Lethal White - In Safe Hands!

Lethal White by Robert Galbraith is the fourth book in the Cormorant Strike series. In this outing, it's 2012, London is gripped with Olympic fever and Strike is having to deal with a certain notoriety following the case he and Robin solved in the previous book. Then, Billy, a troubled young man asks for Strike's help to investigate a terrible crime he thinks he witnessed as a child - but before any real details can be gleaned, he bolts from the office. Not long after, Strike is contacted by a government minister who is receiving disturbing threats, and Robin Elliot - his former assistant and now partner in the business - goes undercover in Westminster. What appear to be two different cases seem to have a common link in the form of Billy's brother. But was there a crime all those years ago, or just the mixed up memories of a disturbed mind ... and what has that got to do with the minister? Strike and Robin are a great pairing, but their relationship is strained at the beginning of the book - with Robin now married to Matthew and Strike seeing someone. However, as the various cases in the book develop, so do their private lives and both end up in a different place to where we started. This is such a well written book, with twists and turns and characters full of vim and vinegar, whose dialogue is sharp and realistic. We also see class and privilege being explored and exposed for the unsavoury situations they create in society. The relationship between Strike and Robin is very well observed and the reader cannot help but root for them - both in their work and personal life. There is bravery in the face of pain and danger and the ending is immensely satisfying. Even though it is a long book, I almost didn't want it to finish and I'm really looking forward to finding out what happens next!

My STAR rating: FIVE.

Length: 784 print pages.

Price I paid: free, borrowed from my husband.

Formats available: print, unabridged audio download, ebook.

Proven Guilty - Never fear, Harry's here!

Proven Guilty, by Jim Butcher, is the 8th book in the Dresden Files series. Harry Dresden, the Chicago-based Wizard/Private Eye is once more called upon to save the day ... and possibly, the universe! Although Harry has few friends on the White Council of Wizards, due to the bloody and continuing war with the vampires thinning out their numbers, he is made a warden and is called upon to investigate rumours of black magic in the city. He comes across a Horror Film convention, and it is there that beings from the Never Never are utilising fear to enable them to cross into the human world and wreak mayhem. Mixed up in all of this is Molly, the daughter of his friend Michael, the wielder of one of the holy swords ... it turns out that she has magic and has used it on two people, with unintentional bad consequences - which makes her a target for prosecution and probable execution by the Council of Wizards. Can Harry save the city and Molly too? But to do so means crossing into the Faerie Kingdom of Mab, the Queen of the Winter Court who is decidedly unhinged. This book has so much going on, but it brings together many characters that we have become familiar with. There's Murphy, the cop who Harry regularly works with and with whom he has a flirtatiously deep connection that's always been there in the background but never quite come to fruition. In addition, there's his faithful dog, Mouse; Bob, his talking skull; and Thomas, his vampiric brother, who all pull together to keep Harry from killing himself. Surprisingly, previous bit part player, Charity, the mother of Molly, comes into this book much more. She and Harry really don't get on, but with Molly's life on the line, all enmity is put to one side. The characters may be familiar, but they are growing all the time with new information or sides we've not seen before. The black humour is very much to the fore, which cuts through the danger and scary creatures. It's a roller coaster ride of action and sarcasm, but there are also quiet and tender moments that give this book a huge hunk of heart. As always, the audiobook is excellently narrated by James Marsters - I can't think of Harry Dresden without his voice in my head now! If you like a bit of magic, monsters and detective work, this could be the series for you. But, I would recommend that you start from the first book, as you would lose out on the complexities of the relationships and situations Harry gets himself into ... there are a lot of threads that run through the series that pop up and are expanded upon with time. One of my favourite series and I'm already looking forward to the next thrilling instalment.

My STAR rating: FIVE.

Length: 496 print pages.

Price I paid: £7.99.

Formats available: print, unabridged audio download, ebook.

The Romantic - a lifetime of missed chances

The Romantic, by William Boyd follows the extraordinary life of Cashell Greville Ross. Born in 1799, he spends his childhood in County Cork where he lives with his aunt ... who, it turns out, is actually his mother. Cashell moves to London with his family and life becomes a little more complicated when his "aunt" seems to have suddenly acquired a husband and gives birth to two sons. Cashell thinks these are his cousins, but he later finds out that they are his brothers. All very confusing for a young man, and, despite a promising academic career, he decides to get away from it all by joining the army. And what do you know, he ends up at the battle of Waterloo where he is injured and sent back home. This experience gives him a certain standing with folk, but he is restless and doesn't really know who he is or where he wants to be. His journeys take him to Italy, where he meets the love of his life who, of course, is married. He leaves her and continues his travels, bumping into Byron and Shelley. He writes about his exploits, which proves successful on the face of it, but is swindled out of his money by the publisher. He joins the East India Company, goes exploring in Africa and eventually he ends up in America. Here he kind of settles down on a farm, gets married and has children, but it doesn't stick ... he has never truly gotten over his first true love ... and he ends up alienating his wife's family who then ruin him, and he is forced to move back to Britain once more ... but, of course, he doesn't stay there and his adventures continue and a further chance of happiness beckons. Over his lifetime he is a soldier, a farmer, a writer and a lover - he definitely lived the life of more than one man! There is so much to like about this book, well written and full of snippets of historical details from around the world. Cashell is a likeable fellow, and people are drawn to him easily, particularly women... but I couldn't quite tell why, as he seemed a little cavalier with the feelings of most people that he met. He seemed to be all in at the start, but then somehow never quite saw anything through. I felt it was definitely told from the male gaze and I really wanted some of the female characters to have a bit more gumption! That said, it was an enjoyable read and it was fun to travel with Cashell for many a mile. There is humour, war, deception, revenge, regret and love ... and a bucket load of  history ... so a little something for everyone!

My STAR rating: FOUR.

Length: 464 print pages.

Price I paid: £3.99.

Formats available: print, unabridged audio download, ebook.