Mystery Man - Darkly entertaining!

Mystery Man, by Colin Bateman, is the story of the owner of No Alibis, a Belfast bookshop that specialises in crime fiction. Written in the first person, we discover that he is a total hypochondriac and pretty much scared of everything. He's also totally obsessed with Alison, the woman who works in the jewellery shop across the road. Next door to his shop is a detective agency which seems to have gone bust, and its clients begin to come into the bookshop, assuming our Mystery Man (you never get to know his name) can pick up where the detective left off and solve their case. He has read enough books to assume he'd be able to pull an investigation off, as long as the cases don't involve any danger. So, he takes one on - the case of a missing wife who, he assumes, has just run off with a new lover. But, in an effort to impress Alison, he goes along with her idea to break in next door to get a glimpse of the real detectives files, only to find his dead body mouldering away under a pile of car fresheners. This catapults them into the midst of a deadly plot by a serial killer to eliminate anyone who may know a long hidden secret dating back to Nazi concentration camps ... and they soon realise that they are now on the list! This is very entertaining caper with many light moments, despite the bodies! Our "hero" gives a running dialogue of all the action as well as his innermost thoughts, and while it might seem impossible (both to him and the reader) that anyone could fall for him ... Alison steps up to the mark with her bravery, good sense and can do attitude. They make a good, if unusual team and the dialogue sparkles between them. A murder mystery with a difference, and one that keeps you guessing for the vast majority of the book. The writer is obviously a fan of crime fiction and drops in details for the aficionado ... but it won't really matter if they pass you by, they do not interfere with the action which bowls along a a good pace. I used the audio edition which was narrated by Stephen Armstrong, which was really easy to listen to. A very entertaining read all round, particularly for those who like their humour on the dark side!

My STAR rating: FOUR

Length: 416 print pages.

Price I paid: £4.00.

Formats available: print, unabridged audiobook, ebook.

The Revenge of Seven - A bit disappointing!

The Revenge of Seven, by Pittacus Lore is book 5 of the Lorien Legacies. I started this series a good few years ago, and decided to dip back into it as I needed something light and easy to digest for a wee while. And this is definitely a book that will not tax the old brain cells too much. The story of the Loric Garde (youngsters from the planet Lorien who have been brought to Earth to escape the destruction of their planet by the Mogadorians) picks up pretty much where the last one ended - Eight is dead (killed by Five), Ella has been captured, and the rest of the Garde are on the run. Ella discovers that she is on a Mogadorian spaceship in the clutches of their leader, Setrakus Ra, who tells her that he is her grandfather! His genetic modifications have created the creature she sees before her and he wants to mould her to become like him, and rule the Earth together. Ella wants nothing more than to escape ... and if she can kill Setrakus Ra, and the traitor Five (who is also on the ship), in the process even better. Meanwhile, Four (John Smith) is trying to reunite the remaining Garde, so he sets out for Florida to find Six, Nine and Marina, but is sidetracked into going to New York to try and foil an apparent plot by high ranking humans to invite the Mogadorians to Earth, which will then result in an invasion. But nothing is quite what it seems and it is already too late - they are already here ... and a big battle takes place. While all of this is happening, Six, Marina and Nine head to Calakmul, where they discover that "Lorien" is not a planet, but an entity, and it has started to spread across the Earth ... will it be in time to save humanity? Tune in next time ...! Whilst there is a lot going on, the plot seemed to drag and felt little repetitive at times. I remember being much more invested in the characters in the previous books ... maybe I've left it too long between readings! Or maybe I've grown out of them. Now I am debating whether to continue with the series and invest any more time into it ... even though I have already invested so much. I do want to find out what happens to the characters but, for once, I found some of the narration in the audio edition off-putting and unsubtle in places - one of the narrators was very shouty and one-dimensional! Not the best read of the year so far, by a long way.

My STAR rating: THREE.

Length: 320 print pgages.

Price I paid: £7.99

Formats available: print, unabridged audio download, ebook.

Once Upon A River - unsettling, yet compelling!

Once Upon A River, by Diane Setterfield felt almost like a fable or some ancient story that has been passed down the generations by word of mouth. This is not surprising, as the scene is set in The Swan, a public house on the Thames, where the locals delight in telling stories to each other. But one midwinter's night, the door bursts open and reveals an injured man holding the corpse of a drowned child. Rita, a local healer, steps in and tends to the injured man and takes the child into another room and stays with her - but then, to everyone's surprise, the child begins to breathe and opens her eyes! She does not speak and is not injured in any way, but nobody knows who the child belongs to. Word spreads about the child, which results in several families making claim to her - announcing her to be the daughter they had previously thought lost or stolen. Even though there is something otherworldly about the child, everyone is drawn to her - including Rita, and the injured man - Henry Daunt - who is a photographer, and saved the child from the river. Time goes by and the child settles in with a young couple who believed she was their child, but that is not the end of it and the claims and counterclaims continue - with greed, grief and opportunity to make money all  playing their part. But what is the real story and where will it lead? This story ebbs and flows, just like the river, around which the story revolves. Full of emotion, fascinating characters and a touch of the supernatural, it takes you on a journey which shows both the best and worst of humanity. Thoroughly enjoyable, though it would have been nice to have a few more lighter moments as there were passages of relentless dourness where the hope of a happy resolution seemed a million miles away. Gripping, despite the lack of "action", I can definitely recommend this book, particularly the audio edition narrated by the incomparable Juliet Stevenson. 

My STAR rating: FOUR.

Length: 544 print pages.

Price I paid: £3.99.

Formats available: print, unabridged audio download, ebook.

Project Hail Mary - Out of This World!

Project Hail Mary, by Andy Weir is a tour-de-force piece of writing ... in my humble opinion! The book opens with Ryland Grace walking up and not really knowing where he is. He assesses his surroundings and soon comes to the realisation that he is in a space craft, travelling through a galaxy he doesn't recognise and that his fellow crew mates are both dead. He knows he has been asleep a long time, the kind of induced deep sleep that can play havoc with your memory. But as he comes to terms with what supplies he has, how to work the equipment, etc, pieces of his former life start to emerge ... and it is exceedingly worrying. It turns out that he has gone from being a science teacher to being sent on mission to save Earth from an extra terrestrial threat. His personal journey, both before and, now, during the mission is funny, intense and scary in equal measures. And when he discovers that he is not actually alone after all, it sets up an amazing first contact story into the bargain! Full of action, heart, and lots of zingers, this is such a thrilling read where the device of his fuzzy memory enables us, the reader,  to discover things at the same time as the main character - both the good, the bad and indeed, the ugly at times. Packed with science too, but explained in such an accessible way, it's a book for anyone - space nerd, thrill seeker or fans of unexpected friendships. Although set in space, it's a very human story too. Can you tell I enjoyed it? I read the audio edition, narrated by Ray Porter, which was fabulous, particularly the communication between Ryland and his unusual ally. Highly, HIGHLY recommended.

My STAR rating: FIVE.

Length: 496 prints pages.

Price I paid: £2.98.

Formats available: print, unabridged audio download, ebook.

Dog Stories - Something for Everyone!

Dog Stories, edited by Diana Secker Tesdell is a collection of twenty short stories featuring our four legged friend, the dog. From well known authors like Mark Twain and Anton Chekhov to those who may not be so familiar (or at least not for me!) such as Brad Watson and Rick Bass. It's a real mixed bag of tales (or tails if you prefer), some serious, some funny and some a little dark and spooky. My personal favourites were "The Mixer", by P.G. Woodhouse, "Ava's Apartment", by Jonathan Lethem and "The Oracle of the Dog", by G.K. Chesterton. Although I didn't fully embrace each and every story, this didn't present me with a problem because, being a book of short stories, I knew another one was coming along soon. This gave me multiple opportunities for that hopeful feeling of eager anticipation that happens when you start reading something new. The book is one of the Everyman's Pocket Classics, and it's a beautiful hardback that feels great to hold, with an adorable cover of an incredibly soulful-looking terrier - those eyes just suck you right in! If you are a dog fan, then this is a must. But even if you are not, each story explores the human condition just as much as the canine one, and it's also a great introduction to the writing styles of all the authors included. Well worth the effort.

My STAR rating: FOUR.

Length: 378 print pages.

Price I paid: free - this was a present.

Formats available: print only.

False Value - Huzzah!

False Value by Ben Aaronovitch is book 8 in the Rivers of London series and it was an absolute pleasure to be back in the world of the magical underbelly of London, where those crimes and criminals who utilise the dark arts to get ahead are dealt with by a very special unit of the Metropolitan Police. Peter Grant, a PC who became the Met's first trainee wizard in 50 years is about to become a father with his partner, Bev, a river goddess, and is worrying over what this will mean for them as a couple and the new baby. He is sent undercover as a security guard in a tech company - the Serious Cybernetics Corporation - trying to ascertain whether there is link to some dangerous magic/tech incidents that have been taking place. The plot takes us all the way back to Ada Lovelace and Charles Babbage, and thrusts us forward to sentient AI ... and who knows where all that will end? I love the character of Peter Grant and his often world weary outlook, which is fantastically brought to life by Kobna Holdbrook-Smith in the audiobook edition which I always use for this series. There is always humour amidst the detecting and criminal behaviour parts, which means that things can be kept a little lighter than your standard straight thriller - though that's not to say that there aren't dark elements too! I'm not sure this one made me chuckle as much as some of the others have, but that may be because I missed out on some of the "in-jokes" referencing Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy, by Douglas Adams - while I do love that tome, I don't know it well enough to catch such things. However, that didn't detract from my enjoyment and I will certainly be diving into the water of this series again before too long!

My STAR rating: FIVE.

Length: 432 print pages.

Price I paid: £5.56.

Formats available: print, unabridged audio download, ebook.

Various Pets Alive & Dead - Am I Missing Something?

Various Pets Alive & Dead, by Marina Lewycka is the story of a most unusual family. Doro and Marcus (the parents) lived in a commune for 20 years and thought they would change the world with free love and lentils. But that didn't happen. Their children, Serge and Clara rebelled against this - one by being obsessed with making a boatload of money and the other by being ferociously hygienic. Also into this mix is Ollie-Anna, adopted as a baby in the commune, who has Down's Syndrome, and is desperately seeking more independence, mainly, it feels, in order to have sex. To say this family is dysfunctional is an understatement. There isn't really much of a plot, but lots of sequences focusing on the different characters both in the present and in flashback. All of them have struggles and get themselves into a variety of increasingly unlikely situations. The writing is engaging, and I kind of enjoyed reading this at the time, but on reflection, it isn't a book whose characters have stayed with me in any shape or form. I saw loads of reviews from people saying how funny this book is, but I didn't really find it so ... am I missing something ... have I had a humour bypass? I actually found it sad - maybe that says more about me than about the book! Yes, it's quirky, but I found it hard to relate to almost all of the characters and found many of them irritating and a little foolish - maybe that's where the humour can be found, but it just didn't tickle my particular funny bone.

My STAR rating: THREE.

Length: 384 print pages.

Price I paid: free, borrowed from my husband.

Formats available: print, unabridged audio download, audio CD, ebook.