Feet of Clay - great comic touches

Feet of Clay by Sir Terry Pratchett is part of the "City Watch" series set on the very weird and very wonderful Discworld (it's the nineteenth Discworld novel). The City Watch of gloriously smelly Ankh-Morpork is led by Commander Samuel Vimes. The Watch is becoming increasingly diverse - with trolls, dwarves and werewolves now settling in amongst the ranks of the humans (well, some humans and some barely-humans that is). And it's also becoming increasingly busy ... the levels of crime seem to be rocketing ... or is it just that with more officers, more crime is being noticed? Lord Vetinari, the Patrician of the city is being poisoned but Vimes cannot work out how. Two old men are murdered, one an old priest and the other the curator of the Dwarf Bread Museum, but what could possibly be the link? And what is going on with the golems - the man-made clay figures, created to do all the jobs no-one else wanted to do? They firstly take a few hours off, and then start to commit suicide - although they aren't technically alive in the first place. Helping Vimes to solve the case is Captain Carrot, his werewolf girlfriend Angua who is getting increasingly hungry and twitchy as the full moon approaches and a new recruit, Cheery Littlebottom. Cheery is not only a dwarf, but a female dwarf keen to explore her femininity, which completely throws everyone around her, particularly other dwarves. As with pretty much all Pratchett novels, what is, on the surface, a light and fluffy piece of fantasy nonsense always has a deeper message. How important is class? What is the definition of being "alive"? Really big themes, all wrapped up with huge ribbons of comedy. I do like a book that can make me laugh out loud, and there were a few such moments in Feet of Clay. What often appear to be ridiculous flights of over-indulgent fancy all come together in the end and create an immensely satisfactory conclusion. Thanks Sir Pratchett for brightening up these long and dark nights of deepest winter.

My STAR rating: FOUR.

Length: 415 print pages.
Price I paid: £2.50.
Formats available: print; unabridged audio download; abridged audio download; audio CD; ebook.

Live and Let Die - Bond is back!

Live and Let Die is the second official outing for James Bond, the world's most famous fictional spy created by Ian Fleming. Bond is put well and truly back in the saddle after a slow recovery from his near-fatal torture in the previous book, Casino Royale. Gold coins from an infamous pirate horde are turning up and they appear to be funding the nefarious activities of a gangster known as "Mr Big" - who has been trained by SMERSH, the Soviet Intelligence Agency and sworn enemy of 007. Mr Big oversees a huge network of minions who are terrified of him, believing him to be the incarnation of a Voodoo spirit. Bond is sent first to Harlem, where he teams up with his old CIA pal, Felix. No sooner do they start to sniff around when they are captured by Mr Big who warns them off in no uncertain terms and also introduces Bond to Solitaire, a beautiful woman with second sight. They head off to Florida, where things get messy and Solitaire and Bond become involved (no shock there!), and the final scenes are set in Jamaica. As you would expect with 007, there is violence, danger and plenty of action - punctuated with the details of food and drink, landscape (Jamaica is particularly well-described), clothing and guns. These descriptions and the language used in this book definitely place it in its time. This is a book that would not be written in the same way today. If you are not able to get past what might be seen as racist terminology, and the inevitable dodgy love scene, then you would be wise to skip this book altogether. This would be a shame, as the climax to the book is a real humdinger. The Bond books are short on length but full of excitement. I can thoroughly recommend the audio edition read by Rory Kinnear, which I raced through at a fine gallop due to a pre-Christmas car journey.

My STAR rating: THREE (due to the language which is uncomfortable for a 21st Century reader).

Length: 336 print pages.
Price I paid: £5.99.
Formats available: print; unabridged audio download; ebook.

The Visitor - excellent page-turner from Lee Child

I think I might be getting addicted to Jack Reacher. The Visitor is the fourth book featuring the rough and tough ex-military policeman created by Lee Child that I have read this year, and I've already downloaded the next one onto my Kindle! Reacher has an inordinate capacity to get himself into "situations" from which he then has to use his guile and/or muscle to extricate himself from. Whilst the sensible side of your brain is telling him to just walk away, the bit of your brain that wants to be able to follow an exciting thriller tells him to charge straight in! Lee Child takes you straight into the action - when Jack is having a quiet dinner in a restaurant, he witnesses two heavyweights putting the squeeze on the owner in order to extract protection money out of him. When our hero intervenes in the alley beside the restaurant (where else?), it leads him to being taken into custody by the FBI and pretty much blackmailed into helping them out with a case involving the murder of two women who have one thing in common - they left the army after making allegations of sexual harassment, something of which Reacher had had to investigate in his time as an MP. The FBI had produced a profile of the killer - an army man, a ruthless loner and someone not afraid to take the law into their own hands ... in fact, someone just like Reacher! Backed into a corner, he reluctantly agrees to help. This takes him away from Jodie, the love of his life, and from the house he has inherited from her father. He is really happy, but also feels guilty to be so happy to be "back on the road". He realises how frustrated he had been to be tied down to one place and starts to reassess his life during the investigation. With bucket loads of action and lots of misdirection, this is a really good read. In some ways, the style is reminiscent of the James Bond books - with loving descriptions of weaponry, cars, food and of course, the delightful distraction of an attractive woman or two - Reacher is a cake and eat it kind of guy on that score! Most definitely in the "page-turner" category, this is a series I am really happy to have found ... can't believe it's taken me so long! Even better, I can borrow these as ebooks via my Kindle from my local library - so I can finish one book, and be downloading and reading the next one within 5 minutes ... for free! All of which makes it ridiculously easy to get my next fix of Reacher.

My STAR rating: FOUR.

Length: 512 print pages.
Price I paid: FREE, borrowed from library via Kindle.
Formats available: print; unabridged audio; ebook.

Walking Backwards to Christmas - a bit of reading during Advent

Okay, so this isn't exactly part of the sequels and series I've been focusing on this year, but Walking Backwards to Christmas by Stephen Cottrell is a book that was recommended to me as a tool that helps you to reflect on the real meaning of Christmas during the season of Advent. The author helps readers to take a fresh look at the well-known story of Christmas by focusing on different characters and giving voice to how they might have been thinking and feeling. So we hear the inner workings of people such as Casper (a king), David (a shepherd) and Joseph. This is an imaginative way of telling the story and gives life to what may seem like some of the "bit players" that get a passing mention in the scriptures. What were the shepherds thinking and feeling before the angel appeared, and how did that change? How close was Joseph to abandoning Mary when she told him she was pregnant? Each chapter focuses on a different person and puts flesh on their bones and helps the reader to really think about how they might react if they were the ones being thrust into this momentous event. This may be a work of fiction, and we will never know what Mary really thought at that exact moment in time, but this book brings the humanity of all of those people into focus and really does help you to think ... what if? I found this short book compelling and know that I will read it again next year.

My STAR rating: FOUR.

Length: 128 print pages.
Price I paid: £4.79.
Formats available: print; ebook.

Let It Bleed - gritty to the core

If you haven't yet come across John Rebus, then you really don't know what you are missing. Rebus is a dishevelled, grumpy police inspector based in Edinburgh, Scotland. He drinks too much and cares too much, which inevitably leads him into conflict with higher authorities, and many of his own colleagues. In Let It Bleed by Ian Rankin, you are straight into the action with a frantic car chase which ends in tragedy as two young suspects jump off a bridge before Rebus can get to them. But what has happened to the girl (the daughter of the Lord Provost) that the police thought they had kidnapped? When this is closely followed by what appears to be a totally unrelated, but spectacular suicide in front of a local councillor, Rebus is convinced that something deeper is afoot. And boy, is he right! He is told to drop the case, but of course, that is like a red rag to a bull and not even an enforced period of leave stops him from continuing to investigate. Full of politics, economics and everyday life, this book paints a grim picture of the seedy and shady deals that might go on in the upper echelons of Scottish politics. As with all of the Rebus books I've read so far, there is a depth to the narrative, not only in the back story of the main character - whose love life is never simple - but also within the twists and turns that eventually lead to the conclusion. Sometimes, I feel that there is often such a vast array of characters that you can get a little lost, but the author does tend to bring everything together towards the end. The books are often messy, just like life, and there isn't always a nice clean ending - which, I suspect, is also true of many complex criminal proceedings. Indeed, this book raises the spectre of the possibility that certain people may be above justice. This may not always be completely satisfying to the reader, but brings a certain reality to the books which is hard to knock.  Rebus isn't someone I'd choose to be friends with, but is someone I don't mind spending time with, as long as that time is spent between the covers of a book!

My STAR rating: FOUR.

Length: 360 print pages.
Price I paid: free, borrowed from my husband.
Formats available: print; abridged audio CD; unabridged audio CD; unabridged audio download; ebook

Fool Moon - how much trouble can one wizard get into?

Fool Moon is the second outing for Harry Dresden, the only wizard in Chicago who advertises his profession in the phone book. You can hire his unique services for a fee - a bit like a private detective for the more unusual things that life can throw at you. He also gets occasional consultancy work via his friend, Lieutenant Karrin Murphy, who works in the Special Investigations Unit of the Chicago Police. Following a newspaper article claiming that Murphy is wasting public funds on a charlatan (that would be Harry), our wizard receives almost no work for months on end. Following a spate of brutal killings around the time of the full moon however, Murphy risks her livelihood and calls Harry in to help with the investigation - at which point, things start to get a bit visceral. The overall feel of these books is decidedly film-noir, but with a huge helping of the supernatural. And not the nice airy-fairy supernatural. It's grimy and messy and not everyone gets out alive. In fact, in Fool Moon, it's a bit of a gore fest at times with more than one rampaging werewolf on the loose (who knew there were different categories of werewolves ... educational, yet spine-tingling at the same time!) Harry is a great character - his world-weary sarcasm is set off to a tee by the great narration of James Marsters (I read the audio book). Harry is old-fashioned in many ways, and tries to protect the women around him - which tends to annoy the heck out of them, as they are all exceptionally strong characters. Not only that, but it also means he ends up getting beaten up, shot, bitten and generally pulverised throughout the book, with very little thanks! We've got mobsters, several kinds of werewolves, the odd demon, magic potions and a few spells thrown into what is, in effect, a crime-thriller ... albeit a very dark crime-thriller. If you can cope with the gnashing of very big teeth, this book will keep you entertained to the very end. There are plenty more books in the Dresden Files, by Jim Butcher, and I have to say, I am looking forward to them.

My STAR rating: FOUR.

Length: 368 print pages.
Price I paid: £5.84.
Formats available: print; unabridged audio download; unabridged audio CD; ebook.

Tripwire - the unstoppable Jack Reacher

Lee Child (see picture) has done it again. He has created a thriller that is both simple and yet complex, and, as any thriller should be, hard to put down. Tripwire is the third outing for Jack Reacher, our ex-Military Policeman and now drifter. We find him digging out swimming pools in the Florida sunshine by day, and minding the door of a dodgy club at night. Always tall and strong, this work has now made him even more formidable. When a private detective comes looking for him on behalf of a woman he has never heard of, he feigns ignorance, but when the detective is murdered, he sets off to find out why. This takes him to New York and directly into conflict with Victor "Hook" Hobie - a villain who will take extreme measures to hide his 30-year-old secret. It also stirs up feelings from the past, when he is reunited with Jodie, the daughter of his ex-boss. Queue some hot and steamy loving! Jodie is a strong female character - yes, she is loved up, but she is also a force to reckon with in her own right ... smart, beautiful (of course) and brave. And she is not the only interesting female character, which is fantastic to see in what is usually a very macho genre. Lee Child fills the pages with action and snappy dialogue, though it may be argued that he does linger a little bit too long on the description of the vast array of weaponry and cars that pepper the story. Tripwire is a real page-turner and if you can stand the violence (Victor Hobie is NOT a nice man), it's a book that will keep you interested right to the last page. Reacher is a character that, despite his faults, you do want to spend more time with and I'm already seeking out the next instalment.



My STAR rating: FOUR.

Length: 544 print pages.
Price I paid: free, borrowed from library via Kindle.
Formats available: print; unabridged audio CD; ebook.

Foxglove Summer - it's good to be back

I have been eagerly awaiting the arrival of Foxglove Summer, by Ben Aaronovitch since July, which is when the original publishing date was apparently scheduled for. I have loved the Rivers of London series, as anyone who has been following this blog will no doubt realise, and have been repeatedly checking the internet and bookshops until, finally, earlier this month, it was released. So I immediately purchased it in audio format (which is how I have read all the others) and jumped straight in!

In this, the fifth outing for PC Peter Grant and his magical police work, we see a bit of a break with tradition and head out of London to Herefordshire where two young girls have gone missing. Peter is a trainee wizard who, along with Nightingale, his full-wizard boss (imagine having that as your occupation on your passport!), investigates and combats beings and events that can only be explained by the existence and practice of magic. The local Herefordshire police assign Peter as Assistant Family Liaison Officer to the two families involved in the case, but he is really there to ascertain whether there are any supernatural influences on the case. Guess what ... there are! Whilst two of the main characters of the previous books - Nightingale and Lesley - play bit parts in this tale, it gives Beverley Brook (river Goddess who has a thing for Peter) a chance to become more than just a passing distraction for Peter. In Foxglove Summer, she joins him on the case, and stakes her claim on him as her boyfriend of choice, and pretty much becomes his sidekick for the rest of the book. As always, Ben Aaronovitch peppers this tale with action, wit and imaginative flair, all of which is masterfully relayed to the listener by Kobna Holdbrook Smith who has a voice you just want to keep on listening to. Although this book is good, it is flawed. Firstly, there is a key event involving one of the young missing girls that never really gets explained. And secondly, and most annoyingly, it leaves fans who have been avidly waiting to find out what will happen following the major cliff-hanger left at the end of the previous book, completely dangling. The Faceless Man (Peter's arch enemy) and Lesley get scant mention, except for the hint that things will come to a head in one year's time!!!!!! For that reason, some may see it as a filler or stand alone book. But do not be put off. I, for one, was happy to be back in the dark and often disturbing world of this series and there are some great characters and scenes to cherish. I am starting to think that they are becoming an addiction for me now, as although I've just finished this, I am longing for my next fix!

My STAR rating: FOUR.

Length: 384 print pages.
Price I paid: £5.84.
Formats available: print; unabridged audio download; ebook.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - a fine end to the series

Huzzah and hurrah, I have completed the Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling. After a shaky start, this series has got better and better. And Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows brings the adventure to a close in a more than acceptable manner. Things are looking bleak for Harry and his pals, Hermione and Ron. His trusted mentor, Albus Dumbledore, is dead, killed by the much-reviled Severus Snape. Lord Voldemort, who has been trying to kill Harry from page one of book one, is on the verge of taking complete control of the wizarding community. Before he died, Dumbledore left Harry with instructions to find and destroy the "Horcruxes" that Voldemort has hidden parts of his soul in (stay with me), so that the Dark Lord can finally be defeated. So, our three friends do not return to Hogwarts School for the start of the new academic year, but instead, they launch themselves into the most important mission of their lives, aided by a few trusted friends and family. This is the set up for this tale of adventure, action and heartbreak - with much death and destruction along the way. This is, as you would expect, the most grown up of the series - each book becoming darker and more adult, in keeping with the ageing of the characters. There is plenty for the reader to get their teeth into, and the action comes thick and fast. This is where the book works best, when characters are in peril and have to get on and do something. However, there are passages where there is very little going on except people being upset and grumpy, during which, the conversational pieces feel a bit clunky and more often than not, don't seem to move the story forward in any meaningful way. Maybe a little more judicious editing would have cut down what felt like unnecessary padding in places. There is, in addition, too much inner dialogue by Harry for my liking - the reader has to endure a modicum of repetition at times, with various details being explained more than once. Some unexpected twists keep you on your toes, and not all of them are nice! I suppose the moral of the tale is that, just like in real life, you can't always get what you want. Whilst I have enjoyed these books more than I had originally thought I would, I am still not sorry to have finished the tales of the boy wizard. Whilst in my heart I know that there are better books out there, I feel I shouldn't begrudge them, as they grabbed the imagination of millions of children and got them reading - which is an achievement that should be applauded. Thanks J.K.

My STAR rating: FOUR.

Length: 640 print pages.
Price I paid: Free, ebook borrowed via local library.
Formats available: print; unabridged audio CD; unabridged audio download; ebook.

The Fall of Five - action all the way!

The fourth instalment of the Lorien Legacies Series by Pittacus Lore is The Fall of Five. And I am pleased to be able to report that it is a cracker! It continues the epic journey of the nine Loric children who were smuggled to Earth from their home planet (Lorien), in a desperate attempt to save them from an invading force of Mogadorians. Unfortunately, the Mogadorians have now come to Earth to hunt them down. Six of these Loric "gardes" have now found each other, and are living in Nine's penthouse in Chicago, and are wondering how to find Five, who is the only other surviving garde. When they come across an article on the Internet about a crop circle that is in the shape of the Loric symbol for Five, they make plans to retrieve him. In the meantime, Sam Goode, the High School buddy of Number Four (John Smith) is rescued from the Mogadorians by Malcolm, his long, lost father, and, much to Sam's surprise, a Mogadorian called Adam, who seems to have a Loric Legacy. Five is rescued, with the help of Sam and Malcolm, and back to Chicago they all go. The garde work on improving their skills and team work, but tensions develop with the new guy, number Five, struggling to find his place. Ella is having horrific nightmares featuring Setrakus Ra (leader of the Mogadorians) who taunts her and shows her the devastation that he plans to wreak upon Earth. When John tries to shake her out of one, he finds himself pulled into the same dream. While he and Ella are fixed in a comatose dream state, the rest of the garde head off to find Five's chest, which contains his inheritance. Big mistake!

There is a constant menace running through this book, and the reader, just like the characters, can never get comfortable. There are many dark and fraught moments, with only a few light touches to bring occasional relief. Written with three different points of view - Four (John), Seven (Marina) and Sam Goode - really works for me, particularly in the audio edition, as each POV is given a different narrator. This technique really gives you the opportunity to get under the skin of the three main voices of this book. It was also pleasing to have Sam back in the fold, who was very much a dorky sidekick before, but now comes into his own much more. The Fall of Five ends on a fantastic cliff hanger and sets you up for the next book, which is out in print, ebook and audio CD, but not yet available for audio download ... I have been reading all of these books via audio download, so am champing at the bit ... not sure I can wait!

My STAR rating: FOUR.

Length: 352 print pages.
Price I paid: £5.84.
Formats available: print; unabridged audio download; unabridged audio CD; ebook.

The Dynamite Room - something a little different

I may have gone a little off-piste from the sequels and series challenge with The Dynamite Room, by Jason Hewitt, but I am glad I did. This is a gripping book set during World War II. Full of drama, it is also a little disturbing at times. Lydia is eleven, and has found her way back to her Suffolk home after running away from the house she was evacuated to in Wales. But instead of finding her mother there, the house is boarded up and appears to be empty. Then, a man appears wielding a gun, and he turns out to be a German soldier - Heiden. He tells her that the invasion has started and that she must stay with him and do as she says or she will be shot! Terrified and then curious, Lydia cannot help but be fascinated by Heiden who reminds her of her father in many ways, particularly when he dresses in his clothes. And why does Heiden seem to know so much about her family and her house? Over the course of the next five days, captor and captive start to build an unusual relationship, slowly adapting to each others presence, and also finding crumbs of comfort within this strange circumstance. Each flashes back in time to the months leading up to and during the first stages of the war, and we start to understand how each ended up where they are and why they slowly become dependent upon each other. There are heart breaking moments as Heiden thinks about the love of his life and Lydia longs for her father and brother, both of whom went off to war. The writing is tight and does not hold back on the desperate and futile situations that feature during any war. You cannot help but root for both the central characters even though they are both deeply flawed in their own individual ways. Jason Hewitt brings real humanity to this tragic tale. I would have no problem recommending this book, though I must warn you that it is not a comfortable read by any stretch of the imagination.

My STAR rating: FOUR.

Length: 400 print pages.
Price I paid: £3.23.
Formats available: Print; unabridged audio download; ebook.

Apple Tree Yard - a slow burner

I have to admit that I have strayed from the sequels and series path for the book I have just finished. I purchased it a while ago following an interesting review of it on BBC Radio 4. As a bit of time had passed since then, I embarked upon this book, not quite remembering what it was about, but as it was being narrated by Juliet Stephenson, I knew I couldn't got too far wrong. And I was not disappointed. Apple Tree Yard by Louise Doughty opens with our central character sitting in the dock, but we don't, as yet, know why. She is being questioned and she seems quietly confident that she will soon be free again until three little words send her into a spin ... and those words are Apple Tree Yard! At which point, we are taken on the journey that got us to this point. The narrator, Yvonne Carmichael, speaks directly to the reader and I don't know whether it was because I was reading the audio edition, but a very intimate atmosphere was created which added hugely to the tale. Yvonne is a geneticist of note, with a beautiful home and a successful marriage. Things are ticking along nicely when she has a chance meeting with a stranger and suddenly finds herself in the midst of a passionate and dangerous affair with a man who is full of mystery. The way he talks, acts and gets her to act, leads Yvonne to believe him to be a spy, which adds to the excitement. She manages to keep her two lives very separate until a work colleague hints that he knows what she is up to and then brutally assaults her. After this, her life slowly unravels and leads her to where we started the book - in the dock. This is a taut thriller, full of surprises, twists and turns. It is refreshing for a book to have a 52-year-old woman take centre stage and while it is not always easy to like her, you cannot help but care about what happens to her. This book pulls no punches in the feelings and actions that can be raised by lust, love and fear. There are adult themes and this is definitely a grown up book. Intriguing and infuriating in equal measure, it is definitely a book I can recommend.

My STAR rating: FOUR.

Length: 448 print pages.
Price I paid: £7.99.
Formats available: print; unabridged audio download; ebook.

Sharpe's Honour - utter bliss!

I feel like I am in danger of running out of superlatives regarding the fabulous Mr Bernard Cornwell, particularly with regard to the ever brilliant series featuring Richard Sharpe. Within the first few sentences of Sharpe's Honour, I wanted to sing and dance for joy. This book totally transported me to the time and place of its setting (Spain, 1813). The sights, the smells, the politics, the brutality, even the weather are all beautifully and viscerally portrayed as usual, which is what makes reading such books a totally immersive experience! Our hero, Major Richard Sharpe, has been devastated by the recent murder of his wife and is drifting through life in a fog of guilt, despite him bringing about the demise of her murderer (Obadiah Hakeswill). With Spring around the corner,  the next phase in the military campaign to rid Spain of Napeolon's invading army is about to get underway, and Sharpe is eagerly anticipating some action to take his mind of his personal life. However, he becomes a pawn in a plot to undermine the fragile alliance between Britain and Spain - a plot hatched by Pierre Ducos, the French intelligence officer who has previously crossed swords with Sharpe and been on the losing side. Needless to say, this plot involves a beautiful woman, the French spy, La Marquesa, who Sharpe has more than a soft spot for! Sharpe is falsely accused of murder and sentenced to hang, but he is, instead, sent on a secret mission, to find out what is really going on. With enemies on all sides, can Sharpe stay alive and complete his mission with both his life and his honour intact? You become so familiar with the main characters that they become almost like your friends and family - you kind of love them, no matter what they get up to (and there's much to dislike about our hero). I am having to stop myself diving headlong into the next book of the series, because I just cannot face it ending too soon! It is books like these that are exactly what reading should be about. If you haven't yet read any Sharpe books, please, please do!

My STAR rating: FIVE.

Length: 375 print pages.
Price I paid: £1.
Formats available: print; unabridged audio CD; ebook. (NB: Unabridged audio download to be released later this month.)

The Rise of Nine - now that's what I call ACTION!

I was simultaneously reading Knife of Dreams by Robert Jordan and The Rise of Nine, by Pittacus Lore. Both are fantasy novels - the former based in a completely different land with a shed load of characters and creatures, and the latter based on the earth of today, but with two different alien species fighting for survival and a close knit circle of characters. Maybe you could argue that The Rise of Nine is Science Fiction because it's aliens, but I feel it's feet are definitely in the fantasy world. The books couldn't be more different in style and feel. The Rise of Nine is so much more enjoyable. It positively races along, with virtually non-stop action from the very first sentence. This is the third in the Lorien Legacies - a series about a race of nine alien children who have been shipped to earth from their home planet with just one adult protector each. Their mission is clear - to defeat their arch enemies (the Mogadorians) and then return to their planet of Lorien and reawaken it. Their home planet has had to go into hibernation due to the devastating attack by the Mogadorian's and these youngsters are its only hope for survival. So, that sets the scene. Each child, as they grow up, inherits a set of "legacies" which are amazing powers - which could be the power to heal, to turn invisible, to perform telekinesis, to have amazing strength, etc. Each develops a set of different legacies, and the Mogadorian's have followed them to earth to try to destroy them before their powers come up to full strength. So far, they have killed three of them. The rest have been trying to find each other and in this book, they manage to make this a reality for almost all of these disparate Lorien children who were hidden across the globe for their own safety. During their quest to find each other, they are under constant threat from their mortal enemies and now, also, the US Government who have been taken in by the "Moges" and think that the Lorien children are the real threat. Many skirmishes and action sequences result and the Lorien kids grow up fast, trying to get to grips with their powers as well as get to know their fellow survivors. The book builds and builds and we have a great battle towards the end (going to stop here with no more spoilers!). This is a really great series if you like action, humour, peril and fantasy. There are some cheesy moments it has to be said, but I think that wasn't helped by some of the narration in the audio edition I was reading - where the adult narrators are putting a bit too much "effort" into some of the sequences for my liking. Am already looking forward to the next instalment ...

My STAR rating: FOUR.

Length: 400 print pages.
Price I paid: £5.84.
Formats available: print; unabridged audio; ebook.

Knife of Dreams - The Wheel of Times turns slowly

And so onto book eleven of The Wheel of Time series by Robert Jordan. Knife of Dreams picks up from the previous book where virtually NOTHING happened (see earlier blog entry for Crossroads of Twilight). Our main protagonists are still scattered across the land, fighting their own personal battles through political or forceful means. Perrin is on the trail of his wife, Faile, who is being held prisoner by the Shaido clan (have I lost you yet?) - but she is also plotting her own escape and building up a band of followers all set to lay down their lives to make sure she gets away. Mat is trying to get Tuon back to her people - yes, he kidnapped her, and yes, he knows that he is fated to marry her - but he is still not sure that he even likes this Seanchan woman who toys with him constantly. Egwene has been captured by the Aes Sedai still in the White Tower, who are now trying to break her - this involves a lot, and I mean, A LOT, of spanking! But slowly she is planting the seeds of dissent among her fellow sisters, who may be starting to see that she is not the enemy she has been reported to be. Elayne is trying to save her homeland from both civil war and outward forces, and is trying to get enough support for her to be officially named as Queen - oh, and she is pregnant with twins! Rand Al'Thor pokes his head up from time to time and is only just maintaining his sanity when wielding the almighty power that he has. All events are slowly leading up to the Last Battle (Tarmon Gai'don). We hear much about this event, and quite frankly, I wish they'd just get on with it already. There is still way too much time spent on the inanities of their lives - how much Elayne hates goat's milk for one! I am eleven books in and although this one is far superior to the tenth book which was hideously frustrating, I will not be sorry to see the end of this series. I have invested so much time in it that I now feel compelled to get to the end as there are only three more books to go. But it would be great if the action would pick up its pace and the ending fulfil the promise of the first half of the series. It's a fantasy series that is a bit of a curate's egg - great in parts! Whoever Mr Jordan's publishers were, they really should have got him to edit, or take editorial advice for these latter books. Too complex, too many characters, too much inner contemplation and nowhere near enough action.

My STAR rating: THREE.

Length: 783 print pages.
Price I paid: £1.99.
Formats available: print; unabridged audio; ebook.

The Chess Men - a satisfying conclusion to the trilogy

In The Chessmen, the concluding part of the Lewis Man Trilogy by Peter May, we catch up with Fin Macleod on the island of Lewis. Fin is now head of security on a privately owned estate, and his first job is to investigate a spate of poaching. This brings him into direct conflict with Whistler, who was one of Fin's best friends in their teenage years. Whistler is a "for the pot" poacher, and also has been working on a large replica set of the Lewis Chessmen for the local laird. Fin gets into serious trouble one stormy night while chasing Whistler, who then rescues him. The following morning, they discover a local loch has drained, and resting in the resultant mud is a light aircraft containing a body. They both recognise the plane as being that of the infamous local musician Roddy MacKenzie, who disappeared 17 years previously. But why does Whistler seem shocked to find his body? This event triggers memories and feelings from the past that have unforeseen consequences and reveal a mystery that has been kept secret for 17 years. While all this is going on, Fin is still trying to build a life with his childhood sweetheart and his newly discovered son. This book is a really good read. Maybe it is because I am now familiar with the main characters, or maybe it as because many of the loose ends were tied up, but it felt like the best of the three. Again we find out more about Fin's back story which helps to round this character out even further, discovering that he used to roady for Roddy's band. The action switches between past and present, and also between the first and third person, but the writing is so good and tight, that this presents no difficulty to the reader. I read the audio edition narrated by the wonderful Peter Forbes whose accents are fabulous ... well, to my ear they are! Highly recommended.

My STAR rating: FOUR.

Length: 400 print pages.
Price I paid: £5.84.
Formats available: print; unabridged audio download; ebook.

The Cleaner of Chartres - thoughtful and thought provoking

You have to keep your wits about you a little bit when reading The Cleaner of Chartres, by Sally Vickers, for it jumps between time frames and places on a very frequent basis. We follow the life of Agnes, our eponymous heroine, from her humble beginnings of being found in a basket with nothing to her name but a blue earring, to the present day where she has developed a niche for herself as one of the best cleaners in Chartres - her most prestigious job being that of cleaning the famous Cathedral. The orphaned Agnes was given the name by the bachelor who found her, but he didn't think he could take care of this new born child, so handed her over to the local Convent, where she was raised by the nuns. Not great at schoolwork, she excelled in all things practical, and was meek, quiet and unprepossessing. This gentle soul was raped, but she never told anyone. This resulted in a pregnancy, but Agnes still did not reveal how this could have happened. At just 15, the nuns felt she was too young to become a mother and had her baby boy taken away for adoption. Agnes was devastated and suffered a serious mental collapse, spending time under the care of a psychiatrist. Always wanting to find her baby boy, Agnes got herself into yet more trouble. After a few years, she did find peace of a sort caring for the man who had found her as a baby. Following his death, she ended up in Chartres, and that's where she stayed, making a life for herself by being helpful to everyone. Many years had passed in peace, but current day events contrive to bring much of the past to the fore again, and Agnes finds herself in the middle of a perfect storm of circumstances and gossip which result in her being accused of a violent crime. I read this book in audio, narrated by the fabulous Michael Maloney who brought all the characters to life, particularly the formidable Madame Beck who takes a dim view of Agnes. This really is an excellent read. I thought Agnes was a bit too much of a drip at first, with all the local men having a soft spot for her, but she grew on me as both her past and her backbone was revealed. All the characters are well drawn and the book slowly worms its way into you. Well worth the effort.

My STAR rating: FOUR.

Length: 304 print pages.
Price I paid: £7.99.
Formats available: print; unabridged audio download; unabridged audio CD; ebook.

Die Trying - bit of a gun obsession Mr Child?

Die Trying, by Lee Child is the second in the Jack Reacher series, and, much like the first, it's a non-stop action-packed tale of death and destruction, and a soupcon of politics. Reacher - ex-military and currently wandering around America just letting the wind take him where it will - comes across a damsel in distress and goes to her aid, only to be unceremoniously bundled into a car with the self-same damsel and finds himself in the middle of a kidnap. He is amazed at how calm his fellow kidnappee (not a real word, but I like it!) seems to be taking this turn of events, and, it appears, she is thinking the same about Reacher. It is revealed that Holly - for that is her name - is an FBI Agent, and also the daughter of a very high ranking General, oh, and the god-daughter of the President of the USA! The pair have been captured by a militia group based in Montana, who are going to declare their patch of land an independent country. Their charismatic leader is a particularly nasty piece of work - and no-one is safe, particularly anyone he sees as a threat to his authority from within his own ranks. Reacher has several chances to escape but, gallant to the end, he won't do so without being able to take Holly with him. A game of cat and mouse develops with Reacher trying to do stuff from within, and the FBI and the military attempting to stage a rescue. Anytime a gun is mentioned - which is a lot - our author delivers us with an almost loving description of the look, the feel and the capability of that weapon. This is definitely not a book for the faint hearted (much like my last few reads - should I be worried?) and is a full-on thriller with an ever-increasing body count - and not everyone is dispatched as simply as a bullet to the head. It's a book that you almost can't wait to be over, but once it is, you are reaching for the next instalment. You have been warned!

My STAR rating: FOUR.

Length: 560 print pages.
Price I paid: free, borrowed from my library as an ebook.
Formats available: print; unabridged audio download; ebook.

Mockingjay - a bloodthirsty conclusion

I finished reading Mockingjay, by Suzanne Collins, over a week ago in audio format, but time has got away from me and I'm only just completing this blog today. Mind you, I think I have needed all those days to recover from this finale to The Hunger Games trilogy. The action starts where the previous book concluded, with Katniss Everdene having just been rescued from the arena where she was competing in her second Hunger Games. It turns out that this heralds the start of a full blown rebellion against the powers that be, based in the Capital. Katniss is destined to become the rallying point for the rebels, but all she wants is to be left alone. She is bruised and battered and is now without Peta - her fellow competitor who has kept her alive during two tournaments - as the rebels could not rescue both of them, and Peta was sacrificed to save the "girl on fire". Eventually, Katniss agrees to becoming the embodiment of the Mockingjay, in order, primarily, to wreak her revenge on President Snow and all that he has put herself and her people through. And so, let the blood-letting commence ... This book is brutal and relentless. The action is full on, with very few chances for the reader to catch their breath. As the body count increases, so does the realisation that very little is black and white on both sides of the fence and that if someone doesn't put a stop to the war, then humanity will be doomed due to lack of numbers! This is a stark warning for us as a race. We have to learn from the past and if we continue the cycle of atrocity, revenge, counter-revenge, etc, etc, we might not end up much different to the society portrayed in this trilogy. I will not provide any further spoilers, but I would recommend all three books (if you can stand the violence) as a sobering reminder of the horrors that man can bestow upon his fellow man. You have been warned!

My STAR rating: FOUR.

Length: 464 print pages.
Price I paid: £7.99.
Formats available: print; unabridged audio download; pre-loaded digital player; ebook.

Mortal Causes - Rebus is back in the groove

Mortal Causes is the seventh outing for Inspector John Rebus, and I am pleased to report that it is a successful one. It is August in Edinburgh, and that means we are slap bang in the middle of the world famous annual "Festival" of comedy, drama and literature. Rammed with tourists, this is boom time for the local economy. So, when a body is found that has some of the hallmarks of sectarian violence, alarm bells start to ring - especially when there have been bomb threats targeting the Festival. With insight into such matters gained during his time as a soldier in Northern Ireland, Rebus is seconded to the elite Scottish Crime Squad to aid the investigation ... and needless to say, neither he, nor the members of the squad, are particularly pleased about that. Nevertheless, he starts to make headway when it turns out that the victim is the son of a notorious local gangster who is well known to Rebus. Our hero digs ever deeper and starts to suspect that not everyone who should be on the side of good can be trusted. He plays his cards very close to his chest and gets beaten up a few times for good measure. Throw into this mix a difficult relationship at home, and you have the makings of an unhappy and grumpy Rebus ... hence, the odd glass of comforting beer and whiskey chasers are never far away! As more bodies turn up, Rebus homes in on the perpetrators and tries to get ahead of the game to protect the city of Edinburgh from disaster. Ian Rankin has produced a well crafted tale, with lots and lots of threads which are slowly and skillfully untangled to reveal the final denouement. It's a good sign when I just wanted to keep on reading, despite really needing sleep, particularly towards the end! After a bit of a wobble in the previous book, I'm happy to report that Rebus is definitely back in the groove!

My STAR rating: FOUR.

Length: 320 print pages.
Price I paid: free, borrowed from husband!
Formats available: print; abridged audio download; MP3 CD; ebook.

Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince - back on form!

After a bit of a dip in the previous book, JK Rowling is back on form with Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince. This is the sixth book in the series and we find Harry and his chums entering his sixth year at Hogwarts School. Everyone is on edge, now that Lord Voldemort is back on the scene, but this doesn't stop the lessons at school. Professor Snape takes on the teaching of Defence against the Dark Arts and seems to delight in giving Harry a hard time (no change there!). Meanwhile, in his Potions class, Harry finds himself using an old textbook and discovers lots of extra notes that have been scrawled into it by someone calling themselves the Half-Blood Prince. Harry suddenly becomes the best student in the class, and even learns new spells that no-one else knows. Harry is convinced that Draco Malfoy - a particularly nasty bully from day one - is up to no good and is in the employ of the Dark Lord himself, with the help of Professor Snape ... but no-one seems to believe him. Professor Dumbledore really comes into his own in this book and starts to prepare Harry with one to one sessions where they dip into the memories of various people who have known Lord Voldemort at key stages in his life. We discover why the destiny of both Harry and Voldemort are so intertwined, and that ultimately, one must destroy the other to survive. Harry is also discovering his sexuality and finds himself drawn to Ginny, the sister of his best friend, Ron. Not wanting to ruin his friendship, he tells himself that she is off limits, but then goes through that familiar teenage angst as he sees her with other boys! Thrown into this mix is the relationship between Ron and Hermione. They both like each other, but can't seem to get it together and spend much of the year either shouting at each other, or not talking at all. This book really takes the reader by the hand down the twisty turny path that will lead towards the inevitable stand off that will be the final book of the series, and it does have a shocking twist, which I won't spoil. And who, exactly, was, or is, the Half Blood Prince? Unlike the last outing, there is very little wasted text in the Half Blood Prince. So much is revealed in an exciting way, and by weaving in the regular coming of age stuff for young men and women, it still feels familiar and touching, despite the epic magic going on! I am really looking forward to next and final instalment.

My STAR rating: FOUR.

Length: 608 print pages.
Price I paid: free, borrowed from library as an ebook.
Formats available: print; unabridged audio CD; unabridged audio download; ebook.

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix - the plot darkens

In Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, the fifth outing for the boy wizard with the scar on his forehead, things are getting tougher and more dangerous. The book opens as usual, with our hero struggling through the summer vacation from Hogwarts school at the home of his aunt and uncle. He is feeling isolated, with no one to talk to about the battle which took place at the end of the last book, in which his arch enemy, Lord Voldemort, came back in bodily form and killed one of Hogwarts' pupils. Then, one evening, Harry and his cousin are attacked by Dementors. Harry uses magic to save them - but it is forbidden to use magic outside school and Harry lands himself with the threat of expulsion. He is rescued by his friends and taken to the house owned by his godfather, Sirius Black, which turns out to be the headquarters of the Order of the Phoenix - a secret society of wizards and witches determined to rid the world of Lord Voldemort. Harry escapes expulsion with the help of Professor Dumbledore and heads back to Hogwarts, but all is not well - as there are attempts by the Ministry of Magic to interfere, for they do not believe that Voldemort has returned at all! And so we see the appointment of Dolores Umbridge - a ministry stooge - as the new Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher. Her teaching method is to get them to read the textbook and just learn the theory, without any practical lessons at all. In desperation, Harry is persuaded to teach fellow pupils jinxes and hexes to protect themselves against the dark forces. In the meantime, Dolores becomes headmistress and Hogwarts becomes a place of restriction and regulation. Harry is dogged by nightmares and his scar is hurting all the time. It becomes apparent that he is emotionally linked to what Voldemort is feeling. Afraid that when Voldemort realises this, he will try to influence Harry's actions, Professor Snape is commissioned to teach Harry the skill of "Occlumency" - which would build a barrier against this possibility. During the lessons, Harry learns why Snape hates him so much, and the lessons end somewhat abruptly - leaving Harry dangerously exposed, with devastating consequences. Once again, JK Rowling has produced a book full of action and interesting characters, whose back stories are continuing to develop, helping to explain why people are the way they are. I did think that a bit of judicious editing would not have gone amiss - some elements felt a bit repetitive at times and I wanted things to get moving more quickly. However, there is peril, and humour and you are left eagerly awaiting the next instalment. High literature this is not, but a good, solid page-turner it definitely is.

My STAR rating: THREE.

Length: 768 print pages.
Price I paid: free - borrowed from the library.
Formats available: print; unabridged audio CD; unabridged audio download; ebook.

Storm Front - a new wizard in town

As a member of Audible, I get frequent emails promoting a massive range of books. A particular series periodically popped up from time to time under a "recommended for you" kind of heading due my previous purchases of fantasy and crime novels. That series was The Dresden Files by Jim Butcher and Storm Front is the first of these books which feature the life and times of a crime-fighting wizard called Harry Dresden. Now, I know that sounds similar to the Rivers of London series, which readers of this blog will now be familiar with - but these are very, VERY different books. Much, much darker (if this first outing is anything to go by), the main character is a wizard for hire - specialising in locating missing objects. However, he also does a bit of consultancy work for the Chicago PD - well, one local officer really (Lieutenant Karrin Murphy) - everyone else thinks he's a complete fraud! When a timid lady calls him to ask for his help, he arranges an appointment with her - which he then almost misses as he is asked to consult on the gruesome deaths of a couple, who, in the act of love-making, have had their hearts ripped out of their chests ... but from the inside. Dark magic is the cause, and Dresden is tasked to come up with a solution by the police ... but then on the way back to his office, he is bundled into a car by a local mobster who offers to double his money if he DOES NOT investigate the deaths. Intrigued and disturbed, Dresden gets back to his office just in time for his appointment with the fearful Monica who asks him to find her spouse. Harry needs the money, so takes on both cases - the one for the police and the missing husband. Little did he realise that there would be a link between the two, with deadly consequences ... I enjoyed this book, which was brought to life by James Marsters (who played Spike in Buffy the Vampire Slayer many moons ago), who has a laid back sarcastic style of narration that really suits the style of writing. The action is messy and magical, and as Harry's back story begins to unfold, we find out that among the magical community, he is a bit of an outcast. Well, no surprise there. Our hero has to have the odds stacked against him - and his own strict ethical code never seems to really help him either. No punches are pulled and if you are happy to get deep down and dirty along with the characters, you will not be disappointed.

My STAR rating: FOUR.

Length: 336 print pages.
Price I paid: £7.99.
Formats available: print; unabridged audio download; MP3 audio CD; ebook.

Sharpe's Enemy - blood and gore aplenty!

If you don't know by now, I am a HUGE fan of Bernard Cornwell. I have read many of his books and have had no regrets thus far. In this, the 15th book in the Richard Sharpe series, our hero finds himself newly promoted to Major and is given the task of rescuing two high-born ladies from the clutches of a band of French and British deserters - one of whom is Sharpe's mortal enemy, the toothless, twitching Obadiah Hakeswill. Sharpe secures the ladies, but when, with the help of his wife Teresa, one of the most feared partisan fighters, he realises that the truce that had been holding during the rescue is about to come to an end and the French are planning a massive movement of troops which would jeopardise Wellington's campaign, he sets out to thwart them. It's Christmas 1812, but that matters not one jot. Against overwhelming odds, he plans to outsmart the enemy using the only soldiers he has at his disposal - the dodgy and untested new Rocket Troop and a small band of riflemen and various scrappers that are now under his command. By sheer force of will, he brings them together into a cohesive fighting machine ready to defend the small scrap of land required by the French to pass through to the one place that would give them an advantage over Wellington's forces. Will Sharpe manage to pull off the impossible and hold out until reinforcements arrive? Well, as this isn't the last in the series I think we all know the answer to that. Once again, Mr Cornwell pulls off an exciting adventure full of blood, gore and downright nastiness smattered with enough historical facts that it feels very real. Great action, great characters and a great read. I just wish Sharpe would have as much luck in his personal life as he does his battles ... maybe next time! Oh, and it never pays to turn your back on Obadiah - you have been warned. A book that is well worth a punt.

My STAR rating: FOUR.

Length: 350 print pages.
Price I paid: £1.80.
Formats available: print; unabridged audio CD; unabridged audio download; ebook.

The Lewis Man - secrets buried in the peat

I have just raced through the second in the Lewis Trilogy, by Peter May. This was in part due to being away on a short break where the weather was a bit miserable to say the least, but still wouldn't have happened if the story wasn't one that I was interested in. The action starts with the finding of a body in the peat bog on the island of Lewis. Due to the preservative qualities of a peat bog, it is hard to say, initially, how long the body of the young man had been there ... until clues start emerging such as a tattoo of Elvis Presley. It soon becomes obvious that this person had been brutally murdered sometime in the late 1950's. DNA results then show that he is related to someone still living on the island - the father of Marsaili, the first love of Fin McLeod, the central character in the first book. With his divorce finalised, and having quit the police force in Edinburgh, Fin is now living on Lewis once again, determined to renovate his childhood home and live a simpler life. However, with Marsaili's father becoming a suspect, Fin steps in with the help of the local constabulary to try and disprove this theory in order to protect the family who have meant so much to him. This is not going to be easy, with Marsaili's father now suffering from dementia. The Lewis Man brings the harsh life of the Outer Hebrides both in the past and today into focus, and is a great page turner. The subject matter is dealt with sensitively, with the inward workings of the damaged mind of Marsaili's father especially handled with care. The story of what happened all those years ago slowly unravels and collides with the present. It just goes to show that we never really know anyone. We get to spend more time with characters we met in the first book and relationships develop at a pace in line with the action. Not all scenes quite ring true, but maybe they are there to help set things up for the finale in book three, which I will definitely be seeking out.

My STAR rating: FOUR.

Length: 384 print pages.
Price I paid: £0.20.
Formats available: print; unabridged audio download; unabridged audio CD; ebook.

Broken Homes - Could these books get any better?

I fear I might be becoming obsessed with this Rivers of London series by Ben Aaronovitch ... but there are many, many worse things I can think of that could take up a person's time. Broken Homes is the fourth outing for PC Peter Grant, apprentice wizard and one of three members of the specialist squad who investigate crimes involving unexplained and magical phenomenon within London. Things are hotting up in the search for the "Faceless Man" - who is leaving a trail of bodies behind him, without any apparent rhyme or reason, but which eventually lead to a London high rise estate which the council want to demolish despite it being a listed building. Peter and his colleague Lesley (who lost her face at the end of book one), are getting stronger in the craft, ably taught by their boss, Nightingale. However, he is still quite protective of them, and when a Russian night witch appears on the scene, it is Nightingale who takes centre stage after his two protegees almost come a cropper. The action pulls no punches and the dialogue is as sparkling and witty as ever - I snorted in laughter many times. This is in no small measure due to the continuing excellence of the narration in the audio editions of the books, which I've been reading - hats off once again to Kobna Holdbrook-Smith on that score. Characters who appeared in earlier books reappear here - both friend and foe. I found myself cheering for Lesley as she finds a bit of intimacy with one of them ... an experience she thought she would never have again. Peter can't help be a bit jealous, but is happy for her nonetheless, despite his love life being on a bit of a sabbatical! When our hero finally works out what is going on, it leads to an almighty confrontation. There is a cracking twist at the end, and we are now set up nicely for episode five ... I can't wait ... it's supposed to be out this month and I am waiting impatiently on my tenterhooks!

My STAR rating: FIVE.

Length: 368 print pages.
Price I paid: £7.99.
Formats available: print; unabridged audio download; unabridged audio CD; ebook.

Soul Music - Who knew death could be so much fun?

I do love it when Terry Pratchett gets it right, and with Soul Music he definitely strikes the right chord. With this book, the third in the Discworld "Death" series, we find Susan - an odd girl who doesn't really engage with her classmates or teachers, and has the unusual ability to make people not see her when she wants to. Susan is the "grand-daughter" of Death - he of the long black shroud and scythe. But, she doesn't know this until he turns his back on his duties and sets out to "try and forget" - and suddenly, Susan finds that she has, somehow, taken on his role for the Discworld. Despite people mistaking her for the Tooth Fairy, she gets to work, and soon realises that she can save people from their fate - people she doesn't think deserve to die at that exact time. One of these is a musician, who comes across a strange guitar that kind of possesses him. This guitar pretty much plays itself - and boy, how it plays. There unfolds a skit on the story of rock and roll and how it influenced an unsuspecting public as well as other musicians - let alone the managers who then proceed to make a whole lot of money out of the venture at the expense of the talent! There are some really clever moments and the story is jam-packed with humour. One of the lines that made me laugh out loud is to do with the standard counting in of a song, which, at one point, is performed by the troll member of the band - and due to his limited numbering system, the count goes "One, two, many, lots." Will Susan realise that she should not interfere with the destiny of the individual, even though it may not seem "fair"? And will Death pull himself together and get back to work? This book is well worth the few hours it takes to read - full of wit and wisdom and lots of rock and roll references (all with the Discworld spin of course). Enjoy!

My STAR rating: FOUR.

Length: 378 print pages.
Price I paid: £1.99.
Formats available: print; abridged audio CD; unabridged audio download; ebook.

The Black House - a tale as rugged as the landscape

The Black House, by Peter May is the first of the Lewis Trilogy. I had heard great things about this series, and read plenty of good reviews, and I have to say, I was not displeased to have the excuse of this year's blog theme of "series and sequels" to get going with this set of books. The actions starts in Edinburgh, with our main character, DS Fin Macleod, reluctantly heading back to work after four weeks compassionate leave following the death of his young son. He is a broken man in many ways and is not impressed by the assignment his boss hands over to him - a murder investigation on the Isle of Lewis ... the place where he grew up and couldn't wait to get away from when he was 18 years old. The murder victim is known to Fin - a bully who victimised him and his friend Artair when he was at school. As the investigation takes shape, memories that have been locked away start to resurface as Fin meets the people who helped shape his life ... including his first love, Marsaili whose heart he broke. Events start to become more and more personal, with Fin slowly realising that he has more of a part to play in this tragedy than just doing his job. This is a dark and sometimes uncomfortable read. The switches between childhood and current events were smooth and there was always a point to each passage. The action matches the harsh reality of life on weather-beaten Lewis, an island off the north-west coast of Scotland. It's tough to make a living, and even tougher to find true happiness. This is a really good read, and is not as bleak as you might think, despite the subject matter. The characters are well-drawn and you cannot help but care about them. Maybe I was being a bit thick, but I didn't guess the big reveal towards the end of the book, which makes me very happy. All too often, things are sign-posted from an early point in a story which mean that genuine surprises are few and far between. I can definitely recommend this book and am really looking forward to getting stuck into book two! I cannot believe that this book was turned down by UK publishers and was first published in France. Whether you read the printed word or go for the audio edition, which I did, you are in for a treat ... a book that actually lives up to the hype!

My STAR rating: FOUR.

Length: 502 print pages.
Price I paid: £5.99.
Formats available: print; abridged audio CD; unabridged audio download; ebook.

Crossroads of Twilight - just get on with it!!!

Crossroads of Twilight is book ten of the Wheel of Time Series by Robert Jordan. I have persisted with this series even though the last couple of books have been a bit mediocre, with much preamble before anything significant actually happening. I was hoping that this title would have got the series back on track. But no! 700 pages and almost nothing happened. It almost feels like you are reading something in real time, following the characters minute by minute as they mull over events and feelings. And, as usual, there are an immense amount of characters. It is so easy to lose yourself (and not in a good way) trying to get your head around who is who, as well as how and where they relate to each other in the story. The first few books had the main characters together in the thick of events, but now that they have all split up, it's as if you are reading six different books all at the same time. Of course there are still links, but they feel very weak. I am becoming increasingly frustrated by this series. I have invested a heck of an amount of time to it, and am being short-changed in the story-telling department. The plot, such as it is, was around what was happening just after Rand al'Thor - the Dragon Reborn - "cleansed" the male half of the True Source (magic to you and me). This power eventually kills men who use it - but only after it has sent them mad - but has Rand now prevented this from happening? The other characters don't know that this is what has happened as yet, just that a massive use of "the power" took place. Egwene is trying to keep all her Aes Sedai together and plans to take back the White Tower and bring all the Sisters back together as a cohesive group. Mat remains in hiding within the travelling circus, but is drawn to his captive - Tuon - who he is pretty sure he is destined to marry - even though he's not sure he actually likes her. Perrin is on the trail of his wife, and is determined to rescue her from the clutches of her kidnappers. Yes, that's two kidnap plots in the same book! Meanwhile, Elayne, who is pregnant by Rand al'Thor is still manoeuvring to ensure her ascendancy to the throne at Caemlyn. There are hints of intrigues and lots of talking and meaningful looks, but almost no action. Seriously, how long can this be strung out for? I'm begging for the story to reach the heights of the first few books, but doubt as to whether this will actually happen has set in big time. Will my plea of JUST GET ON WITH IT be heeded in book eleven? Fingers crossed all round!

My STAR rating: THREE.

Length: 700 print pages.
Price I paid: £3.00 (at a fantastic second-hand bookshop in Whitstable).
Formats available: print; unabridged audio CD; unabridged audio download; ebook.

Whispers Under Ground - fantastic fantasy

In Whispers Under Ground, the third book in the Rivers of London series by Ben Aaronovitch, our hero, PC Peter Grant is once again caught up in the middle of a new mystery, set, primarily, in the dark and murky landscape of the London Underground and the sewerage system. Mmmm! It's a few days before Christmas, there's snow in the air and a body is found at Baker Street station. Horrible, but not unusual you would think except no one can work out how the dead man got there without being picked up by the myriad of CCTV monitors, and how come the murder weapon seems to be a bit of pottery? Anything out of the ordinary and the Met's Economic and Specialist Crime Unit 9, aka 'The Folly' is called in ... and so enter PC Grant - apprentice wizard. He detects the tell tales traces of the use of magic, and sets off to find the culprit. Peter is accompanied on his investigation by WPC Leslie May who was severely affected by magic in the first book, and now wears a mask to cover her horrific facial injuries. They are friends as well as colleagues and there are touching moments between them as they both try to come to terms with the past. A third wheel comes on the scene in the form of FBI Agent Reynolds, who is called in because the victim is the son of a US Senator. She is not exactly a believer in the supernatural, but she does pack a mean gun and isn't afraid to use it ... which comes in handy! There are twists and turns and a huge dollop of humour. I think this is the best of the series so far - the characters are great and Peter, as narrator, brings wit and cynicism in equal measure. Brought to life by the fantastic narration of Kobna Holdbrook-Smith, I can thoroughly recommend the audio book edition. This is a sharp, crisp thriller that should please those inclined to crime novels as well as fantasy.

My STAR rating: FIVE.

Length: 400 print pages.
Price I paid: £7.99.
Formats available: print; unabridged audio download; ebook.

Catching Fire - The Hunger Games turns epic!

Catching Fire is the second in The Hunger Games trilogy by Suzanne Collins. We catch up with our heroine, Katniss Everdeen, who, since her spectacular victory in the Hunger Games at the end of the previous book, is back home in District 12, living a much more comfortable life in terms of having more than enough food and living in a nice house with her mother and little sister. However, her personal life is not her own. Still having to maintain the pretence of being in love with her fellow victor, Peeta, she and her childhood friend Gael have grown apart. This is not helped when she and Peeta are forced to go on a victory tour at the behest of President Snow, who threatens all she loves if she does not play ball and do everything she can to help quell the unrest around the Districts. She plays her part well, but witnesses parts of the uprising and the swift injustice shown to those citizens involved. Back home, the grip from the Capitol tightens and Gael is brutally whipped. Katniss decides it is time to make a break for it with everyone she cares about ... but President Snow has other plans. It's the 75th anniversary of the Hunger Games, and to celebrate, the participants are taken from all the previous victors, no matter what their age or state of health. Katniss and Peeta end up back in the games in a watery, new arena. This time, she is determined that if there is only to be one survivor, it will be Peeta. When unusual alliances form, and fellow competitors are helping her, instead of trying to kill her, Katniss struggles to get her head round this turn of events. Should she trust them (not her strong suit) or take the first opportunity to kill them and give Peeta better odds to come out of the Games alive?

This is an excellent sequel to the first book and leaves the reader on a fantastic cliff hanger. The dystopian world created by the author is a cruel and violent one, but the increasing number of small acts of kindness start to build traction, and it feels like the fight back against the oppressive Capitol is becoming inevitable, with Katniss becoming the poster girl for the rebellion. This is a swift paced book, with more than enough action to keep anyone interested. The only thing that lets this book down for me is the narrator, Carolyn McCormick, who has a bit of an unbalanced delivery for me. I am now hooked on finding out what happens and will be seeking out the final part. I also have a sneaky desire to watch the films too, to find out how they have portrayed the characters, the costumes and the action scenes.

My STAR rating: FOUR.

Length: 480 print pages.
Price I paid: £7.99.
Formats available: print; unabridged audio download; ebook.

A Monster Calls

I have been vaguely looking at Patrick Ness books for a wee while due to excellent reviews for things like The Knife of Never Letting Go. So when I saw one as part of a special offer on Audible, narrated by Jason Isaacs, I couldn't resist. And I am so pleased that I did. A Monster Calls is a little gem. Connor is having nightmares, he's been having them since his mum began her treatments for cancer. It's the same nightmare every time - with a huge, dark monster. One night, at 12.07, his name is called by the monster ... but it's in his back garden, and it's not the one he was expecting. This is ancient, earthly and takes the form of a yew tree. And it wants the most scary thing of all ... the truth! Patrick Ness creates this powerful tale of love and loss from the final idea of the Carnegie Medal winner Siobhan Dowd, whose premature death from cancer prevented her from writing it herself. Yes, this is a book aimed at a much younger audience than myself, but it is so full of genuine feeling that I would defy anyone not to be moved. It's a book that seems to be staying with me, as little snippets keep popping back into my head - but that is also due to the phenomenal narration by Jason Isaacs. Both funny and heart wrenching, this little piece of literary heaven will not disappoint.

My STAR rating: FIVE.

Length: 216 print pages.
Price I paid: £3.99.
Formats available: print; unabridged audio CD; unabridged audio download; ebook.

The Pagan Lord - Saxon blood and guts

Lord Uhtred, the central character of The Warrior Chronicles series by Bernard Cornwell, finds himself out of favour with King Edward of Wessex, son of Alfred the Great. He makes matters worse by killing a priest and goes on the run, disowning his eldest son who had become a priest, and elevating his younger son to the position of first born - renaming him Uhtred. Almost in desperation, and with very few loyal men left in his band, he goes on a daring raid to Bebbanberg, his childhood home - and Northumbrian fortress - to wrest control from his uncle, who had stolen it from him following his father's death. Things don't quite go according to plan - though he does kill his uncle and kidnap his cousin's wife and son in order to escape. In an odd symmetry, he discovers that he is being blamed for kidnapping the family of Cnut Longsword - his old Viking enemy - and the man who is leading the Danes in the North, ready to invade the Saxon held areas, including Wessex. Lord Uhtred is The Pagan Lord of the title and sets out to scupper the invasion plans, primarily to save Aethelflead - his lover - and sister to King Edward. As always with Mr Cornwell, this is a total page-turner. So pacey that it almost leaves you breathless at times. The characters are now so well-developed (this is the seventh book in these tales) that it's like hooking up with old friends - albeit exceptionally foul-mouthed and violent friends who you just wouldn't cross! The reader is immersed in the filth, politics and uncertain nature of the times. It feels so authentic that it's hard not to feel your blood rising and heart rate increasing with every twist and turn. Another great book from one of the most consistent authors alive today. If you haven't read one of these thrilling tales, what are you waiting for?

My STAR rating: FOUR.

Length: 320 print pages.
Price I paid: free, borrowed from library.
Formats available: print; unabridged audio CD; unabridged audio download; ebook.

Cockroaches - Trouble in Thailand

Cockroaches, by Jo Nesbo is the second outing for Norwegian detective Harry Hole. It opens in Thailand, where we follow a prostitute as she crosses town to meet up with a punter in a seedy motel. But on entering the allotted room for her rendezvous, she discovers him lying on the bed with a knife in his back! Cue the screaming ... So where does Harry come in? Well, the ex-punter turns out to be the Norwegian Ambassador to Thailand, and Harry is dragged away from his morose, self-pitying and drink-laden existence in Oslo and packed off to Bangkok to liaise with the Thai police to bring the perpetrator to justice. Our hero is teamed up with a bald (yes - bald), female detective who originated from the USA. Together they start to uncover a web of secrets involving his fellow countrymen both in Bangkok and back in Norway. He starts to believe that he has been selected to investigate because he will fail, and the death can be hushed up back home to avoid scandal. But he is determined to firstly stay sober, and secondly, to get to the bottom of this complex case within which, the child sex industry starts to rear its ugly head. As the body count mounts up, this is not always a comfortable read - but it is intriguing, with twists and turns aplenty. But who can Harry trust in this exotic, claustrophobic city where no-one is quite what they seem? This is a well executed thriller, fast-paced and strewn with enough suspects and motives to keep the reader guessing. As usual, with Sean Barrett narrating this audio edition, I found it hard to put down. We hear more about Harry's back story, helping us to understand the demons from his past that have made him the man he is today. I'm more than happy that I've started this series and will be most definitely be continuing to follow this troubled detective.

My STAR rating: FOUR.

Length: 400 print pages.
Price I paid: £7.99.
Formats available: print; unabridged audio download; ebook.

The Killing Floor - a brutal adrenaline filled ride

I have been steered towards the Jack Reacher stories by my brother-in-law and I have not been disappointed. If you like your books action-packed, with gunnels overflowing with adrenaline, you couldn't do much worse than plunge into these novels by Lee Child. In The Killing Floor, the first outing for our hero, Jack is drifting around the USA, keeping under the radar and trying to leave behind his military police background. He gets off a bus and walks to the small town of Margrave in Georgia, with the aim of finding out more about a blues singer his brother had told him about. An hour later, while breakfasting in the local diner, he is approached by police and arrested. It turns out that two bodies had been found and he is the prime suspect. It being the weekend, he ends up in the local prison with another man from the town, and is very nearly killed there. However, his alibi checks out and he is released, only to discover that one of the victims is his own brother, Joe. Determined to find out what has happened, he joins forces with the only two police officers he can trust - and slowly uncovers a huge conspiracy involving almost the whole town. Corruption, hush money, fear and violence all get an airing. Oh, and there is a bit of love interest sprinkled on top. Jack is an unforgiving and in many ways, an unlikeable character. The body count mounts quite horrifically at times, and yet, that doesn't seem to be a problem for anyone in the justice system. Relentless from the very first page, with twists and turns hitting you with dizzying speed - this book will either hook you and leave you begging for more, or completely turn you off ... but if you don't like thrillers, why are you reading this book in the first place?

My STAR rating: FOUR.

Length: 528 print pages.
Price I paid: Free - borrowed as an ebook from the library.
Formats: print; large print; audio CD; unabridged audio download; ebook.

The Truth - a satire on journalism

I am a big fan of Terry Pratchett, and am merrily working my way through his Discworld novels. So I was eagerly anticipating getting my teeth into The Truth - the second in the "Industrial Revolution" sub-series (although the 25th Discworld book). This tale features William De Worde, a man from a very wealthy and influential family, who, appalled by his father's attitude to everything and everyone, has turned his back on them. Instead, he earns a very modest living by writing a monthly newsletter for a select few. But then, through a series of unusual and unexpected events (this is Terry Pratchett!) he ends up inventing investigative journalism, ably assisted by his apprentice, Sacharissa Cripslock, and a band of dwarfs who have a printing press with movable type. And so, The Times is created - with news from all over the city - very much an of the people, for the people. The public imagination takes The Times to heart and can think of nothing better than to become part of the news themselves, And who would have thought so many people would be so fascinated by stories featuring funny shaped vegetables? William investigates the strange case of Havelock Vetinari, the city's Patrician, who is arrested for attempted murder. Nobody is surprised by this - Vetinari having something of a shady reputation - except maybe William. He burrows into the depths of the story and discovers that Vetinari has been framed as part of a major conspiracy to oust the Patrician and put a tame puppet into that position. Can William use the power of the press to foil the villains? There are some familiar characters, such as The Watch, and Gaspode, the talking dog (whose sarcasm knows no bounds), and this is a really good satire on journalism - both the good and the bad sides. However, there wasn't enough daft humour for my taste and whilst I did enjoy this book, there was very little tutting from my husband following an outburst of laughter from myself. I will give a shout out to my favourite character - Otto the vampire, an iconographer (photographer in non-Discworld speak) who, unfortunately for his chosen profession, turned to dust every time he used his flash bulb - only to be regenerated by a drop of blood or small piece of meat - genius! This will not stop me reading Pratchett - it just wasn't up to his usual exceptionally high standard.

My STAR rating: THREE.

Length: 386 print pages.
Price I paid: Free - borrowed as an ebook from the library.
Formats available: print; unabridged audio CD; audio download; ebook.

The Shock of the Fall - a keeper!

Few books really stay with you after you've finished the last page and put the book back on the shelf, but I have no doubt that The Shock of the Fall by Nathan Filer will remain with me, and anyone else who reads it, for a very long time. Rarely have I found a book that is, within a few lines, tragic, shocking, funny and downright ordinary. We follow the young life of Matt and his descent into mental illness, which is eventually diagnosed as schizophrenia. Matt is relating his story to us, in an attempt to capture all that has happened and provide some kind of an explanation both to himself and others as to what it is like to be him. The illness seems to be tied to events which happened during a summer holiday in a caravan park with his family - Mum, Dad and older brother, Simon. He loves Simon and Simon loves him. Everyone loves Simon, he's a happy boy who lights up a room, but Simon has Down's Syndrome. One day, Matt witnesses a girl, very upset and burying her cloth doll. Intrigued and disturbed by this, Matt tries to comfort her only to be told in no uncertain terms to go away. This seems to be a catalyst for tragic events, leading to the death of Simon (not a spoiler). Matt blames himself and cannot shake this feeling. The grief of his mother has major implications on him as she takes him out of school. The story goes back and forth in time, and you have to concentrate to keep up. We go over events again and again, each time revealing a little bit more as Matt reflects on them and faces up to them. This is such an excellent book that I'm really looking forward to what this author does next. It feels so real and gives an insight into mental illness, and the impact it has on everyone it comes into contact with. There are disturbing parts and some strong language, but all in keeping with the story. If you like audio books, try reading this in audio - Oliver Hembrough provides a brilliant narration that is so right. Haunting and yet uplifting - READ THIS BOOK. 

My STAR rating: FIVE.

Length: 320 print pages.
Price I paid: £7.99.
Formats available: print; unabridged audio download; unabridged audio CD; ebook.

The Power of Six - non-stop action

Some books are slow burners, take their time and creep up on you. Others smack you in the face from page one, make you sit up and take notice .. and never let you go until they are finished with you. The Power of Six, by Pittacus Lore is definitely in the latter camp. There is the briefest of scene setting, just in case you hadn't read the first book in this series (I am Number Four) and then off we go, hell for leather, the whole way through. We pick up where the previous book left off, with two aliens from the planet Lorien - John Smith (Number Four), our hero of the first instalment, and Six - his newly acquainted compatriot and saviour - on the run in the USA with John's best friend (and human), Sam. They have just escaped their mortal enemies, the Mogadorians, who are determined to exterminate the nine children who were smuggled off Lorien during the war with the Mogadorians, and onto Earth to hopefully rise again and save their home planet. Meanwhile, in Spain, Number Seven is feeling isolated and trapped inside a convent - it may have helped to keep her hidden, but she has had no training, and wants to find her fellow Loriens. Her "boring" life is about to change, when a strange man starts to take an interest in her and she starts to worry that the Mogadorians have found her at last. Desperate to escape, she tries to find her inheritance, a "chest" which contains some of the special jewels from her home world - some will heal, some will kill. The tension builds in both countries and when the action starts, there's no stopping it. This is an excellent sequel to the first book. The characters are really coming into their own and the reader gets more of a feel for back story of why these aliens are here and what the future might hold not only for them, but for planet Earth itself. The new characters quickly find their feet and whilst this is a satisfying tale in its own right, it also leaves the reader with enough of a cliff hanger to make you look for the next in the series - and yes, I'll be going there soon!

My STAR rating: FOUR.

Length: 400 print pages.
Price I paid: £7.99.
Formats available: print; unabridged audio download; ebook.

Sharpe's Sword - like an old pair of slippers

This is the 14th in the epic series featuring Richard Sharpe, a rough, no-nonsense soldier who has been dragged up from nothing and is now a Captain in Wellington's army, in their apparently never ending war against Napoleon. The action takes place in and around Salamanca, during the summer of 1812. During a bit of a lull in the fighting, Sharpe's Company takes a prisoner - a French dragoon calling himself Captain Paul Delmas. Sharpe is intrigued by the exquisite (and expensive) sword his captive is carrying, and eyes it with envy. When Delmas later escapes, killing several people in the process, he escapes into Salamanca with Sharpe hot on his heels, looking for revenge. Upon investigation, it turns out that this Frenchman is not who he claims to be, but is, indeed, a Colonel Leroux, whose mission is to find El Mirador - a British spy - from whom he intends to extract the names of every other spy before he kills them. Sharpe is tasked with finding Leroux, but this is proving a difficult task. One night he is taken to a party where he is introduced to La Marquesa, the most beautiful woman he has ever seen. She is a well-educated and wealthy aristocrat, but despite the gulf between their social status, there is a strong attraction, and guess what, Sharpe just cannot resist - putting his wife and daughter to the back of his mind. Men! Still on the hunt for Leroux, Sharpe has to wait until the nearby forts are overwhelmed by the British before he can go in and continue his hunt. During which, he corners our man but is shot and disappears. Will he survive, will he catch up with Leroux, and will he get his hands on that sword? Well, I think we all know the answers to those questions - but it's fun getting there. As ever, there is plenty of action, twists and turns in this book, and the tale is wrapped around real events and real people. Reading these books is like putting on a pair of old slippers - you know where you are and what you are going to get and there is a certain degree of comfort in knowing these characters so well. I do enjoy escaping into this venal world at times - despite Sharpe's lack of moral backbone and immense flaws. Maybe it's a case of a great place to visit ... just wouldn't want to live there!

My STAR rating: FOUR.

Length: 314 print pages.
Price I paid: £1.50 from a second hand book shop.
Formats available: Print; abridged audio CD; abridged audio download; multiedia; ebook.

The Bat - a cracking introduction to Harry Hole

The Bat is the first book in the Scandinavian crime series starring Harry Hole, a Norwegian policeman who, inevitably, has a few demons rattling around from his past - only some of whom, I suspect, surface in this tale. I have heard people gushing about Jo Nesbo for a good while and have been keen to try him out, and I have not been disappointed. The action starts with our hero flying out to Australia to work with the Sydney police following the murder of a Norwegian TV star. Harry is teamed up with Andrew, an aboriginal officer and they form a bond from the get go. They start to follow up on any leads they can find, which takes Harry into the soon-to-become welcoming arms of a Swedish barmaid who knew the victim. Is this simply a case of a violent drug dealing boyfriend taking it out on the nearest person one night, or have we got a serial killer on the loose? As things turn darker, the action is interspersed with cultural pointers aimed at helping Harry (and us) understand the two distinct Australia's in terms of ethnicity - both from the point of view of past and the present. There are some really interesting characters, well fleshed out and fully rounded, so much so that, when something happens to them, it is really shocking. Plenty of twists and turns keep the reader guessing, and whilst there are some grisly bits (the good old Great White Shark makes a spectacular cameo), there are plenty of lighter moments too to create a good balance. I liked Harry, despite his self-destructive tendencies, and I am eagerly anticipating the next book, which I'm kind of hoping is based in his home country! I will also be tempted to continue this series via the audio book route, which is how I read this first one - as I really enjoyed listening to this with the fantastic narration of Sean Barrett - who is rapidly becoming my go to narrator!

My STAR rating: FOUR.

Length: 386 print pages.
Price I paid: £7.99.
Formats available: print; unabridged audio download; unabridged audio CD; ebook.

The Black Book - Rebus doesn't quite hit the mark

It's a while since I read the last book in this series featuring John Rebus, the grumpy Edinburgh policeman, and I was looking forward to getting to know him again. However, The Black Book, by Ian Rankin just didn't grab me as much as I had hoped. Don't get me wrong, it is a perfectly fine novel, but there seemed to be a bit of a spark missing that would have taken it to the level I was anticipating. As the book opens, Rebus finds himself out of favour with his girlfriend, Patience, and living back in his own flat with his student tenants. Then his ex-con of a brother turns up looking for a place to stay, which stirs up some familial turmoil. Into this, we have several incidents - someone is knifed outside a butcher's shop, a body is dumped on the coast and, Holmes, a colleague of Rebus gets a smack on the head leaving a local diner. During the investigation, Rebus gets wind of Holmes' little "black book" and on looking at the coded entries starts to suspect that his workmate has stumbled upon an unsolved murder from 5 years ago involving some very dodgy local faces. This sets him on a trail which, inevitably, leads him into conflict with his boss (no change there), and Big "Ger" Macafferty - a dangerous villain who has never been brought to justice despite numerous attempts by many in the local constabulary, including Rebus himself. Will our hero finally be able to outsmart Macafferty and bring him to justice after all these years? This is a well written book and there is plenty of action to keep the interest levels going. However, where it fell down for me was that there were so many characters that things got a bit confused at times, and I couldn't work out where they were all fitting into the story until right at the end. Some people would say that this is good thing - to not know what was going to happen - which I would usually agree with, but there were so many strands that it was too much to get your head around at times. But it might just be me - got a lot of non-book related things whizzing around my head at the moment! However, it hasn't put me off these books, I really enjoy Rebus as a character - I just didn't feel that this was one of the best!

My STAR rating: THREE.

Length: 340 print pages.
Price I paid: 50p in a local charity shop.
Formats available: Print; MP3 CD; unabridged audio download; ebook.