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.