I'm adding in books this month that I read before Christmas but could not, for various reasons, review till now, so there are so many that I'm dividing the list in two! It's alphabetical, so there is no distinction between the two lists. Bit more variety than usual!
S.J. Bennet, The Windsor Knot: This is a witty book with H.M. the Queen
as a subtle investigator, moving behind the scenes to solve a murder in Windsor
Castle with the help of her assistant private secretary, Rozie. I don’t know
what the Queen herself might think of it but it is certainly written with
affection and tremendous humour. I may well look out for the next one.
Tom
Binnie, The Painter and the Sea: This book comes into its own when the
narrative settles in a place like Kirkcaldy or parts of the Low Countries and
describes everyday life. There is a good deal of research evident and some nice
little details - I enjoyed the idea of the council struggling for funds –
sounds all too real! – and the kirk ‘overseeing’ the town, and the descriptions
of 1730s Edinburgh really came alive.
The characters were interesting and quite well rounded – I particularly
liked van Reit and his attitude to death, and the relationship between Rose and
Adam Smith. I had not previously seen much of Adam Smith and David Hume
fictionalised, and Hume in particular seems well fitted for it. The cover image
is lovely, and the incidental portrayal of the cat is charming.
Susan
Buchanan, Just One Day: A very realistic narrator given to
over-achieving and seeking things to worry about, all of which she tries to
control with to-do lists. I read this in two sittings and felt I was in
Louisa’s world with all her stresses and emotions. The plot was intriguing
though, as with real life, it had its ups and downs, and I had not expected the
ending which sets things up well for a sequel.
Catherine
M. Byrne, Mary Rosie’s War: This is a good yarn, set mostly on the shore
of the Pentland Firth and also in various air force postings. Both physical
settings and period feel are well executed - some research has gone into this
but it is very naturally written. Many books of this type are simply done with
one ‘romantic’ plot but this one is made more interesting by the inclusion of a
sad, but ultimately satisfying, subplot that weaves in and out of the
characters’ lives. The only drawback was that I thought the ending came a
little too abruptly – the story could have been stretched to another book of
the same length and been very enjoyable!
Susanna
Clarke, Piranesi; I finished this book lateish at night and couldn’t decide if
it had a message I was too stupid to decipher or was just plain mysterious. It
was in some ways an easy read with charming and slightly naïve descriptions of
the House, the setting, which is a very strange, ruinous place. Gradually clues
appear hinting at what might be going on, and while the narrator seems pretty
ignorant about the whole set-up the reader starts to realise that there is more
behind the scenes. Did I enjoy it? I think so. Would I read it again? Probably
not: it’s somewhat melancholic, and there’s a tragedy to it, even in its
beauty.
Helen Fields, One for Sorrow: Are British post mortems really recorded
in imperial measurements? A bit surprising if so. And the obnoxious Liam seemed
to be straight out of New York. I didn’t enjoy this as much as others in this
series, which is a shame as I really loved the earlier books – at times, unfortunately,
I felt as if my feelings were being manipulated (I know writers do this all the
time, that’s what a book is, but this time it felt somehow cynical), and it had
a distinctly American feel, which is odd. And goodness, the criminal’s trophy
wall – surely this has been over done? Nevetheless the plotting was beautiful, the
structure really impressive.
Linda Gillard, Cauldstane: This is fun, a ghost writer moving to live in
a Highland castle while she helps the laird write his autobiography in the hope
that it will inject a bit of cash into the dwindling family coffers. The family
stories she finds are more immediate and tragic than she expects when the ghost
writer meets a ghost.
Will Harker, Silencing the Dead: You might struggle to get into this
book if you hadn’t read the first in the series, but if you have and it’s a
little while ago the first chapter or so is a great aide-memoire. I like some
of the description – this is of a haunted rectory: ‘The overall effect was one
of clutter and disorder, as if the architect had been unable to bear
contemplating any single part of his design for too long.’ Scott Jericho is not
a happy soul and once again tangles himself in a nasty and complicated plot
here.
Sylvia
Hehir, Deleted: From the cover illustration, which made me laugh, I
thought at first this was chicklit, but the back material makes the book’s
genre much clearer, and the brief prologue was very enticing. I did not much
like the main character to start with, and found it a little hard to place her
in age terms, but felt that was probably deliberate – she was at a transitional
point in her life and had to grow into a better understanding of her parents.
In a way this is an odd story involving young love, old resentments, and a bit
of the supernatural, but ultimately it’s a satisfying read.
J.D. Kirk, Northwind: This is a spin-off from the Logan series of crime
novels set in the north of Scotland, full of irreverent hilarity – don’t read
if you don’t like swear words, though. Here I missed the rest of the team as
Hoon, a retired, discredited senior officer, set off on his own to rescue a
friend’s missing daughter in London, but it was as hilarious as the Logan
series. I liked the way the plot was woven into the Logan episode, Cold as the
Grave, which I happened to be reading around the same time - had a real life feel to it but would not
prevent them being enjoyed separately.
J.D. Kirk, Colder than the Grave: The mixture of noir and daft hilarity
we’ve come to expect – painful to read sometimes, but for wildly differing
reasons.
Chris
Longmuir, Dangerous Destiny: Quite a lot of detailed historical
information has to be available to the reader right from the start of this
book, which puts pressure on a writer to lecture. This is avoided here: there’s
still a good deal to take in but it is layered in the narrative. The writer has
opted not to go for too much language of the period and there are few
challenges here for a modern reader in that sense. Enticing, exciting plot, a
sound historical setting and interesting characters – what else do we need?
Marion
Macdonald, No Song in a Strange Land: A light touch brings the
characters to life and the setting is good. It’s an easy, entertaining read,
but not without its tragedy, written a little naively in the voice of Chrissie
as she finds her way into an unexpected marriage. I enjoyed the portrayal of
her rather up-and-down relationship with her husband and ultimately with her
step-daughter, too, and the depiction of life in Canada, and the journeys there
and back, was interesting. Details about tuberculosis, public reaction and
treatment were unexpected and intriguing, particularly the women’s mutual
support groups. I’d have liked to have heard more about the two little boys and
their experience!
There, that's the first batch - lots of fun!
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