There, I was so excited at the idea of going on holiday in August that I completely forgot to post about July's reading! So (if No.3 Cat permits, since he's trying to sit on my lap and stop me) here, in no particular order, are the books I read over the two months.
Marti M. McNair, Island of Ruin: This is really a YA dystopian fiction and starts with the discovery of an old woman apparently dead on a beach. The setting is a strange community on an island after some disaster, and the world-building is swift but effective – decontamination, communal living, strict regimes to protect the community. The main character is tantalised by glimpses of what the world is like beyond their little community, and alarmed at the prospect of being drugged, like everyone else, to quell emotions once she reaches puberty. A rebel, she gets into plenty of trouble in the course of the book, and the ending is well set up to lead on to the next in the series.
Brian Bilston, Diary of a Somebody: This is a novel by the
well-known social media poet (I suppose one could call him – I certainly first
came across him on Facebook), though at first it does seem like the actual
diary of a year he challenged himself to write a poem a day. How much this is
really based on real life I’m not sure: the narrator is a divorced loser, failing
in his relationship with his teenage son, overwhelmed by the positivity of his
ex-wife’s new partner, fading out of his paid employment, not reading the books
for his book club and in misery at his poetry club where his arch rival is
striding towards literary stardom. As one would expect from his poetry, this is
funny and witty, with all kinds of literary references and, it turns out in the
end, an actual plot, when the arch rival vanishes and Brian is clearly up to
something in his garden shed. A light read that’s great fun and can lead you
down a few erudite rabbit holes.
Kate Ellis, The Burial Circle: I very much enjoy this series where there’s always an archaeological element and a double time line of some kind. In this one there’s the additional factor of an old case in the area, a body being found from a decade before. The way the various threads are woven together is very clever, and even though I picked up on a fair few of them the final solution was still a very interesting, character-driven conclusion. My only complaint was that the old letters represented in the text were in a font I found quite difficult to read, and I’m someone who will happily plunge into centuries-old manuscripts.
Marsali Taylor, Death in a Shetland Lane: I’m just trying to catch up on the ones I’ve missed in this series as I became confused when some of them changed their titles (thank you, www.fantasticfiction.com for getting me back on the right track!). Another excellent plot with engaging characters.
Barbara Erskine, The Story Spinner: I have loved this author for years
and was delighted to find another book by her. She weaves history, thriller and
the supernatural together in plots that seem totally grounded in the present
day, and her writing is really compelling as she lures you in. Yes, there are
some really rambling sentences, and yes, I did yell at the main character and
the police now and again as she put herself in danger and they once more chased
the baddie without catching him, but it’s a great yarn, all the same.
T.G. Reid, Dark is the Grave: I had started this some years ago but
couldn’t get past the beginning which I found a bit much. However, this time I
persevered, and enjoyed it – a good solid police procedural with a satisfying
plot and a team it was interesting to spend time with. I hope to be back for
another one.
Wes Markin, Forgotten Bones: Another policeman constrained to work with
someone on the spectrum, and with domestic problems of his own. I haven’t quite
warmed to Frank yet, though I might well give him another chance. The plot was
reasonable enough, starting with the discovery of old bones in a suitcase in
Whitby and working out from that several threads where different characters
receive their come-uppance. I felt the setting didn’t get the outing it perhaps
deserved and I was never quite sure where we were. Perhaps just me – I’ll try
again. I disliked the chapter headings intensely, though.
J.D. Kirk, A Rock and a Hard Place: The suspense brought on by Logan’s
incapacity at the beginning of this book is agonising! Will he come back to
work at full strength, or won’t he? The team are as wonderful as ever and the
plot is pleasantly convoluted, and there’s the usual out-loud laughter and
terrible groans – excellent read.
Hilary Pugh, The Laird of Drumlychtoun: My first by this author
and I might well go and look at another one. I couldn’t quite fathom the main
character, but I quite enjoyed the plot – a missing ring supposed to affect the
fate of a landed family near Dundee, resulting in various family relationships
rearranging themselves. The whole thing was – I’m not sure – oddly paced? But
it kept going and I did keep returning to it.
Val McDermid, The Torment of Others: This is my first Tony Hill /
Carol Jordan book, and for some reason I'm approaching with care, perhaps
because I'm never very happy with something that’s been televised (not that I watched it). As it turned
out, while I found the relationship between Hill and Jordan a curious one, the
plot itself was grim. I’m not sure I enjoyed it as such, though I’m pleased it
was resolved in the end. I’d acquired a number of Val McDermids in one go and
as a result of reading this, as it turned out, out of order, I’m going to give
the previous one straight to the charity shop without reading it. I will,
however, try another Hill / Jordan one – I just felt the plot of the previous
one was touched on too much in this one for me to be able to read it with any kind
of interest.
Jodi Taylor, Killing Time: This Time Police episode, with Team
Weird still very much dysfunctional, is based around the ‘true’ story of the
Zanetti Train, which apparently vanished in a tunnel near Milan in 1911. This
is quite traumatic and a very emotional read in places, and I really wasn’t
sure how it would turn out, but as always there’s a laugh and a joke as we go –
the rapid-hardening string was particularly amusing!
Alex Mackay, Late Checkout: My first in the Kenny Murrain series, avoided so far because I’m not so interested in the setting. It feels as if a number of Scottish crime writers depart from Scotland at points and gravitate towards Manchester, which does not appeal so much to me. However, this one, with its sympathetic main character and his strange second sight, is one I’ll come back to. A series of nasty murders in hotel rooms leads to extreme danger for Murrain's colleague, but what is the link between them?
Jason Vail, The Abbot’s Last Supper: Now, it’s unfortunate that
the author mentions a spinning wheel in the first few pages, for it’s very
unlikely that there was one in use in an ordinary house in 13th
century England, and I’m the kind of pedant who would look that up. This
author’s work can sometimes head too much into the politics of the time for me,
but The Abbot’s Last Supper is one of the kind that suits me better, a
more domestic murder.
Alison O’Leary, Home CatBlues: A nasty poison pen writer is making life miserable around Jeremy’s
school, and then it goes too far. These are charming books where the very
normal cats (not talking or magical, though that can be fun, too) lead the
usual cat-lives, parallel to humans, and humans and cats see the plot unfold
side by side.
But I think it's time I got the message, and went to feed No.3 Cat. He has been remarkably patient while I've been doing this!
