A collection of twenty short stories all positioned to be ‘mysteries’. It has the mixed bag feel of virtually every compendium I’ve read: some I reallA collection of twenty short stories all positioned to be ‘mysteries’. It has the mixed bag feel of virtually every compendium I’ve read: some I really loved others I skipped pretty early on having failed to be engaged. But for me, too many fell between these two extremes – they were just middle-of-the-road, well enough written but just not really grabbing me.
Although I’ve read plenty of mysteries I have to say that most of the authors were new to me. Perhaps because I’m already drawn to these writers, my favourites were penned by James Lee Burke (atmospheric and superbly written) and Stephen King (short but the most surprising). There were others that I enjoyed too, a story by Joseph S Walker springs to mind.
I listened to an audio version and this worked well as the stories were tag teamed by competent male and a female narrators. Overall, I think that for listeners/readers who are attracted to the idea of the book then it’ll probably work well. My problem, I feel, is that I just found myself wanting more of the stories I liked and less of the others; I think I just prefer longer, more immersive tales - a decent pint of beer rather than a jolting shot of something stronger.
My thanks to Highbridge Audio and NetGalley for providing a copy of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review....more
This is the second book featuring Lachlan Kite, who works a secret group of British and American ‘spooks’ called Box 88. In fact, in this episode, LacThis is the second book featuring Lachlan Kite, who works a secret group of British and American ‘spooks’ called Box 88. In fact, in this episode, Lachlan heads up the British end and discovers to his horror that he’s on a list of people the Russians are planning to assassinate. But it’s not as straight forward as that: the name that appears on the list is actually an alias he used nearly thirty years ago when he was a rookie recruit sent into Russia to exfiltrate a chemical weapons scientist. So why is the alias listed and not his real name? Do they actually know his real identity? This and other questions will be answered in a complex but satisfying tale of derring-do.
We follow both stories, both the present day threat (where the Coronavirus pandemic looms large in the background) and also, in flashback, Kite’s early trip to Russia during which he runs into an unfriendly KGB officer who is to feature in both tales. I found that the story of Kite’s visit to and escape from Russia had echoes of Ben Macintyre’s true life book The Spy and the Traitor and in this respect, though the methods were somewhat different, it rang true and therefore had all the more impact. The contemporary element is more complex and involves a veritable army of characters. This I found slightly less satisfying. Nonetheless, I was never less than fully engaged in Kite’s plight.
There are some carry over characters from the first book in this series, but it’s definitely a story that can be read as a stand-alone piece. Cumming maintains both pace and suspense well throughout and the only real grumble I have – and it’s a personal thing – is that I find any book with so many active participants (there’s an index listing more than thirty at the beginning of the book) to be hard work in tracking who is who as the tale plays out. That said, it’s what you sign up for in a story such as this, and I’m sure many readers will breeze through this element.
My thanks to HarperCollins UK and NetGalley for supplying a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review....more
Paul Theroux is a writer I much admire, I’ve read and hugely enjoyed a dozen of his books (a mix of novels and travelogues but also a compendium of esPaul Theroux is a writer I much admire, I’ve read and hugely enjoyed a dozen of his books (a mix of novels and travelogues but also a compendium of essays). He’s clearly a clever guy, with a keen eye for what is interesting and an arresting way of capturing it in words. In his own writing he sometimes refers to his time living in England, with his English wife, although the short(ish) references tend to be slanted towards the negative. So when this book caught my eye I was keen to investigate what the view from the other side of the fence looked like: what was Paul like to live with from the perspective of his wife of twenty two years.
Anne had met Paul in Africa when they were both living and working there as young, idealistic adventurers. They conceived their first child Marcel, got married and then a couple of years later their second child, Louis (now a well-known television documentarian) came along. After leaving Africa they spent three years in Singapore before settling in London. Paul, a workaholic, spent much of his time writing and travelling (mainly alone) to gather material for his travelogues. He was also a woman magnet and his philandering ways are well documented in this book. But Anne strayed too during her husband’s long absences. They admitted their transgressions to each other (or at least Paul admitted some of them) creating an ever turbulent relationship. Eventually they agreed to a trial separation for six months. This book is based on a diary Anne kept through the twelve months that followed.
Her diary entries are somewhat sporadic, often cryptic (she sometimes has trouble interpreting them herself) and to aid comprehension she provides additional insight by way of a commentary as we work through them. It’s a difficult time for her both personally and professionally and it’s clear she was really struggling to hold her life together throughout this whole period. She still loved Paul, and maybe Paul still loved her, but their communication through this year was minimal and she tended to keep track of her husband’s activities through third-hand reports received from mutual friends or family members. It’s a sad and sometimes upsetting account, and yet I found it to be totally absorbing to read.
It felt to me that Anne was being brutally honest here about her own failings as well as what she saw as Paul’s inherent weaknesses and his shortfalls as a partner. The pair eventually divorced and both subsequently entered new long term relationships. It seems that they are now able to communicate cordially and that they meet infrequently but on friendly terms. Anne also qualified as a relationships counsellor, coincidentally collecting her diploma the day before Paul re-married.
I found this to be an engrossing account of the breakdown of a marriage and it’s impacts. I personally learned good deal about behaviour, recovery and how we react to setbacks in our life. If it has a drawback it’s that it is almost wholly downbeat in tone – hard to avoid, in truth, given the circumstances – and so this book is probably best digested with this in mind. Nonetheless, I highly recommend it.
My thanks to Icon Books and NetGalley for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review....more
I normally know how I feel about a novel quite early on and that view seldom changes as I progress through the story – but this one was different. SetI normally know how I feel about a novel quite early on and that view seldom changes as I progress through the story – but this one was different. Set in Austria in the first half of the 19th Century, we follow quite a cast of characters as they live through the build-up to The Great War and events thereafter (the war itself getting only a bit part role in this particular tale). The characters we’re introduced to include:
Lena – born to an alcoholic mother who enjoys the experience of pregnancy but rather avoids what comes after.
Anton – a roaming journalist who witnesses the building of the Suez Canal before experiencing the horror of war.
Rudolf – an earnest young lawyer whose political views prove to be at odds with his country’s ruling party.
Martha – who runs a sanatorium which was co-founded by her father (this having being detailed in the author’s earlier book Human Traces)
There are others too, perhaps too many for my taste, whose lives are to intersect. Love is found and love is lost – and sometimes love is found again – as historical events unfold around them. I felt the narrative was jerky and I struggled to get into its flow. I was interested in what was happening around the characters but not gripped by lives of people who kept flitting in and out of the frame. Amongst the cast, Lena appealed to me most: she’d led such a tough life, struggling to find anything at all to latch on to – could it be that there would at least be a happy ending for her?
There was a point mid-book where I actually contemplated giving up on this one, it wasn’t my thing (in truth, historical fiction rarely is) but the quality of the writing alone kept me going. And I’m glad I stuck with it because as the tale entered it’s final third I suddenly found myself interested in the plight of a number of the players, the same people who had failed to arouse my interest to this point. Things started to come together, the links clicking into place. Now I was wondering – and more importantly caring - how it was all going to play out.
I’m not going to give away anything that would spoil the book for future readers, but I will say that the ending is both suspenseful and satisfying. So how do I rate this book? Well, for me the first half merits three stars at best but the back end is more four star territory. So it’s flip a coin time, but I’m going to go with how I felt at the book’s conclusion: so it’s a slightly generous 4 stars from me.
My thanks to Random House UK, Cornerstone and NetGalley for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review....more
I’d enjoyed the author’s hugely successful mystery thriller The Girl on the Train and so despite my normal aversion to fiction set in the UK (too cloI’d enjoyed the author’s hugely successful mystery thriller The Girl on the Train and so despite my normal aversion to fiction set in the UK (too close to home, not escapist enough, yadda yadda yadda) I was excited to get hold of this one. It kicks off with the discovery of a body on a houseboat in London. It’s clearly a case of murder, so for the police it’s now simply a case of identifying who had both the opportunity and the motive. We are soon to meet a small cast of characters who seem to have both – or do they?
We have the nosy neighbour who had found the body, a young woman who’d had a recent one night stand on the victim's boat and an aunt who seems to be nursing a whole bag of resentment, for reasons we are to discover later. And there are other linked characters too who are perhaps worthy of consideration. Could one of these be the killer or are we being sold a shoal of red herrings? Well, it’s a complicated tale and readers will need to pay close attention if they’re to have a chance of successfully resolving this one. There are a number of separate storylines running in parallel as we step back and forth in time. I found it a little confusing, in truth, though I confess I am easily lost if too much information is put on the table.
Each person the spotlight falls on seems to be hiding something and as additional information is progressively fed in I found that my perception of what was going on in the background was subtly (or sometime not so subtly) challenged. The characters – all of them – are a pretty dislikeable bunch and I didn’t find myself becoming sympathetic to the cause of any of them. So this, added to the complicated way in which the story is told, had the effect of distracting me to the point I’d put the book down and not pick it up again for some time. There wasn’t a moment that I felt like giving up, but neither was I in a hurry to burn the midnight oil working through the outstanding text.
I was expecting a big surprise, a major twist and I suppose it is here. But the reason I frame it in this way is that it came and went before I’d realised that that's what it was. I can’t say it was an explosive moment for me and that’s perhaps because there are many minor twists here and this one sort of melded in with the crowd. In retrospect it did explained things, it was the moment all should have become clear in my mind (as I’m sure it will in the minds of more switched-on readers).
One highlight is that the audio version I listened to was impeccably narrated by the brilliant actress Rosumund Pike. But in summary, I enjoyed this tale but I didn’t love it. It didn’t do for me what The Girl on the Trian did. I’ll be interested to see what others think of it: I expect some will absolutely love it though others might feel as I do, that it rather passed them by.
My thanks to Penguin Random House UK Audio, Transworld Digital and NetGalley for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review....more
I’ve been reading crime fiction novels for as long as I can remember. Agatha Christie whodunnits probably started it for me and I’ve never tired of thI’ve been reading crime fiction novels for as long as I can remember. Agatha Christie whodunnits probably started it for me and I’ve never tired of the genre. But I’m almost embarrassed to say that I’d never come across the name William McIlvanney. In fact, it wasn’t until after I’d read this book that I discovered the truth: that Ian Rankin had fairly recently been approached to complete a half written draft of what turns out to be a prequel from a very well know trilogy. Yes, McIlvanney (now deceased) had published his three well received books in the period from 1977 -1991 and had subsequently been crowned ‘the father of Tartan Noir’.
The story involves the murder of a dodgy lawyer, right hand man to the leader of one of Glasgow’s prominent crime gangs. His body had been found in a lane behind a pub, on the turf of a rival gang. And when we’re introduced to the local flatfoots who are charged with investigating the case, the least senior of which is DC Jack Laidlaw, I’d assumed that it would be one of the senior officers who we’d be tracking as the investigation is set in train. But no, it’s Jack who take prominence on the pages that follow, and what an interesting character he proves to be.
The story is set in 1972 and as someone of a certain age the references to music, television and news items of the time all brought back memories for me. I think some of this will be lost on younger readers but I don’t see this as a significant drawback. The language is raw and the actions often ruthless as answers are demanded by gangland thugs on the mean streets of this city – is this killing going to kick off a battle between the gangs? That’s the fear the cops have as they chase around the same streets seeking the same answers, albeit in a slightly more civil manner.
Laidlaw, though, is the star of the show. A deep thinker and a reader of philosophical texts, he has his own way of doing things. He has a testy relationship with the lead cop on this case, due to events that ocurred some years back, and this merely cements his desire to do his own thing. Although he is married, with three young children at home, he immerses himself in the city: using buses for transport and moving into a centrally located hotel for the duration of the case. He absorbs the mood and the chatter and seeks out people of interest, testing them out with provocative questions and leaving no stone unturned.
The resolution is a satisfying one but as in many books of this type it’s the journey that matters. I loved the atmosphere the book created – it felt authentic and morbidly exciting –and the characters were all brilliantly brought to life. The dialogue is top-notch too and I was left to wonder how much of all of this was present in McIlvenny’s draft and what proportion was reliant on Rankin’s deft touch. It was all over too soon but at least I now have three more books added to my pending list – and I have a feeling they’ll soon be edging their way towards the top.
My thanks to Canongate and NetGalley for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review....more
Fred and Sheila Merton live in a big house in upstate New York. Fred has been a successful businessman and following tradition the pair have invited tFred and Sheila Merton live in a big house in upstate New York. Fred has been a successful businessman and following tradition the pair have invited their three adult children, and partners, around for an Easter dinner. It turns out be a fraught affair as Fred imparts some unwelcome news on his offspring – each will be affected in a different way but none are happy with this particular festive gift. Shortly after, both Fred and Sheila meet a grisly end - murdered in their own home. Could it be that one of the dinner guests perpetrated this crime? The children all have motive, but as we learn more about the circle of people surrounding this family it seems that others might be similarly inclined.
The children are a pretty mixed-up bunch: a grasping daughter desperate to get her hands on the family pile, another daughter whose rebelliousness makes her something of a black sheep and a son who is suffering from money problems and mental health issues. Then there is Fred’s sister, a bitter old crow whose dislike of all of the children is unhesitatingly reciprocated. There are others too, lining up to be included in a lengthy list of possible suspects. It’s going to be interesting to see how this plays out, so bring on a couple of punchy, provocative detectives and let’s have at it.
It’s good fun, if all a little unlikely, as the siblings and partners lie and cover-up whilst also suspecting each other of potentially being the murderer. The best character, though, is Fred’s vitriolic sister who has no end of run-ins with the family group. The whole thing lights up whenever she’s on the scene. There are plenty of twists and it’s practically impossible to guess whodunnit as all seem to have both the motive and the means.
A pretty decent and undemanding mystery that kept me guessing and – just about – held my interest throughout. I listened to an audio version which was capably narrated by Ellen Archer. My thanks to Penguin UK Random House Audio and NetGalley for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review....more
In the first book of what (according to an article I recently read) promises to be a trilogy, Leïla Slimani weaves a story that is loosely based on thIn the first book of what (according to an article I recently read) promises to be a trilogy, Leïla Slimani weaves a story that is loosely based on the life of her grandmother. A young French woman called Mathilde falls for a Moroccan soldier, Amine, at the end of WW II. So keen is she on this man - and also desperate to chase adventure – that she accompanies him when he returns to his native land, where he is keen to build a farm on a plot that has come into his ownership. Unfortunately, the land is rock strewn and consists almost entirely of poor quality soil – it’s going to be a tough job to make this work.
In time, the pair are to have two children, a girl and a boy, and we are to meet a number of interesting characters whom they come into contact with. But the farm work is tough, and Amine, bereft of humour and a workaholic, proves to be difficult company. Has Mathilde made a terrible mistake, should she cut her losses and return to what would be a much more comfortable life in France? This story plays out during the decade leading up to Moroccan independence and, over time, potential for an uprising and the associated impacts become an ever looming threat.
Mostly, this story is played out with the focus on Mathilde and the particular challenges that she faces, especially with her stern, bullying husband. But later, we start to get a view through her daughter, Aïcha, too (perhaps with a view to setting up the next book?). The characters are persuasively drawn and the atmosphere of both time and place come through strongly, but for me the whole thing just felt a little too grim, with an excess of shade and a dearth of light. I actually found it hard work getting through this one.
I did finish it, and I’m glad I did, but I’m finding it hard to rid myself of the feeling that though the voice was strong, the storyline was actually quite weak. For me, it had more style than substance. Will I come back for the second book (if there is one)? Probably not. That said, I do think that this is a book that will find an audience, and many will appreciate the strengths of the writing and be less concerned about elements that, for me, were missing.
My thanks to Faber & Faber and NetGalley for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review....more
I believe that John Boyne is able to surprise and delight me more than just about any other writer I’ve read. His ability to structure complex but comI believe that John Boyne is able to surprise and delight me more than just about any other writer I’ve read. His ability to structure complex but compelling storylines, to introduce and bring alive appealing characters and above all his willingness to take risks is astounding. Take the last three books of his that I’ve read: The Heart’s Invisible Furies is a heartrending story of intolerance and self-transformation; A Ladder to the Sky had the feel of a psychological thriller, a book perhaps best read whilst lying prostrate on a Mediterranean beach; A Traveller at the Gates of Wisdom provided an epic journey stretching across two millennia which I found hard to follow and which, to some extent, I’m still trying to unpick. And yet somehow I loved all of them, rating each a 5 Star read. So what next? Well, what about modern day satire on people’s obsession with social media and what the author sees as the intolerant left’s over the top reaction to anything that clashes with so-called ‘woke’ culture - yes, that should do the trick.
Boyne introduces us to the Cleverley family: George, Beverley and their three children. George is a television personality and self-acclaimed national treasure. Beverly writes shallow romantic stories, or rather she hires a ghost writer to do the actual work based on a very sketchy outline and using her tried and tested formula. The children are an odd mix: a socially challenged teacher who is being bullied at work by the same boy who bullied him at school, a daughter who spends virtually all her waking hours wondering how to increase her social media ‘likes’ and an arrogant teenager who hustles lonely men out of significant sums of money. There’s very little plot to the book, it simply tracks a short period of time in the life of this group – a downward spiral that seems to have no bottom.
It’s just the sort of book that I thought I’d hate, and yet I kept picking it up and reading a little more and before long I’d ploughed my way through most of it. It made me think but even more so it made me laugh. On one level it’s simply a pointed attack on the role overt political correctness has had on modern society. Poor old George, for example, believes himself to be a dyed in the wool liberal, but he can't keep up with changing terminology and keeps putting his foot in it. And as a white male of a similar age, I confess I have some sympathy with him, particularly when it comes down to matters of gender identification. But Boyne manages to soften the edges by demonstrating real comedic talent in pulling together a number of linked strands in the manner of a farce – it’s preposterous that all these things should so impact one family and yet it’s also highly amusing.
Once again, Boyne has delivered up a book that has surprised me. It’s fun but at the same time he’s stirring the pot on the cultural divide that exists around this issue. It’s another of his books that will almost certainly divide opinion but I for one thoroughly enjoyed it. My thanks to Random House UK, Transworld Publishers and NetGalley for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review....more
I really enjoyed the way Christine Mangan brought the smells and sights of North Africa alive in her first novel Tangerine. And though I thought the I really enjoyed the way Christine Mangan brought the smells and sights of North Africa alive in her first novel Tangerine. And though I thought the book was somewhat let down by some contrived plotting, I did appreciate the way she developed interesting and believable characters. So what could she do with her second book, set largely in my favourite city of them all, Venice? I couldn’t wait to find out.
France Croy (Frankie) grew up in London. During WWII, a war in which she lost her two brothers, she was an air raid warden and shortly before the end of the war both of her parents were killed in a car accident. It was a cruel war indeed for Frankie. It’s now 1966 and she is an independent woman, a writer, who still lives in The Smoke. Her first novel was well received and earned her a good book deal but her subsequent books weren’t so successful and now she has used up the goodwill of her publisher to the extent that all she has left is the promise of ‘a look’ at her next book.
Following a particularly critical review of her most recent novel, it seems that a nasty incident occurred at the Savoy Hotel. Details are initially sketchy, but the result is that after a short stay in a clinic she’s decided to take up an offer from a rich friend to spend some time at a large vacant palazzo in Venice. It’s out of season and the city feels dank and unwelcoming, but an extended break in another country might just keep her out of the limelight long enough to allow the noise back home to die down. It’s hardly relaxing though as in Frankie’s mind there is always the knowledge that she needs to provide a draft of her next book, the pivotal deliverable if she is to have an extended career as a novelist.
Pretty soon the city seems to be weaving its magic on Frankie, who has settled into a lonely but peaceful existence and has even began to think about starting to write again. Then on one of her frequent forays out amongst the canals and bridges she meets a young woman, named Gilly, who claims to have met Frankie once before. And although she can’t recall the meeting Frankie rather reluctantly agrees to meet up over a cup of coffee in a few days. So starts a strange and slightly uncomfortable relationship between the reclusive writer and this eager, confident interloper.
Once again, Mangan does a brilliant job of bringing the setting alive and also the relationship between this pair, which starts to slowly develop over the coming weeks. A small cast of support characters is introduced and the tension is maintained on a slow simmer as minor mysteries are discovered and remain unresolved and as Frankie’s mental health seems to hover on the brink. But then something happens and everything changes. It’s a shock and everything is thrown into the air.
How the story plays out from this point is the real strength of the book for me. I kept thinking that I knew where it was going, only to be thrown off track by an unexpected turn of events. At the centre, Frankie’s future as a writer and the stability of her mental health remain open questions, but in a tense and gripping final third of the book unresolved elements are dealt with and a dramatic conclusion is reached. It is, I have to say, all very well done.
This is a step up from the author’s first book: the strengths of Tangerine are still evident here but the whole thing is more cohesive, more believable. Definitely one not to miss for lovers of dark literary thrillers.
My sincere thanks to Little, Brown Book Group UK and NetGalley for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review....more
A long-time fan of Deaver’s quirky, twisty mysteries I was pleased to see the introduction of a new crime fighter, Colter Shaw in The Never Game. ShawA long-time fan of Deaver’s quirky, twisty mysteries I was pleased to see the introduction of a new crime fighter, Colter Shaw in The Never Game. Shaw finds missing people, ostensibly for the rewards offered by friends or family members, though he often fails to collect the this. It also kicked off what was to be an ongoing quest for information regarding the death of his rather odd survivalist father. Book 2, The Goodbye Man, expanded the mystery regarding his father and brought a new case for Shaw, as he entered the enclave of a cult leader in an attempt to ‘rescue’ someone who had been tempted in.
This third book promised to tie up loose ends as Shaw continued to chase down clues that his father had left behind. We are re-introduced to a group of odd but sinister characters who are in some way tied to his father’s death. And Shaw’s brother makes a welcome appearance to aid Colter in his quest - it’s pretty much all action from the start. It’s good fun too and feels a little tongue-in-cheek as one twist follows another in this helter-skelter race to finally unearth the truth.
There’s an additional element to this story, that of the race to save a family they learn is in peril of execution by a hit man, but this feels a little bolted on and unnecessary to me. The main story is however satisfying, in a very Deaveresque way. You know that nothing will be quite as it seems and that slight of hand and general trickery is the name of the game, so the ‘surprises’ aren’t really that surprising. But the interesting cast of misfits and the well maintained pace of the whole caper was enough to maintain my interest throughout.
I’m not sure if we’ll see Shaw again or whether this is the end of the line for this character. I think his race is run, but as always with this writer you never know quite what’s around the corner.
My thanks to HarperCollins and NetGalley for supplying a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review....more
Thora and Santi meet in the German city of Cologne, known for its Love Locks Bridge and wonderful cathedral. They are in a bar and their meeting is coThora and Santi meet in the German city of Cologne, known for its Love Locks Bridge and wonderful cathedral. They are in a bar and their meeting is courtesy of a mistake by the barmaid, each being delivered the other’s drink. It’s to be a fateful moment, for though Thora isn’t looking for a man she somehow finds herself taking Santi home with her. So starts this amazing adventure in which the pair are to meet again and again in different lives in what appears to be a never ending cycle.
The future meetings will always be in this same city, but their ages will be different from the first time and the relationships they share will change too. And though at first they have no sense that they’ve previously met, this begins to slowly change as at some point vague memories start to permeate. What's going on, why is this happening?
In a story that reminded me of Audrey Niffenegger’s amazing book The Time Traveller’s Wife, not in construction but in feel, I quickly became totally absorbed by this tale. I really don’t want to go into the plot any more than I have because apart from enjoying the ever evolving relationship between the pair, the mystery that is created by their plight is very much the strength of the book.
Along the way I grew close to Thora and Santi: Thora headstrong and spiky and Santi the pious and placid one. They have some interests in common but are very different people. The story is ever changing, ever evolving, even if the setting is largely the same. There are some recurring characters – a few – though their context is sometimes different too. That might sound confusing, but actually it really didn’t feel that way. I had no idea where this was all taking me and yet I was never less than fully engaged.
Eventually, the bigger picture emerges, questions are answered and loose ends tied off. I found it to be an emotional journey, and a hugely rewarding one at that. In part it’s a love story (more than one, actually) and to a greater extent it’s a mystery that makes no sense… until it does. A fantastic adventure that I’ll be thinking about for ages to come, of that I’m absolutely certain.
I listened to an audio version supplied by HarperCollins UK, expertly narrated by English actress Kristin Atherton. My thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for supplying a copy in exchange for an honest review....more
Anne Marie married Cal at age 19 and a year to the day later he walked out. It was unannounced though, as we’ll learn later, not totally unexpected. IAnne Marie married Cal at age 19 and a year to the day later he walked out. It was unannounced though, as we’ll learn later, not totally unexpected. In the two years that have since passed she’s lived with four girls who aren’t her friends and scraped up enough money to survive by tending bar and walking other people’s dogs. Then Cal reappears, he’s in trouble and about to draw Anne Marie in neck deep too.
A violent encounter with a money lender who’s come to collect a debt sends them both scurrying out of town. They manage to hitchhike their way to a friend of Cal’s from whom they scrounge a beat up old car. They’re on the run but unsure where they’re going. And as they travel Anne Marie, through whose eyes we view this story, starts to unpick her thoughts about her marriage, her previous life with a mother who died when she was fifteen years old and on this reacquaintance with Cal.
Set in a mythical place that might somewhere in the American West, this is largely a road trip tale with the pair heading in a southerly direction towards the place Anne Marie’s mother was born. Tight for money they sleep in the car or cadge a sofa when they can, meeting a ragtag group of people as they go.
The tone of the whole thing is pretty dark, the atmosphere threatening and dingy throughout. The writing is sparse and, in truth, the plotline is pretty thin too. The attraction, then, is in the writing and the characterisation – particularly of Anne Marie, who I liked a lot. There are some great descriptions of places and people here and some memorable lines as Ann Marie ruminates on her life and the people she’s been close to, particularly Cal.
This first book by a new young writer shows talent and promise. I suspect she’ll write better books in time, but I think this one is still worth catching. Three and a half stars rounded up to four, for me.
My thanks to Random House UK, Vintage and NetGalley for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review....more
In a novel full of power and intensity, we are introduced to Aaron Holland Broussard an aspiring writer wReview first posted on mysteryandsuspense.com
In a novel full of power and intensity, we are introduced to Aaron Holland Broussard an aspiring writer who is exploring the American West by hopping on freight trains. It’s the early 1960s and he’s currently working on a farm in Colorado. Aaron is a troubled man, plagued by nightmares, prone to non-substance induced blackouts and tormented by guilt over the death of a close friend in Korea. We also meet a feast of other interesting characters, including the beautiful Joanne McDuff, who works at a café in the small town nearby, Rueben Vickers and his son and Darrel, who are couple of local bullies, and a school bus full of drug taking travellers.
A number of sickening murders have taken place in the vicinity, typically these appear to be of prostitutes. Furthermore, the local lawman believes that his granddaughter was, some time ago, murdered by a serial killer and he has his suspicions regarding the Vickers family. He attempts to enlist the help of Aaron, who recently had a run in with Rueben, to do some snooping around. But Aaron’s attention is focussed on Joanne: he is attracted to her and she to him, but the situation is complicated by the fact that she already seems to be in some kind of a relationship with her art professor. It all adds up to a very combustible state of affairs and soon it all kicks off.
The interplay between many of the players is described by way of a series of terse encounters. Conversations between this group are almost universally harsh and sometimes difficult to interpret. But anyone familiar with Burke’s work won’t be surprised by this, it’s the way he always presents his stories. However, what may come as a surprise is the fact that here he chooses to include significant elements of magic realism in his story. This isn’t the first time he’s done this, of course, he’s used this device in a number of his Dave Robicheaux books, but never in such a pivotal way.
Reading any James Lee Burke novel is an experience: his prose is distinctive, his vocabulary extensive and his extravagant turns of phrase extraordinary. At times he makes you feel that you’re reading a long poem. His descriptions of people and places are often lengthy, comprising colours and smells and comparisons as they paint startlingly vivid pictures. Here, as often before, he provides images that are often dark and disturbing but as his narrative progresses his thoughts sometimes turn wistful as he recalls memories of the best of times. There is both darkness and light here, but in truth it’s mainly darkness. He writes of the battle between good and evil, often in an almost biblical way, and you sense that you will be led to a final conflict to rival that of Armageddon.
From the outset the author challenges the reader to accept the incredible, to embrace the possibility of the events he is about to describe. It’s most certainly a wild ride and don’t expect all of the loose ends to be neatly tied off, but if you can accommodate Burke’s wish you’ll be treated to an experience that only one of the finest literary voices out there can provide.
My thanks to Simon & Schuster for supplying a copy of this book in exchange for a honest review....more
It opens with a conundrum. Four people sit down for a meal and one of them is stabbed to death, with the one holding the knife confessing to the murdeIt opens with a conundrum. Four people sit down for a meal and one of them is stabbed to death, with the one holding the knife confessing to the murder. But did the confessor do it, or was it one of the other two – or is it possible there’s another answer?
The tale is told through Charlie’s eyes, he’s the husband of the Matthew, the victim. The other guests at the meal being Titus, Matthew’s fifteen-year-old adopted son, and Rachel, a girl they’d met just recently. The only female in the room is the one holding the knife. But early on it’s clear that all is not quite as it seems. When questioned by police, Charlie is evasive and his reaction to the murder is just a little strange. Also, it quickly becomes clear that Titus is a bit of an oddball, and cocksure and impudent to boot. Rachel is a something of an enigma, someone who had simply bumped into the two men at a bookshop and as a result had been invited to a reading group organised by Matthew. Seemingly, she’d subsequently inveigled her way into the family group.
As we learn more about the four main protagonists another layer to this mystery opens up: that of class divide. Charlie and Mathew had both grown up with wealth and social status, with their home being situated in a borough of London containing some of the most expensive properties anywhere in the world. Money is not a problem to them – they live high on the hog and take it all for granted. The story of how Titus came to be adopted by Mathew is eked out slowly, as is Rachel’s working class backstory. All this is entertaining in its own right, with some elements being shocking and hilarious in equal measure. But does it get us any closer to understanding what went on that fateful night?
The final section contains revelations and twists aplenty and the eventual big reveal is a surprise. Well, sort of. The clues had been spread liberally through the text and I’m sure that some eagle-eyed amateur sleuths will have worked most of it out well before the end (though not me, I have to admit). It’s a well written and skilfully constructed mystery, somewhat in the mode of an Agatha Christie novel, but with a modern makeover. I enjoyed it and would happily seek out more offerings from this author.
My thanks to HarperCollins UK, One More Chapter and NetGalley for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review....more
I think it was Twain who said ‘write what you know’, and quite a few writers appear to take that advice literally and write about, well, writing. And I think it was Twain who said ‘write what you know’, and quite a few writers appear to take that advice literally and write about, well, writing. And I don’t mind that, I like the idea that I’m somehow getting a glimpse inside a writer’s head, that I’ve been granted an opportunity to unpick the craft in some minor way. In this story, the author introduces us to Jacob Finch Bonner, a man who’s wanted nothing else than to be a successful writer for as long as he can remember. He’s had some success too, with his first book receiving quite a bit of critical acclaim even though sales were only modest. But his follow-up books failed miserably and as a result he’s now he’s taken up a job teaching an MFA course at third-rate school, just to make ends meet for a while. But then he gets lucky.
The luck involves his coming across a brilliant, can’t fail plot for a book, courtesy of one of his students. But it’s not his plot, is it possible that he can steal this idea and run with it himself? There’s a lot more to this conundrum, of course, but I’m not looking to share any of that here. Suffice to say that Bonner wrestles with this dilemma and the choice he makes shapes how his future is to play out. It’s a well-crafted and suspenseful thriller that definitely had me hooked from early on. I liked the way that Bonner was brought to life, even though I’m not sure that I actually liked the man very much: most of the time he comes across as a self-obsessed loner who really has little time for anyone else.
My main issue with the book is that I worked out the key twists to come about two thirds of the way in, something I rarely do. I didn’t know exactly how it was going to play out but I had the bones of in my head from that point. This somewhat took the edge off the remainder for me as I started to spot what I saw to be confirmations of my predicted route. However, despite this there was still enough mystery left in the detail to hold my interest and, in truth, there was at least one significant element I that hadn’t foreseen that definitely startled me.
When I try to analyse whether this could play out in real life I conclude that there are just too many elements that I believe would have derailed the whole thing along the way - but as a piece of entertainment it did have a lot to offer. I enjoyed it and I think a lot of other readers will too.
My thanks to Faber & Faber and NetGalley for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review....more
This is the fifth book in a series featuring Oxford based Detective Inspector Adam Fawley and his team. I hadn’t read the earlier books but rather helThis is the fifth book in a series featuring Oxford based Detective Inspector Adam Fawley and his team. I hadn’t read the earlier books but rather helpfully this one kicked off with a brief introduction to Fawley and his crew – I wish other series of this type would follow this lead, what a good idea.
We are introduced to two cases here, but I’ll only provide brief outlines so as not to spoil the fun for future readers:
1. A promising postgraduate student accuses a high profile female professor of sexual assault. 2. A friend of Fawley’s heavily pregnant wife is brutally raped and murdered as, coincidentally, a man known as the Roadside Rapist is released from jail.
There’s good and bad for me in this type of British police procedural: the plot is often tangled and intriguing and the lead policeman is usually a complex character with a few skeletons in the cupboard, but you also have to battle through the team politics and personal life stories of a multitude of colleagues. I’ve been on this journey a few times with series I’ve stuck with for quite a while but I always seem to eventually tire of secondary characters. I guess my preference is for American (or Spanish, or Italian…) crime fiction tales where by and large the cast of crime solvers is much smaller.
Anyway, that small gripe aside I do have to say that this story did, for the most part, retain my interest and I also developed a liking for the lead detective. There are twists aplenty here (maybe even too many in one of the cases) as Fawley finds himself up to his neck in complications and having to rely heavily on his colleagues to carry the heavy load of investigative work. But my old fear of a large support team and of getting tangled up in the personal lives of (what were to me were) fringe characters did raise its head and I fear it also interrupted the flow of the tale somewhat.
Fans of the series will probably take a different view but I feel that the ‘surprises’ in one case were somewhat undone and their impact usurped by yet another twist – at least one too many – and the other case was pretty much telegraphed from the start, with simply the ‘how’ being left to figure out.
I listened to an audio version of this book which was expertly narrated by a trio of readers. My thanks to Penguin Random House UK Audio and NetGalley for supplying a copy of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review....more
Boston private detective Spenser had his first outing in 1973, and as the series fast approaches its fiftieth book it would be tempting to conclude thBoston private detective Spenser had his first outing in 1973, and as the series fast approaches its fiftieth book it would be tempting to conclude that by now he’d come across as a tired, seen it all has-been who is simply going through the motions. Truth to tell, it feels nothing like that. In 2012 the baton was handed on by the late Robert B. Parker to journalist turned author Ace Atkins, in whose safe hands I believe the series is likely to have legs for some time to come.
Here Spenser’s young protégé Mattie seeks his guidance on how to deal with an aging Svengali figure who is engaged in grooming and exploiting girls as young as twelve years old. Peter Steiner is rich beyond most people’s understanding and is able to fly young girls to his private island in the Bahamas where he and a group of fellow paedophiles lounge around the pool and accept massages from their young ‘guests’.
To me, Spenser comes across as a blend of Elvis Cole and Jack Reacher – he’s quick with the lip but even faster with his fists. Along with his regular henchman Hawk and a group of other carry-over characters he helps Mattie to identify further victims of Steiner’s immoral deeds before plotting how to bring them to an end and Steiner to justice. It’s a simple enough story but the return of Spenser’s nemesis, the Grey Man, adds a juicy twist to the tale.
Fans of hardboiled fiction and returning readers of this series are sure to find plenty to like here. Atkins keeps the plot hustling along pretty well, the dialogue is sharp and witty and the action scenes are deftly handed. Spenser is a likeable character too: yes, he’s a little rough around the edges but he really has a heart of gold. I really enjoyed this adventure and I’ll definitely be seeking out more books from this series.
My thanks to Oldcastle Books and NetGalley for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review...more
Did you know that the Mona Lisa was once stolen? I didn’t. It happened in 1911, and though the painting later found its way back to the Louvre Museum,Did you know that the Mona Lisa was once stolen? I didn’t. It happened in 1911, and though the painting later found its way back to the Louvre Museum, there are some that believe the picture now in place to be something other than the Leonardo da Vinci original. A tall story? Perhaps, but here writer and artist Jonathan Santlofer weaves a tale, a mixture of fact and the meanderings of his own imagination, that seeks to explore what happened in the two year period the painting was missing.
We meet Luke Perrone, the great grandson of the art thief who is hell-bent on unearthing the true story of his ancestor’s life. He has a few clues and has received a communication that sends him off on a trip to Florence in search of a journal that might just provide the answers he seeks. As well as tracking Luke’s adventure we also become aware of an a man working for INTERPOL who is taking an active interest in Luke’s movements and an criminal art collector in New York who has a stash of stolen paintings in a hidden room in his house.
In this mix of fact and fiction, we learn how Vincent Perrugia stole the painting, meet some of the people he came into contact with, and gained an understanding of why he may have committed such an act. Vincent’s story alternates with present-day events to form a helter-skelter romp that never lets up. Luke, an art professor, is reminiscent of Dan Brown’s Robert Langdon, and though this tale is somewhat less frantic, it does have something of the Davinci Code’s relentless motion about it.
It’s great fun, and though it’s hard to take it all too seriously, the background story of the original theft does add a soupçon of credibility to proceedings. It’s a nice mix: an old fashioned mystery and a modern thriller all in one package. It is a terrific book to fire up your imagination and to unwind to.
My thanks to sourcebooks Landmark and NetGalley for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review....more
It seems incongruous that in a city as crowded and expensive as London there are many abandoned, unused places. This book explores some of these, it’sIt seems incongruous that in a city as crowded and expensive as London there are many abandoned, unused places. This book explores some of these, it’s a photographic journey featuring sites that used to be something but are now often unused, crumbling and graffiti stained buildings, the surrounding land strewn with litter, rubble and weeds. There are old hospitals, public baths, bomb shelters, restaurants and other assorted buildings. To my eyes most of these are just scruffy reminders of the past - but there others here that I found much more appealing:
A number of Tube stations have been withdrawn from use, their doors closed and sealed. The external features of some of these provide clear signals that a station was once in operation here, it’s rather spooky really. And inside the stations are reasonably well preserved, the now empty tunnels looking ghostly in their faded glory. One of these former stations is in Mayfair, occupying a section of the city’s most coveted real estate. I preferred these less battered relics of the past.
In Bermondsey, a former Soviet T-34/85 armoured tank occupies a small plot of land opposite attractive 19th century houses. It’s presence is apparently protected thanks to a planning misunderstanding concerning the installation of a tank. You’ve got to love that.
Beneath Finsbury Park, accessibly only via a manhole situated within the park, sits an underground reservoir capable of storing five million gallons of water. It’s an darkly impressive structure and though closed some years ago due to safety concerns, this gloomy but rather grand place it is still sometimes used for films.
A rather tatty looking industrial premises with the business name still proudly displayed, the Thames Ironworks and Shipbuilding Company building is not something that particularly stands out for it’s architectural beauty. But the accompanying text explains that the company football team changed it’s name in 1900 to… West Ham United. I always wondered where their nickname, The Hammers, came from.
I believe it’s an uneven collection of the grim and the interesting. There are some fascinating histories here and some buildings that I passed over quickly will, I’m sure, hold some appeal for others. My thanks to Amber Books Ltd and NetGalley for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review....more
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