Oh, dear, with all the preorders and things I haven't posted any reviews for ages! No wonder I seem to have a backlog on my review file ...
Anyway, here we go: no pictures this month as I'm pressed for time, but just click on the links!
Anna Penrose, The Body in the Wall: I liked the older main character and
the setting very much, enhanced by the fact that the author lives in a similar
place and runs a bookshop just like the main character. And we’re tantalised by
the main character’s criminal record – something for which she was jailed but
which she would do again! As the plot builds and the police inspector grows
ever more annoying, the main character is more and more sympathetic and the
story more enjoyable. And who could not love a book with a swimming cat called
Mackerel?
Ben Aaronovitch, Tales from the Folly: A collection of short stories that smacks of being all the
bits he had lying around unpublished, but nonetheless fun. As he has carefully
pinpointed where they belong in the series – or outside it – it was good to
revisit those parts of the over-arching narrative, and for some reason it
really highlighted the foxes, which I shall enjoy going back to. Clever things,
foxes.
Chris Longmuir, Web of Deceit: I enjoy this author’s historical
mysteries, too, but really enjoy her contemporary police procedurals set in
Dundee, with their closely woven over-arching plot concerning Teasers
Nightclub. This one is a lovely portrayal of people over-confident on the
outside and terrified inside, and the misunderstandings that occur when people
assume they are the centre of attention. Lovely.
Sharon Penman, The Queen’s Man: It took a few goes for me to get into
this but I think this was probably my fault, not the book’s, for this time it
gripped me very nicely. I liked the portrayal of the aging Eleanor of
Aquitaine, and the story sits fairly easily in its historical setting with just
a few anachronisms and a good atmosphere. The hero becomes likeable quite
quickly and his social discomforts were sympathetically portrayed. There are
heaps of fascinating historical details and some good action – and a very
endearing dog, which all helps!
Sharon Penman, Cruel as the Grave: It would be wise, I think, to read
these from the start, but the over-arching plot of Justin doing his bit for
Queen Eleanor has a counterpoint here in an investigation of the death of a
young woman assaulted in a churchyard. Justin’s new friends in Cheapside assume
he will help them and indeed he does, bringing his expert colleagues in to sort
out the mystery. There are very occasional modern clunks here: mostly the plot
runs smoothly and one can abandon oneself to the twelfth century very
convincingly.
Andrew Raymond, The Bonnie Dead: Rather grim start – a serial killer has
been abducting children. He has vanished for a while, and now seems to have
reappeared, and the police officer who devoted his career to catching him is
brought back from Ultima Thule (or Paisley) to help with the case. Not many
laughs here to relieve the tension, but it does build well and the final scenes
are very exciting, with a satisfying ending. Glasgow is subtly portrayed and
nicely done. This is a new writer to me and I might well go for another one.
JD Kirk, Here Lie the Dead: While I like the Hoon books I sort of wish
he had not barged his way back into this series: he’s just a bit too much of a
loose cannon amongst the delicate balance of Dave, Hamza, Tyler, Sinead and
Ben. Setting him aside, the case is an interesting one and of course I enjoyed
the ghastly wedding party, almost too easy to loathe.
Alex Scarrow, Old Bones, New Bones: I meant to come back to this series
earlier, having enjoyed the first one in both setting (Hastings) and character
(bereaved but not too traumatised Boyd and his nice daughter and dog, and the
team). There’s a reality to the injuries, if you know what I mean – even in
book 2 he’s still remembering his ear injury from book 1. The plot here was
good, too, a serial killer mystery, and if the ending was not altogether a
surprise it was still very well done, with a nice little postscripty bit that
just gave the flourish to the book.
S.G. McLean, The Bookseller of Inverness: It’s very difficult not to
picture Leakey’s bookshop as I read this. It took me just a little while to get
into it (my fault, I fear), then we were off, in a very realistic 18th century
Inverness with all kinds of interesting characters. A really excellent book,
full of pace and action and sense of history.
Alex Walters, Human Assets: I’ve got to the stage where I preorder Alex
Walters’ books even if I don’t know which series they belong to – and this
turned out to be a standalone, which pulled me in straight away with a death on
an allotment (always a risk). With the follow-up apparent suicide of a
Cambridge student, only son of an angry police officer, we suddenly fall into
the world of espionage and mystery, and it’s not clear who, if anyone, is on
the side of the angels and who is just unbearably naive.
Olga Wojtas, Miss Blaine’s Prefect and the Weird Sisters: This has to be
the best of the series yet – a take-off of the Scottish Play with some really
hilarious jokes – I did like the witch with the hair, which made me think of
the crime author in question before her name was even mentioned. Frank is one
of those characters that has the reader shouting ‘Oi! Pay attention!’ to our
heroine – and makes a lovely cat.
Cecilia Peartree, It’s a Long Way from Pitkirtly: I was made slightly
anxious by the title, as I love Pitkirtly, but I need not have feared – in
short order most of the gang are settling in by Loch Rannoch, and chaos
follows. ‘Was his inner monologue starting to sound like Amaryllis? He
fervently hoped not.’ Loved it as always.
M.J. Lee, Where the Dead Fall: Well plotted and a good read, but he needs to take more care of his health and his family! The whole opening set-up is excellent and is followed through very well.
M.J. Lee, The Irish Inheritance: It’s difficult, to start with, to like
anyone much in this – they all seem uncharitable. But the mystery is
intriguing. How does a man come to appear on a child’s birth certificate seven
years after his own death? I think this is an older book than some of this
author’s, and the writing is not as crisp and accurate as the later series, but
it does draw one in.
Jason Vail, Bag of Bones: I do enjoy this series set in and around Brother Cadfael’s books, as it were – the right historical period and close geographically, but never actually touching. Here I was a bit thrown by Simon de Montfort being referred to as Montfort, rather than the more usual de Montfort, but the rest was sound and great fun.
David Gatward, Corpse Road: Marks for ‘disorientated’ instead of
‘disoriented’! I was quite upset by the murder, because I felt so sorry for the
victim, but the setting and plot are as engaging as ever, and the team are
growing together. Jim is excellent, and Fly is of course wonderful. Looking
forward to the next one.
J.D. Kirk, Southpaw: violent start, but where’s the surprise in that? This
one is brutal, though, and the follow-up, Westward, is just the same, with a
continuation of the over-arching plot. Southpaw has a satisfying conclusion,
though, despite the carry-over into Westward. Full marks for mentioning Queen
Camel – I’ve spent a lot of time in Somerset and that’s one of the places that pings
memories for me. Then up to Westward proper, and a good rural landscape, and we
have elements of Skyfall, with some more laughs.
Alison O’Leary, Summer CatBlues: There was more time away from the cats in this one but plenty spent with
Carlos and his adopted family, and enough menace from the baddies to chill a
bit. I love this series, which is not as cute as the titles would imply – a
hefty helping of reality for an apparently cosy book.
