fin – the youngest at just twenty years old – a ballet student. At some point during the celebrations, a girl making her way to the bar suddenly sits on the floor. She doesn’t get up, she’s uncommunicative, and all efforts to lift her are met with a snarling, snapping response. In the following weeks, a number of similar cases come to light. Nobody is sure if this is seemingly irreversible behaviour is caused by some kind of virus or disease, or whether it’s something else.
The surprise here is that with this tale, we don’t take the path well trodden when it comes to such beginnings. Instead, the broader events sit in the background whilst in the foreground we’re invited ever deeper into the lives of the people we’ve met and a small number of fringe characters. New relationships blossom whilst existing links are sometimes threatened, career opportunities are opened for some, but revenue streams are closed down for others; in short, life goes on. The element I wasn’t expecting, given the focus here, is predominantly focused on the Millennial generation, is the pervading sense of disenchantment that seems to haunt this demographic. It’s as if many have concluded that there aren’t now and there won’t in future be any real opportunities for them, that this isn’t a world worth living in any more. Consequently, a general mood of disengagement with the people that surround them and even from life itself seems almost to be the norm.
The cause of this malaise isn’t explicitly explained, but there are hints that the lack of positive action taken by previous generations regarding environmental issues added to the fact that the cost of essentials such as health care and housing have spiralled to unmanageable heights are contributory factors. Could it be that some people are actually giving up on life either as a result of being driven to severe depression or even as an act of rebellion? In truth, I found it all rather hard to decipher. And yet I was increasingly becoming fascinated by and invested in the lives of the key players, particularly with regard to their relationships with those closest to them. This I could understand, and I wanted them to succeed, I wanted them to find happiness.
The unsettlingly dark mood of this book caused me to struggle through the early chapters, but the quality of the writing, the deft character development and also the way in which the story slowly evolved gradually grew on me and finally trapped me. By the end, I was burning the candle at both ends, desperate to see how it all played out. This writer is very adept at stringing interesting sentences together and creating scenarios and structures that challenge and tease. Hannah’s last novel The Last was one of my top reads of 2019 and though this one lacks the instant punch of that book I did grow to appreciate it, even if I’m still trying to unravel elements of its message.
My thanks to the publishers for providing a copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review....more
Frank lives in London, alone. He’s seventy five years old now and weighing his life it’s clear that he feels he’s already lived what’s worth living anFrank lives in London, alone. He’s seventy five years old now and weighing his life it’s clear that he feels he’s already lived what’s worth living and he’s now resigned to eking out his remaining years by continually walking the busy streets of the capital. He’d previously written articles for a highbrow magazine, an arrangement brought a premature end to thanks to a particularly provocative article he’d penned. But his ex-boss, who had remained a friend, has died, and he’s been invited to attend his upcoming funeral in Milan. Should he go? Tempted by the possibility of bumping into his combative ex-wife, he decides he will.
On arrival in Milan, he books into a five-star hotel opposite the main railway station. Well, he might as well make the most of what might be his last hurrah. But what happens next is something of a surprise to him, as from his balcony perch he witnesses what seems to be a mass escape from the city; the COVID pandemic has arrived and the exodus has begun. Frank had stopped monitoring the news some time ago, so he hadn’t seen this coming. But worse, his reaction is to somehow perceive this as something that’s happening to other people and to fail to recognise the inherent risks to himself. It’s all a bit of an irritation, and inconvenience. He’ll go about his business as best he can and attempt to work around or simply ignore any restrictions put in place.
The story is told through Frank’s eyes, and it’s largely structured as a stream of consciousness account of his time at the hotel, his thoughts about the funeral he attends, and those he meets there. He also reflects on the people and events that he deems to have been most important to him through his adult life. Aside from his ex-wife and his exciting but needy (and significantly younger) one-time lover, his now deceased friend/ex-boss and his son are figures who feature largely in his thoughts. But his introspection is jarred by the discovery of a family of non-guests living secretly in the hotel. What is he to do about this?
Frank is at once a haunted soul who is struggling to put his life into an acceptable context and a man who is now conflicted as to whether he has reached the end of the road or if, potentially, a new track of tarmac might be opening up in front of him. As someone some ten years younger than Frank, I found some of this slightly scary – is this what I’ve got to look forward to? Thankfully, the story is suffused with just enough intrigue to offset the pathos that might have otherwise smothered it. I liked Frank and recognised something of myself in him, a little but not too much! I enjoyed his wry observations – like me, he’s a big people watcher – I admired his devil may care attitude to the real danger he faced and I also really liked how the book ended, something I often find a bit of a let down.
I’d previously read the author’s A Season with Verona: Travels Around Italy in Search of Illusion, National Character . . . and Goals! in which he travels around Italy following this rather unfashionable provincial football team. But that was many years ago, and now I wonder why I’ve not dipped into his work again since. I plan to put that right, Tim Parks is a fine writer with interesting things to say. I want to hear more of it.
My thanks to Random House UK for providing a copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review....more
I was recommended the books that comprise Peter May’s Lewis Trilogy by a friend who is, for the most part, a non-reader. This fact alone piqued my intI was recommended the books that comprise Peter May’s Lewis Trilogy by a friend who is, for the most part, a non-reader. This fact alone piqued my interest, and once I’d devoured the first book, I quickly gobbled up the other two. They remain, for me, amongst the best crime fiction stories I’ve read. I subsequently dabbled with some of the author’s other books and found that none matched the heights May achieved with the Lewis books. But when I glanced at the scant description for this one (‘a young meteorologist checking a mountain top weather station in Kinlochleven discovers the body of a missing man entombed in ice’) it immediately reminded me of those three cherished books. I was in.
But then the strangeness began. The book opens in the near future, not a huge step forward in time, but massive changes have occurred. We’re introduced to a detective, Cameron Brodie, who has just received some very bad news. While he digests this, he is dispatched off to Kinlochleven in the Scottish Highlands, in an e-chopper, and freshly kitted out with all singing and dancing James Bond style glasses. So what is this, I thought, a science fiction novel? But now we learn that global warming has taken a dreadful toll on the planet, and wholesale changes have taken place, more changes than I could have thought possible given the length of time elapsed. Ok, so now I’m wondering if this is perhaps a piece of eco fiction? I was confused and found that I wasn’t enjoying this tale much at all - I was already considering giving up on it.
But slowly, the story settled into a now and then tale – the then being 2023 – of a romance that ended badly and the search for an answer to the body in the ice mystery. I started to warm to it. The descriptions of the lonely, beautiful place Brodie visited and of the people he met there are wonderfully described, and I was surprised to discover that I now cared about the fate of this man; I wanted him to find answers, to resolve the unresolved. Truth to tell, the James Bond glasses still grated on me and in limiting the cast to just a small number of players the author creates a place that feels somewhat unreal, a contrived space where everyone seems to hide from sight. Yet despite all this, I still found myself eagerly returning to the book ever more desperate to see how it all played out.
So, to what to make of a story that’s such a mix of parts, some that drew me in and others that pushed me away? It’s a difficult story to sum up and also a hard book to rate as I had such mixed feelings about the various elements here. The mix allows the story to develop in the way it does, but there’s also a degree of incongruity about the whole thing. In conclusion, I’m driven toward a three star rating overall.
My thanks to Quercus Books for providing a copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review....more
We learn how the story will end in the prologue, from a ranting prison inmate called Kace, a woman who carries voices of dead women within her. She teWe learn how the story will end in the prologue, from a ranting prison inmate called Kace, a woman who carries voices of dead women within her. She tells us that two women - Florida and Dios – will face off on an empty stretch of road in Los Angeles, with the scene being captured on a mural close by. But how will they get there and what does this mean? We’ll be introduced to each of these women, and others, as they serve their time in an Arizona prison, in the early days of the COVID pandemic.
The prison is a nasty place: noisy and violent, with the sort of atmosphere you’d associate with a testosterone fuelled male lockup. Dios has a particular ‘thing’ for Florida, she likes taunt her, provoke her. We don’t know why this is but when the pair are released early, due to the pandemic, Florida aims to distance herself from her tormentor as quickly and as thoroughly as possible.
Florida eventually finds herself in Los Angeles, a city seemingly empty of people except those living rough in tents and every possible type of temporary accommodation. Skid Row (a place the author attends a studio and teaches creative writing) looms large here, but it also seems that every available space in the city is inhabited by those lacking a bricks and mortar home. Life will be tough here for Florida, but will she be able to survive and, just as importantly, evade Dios? Well, we already know the answer to that; it’s now just a case of seeing how this comes to be and how their showdown plays out.
We get to learn quite a bit about Florida (real name Florence): her upbringing and how and why she eventually went off the rails. But Dios remains an enigma and this feels like a missing piece of the puzzle to me. And in the second part of the book a third significant character is added to the mix: a female detective called Lobos, who is searching for the pair – the result of a crime committed after they were released - has her own story. Lobos is in many ways the most interesting of the three main protagonists, certainly the one I found most compelling.
I’ve enjoyed all of the authors previous books, each feeling fresh and offering up something different to other novels I’ve read. This one does too, but to my mind it’s very much the hardest read. There’s a big theme here concerning violence and it’s various triggers, and in particular how woman react to it but also instigate it. The pandemic, and principally it’s impact on the marginalised and the homeless, is another key element. But does it all add up to a compelling story? In truth, I’m not entirely convinced. Though my interest in the fate of Florida and Lobos was maintained throughout, I continually struggled to comprehend why Dios acted in the way she did. So I’m stuck somewhere between three and four stars – three for the story, four for the writing. So three and a half stars rounded up to four it is.
My thanks to Ferrari, Straus and Giroux for supplying an early copy of this book via NetGalley in return for an honest review....more
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