Archive | July 2018

A Match Made In Devon by Cathy Bramley

Jul26

You And Me Against The World

A Match Made In Devon by Cathy Bramley is a really delightful contemporary romance that will have the reader enchanted from the start.

Once again Cathy Bramley has produced a really fun light hearted read but with some serious under lying themes. There were times when I literally laughed out loud. And much of the time I read with a smile on my face. “I looked like the love child of Donald Trump and a satsuma.”

The novel highlights the importance of family and good friends. Both stick together and help to overcome when circumstances threaten to overwhelm.

There is the awful topic of infant mortality. The grief that follows, separates rather than unites as parents try to come to terms with their loss. (This is not a spoiler as it has happened before the book starts.)

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The Invisible Crowd by Ellen Wiles

Jul26

Open Your Eyes

The Invisible Crowd by Ellen Wiles is a powerful contemporary novel surrounding the topic of seeking asylum. It is an intense read and one that will horrify you, break your heart, and cause you to realise that people the world over want the same thing – someone to love them and a place to call home. I would like to say that I enjoyed the novel but that sounds flippant in light of the subject matter. So I will say that it was a powerful read that totally consumed me, held my attention, invaded my life and I could not put it down.

The novel uses the microcosm of focusing in on one man – Yonas from Eritrea – to represent a macrocosm of unknown faces. We see the world from his point of view. He interacts with others. There are chapters written from others points of view. We see the impact Yonas has on lives around him.

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The Chosen Ones by Howard Linskey

Jul25

Crimes Old And New

The Chosen Ones by Howard Linskey is a wonderful new (to me) retro crime series that combines good old fashioned policing with investigative journalism. I cannot wait for the subsequent books.

I thought the storyline was well thought out. It both messed with my mind and quizzed my brain. Psychological torment and religious fanaticism were the order of the day.

A copycat killer? Or one who had been dormant? You decide as the action hots up.

An unlikely pairing of journalists and detective piece together the answers to the crime. A coppers nose plus the ability to sniff out a good story stand the trio in good stead, giving a unique flavour to the novel.

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I Let You Go by Clare Mackintosh

Jul17

Gripping – Messes With Your Mind

I Let You Go by Clare Mackintosh is a gripping psychological thriller that will definitely have your heart racing. The whole novel consumed me and messed with my emotions.

I Let You Go was not a nice read. It is not an easy read but it is a powerful read about manipulation, fear and a total annihilation of character until only a puppet remains.

The themes of murder, abuse and control do not make for peasant reading but the reader is gripped to see the outcome.

The novel is told through various voices – some in the first and some in the third. I assumed who the voices were and sometimes was surprised that my assumptions were wrong. All very cleverly done.

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