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.