I do love Aussie novels. Things down under are the same and yet they’re not: we share the same language but their vernacular includes many unfamiliar I do love Aussie novels. Things down under are the same and yet they’re not: we share the same language but their vernacular includes many unfamiliar words and phrases; they seem to live outdoors more than in the confines of a house, and of course the country is huge, with wild and unpopulated areas. So, in many ways it’s so very different from home. Hammer uses all of these elements in his novels, each set in an obscure and somewhat isolated spot in New South Wales. This tale unfolds in and around a fictional town close to the very real Barmah-Millewa Forest, situated on the border with the state of Victoria.
The Murray River runs through this land, which comprises the largest red gum (the colloquial name for a type of very hard Eucalyptus tree) forest in the world. Much of the background to the place and the people featured here stem from a time the author spent a week in this place some years ago, an experience he documented in his non-fiction book The River: A Journey through the Murray-Darling. It’s sparsely populated and wild and at one time (back in the 1940’s) housed Italian prisoners of war. The author uses elements of the geography and history of this area to weave this magical multi-layered, multi-generational tale.
Nell Buchanan, who we met in Hammer’s last book Opal Country has been promoted to Homicide Detective and has been posted to this remote part of the state to partner up with Ivan Lucic (another name that’ll be familiar to readers of the author’s earlier books). The first case she’s asked to investigate is that of human remains found close to a small dam on the Murray River, the remains turning out to have been there for many years. So a stone cold case with no leads, hardly the exciting first case she’d hoped for. But a small consolation – or perhaps not, judging by her initial reaction – is that this is the precise area where she was brought up and in which the vast majority of her family still live.
As the investigation proceeds and more facts regarding the remains become known, we also start to learn more about Nell’s family, particularly her mother and her grandfather, whose own stories are told in separate alternating chapters. Nell will get around to visiting her family in due course, and strands will start to form an overall picture, but it’ll take some time. In the meantime, we’re left to sift through what feels like a fascinating but impenetrable series of discoveries and accounts of past events.
I learned a good deal in this book about how Australians were impacted by the World Wars, particularly WWII. Call me naive if you want but though I knew of the sacrifice made by many of its citizens who fought oversees, I really hadn’t understood the extent to which the war actually touched the island of Australia itself. I was also intrigued by the picture painted of life in this place with its vulnerable ecosystem; this remote community where everybody knows everybody and many can track their family histories back through generations who have continued to live in the same place. So I was both entertained and enlightened. What more can you ask for?
This is a five-star read for me. I loved everything about it, and I was sad to reach the end of the story. One small word of warning for future readers though: there’s a family tree detailed at the start of the book (at least this is true for the pre-publication version I read) which though it helps to keep track of the names featured in the story it gives a small piece of the mystery away. My advice is to avoid this and take notes if you need to along the way.
My sincere thanks to Headline for providing an e-copy of this book via Netgalley, in return for an honest review....more
In 1974, the US District Court ruled that the Boston School Committee had ‘systematically disadvantaged black school children’ in the public school syIn 1974, the US District Court ruled that the Boston School Committee had ‘systematically disadvantaged black school children’ in the public school system. The remedy chosen was to begin busing students between predominantly white and predominantly black neighbourhoods in order to desegregate the city’s public high schools. History tells us that this decision was not universally popular in those districts, feeding racist violence and fuelling existing class tensions. It’s against this background that Lehane structures his latest explosive tale.
Mary Pat Fennessey has always lived in the housing projects in the south of the city, an area with its own proud way of doing things. The people here are predominantly of Irish American descent. They are close knit, and many rarely move outside the confines of their own small community. One night, her daughter, Jules, fails to come home after a night out with friends. That in itself isn’t entirely unheard of but having already lost a son to a drug habit born of his service in Vietnam and fed by local pushers, Mary Pat desperately contacts anyone who might have seen her. But to no avail.
At this point we start to become acutely aware of the segregated life people in this part of the city actually live; white and black people really don’t mix and their reaction to one another’s appearance on their own turf exceeds antipathy. For Mary Pat, even in a work environment where civility is a necessity, friendship is considered unconscionable. So when the son of a black work colleague is killed in what might be an accident or, more likely, an act of malice, her reaction is one of sympathy though she can’t quite bring herself to write a reciprocal note along the lines of the one she received when her own son died.
The desperate search for her daughter eventually leads Mary Pat to the door of a pub owned and run by the local Irish mob in an attempt to seek their assistance. We learn that this violent gang controls pretty much everything that goes on here, setting the rules and dealing out the punishments as they see fit. But though she is met with a somewhat sympathetic ear, she quickly realises that if Jules is to be found, then she’s going to have to do the finding.
This story throws a light on the gritty, dark, and often violent life that many in ‘the projects’ led at this time. In Mary Pat, the author has found the perfect vehicle to bring this all vividly to life. She’s both determined in defence of the community in which she lives but also increasingly questioning the impact this has on everyday life and on the relationships this fosters and just as often prohibits. Lehane has produced two of my favourite novels in Shutter Island and Mystic River, and I can now add this one to the list. Outstanding!
My thanks to Little, Brown Book Group UK, for providing a copy of this book via NetGalley in return for an honest review....more
Henri had escaped Algeria during the country’s battle for independence. He’d been a gendarme but the day he was called upon to question a man he’d knoHenri had escaped Algeria during the country’s battle for independence. He’d been a gendarme but the day he was called upon to question a man he’d known during his school days he realised he didn’t want to be here, doing this, anymore. He decided to leave this country he’d considered home and though he was technically a French national that country held little appeal to him, so he travelled instead to the country of his mother’s birth, Spain. There he fell into some small-time criminal activity as a way of getting by, as he tried to figure out his future.
Louise had grown up in England and felt imprisoned by the need to look after her tyrannical, disabled father. Her mother had deserted them both some while before, running off to France and failing to stay in touch. But her father has now passed away and she’s chosen to grab what little money she can find and set of for an adventure in a place she’d read about and dreamed of visiting: Alhambra in Grenada, Spain.
These two characters are to become acquainted in unusual circumstances. The consequences of their fateful convergence is to be explored in the pages that follow. It’s an intriguing tale that largely takes place during a train journey across continental Europe, ultimately headed for the city of Istanbul. Henri and Louise conduct a complex dance: both aware of each other’s presence and movements though they are rarely together.
I’m a little tempted to say that the whole thing is a case of style over substance. And yet, I liked the style very much. There are fantastic descriptions of all of the places visited here and the lead players are expertly drawn. I enjoyed the secrets that were slowly given voice and the skirmishes that take place throughout their journey. Then there’s the mystery of how this caper will turn out for both parties, and I found that I really cared about that too.
It’s a story of two complex and interesting people from very different backgrounds but who also have in common the fact that they’re both escaping something and have no clear picture of which direction they want life to take them. I’d enjoyed both of the author’s two previous books Tangerine and the outstanding Palace of the Drowned and with this novel Mangan has definitely cemented herself as a writer whose books I’ll seek out in future, routinely and without question.
My thanks to Bedford Square Publishers for supplying a copy of this book via NetGalley in return for an honest review....more
This book comprises a series of essays on the author’s thoughts on writing. They’re structured quite informally, being almost conversational in their This book comprises a series of essays on the author’s thoughts on writing. They’re structured quite informally, being almost conversational in their style. Murakami reflects on his writing life and details how he prepares for and executes particular tasks, be they writing a full novel or something smaller. A few things struck me:
1. In an early piece he ventures that regular readers amount to only one in twenty of the general population. That seems very low to me and might be challenged by a small amount of independent research I’ve carried out (i.e. just a basic Google search). It seems that the figure is hard to pin down and is impacted by such matters who to include or exclude, levels of literacy in some parts of the world etc. But if true, does that make us members of a fairly exclusive club?
2. I didn’t realise that he works as a translator (English to Japanese) in addition to producing his own compositions. He fits this in around his other writing tasks, sometimes to give his mind some release (a breaker) from the intense focus he has on whatever else he’s working on.
3. The number of re-writes he goes through when working on a novel makes it seem like a totally exhausting process. When he’s completed around four re-writes he then seeks views from trusted sources (notably his wife) before launching into even more re-writes. Then he gets the text translated from Japanese to English – using a tried and tested (to him) translator – and only then will he provide a copy to an editor. Then the work with the editor begins…
4. He uses a process of filing away useful pieces of information or thoughts into mental cabinets – he doesn’t write this stuff down. When he’s got enough information stored – but not before – he’ll begin writing. For his novels he hoards his most preciously guarded cabinets.
5. He runs every day for about an hour and has done for thirty years. He believes that for him to write successfully he has to take care of his body as well as his mind. Note: his book What I Talk About When I Talk About Running was an inspiration for me to complete my first ultramarathon, something he’s done on a number of occasions.
Overall, a fascinating insight into the mind of this wonderful and, I think, truly original author.
My thanks to Random House UK for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review....more
Tom is depressed, he knows this and he also knows why he’s in this state. He once had it all: he and his family lived in the house of his dreams, a hoTom is depressed, he knows this and he also knows why he’s in this state. He once had it all: he and his family lived in the house of his dreams, a house he’d built himself; he was married to a loving wife, who he absolutely adored; he had a young son he could eventually endow with the skills he’d accumulated and then perfected. But now he has nothing. He lives in squalid conditions in a small subsidised apartment, unable to work and barely getting by financially. His wife is long gone, now married to a rich and successful guy who Tom has never even had a conversation with. His son, too, is practically estranged, away at college with their contact limited to the occasional email exchange.
It all went wrong when Tom had an accident. As a self-employed carpenter he was working on a roof, something he was used to, but on this day he inexplicably fell. The resulting physical damage cost him his livelihood and, eventually, his house and his marriage. He puts the blame firmly in the hands of firstly the bank who lent him so much money that he’d found himself under increasing pressure to work long hours to meet the mortgage repayments. Secondly, he hates the insurance company who refused to pay out following the accident, as he’d fallen behind on his monthly payments. Thirdly, he resents Big Pharma because he was in so much pain following his required operations that he became addicted to pain killers. Yes, Tom definitely believes that he’s the victim of this wicked triumvirate.
To rub salt in the wound, Tom has now had his car impounded and fines levied which he’s unable to pay. So now he has no transport. All of this information in conveyed early on leaving Tom stewing over what he’s failed at, what he’s lost and who he blames. His downward spiral appears to have now hit rock bottom. But no, he's to find that there’s still further to go. It’s tempting to think that this whole tale of woe is something that is not only depressing for the unfortunate hero of this tale but also for the reader too. But that’s not really the case. The facts are laid out succinctly and in a matter of fact way and yet there is a sense that something interesting is around the corner for this man.
I won’t go in to how things play out from here, other than to say that a small act of kindness manages to make a huge difference to how Tom starts to interpret his situation. There’s a lot in this story about love and loss and what’s really important in life and what isn’t. There’s also a telling moment when Tom’s now ex-wife questions why those who struggle to simply survive can’t turn their attention to how they might grow and prosper. Actually, it’s very clear that these people simply aren’t able to thrive like those offered an abundance of help and support. It’s such an obvious point, and yet it was something of a light bulb moment for me, it caused me to question some of my own perceptions about people I’ve met and about whom I’ve potentially made false judgements .
This story put me in mind of a character from Tom Wolfe’s novel A Man in Full. In Wolfe’s book, a character called Conrad Hensley comes into the possession of a book written by Greek Stoic philosopher Epictetus, whilst serving prison time. As a result something clicks for him, he sees a way in which he can not only endure but also thrive. It gives Conrad a framework for thinking and acting. Both novels adopt a similar theme and although they take very different routes, each story had a significant impact on me. I cared for both of these characters and I wanted something better for them. And if they couldn’t achieve more I at least wanted them to find a better way of coping, of seeing their circumstances in a different light.
If I have one problem with this tale, it’s that Tom’s moment of clarity comes courtesy of an act of charity, an act unbidden and somewhat surprising. From this point not only does he behave differently to people he meets but they also behave differently toward him – or at least that’s his perception. The change in attitude on both sides is now universal. Does this reflect real life? Well perhaps to a degree, but I’m not sure it’s ever quite so black and white as depicted here.
Dubus has written a number of very fine novels and short stories and also a wonderful memoir, Townie, in which he details his early life growing up in tough New England towns. Perhaps he’s overshadowed somewhat by his father – an outstanding essayist and short story writer – but he really shouldn’t be overlooked. I recommend his work to anyone who enjoys a book that stirs the emotions, one that’ll leave you thinking long after you’ve finished the last page.
My thanks to W. W. Norton & Company for providing an early copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review....more
I’ve read only a handful of novels that I’d suggest you don’t pick up if you’re having a bad day. A Little Life is certainly one – wonderful as it is I’ve read only a handful of novels that I’d suggest you don’t pick up if you’re having a bad day. A Little Life is certainly one – wonderful as it is - and this is another. Badness pervades virtually every page in this book, writ large and every stripe. But if you enjoy engrossing, atmospheric tales that are written in a lyrical and faintly biblical style then this is one you should probably seek out.
There are two stories here: we meet a young boy, living with his sister and mother in a house on the edge of a Louisiana swamp and we’re also introduced to a man who lives alone and works for the grounds department of a high school in Texas. How are these people linked – are they, in fact, linked? We’ll find out in due course, but first we’ll follow the adventures that befall them in the relatively short period of time we are to spend with them.
Michael Fischer wants to go to school but he’s been held back by his mother; he’s often the feeder of the family which can mean stealing fish from the traps of his prone to violence neighbours. He’s already been threatened with serious harm if he’s caught again. His father is about to be released from prison and this is to be the worst possible news for Michael – this man is just about as bad a human being as has tread the earth.
Harlen LeBlanc lives a pretty solitary life, he enjoys his work and executes his allocated tasks diligently. One member of the small team he works with was once a football star at this very school, but his high ambitions were thwarted when he ultimately failed to meet the academic requirements his college demanded. This young man, Gene, is in love with his high school sweetheart but she’s moved on and it’s rumoured that these days she’s being free with her virtue. But Gene just can’t get over the fact that he’s lost not only his chance to be a big football star but also the the person he deems to be the love of his life. Then a violent incident occurs that shakes the town and drags the members of this little team into the resulting investigation. Harlen is now subsumed by search for answers.
The rolling prose and Confederate States settings put me in mind of James Lee Burke’s writing: the characters are often rough, the language profane and the towns and dwellings down at heal. But this tale feels somewhat less energised, lacking some of JLB’s up and at ‘em impact. Wade is a new writer to me, but one I’m sure to return too. This story is certainly affecting, scenes linger in my mind and characters seem (temporarily at least) to be burned into my psyche. I listened to an audio version of this book and I have to say that Roger Clark’s deeply haunting delivery was, for me, spot on for this story.
My thanks to Blackstone Publishing for providing an audiobook via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review....more
Colter Shaw has an unusual source of income: he works for rewards, which means that he’s often combing the country searching for missing people. He’llColter Shaw has an unusual source of income: he works for rewards, which means that he’s often combing the country searching for missing people. He’ll travel wherever in America this takes him, using a motor home with a motorcycle attached to the back of it. He’s a resourceful chap too, the son of a survivalist who taught him a multitude of skills. Yes, Colter knows an awful lot of things that come in very handy in his line of work. But in this, his fourth adventure, he takes on a slightly different task, he’s hired to prevent the theft of a revolutionary piece of equipment, a component of a small, transportable nuclear reactor – a devise that could potentially resolve many of Africa’s chronic energy needs.
But Colter’s focus is re-set when the company’s chief designer, Allison Parker, subsequently goes missing - on the run from her violent husband who has just been released from jail and is threatening to kill her. The company is based in a Midwest Rust Belt town that’s seen better days. The river running through the town is badly polluted and frankly this place seems like just the sort of dump anyone would run away from! But her knowledge and skills are considered irreplaceable and the owner of the company is therefore willing to spend whatever it takes to find her and keep her safe. So, as her husband and a couple of trigger happy thugs go on the chase Colter is searching too, desperately hoping that he’ll get to her first. But hang on a minute… this is a Jeffery Deaver novel, so everything won’t be quite as you expect it to be.
It’s an enjoyable romp which does throw in the expected quota of surprises. Though to be honest we’ve been here so often with Deaver that these elements no longer really surprise, it’s more a case of waiting to see which elements of the story are, in fact, an elaborate conjuring trick. I enjoyed it and Colter and co were good company for the few days it took me to work through it, but it wasn’t a book I was desperate to return to whenever I’d temporarily set it aside. It’s a three star offering for me.
My thanks to HarperCollins UK for providing a copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review....more
I’d enjoyed two well structured murder mysteries from this author (The Dinner Guest and The Woman on the Pier) and so was happy to grab this, his lateI’d enjoyed two well structured murder mysteries from this author (The Dinner Guest and The Woman on the Pier) and so was happy to grab this, his latest book, which seemed to offer something slightly different. It’s a taut psychological thriller set in a affluent town, in Kent. Stephanie had moved there with her husband and son, Danny, but tragedy then struck and both her husband and son were killed in a road accident. Stephanie is understandably struggling to come to terms with this devastating loss. The early pages are dramatic and disorientating as the fragments of this story slowly start to come together.
We are to learn more of the Stephanie’s background through a timeline that jumps back and forth between the present day and events that have taken place in the past, predominantly those that have occurred since the family moved into their current house. The cast list is very slim, pretty much limited to Stephanie, her immediate family and a similar family of three (husband, wife and a boy of a similar age to Danny) who live in the house on the opposite side of the road. To a large extent this is an agonising tale of loss, but it’s also a coming of age story and a mystery – the latter relating to Danny’s sudden change from a happy mid-teenage boy to one haunted by something to his parents cannot fathom. From its dramatic, disorientating beginning, the tale settles into a claustrophobic narrative in which we watch as a once happy family becomes something else.
It’s all really well written and I was nearly half way through before I realised I’d barely taken a break, so absorbed was I by this story. If I were to nitpick, there are a couple of elements that seem to be present only to allow the storyline to function, namely an unexplained explosion and the complete lack of a support group of friends and family for Stephanie. Also, the closing sections where we start to unravel the puzzle are, to my mind, somewhat less satisfying than what went before. However, it’s a book that I read in a trice and whenever I put it down couldn’t wait to get back to it, so that tells me something. In summary, it’s another enticing offering from this very talented British writer.
My sincere thanks to HarperCollins Publishers Ltd for supplying an early e-copy of this book in exchange for an honest review....more
It was clear that this story was going to present a mystery that I assumed I’d spend practically the whole book trying to unpick and resolve, and thatIt was clear that this story was going to present a mystery that I assumed I’d spend practically the whole book trying to unpick and resolve, and that there would most likely be a dramatic ending that would inevitably involve violence. That’s okay, it’s precisely what I signed up for when I selected this novel. What I didn’t realise, and what I actually found most appealing about it, is how deeply I was to become drawn into the lives of the characters. There’s emotional depth here, bags of it.
This is the latest in a long running series featuring Duluth cop Jonathan Stride, his family and his colleagues. I’ve dipped in and out of it (as is my want) so I’ve missed chunks of the group’s history. As the story begins, Stride is recovering from a serious gunshot wound and hasn’t worked in a year. There’s some doubt as to whether he’ll ever return. He’s romantically entangled with Serena, who he lives with and had also worked with, and in the background (and sometimes the foreground) are others who feature large in both of their lives.
A man reports the kidnapping of his wife, in circumstances that throw suspicion on his own actions in the lead up to the alleged event. It’s quite possible that events unfolded exactly as he describes them, but is there more to this than meets the eye? There is money in the mix, not only the ransom demand but also a background involving riches lost and found. This is going to be a tricky one: a woman is certainly missing but by whose hand and to what end?
As the investigation and the search proceeds, we get deeper into other matters that are occupying the minds of the various characters. There is a family death, backgrounds of neglect and abuse, alcoholism and mental health issues. This might sound grim, and I suppose it is, except it really fleshes out the players and provides context for their moods and their actions. I found myself drawn in, the matter of the kidnapping receding into the background.
The only false note in the whole story occurs as it reaches its its conclusion. Here, an action is taken which is out of step with everything that preceded it, a ‘why did they do that’ moment which gift wraps the opportunity for a dramatic climax. In truth, resolution of this tale is it’s weakest component: after setting up a set-piece ending, loose ends are tied up a little too easily and far too neatly for my tastes. It’s a pity and I really wish the author had been a little braver in this regard. But overall it’s an enjoyable read with deft scene setting, excellent characterisation and strong dialogue all ticking boxes for me.
My thanks to Blackstone Publishing for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review....more
In the first John Corey book for seven years we find the former NYPD detective relaxing at his uncle’s waterfront house on Long Island, New York. He kIn the first John Corey book for seven years we find the former NYPD detective relaxing at his uncle’s waterfront house on Long Island, New York. He knows he’s going to have to move out soon and is considering how he’s going to spend the rest of his summer when a visit from an ex-lover, a local cop, throws him the opportunity extend his stay by working with a group of private investigators. He knows there’s more to this proposition than he’s being told and, in truth, he’s not particularly attracted to the work. But he agrees to consider this option when a potential rekindling of their relationship is dangled.
Corey is a self confessed danger addict and eventually the thought of operating as an undercover insider on behalf of the police (merely his reading of the situation) is something he can’t resist. He’s in. In the background there’s an unsolved case concerning a group of bodies found on a nearby island. Can this in any way be linked to his prospective employers? The link seems tenuous, but in any case any answers to this question will have to wait. At least a third of the book is now taken up with Corey’s exploration and contemplation of his choices – there’s a good deal of ground to cover here before any serious action comes our way. And although this might sound slow and maybe dull, I found it anything but.
Corey is such an interesting guy: an archetypal hard man with his alter ego being a smart talking comedian. Throughout, there are two forms of conversation ongoing here: the exchanges between the various protagonists and JC’s internal dialogue. The former nudges the story forward but I found the latter (his honest thoughts, which are usually the opposite of what he’s actually saying) to be totally hilarious. I can’t remember the last time I laughed so much when reading a book. But not to put too fine a point on it, Corey is a long way from PC - so readers beware.
As for the tale itself, it’s gripping enough as the good guys try to work out precisely who the bad guys are and what exactly it is they’re up to. There’s a good deal of intrigue, but initially not much action. The denouement when it comes throws in twists and is truly dramatic - a finish worth waiting for. It’s a lengthy read, but I’d have been happy to have read a hundred pages more. I absolutely loved it. I’ve read all of the books in this series but I don’t recall enjoying any of them as much as I did this one. Highly recommended.
My thanks to Scribner for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review....more
A dark tale indeed, this one. A working class man, known to everyone as simply H, learns that the man who raped his sister, then aged 15, has been relA dark tale indeed, this one. A working class man, known to everyone as simply H, learns that the man who raped his sister, then aged 15, has been released from jail. The news is delivered to H by his uncle, a dislikable character who also supplies a gun with his unspoken message that H should do the right thing and murder this man.
H is a semi-professional ice hockey player and his unfulfilled ambitions, his inability to make the big time, are a nagging, enervating presence in his life. He has a girlfriend who he has a complicated relationship with and a baby daughter he’s still learning how to relate to. Isn’t his life already complicated enough?
The book doesn’t follow the path I thought it would, which is a big plus, and there are some fantastic passages of dialogue too, another box ticked. But some sections seem to ramble on and I found myself disengaging from the narrative from time to time. I liked H, but I couldn’t put myself in his shoes. Perhaps that’s the fault of me, the reader, or maybe it’s the writer who doesn’t quite get me there. I’m honestly not sure.
I listened to an audio version, very well read by Chris Andrew Ciulla. If you like your fiction broody and unpredictable then this one might be worth trying out. It’s a short read/listen and there’s enough here to suggest the author is one to keep an eye on.
My thanks to Blackstone Publishing for providing a copy of the audiobook in exchange for an honest review....more
Cashel Greville Ross was born somewhere in Scotland on 14th December 1799, the same day George Washington died. He was to be relocated to County Cork,Cashel Greville Ross was born somewhere in Scotland on 14th December 1799, the same day George Washington died. He was to be relocated to County Cork, Ireland, not long into his life and, in due course, learned of a tragedy that had befallen his parents at that time. The story - a fictional autobiography - picks up his life from this point and follows it all the way through. And what a life it is. If I felt I’d trodden this path with Boyd before then that’s because I have: Any Human Heart and The New Confessions each followed the life of a man through the course of the 20th Century. I’d enjoyed both enormously and saw no reason why I’d feel any differently about this one, set a hundred years earlier.
One of the tricks the author employs is to introduce notable events and figures into his narrative. In this book, we find ourselves a witness at the battle of Waterloo and meet distinguished figures such as poets Byron and Shelley and John Hanning Speke, the man who discovered the source of the Nile. It’s something that I initially found disconcerting in his earlier books, but in time, I grew to enjoy looking out for these contrivances. What it does help to achieve, I think, is to provide some historical context, and also it’s a distraction from some of the more pedestrian activities that are naturally part of the subject’s life.
Ross is a headstrong and an impulsive character, so his reaction to a situation or an idea is to rush into action. Often, this means that his excitement or simply following his gut-feel can end up pushing him in some unpredictable directions. Sometimes, this works in his favour, but it’s a trait that also causes him much regret and angst throughout his life. A rover by nature, he travels to mainland Europe, Asia, Africa, and America as his various schemes and his travails play out. Travel and communications being what they were in the 19th century, it could take him months to reach a destination or even to get a message to someone in another continent. In consequence, his life is complicated, with a tendency for loose ends to be created.
Cashel’s relationships with women tend to be interrupted by either his roving nature or his impetuosity. But there is one woman in particular with whom he becomes so besotted that their eventual parting becomes something that forever haunts him. This is a key theme that becomes a focus of his thoughts and actions as he reaches an age where he increasingly starts to reflect on his life. Can he eventually find happiness, or at least closure? This became something that I found had an emotional impact on me as I neared the end of this tale. I’d enjoyed it to this point, but now I was somewhat obsessed about knowing how this would all conclude.
Boyd is a supremely accomplished writer and once again he’s delivered a novel that’s grabbed me and taken me on a rollercoaster ride in the company of a man I grew to like and eventually to care for. I truly enjoyed my journey with Cashel Greville Ross with its many adventures, twists, and turns over the course of the best part of a century.
My thanks to Penguin for providing a copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review....more
Pulitzer Prize–winning journalist Will Bunch poses a number of pressing questions here and proposes some interesting solutions too. The issues coveredPulitzer Prize–winning journalist Will Bunch poses a number of pressing questions here and proposes some interesting solutions too. The issues covered include:
Has the cost of higher education in America now made it a club for the richest families only?
Should colleges seek to expand a student’s broad education or should the primary focus be to prepare them for an identified career path?
And what about, so called, blue collar jobs – what’s the route for students wishing to learn a trade?
The author takes us through a history of further education in America from the end of WWII, explaining how the introduction of the G.I. Bill significantly expanded not only the number of students experiencing further education but also radically changing the age profile. He explains how sceptics were proved wrong in their prediction that many returning soldiers would simply accept the benefits on offer but would fail to complete their courses. Then when the baby boomer generation, spawned by the war’s conclusion, was added to the mix an exponential growth in the overall number of students attending college was confirmed. The result was, of course, a huge expansion in the number and scale of colleges.
The immediate post war era was a time in which egalitarian aims held sway over those seeing the profit potential on offer. But a string of student protests in the late 1960’s - regarding the draft, civil rights issues, discrimination and woman’s liberation - created an atmosphere in which some saw education as a threat (to white supremacy, for example) rather than something offering a positive benefit to society. Bunch digs into the political debates and machinations of the time to explain how this has driven the country to the position it finds itself in today. Essentially this requires students to who don’t come from wealthy families to take on significant debt in order to fund a degree course that will give them access to the most remunerative job opportunities.
The average debt facing graduating students is said to be circa $30k. And with repayment required to commence within six months of graduation the financial pressures are quick to take hold. The author states that this demonstrates how the majority of would be college students face the dilemma of whether to gamble on their ability to quickly secure a well paying job after completing their course or to miss out on the opportunity such an education offers. To emphasise this point, he supplies brief case studies of a range of individuals who have one way or another become disenfranchised by their experience.
There’s a good deal of political history here, mixed into the story, and it’s clear that Bunch has little time for Donal Trump and, in fact, the GOP in general. On top of this, he stresses the point that cheating and dodgy dealing have been rife in terms of allowing cash rich families to inveigle routes into the most high profile colleges for their offspring. Amongst those cited in this respect are Trump and his son-in-law Jared Kushner. And what is stressed throughout is that a college degree isn’t simply a ‘nice to have’ in the current knowledge based economy, it now offers what a high school diploma did 80 years ago. In other words, the route to these high paying careers is only now open to those with a college degree.
In terms of a way forward, a number of steps are proposed which would, the author says, open up the opportunity of a college education to a much wider population. He also suggests that the introduction of a ‘gap year’ for students at around the age of 18 - i.e. after high school and before college - might recreate the environment achieved post the G.I. Bill by bringing students into higher education with a broader view of life. This gap year might take the form of compulsory non-military public service. There are also suggestions concerning the set-up (or rather expansion) of institutions for training those who are intent on a specific trade and have no interest in a broader education.
Finally, there is a fairly comprehensive debate on the issue of who should pay for these proposed ‘improvements’ and whether higher education should be free to students or merely subsidised. Various options are explored but interestingly the English method is not amongst them. Here, the cost for students is capped and the phasing of any repayment of the government loan funding study and other associated costs is put on hold until a salary roughly equivalent to the national average is achieved, post university. Thereafter the amount of any repayment is governed by the salary level and if the loan is not fully repaid within 30 years it is written off. The reality is that many student will never fully repay these loans, so the excess cost falls to the general tax payer.
I found this book to be highly informative, opening my eyes to issues and possible solutions that I was previously blind to. I highly recommend it to anyone interested in a key issue facing all highly developed countries at this time.
My thanks to publishers William Morrow for supplying an e-copy of this book in exchange for an honest review....more
I recently listened to an audio version of Boyne’s The Boy in the Striped Pajamas which is told from the perspective of a 8 year old boy naively experI recently listened to an audio version of Boyne’s The Boy in the Striped Pajamas which is told from the perspective of a 8 year old boy naively experiencing the horrors of a German concentration camp, from the safe side of the fence. I found it an extremely powerful tale - understated but shockingly sad. But I wasn’t sure what I would make of this, his follow-up book, told from the perspective of his elder sister (then 12 but now 91 years old) residing in modern day Mayfair, London. To start with, the sister, Gretel, has only a small role in the original tale, as a lovestruck young girl longing for the attention of a young officer at the camp. She was hardly a likeable figure but neither did I sense that she was in any way complicit in or guilty of anything attached to what went on there.
But time and perspective changes these things and it’s clear that Gretel now has a profound sense of guilt and after a protracted journey that’s taken her across Europe and also into the Southern Hemisphere she finds herself here, in the most expensive area of England’s capital city, in a flat worth millions of pounds. We are to learn her story in flashbacks alternating with the dramas playing out in her current everyday life.
This is a very different story, one that definitely feels pitched toward an older audience – no real surprise given Gretel’s advanced years, but the tone is definitely more grown up, more earthy. It’s a convoluted but easy to follow tale full of echoes from the past and yet with plenty of intrigue wrapped up in the present day element too. Boyne is a brilliant storyteller and here he manages to spin a yarn that grabbed me on an emotional level whilst also teasing me predict what might be an acceptable outcome to a challenging current conundrum.
The only quibble I have is that the author has chosen to stack the emotional deck by delving briefly back into the period covered in the first book, adding a scene that felt manipulative and slightly off to me. Yes it makes sense of where Gretel’s head is in the present day and perhaps it’s the glue that makes the whole story work, but I really wish he could have found a way of avoiding adding this element. But that aside I must admit that after a fairly slow start I became steadily more engrossed in events until I found it difficult to put the book down. The ending is typical Boyne and that’s all I’ll say. I really look forward to hearing what other readers make of it.
My thanks to Random House UK, Transworld Publishers for supplying an early e-copy of this book in exchange for an honest review....more
This is one of those books where to give something away is to give everything away. There’s a core idea here that underpins the story, and in consequeThis is one of those books where to give something away is to give everything away. There’s a core idea here that underpins the story, and in consequence, nothing makes sense until suddenly it all does. So I’m going to provide scant detail of the plot so that I don’t trip over my own words and spoil it for future readers.
At a very basic level it’s a mystery surrounding a message found in a book, a romance that didn’t work out, and a death in mysterious circumstances. In truth, I found the early part of the story pretty hard going: I didn’t quite buy the romance – it felt too intense too quickly – and I found that some other elements also felt a little forced; it was all a little overemotional and with lots of what felt like half-hidden elements lurking in corners. In addition, there were a number of storytellers here and this ever changing perspective meant that it felt more complicated than it could have, which in turn made me feel that an attempt at reader manipulation was taking place. Such was my early struggle with this book that I almost gave up before I reached the halfway point. But I was keen to discover the twist, to reach to moment it was all going to come together and make sense, so rather reluctantly I ploughed on.
This book should really have worked for me. It had many components that would normally add up to something I’d enjoy. So why didn’t it? Well, firstly I failed to engage sufficiently with any of the main characters – they didn’t feel real enough, and, for me, many of their interactions failed to hit the right notes. Secondly, the big surprise wasn’t really so surprising by the time I reached it. I wouldn’t say that I’d worked it all out (I definitely hadn’t – I seldom do), but there were enough clues spread throughout to give me a general shove in the right direction. And thirdly, the whole thing felt significantly over-engineered, particularly towards the end, and I feel that this added complexity reduced the emotional punch I think the story should have delivered.
I’m not sure if I’ll be an outlier here, I’ve seen quite a few very positive reviews of this book. Time will tell. It’s due for full release on 15th September 2022.
My thanks to Pan MacMillan for providing an e-copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review....more
Carrie Soto, at thirty seven, wants to make a comeback. A phenomenally successful professional tennis player in her day, she’s just seen her record asCarrie Soto, at thirty seven, wants to make a comeback. A phenomenally successful professional tennis player in her day, she’s just seen her record as the winner of the most grand slams (the top events in tennis) equalled by the current star of the sport. Thankfully, her father is a tennis coach and he’s happy – actually, more than happy – to support her unlikely quest to win at least one more major tournament.
Carrie’s mum had died when she was very young and from that point on her tennis obsessed father coached her remorselessly and often ruthlessly to become a top player. Perhaps because of this (probably because of this) Carrie developed into an ambitious, driven and angry person; she’s someone with no friends, no relationships - other than with her father – and no social skills. She is rude to just about everyone and and was the most unpopular tennis player of her generation. There’s quite honestly nothing to like about her.
Once the scene is set, the book becomes something akin to a biography of a fictional sports star. Now, I’ve read quite a few sports bio’s and there is a tendency for the whole thing to become a list of training goals, technical challenges and – worst of all – an unending list of events participated in. And that’s precisely the route this one takes. In short, it all becomes rather tedious.
I really enjoyed Daisy Jones & The Six and Malibu Rising and I do think TJR is a very talented storyteller, but I’m afraid this one just didn’t work for me. I almost gave up on it a couple of time but I did eventually battle through to the end. I can only really liken this tale to a Disney version of a tennis star’s re-birth, but with some added swearing. That said, I’ve seen nothing but positive reviews from others who’ve read this title, so I can possibly put my reaction down to it simply being the wrong novel for me.
My thanks to Random House UK, Cornerstone for providing an early e-copy of this book via NetGalley in return for an honest review....more
From the murky waters of the dark net surfaces a group of killers who claim to be cleaning America of theReview first posted on mysteryandsuspense.com
From the murky waters of the dark net surfaces a group of killers who claim to be cleaning America of the worst of society. They target those that they despise, people who don’t fit into their model of who deserves a place in this country.
First to die is a predatory street crawler who is dispatched mano a mano by one of the gang. A lengthy press release follows advising where the body is to be found and promising more of the same. They’re calling themselves ‘The Five’. Soon, a further diatribe is released, announcing a second killing. Each time a victim is dispatched, the group say they will make a donation to a related charity, these donations being in the form of untraceable Bitcoin. The bodies are turning up at different locations across the country – victim three is found in Minnesota.
Virgil Flowers, an agent for the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, receives an early morning call summoning him to the scene. On arrival, he spots a big lump leaning against an SUV. It’s his ex-boss Lucas Davenport. These days, Lucas is a U.S. Marshal with political connections, and he’s been directed to add his practical skills and renowned crime solving nous to the mix. But there’s very little to go on. The perpetrators seem to be very adept at leaving nothing behind that will aid those looking to identify them. Where will this group strike next, and given how little is known about them, how can they possibly be stopped?
In Davenport and Flowers, the author has two big but very different personalities who bounce off each other brilliantly. Their sharp and witty banter is one of the highlights of this book. As the hunt goes on the pair carry out a dance with the officers of the FBI, letting the special agents deal with the tiresome research while they knock on doors, sweat people and generally follow their noses. At heart they’re mavericks, enjoying the hunt and the adrenaline rush that goes with it. And something the author does very well here – it’s a trick he’s perfected over the years – is to tell the story throughout from the point of view of both the chasers and the chased. The result is that it feels like we, the reader, are often a step ahead of the law enforcement agencies as the action plays out. It’s a careful balance, but Sandford pulls it off superbly. He really is master of his craft.
There are some interesting developments here for followers of the long running series of books featuring Davenport and Flowers, such as Virgil starting to develop a new career as a writer of novels – could this bring an end to his life as a lawman? Also there’s a dramatic ending to this story that, too, poses a few questions as to what happens next for this pair. I’m hoping there’s a good deal more to come from both of them, either individually or in tandem. Crime fiction just wouldn’t be the same without them....more
City of Windows was one of my favourite thrillers of 2019, a complex and inventive tale that intrigued me from the very start. Not only that, but it iCity of Windows was one of my favourite thrillers of 2019, a complex and inventive tale that intrigued me from the very start. Not only that, but it introduced Dr Lucas Page a former FBI agent who has a number of interesting ‘differences’. Firstly, he lacks an arm and a leg – these being replaced by state of the art prosthetics – but more importantly he is a master of numbers, with an ability to compute and analyse information that it would normally take a bank of computers to replicate. This is all used to the full and his extraordinary skills pretty much held this story together. In Under Pressure, the second book in the series, it seemed to me that Pobi struggled somewhat to overcome the lack of surprise that Windows had served up. The story was okay, but Page’s skills weren’t so well fitted to the challenge he faced and as a result it all felt somewhat leaden.
So what to do with book 3? Well, the author has made what I believe to be the right choice in deciding to expand the way in which readers engage with not only Page but also his family unit: wife Erin and a bunch of children of varying ages. There’s a lot more about Page the man here, he’s still got his taciturn ways and he’s rude beyond belief but this has somehow become increasingly engaging. Some other carry over characters are here too and suddenly I’m starting to feel about Page what I’ve long felt about some other fictional characters I follow (Harry Bosch, Dave Robicheaux, John Rebus and Guido Brunetti instantly spring to mind). That is to say, I want to know what’s happening to them and those around them.
The story here is a step up from Book 2 also, with Page becoming aware of the fact that an awful lot of doctors in the New York metropolitan area are seeming to meet an untimely death. His wife is a surgeon so this one feels close to home. How it plays out from here I’ll leave readers to discover for themselves, but what I would say is that it somehow recreates the excitement I originally experienced with this character with quite a bit less of the ‘superpower’ input. It’s clever it’s fast paced and it held me firmly in its grip throughout. Outstanding, I loved it.
My sincere thanks to publishers Hodder & Stoughton for providing an e-copy of this book in exchange for an honest review....more
I received an advance e-copy of this book from ECW Press, via NetGalley, in return for an honest review. The book is scheduled for publication on 25thI received an advance e-copy of this book from ECW Press, via NetGalley, in return for an honest review. The book is scheduled for publication on 25th October 2022.
Golf is a tough game to play. It’s a game of rhythm and power but also of precision and touch - but most of all it plays with your mind. I’ve previously investigated this element as it’s something that I really struggle with, but I’d not come up with anything approaching a plan to deter the demons from inhabiting my head on a regular basis. It can eat me up in a way I’ve not experienced any other sport.
This book explores the problem pretty thoroughly, seeking to explain why anxiety and doubt can creep in and, more importantly, what golfers might do to overcome such challenges. There’s interesting ideas around how your mind can become cluttered with too many technical thoughts (part of my problem), about how golfers can become too result orientated rather than focussed on the process (also my problem) and how tension can result in gripping the club too hard and/or swinging too hard resulting in negative outcomes (guess what!). The author explains how to adopt strategies to address these issues and explains why these should prove beneficial. Nothing particularly new here, but useful reminders.
The new (to me) ideas began with a detailed summary of how breathing exercises can radically augment your ability to combat the negative thoughts. I was initially quite sceptical about this but coincidentally I saw a top professional golfer being interviewed after a competitive round a few days ago and he talked about the benefits he’d accrued from just such an approach. Okay – so it’s something I really do need to work on. Another suggestion put forward is that of using personal positive affirmation – essentially, constantly reminding yourself of your strengths so as to form a positive base in your mind. This is something I intuitively feel sceptical about, and yet there’s something about it that is nagging at me, telling me there’s potentially some benefits to be found here too.
Mixed in with the above are a good number of anecdotes based on the author’s personal experiences and lots of supporting quotes from well known players. If I have a minor gripe about this book it’s only that there’s probably a little too much of this for my personal taste. But overall I do feel that there’s a significant amount of very useful information here – definitely enough to persuade me to adopt a defined strategy going forward....more
Hallie Evers is a young woman with some serious problems. She’s been seeing a psychiatrist in an attempt to deal with a catastrophic event in her pastHallie Evers is a young woman with some serious problems. She’s been seeing a psychiatrist in an attempt to deal with a catastrophic event in her past, an event so traumatising that it’s caused her to attempt to take her own life. Then, recently, something else, at a 4th July party she collapsed, and her heart stopped. Only the intervention of a doctor who was attending the same event saved her – he managed to get her heart started with the help of a mobile defibrillator. But now she’s feeling strange, her mind ‘crowded’, where are things going to go from here?
This book pretty much fits neatly into two halves, the before and the after. I won’t attempt to explain that. It’ll become abundantly clear to anyone who reads the book. In the first half, Hallie wrestles with her issues, and we get to know her. We also glean a little more information concerning her past, though some events are still pretty murky. It all bumps along in a fairly loose narrative, with Hallie coming across as smart and sharp – I really got to like her. Then things change, and the second half of the story is tighter, the pace faster, the author pointing us in multiple directions. The puzzle starts to unwrap itself, but things could still end numerous ways.
For me, the transition somewhat upset the flow, I preferred the early part and would have been happy to read a tale that had fewer trap doors and was a little less convoluted. But that’s just a personal preference. This is certainly a clever mystery that asks the reader to take a leap of faith on a pivotal issue. But it rewards those that go with it by serving up a story that threatens to get in your head to the extent you involuntarily play games with it well before it all reaches a dramatic climax.
My thanks to Thomas & Mercer for providing a copy of this book via NetGalley in return for an honest review....more
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