Tag Archives: Reviewed

Spare me the Truth by C J Carver Reviewed by Margaret Graham

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Spare me the Truth by C J Carver Reviewed by Margaret Graham, book review
Simon Kernick says of this novel ‘it is right up there with the best.’   So is it?

I have become a picky reader. I become impatient at any hint of  sloppiness by an author,  my attention is on the whole, increasingly hard to hold. So is Simon right?

Yep, I couldn’t put Spare me the Truth down. I read until too late at night, which made me grumpy, but I picked it up again as soon as I could.

Spare me the Truth is clever. As an author myself I could imagine the intricacies of the plotting as Dan Forrester is approached in a supermarket by a woman to tells him everything he remembers about his life – and his son – is a lie. We are in Dan’s point of view, his body, and are rocked as he is by this news. We know nothing more than Dan. Is this a lunatic? Or is there something nudging at his memory.

We are led into the point of view of Stella Reavey who has so unsettled Dan,  and begin to see that there is indeed something strange about Dan, some other life. What on earth has he done? Is he good or bad? And what about his wife? Is she who she seems?

We are as lost as Dan, but such is the writing that rather than feel confused and irritated, the reader totally buys into the mystery.

Then enter another character enters – stage left. , Grace Reavey who is Stella’s daughter, a doctor who has plans for her life, plans which are superseded by this tangled web that wraps itself around her, when her mother dies. Who is good, who is bad we ask again, and the what hell is going on?

A policewoman becomes involved, Lucy Davies – such a fascinating and complex character who shoves the book along.

This is a confident thriller, one that is written by an author who has a unique voice, a magical plotting ability, and a clarity of presentation that keeps us fully on track. I felt there was room for a series here. I do hope that is planned.

Brilliant. Read it, and lose yourself, and be glad you live in a simpler world.

Spare me the Truth Published by Zaffre, established in 2014 by Quercus founder Mark Smith. Available in paperback £7.99

A Girl’s Guide to Moving On by Debbie Macomber Reviewed by Jan Speedie

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A Girl’s Guide to Moving On by Debbie Macomber Reviewed by Jan SpeedieLeanne and her daughter-in-Law Nichole are both coping with the aftermath of divorce and decide to compile a guide to help them move on.  Two years on both Leanne and Nichole have pushed forward with their careers and have found new relationships. Just as they feel life is good, people from their past try to spoil their new happiness and bring difficult family challenges which they must overcome to secure their bright future.

Debbie Macomber is a bestselling author in the USA with over 200 million copies of her books in print worldwide. It is said she is a master of feel good stories, ones which raise the spirits of those dealing with relationship problems.

So how much of a master is she?

A Girl’s Guide to Moving On is easy reading and it certainly does bring raise the spirits in our hum drum world, especially as we wait for spring to be sprung.

The pace is brisk, the emotive thrust draws us in, and it is one of there rare things these days, a wholesome and satisfying read.

Another few million sales on the way it would seem. Great stuff.

Debbie lives with her husband, Wayne in Port Orchard, Washington. As well as her best selling fiction Debbie has published two cookbooks, numerous non-fiction works and two children books. Debbie is a devoted grandmother and works for several charities. Debbie and Wayne spend their winters in Florida.

 

Published by Arrow in paperback on 10th March 2016 at £5.99

 

 

The Last Thing I Remember by Deborah Bee Reviewed by Frances Colville

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The Last Thing I Remember by Deborah Bee Reviewed by Frances Colville

One of the launch titles for Twenty7 books, an imprint of Bonnier Publishing Fiction, The Last Thing I Remember by Deborah Bee is a gripping read.  Sarah is in an induced coma after a mugging, unable to move, see or communicate or to remember anything about herself and her past life.   She is, however, able to listen in to conversations going on around her.  Can she make sense of what has happened to her, remember who she is and alert the medical team to the fact that she is not brain dead?  Kelly is a stroppy yet sensitive and intelligent teenager who spends a great deal of time at Sarah’s bedside. What part does she play in all this and can she help Sarah recover?  And who is the man who appears at Sarah’s bedside when no-one else is around and whom no-one knows?

 

Deborah Bee keeps the tension high and the reader guessing until the very last page.  I couldn’t put it down.  If you’re a fan of Gone Girl, or The Girl on the Train or any of Sophie Hannah’s psychological thrillers, this is a book for you.  Just one word of warning, if you object to very frequent (albeit integral to the story) use of the f-word then it might not suit you.

 

The Last Thing I Remember (Twenty7 books) is available as an Ebook from 3 March 2016 and in paperback from 28 July 2016.

 

 

The Glory By Katie Flynn (writing as Judith Saxton) Reviewed by Janet Speedie

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theglorybookreview

Katie Flynn is a well known and successful writer who also writes as Judith Saxton.

 

Book two of this family saga follows the Neyler family through the dark years of WW1 and their hopes for a brighter future.

The Glory follows the lives of Ted and Tina’s family and friends during a dark and difficult period. The story starts in Norfolk in 1912 when there are only distant rumours of war.

Follow and enjoy the Neyler’s trials and tribulations of family life, though, if you haven’t read the previous novel in the series, you might find that you flounder a bit in the early stages trying to work out who is who. Once you get the hang of the characters, though, and sink into a poignant and readable wartime story you’ll thoroughly enjoy it. Keep your hankie at the ready though, and be amused by the twist at the end.

What adventures will Judith Saxton aka Katie Flynn bring to the Neyler family in Book 3?  I can hardly wait.

 

Katie Flynn was born in Norfolk but moved with her husband and family to the North West. Katie is a compulsive writer with over 80 titles published under several names, one of which is Judith Saxton. Even suffering with ME for the past few years, Katie continues to write her stories for which I am grateful.

 

Published by Arrow on 10th March 2016 priced £6.99

 

 

Song of the Skylark by Erica James Reviewed by Frances Colville

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Song of the Skylark by Erica James Reviewed by Frances ColvilleSong of the Skylark is Erica James 20th novel and having read all the others I can confidently say that it doesn’t disappoint.  Telling the stories of Clarissa Dallimore  before and during the Second World War and Lizzie Moran in the present day, this is really two books in one, but there are enough links between the two to make the story flow and the plotting work well.

 

Lizzie has a reputation for attracting bad luck and the story begins with her ending a relationship, losing a much loved job and being compelled through lack of money to move back to her parents’ home.  Against her better judgment she begins a temporary job and meets Mrs Dallimore who is also reluctantly having to adjust to a new situation, in her case old age necessitating a move to a care home.  A friendship develops between the two as they learn about each other’s past, and try to adapt to their present situations.

 

Both main characters are well-drawn and easy to identify with, as are the other more minor characters in the book.  And Erica James has a delightfully fluent style of writing which draws you in and means that you don’t want to stop reading.  If a good story and the feel-good factor is what you are looking for, I recommend this wholeheartedly and the same goes for all Erica James’ other books.

 

Song of the Skylark: Orion Books – available in hardback from 17 March 2016, with paperback and ebook editions to follow.

 

 

The House at Baker Street by Michelle Birkby Reviewed By Frances Colville

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The House at Baker Street by Michelle Birkby Reviewed By Frances Colville

It’s a growing trend to write fiction about the women behind famous men, and a brilliant idea to extend this to write about the women behind fictional characters too; in this case the women connected to Sherlock Holmes and Dr Watson.  The House at Baker Street by Michelle Birkby puts together the scraps of information we learn about these ‘background’ women in the Arthur Conan Doyle stories and gives them a detective adventure of their own.

Both Martha Hudson and Mary Watson are believable characters and the plot is a good one, though not perhaps quite of the standard of an original Conan Doyle.  The book doesn’t have the same period feel as the Conan Doyle stories either, but then why should it?  It was written a hundred years later and doesn’t make any pretentions to be the same as the originals.

As far as I can tell, without extensive knowledge of the Sherlock Holmes books, it fits in well and I didn’t come across any annoying anomalies.  In short, it could have happened!  I enjoyed it very much and I particularly liked the way the scene is now set for further adventures by the same pair of intrepid female detectives.

The House at Baker Street by Michelle Birkby is published by Pan Macmillan and will be available in paperback from 25 February 2016

 

 

Not Working by Lisa Owens Reviewed by Frances Colville

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NOT WORKING by Lisa Owens Reviewed by Frances Colville

Which of us hasn’t dreamed of quitting an unsatisfactory job to find out what we really want to do with our lives and careers? This is just what Claire Flannery decides to do, but despite excellent intentions to get fit, improve her general knowledge, read Moby Dick, get to grips with modern art and the world economy, she soon finds that having too much time on her hands is not entirely a good thing and that without a job to define her and map out her daily routine she is floundering.

The opening pages – a bizarre conversation with a passing stranger about the buddleia growing on the roof of her house – set the tone well for this first novel from author Lisa Owens. It’s a funny, observant and very perceptive view of the mundane ordinariness of daily life. And at the same time a poignant and intelligent discussion of some of the bigger issues we face.

Written almost like a diary and broken up into chunks of various lengths often with amusing headings, it’s easy to read and very easy to enjoy. But there is more to it than that and as you read it you’ll be left pondering questions and answers, and relating the narrative to your own life.

My first impression was that the ending didn’t work as well as it might have done. I’d expected something more definite to happen; for there to be a bit more resolution. But on second thoughts not knowing all the answers is just what real life is like – isn’t it?

Either way, it would be hard not to appreciate this novel. And I’ll look forward to the next from Lisa Owens.

Not Working is published by Picador and will be available in hardback on 21 April 2016.

Not Working by Lisa Owens is available here.

 

 

Vintage Home by Judith Miller Reviewed by Frances Colville

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VINTAGE HOME by Judith Miller Reviewed by Frances Colville

Judith Miller, of Antiques Roadshow fame, begins her new book Vintage Home with a very useful definition of the word vintage: ‘For the purposes of this book, the term ‘vintage’ covers the many decorative styles of the 20th century’.  And indeed this beautiful book does just that, providing a wealth of information on designs, designers, trends and styles with reference to buildings, whole rooms and individual items.  Whether you are interested in getting an overall view of a style, discovering who designed what, working out what innovations appeared when, investigating the value of a particular item, or indeed putting together a whole new look in your own home, there is something in this book for you.

 

But this is so much more than just a reference book and what stands out above everything are the stunning photographs on every page.  If what you want is a book filled with images to enjoy and admire, then you need look no further.  I can personally vouch for the number of hours you can happily while away just turning the pages.

 

Vintage Home by Judith Miller was published in this hardback edition by Jacqui Small in November 2015.