Lethal White - In Safe Hands!

Lethal White by Robert Galbraith is the fourth book in the Cormorant Strike series. In this outing, it's 2012, London is gripped with Olympic fever and Strike is having to deal with a certain notoriety following the case he and Robin solved in the previous book. Then, Billy, a troubled young man asks for Strike's help to investigate a terrible crime he thinks he witnessed as a child - but before any real details can be gleaned, he bolts from the office. Not long after, Strike is contacted by a government minister who is receiving disturbing threats, and Robin Elliot - his former assistant and now partner in the business - goes undercover in Westminster. What appear to be two different cases seem to have a common link in the form of Billy's brother. But was there a crime all those years ago, or just the mixed up memories of a disturbed mind ... and what has that got to do with the minister? Strike and Robin are a great pairing, but their relationship is strained at the beginning of the book - with Robin now married to Matthew and Strike seeing someone. However, as the various cases in the book develop, so do their private lives and both end up in a different place to where we started. This is such a well written book, with twists and turns and characters full of vim and vinegar, whose dialogue is sharp and realistic. We also see class and privilege being explored and exposed for the unsavoury situations they create in society. The relationship between Strike and Robin is very well observed and the reader cannot help but root for them - both in their work and personal life. There is bravery in the face of pain and danger and the ending is immensely satisfying. Even though it is a long book, I almost didn't want it to finish and I'm really looking forward to finding out what happens next!

My STAR rating: FIVE.

Length: 784 print pages.

Price I paid: free, borrowed from my husband.

Formats available: print, unabridged audio download, ebook.

Proven Guilty - Never fear, Harry's here!

Proven Guilty, by Jim Butcher, is the 8th book in the Dresden Files series. Harry Dresden, the Chicago-based Wizard/Private Eye is once more called upon to save the day ... and possibly, the universe! Although Harry has few friends on the White Council of Wizards, due to the bloody and continuing war with the vampires thinning out their numbers, he is made a warden and is called upon to investigate rumours of black magic in the city. He comes across a Horror Film convention, and it is there that beings from the Never Never are utilising fear to enable them to cross into the human world and wreak mayhem. Mixed up in all of this is Molly, the daughter of his friend Michael, the wielder of one of the holy swords ... it turns out that she has magic and has used it on two people, with unintentional bad consequences - which makes her a target for prosecution and probable execution by the Council of Wizards. Can Harry save the city and Molly too? But to do so means crossing into the Faerie Kingdom of Mab, the Queen of the Winter Court who is decidedly unhinged. This book has so much going on, but it brings together many characters that we have become familiar with. There's Murphy, the cop who Harry regularly works with and with whom he has a flirtatiously deep connection that's always been there in the background but never quite come to fruition. In addition, there's his faithful dog, Mouse; Bob, his talking skull; and Thomas, his vampiric brother, who all pull together to keep Harry from killing himself. Surprisingly, previous bit part player, Charity, the mother of Molly, comes into this book much more. She and Harry really don't get on, but with Molly's life on the line, all enmity is put to one side. The characters may be familiar, but they are growing all the time with new information or sides we've not seen before. The black humour is very much to the fore, which cuts through the danger and scary creatures. It's a roller coaster ride of action and sarcasm, but there are also quiet and tender moments that give this book a huge hunk of heart. As always, the audiobook is excellently narrated by James Marsters - I can't think of Harry Dresden without his voice in my head now! If you like a bit of magic, monsters and detective work, this could be the series for you. But, I would recommend that you start from the first book, as you would lose out on the complexities of the relationships and situations Harry gets himself into ... there are a lot of threads that run through the series that pop up and are expanded upon with time. One of my favourite series and I'm already looking forward to the next thrilling instalment.

My STAR rating: FIVE.

Length: 496 print pages.

Price I paid: £7.99.

Formats available: print, unabridged audio download, ebook.

The Romantic - a lifetime of missed chances

The Romantic, by William Boyd follows the extraordinary life of Cashell Greville Ross. Born in 1799, he spends his childhood in County Cork where he lives with his aunt ... who, it turns out, is actually his mother. Cashell moves to London with his family and life becomes a little more complicated when his "aunt" seems to have suddenly acquired a husband and gives birth to two sons. Cashell thinks these are his cousins, but he later finds out that they are his brothers. All very confusing for a young man, and, despite a promising academic career, he decides to get away from it all by joining the army. And what do you know, he ends up at the battle of Waterloo where he is injured and sent back home. This experience gives him a certain standing with folk, but he is restless and doesn't really know who he is or where he wants to be. His journeys take him to Italy, where he meets the love of his life who, of course, is married. He leaves her and continues his travels, bumping into Byron and Shelley. He writes about his exploits, which proves successful on the face of it, but is swindled out of his money by the publisher. He joins the East India Company, goes exploring in Africa and eventually he ends up in America. Here he kind of settles down on a farm, gets married and has children, but it doesn't stick ... he has never truly gotten over his first true love ... and he ends up alienating his wife's family who then ruin him, and he is forced to move back to Britain once more ... but, of course, he doesn't stay there and his adventures continue and a further chance of happiness beckons. Over his lifetime he is a soldier, a farmer, a writer and a lover - he definitely lived the life of more than one man! There is so much to like about this book, well written and full of snippets of historical details from around the world. Cashell is a likeable fellow, and people are drawn to him easily, particularly women... but I couldn't quite tell why, as he seemed a little cavalier with the feelings of most people that he met. He seemed to be all in at the start, but then somehow never quite saw anything through. I felt it was definitely told from the male gaze and I really wanted some of the female characters to have a bit more gumption! That said, it was an enjoyable read and it was fun to travel with Cashell for many a mile. There is humour, war, deception, revenge, regret and love ... and a bucket load of  history ... so a little something for everyone!

My STAR rating: FOUR.

Length: 464 print pages.

Price I paid: £3.99.

Formats available: print, unabridged audio download, ebook. 

The Last Bear - Roarsome!

The Last Bear, by Hannah Gold is the story of one girl's fight to save a polar bear who has been stranded on an island due to climate change. April lives with her father, who is a scientist, and both are struggling to connect with each other following the death of April's mother. So, when her father announces that he is going to a remote island in the Arctic to perform research on climate change for 6 months, and that April is going with him, she sees this as a chance to have an adventure while spending quality time with her father. However, when they get there, he is so busy that April spends most of each day by herself. When she's not doing her schoolwork, she decides to explore the island and discovers an injured polar bear. She gains its trust (it's a wonder what peanut butter can do!) and helps to heal it. The two become inseparable and April feels such joy in the company of this wild creature, who teaches her how to roar. But the bear is the only bear on the island, and April comes to realise that he has been alone for many years because, due to global warming, the sea ice that the polar bears would need to reach the island, is not there anymore. April is determined to rescue the bear and puts her own life at risk in order to do so - brave, but not entirely sensible. This is a heartwarming story of friendship and kindness set against the backdrop of the biggest crisis in our world today. Yes it's warm and fuzzy, BUT, it also a battle cry to humanity to get off its bottom and take action to help save our planet and all the vulnerable creatures who inhabit it. April is a feisty main character and Bear is a superb counterfoil - they make a great team. Yes, this is a children's book, and won the Blue Peter Book Awards in 2022, but it is a really good read for adults too. We might not all be in a position do what April did (and, quite frankly, nor should we be!), but we do need to act in whatever way we can to combat the very real and present danger of climate change.

My STAR rating: FOUR.

Length: 288 print pages.

Price I paid: £3.99

Formats available: print, unabridged audio download, ebook. 

A Question of Blood - Rebus is in trouble again!

A Question of Blood, by Ian Rankin (Sir Ian Rankin, no less) is book 14 of the Inspector Rebus series and opens with a shooting incident in a private school north of Edinburgh. Two students are killed, a third (the son of an MP) is injured and the apparent gunman takes his own life. The gunman is Lee Herdman, a former soldier who everyone assumes has been haunted by his past so much that it has resulted in this extreme act of violence. Solving this case is the main feature, but, as always, the story is set against the complicated backdrop that is Inspector John Rebus himself. He's drinking too much, he spends too much time alone and he's just come out of hospital with both hands in bandages within 24 hours of a house fire which killed a local criminal who had been harassing Rebus's colleague Siobhan. So, his bosses are not best pleased with him and, yet again, he is suspended pending investigation. However, this doesn't prevent him from being roped in as a consultant on the school shooting case due to his military background. Something is niggling Rebus about Herdman - not least of which is why are two army investigators on the scene? And things get personal when Rebus realises that one of the victims is a relative. Now he's on a mission and he doesn't care who he offends or upsets as he strives to get to the bottom of things. As always, Ian Rankin gives the reader a lot of storylines - both big and small - that somehow all manage to come together. I like that Siobhan is getting more and more centre stage in these books, as she is a great foil for Rebus, and is a bit of a badass in her own right. I definitely think it helped that I had been reading this series in order, as there points where, without previous knowledge of the characters, things might not have made as much sense. Always enjoyable, although I'm not sure this one quite hit the heights of some of the others. Nevertheless, spending time with this curmudgeonly and deeply flawed policeman is a splendid way to while away the hours.

My STAR rating: FOUR.

Length: 480 print pages.

Price I paid: free, borrowed from my husband.

Formats available: print, unabridged audio download, ebook.

Lily: A Tale of Revenge - Brace yourselves.

Lily: A Tale of Revenge, by Rose Tremain is set in Victorian England and follows the life of Lily, a young woman haunted by her upbringing. Abandoned as a baby on a freezing cold night, she is rescued by a young policeman (Sam Trench) and taken to a Foundling Hospital. She is fostered out to a lovely family in the countryside, but after 6 years, she has to be returned to the Hospital (those are the rules) and she is heartbroken. The treatment of the children in the hospital is brutal, particularly from one of the nurses, and Lily and her best friend decide to try and escape. They almost make it, but are returned and things go from bad to worse. Finally, after years of maltreatment and devoid of any love, Lily is old enough to leave and find work with a wigmaker called Belle Prettywood, who becomes her friend. But when her urge to find her birth mother to find out why she was abandoned begins to overwhelm her, something snaps, and she sets out to take revenge upon one of the people who tormented her the most - the nurse. She happens to reconnect with Sam Trench, and she starts to feel that he may save her again, but the jeopardy is that when he finds out what she's done, she will end up at the end of a noose. Will Lily find freedom and will she ever be happy...? This is a book full of darkness, totally wrapped up in the grim atmosphere of unloving institutions whose treatment of the most vulnerable is shocking. Although heartbreaking in places, the author brings all the characters to life, and we especially root for Lily despite what she has done. There may not be many laughs, but there are the occasional bright spots where hope and love do shine through ... although on a personal note, not quite enough for me! Rose Tremain is a great storyteller, and her books are always worth trying, though, with its almost relentless despair, maybe this isn't the one for you if you are not quite feeling at your most robust! 

My STAR rating: FOUR.

Length: 279 print pages.

Price I paid: £3.99.

Formats available: print, unabridged audio download, ebook.

The Independence of Miss Mary Bennet - for the Bridgerton Generation?

The Independence of Miss Mary Bennet is by Colleen McCullough, and takes the much loved characters brought to life by Jane Austen in Pride and Prejudice, and places them in a new story set 20 years after its conclusion. So, what's happened to all those Bennet sisters? Well, Jane is happily married with a large family; Lizzy and Mr Darcy are a power couple, but the spark has gone out of their marriage; Lydia still has a terrible reputation; Kitty is a popular addition to the London social scene; and Mary ... well, Mary has been quietly taking care of their ailing mother, while voraciously reading anything she can get her hands on. When Mrs Bennet dies, Mary revels in her new-found freedom and, lead by all the knowledge she has gained, intends to write a book about the plight of the poor. She decides that she will visit and interview a whole host of poverty stricken people to help her achieve this. However, Mr Darcy does not approve - fearing she will embarrass his political ambitions. Added to this, Lydia's husband dies and in her addled, grief-stricken state, she blames Darcy and is prepared to bad mouth him to the whole world.   Darcy won't stand for either of these Bennet sisters from ruining his chance of becoming Prime Minister, so tries to bring both women "back in line" with the help of his most trusted, yet sinister friend. So far, so kind of Austen. However, from this point on, things get strange ... on her way to find people to interview, Mary is robbed, kind of rescued, but then abducted by a deranged "holy" man and held prisoner. There's also a string of murders, drugs and dark dealings that are relayed in graphic detail. Oh, and there is also a rumbling romance brewing between Mary and a journalist. All very strange, and while it makes you sit up and take notice, it definitely wasn't what I was expecting. If you love the style of Jane Austen, then this may not be the book for you. Much steamier, as well as including some bizarre bits of plot that felt incredibly unbelievable. Maybe I should have anticipated this from the author, who is best known for her controversial book, The Thorn Birds. However, as a bit of fun and fluff, and for those who are partial to a bit of Bridgerton, it's good to go ... Maybe!

My STAR rating: THREE.

Length: 467 print pages.

Price I paid: £0.50 (from a charity shop)

Formats available: print, unabridged audio CD, ebook.