The Devil's Star - Harry Hole, how I've missed you!

It's sometimes hard to like Harry Hole, the alcoholic Norwegan detective who takes centre stage in The Devil's Star, by Jo Nesbo. To say he is on a mission to self-destruct is putting it mildly. He hasn't turned up for work for a couple of weeks. Instead, he's been on a bit of bender following the collapse of his case against fellow detective, Tom Waaler, who, he is convinced, is responsible for the death of his partner. His love interest, Rakel, cannot take his erratic behaviour anymore and has thrown him out of her home. His boss has been incredibly understanding, but can't cover for him anymore and puts him on notice to quit the force. However, it's the height of summer, and due to the high amount of staff on holiday, Harry is hauled in to investigate the murder of a young woman. She is missing a finger, and also has a star shaped diamond wedged under one of her eyelids. Oh, and guess who is also on the case ... yes, the smarmy Ton Waaler! While Harry battles to remain sober, his fog clears, he starts to see a pattern developing that shows that a series killer who seems to have a fascination with the devil's star is on the loose. There are twists and turns aplenty, and lots of red herrings too. The reader feels like they are on the investigative journey with Harry as he sifts through evidence and interviews the witnesses. Just when you think you've worked it out, something knocks you bandy. It's a great read, although it really helps if you have digested the previous books in the series, so that you can understand how Harry has got to where he is, and also how the different relationships he has with people in his working and personal life all fit together. Harry is a troubled, deeply frustrated soul, but you cannot help but root for him, which says something about the skill of Nesbo as a writer. Satisfyingly complex, this is well worth the effort.

POPSUGAR Challenge 2018 prompt 5: Nordic Noir.

My STAR rating: FOUR.

Length: 522 print pages.
Price I paid: free, borrowed from my husband.
Formats available: print, unabridged audio download, unabridged audio CD, ebook.

On The Brinks - darkly funny

Even though I am a big fan of crime and thriller fiction, I was not looking forward to the challenge of reading a True Crime book - I'm strangely happy with bad things happening to people, but only if I know it's not real! Whenever I searched for True Crime, the options that came up were, primarily, books about serial killers ... urgh! So, when I happened upon On The Brinks, by Sam Millar, which was about a famous robbery, I grabbed it with both hands. It is, in effect, the autobiographical account of Sam Millar, from his childhood growing up in Belfast, to his unexpected involvement with the IRA, followed by a long incarceration in the notorious Long Kesh prison. On his release, he goes to America and starts a new life and a new family. Unfortunately for him, he just cannot resist the chance to make a lot of money in one go by stealing from the Brink's Armored Car Depot in Rochester, New York, and manages to get away with $7.4 million. This book is a great read from start to finish. The funny details of childhood and the grim realities of the treatment meted out on political prisoners in Northern Ireland are put before the reader in the same chatty style. There is humour alongside heartache and you keep having to remind yourself that this story is true. The people who populate this book are so well observed that you feel yourself empathising with the most unlikely of characters. I found myself disappointed when I finished, not because I didn't enjoy it, but because it was over too soon! I can heartily recommend this book - yes there are sweary bits, yes there are violent bits, but the journey the author goes on is so incredible, that all is forgiven.

POPSUGAR Challenge 2018 prompt 2: True Crime.

My STAR rating: FOUR.

Length: 464 print pages.
Price I paid: free, borrowed from library.
Formats available: print, ebook.

The Power - turning the world upside down!

In this disturbing novel, teenage girls develop the ability to deliver electric shocks ... which becomes known as The Power. Men fear this phenomenon and try to seek ways to control those exhibiting this power. However, when the girls discover that they can trigger the ability in older women, the men lose any control they previously had, and things start to go terribly wrong. Society begins to unravel and the world becomes a very different place. Politics, religion and the criminal underworld are taken over by women, with alarming results. The centuries of male domination and unfair and violent treatment of women comes home to roost as the "gentler" sex  stop being so gentle, and revenge is meted out without mercy. This momentous change is seen through the eyes of several main characters: Allie, a foster kid who was abused by her carers but who has become the focal point of a new religion; Margot, a politician who exploits her position as well as her daughter; Roxy, the daughter of a gangster who is betrayed by her family; and Tunde, a male reporter who sees the writing on the wall as the story unfolds across the world. The Power, by Naomi Alderman is often a tough read, where the premise is, I suppose, that power always corrupts, no matter who holds it. But if women did hold the power, would men be treated so appallingly as women have been throughout history? I would like to think not, which is why I found this book a bit dispiriting at times. It is, however, gripping and the main characters are compelling. I really wanted to find out what happened to them all in the end. This is a book that stays with you, and some parts still give me the shivers. It would be extremely interesting to hear the reaction of men who read this book ... would they recognise the situations the characters find themselves in, and wonder what their fates would be if they were women in today's world?

POPSUGAR Challenge 2018 prompt 15: A book about feminism.

My STAR rating: FOUR.

Length: 352 print pages.
Price I paid: £5.99.
Formats available: print, unabridged audio download, audio CD, ebook.

The Wonderful Wizard of Oz - no ruby slippers!

Having seen the 1939 film version of The Wizard of Oz many, many times, I was curious to find out how that adaptation differed from the book by L. Frank Baum which had inspired it. Whilst the main characters and the story arc are familiar, there are some distinct differences too. We begin with young Dorothy and her doggie companion Toto, who are swept away in their Kansas house to the strange land of Oz. On arrival, she has, quite accidentally, killed the Wicked Witch of the East and is, as a result, feted by the oppressed Munchkins. She is given the witch's slippers - which are silver and not ruby (as in the film). She is desperate to get back home to Kansas, and is told to go to the Emerald City and ask the all-powerful Wizard for help. And so she heads off, meeting three new companions along the way - the Scarecrow who would like to have a brain, the Tin Woodman who is desperate for a heart, and the Cowardly Lion, who needs to find some courage. Dorothy is sure that the Wizard will help them too, and so they join up and head off to the City together. The journey is not a smooth one, and they meet different people and hazards along the way, each helping the other. When they finally get to meet the Wizard, they are told that they must kill the Wicked Witch of the West in order to be granted what they have asked for. Dorothy is against this course of action, but soon understands that there is no other way for her to get home. The Witch is, indeed, wicked and will not go quietly - bringing all her resources to bear to destroy them ... including the Winged Monkeys. There is lots of action and fun to be had in this book, but there is darkness and violence too. A very black fairy tale indeed. I did enjoy it for the most part, but there were sections of the journey that fell a little flat for me and at times it felt a bit like ... and then this happened, and then this happened ... rather than the story flowing naturally. Good characterisation of the main characters and some magical and unexpected elements make The Wonderful Wizard of Oz an enjoyable, but not spectacular read.

POPSUGAR Challenge 2018 prompt 33: A childhood classic you've never read.

My STAR rating: THREE.

Length: 272 print pages.
Price I paid: free.
Formats available: print, unabridged audio download, ebook.

Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine - Surprisingly uplifting!

Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine is a book that creeps up on you. At first, I felt a little uncomfortable looking at the life of an exceptionally socially inept individual who is a constant source of amusement to her work colleagues. She is a creature of habit - wearing the same outfit to work each day, eating the same lunch and spending every weekend in a solitary vodka-induced haze. The only real contact she has with another human is via a mid-week phone call with her Mother - but there is no comfort to be found there. There's no love in her life and no friendship either, but she seems "completely fine" with this. And why not? She has never experienced these things so how could she possibly miss them? So far, so seemingly bleak. But do not abandon hope, for author Gail Honeyman works her magic, and brings you into Eleanor's world bit by bit until you start to understand why she is the way she is, and a wave of empathy washes over you. When an unexpected friendship develops with Raymond, the IT guy from work, Eleanor starts to broaden her horizons and finally starts to face up to the past which has shaped her life and left her with deep mental scars. This is, at times, a painful read, but is also funny and heart warming without any fear of it getting sickly sweet. Eleanor is a fantastic character and one that I suspect many of us will recognise - we all know someone who seems a little bit odd! However, this is a celebration of and a reminder to us all that small acts of kindness to people you meet might just save someone. So worth the effort, I thoroughly recommend this book to one and all. It truly deserves all the plaudits it has received and has earned its place at the top of the bestseller lists.

POPSUGAR Challenge 2018 prompt 16: A book about mental health.

My STAR rating: FIVE.

Length: 400 print pages.
Price I paid: free, borrowed from library as an ebook.
Formats available: print, unabridged audio download, unabridged audio CD, ebook.

Death Masks - Witty urban fantasy

Harry Dresden is a Private Investigator working in Chicago - but he has a unique USP - he's a wizard! Whenever something too weird for the police shows up, Harry is called in to help out. In Death Masks, his fifth outing in the Dresden Files by Jim Butcher, Harry's world gets very complicated when he is challenged to a duel by the champion of the Red Court of Vampires, is hired by a priest to find the Turin Shroud which has been stolen, is called in by the police to help identify a mangled, headless corpse AND his ex-girlfriend (and semi-vampire) Susan comes by for a visit. There are thieves, daemons, vampires and knights all vying for Harry's attention, and many of them seem to be trying to kill him. Through all the twists and turns, thrills and spills, Harry maintains his dark sense of humour, which always gives these books spikes of wit and lightness even when things look their most bleak. There is a lot to take in, with, I suspect a new mortal enemy, the apparently unstoppable Nicodemus, making his first appearance in this series ... and what a foe! Harry battles the forces of evil with his magic and a smattering of brute force, as well as trying not to be on the losing side of his duel to the death. There is also a lot of emotional heart in this book, with Harry trying to come to terms with personal loss in a variety of forms. I am really enjoying this series of books and find that Harry is an engaging character. I would, however, like there to be more use of the female characters, who are woefully underused, although Susan did get more of the spotlight than usual in this episode! Highly enjoyable for anyone who likes gritty, action-packed urban fantasy, with a streak of funny running through the middle. I highly recommend the audio edition, narrated by James Masters who fits this role like a glove!

POPSUGAR Challenge 2018 prompt 9: A book about a villain or antihero.

My STAR rating: FOUR.

Length: 448 print pages.
Price I paid: free, as part of Audible free introductory offer.
Formats available: print, unabridged audio download, unabridged audio CD, ebook.

War of the Worlds - how soon it all falls apart!

As I sit here writing this blog, the sky has gone dark, the wind is howling and it has started to snow! It almost feels like the end of the world, which is how the narrator of The War of the Worlds expresses his feelings after he experiences an invasion by Martians. Written in 1898 by H.G. Wells, this book provides the graphic first person account by a civilian who witnesses the arrival of a mysterious vessel close to his home. He, like others, are fascinated by the metallic object that sits within the pit created by its landing. The object starts to unscrew and excitement mounts as people are eager to greet these visitors from Mars. But the excitement soon turns to terror when the thing that finally emerges starts blasting a Heat-Ray at everyone and anything near it. Any attempt at communication by humanity is dealt with in the same way. More vessels land and panic increases with the realisation that the weapons of the military just cannot compete against such a force. The Martians cause devastation as they move on London, firing waves after wave of black smoke which kills everything it touches ... as if the Heat Ray wasn't enough. Within days, humanity is on the brink, with the Martians starting to capture people to use as food. The red weed that has travelled with them from their home planet also starts to thrive and overrun the countryside. It is all our narrator can do just to keep out of their way and survive without going insane. This book is very dark, holding nothing back from the reader as it describes the Martians and their activities, as well as the impact their invasion has upon humanity which pretty much goes to pieces both physically and mentally. However, this book is a great read and hard to put down. So ahead of its time, it still holds up today and, quite frankly, I feel is much more realistic in terms of the final outcome than something like the ridiculously gung-ho Independence Day (as enjoyable as that is). I heartily recommend this book which, if, like me, you only know parts of the story from the epic Jeff Wayne musical interpretation of it, will help to fill in some of the detail and get you closer to the action. The daddy of science fiction!

POPSUGAR Challenge 2018 prompt 22: A book with alliteration in the title. 

My STAR rating: FOUR.

Length: 180 print pages.
Price I paid: free.
Formats available: print, unabridged audio download, MP3-CD, ebook.