The Foundling - A Good Yarn

The Foundling, by Stacey Halls is set in mid 18th Century London where, six years after leaving her illegitimate daughter Clara at a Foundling Hospital, Bess Bright returns to claim her ... only to be told that she has already claimed her baby almost immediately after leaving her there. Bess is determined to find out how this could happen, and where her daughter is. Cut to Alexandra, a young widow who barely leaves her home for fear of what might happen on the streets. She is persuaded by her friend, Dr Mead (who works at the Foundling Hospital), to employ a nursemaid to help care for her daughter, Charlotte. The new nursemaid seems to have an instant bond with the girl, something Alexandra struggles to comprehend as she is a strict and almost hands off type of mother. Of course, all is not what it seems and everyone's life is turned up side down when the truth and trauma begins to unravel. This is an emotionally charged historical novel with heartbreaking moments. The characters are well drawn, though I found it hard to warm to Alexandra for quite some time. Full of detail about the society of the time and the huge divide between the haves and the have nots, this will please the history buffs. While the story is interesting, it wasn't difficult to see where things were heading and I'm not entirely sure that the ending was completely satisfactory, but it was still a good yarn. I did enjoy the audio edition, which has two narrators - each representing the narrative as told by the two main characters.

My STAR rating: FOUR.

Length: 400 print pages.

Price I paid: £4.00.

Formats available: print, unabridged audio download, ebook.

Slow Horses - Masterful

Slow Horses by Mick Herron is the first in the "Slough House" spy series which centres on a drab outpost of the UK's Intelligence Service where disgraced spies are sent to push paper for the rest of their career. But when a boy is kidnapped and his beheading is threatened to be shown live on TV, something nags at them that this links to the work they've been assigned to rake through the bins of a right wing journalist and it sets them off on a breathless journey to save the boy and maybe their careers too! Leading the team is Jackson Lamb, a disgustingly rude and unhygienic man who seems to hate everyone and everything, but, remarkably, is protective of his people and will not play by the rules to do so. He also gets the best lines! His team includes River Cartwright, a young spy whose failure during a training exercise landed him at Slough House, but he is convinced that he was fed false information on purpose by a colleague who wanted him out of the way. He is incredibly motivated to show HQ that he really doesn't belong in Slough House, but his impetuosity threatens to land him in yet more trouble. Full of snappy dialogue, strong characters of all creeds, enough intrigue and dirty tricks to shake a stick at, and all mixed together with moments of breakneck action, this incredibly well written novel is an unputdownable thriller that will not disappoint. Even if you have seen the TV adaptation, I would urge you to read the book as it provides greater depth to each character. But be warned ... you may end up having some very late nights trying to reach a suitable place to pause for breath - as they are few and far between! I cannot wait to dive into the rest of the series.

My STAR rating: FIVE. 

Length: 328 print pages.

Price I paid: free, was a gift.

Formats available: print, unabridged audio download, ebook.

Amongst Our Weapons - Pure Escapism!

Amongst Our Weapons, by Ben Aaronovitch is the ninth book in the Rivers of London series, and it does not disappoint. An unusual murder takes place at the London Silver Vaults, but despite the massive amount of security there, the murderer vanishes without a trace. DC Peter Grant of the Special Assessment Unit is assigned under the supervision of DCI Thomas Nightingale of course. The investigation takes a nasty turn when another body turns up with the same injuries that could only have been caused by something supernaturally extraordinary - which is right up Peter's alley. All roads lead to a trip "up north". Unfortunately, at the same time as all this is going on, Peter's partner Beverly (who is a river goddess) is due to give birth to twins and she has given him explicit instructions not to miss the event. While she makes preparations, including the digging of a massive birthing pool, Peter must track down what seems to be an avenging angel determined to destroy a group of people who delved into things they shouldn't have delved into during their student days. And why is Peter's old colleague and current nemesis, Leslie, so interested in what's happening too? This story is full of magic, history and reveals more and more back story of the main characters, who are now so familiar that they feel like old friends and it's fun to spend time with them once again. Snappy dialogue soaked with wit, a complex plot, lots of action and intrigue, plus talking foxes obsessed with snacks - who could ask for more? A delight and a worthy addition to the series - but if you haven't dived into the Rivers of London tales before, I would urge you to start with book one. Once again, I read the audio, which was fantastically narrated by Kobna Holdbrook-Smith.

My STAR rating: FIVE.

Length: 432 print pages.

Price I paid: £1.99

Formats available: print, unabridged audio download, ebook. 

The Salt Path - A Celebration of Nature and Love

The Salt Path by Raynor Winn is a memoir based on the experiences of the author and her husband, Moth. Just days after they learn that Moth is terminally ill with CBD (Corticobasal Degeneration, a neurological disorder), they lose both their home and livelihood. Now homeless and virtually penniless after a failed legal battle to save their home, they make an impulsive decision to walk the South West Coast Path - all 630 miles of it (well, it is Somerset to Dorset via Devon and Cornwall) - with only the stuff they can carry on their backs. They soon discover that this is no easy stroll. The steep and scary ups and downs may be scenic, and the passing holidaymakers might enjoy the scorching weather, but it's not as much fun when you are carrying a heavy load and neglected to bring any suncream. Food, water and a place to rest their heads in their small tent are a constant worry, and they are permanently hungry and soon tire of noodles! However, as they walk, they experience the wonders of nature and the kindness of strangers and something unexpected happens - Moth starts to both move and feel better in himself. Slowly but surely, they come to terms with their situation and, if possible, become even closer than they were before. This book is both inspirational and irritating at times. It is, after all, an opinion piece and therefore, if you don't like the author's opinions, you may not like parts of this book. But, overall, the epic trek is one of resilience in the face of an unknown future, the continual slog with little money and not knowing where (or even if) you would sleep at the end of each day is gripping. I raced through it at speed (something Ray and Moth definitely did not do) and would definitely recommend this to anyone who is facing a major change in their life, or indeed anyone considering such a challenging walk! Being in nature can be incredibly healing, and sometimes, just putting one foot in front of the other is an achievement worth celebrating. 

My STAR rating: FOUR.

Length: 288 print pages.

Price I paid: free, borrowed from a friend.

Formats available: print, unabridged audio download, ebook.

Fifteen Dogs - What If Dogs Were More Human?

Fifteen Dogs, by Andre Alexis is a book that was gifted to me and I'm so pleased it was, because I might not have picked it up otherwise ... although I do love dogs, so perhaps it would have eventually found its way to me by another route. Anyhow, no matter how it reached me, I'm very happy! The gods Hermes and Apollo are in a bar, arguing about what would happen if animals had human intelligence. Apollo bets that this would result in the animals being even unhappier than humans - and Hermes takes on the bet that if only one of the animals dies happy, then he wins. And so, as they pass a local veterinary clinic, they give the 15 dogs inside human intelligence. Now capable of human thought, the dogs escape and become a pack in a local park. Some do not adapt and die very quickly, others embrace their new life and start spouting poetry, and others want to reimpose dogginess onto the pack and stage a violent coup. We then follow the survivors - one of whom is taken in by a couple and he becomes very close the the woman ... and even learns to converse with her. But when the dog meets one of his former pack, things do not end well. Often heartbreaking, but also sprinkled with humour, this is a really interesting and absorbing read and is definitely a "what if ..." type of book. The characters are distinct and are an intriguing mix of human and dog. The only reason I didn't give this five stars was that it was a little bitty - I think I would have liked there to be less dogs overall, and then to be able to spend more time with each of them. Some dogs appeared and were gone in the blink of an eye ... which, I suppose is a reflection of "fate" ... we never know what's around the corner! This had a beautiful cover and the edition I read felt lovely in the hand. Do any of the dogs die happy? Well, you'll just have to read to find out.

My STAR rating: FOUR.

Length: 161 print pages.

Price I paid: Free, was a gift.

Formats available: print, unabridged audio download, ebook.

Revelation - Pure Class!

Revelation, by C.J. Sansom is the fourth book in the historical murder mystery series set in Tudor times featuring lawyer, Matthew Shardlake. It's 1843, and Henry VIII is wooing Catherine Parr, who he wants for his sixth wife. Archbishop Cranmer is watching closely, as Henry is sliding back towards the old religion, whereas Catherine has reformist sympathies. Meanwhile, Shardlake has taken on the case of a teenager who has been confined in Bedlam, and who spends all his time praying - is he a religious zealot, is he possessed or is he just ill? Then, an old friend is horrifically murdered and this leads Shardlake to discover a similar murder that had been covered up due to its proximity to Catherine Parr. Shardlake is asked to keep the cases secret to protect the Crown, something he does reluctantly, not wanting to get sucked back into the royal politics all over again. However, as more bodies start turning up, it is apparent that there is a serial killer on the loose who seems obsessed with delivering the torments written in the Book of Revelation. Shardlake, together with his assistant, Jack Barak, and his old friend, Dr Malton, work together with the King's coroner to solve the case. Well, what can I say about this book ...  from the very first paragraph, you know you are in the hands of a brilliant author. This is classy story telling at its very best, with believable characters, a plot full of twists and turns and plenty of historical content. We have a few subplots with Shardlake showing his soft side with the widow of his friend (is love on the horizon in a future book?), Barak and his wife at odds, and Dr Malton developing a potentially dangerous relationship with his new assistant. We are kept guessing as to the villain of the piece and what his true motives are, and boy oh boy, he truly is a villain - the murders are horrific and not for the faint hearted. Despite the gruesomeness at times, this is a fantastic read and I can thoroughly recommend that if you haven't sallied into this series, you must do so as a matter of some urgency.  Truly excellent!

My STAR rating: FIVE.

Length: 672 print pages.

Price I paid: Free, borrowed from my husband.

Formats available: print, unabridged audio download, ebook.

The Starless Sea - Beautiful But Confusing!

The Starless Sea, by Erin Morgenstern is primarily the story of Zachary Rawlins who stumbles across a strange book hidden in his university library that leads him into an amazing adventure. There are tales of lost cities, lovelorn prisoners and, remarkably, a memory from his own childhood. Following the clues contained both on and in the book, he ends up at a masquerade ball, then a secret club and finally into a subterranean labyrinth where there are many, many stories being held behind many doors. (Doors are a theme - how opening them can lead you to a different world, or shut you out from another.) We encounter various characters and their narratives appear and disappear from chapter to chapter. Zachary meets the love of his life in the process and it feels like his quest is to save... something ... the stories ... the labyrinth ... himself? The book is beautifully written and I loved certain passages, but then, just as I was relaxing into it and felt like I knew what was going on, we'd shift to other characters or other times and places. Very disconcerting. It interrupted the fluidity and mood and I found it really hard to get into the book for quite some time. I'm glad I persisted though, but maybe this is a book that would merit from a second reading as I expect I missed quite a lot of hints and clues on first read. And what is it with the owls? I don't feel like this was explained ... or if it was, it went over my head. I really wanted to love this book, but I didn't, and the ending left me a little on the discombobulated side. I have found it very hard to write this post because I am still not sure what was going on. So, a book to enjoy for the beautiful passages of writing, but be warned, it may leave you scratching your head. 

My STAR rating: THREE.

Length: 498 print pages.

Price I paid: free, borrowed from my husband.

Formats available: print, unabridged audio download, ebook.