What an amazing read - 5 star

Before retiring I worked as an usher in both Magistrates and Crown court so reading The Cut throat Trial was somewhat akin to a day at the office ;) and what an enjoyable experience that has been… Bernard Hooper an elderly gentleman in his 70’s has popped out to purchase a bottle of wine but this will be a New years eve like no other. In less than an hour Bernard will have been murdered in a brutal Zombie (knife) attack by three teenage assailants captured on CCTV leaving the scene. 

The Cut throat Trial is the story (trial) of the alleged perpetrators taking place over some 3 to 4 weeks. We meet the barristers representing the defendants, the overworked prosecutor, and the arrogant pompous self opinionated judge: His Honour Judge Letts. The story is told in the first person by all the main parties, including the defendants. It is a tense, dramatic, edge of the seat spectacle with even a little humour ……” Prosecuting counsel is like a Western gunslinger swinging open the saloon doors only to find the furniture overturned and everyone inside fatally wounded. Sometimes all you need to do is discharge a few rounds into the bodies for show, and help yourself to a drink from the bar”....... that unfolds in front of us and I was glued to every word on every page. With a shocking, unexpected conclusion this is a brilliant read told by one who has lived his life in Her/His Majesty’s Courts.  I thoroughly enjoyed and marvelled at every scene as it was played out in front of me…Highly recommended.

 

Sublime prose, not a word wasted - 5 star

Some years ago I was listening to a book review programme and when the guest author was asked to name her favourite literary writers she named 2 that would certainly be on the top of every readers list, and then surprisingly the name of David Park was mentioned…..”one of Northern Ireland’s finest undiscovered literary talents”......I wanted to find out more…

As a Northern Ireland expat residing in mainland UK I was suddenly very interested to discover the works and possibly the writing genius of this retired school teacher turned author. Two stories in particular caught my attention: Travelling in a Strange land…a father driving to Sunderland in midwinter to collect his son. The journey through the cold, stark snowy landscape  allows him the solitude and time to reflect on his past life…Swallowing the sun, a fathers unconditional love for his daughter with a tear filled emotional conclusion. Now the question is would Ghost Wedding have the same breathtaking prose?

There are two different timelines in Ghost Wedding and both are separated by 100 years. George Allenby, an architect by occupation, is charged with the task of constructing a large lake in the grounds of a wealthy landowner overlooked by a spectacular Irish Manor house. The time is post WW1 and George, like many returning, damaged soldiers, is haunted by the traumatic experience, the needless fighting, the untold dead, the never ending mud in filthy rat infested trenches. He is a man full of self doubt questioning his actions as an army officer in the blood soaked fields of France. He is able however to find some solace in the arms of Cora who is employed as a maid in the manor house. It possibly strikes him as strange that shovelling mud and soil, to construct a lake, has now become a positive healing force a long way removed from the dead and dying in France.

Now step forward 100 years to the marriage of Alex & Allie, who have chosen as their wedding venue, the lake house which occupies a prime position adj to George Allenby’s masterful lakeside creation. We follow the wedding preparation and learn of Alex’s fears and a terrible secret he holds, which if he discloses to Allie may destroy their future life together before it has even commenced.

The novel explores themes of love, the happiness and heartache it can hide, betrayal and trust, what should be said or possibly left unsaid. As with all David Park novels these connections between past and present are very human and resonate with the reader. The author understands what it is to be human, what it is to be filled with doubt, love and happiness, not everything concludes as we desire but somehow we survive. This is wonderful thoughtful writing, beautiful prose with not a word wasted. Highly recommended.

Fantastic - 5 stars

The second outing for Gabriel Dax, William Boyd's endearing but somewhat reluctant double spy……” his other unsought-for, parallel existence, his life in the shadowy fringes of the espionage world”...... He is approached again by his MI6 handler Faith Green to travel to Guatemala and assess would be presidential candidate: Padre Tiago, could he be viewed as a friend of the Americans? At the same time the Russians want him to pass back information concerning Fatih Brown, who also somewhat confusingly is Gabriel Dax’s part time lover. Whilst in Guatemala Dax befriends 2 CIA agents, Frank Sartorius and Dean Furlan. Furlan states he is in the restaurant trade and looking to buy Guatemalan coffee. An unexpected incident occurs and Dax is called back to London for a new mission in Berlin. The plot at this stage goes in a very dangerous direction and becomes wrapped up in a worldwide historical visit. Running alongside the main story is Dax’s infatuation with Faith Green who is happy to sleep with him but shuns long term commitment……is she playing him? As all this excitement is happening Dax feels the need to visit a psychoanalyst Katerina Hass (their conversations add a dash of humour :), paid for by Russian blood money. In Berlin Gabriel unbelievably encounters Dean Furlan, is he really a coffee buyer?...or is there a dangerous sinister plot to destabilise the Western world?

This is brilliant, fast, taut writing of the highest order, mixing fact with fiction, bringing to life the complicated, unpredictable life of reluctant antihero and spy Gabriel Dax. I cannot wait for the third outing by one of our greatest authors. Highly recommended!