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Archive for the ‘Book Review’ Category

3 Aug

A Shot in the Dark written by Lynne Truss, a review.

Posted by fenlandphil in A Shot in the Dark., Book Review, Huntingdon, Lynne Truss, Niche Comics Bookshop. Tagged: Book Review, BRIGHTON, Brighton Rock, Constable Twitten, Graham Greene. 2 comments

A little while back I attended an event at Niche Comics Bookshop in Huntingdon, (yes I do visit it often, they are nice people and as I lived in Huntingdon until I got married I know the area). At the event in question, a book launch, Rosie Andrews’s, Puzzle Wood, I bought The Twyford Code by Janice Hallett, however, a mystery shelf with books gift wrapped and a brief description attached attracted my attention, (Blind Date with a Book.)

Tenpted I parted with my five pounds, it was an absolute bargain, because there was a five pound book token wrapped in the packaging, in effect, to celebrate Independent Book Shop Week, it was a book for free.

I waited until the next morning before unwrapping my purchase. The book inside was A Shot in the Dark by Lynne Truss. I have now finished reading the book and loved it.

The book is written about and set in 1950s Brighton, at around and following the time of Graham Green’s Brighton Rock, of which it alludes. Newly graduated, Constable Twitten finds himself at Brighton Police Station. Twitten has been moved from police force to police force on an almost daily basis since qualifying. It soon becomes apparent that Twitten’s keen, insightful approach to policing and crime solving is an irritant to his superior officers which has seen him quickly moved on elsewhere.

Having arrived at Brighton police station then left unsupervised, Twitten leafs through recent crime reports and quickly discovers a pattern in a spate of local burglaries. When he is imprudent enough to share his thoughts with his boss, Inspector Steine, it upsets the inspector creating the possibility that Twitten will be moved on yet again. Since Steine’s famous triumph in the case of the Middle Street Massacre, he holds the opinion that there is no crime in Brighton and isn’t keen to have this view challenged, particularly by Twitten.

A Shot in the Dark, although violent, set as it is in the era of Teddy Boys and serious criminality; its approach is completely off the wall. The activities of a criminal mastermind are well hidden as is the mastermind’s identity. However, when Twitten thinks he has put all the pieces of the jigsaw together his problems are not over. Lynne Truss has assembled a colourful cast of characters including a clever charwoman, a bricklaying strong woman, a Phrenologist and other interesting characters; the story is entertaining and engaging. I’m glad I tried this blind date..

4 Jun

The Janus Stone by Elly Griffiths

Posted by fenlandphil in Book Review, Elly Griffiths, manea, Niche Comics Bookshop, The Janus Stone. Tagged: Book, Book Review, Dr Ruth Galloway, Elly Griffiths, mystery, Norfolk, Norwich. 10 comments

The Janus Stone was the purchase I made at Elly Griffiths book launch at Manea Village Hall, hosted by Niche Comics Bookshop.

Ruth Galloway’s second outing sees her conducting an archaeological survey before new flats are built on the site of a soon to be demolished Victorian house in Norwich. The house had been at one time a family home and during the 1950s a Catholic children’s home. Two children went missing from the children’s home and were never found. However, it is when a headless child’s skeleton is discovered that a murder investigation ensues; DCI Harry Nelson leads the enquiry. Ruth works with Harry to uncover the history of the skeleton and solve the events leading to the death of the child. The enquiry delves into the mystery of the missing children and the history of the soon to be demolished house.

However Ruth has problems of her own these problems complicate her relationship with Harry and exposes her to feelings about herself she hadn’t previously known. The complicated relationship between Ruth, Harry, Ruth’s colleagues and friends provides an interesting twisty plot. The story is set in Norwich and in the North Norfolk coastal salt marshes. I was engaged from start to finish, I really enjoyed this book.

3 Mar

Death at the auction by E C Bateman a review

Posted by fenlandphil in Book, Book Review, Death at the Auction, E. C. Bateman, Stamford. Tagged: Auction, Book, Book Review, Georgian, murder. 12 comments

Sometimes I find I need to read a little of a book to find its rhythm, usually once found, the read becomes easy and the book becomes a real pleasure, this was the case for me with Death at the Auction.

The story is set in the Georgian town of Stamford, the action starts in the sales room of one of its auctioneers.

Grant’s, is a family-owned business; Felicia Grant is the unfortunate auctioneer confronted with the last-minute addition to the auction, the lot of a cupboard. However, it is the cupboard’s contents which start the search for a murderer.

Felicia finds herself drawn into the investigation. Initially she is at odds with the local police in the shape of Detective Sergeant Pettifer and Detective Inspector Heavenly but as the body count increases she eventually finds herself collaborating with them.

Stamford is somewhere local and to a degree familiar, a place I keep meaning to visit more often and for longer. It is an ideal setting for this book.

The story is well crafted and an excellent who dunnit, the outcome is unpredictable.

Death at the Auction is available from Amazon or any good bookshop

24 Jan

The Dead Husband by Gillian Jackson a review.

Posted by fenlandphil in Book Review, Gillian Jackson, The Dead Husband. Tagged: Book, Book Review, murder. 7 comments

While building a snowman with her two children, Harriet Smith finds the body of a man in a snow filled ditch near her isolated cottage. To be precise it was Barnie the family dog who found it.

What follows is the hunt for the identity of the body, why and how it came to be where it was found. In a way the story resembles peeling an onion as each layer is removed another lurks beneath it. Peeling this onion to reveal a murder are Detective Inspector Samantha Freeman and Detective Sergeant Jenny Newcombe.

The plot twists and turns, complicated by not only family jealousies, deceit, abuse and violence but the problem of juvenile delinquents.

The characters are well drawn the scenes well described, I read this book quickly, a real page turner. I found it to be an unusual and enjoyable read.

Available from Amazon

5 Oct

Only You by Eva Jordan, a review.

Posted by fenlandphil in Book, Book Review, Eva Jordan, Only You, Thriller. Tagged: Book, Book Review, Eva Jordan, jealousy. 2 comments

Only You by Eva Jordan

After the book’s shocking start, we share the events leading up to and following a life-changing experience.

Leora is one of a very unusual pair of twins, her childhood, teenage years and the life which follows is chronicled in detail. The story gives a vivid picture of Leora, her friends, loves and family, while exploring the relationships with and between them.

In part, this is a psychological thriller, a story with elements of the paranormal, exploring a controlling relationship and the ultimate destructiveness of jealousy. However, it is Leora and Ben’s enduring love for each other, which is at the very heart of this novel.

We have to wait to the very end to see how they move forward.

A brilliant story, beautifully told.

To see Eva’s other books visit her website: https://evajordanwriter.com/

28 Sep

The Crossing Places by Elly Griffiths, a review.

Posted by fenlandphil in Book Review, Elly Griffiths, Huntingdon, Niche Comics Book Shop, The Crossing Places. Tagged: Book, Book Review, Dr Ruth Galloway, Huntingdon, Norfolk. 7 comments

I was sorry to have missed an author event with Elly Griffiths in Huntingdon organised by Niche Comics Bookshop but it did put Elly’s name on my radar. With the name Elly Griffiths lodged firmly in what passes these days as my memory, I looked in the local library. Picking up a copy there of The Crossing Places, Elly Griffith’s first novel in the Dr. Ruth Calloway series.

Elly Griffith’s, Dr Ruth Calloway is a Forensic Archaeologist, and lecturer at the North Norfolk University. she is called in to help the police when bones of a young child are discovered buried in a salt marsh, close to Ruth’s home. The man requesting her assistance is Detective Chief Inspector Harry Nelson, a man trying to solve the mystery of a child who disappeared ten years earlier. The book is well written in as much as the characters are finely drawn and believable. The landscape and the locations are described with great skill.

However, the plot could be better. This is I understand Elly Griffiths first crime novel, I will try some of her others, to see if she has addressed, what was in my opinion a serious shortcoming.

31 Aug

The Agreement by Jacqueline Ward a review.

Posted by fenlandphil in Book, Book Review, Jacqueline Ward, The Agreement. Tagged: Book, Book Review, Phycological Thriller, Thriller. 2 comments

This remarkable book is a real thriller, which gradually draws you into the life of Kate and the relationship she has with her husband. The troubled relationship with her parents and siblings during childhood also form part of the plot.

The story starts when Kate’s life gradually starts to disintegrate before her, a slow-motion train crash of events that turns her world upside down. As the reality of Kate’s situation starts to unfold, the search for the truth and answers to questions that emerge during that search, kept me reading. I was always spending more time reading than I had allocated myself for the activity, other projects and important jobs were put on hold until I had finished turning the pages. Yes, it is a good read, a damn good read, well it certainly was for me. Now to get the things done, I had neglected to finish reading this book.

10 Aug

The Secret of Annex 3 by Colin Dexter a book review.

Posted by fenlandphil in Book, Book Review, Colin Dexter, crime, Inspector Morse, The Secret of Annex 3. Tagged: crime, crime story, Inspector Morse, John Thaw, Kevin Whately, Lewis. 1 comment

Although over the years I have watched several episodes of Morse on TV, this is the first of Colin Dexter’s books, (Morse’s creator), I have actually read. This crime story was adapted for TV but with a different title The Secret of Bay 5 B and from my memory it varies quite a bit from the book (note to self re-watch the Secret of Bay 5B then compare and contrast).

For a start I found Dexter’s style a little tricky but once I had found the rhythm of his writing it was an easier read. Having seen the Morse programmes on television and John Thaw’s portrayal as the man himself the picture of Morse in our minds is John Thaw’s portrayal, as is Kevin Whately’s, Lewis. If I had read the books first the TV Morse might be an intruder but there isn’t enough of a description of the man evident in the book to contradict John Thaw.

The story is convoluted and a real puzzle, the action centres on a Fancy Dress New Year’s Party in the Haworth Hotel. The disguises worn by the guest’s in the form of their costumes complicates identification and the rapid departure of guests after the event and false identities are other obstacles thrown in the path of Morse and Lewis’s investigation.

It was a good read and an interesting one. I will seek out more of Dexter’s books to read and review.

23 Jun

I DID IT FOR US written by Alison Bruce, a review.

Posted by fenlandphil in Alison Bruce, Book, Book Review, Cambridge, I DID IT FOR US. Tagged: Book, Book Review, Cambridge, Wicken. 6 comments

Triggered by events beyond her control Emily’s life has been changed,. In a short space of time the certainty and the structure of her existence, as she knew it suffers devastating changes. She decides to start anew and in an attempt to get her life back on track moves to Wicken, a village some distance from her previous home. There Emily rents a flat in a converted mansion, hoping to be able to rebuild her life away from Cambridge and her previous life.

A close friendship with a new neighbour, Joanne and her two young children helps Emily to start moving on. The only dark cloud is Joanne’s relationship with Matt, a relationship that causes Emily great concern for her new friend and Joanne’s children.

The tension builds as we turn the pages and race towards the unexpected ending.

The book is well written the descriptions and emotions expressed are exceptionally crafted. While we read we inhabit Emily’s, mind seeing the world through her eyes, sharing her thoughts and feeling her tension.

I am a great fan of Alison Bruce and have enjoyed everything I have read of hers, I Did it For Us is no exception, it is a remarkably good book.

2 May

Someone Close to Home written by Alex Craigie, a review.

Posted by fenlandphil in Alex Craigie, Book, Book Review, Someone Close to Home. Tagged: Book, Book Revew, Care Home. 16 comments

**Someone Close to Home by Alex Craigie**

We find Megan Youngblood living in a care home, it quickly becomes apparent that she is severely disabled, unable to speak and has very little physical movement. However, her sight, hearing, sense of smell and touch, as is her brain are in good working order.

As Megan lays immobile, isolated from family, at the mercy of her carers not all of who care, she recalls her life, her career as a concert pianist in her thoughts, recounting her life’s highs and the all too frequent lows. The recurring thread is her enduring love for her childhood sweetheart Gideon. Interspersed between episodes of her autobiography, are accounts of the care Megan receives and the all too frequent lack of it. The staff are overworked, poorly regarded, under resourced and in some cases cruel. As the story moves on we learn of the relationships Megan has formed, how they progress and some end, discovering also the train of events leading to her arrival in this unsatisfactory care home. We hope desperately that at some stage Megan will find a way out of these terrible circumstances she finds herself trapped in.

It is well written book, engaging and difficult to put down. I cannot say which genre it belongs to, it combines a love story, mystery and certainly a crime story, all skilfully intertwined.

I found it a brilliant read and stayed up late one night, well just into the next morning to finish it.

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Fenlandphil's Blog A blog from the low country

Archive for the ‘Book Review’ Category

A Shot in the Dark written by Lynne Truss, a review.

The Janus Stone by Elly Griffiths

Death at the auction by E C Bateman a review

The Dead Husband by Gillian Jackson a review.

Only You by Eva Jordan, a review.

The Crossing Places by Elly Griffiths, a review.

The Agreement by Jacqueline Ward a review.

The Secret of Annex 3 by Colin Dexter a book review.

I DID IT FOR US written by Alison Bruce, a review.

Someone Close to Home written by Alex Craigie, a review.

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