Tag: books

Posted in Reading, Reviews

Aunt Dimity and the Wishing Well – Nancy Atherton

Posted on by J

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The sleepy Cotswold village of Finch is filled with curiosity when young Australian Jack MacBride arrives to wrap up his late uncle’s affairs, but when Lori Shepherd volunteers to help Jack clear out his uncle’s overgrown garden, they discover something even more surprising.

After making a wish in the newly uncovered well, Lori is later baffled to find it seems to have come true, and as word of this granted wish spreads though the village, locals begin to turn out in droves in order to make their own wishes.

The village soon descends into chaos however, as one man’s wish can be another’s worst nightmare, and it’s up to Lori, together with some otherworldly help from Aunt Dimity, to find out what is really going on.

One of the great things about bookbridgr from Headline is that it is a brilliant way of discovering new authors. You could have knocked me down with a feather when I discovered Aunt Dimity and the Wishing Well was actually the 19th book in its series, as it was one I had never heard of before and I love cosy crime mysteries and suspense novels.

I personally felt that Aunt Dimity and the Wishing Well falls somewhere between two of my favourite writers MC Beaton and Paul Magrs, so if you enjoy either of them you will love these. It was a thrilling read with an intriguing supernatural side that will keep you turning pages until you suddenly realise that several hours have passed, and you’ve been unable to put the book down.

It has charming, well thought through characters, and an enchanting setting. As someone who lives on the outskirts of the Cotswolds and likes to visit villages much like the fictional Finch it’s well drawn. I also found that I had no need to have read any of the previous 18 novels in order to enjoy this one. To me, Aunt Dimity and the Wishing Well was a delightful tale that left me feeling light-hearted and with a pleasant smile on my face as I closed the book. By the time I have sourced the rest of these novels, as I now surely must, my book shelves will be groaning!

Posted in Reading, Reviews

The Chase – Janet Evanovich & Lee Goldberg

Posted on by J

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The Fox and the Hare are back and the chase is on!

The newest target for the FBI’s secret odd couple is Carter Grove, the ruthless leader of a private security company who has stolen a rare Chinese artifact from the Smithsonian, an artefact whose theft was covered up and one the Chinese now want back.

In order to avoid an international incident should the truth come to light, Nick and Kate must operate under the radar in order to steal the piece back. As the chase for the artifact moves rapidly around the globe from Washington DC, to Shanghai and even to the Highlands of Scotland the heat is on to prove no one can outsmart Fox and O’Hare.

The Chase is another glorious riot of a romp from Evanovich and Goldberg, that left me wondering exactly what it is I like most about these books.

I’m not sure if it is the spirit and fun of the “will they? won’t they?” (of course they will) relationship, the audacity of the cons they pull, the pure escapism of the plots, or the breakneck pace of the novel which caused me to delightedly tear through the book in a matter of hours. One thing I do know is that these books deliver pages and pages of fun.

With a cast of wacky, yet bizarrely believable characters, its cheeky style, range of humour, and fabulous sense of adventure I think that this is going to be another winning series for both Evanovich and Goldberg. Certainly from my point of view, as I for one am already looking forward to more impressive cons, thrilling takedowns and the next adventure from this deceptive duo.

Posted in Reading, Reviews

Precious Thing – Colette McBeth

Posted on by J

20140324-175654.jpgRemember the person you sat next to on your first day at school? Still your best friend or disappeared from your life for good?

Some friendships fizzle out. Rachel and Clara promised theirs would last for ever. 

Theirs was the most intense of friendships, sustained throughout the years, despite separation at times, until now in their late twenties as Rachel becomes successful, Clara spins inexorably out of control until one day she disappears.

 

In her role as a crime reporter for National News Network, Rachel is called in to cover a police appeal for help in the case of a missing local woman. What she doesn’t know until she arrives is that the person who is missing is her best friend.

What follows is her search for her friend and the truth behind her disappearance, where she uncovers hidden knowledge about her oldest friend that makes her question her entire past with Clara.

Filled with unexpected twists that are perfectly timed to insist that you keep reading, Precious Thing is a dark and disturbing tale of the love hate nature of friendship.

I really enjoyed reading this book to the extent where I had finished it in just a couple of sittings.  It is a truly compelling read. Told in narrative form from the point of view of Rachel, the story flits easily between current affairs and school day memories of their friendship. It is a perfect reflection on how much of what was said ‘back then’ is real compared to what is true now. It’s also a fascinating reminder to the reader of those childhood friendships you cherished and of those that you can unfortunately never forget.

 

Posted in Reading, Reviews

The Heist – Janet Evanovich & Lee Goldberg

Posted on by J

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Since it’s impossible to review a new book by Janet Evanovich without mentioning Stephanie Plum, I won’t bother to try, I will simply say that Kate O’Hare is about as un-Plum like as you can get, but she is a character that is just as much, if not more, fun and addictive.

The Hare and the Fox.

Kate O’Hare is a FBI agent who has made it her career to chase down notorious con artist Nicholas Fox.  She is smart, sassy, supremely capable, oh and also an ex Navy SEAL. (Cue some artistic license from the authors here, who note at the beginning of the book that there is no such thing as a female Navy SEAL, although there should be.)

Nicholas Fox is highly intelligent, handsome and charm personified.  All traits which have enabled him to become so succesful at his ‘cons’ and to evade capture for years, until now that is.

Now she’s got her man, but he doesn’t want to be caught and instead makes a deal with the FBI to work alongside O’Hare to capture a corrupt investment banker, as long as they don’t kill each other first.

The Book

One thing I did find was that given Lee Goldberg’s history in writing TV shows, I found myself often comparing the relationship between Fox and O’ Hare with various TV partnerships, of which the one that sprang to mind most often was the tempestuous relationship between Cybil Shephard and Bruce Willis in the 1980’s show Moonlighting. 

The Heist is an absolutely delightful book to pick up and read, with its fantastic verbal sparring, mad cap moments and emotionally charged relationship. Following the adventurous duo through exotic lands and pirate waters The Heist proves it is what all Evanovich books are….  The perfect piece of escapism from the everyday grind.

It is also a book you certainly won’t want to put down so when you sit down to read, make sure you are curled up in your favourite chair and plan to be there for a while.

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A Bonus Taster

Want more of an introduction to O’Hare and Fox? Long standing Evanovich fan who wants to see how this new pairing compares to Stephanie Plum? Never read an Evanovich or Goldberg book before? Just want more?

Then as a bonus addition to the series, grab your Kindle or Kindle App and download Pros and Cons, a short story prequel to The Heist.

Posted in Blogging

A Song For The Dying – Stuart MacBride

Posted on by J

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He’s back…

Eight years ago, ‘The Inside Man’ murdered four women and left three more in critical condition – all of them with their stomachs slit open and a plastic doll stitched inside.

And then the killer just … disappeared.

Ash Henderson was a Detective Inspector on the initial investigation, but a lot can change in eight years. His family has been destroyed, his career is in tatters, and one of Oldcastle’s most vicious criminals is making sure he spends the rest of his life in prison.

Now a nurse has turned up dead on a patch of waste ground, a plastic doll buried beneath her skin, and it looks as if Ash might finally get a shot at redemption. At earning his freedom.

At revenge.

Venturing once more away from his serial protagonist Logan McRae, A Song for the Dying is the second outing for Ash Henderson.

Following on from the tragic events of Birthdays For The Dead, A Song For The Dying opens with Ash in prison and unable to get out, as every time a parole review comes round Mrs Kerrigan, one of Oldcastles most heinous villains, ensures that with the help of the other inmates he stays where he is.

Ash is about as downtrodden a hero as you are likely to find, and hell bent on revenge he’ll bring anyone else down with him, friends and colleagues alike.

What I really enjoy most about the Ash Henderson books is the change in pace from the McRae books. Whilst they are every bit as dark, gritty and down right awful to their protagonist, the usual intricate plots also come with a faster feel that hurtles you along with investigation, ensuring you feel every bit as determined to solve the crime.

Posted in Blogging

My best books of 2013

Posted on by J

You see what I did there? Top Five & Top Ten book lists are great don’t get me wrong, but what happens if I can think of six standout books of the year or can only get up to say four, or nine? and how do I say one is so much better than the other that it deserves to be No 1 and the other No 5?

So here in no particular order and of no significant number are the books I read this year that have left enough of an impression on me that I consistently recommend them to anyone who asks what they should read.

The Cry by Helen Fitzgerald

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To paraphrase an old catchphrase when it comes to The Cry, “Ignore what it says on the tin.”  I’ve recommended this book to a lot of people, even lending my own copy out several times.  Most have read the synopsis on the back and said “it’s not for me.”  To them all I have said one thing, “trust me, just read the first few chapters…”  It’s all I’ve ever needed to say.  The book has been devoured and enjoyed by everyone.  It’s one of those times when the old adage rings perfectly true.

“never judge a book by its cover.”

Dead Gone by Luca Veste

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I was privileged enough to be given a copy of Dead Gone by Luca back in July and whilst the paperback isn’t out until next year, the e-book is already available so I’m personally classing it as a book of 2013.  Don’t be surprised however to see this touted around everywhere next year as a ‘book of 2014.’ Expect to hear it talked about a lot, it is simply that good.







Strange Shores by Arnaldur Indridason

20131219-081658.jpgIf this is the only Indridason book you ever read you’ll be disappointed, not at the book per se as it’s a decent standalone but at the fact I recommended it.  The reason for that is simple, this is a book for hardened Indridason fans, only if you’ve followed this series from the beginning can you appreciate it in its fullness for its completion of a story.  Compare it to being a devoted fan of Agatha Christie’s Hercule Poirot then finally reading ‘Curtain‘ and you’ll have an inkling at just how great this book really is.



The Stranglers Honeymoon by Håkan Nesser

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Apparently The Stranglers Honeymoon is book nine of ten Inspector Van Veeteran books and the latest translated into English.  I say apparently, because I’d never read one before.  The good point is I really didn’t need to have read them to enjoy this.  The better point?  I’m now in the middle of sourcing the other eight.

Posted in Blogging

A page & a promise

Posted on by J

I can’t remember a time when I didn’t love books, from the days before I could read for myself and my parents read to me every night, to now, when any spare time I have is given over to the escapism of a good story.

My average per year ranges from 150 – 180 books and I love every page (even the books I dislike, because bad books only make you appreciate good books more.)

Tonight however, I read a review for a book I love, in which the re-written synopsis  gave away pretty much everything you ever needed to know about the story and that made me sad because the magic of this novel was in the not knowing, and in how it played out.  It’s the type of reviewing I dislike immensely.

So when it comes to reading or writing reviews? These are my thoughts.

Tell me about the book? Yes please.  Thrilling & adventurous or clunky & slow? Doesn’t matter to me, all opinions are valid.

Re-Write the Synopsis? If needs be, because sometimes even the publishers give too much of the story away.

Tell me the story in 100 words or less? Fine, if your target market is people who need to be told how the book plays out before they read it.  Please note, I am not one of that number and if you market your book as such I will immediately discount it as worthy of note because let’s face it why bother to read a book when I can just read the blurb?

Write a 1,000 word essay? Seriously? Please don’t burble on about imagery, story, plots, complexity, or behave like you are the reviewer for a British broadsheet.

Books are to me are, and always will be, personal treasure chests sitting on a shelf all gleaming and bright (even the old battered twenty second hand ones) just waiting for me to open their pages and lose myself in the adventures inside.

As such I will endeavour to keep my reviews intriguing and honest, yet informative and concise.   Comments are welcomed, but be polite about it or I won’t give you the webspace. Otherwise please feel free to discuss anything you like / dislike about my reviews via the e-mail address provided.

You will find the above post also available as a page entitled the LOC Philosophy…..

Posted in Reviews

Dead Gone – Luca Veste

Posted on by J

DI David Murphy is a haunted man with a tragic past, out to prove his worth. After being given what appears to be a straightforward murder enquiry, with the help of DS Laura Rossi he sets out to do just that. What they discover is a shocking tale of psychological experimentation, drugs, kidnap, torture and the deranged outlook of an enquiring and evil mind.

Dead Gone truly is a dark and disturbing novel, and an amazing debut. From the moment you pick it up it draws you in, and as you progress, every turn of the page becomes more eager than the one before. Full of twists in the tale, it’s well constructed, will keep you guessing all the way through, and leave a lasting impression once you reach the end.

I personally devoured this book in just a couple of sittings, as I genuinely struggled to put it down. Not helpful if you have chores to do or if you’re supposed to pick the kids up from school, but everything you want from a good book.

Dead Gone is published by Avon, and is released on Kindle Dec 5th, with the paperback copy available next month, and if you’re quick, you may still be able to pre-order the kindle version for an amazing 99p