Set In Darkness - murder and politics!

In the eleventh outing for Detective Inspector John Rebus, the action centres around Queensbury House, which is about to become the site of the new Scottish parliament. Our grumpy, single minded hero is assigned as liaison officer to the politicians while the building work continues, a role he doesn't not relish. But things start to get more interesting when a body is found hidden in the fireplace of the old building. It turns out the body has been there for a couple of decades, but when the fresh body of Scottish MP Roddy Grieve turns up in the garden outside, a second investigation begins. Thrown into the mix is the suicide of a homeless man, whose possessions reveal that he has a building society account worth £400,000. Three different teams are working on the three deaths, but Rebus is increasingly convinced that they are linked. Rebus manages to occasionally inspire, but mostly annoy his cast of supporting characters. We have a welcome return for Siobhan Clarke, who is starting to show traits she may well have picked up from her mentor. And new boy Derek Linford, is a highly ambitious, but creepy detective who, needless to say, rubs Rebus up the wrong way. The plot of Set In Darkness is wide ranging and complex, and is sometimes a little hard to keep track of. But it is well worth the effort. Ian Rankin's gritty, clever writing brings the seedy underbelly of both politics and Edinburgh into sharp focus. As usual, there are plenty of twists and turns and red herrings. The return of the notorious criminal Big Ger Rafferty, with whom Rebus has a strangely close relationship, feels like it might be giving us hints of the dangerous territory Rebus might find himself going into in the next book in the series ... but I'll just have to wait and see! As always, a pleasure to read and a most definite page turner.

My STAR rating: FOUR.

Length: 496 print pages.
Price I paid: free, borrowed from my husband.
Formats available: print, unabridged audio download, audio CD, ebook.

The Tidal Zone - shattered lives!

This book was a bit of a punt - it was on offer and, I am pleased to report, I have not been disappointed. The story centres around Adam and his family who are going about their normal routine - he writes, his wife is a doctor and their two daughters are still at school - when their lives are turned upside down by a phone call from the elder daughter's school reporting that there had been an "incident". This, it turns out, was when Mim stopped breathing and had to be resuscitated. Now in hospital and undergoing tests, she is feeling okay again, and just wants to go home. As the test continue over days and weeks, she becomes increasingly truculent and bored. However, for Adam, the realisation that his bright, beautiful daughter could cease to be at any moment is earth shattering. He tries to distract himself with his work, researching the devastation wrought on the city of Coventry by bombing raids during World War II and the rebuilding of its Cathedral as a symbol of hope and fortitude. This story of renewal parallels what's happening in his own family, as they find a way to move forward despite the potentially life threatening condition that blights them. The Tidal Zone, by Sarah Moss is written with heart and may appear delicate, but it packs a punch about the important things in life. The characters are believable, although I did get irritated with the wife who seemed to be one step removed from the family at all times. The attention to detail within Adam's research was excellent and I found this element just as interesting as the "drama". Although I enjoyed the book while reading it, it hasn't really stayed with me as much as I was expecting it to. With one exception, it has left me with a real desire to go and visit Coventry Cathedral again - which is no bad thing as far as I'm concerned!

My STAR rating: THREE.

Length: 336 print pages.
Price I paid: £2.98.
Formats available: print, unabridged audio download, audio CD, ebook.

Miss Garnet's Angel - An absolute delight

When Julia Garnet retires from teaching, she unexpectedly inherits a substantial amount of money from her long time companion. Julia had always been the cautious one of the two, but now at a loose end and with money in her pocket, she decides to go to Venice to see if she can live a different kind of life. She develops feelings for a man who has taken her under his wing and shown her around the city, but her budding hopes are dashed when she gets the distinct impression that he is gay. However, he has helped her to appreciate the beauty of Venice and she finds herself drawn to the ever-present figure of the Angel Raphael. She endeavours to find out more about Raphael and why he seems to be everywhere in Venice. This leads her to acquire two young friends who are restoring one of the churches, and she becomes involved in the drama surrounding their relationship. Alongside the action in present day Venice, the story is interspersed with the ancient tale of Tobias, who travels to Media accompanied by the Archangel Raphael - although he is unaware of this. This book takes us on both a physical and spiritual journey with Miss Garnet as she begins to blossom in a far off city. There is so much to like about this book, which is gentle, but never dull. Miss Garnet's Angel, by Salley Vickers is definitely a love letter to Venice, but also to the idea that no matter how old you are, your life can take you in an unexpectedly fulfilling direction - you just have to take that first step! A thoroughly enjoyable read and I was a bit sad to finish it.

My STAR rating: FOUR.

Length: 342 print pages.
Price I paid: free, borrowed from my Mum.
Formats available: print, unabridged audio download, audio CD, ebook.

A Far Cry From Kensington - an evocation of 1950s London

Set in the mid 1950s, A Far Cry From Kensington by Muriel Spark brings to life a time and place where people were trying to recover after the devastation of the Second World War. Our narrator is Agnes "Nancy" Hawkins - although no-one uses her first name. She is a young, rather portly, war widow working in publishing, but, as was common at the time, she is living in one room of a house with other disparate people. Everyone sees Mrs Hawkins as a trustworthy, reliable individual - someone you can go to with your troubles and who would be good in a crisis. Her best friend is Millie, the landlady, with whom she spends many companionable evenings. Things are ticking along nicely until she encounters Hector Bartlett - a wannabe author whose writing is atrocious and she rejects his manuscript in the strongest of terms, in the course of which she coins an unflattering phrase to describe him. Unfortunately for Mrs Hawkins, Hector is "attached" to a very well known author who wields much power in the relatively small world of publishing, with the result that her little outburst causes her to lose not one, but two jobs. While this is happening, unsettling things start to happen at her lodgings with one of the residents, a Polish dressmaker, becoming more and more unstable. Events start to unravel, and it's not until much later that Mrs Hawkins realises how woven together all these apparently random events actually are. This book is highly enjoyable, with a cracking narrator in Mrs Hawkins, and an excellent supporting cast, all of whom are totally believable. It is evocative of the time and place and is full of detail about post-war London and the publishing world of that time. There is light and shade and dodgy dealings, but also a sense of optimism that things can get better. It's the first book by Muriel Spark that I have read, but I'm sure it won't be my last.

My STAR rating: FOUR.

Length: 208 print pages.
Price I paid: £2.98.
Formats available: print, unabridged audio download, audio CD, ebook.

The Curse of the House of Foskett - Victorian-era crime fighters!

Having enjoyed the first book in the Gower Street Detective Series, I decided to dip my toe back into Victorian London and spend some more time with incredibly rude and uncivil detective, Sidney Grice, and his long-suffering ward, March Middleton. The Curse of the House of Foskett, by M.R.C. Kasasian begins with Sideny's reputation in tatters after leading an innocent man to the gallows in his previous case. No one wants to hire him and he is not taking it well. A new case is just what he needs, so when a gentleman comes calling to hire Sidney to investigate the Final Death Society, and promptly drops dead during the meeting, he couldn't be happier! Even better, it turns out that the man has been murdered. Sidney and March delve into this society where a distinguished group of people have clubbed together with the intention that the last one left alive inherits all the money. However, it seems one member of the Society isn't willing to wait for nature to take its course, for when Sydney and March try to speak to the various members, they discover that they too have been murdered, and in such a way as to implicate Sydney in the deadly deed. Despite the increasingly grisly nature of each crime, this book is full of laughs and clever touches. However, the incredibly un-PC statements made by Sydney did sometimes grate with me, and I wondered why on earth March puts up with them. But it becomes apparent that she is more than a match for him, and is a perfect foil for the socially inept man who has taken her in. During the course of the novel, we also find out more about March's past, which really helps round her out. There were also hints that Sydney does have a heart somewhere beneath his bluster and apparent coldness, which could help to make him a more sympathetic character. The action rolls along at great pace, and this is an entertaining read - but it might be a while before I can face Sydney and his acerbic tongue once again.

My STAR rating: FOUR.

Length: 416 print pages.
Price I paid: £2.99.
Formats available: print, unabridged audio download, MP3-CD, ebook.

Berlin Red - A bit too neatly wrapped?

Berlin Red, by Sam Eastland is, I have just discovered, the SEVENTH book in a series featuring Inspector Pekkala, a detective from Stalinist Russia. This came as a bit of a surprise to me as the book works perfectly well as a stand-alone story. It's April 1945 and the Red Army is on the verge of overrunning Berlin and finally defeating the Third Reich. Holed up in his bunker, Hitler is buoyed by the news that his scientists have perfected the guidance system for the V-2 rocket - and is convinced that this super-weapon could turn the tide of the War back in his favour. However, the message he received has been intercepted by a British listening post and they immediately set one of their extremely well-placed spies the delicate task of acquiring the plans to this "Diamondstream". But they realise that to get both the spy and those plans safely out of Berlin, they'll need the help of one man - Inspector Pekkala, Stalin's finest investigator. Meanwhile, Hitler suspects that there is a traitor in the ranks, as small bits of information keep leaking out, so he assigns his own highly skilled detective, Major Kirov, to trace the source. It's now a race to see who finds the spy first, but for Pekkala, the stakes couldn't be higher, as she is none other than the woman he had planned to marry before the Russian Revolution got in the way. This is a taught thriller, set against the horror of war. It weaves fact with fiction in an extremely convincing manner and whilst some of the characters may be a bit one-dimensional, there are some excellent ones too, particularly the villainous ones. It's grim and gritty, with a bit of romance thrown in for good measure. Yes, there are twists and turns, and a certain amount of tension, but I never really felt that the main characters wouldn't attain their goal and make it out alive. A good read, though maybe a little too neatly wrapped up at the end, possibly because it is likely to be the last in the series. We shall see! I did enjoy this, and it may be interesting to see earlier books in the series, but that won't be happening this year as I try to get through the mountain of books already nesting in my house!

My STAR rating: FOUR.

Length: 384 print pages.
Price I paid: free, borrowed from the library as an ebook.
Formats available: print, unabridged audio download, ebook.

Welcome to 2019

Happy New Year to one and all. Let's hope for a better one than 2018 turned out to be! During the last 12 months, I have been working my way through The Popsugar Reading Challenge, which contained 40 book prompts designed to broaden your reading. The prompts ranged from "a book about feminism" to "a book with alliteration in the title". Whilst I didn't get through all 40 of them (there were a couple of really, really long books in there which slowed me down!), I did manage to finish 31, so not too bad. It helped me find a new author (Madeleine Miller) whose books were a delight, and rediscover the work of an author I haven't read in years (John Irving). I read books I wouldn't have gone near without the Popsugar prompts, so the goal of expanding my reading horizons was achieved. HOWEVER, what this has now meant is that the pile of unread books in my house has not gone away and so this year, I will be delving back into those patiently waiting tomes in the hope that I can reclaim some much needed storage space.

Bring it on ...