Horror writing at its best - 5 star

Ronald Malfi is a superb writer and this is one truly brilliant spooky horror novel. Small town America, events that happened in the past coming back to haunt you, have always been a lucrative ground for creating atmosphere and don’t turn the lights off tension! Andrew Larimer, a successful New York lawyer, has left his past behind him, and the small town of Kingsport where he grew up, long forgotten. However when he receives a somewhat distressing phone call from a childhood friend, he decides to return one last time to Kingsport, leaving a pregnant wife confused and alone in the big apple…….Five friends; Andrew, Dale, Eric, Tig and the sad somewhat pathetic figure of Meach are being called to account over an incident and a secret that they have managed to hide for 20 years. Robert Graves now holds the key, or not, to their future wellbeing, and it would seem that revenge and retribution know no boundaries….This is a first class horror novel, with some wonderful twists that kept coming until the final page, an ending whilst not expected, was perfect to the conclusion of my favourite horror read this year. Highly recommended.

Little sympathy form me on this one - 2 star

Lydia Walker, forensic photographer, is assigned to work with the local police department. A deranged serial killer is present and active and it is her job to photograph and interpret the killer’s bloody crime scene. Lydia had a tumultuous childhood, badly abused when in the care of foster parents. As the case progresses, and the body count mounts, Lydia finds to her surprise that she may have more in common with the perpetrator than she hoped, indeed he may be the only person that truly understands her. There is not a lot of depth to this short book, and trying to put a positive spin on the mounting atrocities, and the growing sympathy of Lydia with the killer, was not to my liking. 

The tension and fear is on every page - 3 star

A lone gunman stalks the corridors of Stonesmere, randomly killing those before him. Marty Ward is a pupil at the school and witnesses her mother being gunned down before she is able to escape the wrath of the shooter: Rowan Sullivan. There is a media frenzy, and a group of outsiders known as The Truthers, or conspiracy theorists, have the audacity to claim that the event never actually happened. In the midst of all this there is doubt as to the authenticity of Marty’s recollection of the events, and questions about the shooter and his association or not with the school and its pupils. At the heart of this book is a community in mourning, a community that must accept this dreadful happening before it can heal, and learn to live again.

What I did enjoy about “One Day” was the feeling of fear and sadness, the tension, even suspicion that permeated each chapter…who could be believed? The author explores the various accounts in an attempt to establish the truth, and to try to understand why a lone individual would choose to act in such a manner. What I did not enjoy was the fractured storytelling, the constant movement of events before, during and after the incident, and the rather abrupt conclusion. However, having said that, I applaud the directness of the language, and the use of different narrators to tell the story. Thank you to the publishers for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Do yourself a favour.....go and count sheep! - 1 star

This was one of the worst police procedurals I have had the misfortune to read! Detective Mathew Venn must surely be one of the most boring individuals in the Devon and Cornwall police. He returns to Barnstaple from a posting in Bristol, going back to his roots....why bother? to return to this strict evangelical community who showed nothing but contempt for him and his husband Jonathan....So whats the story.....you say...yawn....zzzzzz...there is a murder..yikes you say.....yes a murder!...and a child with special needs has gone missing.! Enter the super boring detective and his classy side kicks Jen and the ever so enthusiastic Ross......who plunges headlong at 100mph into every situation .....like a dog chasing a ball........without a brain cell in his head....

I stuck with this drivel, although I did speed read the last 10% (I would not have made it otherwise :) and fortified with numerous cups of tea to fight the constant tiredness that engulfed me everytime I started to read....I shall never read another Ann Cleeves, I suspect they don't get any better (I use that word loosely) Avoid at all costs, go and count sheep...it's much more exciting :)

Wonderful, insightful, full of tenderness and regret - 5 star

The writing of Claire Keegan is sublime. With such a light touch she expertly highlights the nuances of life, the subtle distinction and complexities that is often the human condition. Cathal leaves the office on Friday taking the bus home nothing to look forward to but memories expecially those pertaining to a woman named Sabine. As the evening advances the significance of the date becomes apparent, how things might have been different if Cathal had acted in a more positive way. If you are not familar with the writing of this author then this short story is a great introduction.

The old detective still has the magic :) - 5 star

Harry is pushing 70 now and from his exposure to radiation in "The Overlook" he has developed leukemia and so it is no wonder that at the start of Desert Star Harry is comtemplating his own swift demise, he has all the pills he might need lined up in a row, in front of him.....but a ringing doorbell and an offer from Renee Ballard sees Harry (at least temporarily) out chasing the historical bad guys.....the ones that got away. Every detective will have a list of the unsolved, cases that will always haunt them, cases that they were never able to solve and bring some form of peace to the families. The Gallagher family mum, dad and two children were brutally murdered and buried somewhere in the desert, Harry tells Renee that if he comes back to work the unsolved cases then he must have some personal time to find the killer of this family.....bringing some lasting peace not only to them but to one old tired ex detective.. In return Harry agrees to help Renee find a serial killer who operates years apart, and is much closer than either realize

I have always loved the writing of Michael Connelly and in particular the wonderful character that is Harry Bosch. His precarious house overlooking the city of angels, his love of jazz (always has me searching spotify :) and the relationship he enjoys with daughter Maddie. I enjoy the way Connelly stops and makes me think when he periodically reveals the philosopher in Harry....."He knew that almost everybody believed in something, holding a hope that there wasn't just an empty void at the end"......"Bosch turned off the screen and sat there thinking about how the truth was always manipulated by those in power"...... 

A wonderful story with a great antihero, he may be old but he still has the heart of a lion and hopefully his health will improve to bring a few remaining adventures to his adoring fans!

Beautifully written a joy to read - 5 star

During and after the 2nd ww, children were evacuated from England to countries of the commonwealth namely Australia, Canada and New Zealand. This was done in order to safeguard the children and find a safe refuge for them in a loving family. Alone on a wide wide sea is a fictional story of the young life of one Arthur Hobhouse despatched on a boat to Australia and hopefully safety. Unfortunately it was not uncommon for these young people to be mistreated, beaten and used as a form of slave labour.

Arthurs story is aimed at a reading audience of 10+ and told with elegance and a certain aplong. In short it is beautifully written with many stand out moments. From the horror that was everyday life with " The Piggys"......" you're a slave they don't just take away your freedom, they take away everything else as well because they own you" The young man's journey has many unexpected moments and a beautifully orchestrated conclusion showcasing the author's love of the ocean and his utlimate belief in human nature....."Death, I discovered that day, is not frightening, because it is utterly still. And it is still because death, when it comes, is always over"....." Someties, though, the fog does clear, and you see the icebergs all around. You can hear them groaning, and grinding and you just want to sail through the field of iceberg and out the other side, or just long for the fog again".....
Highly recommended for young and old alike :)

A work of some brilliance - 5 star

I find reading a Stuart Neville book both exciting, exhilarating, exasperating and frightening. His characters don’t appear to have an easy life, and this agony is laid bare on the printed page and I felt every word. I must also mention, at this stage, the dazzling DCI Serena Flanagan books, and Neville’s portrayal of life on the edge with Serena balancing home and work and not always successfully. However I hear you say, and quite rightly so, we are here to discuss and review the author’s  latest work of angst: Blood like Mine. My goodness this is a 400 page work of some brilliance, as Stuart aptly and expertly balances a police thriller with horror undertones that becomes evident after a number of chapters.

Rebecca Carter and her daughter Monica, known as Moonflower, are on the run throughout the United States from what or whom gradually becomes clear. We learn that Rebecca will do anything to keep Moonflower safe including killing or sacrificing herself. Meanwhile special agent Marc Donner has spent the last 2 years trying to identify and apprehend a serial killer who strikes with regularity and leaves no trace or clues at the scene of the crime. Donner is a troubled soul, he has become obsessed with the apprehension of this individual to the detriment of the love of his wife and children. 

This novel was never going to have a happy ending, as the two sets of players attempt to achieve their individual goals, the tension and the pain is written across every page. I truly found it hard to put this book down, Stuart Neville had me hooked from page one. I hoped that mother and daughter would be safe but as the chapters flew by I began to doubt. Donner, a cop with a mission, was on a self-destruct course and only he had the power to turn this around for surely the love of his wife and young children would prove more important…or would it?

If you are going to read one thriller spiced with horror this year I heartily recommend Blood Like Mine, It is a brilliant, addictive read from one of Northern Ireland’s finest authors.

A highly addictive satisfying read - 5 star

A most unusual but equally really enjoyable read. The writing is fast and furious and it is impossible at times to put the book down :) Lila Gulliver is the Madam of a brothel on the tropical island of Verona. She is a bright business woman not only managing her staff but also looking after their welfare, and this in return creates a sense of loyalty. A young attractive lady impresses Lila, and even though Carita is blind she is employed, and very quickly proves  her worth to the business. However life soon gets very complex when Carita falls in love with Ian Brohan son of judge Michael Brolan…….” a dashing, fine figure of a man, confident in the power of his physical presence”......

It would be wrong to believe that clients visiting Madam Gullivers are dictating, and demanding, being wealthy does not mean that they have a right to humiliate, use, and discard the young ladies on offer. What makes this such a brilliant book is the way the author shows the reader that in reality it is the women working for, and with, and including, Lila Gulliver who dictate the shape and direction of their lives….”Men are expected to succeed, women to fail. Every woman knows the deck is stacked. In practical terms this makes it more difficult for women to succeed, but it’s more damning for men to fail. Win or lose, defying expectations is heavy going”........

This is storytelling at its best, set in the early 1950’s it brings to life the sights and sounds of a tropical island. Lila Gulliver holds the reader in awe with her beauty, and smart business acumen looking after and guiding those girls who she feels have entrusted their lives to her. Highly recommended.

Delights and horrifies in equal measure - 5 star

If you think of the bad in Stephen King you think of Randall Flagg and if you think of the good only one name can truly inspire loyalty in the reader and that is Holly Gibney. Holly came to the notice of Bill Hodges, who gave her belief in herself, and she soon became an intricate part of the Finders Keepers detective agency......."Holly has come a long way from the shy introvert Bill Hodges met lurking outside a funeral home all those years ago, but that woman still lives inside her and always will".......

Now as sole proprieter of the agency she is investigating a number of seemingly unconnected disappearances, years apart.......what devilish little piece of storytelling has Mr King got in store to delight and horrify us. It becomes apparent very quickly who the perpetrators are and the reasoning behind their murderous acts is what makes "Holly" a brilliant novel. It seems that as the author ages his writing just gets better and better and this is a brilliant tale to delight and horrify in equal measure.

Not the full story - 3 star

This book did not really get to the story behind Reg Harris. We certainly heard about his success and his many championship wins but this information shed little light on the man behind the myth. The author was not allowed to interview or speak with many who knew Harris, and thus in my opinion the story is only half told. At times it read a little like a cycling manual, linear in the telling and often boring in the reading.

A worthy booker winner 2023 - 4 star

With fond memories of 1984 I was eager the read Prophet song. This is a dark sombre tale of what it could be like to live in a state which no longer allows freee thinking. The family and the life that was and is Eilish Stack begins to disintegrate first with the arrest of her husband, a trade union member and much loved teacher, and the ever increasing feeling of strangulation as the new police state strengthens its grip. This was a vey claustopohic read, and yet a difficult book to leave once started. A worthy winner of the 2023 booker prize.

An original and highly entertaining read - 5 star

What a debut novel of pure imagination, a dash of decadence, a little sauciness mixed with some electrifying horror creates the truly unforgettable Botanical Daughter. Simon and Gregory, more than just friends, live in the surreal botanical environment that is Grimfern, a vast greenhouse of living plants. Simon occupies the basement with his taxidermy workstation, and Gregory the upper level of this glass sanctuary. Gregory dreams of success at the Royal Horticultural Society and his experiments have led him to believe that there could be intelligent life within plants. Within his haven a lone  orchid appears to have a fungal guardian shielding the fragrant petals from direct sunlight…..” A shallow glass bowl about a foot in diameter contained an inch of soil and a seething mass of sinews. These tendrils caressed and cocooned a gorgeous orchid”.....As part of his vision and to ensure a successful outcome of this most outlandish of experiments, Gregory needs a human corpse to act as a “substrate” thus incubating the orchid and fungus and combining their intelligence……Gregory will then be recognised as a true genius by the RHS merging plant life and human brilliance.

There is certainly a nod to Frankenstein in the revealing of this tale, but I thought the storytelling and the use of language was exceptional and highly entertaining. The cast of characters from the unfortunate Julian Mallory the current President of RHS ( whose position Gregory aspires to) and the delightfully named Rosalinda Smeralda-Bland…”a sumptuous woman of continental extraction” all add to the readability and the delightful sequence of events as they unfold. Those readers who crave a little spilling of blood will not be disappointed and the final scenes create a perfect conclusion to an amazing story. An exceptional debut novel and one that I enjoyed very much.

The best sports biography I have ever read! - 5 star

It’s probably true to say that if Beryl Burton had lived some 30 or 40 years later she would have been recognized as the greatest living woman cyclist. As we look back at her achievements, winning more than 90 domestic championships and seven world titles, we must marvel at how this remarkable woman succeeded at a time when women were refused equal status to their male counterparts, in many sporting arenas and in particular cycling. The 1st ladies tour de france was in 1955 however the disparity in pay and prize money has only been addressed in very recent times, with female riders still having an unfair advantage in their earning capability. But the gender disparity doesn’t end with prize money. For many women, the sport has long been exclusionary, with sparse access to funding that would allow women to compete in the first place. The UCI (International cycling union) did not implement a minimum wage for women cyclists until 2020, a standard already in place for men.

These conversations and outcomes were a long way in the future and the world of cycling that Beryl inhabited was neanderthal by comparison. A yorkshire woman born and bred, and with that came yorkshire grit; friendly but bloody minded, stubborn and argumentative. She only knew one way to cycle and that was to simply get to the front and stay there. There were no such luxuries as team cars and buses, her husband Charlie was her constant companion, driver and support, supplying only those items deemed really necessary. Woolen overgarments and cycling shorts bore little or no resemblance to modern lycra and the bright yellow sowester acted as a sail in rainy, stormy weather. This was the world that Beryl competed in, and she flourished, but at a price. The bicycle was her form of transport as well as her racing companion, she could average 400 miles a week in training and this naturally at times gave rise to absences from her daughter Denise. To gain extra finance and to improve her flexibility she worked picking rhubarb ( no fancy team masseur or indoor gym here!) 

The passing of years only made Beryl more determined to keep winning even when her body dictated otherwise. She was rarely happy with what she had achieved, and minutes after the “win” elation it was back to hard work and long miles in the saddle. She developed anemia,and asthma and as a child rheumatic fever hospitalized her for 9 months. She had always had a somewhat odd heart arrhythmia and died of heart failure during a social ride, when she was out delivering birthday invitations for her 59th birthday party. Her daughter believed that Burton's competitive spirit and drive eventually just wore her body out.

This is without the doubt the best sports biography I have ever read. Jeremy Wilson captures the spirit of this remarkable athlete and brings her to life before my reading eyes. There is much to learn for all of us here…..to do…to reach out…to attain…to never give up……to go to the front and always remain. A fantastic book, a monumental achievement that should be read and loved by all.