October reading

 

Again, a relatively light reading month but very enjoyable! See what you might fancy:

Pat McIntosh, The Rough Collier: a fine complex plot, archaeological discovery leading to accusations of murder and witchcraft and a detailed investigation across a swathe of Scottish geography. The descriptions are realistic and lovely, and the relationship between the newly-wedded Gil and his wife is delightful. It’s a while since I’ve read one of these, and I was very pleased to return to them.

Carmen Radtke, Murder on theAirwaves: A good cosy mystery for this time of year, set in a quiet American community at Hallowe’en. Eve is visiting her father and stepmother but finds herself involved in investigating the murder of the local community radio host and bringing harmony back to a disrupted neighbourhood. Very readable and charming.

Simon Brett, Mrs. Pargeter’s Plot: A peculiarly devious mystery, this, as the detective is impeded by an old lag trying to make good on his previous mistakes while educating himself in humour – and a marmoset is involved, too. Very entertaining.

J.M. Dalgleish, The Cuillin Dead: This could do with a bit of tightening up in terms of typos and so on, and barring the Skye landscape I can’t really visualise much in the book, certainly not the people, all of whom seem a bit thin. Perhaps it’s me. There’s also a weird habit of putting place names into italics – maybe because they’re Gaelic, but not all of them are, and it’s not even consistent. And there’s a great deal of ‘scoffing’. I really didn’t enjoy this as much as previous ones, and I’m not particularly drawn to Duncan, the main character. Perhaps I just wasn’t in the mood.

David Gatward, Dark Harvest and See No Evil: very enjoyable as always, as the overarching relationship between the characters continues to develop and more murders and mysteries are solved against the lovely backdrop of the Dales. It’s just a little too easy to race through these books, though!

Jodi Taylor, A Bachelor Establishment: a lovely Regency romance with a family mystery wound in – will our hero and heroine recognise love despite the rift between their families? Will Lord Ryde survive the invasion of his home by countless women? As always, Jodi Taylor’s writing is historically lovely, touching and very funny.

G.G. Collins, Editor Kill Fee: Again, the setting is wonderful but threatening as we venture down Devil’s Road, where people have been known to disappear into the forest and never be seen again. There are problems at the publishing house and at a local crime book club, and chiles are also involved – this is irresistible! These books make me, an inveterate Scottish moor and mountain non-traveller outside the UK, make me want to visit Santa Fe quite badly.

Joy Margetts, The Stranger: There is a great sense of place and time here, and we are drawn quickly into Silas’ world and his mental struggles. Silas runs away from his monastery feeling he has failed in trying to establish its daughter house in a hostile environment. On his travels he is the stranger, stealing a coracle (with great incompetence), living with a carpenter’s widow and helping her find her feet, learning from a lonely charcoal burner … though he seemed humble enough he learns a proper humility as those he thinks less religiously educated than himself teach him something else about his faith. While he is a stranger to them, he has tried to make himself a stranger to God, too, but God, of course, does not take this lying down. Silas’ service to others is a strong theme – having felt he failed in this at Grace Dieu, he goes on to help everyone he meets quite unselfconsciously, though he also learns how to accept help from others. Though we can take Silas as the stranger of the title, one character, Cennad, who leads him and encourages him at one of his lowest ebbs is also a key stranger, not seen to speak to anyone but Silas, moving mysteriously and vanishing just when he has seen Silas to safety. This is a lovely and encouraging story, grounded in its historical setting, woven in with appropriate Biblical quotations and insights, particularly from Brother Hywel who has appeared in previous books. It is a delight to see Silas re-encounter God, the God who reminds him, surprisingly, that Silas loves Him (not the other way around, which is the more obvious statement!). A joy to read.

Well, there we are. The Gowden Wifie, Cattanach 2, is at last showing some signs of being a book one day, and if you're around Auchterarder, Perthshire, on 9th November or Montrose's George Hotel on 17th, I'll be making appearances at book fairs at both - pop in and say hello! Now I'm off to continue to work my way through the season's tomato glut - passata, anyone?