Tom Hindle - A Fatal Crossing

 

This was a great historical murder mystery. Set on an ocean liner which gave the suitable tension of an enclosed area for a small number of suspects. Lean writing which kept up the tension and had me reading into the night. The characters were all flawed in some way, so not easy to empathise with, this was quite a dark novel, definitely not cosy. The ending was stunning and had me completely suprised, something that does not happen very often!

 

My Recommendation

 

I am a huge fan of Louise Penny but I approached this book with trepidation. My husband who had an underlying health condition died in January 2021, my Godaughter has Downs. However, I needed have worried, yes it was gruelling but it is meant to be. Such is the skill, sensitivity and depth of her writing that I became carried away, consumed by the happenings in Three Pines and the investigation of Armand Gamache. I am in awe of her talent. I would recommend this book unreservedly. It is thrilling, challenging and a real old fashioned who dunnit. It is her best yet. No spoilers.

The Problemist - Clinton H Stagg

This is the complete canon of Clinton H Stagg's  adventures of Thornley Colton, Blind Detective.
The short stories were first published in 1915 the book Silver Sandals in 1916. Sadly  Clinton H Stagg was only 26 years old when he died in a car accident in Los Angeles in 1916.
These stories are very interesting, it seems clear that Clinton knew of a man blind from birth as many of his descriptions, of his blindness ring true. His amazing sensitivity in his fingers I find I am a little  sceptical of. I am not sure if even experiences Braillers could read ordinary print in letters on the reverse, or the headlines in newspapers. Perhaps the old fashioned newspaper printers did indent the paper enough? His counting of his steps is very accurate and his acute sense of hearing. I loved his use of the pulse his 'keyboard of silence' that helped him determine the truth behind potential suspects stories. The way he solves the crimes is of course mainly by using his intelligence and deduction and most of the crimes are more of the problem solving kind. That is why he calls himself a problemist not a detective. I enjoyed them all but they are not the sort of stories that allow you the reader to solve them. Our job is to marvel and savour the cleverness of our hero. I appreciated the skill of the author just as much. He was a loss dying as he did so early with so much potential.
Incidentally the Braille on the cover spells out MURDER!

Tenant for Death - Cyril Hare

Published in 1937 this is the first of the Inspector Mallett series.
This was one of his books recommended on the Bodies from the library reading list, and I must say I had not heard of him before.
It was a great read and kept me guessing until the end. His writing is tight and there is a somewhat legal wit. Cyril Hare being the pen name of Judge Gordon Clark.
Including as it does dodgy financiers, sly Estate Agents, and good solid policing there is much in this book to show that not much changes in 80 years!
I shall definitely be reading more based on this.

Bodies from the library 2019

Finally I was able to go this year to Bodies from the Library on 29th June 2019. As well as meeting so many Golden Age enthusiasts and sharing notes, every lecture was absolutely riveting. I came away with a long reading list which I will be presenting here!

Naomi Alderman - The Power #BaileysPrize @readingagency

This is an amazing book. Clever, innovative, funny, shocking and thought provoking. 15 year old girls suddenly acquire the power to generate and use electricity. They can then pass this power on to other women, thus tilting the balance of power between men and women. Across the world this creates a huge gender change. This story is a story within a story, and the novel is interspersed with hilarious illustrations. At first you feel hurrah, now there will be true equality but then things all begin to go very wrong. Who can forget women rioting in Saudi Arabia or taking control in Pakistan, and the voice of God? That would be Mother Eve.

What do you think would happen if women could and did seize power. A terrifying vision and a salutary reminder of the corrupting influence of power itself.
This would make a fantastic reading group book. I loved it

C E Morgan - The Sport Of Kings #BaileyPrize @readingagency

This is a beautifully written novel, almost painfully so. It screams the new ' Great American Novel'. Indeed it was  a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize.
I think I have been spoilt by thrillers and crime as I found this very slow, wonderful detailed descriptions. Minutiae but I wanted to get on with the plot!
It covers a lot of American history but I also found myself getting lost. It would have been useful to have dates .

And there was an awful lot about horses........

Madeleine Thien - Do not say we have nothing #BaileysPrize @readingagency

This is a very rich. textured book. It reminded me of the perennial Wild Swans by Jung Chang.
This book is set in Canada, Hong Kong, and China. In Chinese history it covers the period from the beginning of Chairman Mao up to Tiananmen Square. As such it is absolutely fascinating and a history that I had no idea about. I did occasionally lose track of who was who as it has a it has a large cast of characters. It was moving, funny, and tragic. Not a page turner but a deeply immersive novel.
It is beautifully written and would make an excellent Book Club choice. it will stay with you for a long time afterwards. This will be high on my list.

Gwendoline Riley - First Love #BaileysPrize @readingagency

Well I have to confess to being flummoxed with this book. It is beautifully written but I did not get it. None of the characters were appealing. Nothing very much happened and we were left with huge questions and holes in the plot. Why did she marry Edwyn? Why has she stayed married to him? Why is she so nasty to her mother? Why why why and to be honest I didn't care. Please explain what am I missing?

Linda Grant - Dark Circle #BaileysPrize @readingagency

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Loved the feisty Jewish twins diagnosed with TB. This is 1949 and the new NHS sees them arriving at a former Sanitorium for the wealthy (the poor died). The book reveals the appalling hardships and peculiar cures and practices that went on at the hospital, where until the advent of the NHS Doctor's could and did do what they liked. The Sanitarium is home to an eclectic host of characters. This would make a brilliant Reading Group book as there is so much to discuss. Fantastic story and thought provoking. Quirky and different in places, their continental holiday post Sanitorium is a scream. Then you have the children's ward. Definitely a contender for the prize.

Ayobami Adebayo - Stay with me #BaileysPrize

 This is an amazingly assured debut novel. Set in Nigeria with the backdrop of all the political and social upheavals,. it is non the less a story about a marriage. It is also about obsession the absolute desire to have a child and then the desperate need to keep that child alive.
Ayobami Adebayo takes you on a journey with an incredible sense of place and then draws in your emotions as you feel the pain of Yejide.

She is also a master storyteller. Just when you think you have a handle on what is happening then wow it all changes. OK you settle to the new reality and then she does it again and again. I cannot say too much as it would contain spoilers.
This will make a fantastic reading group book and is unmissable for anyone who likes fantastic writing, with twists and turns that will have you open mouthed.

Bailey's Prize Ambassador #BaileysPrize

So thrilled to be a Libraries Ambassador for the Baileys Prize!

Adrian J Walker - The End of the World Running Club

A realistic end of the world scenario and taut, empathic writing, this is a fantastic thriller and reading group choice. I read this book in twenty-four hours I just could not put it down. It remains with you afterwards as you contemplate how you would have reacted in just such a situation. Why do I think it will make a great reading group choice? Because I just cannot wait to discuss it with other people. I can see huge questions and opinions being challenged. I loved having a tarnished hero, who thought he was rubbish; the rag bag assortment of wingmen who accompanied and cajoled him on his 500 mile run to meet his family; the set scenes when they encountered other groups and interacted with them. It all adds up to a deep experience, that reverberates within you and stays buzzing. I can see this as a TV series. Brilliant

S J Bolton - Awakening

I read this novel with one of our Westbourne Reading Groups. My goodness Sharon Bolton can write tension and suspense. If you like excellent writing and scarey intelligent stories this is for you. Our heroine is Clara a Veterinary Surgeon. Like many of Sharon's strong female leads, she has her own problems and vulnerabilities, having been disfigured as a child. She has chosen to bury herself, in the countryside and work with animals who do not judge, When a man dies from a suspicious snake bite she is called in to give her opinion. There then begins a terrifying search for a clever killer, linking his killings to an ancient ritual. This book is truly creepy. The snakes are horrible but fascinating at the same time. I loved it. It has some great themes and makes a good reading group read.

It is great that we have Sharon coming t6o Westbourne Library to give a talk on Fear, Folklore and Forensics. See you there?

Kate Rhodes event

Come and meet the wonderful Kate Rhodes who will be talking about her new book River of Souls the fourth book in the Alice Quentin, forensic psychologist series.
This is a fast paced thriller with a very dark heart, based around the River Thames, a politicians daughter, an elderly priest and ancient Roman artifacts. Absolutely brilliant and an excellent choice for a reading group!

Sharon Bolton - Little Black Lies

We are very excited that we have Sharon Bolton coming to Bournemouth for an author event at Westbourne Library on 22nd October.

Well what a fantastic book this is. Taut, dark, edge of the seat thriller. Set in the Falklands in 1994, it is an intense psychological journey. The book is told from several perspectives each revealing more of the drama unfolding in our narrator Caitlin's head.
Three years ago Caitlin lost both her sons in an accident, she lost the baby she was carrying and ultimately her husband as well. As she struggles to survive the only thing that seems to keep her going is her desire for revenge on the woman whom she blames for all her loss.
However, also during that time two young boys have gone missing and now a third is missing as well.  What has happened to them? Drawn into the search almost against her will, spurred on by Callum, a psychologically damaged former paratrooper who stayed on after the war, the book rushes to a brilliant climax.
This would make a fantastic reading group book, there is just so much to talk about, The Falklands, the whales, loss, revenge, friendship and the last paragraph, oh my word!

Clare Mackintosh - I Let You Go

Absolutely stunning debut novel from Clare. It is very difficult to actually say very much about this book without giving away massive spoilers. It is a thriller, a mystery and packs a punch keeping you guessing all the way through and with a massive twist at the end that I did not see coming. A great feature of the book is the wonderful Welsh landscape. I would thoroughly recommend it and it quite rightly deserves to be up there  with the best sellers , It would make an excellent reading group book, there is much to discuss.

Louise Penny - The Long Way Home

I was so excited to receive a review copy of this book. Louise Penny is a fantastic Canadian bestselling author and should be more well known here in the UK. I have read all her books so far and the Gamache series is fantastic. Set in Quebec they have an enormous sense of place and really make you long to visit Canada for yourself. Do read my other reviews.
In this latest novel we have the former Chief Inspector of Homicide, retired and living in the charismatic village of Three Pines. This is a reflective Gamache, a philosophical Gamache. His physical wounds may have healed but it will take time for the mental scars to heal. Surrounded by a supportive group of neighbours, (I love Ruth + duck), he begins  the long journey to full health. But then Clara Morrow the resident now famous painter asks Gamache a favour, to find her missing husband.  Unable to bring himself to refuse Gamache begins a steadily unravelling of just what Peter has been up to in the last year. With gentle skill we are drawn inexorably to the stunning and shocking climax. I once again was not disappointed, reading  late into the night to find the answer but all the while regretting the moment the book will end. Wonderful  taut writing, I am in awe.

Ian Simpson - Murder on the Second Tee

This cosy crime is great fun, and on the basis of reading this I have bought the first book in the series. having said that it does standalone as we follow the machinations and murder among a group of unscrupulous and corrupt bankers in St Andrew's in Scotland. As the location implies there is also much golfing wit and trivia to keep golf fans entertained.
I don't think there is much to interest a reading group here but as a great , non challenging accompaniment to a long flight or a holiday read it is perfect.

Heather Redding - Stealing Venice

I will read anything set in Venice it is my favourite place. So I am seldom surprised particularly with debut novels.  However  I was pleasantly surprised with this novel by Heather Redding. This is a classic time slip novel set in the 15 Century and in the recent past  working up to today. I really liked both the female characters and for once I actually engaged with the contemporary story. I have a habit of skimming the modern to get to the past. here I didn't and part of it was the wonderful descriptions of Venice and I learned a lot about new places I haven't visited. Venice has this effect on you there is always something else to discover. Very much like this author I am looking forward to reading her next novel.

 I think this would make an excellent holiday read but also for a book club I think there is much here that could be discussed not least the strong theme of sacrifice.