Astounding - 5 star

Robert Harris as always delivers creating a story from the known facts and making a novel feel like you are present as the events unfold. HH Asquith was Liberal party prime minister from 1908 until 1916 at a very turbulent time in European History. During that period he befriended a young lady of noble birth; Venetia Stanley. He proceeded to meet her on numerous occasions and openly discussed government secrets with her sharing details of troop movements and government war strategy, amongst other cabinet talks. The author informs us that the letters from Asquith to Stanley were not destroyed and he was able to use them as source material for his book and therefore the story behind Precipice is built on truth. This fact alone is unbelievable as is the attitude of Asquith who used his position to not only befriend young ladies, but to sexually abuse them (he was 35 years older than Stanley and professed undying love to her) She was happy to act as his chaperone ( it is debatable whether their relationship was sexual, although Harris believes it was) and then to effectively end the affair when she grew tired of his constant whining and promises of a future together….Asquith’s wife Margot was an Aristocratic socialite and free spirit, they both lived separate lives, in separate rooms leaving her husband to pursue and indulge his sexual fantasies. He used to meet Stanley in a “bedroom on wheels”  hence the author’s assumption that the relationship was sexual in nature is well founded…

This is an astounding story told with the author’s flamboyant style, it makes a riveting and surprisingly informative read. I highly recommend and regard Precipice as one of my all time favourite reads.

 

Wonderful insightful writing - 5 star

My first Tony Parsons was Man and Boy and the book was filled with a great understanding and love of family and human nature. That same quality is what makes the Max Wolfe series such a joy to read. Max Wolfe living above Smithfield meat market in a spacious luxurious flat with his daughter Scout (homage to, To kill a mockingbird) and their family dog with the wonderful name of Stan. Stan is getting older and a little tired, and Scout is on the verge of entering the terrible teens but shows herself as a very caring and thoughtful young lady. In Murder for busy people Max is investigating corrupt policemen using their position of power to sexually abuse and rape, a storyline that reflects recent events in todays world. However it is the writing style and thoughtful prose that makes Tony Parsons a real joy to read……”I just don't know what to say to her, Mrs Murphy. You don’t have to say anything. You two - you’ll be fine, I know you will. And we need these hard times - the sad times - the difficult times so we can cherish the happy times when they come. And they will…..”The years to come will fly - for all of us - faster and faster and faster. I know they will - and Stan will be gone and one day I will be gone too”......

Wonderful writing and a big welcome back to Max and family :)

In one word...terrible! - 1 star

"Endless gratitude must go to the amazing bookshops who get my bonkers novels into readers hands".....indeed the author is to right this book is bonkers beyond belief. DCI Cara Elliott is is in charge of a team of detectives attempting to catch a serial killer. All the victims appear mentally unbalanced, their medication is stopped or increased resulting in said victims committing suicide. What a bizarre premise underlying a crime novel. What is even more bonkers is that the team are themselves mentally unbalanced. Cara has lived with the terminal illness of her mother and untimely death of her father, her brother Griffin , also coping with the death of their father,is on leave, due to turmoil following the demise of his partner.... and attempting to give up alcohol but not succeeding (are you following this?). A second detective DS Jamie Hoxton, is on medication also due to the death of his partner. Cara brings brother Griffin back into the team ( how is it possible to return your alcoholic sibling to a major crime investigation!) Griffin is partnered with DC Alana Brody who uses Griffin as a sex object........I kid you not.......This book is akin to a rather hastily, made for tv, crime caper (I use the term crime loosely) it has no literary worth, totally devalues the crime genre, and it astounds me that there are so many 5 star reviews.

High octane ride, a brilliant and exciting read - 5 star

Frank Gardner has done it again, the fourth outing for ex soldier (now government troubleshooter) Luke Carlton, as he is sent to Taiwan to divert a crisis that would see the world dragged into a war of annihilation. Hannah Slade known as a collector (a civilian who volunteers to undertake dangerous work for the government) is on a special assignment to Hong Kong to retrieve from an agent, known as Blue Sky, vital evidence that will help stop a third world war. When it all goes wrong MI6 field operatives Luke Carlton and Jenny Li are dispatched to obtain the information and if possible save Hannah.

Frank Gardner as a long time reporter has a brilliant insight into the balance of world power, and how this fragile situation can so easily be abused with fatal consequences. I have the greatest admiration for the author, shot 6 times by al-Qaeda gunmen whilst reporting on growing terrorist activity in Saudi Arabia, he was left partially paralysed and has used a wheelchair ever since. He is still a reporter but equally a brilliant author, his books are high octane, edge of the seat thrillers that do not blind with technical jargon, presenting only what the reader needs to know to enjoy the read. Invasion paints a frightening picture of technical warfare, and how we need to fear those with the capability to destroy the world, and would not hesitate to do so. Invasion is a brilliant book, which I read over 2 days and highly recommend.

The author is so in touch with what it is to be human - 5 star

Beautifully written, the author is a wonderful observer of what makes us human. Marnie and Michael meet on a walking holiday, Marnie is a  editor and Michael a geography teacher, and over the course of a few days they find that in eachother's company a future is possible. I love the author's gentle, yet seductive writing style, giving us all hope that in this unpredictable world, love and happiness is there to be found.

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.