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What we read in April

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Tigerman, Nick Harkaway

Oh yes! When a good man goes to war, father and son patterns, accidental chemical warfare, what happens to desperate people and killer tomatoes. If you haven’t read Harkaway before, and he’s only done two other novels, so why would you, you are in for a treat.  If you have read him before then this is nothing like the last one, but then, that was nothing like the one before. That’s the great thing about Harkaway, each book is odd, different  and very readable.





The Fifteen Lives of Harry, Claire North

A clever idea of people that live their lives in a loop whilst everyone around them lives in a linear timeline. These people get to relive events and therefor have the power to shape history by communicating with fellow travelers up and down the time loops.  It’s a great concept but it’s so boring, there’s to empathy for the main protagonist, no development and much much repetition. Towards the end it began to speed up but by then I couldn’t care less if the world ended or not, so long as the book did.  Sorry to be mean but its just not for me. (Lots of other people seemed to like it though)



The Girl From Nowhere – Dorothy Koomson

Well out of my comfort zone so not fair to review this poorly.  What I read of it was well written but family stories don’t engage me.


The Salmon Who Dared to Leap Higher Ahn Do-Hyun 

Such a pretty book. French flaps, embossed gilt cover, line illustrations. Lovely to hold and to look at.   Contents a bit too zen for my taste though. (Another review copy)  Probably suit people that like Jonathan Livingston Seagull.

What we read in March

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The Magus of Hay – Phil Rickman

Not sure where this went wrong.  Set in Hay,  central characters were hoping to run a second hand bookshop, written by Phil Rickman.  lots of ticks but for me it just fell flat.  No aspect was given free rein, be it the eugenics plot, the dead partner, the golden coven, the haunted bookshop.  Everything just kept stopping short.  Maybe there were just too many storylines and none could properly grab attention.  Shame because I was looking forward to it.  If you do want a proper creepy British hauntings book try Crybbe or Candle Light by Rickman, both cracking!

The Lady of Hay – Barbara Erskine

So I was on the Hay trail and thought I would finally try The Lady of Hay, despite enjoying historical novels I have never read this, which is quite incredible given that its been in print for the past 25 years and has sold over 3 million copies. And I have no idea why. It’s awful. AWFUL. Whilst 2D characters, weak writing and unrealistic plot devices are irritating, gratuitous rape scenes and hitting “annoying” women are just wrong. In the end it turns out that the rapist (twice, once in each life) is the hero! Why on earth is this so popular?

The Bees – Laline Paull

I was quite fed up by the time I picked this book up and spent the first few pages quite confused.  “Oh so this is actually a book about bees? not a metaphor or something?” My heart slumped a wee bit because by and large I don’t like anthropomorphic books but I was bloody determined not to read three bad backs on the trot.  Another page in and I liked the way my confusion mirrored that of the central protagonist and then I was away.  What a fabulous book.  Beautifully written and a clever tale to tell as well.  Since finishing the book I find myself looking at bees that fly past me in a whole new light.

The Eighties – Dylan Jones Good. Yeah I enjoyed that. It’s about the eighties but it’s more about Live Aid.  (Steve as succinct as ever.)

What we read in February.

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Station Eleven

Surrounded in gushing hype and very good word of mouth I had high hopes but honestly I think the people that like this are not normal SF or fantasy readers.  There is nothing new to readers of these genres, nor did it bring any particular insight that might have been gained from a fresh, outsider’s voice. It’s not awful and it is nicely written but I think there’s a lot better out there.  A shame because it would have been good to read a post apocalyptic book that was well written but contained no vampires or zombies.


Tell Tale

Really wanted to love this as its set locally and I thought murders on the moor would be very atmospheric.  Nope.  Awful, unrealistic, ridiculous.

The Miniaturist

Picked this up  with dread, just because I was fed up of being let down. Obviously low expectations work because this is wonderful.  Who’d have thought seventeenth century Amsterdam could be such a page turner?  There’s empire building, commerce, trade, religious fervour and total repression. The book is beautifully written, the tale is well told and the story is compelling but ultimately and unsurprisingly it’s a sad book.  I was desperate for just one more chapter to hopefully watch the main protagonists recover and grow.

Behind the Door. The Oscar Pistorius and Reeva Steenkamp Story.

Enjoyed it. Steve

(Oh please stop with the gushing Steve!)

What we read in January

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The Daughter of Time by Josephine Tey

The downside of finally reading a much recommended book; and it disappoints frown emoticon It was terribly 1950s which is fair enough but it read far more like a one sided argument rather than a story and boy Josephine Tey is hard on women. Dry, unbalanced and unkind. In its favour, well written and short.








 The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss

Now I picked this up because I had seen it hanging around the shelves for what I thought was a long time and i thought I might give it a go.  To be honest I haven’t read any fantasy for quite a while because despite loving it, it has all felt a bit samey recently, or maybe my head just wasn’t in the right place.Anyway I picked this up and sure enough the first page seemed full of adjectives and mystery which didn’t inspire me but i turned over the page anyway. And then the next one, and then the next.

Three chapters in I ordered book two.

But here’s the problem and it’s a big one.  This isn’t an old series that’s been around for ages (maybe i got that impression from the tired familiar book cover format) there are only two books and a novella.

The Wise Man’s Fear by Patrick Rothfuss

Yep, just as good as the first one. Damn. By the way, these books don’t break the genre, they aren’t a “stunning new voice” and all the other hyperbole that goes with a new series but that doesn’t matter. They are well written and tell a great story. And dammit I want to know what happens next.






A Different Class of Murder by Laura Thompson

I liked it, nothing is really resolved but I suspect he’s alive somewhere. The theory that he jumped of the Newhaven ferry just doesn’t ring true as it required more guts than he seemed to possess.  An interesting read for true crime fans. – Steve.


Just One Evil Act – Elizabeth George.

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Just One Evil Act – Elizabeth George.
Oh woe unto the reader whose favourite author becomes a best-seller.  Elizabeth George is a wonderful author, she spins exciting whodunits with great twists and turns,  peopled with fabulous stand out characters but recently she seems to have developed itchy feet. Ever since the death of Helen, George seems to have grown frustrated with her series.  You can hardly blame an author for wanting to branch out and try something new and I wish she would. I would love to read it but the last few Lynley books have been long winded, convoluted and not very thrilling.  In “Just One Evil Act” the story continues from the end of the previous novel with the kidnapping of Hadiyyah. 

This novel is mainly set in Italy, focuses on Barbara Havers and is 700 pages long.  It is full of interesting side characters and Italian phrases, which are constantly followed by a translation, and deliberate misunderstandings which all result in a very, very slow read. If you love Elizabeth George novels because you really get into the characters and their lives then you will love this but if you love her for her tightly knit crime stories then this isn’t the one for you.


Buy yours now

Val McDermid – Cross and Burn

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Val McDermid – Cross and Burn
At the end of the last Tony Hill thriller, Carol and Tony’s lives were torn apart, leaving them adrift from work, society and each other. The emergence of an utterly brutal murderer forces both of them back to the criminal justice system.   Abandoned and struggling with her new position, DS Paula McIntyre calls upon a personal favour from Tony to hell her stop a sadistic killer. However, when Tony is implicated in the murders she has no choice but to track Carol down and ask her for her help.  Carol who blames Tony for all the recent tragedies has to then decide if she’s going to cross the bridge or burn it.
This is an excellent return to the Tony Hill series, maybe because McDermid often intersperses her writings with other novels, the series never seem dull or formulaic.  Whilst this book is very much a brutal crime thriller, it is less about the murderer and more about the interplay between McDermid’s main characters and all the richer for it.

Stormbird – War of the Roses – Conn Iggulden

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Stormbird – War of the Roses. Conn Iggulden
Despite a recent TV series, the Wars of the Roses has been generally overlooked, the most anyone knows about this period of history is via Shakespeare and his interpretation of a hunchback Richard III and the death of the Princes in the Tower.  Given how violent and exciting this time  actually was, it is amazing that it is constantly overshadowed by the Tudors. So who better to reveal the dynastic murderous feuds than the man who brought the Mongol and Roman empires to life?
Conn Iggulden starts his series with the marriage of Margaret to King Henry IV, his sympathies clearly lie with the young Queen, uprooted and cast into a foreign court  and wed to a man who is clearly very ill both mentally and physically. With no direct heir, factions of the court are determined to try and install a protectorate.  The most powerful of these is led by Richard, Duke of York who himself has a strong claim to the throne, he is supported by his wife Cecily who is painted in the cruellest of shades and makes for a fabulous villain.
Given how many twists and turns there are in this period of history it is hard to see if Iggulden will remain on one side throughout the series but at the moment he is clearly flying the Lancastrian flag. The pace of this book is gripping and never bogged down by historical details. Although generally accurate the author takes artistic license to move the story along when required and obviously adds his own interpretation to the motives and personalities of the principle characters. Sometimes historical fiction can become too bloated by the author’s need to show off all that they have researched. Iggulden just uses that knowledge to underpin his story but not get in the way of it as it tears through at a death or glory rate!

Russian Roulette – Anthony Horowitz

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Russian Roulette – Anthony Horowitz

A gripping and clever thriller that reveals how a contract killer is made.  This book is billed as an Alex Rider prequel, certainly it starts off with international assassin Yassen Gregorovich being given orders to kill Alex Rider, and we know from the series that he doesn’t do it but what caused the series villain to stay his hand?  Before undertaking the hit Yassen reads back through his diaries and the book unfolds as his life story, not Alex’s. Starting with his safe and loving life with his parents in a little Russian village he seems an unlikely candidate for a feared ruthless assassin.  Following an anthrax explosion and government cover up, Yassen is orphaned and on the run and falls into the hands of Moscow’s criminal youth. At every step he survives but always keeps to the moral high ground despite extreme circumstances. His skills mark him out and gradually he falls under the tutelage of Scorpia, Alex Rider’s nemesis.

It seems that Yassen’s path was always going to lead him towards being a killer, and yet at every turn he shies away from that option until an incredible encounter with Alex Rider’s father changes everything forever.

This was a fast paced book that required no prior knowledge of any of the Alex rider series. That said my son who has read them all said it gave real insight and depth into the other books and he’s just started to re-read the whole series again. Personally I loved how good the writing was and how moving some of the scenes were.  Anthony Horowitz represents the very best of thrilling writers and on behalf of all teenage boys I’m glad he’s out there scribbling away!

Buy your copy now! https://astore.amazon.co.uk/wwwhurleybook-21/detail/1406310506

Prayer – Philip Kerr

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Prayer – Philip Kerr
God may well be real and he’s taking his revenge on the most vocal of atheists. This is Kerr’s first stand-alone novel in almost 10 years and it packs a very powerful punch. FBI agent Gil Martins is an ex Scottish Catholic who now lives in Texas with his evangelical wife. He’s good at his job, bad at his marriage and has lost his faith. The book starts with him following various investigations which seem to peter out as the story progresses but the main strand is that  highly vocal atheists are dying by mis-adventure. The case is brought to him by an old family friend and priest.  People are dying in unusual circumstances apparently in great fear. Intrigued Martins begins to investigate and meets a terrified undercover reporter who is convinced that the people have been killed by prayer. She then throws herself from a 40ft balcony to convince Gil that she wasn’t joking. By following her leads he finds that his dismissal of God may have been presumptive. Even worse his dismissal of God may be his undoing in a very painful manner because this isn’t the “turn the other cheek” God from the New Testament, this is more your wrath and vengeance God from the Old Testament.
This is a fabulous thriller and is likely to be disliked by atheists and believers alike. But if you are a little bit of both and a little bit of neither then you are going to really enjoys this. It does suffer from having an excruciatingly awful sex scene (cringe worthy not violent) but you can skip that and enjoy a really tense page turning novel!

Here’s a sample of the terrible sex scene. Be assured the rest of the book is NOTHING like this. So bizarre 🙂

She uttered a sigh that was also a deep, almost tectonic  shudder, as if she too was suffering from shock; and that was my second cue. I was quickly between her legs, moulding them around my waist and steering myself into the centre of her body with the urgency of one who had almost forgotten what it was like to cleave unto a woman – as the Bible describes it rather wonderfully- and be one flesh with her; until, at the right moment when I felt my hardened prick nudging  right up against the neck of her womb, I let go of everything inside me – not just semen, but all sense of who and what I was – and, I think, she did too.

The Windsor Faction – DJ Taylor.

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The Windsor Faction – DJ Taylor.

As the mist descended the mourners arrived. Large black cars ferrying in the rich, the powerful and the socialites; all wondering the same question, “Would the new  King attend the funeral of Mrs Wallace Simpson?” So starts an alternative war thriller. Prince Edward was believed to by a fascist sympathiser how might the war with Germany have unfolded had the prince become a King in mourning?  Which factions in British politics would be able to get their voices heard?
The premise for this book is excellent and it starts with a wonderful sense of foreboding. After that the narration of the book is taken up by two of the principle characters. Cynthia, a young journalist who has just returned from the colonies and seems very bored with life and the author Beverley Nichols, who finds everything rather exciting but plays it cool. Between the two of them the tone of the book flits between Noel Coward and Virginia Woolf which is no bad thing but it doesn’t seem to suit a political thriller.  This book is not fast paced nor particularly gripping but it is thoughtful and introspective and will appeal to lovers of this period of history.

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