nb92: Spring 2017 by AMS Digital Publishing

Edition No. 92 | Spring 2017

The magazine for readers and reading groups

Clare Mackintosh reveals all in our BIG INTERVIEW

Graeme Macrae Burnet Talks to nb

Crime Fiction Supplement Discover this issueâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s recommened reads

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More than £100 worth of materials delivered to your door for just £30. Probably the most rewarding decision you’ll make this year – certainly the most fun!

GET YOUR READING GROUP OFF TO A FLYING START Our Reading Group Starter Pack is a response to readers who’ve said ‘We’re interested but how do we get started?’ Well, here’s all you’ll need – except for people.

Our pack offers an inexpensive introduction to eight different books* and eight copies of this magazine so everybody can see what’s on offer.

And for those of you who are already in a group here’s a new injection of enthusiasm.

*Titles may vary from those illustrated but the pack will contain at least 8 books and probably more.

vieW heRe from

ome years back, I had drafted some generic questions for a Guildford Readers Day but never used them. Unfortunately, I chose to try them out on an extremely nervous German author (whose English was infinitely better than my German). However, she went into such a downward spin at the idea of having to talk spontaneously I abandoned the idea before she fainted away. However, I’d still like to think that they may find a place at an author event you attend – as an alternative to the ‘do you use pencil or pen?’ type of thing?

think it would be an author of sterling stuff who could answer this without feeling their grave had been crossed. WHAT’S YOUR BEST/WORST EXPERIENCE OF READING GROUPS?

I have heard legion stories from high profile authors who have been left to find their own way, cater for themselves and have their book trashed but fortunately most experiences are positives and authors do love engaging with readers who have genuinely engaged with their work. HAVE YOU READ 50 SHADES OF GREY AND WHY NOT?

Perhaps not as controversial a topic as it was a couple of years ago, but I bet Dan Brown heaved WHAT WOULD YOU DO IF YOU WERE STRANDED ON A DESERT a sigh of relief that the spotlight had found someone else to pick ISLAND? on. And then of course, there’s I saw Patrick Gale handle this the subsidiary: with aplomb at a festival in Huddersfield many years back. WHICH IS BETTER – WINNING He neatly turned it into his THE MAN BOOKER OR SELLING desert island books, an idea I quickly pinched (but at least gave AS MANY COPIES AS 50 SHADES OF GREY ? him credit for at the time). Given that most authors struggle HOW WOULD YOU FEEL IF YOU to make a living out of their books there’s always been a fair SAW YOUR LATEST BOOK IN degree of honesty about the AN OXFAM SHOP? Not such an unlikely prospect in value of winning a prize or being these more affluent times. Books endowed by the sainted R&J. A personal favourite, Donal Ryan, are not expensive – compare recently caused a stir by returning your time, expense and to the day job to maintain his enjoyment against a cinema or income. theatre trip. Nowadays we tend not to be so possessive of books Then 2 deliberately provocative we’ve enjoyed but know we won’t read again. However, I still questions: So let’s start with an easy one:

WHO IS THE BEST WRITER AMONG OUR GUESTS TODAY? AND WHY ISN’T IT YOU? and HAVE YOU WRITTEN YOUR MASTERPIECE YET? AND IF NOT, WHAT’S STOPPING YOU?

Think very carefully before you try either of these, I would suggest. After a grilling like that the warmdown gets a little easier with the last two: WHICH FICTIONAL CHARACTER DO YOU WISH YOU’D BEEN? and WHICH CHARACTER WOULD YOU PLAY IN THE FILM OF YOUR BOOK?

As I say, I bottled out before I got past question 1 but perhaps you will have more joy – and you’ll engage with an author who will rise to the occasion for all concerned. Time for me now to leave the stage but see page 8 for my highlights.

NUDGE AND NB PUBLISHER

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FROM US TO YOU Features GUY PRINGLE

Publisher, nudge and newbooks

VIEW FROM HERE

WHAT WE'RE READING – it’s the Voices turn

ALASTAIR GILES

Managing Director, AMS Digital Publishing BERT WRIGHT

Nudge List Editor MELANIE MITCHELL

Publisher Relationship Manager DANIELLE BOWERS

WELL THAT WAS FUN! Guy Pringle signs oﬀ as your publisher

39 nb READING GROUP BOOK OF THE YEAR - And the winner is...

10 QUIRKY Q&A Donal Ryan. 44 MY FAVOURITE CATHEDRALS: Charlie Lovett on Winchester. 54 ERIN KELLY ASKS, EVER TRUSTED THE WRONG PERSON?

46 AUTHOR MEETS REVIEWER Phil Ramage meets Charlie Lovett.

59 DENZIL MEYRICK SHOCKS HIMSELF IN WELL OF THE WINDS

66 ‘SCRiPT Coming to a screen near you: Neruda - Mel's been to a preview screening!

70 MY 5 FAVES – Cesca Major’s will make you laugh and cry.

68 ‘SCRiPT Book First, en Film/TV Version . . . so says Phil Ramage

72 LEGEND PRESS... worth looking out for!

Production Manager CATHERINE TURNER

Project Production Manager Community Voices ERIN BRITTON PAUL CHENEY JADE CRADDOCK SHEILA A GRANT PHIL RAMAGE REG SEWARD MIKE STAFFORD

IN ASSOCIATION WITH

www.nudge-book.com

78 AUTHOR MEETS REVIEWER Jade Craddock is intrigued by Michael Fishwick’s White Hare. 82 AROUND THE WORLD IN 80 BOOKS: JADE’S IN ROMANIA Space oen limits Jade's travelogues but they're worth checking out on nudge. 84 THE NUDGE BOOK OF THE YEAR WINNERS!

nb Magazine AMS Digital Publishing PO Box 287 GOSPORT PO12 9GF info@newbooksmag.com All raw materials used in the production of this magazine are harvested from sustainable managed forests. Every effort has been made to trace ownership of copyright material, but in a few cases this has proved impossible. Should any question arise about the use of any material, do please let us know.

85 THE DIRECTORY – what you thought of recent books. 98 WHAT WE ARE THINKING Blogger Margaret Madden puts the case for book blogs.

73 I’M A WRITER... Melinda Salisbury has a problem 74 BIG INTERVIEW: Emma Henderson meets Berwyn Peet 80 THE £30,000 WELLCOME BOOK PRIZE Shortlist revealed

CONTENTS

CRIME FICTION SUPPLEMENT

26 BIG INTERVIEW Graeme Macrae Burnet meets Sheila A. Grant

41 THIS MUST BE THE PLACE BY MAGGIE O’FARRELL

14 THE BEST GENRE FOR MODERN LIFE? Crime Fiction says Mike Staﬀord 15 BIG INTERVIEW Clare Mackintosh - Mel Mitchell is a fan

RECOMMENDED READS

29 THE LEGACY – Author Yrsa Sigurðardóttir kills oﬀ her own characters

50 I SEE YOU BY CLARE MACKINTOSH

30 NO EXIT HIGHLIGHTS FOR SPRING 31 AUTHOR MEETS REVIEWER Sheila A. Grant meets Nualla Ellwood

Front Cover Photo: Charlie Hopkinson

20 ARROWOOD BY MICK FINLAY - A counterbalance to Sherlock? 21 THE RIVIERA EXPRESS BY TP FIELDEN - Dimont, Judy Dimont remember the name 22 AUTHOR MEETS REVIEWER Nicola Smith talks to Isabel Ashdown.

32 CRIME ROUND UP Paul Burke has some suspects worth investigating 34 GX TODD - we like her! Sometimes a book just picks up speed . . . 36 AND NOW A ‘HEADS UP’ on some forthcoming crime ﬁction our reviewers approved of

55 HE SAID/SHE SAID BY ERIN KELLY

60 WELL OF THE WINDS BY DENZIL MEYRICK

64 THE nb SHOP

24 THE CRIME GYM MISTRESS Josephine Tey is worth revisiting, says Philipa Coughlan

CONTENTS

ISSUE 92 SPRING 2017

A year ago we had the bright idea of giving the editorial team an issue off and asked our Community Voices to step up. And yet again they have risen to the challenge.

nastiness of Sadie. The only person apart from herself that Sadie cares for is her eldest son Robert who after witnessing a horrific incident between his parents leaves home, travelling across the Midwest to California where, the Gold rush is losing its impetus. He constantly wonders how things are at home, touchingly documented in the many letters he writes to his sister Molly, without ever receiving a reply. A family, saga with emotion, excitement and sentiment where despite a destructive and loveless family blood does flow thicker than water. A most absorbing and thought provoking tale from a versatile writer.

recommend with the highest regard. I’ve just finished reading Nicola Moriarty’s The Fifth Letter and this was one of those in between books for me, a great premise and a novel narration let down by a lack of depth. I was a huge fan of Amanda Prowse’s last novel, The Food of Love, a story about a family’s struggle with anorexia, and her next novel, The Idea of You, looks just as poignant. Then there’s Elen Mastai’s All Our Wrong Todays and Adelia Saunders’ Indelible, both of which have wonderfully inventive concepts. So hopefully a few more hits than misses by the time I get to summer.

What we are reading JADE CRADDOCK

SHEILA A. GRANT The struggle of the pioneers who chased the ‘American Dream’ is at the heart of this fascinating and enjoyable read. James and Sadie Goodenough are forced to head west to set up home for their growing family; James is a quiet industrious husband and father, obsessed with growing apples. Sadie is too fond of the alcoholic beverage made from the fruit. A couple constantly at war with a dysfunctional family due to the selfishness and sheer 6

The start of the year has been rather hit and miss for me when it comes to what I’ve been reading. I’ve been left disappointed by a number of books I had high hopes for (not naming any names), but have found four absolute stars in Catherine Bennetto’s How Not to Fall in Love Actually, JP Delaney’s The Girl Before, Erin Kelly’s He Said/She Said and Omar Saif Ghobash’s Letters to a Young Muslim, all of which I’d

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ERIN BRITTON Clearly, the only thing better than a cosy crime book in which a cat serves as the principal detective is a cosy crime book where the feline investigator is aided by the ghost of a fourteenth-century Scotsman; hence, I have been rereading A Wee Dose of Death by Fran Stewart. It features Peggy Winn, the proprietor of the ScotShop in Hamelin, Vermont, who stumbles upon murders more regularly than she folds tartan knitwear. I’m

relatively new to the cosy crime genre, but I can’t seem to get enough of it. Saying that, this week I’ve moved on to Golden Age crime in the shape of Family Matters by Anthony Rolls. No one has actually been murdered thus far, but nearly everyone seems to be a wannabe poisoner and an extremely likely murder victim. Since life can’t be all crime all the time, I’m also reading the graphic novel adaptation of Swann’s Way. It’s adapted and illustrated by Stéphane Heuet (and then translated by Arthur Goldhammer), and it’s proving to be a beautiful, evocative read. In fact, I could just fancy a madeleine right about now…

PHIL RAMAGE I have been plunged into rural nineteenth century Ireland and it has been a pretty muddy and occasionally quite grim experience. This has been because of two books The Wonder by Emma Donoghue where an eleven year old girl’s claim that she no longer needs to eat to live is seen by some villagers as proof of the miraculous and by others as a way of bringing in trade. Religious belief and superstition threatens rational thought in a totally engrossing way. The Good People by Hannah Kent brings in another factor, the importance of folklore to the community.

This is reinforced when a toddler’s lack of development causes the locals to think he is a changeling - swapped by the fairies. Rational thought once again goes out of the window in a chilling read, based upon a true case. Both novels are dripping with atmosphere. Smoke, peat, mud and ritual are all conveyed so well together with the need to believe that something else, be it superstition, religion or magic dominates their everyday actions. Both would lend themselves to some highly spirited reading group discussions.

REG SEWARD I have to confess to being a trifle obsessive about subject matter. I recently reviewed a book about a young Russian girl trapped in the siege of Leningrad. I have then gone on to read The 900 Days: The Siege of Leningrad by Harrison E. Salisbury and Leningrad by Anna Reid. I find that by crossreferencing these books I can build a fuller picture to satisfy my own curiosity. Simultaneously, there was a quick read of A Twist of Lennon by Cynthia Lennon, plus, the current, fascinating review book The Romanovs by Simon Sebag Montefiore. I am about halfway through that particular tome, and it is astonishingly thorough in detail. I favour biographies and autobiographies chiefly.

Historical biographies, in particular, are much like food to me - any period any subject. Alison Weir's books take up a considerable area of shelf space, plus the amusing books by the historian Mary Beard.

MIKE STAFFORD Insane Clown President: Dispatches from the 2016 Circus. Over recent months, I've been reading the magnificent work of Matt Taibbi, journalist for Rolling Stone. Journalism as partisan entertainment is probably one of the things that got us into this mess, but Taibbi's turn of phrase is too lacerating, too acute, and too damned funny to miss. The only up side of watching the rise of Trump last year was Taibbi's periodic gems. Channelling Hunter Thompson's maulings of Richard Nixon, Taibbi followed then-candidate Trump on the 2016 campaign trail as part of an increasingly despised press pack. Taibbi railed against all that is revolting and profane about the now leader of the free world; after the 'grabbing' tape Taibbi bemoaned the rise of a 'bellicose pervert with too much time on his hands,' and derided his seemingly doomed campaign as 'adventure tourism for the idiot rich.' Taibbi's new book was published in January this year by WH Allen. President Trump is yet to Tweet about it.

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Well, that was fun! Guy Pringle signs off as your publisher. (which I still think of as the female equivalent of freemasonry). Looking back, issue 1’s selection was pretty tasty: Swimmer Bill Broady – a novella but so intensely written. Where are you now, Bill? Ruth Rendell’s Harm Done, yet another quality crime fiction title, Waiting by Ha Jin, based The next Ladybird title: 6 Go Mad in France! on a true story about an army doctor who had waited o here we are, nearly Anyway, having canvassed eighteen years to get a divorce 17 years down the my contacts on the idea of a so he could marry his longtime line and I’m about to magazine, I put together 24 friend, a nurse, and, my hand over the reins – pages of text heavy, one colour favourite, Getting over Edgar by and happy to do so print with very few illustrations Joan Barfoot - Edgar walks out to Mel who will take or even book jackets. on his marriage in pursuit of nb and nudge forward, with Fortunately, I wrapped it round excitement (cue the requisite style and panache. Which with a glossy cover that belied red convertible) that leads to a means there’s just time to look the professionalism of the premature death by the 8.20 back at some highs and lows. contents. And somehow, eastbound train. Hah! Of Talk about a wing and a libraries stood by their course, not all of our choices prayer; starting newbooks.mag commitments and gave me the have been as successful – – its original title – was highly breathing space to learn indeed, one or two were speculative. Latterly, my role at quickly. definitely being offloaded by HarperCollins had involved Our USP was – and remains publishers to satisfy some working with many librarians, – the free book offer. Just short author or agent ego for all really committed to the of 400 - different - books later it exposure but it would be ‘reader development initiative’. still works. We create a shop churlish to name names. Amazing to think a time of window for you to stare What is true is that we such excitement has been longingly into and then satisfy brought to the reading public’s jettisoned thanks to austerity. your craving for just the cost of attention masses of debut Worse still to think of the p&p. This virtuous circle is authors who are now household political carelessness in driven by publishers’ desire for names. And for that the handling handling libraries, still that elusive ‘word of mouth’ publishing industry continue to recognised as a valuable asset by recommendation that we be grateful as launching first the general public. create, thanks to reading groups novels is probably their

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toughest call. I give you Salley Vickers, Jodi Picoult, Alexander McCall Smith, Alice Sebold, Audrey Niffenegger, Mark Haddon, Chris Cleave and many, many more. – And some that got away . . .

So, with the skeleton of nb1 safely closeted I introduced such radical new ideas as illustrations, reviews . . . subscriptions. Who starts a magazine and hasn’t a mechanism in place for readers who want to be sure of the next issue? Yes, well. Around about nb8 we introduced colour, then more pages and, in a time before prizes became so jealously guarded, even had all 6 of the Orange shortlist as recommended reads. At one stage I had a greenhouse full of newbooks.mugs (see what I did there?) and our pillar posters, bookmarks and fliers were

generously displayed by libraries across the land. Having reveled in one of Bradford’s readers’ days in late 1999, I launched our own national tour with the selfless support of librarians I still think of with respect. Various author events have followed over the years – as well as most of the above there were Joanna Trollope, Louis de Bernières, Anita Diamant (jetlagged but still incredibly lucid), Sarah Waters and so many more who gave of themselves unstintingly to audiences who reveled in what they had to say. Remembering Howard Jacobson’s speech still makes the hair on the back of my head stand to attention. So our Winchester readers’ day of 2015 being the apogee was entirely appropriate. And the food . . . oh, my dear, the food. Two other magazines followed – mybooksmag (for 57 year olds) and tBkmag for 7-12 year olds although their time came and went. Pastures new opened up with the chance to rent a farmhouse and three gites for three seasons in Normandy. Subsidised by holiday letting, we were able to hold a series of readers’ weeks and short breaks. Inclement weather? We spread across enormous sofas in front of the wood burning stove and talked books. If the sun came out, we took chairs onto the lawns – front or back - to continue the conversations. And my dear,

the wine, the cheese, the bread . . . Kaye, our highly eccentric caterer (“If someone doesn’t pass me a glass of red I’m going to have a hissy fit!”), delighted us with French home cooking when we didn’t venture out to Bayeux’s restaurants. And then of course there’s the people. Long telephone conversations with people I’ll never get the chance to meet but would dearly love to. And correspondence – it might have been email but with Reg Seward it is most definitely correspondence – with so many readers and reviewers who share my passion. Will I miss it? You bet I will, but at least now I’ll get to read the books I want to read. Readers ring up asking for Post Room, Subscriptions Manager and so on, not realizing that this has always been a small but entirely dedicated team – at full stretch 3 at a time, often fewer. So thank you, Jo, Michael, Pien, Alison, Madelaine, Mel, Cath – for once in my life I had an original idea, but without you it would have remained just a good idea.

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Quirky Q+A Donal Ryan knows where he stands and it's not on a plane Photo: Anthony Woods

acts like a cat; dogs act like extremely idiotic and loveable humans and they’re far too likely to make you love them and to break your heart in two. Having said that, my cat died a few weeks ago after eighteen years and my heart is pretty battered after her. She was a classy lady. CATS OR DOGS? I love most dogs but they’re all too needy. Always with the hanging tongues and imploring eyes and air of imminent heartbreak. I can’t take the guilt they make me feel. I love the aloofness of cats, their air of perpetual disdain, the way they occasionally deign to be petted before walking off mid-stroke with an expression that says, You tried, human, and you failed. They’re self-possessed and independent and they don’t need to be taken to a park so they can bound about and chase sticks and squirrels and roll in muck and splash around in pools of e coli. A cat is less likely than a dog to lick your face or go to the toilet on your living room floor or leave a steaming, tennis-ball sized surprise on the path outside your house. A cat 10

PAPER CLIPS OR STAPLES Easy, easy: paper clips. Gentle, forgiving paper clips. They’re lovely. You can go horribly wrong with your sequence of pages and your paper clip will slide obligingly from the top left corner and wait while you re-shuffle your leaves before sliding back on and acting as though nothing ever happened. A staple will break your fingernails and pierce your skin when you try to pry it loose. It’ll punish you by ripping your pages to shreds and then it’ll snap its spine so it has four weapons to stab you with instead of two.

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Staples are intractable and cruel and bloodthirsty. Paper clips and staples are both paper-binding stationery in the same way that Augustus and Caligula were both Roman emperors.

COUPÉ OR ESTATE I’ve owned four coupés: a Ford Capri, a Hyundai Coupé, an Alfa Romeo GTV, and a Mercedes CE230. The Merc was a proper classic and was technically my dad’s but I used to pretend it was mine. The Capri dropped its driveshaft onto the motorway once, nearly killing me. The Alfa Romeo went wrong, sometimes spectacularly so, at least twice a week. The Hyundai went on fire outside a supermarket. The Mercedes sulked and left its gearbox on a boreen in Co. Mayo, a hundred miles from home. Much like dogs, coupés are needy and annoying and they’ll break your heart. I can’t extend this analogy farther because cats don’t

resemble estate cars in any way. But I’m getting older and my children’s legs are getting longer and their social circles are widening and I find myself more and more often scrolling through ads for big boxy cars with loads of doors and seats and luggage space and even feeling a little bit excited by them.

PLANE OR BOAT I wish I had the time to travel everywhere by boat. I’m a nervous flyer. I always think of Billy Connolly pointing out the conceit at the heart of airline safety spiels: IN THE UNLIKELY EVENT WE LAND IN WATER? THAT’S LIKE SAYING IN THE UNLIKELY EVENT WE SWIM IN F*****G CONCRETE! I’ve been on a few hairy flights, but nothing too bad. Until last year, on the way back to Shannon from New York, when the captain announced that there was a ‘problem’ with the landing gear and he couldn’t be certain it was properly descended. So the cabin crew went through the procedure for an emergency landing and the captain circled the estuary to burn off his fuel and he cut his engines and glided into Shan-

non and the crew shouted BRACE, BRACE, BRACE into the weird silence, and my travelling companion, the poet Mary O’Malley, and I took our leave calmly of one another and of the world, fully expecting to be incinerated as the belly of the fuselage and the Shannon tarmac entered a fiery marriage. But it all turned out fine, the wheels were down and locked, and I didn’t cry or scream or anything on the way down, so I was very proud of myself. But I’m even less keen on planes now than I was.

BRIDGES OR TUNNELS Bridges. They’re noble and beautiful and romantic. Tunnels give me the willies as bad as flying. I don’t think humans were ever meant to be airborne or underground. I hate the idea of there being tonnes of earth and rock above me. I took my kids on a cave tour last summer and we actually ended up standing on a bridge in a tunnel, above a creepy Styx-like river, deep in the earth. The tour guide told everyone to stop walking and she turned off the floodlights. This is what the complete absence of light is like, she said. This is what stifling a screaming panic attack

so you don’t cause a stampede of American tourists and small children on a rope bridge above an underground river is like, I thought. I walked through a crumbling, unlit tunnel linking two World War Two anti-aircraft stations once. It was barely wider than me and I’m not too wide. It took about three minutes. I was completely convinced I was going to die for the entire time. I was following my friend Anthony who knew the way and we had no light source so I threaded my fingers through the belt loops of his jeans, just in case he thought it’d be funny to leg it on me. When we got out my hands had frozen from the adrenalin dump and the terror and it took a little while to extricate me from Anthony’s pants. The farmer whose land we were trespassing on came over and offered to shoot me. The full Quirky Q&A is on nudge

All We Shall Know by Donal Ryan is published by Black Swan as a £7.99 pbk on 20th April.

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The International Crime Fiction Convention

One of the ‘Best CrimeWriting Festivals in the World’ —The Guardian

Where the Pen is Bloodier Than the Sword

One of the ‘50 Best Festivals’ in the UK —The Independent

18 - 21 May 2017 Bristol, United kingdom

Featured Guest Authors include

Ann Cleeves

Programme includes

Anthony Horowitz

Pub quiz Guest author interviews Authors remembered panel Debut authors panel

creator of Foyle’s War and Midsomer Murders

and much more

2017 CWA Diamond Dagger Recipient

Peter Lovesey Highlighted Authors include

Tom Adams & John Curran on The Art of Agatha Christie and Beyond

Iceland’s Queens of Crime Jónína Leósdóttir Sólveig Pálsdóttir Lilja Sigurðardóttir & Yrsa Sigurðardóttir

Gala Dinner & Awards Presentation for

Sounds of Crime Award eDunnit Award Last Laugh Award Best Crime Novel for Children (8-12) Best Crime Novel for Young Adults plus

Pitch-an-Agent Crime Writing Day

For the full author line-up visit www.crimefest.com

For more information or to sign up for newsletters visit the website ZZZ FULPHIHVW FRP HPDLO LQIR#FULPHIHVW FRP 9HQXH %ULVWRO 0DUULRWW 5R\DO +RWHO

Crime doesn’t pay – but that doesn’t stop us reading about it! We’re getting away with murder!

The Best Genre for Modern Life? Crime Fiction says Mike Stafford

f you want to understand modern life, read crime fiction. Not modern in the sense of contemporary, I’m talking ‘modern’ in the historical sense; the era in which people moved off the land and into cities; in which we ceased knowing our neighbours’ names; in which technology existed that we not only couldn’t afford but couldn’t even understand. This is the world that gave us crime fiction. The detective is an essentially modern character; like the scientist, he seeks the truth and hunts down demonstrable facts to prove it. In the time before him, we knew only the barbarism of trial by fire, or the ducking stool. The crimes she investigates are modern; in the city she seeks out the guilty among strangers; in the country she represents the order imposed by a distant bureaucratic authority. Surely no other genre is so 14

intrinsically linked with the way we live today. Many others can feel escapist; and while crime can scratch that itch too, it is rooted in the real, the authentic, the urgent. It’s a well readers can draw from again and again, and do. Filling that well over the coming months are works by

such luminaries as Stav Sherez, RJ Ellory or John Connolly. London’s streets have been thoroughly trodden by gumshoes for over a century,

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and yet somehow Sherez’s Carrigan and Miller books find something new to say about it. By studying immigrant communities they find something new in that millennia-old city. Immigration and identity come to the fore again in the work of RJ Ellory. A Brummie writing about America, Ellory has long been beating our American cousins at their own game. With Kings of America, we will see a fleeing Irishman and two Corsican siblings cast into the American melting pot during Hollywood’s golden age - a mouthwatering prospect from Ellory’s mighty pen. John Connolly has a similarly stellar reputation off the back of his Charlie Parker series, and soon the fifteenth volume will be hitting the shelves. With a whiff of the supernatural and several flourishes of the literary, the Parker series is a must-read, and A Game of Ghosts promises to be another superb addition.

BIG INTERVIEW

Clare Mackintosh Mel Mitchell is a fan

er debut novel, I Let You Go, was the fastest selling title by a new crime writer in 2015 and has sold more than 600,000 copies to date. In July 2016, she was presented with the coveted Theakstons Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year award, coinciding with the publication of her second novel, I See You, which charted at number one in the Sunday Times hardback bestseller list. When I speak to Clare Mackintosh, she has just returned from a whirlwind tour of the U.S. and Canada which she shared highlights of with her fans via her Facebook page. She is also on Twitter and Instagram and scrolling through her social media feeds it is apparent she is a natural – relaxed, relatable, normal. I was surprised when she told me, firmly, that she never reads her

reviews but promoting her books is clearly something she takes seriously. I asked her whether she thinks getting out there, meeting her fans and doing events, is an essential part of maintaining a profile now? “I think it’s quite hard to become a successful author now without a very strong online presence on at least one social media platform and it’s very difficult to get your name out there without doing events. It’s a sort of cumulative effect. If you go to an event, you might only have forty or fifty people there so that in itself isn’t going to make a huge difference - but they’re going to talk to other people and the bookseller you met that night is going to have a personal relationship with you and they’re going to hand sell your book so the whole thing sort of snowballs. I think nowadays readers are looking

for a more three dimensional experience from their reading and whether that is extra reading material – a reading guide at the back of the book – or whether it’s meeting the author or whether it’s a signed copy or whether it’s asking questions of an author on Facebook or Twitter…I just think they’re looking for slightly more.”

I Let You Go by Clare Mackintosh is published by Sphere.

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BIG INTERVIEW

It must be nice, I suggest, to go online and be greeted by such enthusiasm – motivational, even? “I think readers want to get a sense of who the writer is…or the motivation behind writing that particular book or that particular character. So actually most of the interactions I have with readers on social media are more about me, my working practices, my writing habits rather than straightforward feedback on the book. But it’s true, it’s a hugely motivating thing to come online and have a stream of notifications of people saying ‘I’ve just finished I Let You Go’ or ‘I’ve just finished I See You and I loved it so much’ and that’s amazing.” With that kind of dedication to her fans on social media on top of the touring I wonder that she finds time to write. How does she balance it all? “Travel has a really big impact on my writing schedule but I do write when I’m away. (Otherwise) I rent an office so I’m not working at home and it’s very much like a proper job. When I first started I needed absolute silence and I needed a clear day. I realised very quickly that if you waited for that all the time you would never get anything finished. So now if I have ten minutes between this interview and the next I could write for those ten minutes and 16

get myself into the zone. That doesn’t necessarily mean that it’s going to be my best work because there’s no doubt about it, if I do have a clear day and the right conditions to write I will write better, or I’ll write more or faster. But I can write if I get that snatched time.”

spent twelve years in the force, including time on CID. How did the change in career come about?

“It was blogging that was the turning point for me. I started blogging in 2009 when I was on maternity leave with my second set of twins. I’d had a really I speculated that the experience difficult time because I’d lost of writing the second novel, I one of my boys, from my first See You, must have been quite a set of twins, when he was just a challenge following the few weeks old. He died from incredible success of the first. meningitis. I’d had the second Did she learn anything about set of twins very quickly and it herself as a writer between the had just been a very difficult two? period in my life and I was writing about that - I was “I did. I learnt a huge writing about grief and amount. As you say, it was a postnatal depression and I very different set of wrote about the funny things circumstances and I did feel that happen when you’re the quite a lot of pressure and in mother of three very small fact it wasn’t until I managed to children. Gradually this blog shrug off the pressure that I was grew and it was the first time I able to write successfully. I had an audience. I started to get plotted a little bit less with I See a feel for what worked and what You and I worked more on the didn’t work and what resonated characters and I was probably with people. Then I had an more disciplined because I had email from someone in timeframes…but I have to say, Australia about a blog post I’d once I’d shrugged off the written about postnatal pressure I really enjoyed it. depression and she said that for When I finished it I felt more months she’d been unable to proud of I See You than I did of find the words to explain to her I Let You Go – because I felt like husband or her doctor how she it had been a much harder task felt – and then she found my to write that second book.” blog post and printed it out and gave it to them. I suddenly There is a distinct realised how powerful words authenticity in the scenes in were and that maybe if you find both of Clare’s books involving the right words you can write the police – not surprising something that gets inside when I learned that she had people’s heads, that makes them

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BIG INTERVIEW

think, ‘Yes. That. That’s how I feel.’ So that was a really defining moment. I started writing I Let You Go around that time and it was quite a personal book I suppose because Jenna, the central character, has lost a child and clearly a lot of her grief was very much my grief.” Timing is everything – this success with blogging, in the days before mum-blogging became a ‘thing’ led to increased confidence in her writing abilities and her departure from the police to pursue the more family-friendly option of freelance feature writing from home. “I think I was a bit naïve,” she told me. “I don’t think I realised quite how hard freelance journalism was, particularly for someone with absolutely no experience in journalism and no connections.

I See You by Clare Mackintosh is published by Sphere as a £7.99 pbk on 20th April.

But it seemed like something I could make work so I think just by brute force and determination I did.” Two years later she was all set to publish her first novel – but it wasn’t I Let You Go. “I think what happened, when I was writing my blog, it seemed natural to write a funny, mum-lit, parenting book. It got me an agent and I thought at the time, this is it – this is the book I want to publish. Then we had some interest from publishers and the agent, who isn’t my agent now, was very wise and said, “Look - we don’t think you should publish this book. If you’re desperate to be a published author then go ahead and we think this publisher will take it on but this will always be your debut novel and you need to think about whether this is the best work you can do and whether you want this always to be your debut. And I thought, actually no.” Aspiring novelist turns down publishing deal? It’s a testament to Clare’s foresight and intelligence but she admits, “Even at the time, walking away felt ridiculous when it was what I’d always wanted.” I Let You Go was born but had some growing to do. “I wasn’t really sure what it was. It was only as the story evolved that it became very clear that this was a

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Dorothy Flaxman is a fan of I Let You Go . . . In a split second, Jenna Gray’s world descends into a nightmare. Her only hope of moving on is to walk away from everything she knows, to start afresh. Desperate to escape, Jenna moves to a remote cottage on the Welsh coast, but is haunted by her fears, her grief and her memories of a cruel November night that changed her life forever. Slowly, she begins to glimpse the potential for happiness in her future. However, her past is about to catch up with her, and the consequences will be devastating. Every so often a book comes along which completely blows you away. This is one of those books. There are lots of twists and turns, some shocking bits and a great twist which I didn’t expect. Without spoiling the plot, it is hard to review this book in detail. However, parts of it are gritty and raw and not for the faint-heated. I felt uncomfortable reading some of it as it was so realistic. It is hard to believe that this is a debut novel. It is atmospheric and a real page turner. In my opinion it is better than Gone Girl and Girl on the Train. This could be because the story is loosely autobiographical in that the author is a former police officer involved in such an accident and having suffered the loss of a child. This brings some reality to the plot. Unlike other novels such as this, I feel there is a great deal of opportunity for a book group to discuss and take to pieces. Needless to say, I would recommend this book and have ordered the author’s new book I See You and cannot wait for it to arrive. Dorothy Flaxman Personal read Group read

★★★★★ ★★★★★

BIG INTERVIEW

. . . and Sheila A Grant loved I See You

It is Friday night rush hour in the busy overcrowded London underground. Bodies are crushed together, in close proximity. Zoe is foot sore, tired and fed up and uncomfortable sitting pressed so close to strangers. They are invading her space. She smells her neighbour’s aftershave, hears his breath and moves her leg from the pressure of his. An atmospheric introduction to a terrific thriller. Focusing her attention on the free paper as a way of avoiding eye contact Zoe is stunned to spot an ad for a dating site featuring a small photo of a woman. Her heart races as she recognises her own picture. Meanwhile, Kelly, a policewoman demoted to the Transport police, is investigating a handbag dipping on the underground where a woman had her house keys stolen and now believes someone has been in her house. Kelly and the woman appeared on a safety notice on the TV news. Zoe has been looking into back copies of the paper and when she saw the programme recognised the woman from one of the previous ads, just like the one where her own picture appeared. Is there a pattern here? The tension in the book builds slowly and steadily resulting in a dark, tense and very gripping psychological thriller about stalking and the danger lurking in the internet. Zoe becomes increasingly paranoid, trembling if a man even looks at her. The stress associated with the crimes causes a strain on all relationships. Subtly, the book contains little hints as to who was at the heart of the crime and my suspicion centred on one then another. The intricacy of the writing means this is such an absorbing book that holds the reader desperate to know what happens next. Sheila A. Grant ★★★★★ Personal read Group read ★★★★★

psychological thriller, that it was really quite dark and got very dark in the second half.” The rest, as they say, is crime publishing history. If there are any psychological thriller fans who haven’t discovered Clare Mackintosh, how would she persuade them to read I See You?

special services agent – they are just ordinary people, like you and me. For me, that’s what I like to read about – ordinary people put in extraordinary situations.” It also provided Clare with police detective Kelly Swift, her favourite character to date and one she may return to in a future book.

“I would say that if they are, like most of us, someone who does the same thing every day and when they think about their own routine they tend to get up at the same time and take the same route to work and cross the road at exactly the same place and buy their coffee in exactly the same coffee shop…if they do that they’re putting themselves at risk and I See You will tell you exactly how… I think it would be interesting for reading groups to have a discussion about this idea of familiar routines. I throw out a challenge really, that everyone has something in their lives that is utterly predictable.”

I discovered that she doesn’t like too much research (“I’m impatient to get writing”) but is prepared to walk fully clothed into a freezing November sea to get into character (“it’s the sort of research that pays more dividends…because it’s that sort of scene that makes the reader feel like they’re there”). I get the feeling that this connection to the reader is of the utmost importance to her and that she is proud of striking a chord with so many of them. Ambitious then?

More than that, Clare’s second novel is far more nuanced in terms of relationships and family dynamics than the first making it an ideal, as well as thrilling, reading group read. “This is a terrible thing to say if I’m trying to sell my books but there’s no one exciting in I See You. There are no characters that are unusual, no one has secret powers or can fly or is a

“I am ambitious. I think sometimes people are afraid to admit that they’re ambitious, particularly women. For me, ambition is drive – drive to continue writing good books, to push myself to write books that are complex, multi-layered. Of course I want my books to be in the Sunday Times Top Ten, why wouldn’t I want that? It shows that people have bought my books and I’m an author and that’s my job.” You can’t say fairer than that. See page 50 for an extract from I See You and claim a FREE copy on page 65.

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Arrowood by Mick Finlay

A counterbalance to Sherlock?

had the idea for writing Arrowood when I was rereading Sherlock Holmes several years ago. I love Conan Doyle’s stories, but I wondered which other private detectives would be working in London at the time, and whether they would resent Holmes’s genius and fame. That’s when he came to me, William Arrowood, living in cheap rooms in South London, only just surviving on the low fees he charged working the poorer parts of London. A man with a huge heart and a concern for the injustices of Victorian society. I knew if Arrowood was to capture the imagination, he had to be a strong character. And if he was to resent the success of Sherlock Holmes, he had to have a different approach to solving crime. This was the key to who he was. While Holmes 20

focuses on physical clues and logic, Arrowood is obsessed with people, with their emotions, their motives, their inconsistencies. Instead of studying shipping timetables and the qualities of cigar ash, Arrowood studies Victorian ideas of the mind and emotion. He carries out small experiments as he works, prodding and poking his clients, his informants, his suspects. And instead of the cold logic and social isolation of Holmes, Arrowood is affable, given over to tenderness and fury in equal measure, loving yet greedy, generous to strangers yet careful with his pennies. Arrowood’s sidekick, Barnett, comes from the slums of Bermondsey. There he learnt to use his fists, to pick locks, and to work hard. He protects his guvnor, rescues him from his binges, and tries to tame his outbursts of emotion. He’s far from the jovial fool that Watson is. And he has a secret. In the first Arrowood book, the detectives find themselves investigating Stanley Cream,

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one of the most dangerous crime bosses in South London. When a young woman is murdered for talking to them, Arrowood vows to bring her killer to justice. But they soon find they’re in the middle of a Fenian conspiracy to steal weapons from the government. Arrowood’s fascination with the mind comes from my own work teaching and doing research in Psychology Departments over the last twenty years. In writing Arrowood, I’ve read a lot about Victorian London. There I found many vibrant characters, a great deal of sorrow and humour, and so many similar concerns to those we have today. I’ve tried to bring the 1890s to life for a present day audience, and I really hope readers enjoy him as much as the fictional detectives that have meant so much to me over the years. Mick Finlay

Arrowood by Mick Finlay is published by HQ as a £12.99 hbk, available now.

The Riviera Express by TP Fielden Dimont, Judy Dimont - remember the name. You heard it here first.

here does your hero/heroine come from - is it someone you've loved or loathed for years? Someone you saw in the distance across a café maybe, or in the bus? The way they looked, the tilt of their head? Their clothes or mannerisms? Inventing a character from scratch allows you a clean slate but has its drawbacks. Do you, the author, ever truly believe in them, or are they just a puppet dancing around on the page you can manipulate but can't fully engage with? In my new series of novels, the English Riviera Murders, I took the easier course and borrowed my heroine Miss Dimont from real life. I was walking down a street in Torquay one night in the offseason – rainy, pretty much deserted, nothing to write a postcard home about – when

suddenly she came back to me. I can't have thought about her for thirty years. When I arrived to work as a cub reporter on the local newspaper she was already there and a star – brilliant shorthand, brimming with confidence, awesomely competent. She knew what she was doing and led by example. The period we shared an office was short, a few weeks only, and then she was gone. So why, in a rainy street forty years later, did Miss Judy Dimont come back to me? This character who has become so central to my life as an author, a character whose brilliance, quite independent of anything I could invent, will play out over the next four books in the series? This tantalisingly sparkling creation I had so little a hand in inventing? I'd been searching for a heroine, but there were many other people I'd worked with who'd fit the bill better. Was it

the look which stayed with me – that aquiline nose, the corkscrew hair? Those clear and lovely eyes? Or was it her no-shit attitude to those in authority? Yes, that was it! It was her character that had stayed in the back of my mind down the decades. The rest was easy to invent. I didn't love her then, but maybe I love her now - Miss Dimont, that is, not her real-life progenitor. She's worldly but has chosen small-town life. She's cultured but likes a drink in the pub. She's no pin-up but has a razor-sharp intellect. And she knows how to solve murders, so I will always be safe in her company. TP Fielden

The Riviera Express by TP Fielden is published by HQ as a £12.99 hbk, available now.

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AUTHOR MEETS REVIEWER

Nicola Smith talks to Isabel Ashdown

Nicola Smith: The Isle of Wight is the setting for Little Sister (lovely place!). Why did you choose to set the book on the island and is it somewhere that you are really familiar with? Isabel Ashdown: The Isle of Wight is a place I have great affection for. Over the years I’ve spent much time there, either holidaying with the family, or retreating there to walk, write and research. Little Sister is the second book I have firmly located there (the other being Summer of ’76), and in both cases I felt that the island location lent something powerful to the unfolding of the drama. I grew up in a small

been concerned with the complexities of family. Family is the one thing we all have in common – whether good, bad, present or absent – family looms large in every one of our lives. I have a (lovely) younger sister, and there’s no doubt it’s a unique, special, and peculiarly different relationship to that shared with other female relatives. There’s an unspoken quality to it – perhaps you feel each other’s joy and pain more intuitively – and so it seemed to me, in a story of secrets and betrayal, you might feel each other’s darkness more clearly, too. NS: How do you plan a novel

Little Sister

by Isabel Ashdown

seaside town, and I guess small islands are similar in their way – when big things happen, perhaps they seem even bigger, magnified within the boundaries of the ocean, adding to the sense of claustrophobia and panic that courses through the characters at the heart of the story. NS: The relationship between Emily and Jess is troubled and complex and makes for an interesting story. What made you decide to write about sisters and was any of it from personal experience? IA: To date, all my books have

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like Little Sister where there are different viewpoints and each has to, in effect, convince the reader that they are the reliable one? Was it harder to plot this book than your previous ones? IA: The plotting for Little Sister was more complex than for my previous books – and it was a different experience in that I did most of the plotting early on in the process. This was vital to the success of the story, but still I found plenty of surprises along the way, something that gives me a great thrill as a writer! As for the different viewpoints, once I

AUTHOR MEETS REVIEWER

have characters and voices I NS: What kind of books do believe in, I can only hope that they’ll become just as real for my you like to read yourself ? Do you like to read similar genres readers too. to your own works or NS: Emily's story is written in something completely the third person and Jess's in different? IA: I read widely – usually two the first? What made you books a week – everything from decide to use two different contemporary fiction to the narrative styles? IA: This was a conscious choice: classics, from psychological thrillers to dystopian YA. I I wanted the reader to have a don’t care what the genre is – I closer relationship with Jess, an just love a good story. Recent ‘in her thoughts’ view, perhaps books I can highly recommend because she was the outsider, are The Faithful by Juliet West invited into the cosy lives of and Good Me Bad Me by Ali Emily and James. Emily is a Land. cooler character, more emotionally reserved, and so the distance of third person felt like NS: The main storyline in Little Sister is that of missing the right fit. baby, Daisy. As a mother that NS: How long does it take you sort of thing puts the fear of to write a book? Do you write God into me. How hard is it to everyday and do you have a write such a storyline as a strict routine? mother yourself ? IA: Well, until now, I’ve had IA: I like to write about things two years between books which that unsettle me, or excite me, or has been quite a luxury. But make me hungry to know more. then that pesky Trapeze came If a subject strikes me with along with their two book deal strong emotion, perhaps my ... So this year I’ve had to say no readers will feel something to most other work similar. The idea of a taken engagements, to allow me the child is the stuff of nightmares – creative time and space to write but as a writer, the chance to a book a year. I have to say, I’m unravel that mystery, to find out enjoying it – I work well under a what really happened, to right bit of stress, and I love a some wrongs – perhaps that’s deadline (I know, I’m mad). I too compelling to turn away write daily, with a target of 1000 from? words, rising early and rewarding myself in the evening with a long dog walk and a glass of wine/bottle of beer if I’m on Little Sister by Isabel Ashdown is target. If I’m not on target I published by Trapeze as a £7.99 reward myself with a healthy pbk on 27th July. Also available as an e-book from 27th April. dollop of self-loathing.

Nicola’s review of Little Sister I love a book with an unreliable narrator but this one has two for the price of one! Emily and her younger sister, Jess (only younger by less than a year) share the telling of the story, centred around the abduction of Emily's baby daughter, Daisy. Although a lot of the focus is on trying to find Daisy, the real story is that of the sisters and the rivalry and jealousy between them. I never really took to Emily but Jess I did like, and all the way through the book I never knew if what I was witnessing was the real Jess or not. What is really clever about Ashdown's writing is that you just don't know who to trust or who to believe and some really tight plotting has taken place to keep up the momentum and the intrigue. The book is set on the Isle of Wight. I have holidayed there and loved it so having it as a setting was something that really appealed to me. Being an island makes it a perfect place for a story like this as the enclosed feeling ramps up the tension. The story starts with a prologue that sets the scene, or does it? Only quite a way into the book does the prologue really fall into place and at that point there is a bombshell that I really didn't expect. And the epilogue was just perfect. Again it was unexpected but it made me feel quite satisfied. To say any more would be to give away too much but what I can say is that this is a psychological novel of the highest order. With twists and turns galore I had a lot of trouble putting it down. I kept thinking I knew what had happened in the past and what was going to happen and then had my thoughts turned on their heads. Little Sister is a fantastic look at family dynamics and the farreaching consequences of secrets within those families. I absolutely loved it! ★★★★★ Personal read Group read ★★★★★

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THE CRIME www.josephinetey.net

Josephine Tey is worth revisiting, says Philipa Coughlan

al McDermid is a fan. She knew actors John Gielguid and Laurence Olivier and one of her books was adapted into a movie by Alfred Hitchcock. In 1990, the Crime Writers’ Association voted her book The Daughter of Time the best crime novel ever written. Who is this author? Josephine Tey. Who? Yes like many crime fans I have spoken to they have not heard of her either. Someone in our book club suggested her as an author and I read The Singing Sands. I was hooked! I decided to do my own investigation into Josephine Tey and found a fascinating real life mystery. 24

Born Elizabeth MacKintosh (known as Beth) on 25th July 1896 in Inverness, this Scottish writer was one of three sisters brought up by Colin and Josephine. As the eldest, Beth did well at school and her chosen career path was teaching physical education – at a time when the career had higher status than we might acknowledge today. Beth studied at Anstey Physical Training College, whose Principal and founder Rhoda Anstey was a feminist, supporter of women’s suffrage and an inspiration to many of her students. Beth’s time at the College coincided with the First World War and with her first love, soldier Gordon Barber, who tragically died alongside many other young men at the Somme. Beth’s experience as a student also proved a backdrop to Miss Pym Disposes, which amongst Josephine Tey’s crime mystery novels does not involve the police in solving the crime but the narrator, Miss Lucy Pym herself. The plot like so many of hers develops slowly but in immense detail. Ley College is where gymnastic displays, ballet and practical

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first aid alongside the character of the girls is explored almost forensically. This proves vital when – in one of the last chapters – the death of one of the students proves to be suspicious. Readers are left to determine their own view of the suspects and to whether the ending was deserved. So how did Beth evolve from a gym teacher to one of the leading names amongst the Golden Age of Crime in the 1920’s and 30’s? Just after Beth’s 27th birthday in June 1923 her mother Josephine died. Her father was devastated; after 29 years of marriage, family and work his life was totally connected to his wife. Immediately after the funeral Beth decided to leave work and keep house for her father. There was a developing Scottish literary culture which was thriving in Inverness. Beth joined other writers, one of whom, Hugh Patrick Fraser McIntosh (whose name of course was like Beth’s) became a close friend. They encouraged each other to write short stories and poetry and send them off for publication, particularly to the Weekly

GYM MISTRESS Westminster Gazette. Despite her previous confidence, in this new venture, like so many notable women writers before her, Beth doubted whether a female name would catch the attention of the publishers so she chose a pen-name, Gordon Daviot. And from 1925 Gordon Daviot was regularly featured in print. But what of Hugh? After the deaths of her mother and her first love now came that of Hugh McIntosh. He had moved to Inverness after being invalided out of the army and had tuberculosis. Friendship might have led to romance but once again it led to grief. Beth was never to marry or even, it appears, to have had a long term serious romantic relationship. Her focus became her writing. Both Beth’s sisters now lived in London and she still visited them when relieved of caring duties at home. Her writing became impregnated with ‘another lifestyle’ that maybe she craved from Scotland. Her first two full length novels were Kif and The Man in the Queue. Both are full of joyful descriptions of London but where Kif took its subjects as

class divisions and the lack of care for former soldiers giving vent to some of Beth’s political views, The Man in the Queue introduces us to Inspector Alan Grant, who formed the main character in future crime thrillers and a further penname for the crime genre as Josephine Tey in memory of her mother. Meanwhile, as Gordon Daviot, Beth was expanding her writing to stage plays and linking it to her love and thorough background research of history. Her most successful theatre work was Richard of Bordeaux. It was an innovative play and one which attracted a lot of critical acclaim. Casting John Gielguid as Richard, not only established his fame but led to a lifetime friendship with Beth. On visits to London by train, Beth transformed from the carer to the famous author feted amongst celebrity theatrical circles. Later her focus combined mystery with history as Inspector Grant lies in his hospital bed unravelling the ‘truth’ behind Richard II and the murder of the Princes in the Tower. Gielguid was quoted as calling the writing of Beth’s

crime thrillers her ‘yearly knitting’, but they became a source of financial independence and established her fame again. She featured in lists alongside Agatha Christie and Dorothy L Sayers as great female crime writers of the time. Ultimately a private person, Beth died in 1952 of cancer, which she had probably kept to herself as well. Amongst her papers was found the manuscript for The Singing Sands, (and three other novels) which were printed posthumously. In her substantial estate, there was a large legacy for the National Trust and a commitment that any future proceeds from her work would also go to that organisation. If Josephine Tey is new to you too, do give her a read.

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BIG INTERVIEW

SG: Your book outsold all the other nominees. Why do you think that was? GMB: I think initially it was because of the amount of press coverage the book got. Faced with a longlist of 13 books, journalists need to find an angle and both the David & Goliath (small publisher/unknown author) and the ‘crime-novelon-the-Booker-longlist’ angles played very well in the media. But I’d like to think that since the book has begun to find a readership, it’s continued to sell because people have responded to characters and found the story compelling.

a long tradition, going back at least as far as Dostoyevsky’s Crime and Punishment, which focuses more on the psychology of the criminal rather than on any ‘mystery’ elements. SG: You're right, it is more than a thriller - it is Scottish history - as Val McDermid said. There is a well publicised image of Scotland in the past as either wild Scotsmen in kilts waging war on other clans or in contrast the romantic heather clad hills etc theme. Would you agree with that? Did you deliberately set out to show the reality of the horrendously hard times crofters had until

Graeme Macrae Burnet meets Sheila A. Grant Sheila A Grant was a big fan of Graeme's His Bloody Project (as were Phil Ramage and Claire Thomas). So when we learned that Sheila knew Graeme's mother we asked if she might be able to talk to him about the 'overnight success' of his book. 26

SG: The media tended to dwell on the theme as a ‘crime novel’ and how surprising to have such a genre in the Booker list. Did that annoy you? GMB: I think of the book as a novel about a crime, rather than a crime novel, but I don’t really object to the label. On the one hand I think it’s obvious from the opening pages that the book is certainly not a conventional whodunit or police procedural, but I think crime fiction is a pretty broad church and there’s

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not all that long ago when they were completely at the mercy of land owners and their agents? GMB: My focus is on the psychology of the characters. Having decided to set my novel in a nineteenth-century crofting community, it was, of course, necessary to describe the way of life of the characters, but I didn’t do this out of any didactic motives – these details are there to serve the characters and plot of the novel.

BIG INTERVIEW

SG: His Bloody Project was your second published book? Are there others lying in a drawer somewhere? GMB: In the 1990s I wrote a pretty generic crime novel set in a thinly-disguised Kilmarnock. I’m now glad it failed to find a publisher. I also wrote numerous short stories and three or four novels to about 30,000 words before abandoning them. I see this all as part of learning the craft of writing (which I’m still doing) and would certainly never try to resurrect any of them.

to a Glasgow-based independent company called Synchronicity long before the Man Booker nomination. Of course, the idea of a screen adaptation is exciting, but it’s a very long and difficult road to get anything into production, so we’ll just have to wait and see what happens.

The Disappearance of Adèle Bedeau. SG: Did you always want to write? GMB: I’ve been writing offand-on since I was a teenager.

SG: Obviously we are all familiar with this recent SG: At one time I made a point success and it all looks so easy. I am sure it was not overnight of reading the Man Booker or was it? prizewinner every year. I have to say some of them were hard GMB: You’re the first person going. Yours is a rattling good story, albeit a literary and well who’s said it looks easy. Aside from the apprenticeship of researched one. I would say writing the unpublished and that your book had a unique unfinished novels I mentioned quality - would you agree? SG: It is an amazing feat to be before, The Disappearance of nominated and to reach the Adèle Bedeau took me about GMB: It’s really not for me to shortlist with a second book. say, is it? My concern is to create three years to write and almost Has it sunk in yet? Tell us of another three to get published. some of the unexpected events characters and a narrative that His Bloody Project took two and engage readers. I want them to you have enjoyed or been a half years to write and had feel immersed in the milieu of invited to attend. been out for eight months the book. Trying to be original before the Man Booker brought GMB: The best thing about the or ‘unique’ never enters my it to a wider audience. So, more head. wider attention the book has of a decade-long struggle than had is that it will now be an overnight success. SG: Your first novel, also published in countries all over excellent, bears little the world and I’ve been invited to attend festivals from Adelaide resemblance to His Bloody to Ullapool. In the run-up to the Project. What is next? GMB: Although The Man Booker announcement, I Disappearance of Adèle Bedeau is did a few events with Paul Beatty, the eventual winner, and set in France around 1980 and is stylistically quite different, I you couldn’t wish to meet a more easy-going and affable guy. actually think there are It would be nice to hook up for significant similarities between the two books. Of course, that a beer sometime, but I suspect he’s rather busy at the moment. was something I only realised after I finished His Bloody SG: And film rights? It would Project. I’m currently working on a second book set in Saintmake a superb film. His Bloody Project by Graeme Mcrae Louis and featuring the Burnet is published by Saraband a detective, Georges Gorski, from £8.99 pbk. GMB: We sold a screen option

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Claire’s review of His Bloody Project We’re in Culduie, a small crofting community, in 1869 and three brutal murders have taken place committed by Roderick Macrae who is just seventeen. While he’s awaiting sentence, he tells us his story. We’re given other ‘historical’ documents to supplement this so in a sense we are like the jury in the book, taking stock and judging Roderick. This is well written and you have to keep reminding yourself that although some of the characters did actually exist these documents are pure fiction. Macrae Burnet does a fine job here and effortlessly slips between different styles. I also really believed in the crofting community and how claustrophobic it was. The crofters are trapped through a system of control that never allows them to prosper or escape. I felt the lead up to the crime itself was rather sudden and I wanted more at the end of the book somehow – a further twist. However, this book is great company and very stylish. There would be much for a book group to discuss too.

Phil’s review of His Bloody Project As

far as I am concerned, one of the best things about book awards is that they sometimes introduce me to something that I would never have otherwise discovered. This is how I feel about His Bloody Project. Emanating from Scottish independent publishers Saraband, this is Burnett’s second novel, which is subtitled “Documents relating to the case of Roderick Macrae”. Burnett takes us to the crofting community of the Scottish highlands in 1869, where 17-year-old Macrae commits three murders. Macrae kept a prison journal and this forms the basis of these documents together with transcripts from the trial, witness statements and reports from contemporary experts in criminal psychology. If this reads like true crime masquerading as fiction then it is a testament to how spot on Burnett’s recreation of Macrae and his environment is. This is impressive, superbly researched historical fiction, with the author bringing in a couple of real life characters in the form of Macrae’s solicitor and the psychologist employed to assess the killer’s sanity. Were Macrae’s actions the result of insanity or was he pushed to act because of a campaign of harassment against his family? Macrae, deemed to be very bright by those who taught him but unable to escape his circumstances, is not a totally reliable narrator. There are a couple of very relevant points he omits from his journal, which we discover during the trial. Compared to true crime accounts such as Kate Summerscale’s The Wicked Boy, the fictional approach obviously allows for added depth in the documentation, which makes this a very rich and rewarding read. This is a book that will be strongly competing to be my Book Of The Year. Phil Ramage 5/5

Claire Thomas 4/4

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CRIME FICTION SPECIAL

The Legacy by Yrsa Sigurðardóttir Author Yrsa Scrabblename is willing to kill off her own characters investigation, namely Huldar. They have a brief yet explosive history together that severely strains their working relationship but the severity of he Legacy is the first book the case at hand leaves them no of my new crime series set option but to join forces, as do in Iceland, featuring child the girl’s whispered words that psychologist Freyja and the killer is not done. policeman Huldar. It tells the The Legacy is the story of a horrific murder of a introductory novel of what I young mother, witnessed only hope to be five or six involving by her small daughter. The girl the same characters. I therefore is thus a very important spent a good deal of time witness, especially since the pondering over Huldar and police have little to go on other Freyja’s attributes and personal than her testimony, which life. The protagonists of any unfortunately for all is not series are after all the structural forthcoming. elements holding everything aloft. If the protagonists sag or Enter the Children’s House, lose their appeal, the whole an institution set up for thing collapses into a heap of investigating cases involving boring. So I made sure to equip youths, employing child them with enough explosive psychologists specialized in baggage to last them interviewing children without throughout the series. So far I leading them along or putting have written three books about ideas into their heads. As the this pair and thankfully they head of the institution, Freyja is show no signs of any hairline the psychologist responsible for fractures at their core. I think this important charge and must they might suspect that if they put aside her loathing for the veer towards the dull side their detective heading the maker (me) will kill them off

without hesitation. So they are on their toes. But despite the importance of the protagonists, such characters alone do not a crime novel make. It needs more. A lot more. Aside from a respectable, descriptive writing style, a credible cast of secondary characters and good pacing, a crime novel needs a rock solid, non-see-through and interesting plot. And based on reader response I think it is fair to say that The Legacy delivers. It was selected the best crime novel in Iceland the year it was published here and has just received the same prize in Denmark for best crime novel of 2016. The Legacy will however never win a prize sponsored by Nilfisk or the Hoover Company. And once you have read the book you will understand why. I promise you that you will never look at their production line the same way again. The Legacy by Yrsa Sigurðardóttir is published by Hodder & Stoughton as a £14.99 hbk.

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CRIME FICTION SPECIAL

No Exit Highlights for Spring 2017

BOUNDARY by Andree A. Michaud It’s the summer of 1967. The sun shines brightly over Boundary Pond, a holiday haven on the US-Canadian border. Families relax in the heat, happy and carefree, and hours tick away to the sound of radios playing 'Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds' and 'A Whiter Shade of Pale'. Zaza Mulligan and Sissy Morgan, with their long, tanned legs and silky hair, relish their growing reputation as the red and blonde Lolitas. Life seems idyllic. But innocence, like summer, cannot last—and when Zaza disappears, the skies begin to cloud over... From the two-time winner of the Governor General’s Literary Award, this is a hauntingly lyrical thriller as compulsive as Emma Cline’s The Girls. Recently published as a £14.99 hbk. #BoundaryBook noexit.co.uk/boundary

NIGHT MARKET by Daniel Pembrey In the stunning sequel to the #1 bestseller The Harbour Master, Detective Henk van der Pol is bid by the Justice Minister to infiltrate a team investigating an online child exploitation network. He can hardly say no – he’s at the mercy of prominent government figures in The Hague – but he soon realises that the case is far more complex than he was led to believe… Once again, Detective van der Pol is forced to put his life on the line, wading the murky waters between right and wrong, authority and corruption, as he strives to uncover who the true criminals really are. Published on 27th April as a £7.99 pbk. #NightMarket noexit.co.uk/nightmarket

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DEADLY ALIBI by Leigh Russell As the internationally bestselling DI Geraldine Steel series approaches one million copies sold, the heartpounding ninth instalment sees Steel – stellar track record in the force, singleminded and dedicated – pushed to her limits. Plunged into a double murder investigation and plagued by an alibi that doesn’t ring true, intuition tells Geraldine they have the wrong man; at odds with her boss, and burdened with the return of a troubled twin sister she never knew she had, Geraldine is drowning. When she finds that her career is not the only thing threatened by the case at hand – that this time, it’s her life – will she sink, or find the strength to pull through? Published on 25th May as a £7.99 pbk. #DeadlyAlibi noexit.co.uk/deadlyalibi

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AUTHOR MEETS REVIEWER

Sheila A. Grant meets Nualla Ellwood Sheila was so impressed with My Sister’s Bones we put her in touch with Nuala Ellwood to find out more...

n astounding debut novel from a new writer. The writing is tight and vivid and the book moves on at a steady pace with intriguing twists and turns. Kate is a fascinating character, courageous and vulnerable, whose experiences abroad have in no way hardened her, rather she is a woman of compassion, sad at the loss of her mother, and for losses in her professional life. A thought-provoking book with many strands that gradually and neatly are drawn together to create an astoundingly unexpected and nail biting finale. (Full review on nudge with a SECOND OPINION from Nicola Smith). Sheila: Am I correct in saying this is your first novel? Or do you have others lurking in a drawer? Nualla: I’ve been writing novels and short stories since I was a teenager but this is my first thriller. SG: Did you always want to write? NE: Yes. When I was a little girl I spent all my spare time writing plays and stories and ploughing my way through the

books in my dad’s study. I once spent an entire summer cataloguing the whole lot with a meticulous hand-written library card system that still exists to this day. My parents introduced me to literature and the power of the written word at an early age. Dad’s a journalist and I grew up listening to the sound of the typewriter bashing out scripts to deadline. To me, writing was as normal and necessary as breathing. The house was full of singing and storytelling and music, too, and being the youngest of five I had a wealth of material to draw on from the comings and goings and dramas of my elder siblings. As time went by my writing came out ‘song-shaped' and I spent several years working as a session singer/songwriter. The novels came later. SG: Would I be correct in thinking that the stories from members of your family returning from reporting in war zones inspired you with this novel? NE: My Dad was a BBC journalist and though he reported on some pretty devastating things, including serial killers, child abuse and the aftermath of civil war in Beirut, he wasn’t a war

reporter. My fascination with war reporters stems from a brief meeting I had with the Sunday Times reporter, Marie Colvin at the Chelsea Arts Club where I worked in my early twenties. She gave a talk about her experiences that was inspiring and heartbreaking in equal measure and it sparked an idea in me about writing a story with a female war reporter at its heart. Besides the work of Colvin and others such as Janine di Giovanni and the legendary Martha Gellhorn, I have also been horrified by the war in Syria and the suffering of the people trapped in besieged cities such as Aleppo. I think every age has its war and the Syrian conflict is ours. It made sense to me to write about it in My Sister’s Bones and explore the human and psychological cost of war.

My Sister’s Bones by Nualla Ellwood is published by Penguin as a £12.99 hbk and is available now.

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CRIME FICTION SPECIAL

CRIME ROUND UP Paul Burke, reviewer of this parish, has some suspects worth investigating.

very nation's crime writing has its own character and style. It comes from the myths and legends, feeds on literary traditions, (books we now call classics) and draws its influences from the institutions and culture of a society, it grows and develops and it cross-pollinates with the writing of other cultures. Still the best have a distinctive voice reflective of the locale. Crime is a doorway on culture, politics, and history. Here are some of the novels this year that left an impression on me. I love dark crime fiction, it seems to me there is more truth than in cozy crime – I want to learn as well as feel.

The Hit – Nadia Dalbuono, (Scribe, 2017), third in the Leone Scarmarco series and I am mystified as to why these novels don't get more attention. I heartily recommend The Few and The American as well as this one. Detective Scarmarco, comes from bad seed, constantly has to prove his mafia connections do not undermine his police career. Here a simple hit and run should fall under the jurisdiction of the traffic division so why are his bosses sending Scarmarco to handle the case? Things take a turn for the worse when the victims are kidnapped from the ambulance taking them to hospital. As with all Scarmarco investigations things are set to get a lot more complicated. Dalbuono has an intimate knowledge and understanding of Italy, its criminal underbelly and the often twisted and corrupted state that functions on the back of its relationship with the Mafia. Solid characterisation, intricate plotting and an easy style, what's not to like? A fresh voice in a well trodden field. Every bit as good as the Castagnetti PI novels of Tobias Jones. This is Euro-noir of the highest order. ****

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Blood Crime – Sebastia Alzamora, (Soho press 2016, HB translated from Catalan). This book does its best to defy classification and don't be fooled by the description of the vampire narrator because this is about the very human horror story of the Spanish Civil War. It is a strange one but I had a feeling about this novel and it really is something to savour. This book is allegorical/metaphorical because the subject of the novel is very dark; we are in Barcelona in the midst of the Civil War and the vampire is a sort of voyeur and our occasional guide. A sparsely used narrator posing philosophical and religious questions that come more sharply into focus at a time of chaos and bloodshed in society, where values and morals are challenged. In Barcelona a Marist monk and a young boy are murdered and drained of blood. Superintendent Munoz is tasked with finding the killer. Yet, Blood Crime is about so much more; the fate of the Marist monks now under even more scrutiny because of the death of one of their number, similarly the Capuchin sisters of Sarria, the threat Bishop Perugorria poses to the young

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novice, sister Concepcio, all at the mercy of Manuel Escorza who controls the city with a fist of iron and hates the religious orders he associates with the fascists of Franco. Beautifully written, intelligent, horrific and truly memorable. A startlingly original and enduring novel. Worthy of the praise it has received in Europe and America.***** The Wolf Trial – Neil Mackay, (Freight Books, 2016 HB) from the very first lines I had the sense that this would be a great read. Like Adso in Umberto Eco’s The Name of the Rose young Willie Lessinger is assistant to Paulus Melchior and narrates the strange tale of the werewolf of Bideburg. The trial of a local landowner, Stumpf, accused of 'brutally murdering dozens of people' is the premise of the novel. The town is up in arms they want vengeance on Stumpf, said to be a werewolf, and his family. Stumpf desperate to save his family wants to be tried as a man not as a device of the Devil. Set in sixteenth century Munster, Germany, a land ravaged by war, plague and famine. In an age of religious fervour and impending schism the Church defines most

aspects of life, yet is still unable to completely supplant superstition. Paulus Melchior represents rational thinking but lines are easily blurred. Revenge, superstition, hatred, fanaticism and stupidity all feature in this highly literary thriller that remains with you.**** Athenian Blues – Pol Koutsakis, (Bitter Lemon Press, 2017, PB translated from Greek). An unlikely trio of righteous avengers; hitman, Stratos, homicide detective, Draga and transgender sex worker, Teri, are a team. A crazy gang that sort of makes sense in post crash Greece, they have been friends since childhood. A gang reminiscent of Alligator and his cohorts in the novels of Massimo Carlotto. This doesn't quite reach that height but it is a fast paced quick fire read, darkly comic, occasionally running to farce. Underpinned with elements of Greek tragedy and a sort of nihilistic logic that feeds on the long established tradition of crime writing in Greece - as a way of reflecting the political from Z by Vassilis Vassilikos, to Markaris and Gakas. Here, the beautiful Aliki wants Stratos to kill her

husband, Vassilis, because he is trying to kill her. Vassilis says the attempts on his wife's life are nothing to do with him and he wants Stratos to find out who is trying to kill the woman he loves and wants to protect. As Stratos and his friends try to find out who is telling the truth events spiral and plot races to a revealing, deadly and explosive end. Strong characters, stylish easy prose, a strong noir.*** And these are some of my favourites recently reviewed on nudge; Rupture – Ragnar Jonasson (Orenda, 2016). Conclave – Robert Harris (Hutchinson, 2016), Rather Be The Devil – Ian Rankin (Orion, 2016) and The Good People – Hannah Kent, (Picador, 2017). Finally, it is worth mentioning some box sets, not the manufactured series designed to go on series after series but the kind that tell a complete crime story over several chapters and unfolds like a novel, has the complication of plot and storyline and characterisation that elevates it. Personal favourites are Case, Tony's Revenge and Mafiosa (all C4).

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CRIME FICTION SPECIAL

GX Todd - we like her! Sometimes a book just picks up speed . . .

GX Todd.

First there was a good review, which prompted us to suggest an I’m a Writer . . . piece for nudge and then we were able to put author and reviewer together – RESULT! SARA’S REVIEW A pre-read warning: this is a big book to be unable to put down, but don’t let this put you off as the chapters are short to allow you to give in when you can’t physically keep your eyes open any longer! I was intrigued and fascinated throughout this uniquely captivating dystopian thriller. The characters are fantastic; likeable, decently flawed and on a journey to learn as much about themselves as surviving in this post apocalyptic mass death event. Given the omnipresence of death, this isn’t a dour or oppressive read. There is a strong sense of fortitude and some well placed light humour. Essentially, the majority of people worldwide have killed themselves/their families following an overwhelming drive to end their lives due to the manifestation of voices in their heads.

Pilgrim is an older guy travelling – seemingly directionless – on his motorbike . . . trying to stay out of trouble. He has no special training, but a natural wherewithal for survival, a calm focus amidst trouble. He meets Lacey, a young teenage girl, selling lemonade on the road. Whilst he doesn’t want any companions, his voice encourages him to stop and buy the lemonade. Lacey, a sheltered but quick witted girl, out smarts him into taking her to a town where her sister lives, to which he begrudgingly agrees. Voice is a character in its own right; probing, opinionated, sarcastic and bemusing. One of the delights of this book is that you spend so much time amidst the characters’ own thoughts and voices as well as the spoken dialogue that it provides a rich interpretation of events. It has a fast pace, elements of horror and a gripping layered storyline that makes it hard to believe this is Todd’s debut. I think the book has such a strong storyline and characters that readers who would not normally pick up a dystopian read would find themselves pleasantly surprised, as long as they are ok with the violent scenes. With 3 more books to come, I am looking forward to an indulgent reading feast and hope this series will prove to be a headline winning 2017 read.

loneliness, fear of abandonment and what threads of hope could be found in the midst of all that. There might have been easier ways to explore these themes, but this seemed like way more fun. The themes that litter authors’ work tell you a great deal about them. There’s a reason why Stephen King sometimes chooses to write from a teenager’s perspective or has his main character be an author and then proceeds to put them through horrific ordeals. For me, I am pre-occupied with losing my loved ones and not having anyone to remember me; I suspect this is the reason why death plays such a pivotal role in my writing. Don’t we all wonder what kind of a person we’d be if something tragic were to happen? Would we run and scream? Would we bunker down with our families and spurn all others? Would we carry on as normal and pretend nothing had happened? We always hope we’d be strong and fearless in the face of adversity, but the reality is often much more complex than that. Exploring the choices people make, and the actions they take in such situations, is something I find endlessly fascinating.

Sara Garland

Sara Garland: It’s great to have the chance to catch up with you about your writing and interests. Firstly huge congratulations on the launch of your ﬁrst book Defender, which as you know I loved. I am also really excited & eagerly awaiting the further 3 books in the Hear the Voices tetralogy. It strikes me as a series that pleasingly transcends genres being dystopian, horror, mystery, thriller, fantasy and then some. Consequently

Personal read ............★★★★★ Group read .....................★★★★

I’M A WRITER . . . AND I KILLED OFF MILLIONS UPON MILLIONS OF PEOPLE. That may sound macabre but it was crucial for the book I was writing. Honest. I wanted to explore isolation,

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GX Todd

AUTHOR MEETS REVIEWER

CRIME FICTION SPECIAL

it offers something quite unique. You must already be extremely busy being a mobile librarian as well as a writer, but I imagine things have probably gone off the scale since you launched your book. What’s it been like and are you still managing to keep your library work going?? GX Todd: I’ve actually taken the huge step and gone part-time at work. It was getting increasingly difficult as launch day approached – I’d started to write book 3 while editing book 2, promoting book 1, as well as writing numerous articles and interviews and trying to attend as many events as I could. For someone who’s intrinsically lazy, it all got a tiny bit stressful. Going part-time was a sanity-saving decision. SG: A series of 4 books is a mega sized story to create. I imagine this must be a labour of love. When did the green shoots appear and how long did it take to cra the fully formed creation that we are now able to indulge in and enjoy? GX: I am going to run with the “green shoots” analogy! Pilgrim was very much the seed to the whole idea. Everything flowered from him. And the more I watered him, the more he bloomed, and the garden of his world—okay, I’m getting carried away. I don’t think of the series as a huge endeavour because I don’t plan overly much. A lot of it comes organically, which lessens the pressure; I don’t have to think about everything to the nth degree. Which helps keep the journey fresh and surprising. From start to finish, Defender took 6 months for the first dra, 5 months to find an agent, 6 months of edits before going out to publishers, and four days for Headline to offer on it. And then another few months of edits with my new editor. So yeah, a lot of months! SG: e strength of the characterisation in your book is what for me - makes this such an engaging and memorable read. How did you arrive at Pilgrim and Lacey? GX: As I mentioned, Pilgrim as a character was the originating idea for the whole story. But because he’s so

cantankerous and terse, I needed a foil for him. In part, Voice meets that criteria, but their dynamic wasn’t enough to propel the story along. So who would get the most interesting reaction from a loner such as Pilgrim? A teenage girl who talks too much, is completely naïve to the world, and even worse, needs him. Lacey was perfect. SG: Nice violent scenes! Immersive to write or extremely difficult to describe all the actions in a manner that sustains tension, is aptly described and authentic to the reader? GX: In a lot of ways, actions scenes are my favourite thing to write. ey’re the sections that get written the fastest and need the fewest edits. If anything, I have to be careful to stop myself from letting them run on for pages and pages. Same with the violence. If you can believe it, I toned down the violence from what it could have been. ere is a line where it becomes too much (for me as a writer as well as for readers). You need for it to be visceral because the environment calls for it. But you have to know when to stop before it becomes gratuitous. I’m not sure every reader would say I’m entirely successful with finding that balance. SG: Getting published as a new author, what do you wish you had known at the beginning of this process?? GX: : It wouldn’t change anything – I’d still be writing and I’d still want to be published – but understanding exactly how much editing is involved would have better prepared me. I mean, holy crap. Edits are gruelling. ey feel wholly artificial and are the least creative part of the whole process. ey are not my favourite thing. SG: : I am fascinated as to how you make time to write around work commitments and life in general. Have you found you have needed to be very disciplined or has the passion to write meant it forms a habitual part of your days and weeks? GX: : I think habit plays a big part.

Mostly, though, I think I’m predisposed for writing. It’s a solitary endeavour and I’ve always been a lone wolf; I like spending time by myself. Sitting in a room for hours on end, living inside my head, has been something I’ve enjoyed doing since I discovered reading for pleasure at the age of 12. And when I wasn’t reading, I was daydreaming about being a character in the worlds I’d read about or living inside the movies I’d seen. Personally, I’ve never had to sacriﬁce any time for my writing. It’s always had a place in my life. SG: I read to escape and am aware that fantasy played an important part in your childhood /young adult reading and so a recent quote where you state writing for you is about ‘creating a bit of magic’ resonated with me. But as a writer how do you go about this? GX: Writing is as much an act of discovery for me as it is for the reader. Quite oen, I don’t know what’s going to happen next in my story. It just appears in my head, I visualise it, and then make a lame attempt at using words to describe what I’ve seen. Later, I’ll read back what I’ve written and sometimes think ‘Jeez, that’s awful’ and have to rewrite it. Eventually, I get to a point where I’m reading a ﬁnished dra and at certain points think ‘Holy crap, there it is.’ e magic. I wish there was a formula for it all, but really it’s just hard work and rewriting. Thank you to Sara and GX. Read the full interview on nudge.

Defender by GX Todd is published by Headline in hbk and is available now.

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CRIME FICTION SPECIAL

reviews

And now a 'heads up' on some forthcoming crime fiction our reviewers approved of . . .

DEAD WOMAN WALKING Sharon Bolton Penguin Apr 2017 pbk ISBN - 9780593076422

What begins as a short adventure high in the air, in a hot air balloon, soon turns into something nightmares are made of. The twelve passengers are taken to a lower level to appreciate the Northumbrian scenery, close to the Scottish border. To the horror of all that witness it, a man can clearly be seen on the ground beneath them, attacking a young girl who he leaves for dead. He looks up and knows that he has been seen and from then on it's a race against time for him to stop them reaching the safety of the ground and reporting all that they have seen. He manages to bring the balloon down out of the sky, by shooting the pilot and from then on he searches for all possible witnesses and of those who aren't already dead, he finishes their lives. This is described in quite sickening detail, so not for the squeamish. We learn his name is Patrick and he has a quad bike and a dog which he uses to hunt down any possible survivors. Only two females survive

the crash, one is found by rescuers and taken to hospital and the other begins to run. Sadly Patrick manages to get to the hospital and finds the one who is being treated and she is dealt with too . . . and then there was one. Reading this book is much like peeling an onion as gradually more layers are uncovered and a little more about the main characters are discovered as the book progresses. We find out what Patrick and his family are involved in and why the lone survivor is running for her life. Once the chase is on I was really caught up in it and hoping against hope that the survivor would reach safety. I found the book one which you really didn't want to put down and it was totally involving. It's fast paced, the characters are believable, the story line engrossing and one which I thoroughly enjoyed. If you like thrillers, with an engrossing storyline, I can recommend this one. You’ll find yourself still thinking about it, even when the last line has been read and the last page turned. Patricia Thompson Personal read ............★★★★★

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THE RULE OF FEAR Luke Delaney Harper Apr 2017 pbk ISBN - 9780007585755

Luke Delaney has become one of the most popular crime writers in Britain with his DI Sean Corrigan series and has written an absolutely stunning standalone thriller in The Rule of Fear. A gripping and twisted crime thriller that shows that absolute power corrupts absolutely, this really is a cracking read. Jack King is stabbed when he answers what is thought to be a domestic call and discovers that a family has been killed by the father, then attempts to kill him. A few months on he is on desk duty wanting to get back on the streets, when he is called in to see Superintendent Gerrard with Inspector Johnson in attendance, and offered the chance to lead a new unit when going back on active duty. He jumps at the chance to be seen as a proper ‘thief taker’ before continuing with his police career on the up, and the Grove Wood Estate is where he would earn his reputation as a copper’s copper. As he and his team take on the estate they decide to operate by a

different set of rules. The longer King is on the estate the more the estate sucks him in, and possibly suffering from posttraumatic stress disorder, he may not be in the best position to manage himself or a team. When a female colleague is seriously attacked and put in hospital King’s life begins to spiral out of control. His life and mental condition is in chaos and he has discovered a way of pain management none of his colleagues or senior managers would agree with. As King starts to spiral out of control he is dragging down his team with him, even when they want out and to be real police officers. The problem for them is that King has hit selfdestruct mode and taking the law in to his own hands, as judge, jury and executioner he makes some very serious enemies. As a paranoia takes control and making all the wrong decisions in life come to the fore, he even deems those trying to help him as enemies. It is clear things are not going to end well as his life and career begin to fall to pieces. How it will end nobody is sure, or can they save Jack King? An excellent standalone thriller watching a police officer spiral out of control and everything he touches turning to dust. There is something about watching a police man fall in to the traps that others have set, he had the opportunities to get out but is drunk on power. A truly excellent thriller and a break from the police

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reviews procedural thriller, this is a new spin on the theme. Paul Diggett Personal read ............★★★★★

CONCLAVE Robert Harris Arrow Apr 2017 pbk ISBN - 9781784751838

If you have read Robert Harris's trilogy of novels about the life of Cicero you may not be surprised to learn that Harris can create a truly thrilling read from a novel about the election of a new Pope. This is a page turner that grabs you early and doesn't let go right until the end. It is a tale of political intrigue and electoral manoeuvring that is as good as any literary murder mystery or spy story I have read recently. When the Pope dies, the Conclave must meet to elect a successor from amongst the College of Cardinals, a new man to lead the Catholic Church in the new and turbulent age. The novel is set in the very near future, real posts and offices are filled by fictional incumbents. Cardinal Lomeli, Dean of the College of Cardinals, is tasked with ensuring the smooth running of the Conclave; factions begin to manoeuvre almost as soon as the Cardinals step down from their planes at Fiumicino

airport in Rome. Strings are pulled, alliances forged, conservative cliques line up against liberal cliques, old school Italian Cardinals versus each other and the growing strength of the new African church. We are at the scene of one of the most secretive elections in the world. Of the 118 Cardinals, a two thirds majority is required to elect a candidate as Pope. There will be several ballots over the coming days. For the candidates likely to have a chance in this election, the past comes back to haunt them as they are caught up in 'real politic', issues of crises of faith emerge, and the background tensions of a world never more divided on religious grounds take their toll. All in all, the machinations create a credible Machiavellian tale. Conclave fizzes with intrigue, power grabbing ambition and genuine conflicts of conscience as candidates rise and fall in the esteem of their colleagues. The result is somewhere between The West Wing and House of Cards. There have been many cheap conspiracy thrillers set in the Vatican, but very few serious literary thrillers and none since The Shoes of the Fisherman by Morris West in 1963 has been so prescient. Conclave poses questions that the reader will engage with along the way. If you are interested in the intrigues of men, the issues we face in the 21st century and you like a thrilling read, then this is the book for you. Conclave is a rare treat. It revels in the issues raised by the candidates' suitability for

office and the need to live up to standards most of us are not held to. Harris makes a room full of men electing their leader come to life, the claustrophobia, the tension, the weight of decision making. It is a triumph of characterisation; these men are rounded and flawed. For me, this is the first time Harris has managed this in an entirely fictional novel. I loved the inventiveness, the wit and the 'what if ?' elements of Fatherland and I enjoyed the storytelling and historical detail of Enigma and Pompeii, but I never fully believed in the central characters the way I do here. Harris' background in journalism and research ensures that the novel is underpinned with detail and insight. He has taken a couple of liberties, minor things that could not happen the way they do, but this is only a small criticism after all, this is fiction.

Told in six parts, the story begins in 2013 and covers six different murder cases over five decades. Each one is intrinsically linked in a very clever way. The difference with this book is the way the author starts in the present day and works backwards through the main characters' careers. The author also gives the reader an insight into the workings of Hong Kong before and after the handover to the Chinese in 1997. I enjoyed this book as I learned about the history of the country through the characters' stories as well as the crimes that were written and interwoven brilliantly. Victoria Furlong Personal read ................★★★★

Paul Burke Personal read ................★★★★

ROAD KILL Hanna Jameson Head of Zeus May 2017 pbk ISBN - 9780241206935

THE BORROWED Chan Ho-Kei Head of Zeus Apr 2017 pbk ISBN - 9781784971533

The Borrowed by Chan HoKei is not your normal book. It spans the working life of Inspector Kwan and his partner, Detective Lok, in the Hong Kong Police Force.

One of the joys of reviewing books is discovering a new writer and I had this most recently with Hanna Jameson, whose work until now had regrettably passed me by. Her third novel, Road Kill, was featured on one of the review sites I subscribe to and I requested it on the strength of the cover art. While it can be read as a standalone story, the tale utilises many of the same

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CRIME FICTION SPECIAL

characters as her previous work and unfolds in the same “universe” as it were. In this sense, it reminded me of the work of James Ellroy, a writer she lists as one of her influences. When reading a novel in a series it can go either way. Some author’s books really do stand on their own and the reader doesn’t need to have read their previous work. Other novels rely so much on past events that a new reader can quickly get lost. Road Kill kind of straddles a middle line. Yes, this is a standalone story, but I found myself wondering at what had gone on beforehand and feeling like I was missing something. This was most apparent in the main characters’ motivation. Road Kill follows two British gangsters on a road trip across America. Eli ropes Ronnie into a mission to find a guy called Trent who screwed Eli over years ago. And here lay my confusion. Eli had founded a magazine. Trent, with others, forced him out and took over the enterprise. But this was years ago and quite frankly was just business, so I found myself confused as to why Eli wanted him dead now. More seriously, I couldn’t grasp why Ronnie felt compelled to help him. It all seemed pretty thin. Perhaps I was missing something. Perhaps if I had read the author’s previous work I might have better understood. But I persevered and I must say that I’m glad that I did because the book quickly becomes a kind of Tarantino fantasy of a novel. It’s a gutsy, roller coaster of a book, where these two British criminals travel across the United States taking drugs, killing, and

encountering all kinds of weird and wonderfully fucked up people. And that’s before we get to the Satanism. Yes, that’s right, it all gets really quite creepy and sinister when devil worship and missing kids enter the frame. If there’s one criticism I have it might be that at no point do Eli and Ronnie cross paths with the police. They butcher their way across America and never bump into a cop. But in some ways that makes sense as this is almost a psychedelic crime novel (in the Charles Manson sense of the word) and I’m not sure how seriously the author expects us to take it all. It’s not comic or comedy, hell no. This is dark stuff. But in the same way that one suspends their disbelief when, say, watching Pulp Fiction or Reservoir Dogs, if one does so with Road Kill then you’re in for one hell of a ride. All in all I can say that Road Kill is a brilliant, brash effort. It is the deepest, darkest noir. All the characters are repulsive, although all are strangely compelling and I want to spend more time with them. I look forward to what this author pens next. James Pierson Personal read ............★★★★★

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reviews Any Jane Tennison fans will love to read this backstory to the series and I would recommend it to all crime fiction fans. Sue Dawson Personal read ................★★★★

HIDDEN KILLERS Lynda La Plante Simon & Schuster Jun 2017 pbk ISBN - 9781471163036

This book is a prequel to the Jane Tennison series. It starts with Jane still being a probationer in the police force and first being noticed by a CID inspector. She is asked to assist CID with a case as part of her training before beginning to work with the CID full time when she passes out. Having never read a Lynda La Plante book before nor watched Prime Suspect on the TV, I read this book as a completely new author to me and with an open mind. I did find the story a little slow paced, but it was still a good crime story. It was a bit predictable in the way Jane was able to see things her older, more experienced colleagues missed. This could have been because she is a woman looking at things from a woman's point of view, for example, when she noticed the baby's breakfast ready on the highchair, which was a big clue to the fact that this case wasn't as simple as it seemed at first glance, although I also noticed it the first time it was mentioned. Again, that could be because I am a woman and, more importantly, a mother so I noticed that a mother wouldn't leave a baby unfed in order to have a bath.

BLOOD WEDDING Pierre Lemaitre MacLehose Press Apr 2017 pbk ISBN - 9781848666009

If you enjoy psychological thrillers you will not be disappointed with this one. Lemaitre keeps you enthralled and guessing to the end. Set in Paris Sophie is employed as a nanny. One night having slept at the apartment as his mother was back late she awakes to find that her young charge is dead. Did she murder him? How did it happen? Immediately she goes on the run and guilty or not is wanted by the police. Her ingenuity enables her to evade capture. However, is she really insane? This story has many twists and turns. At one point I was disillusioned with Sophie, but that didn't last long as the story took another turn. Blood Wedding was my initiation into Lemaitre's way of writing, I have now begun reading the Brigade Criminelle Trilogy enjoying French crime writing. Lauren Anderson Personal read ............★★★★★

Reading Group

2017

Book of the Year

And the winner is...

Reading Group

2017

Book of the Year

Female Authors Rule! Nb Publisher, Guy Pringle, looks back over 15 years of Books of the Year

ack in 2002, it wasn’t my intention to challenge the literary/media world of the Booker/ Whitbread/Orange et al, when I asked our readership to vote. After all, the underlying raison d’etre of the world of book prizes is to focus on brand new titles in order to generate publicity and, ultimately, sales. I was more intrigued by what readers outside the M25 actually chose to read and discuss – because I was, and remain, supremely nosey. Over the years we have arrived at an impressive shelfful of titles that would grace any self-respecting bookcase. I also find it commendable (though I can’t actually claim any credit) that in the 14 previous years 10 of the winners were female. Better still, in this year’s shortlist only 2 of the 12 listed authors are male. The parameters back in 2002 were simple to the point of naivety (in that it would have been very easy for multiple voters to have skewed the results – but being our readers they didn’t). So the question was, Which is the best book you have read in this calendar year – regardless of 40

when or where it was published? We should have copyrighted the expression ‘long tail’ in the early years, as the list stretched to more than 400 titles – testimony to the range of interests in reading groups. In latter years, in order to cope, we have presented a shortlist and it strikes me that we are reflecting the increasing knowledge of the readership their eclecticism, preferences and foresight. Social media has undoubtedly played a part in informing all of us – whether

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we like it or not – as to what’s coming in any theatre of interest. And, for reading groups trying to winnow the wheat from the chaff, social media and the internet generally offer a ‘threshing machine’ we never anticipated back in 2002. So, in a particularly strong year I am especially pleased to announce that Maggie O’Farrell’s This Must Be the Place is our winner. Before it was published I caviled in these pages about the narrative’s multitude of time switches – making something of a meal of it all by dismantling my proof copy and re-reading it in chronological order. (In my defense I can only say it made for a good editorial.) Anyway, Maddy Broome presents a much better summation at the end of our extract from Maggie’s book. What I will venture is that, when we set up a Retrospective on Ms O’Farrell’s work in early 2013 we had more volunteers than there have been for any other author initiative over the years. What was quite apparent was that they love the way she writes. So if you are yet to discover her work then you are in for a real treat. This Must Be The Place by Maggie O’Farrell is published by Tinder Press, pbk on 20th April.

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This Must Be The Place - Maggie O’Farrell hen Todd and Suki heard that an American exchange student was being billeted in the vacant room in the eaves of their graduate flat, they were not pleased. They pictured a toothy type with trainers and V-necks and white socks. They pictured someone who might, of all things, attend church. Americans were religious, weren’t they? He would have hotdog-scented breath, a penchant for soft rock and a backpack full of college sweatshirts. He would want to join fraternities. ‘Typical,’ Suki muttered darkly, shaking the fuel up the U-bend of her lighter. ‘Why couldn’t they put him downstairs?’ Todd, sitting opposite her in their kitchen, nodded. Downstairs was a flat full of foreign graduate students, mostly scientists, who worked hard, wore ties and looked permanently cold and shocked after about October. ‘Or in college,’ Suki continued, painting her nails with the fluorescent yellow tip of a highlighter pen. ‘That’s what the Yanks want, after all. Gargoyles and quadrangles and all that shit.’ She recapped the pen and tossed it among the debris of the table: mugs with desiccated teabags dried onto their rims, plates smeared with baked-bean juice, a crust of bread, possibly wholemeal, a library book about post-structuralism for which neither Todd nor Suki was willing to take responsibility, two ashtrays, a folder, an alarm clock with a blank digital display. Todd and Suki had lived together for the two years since graduation. Their success as flatmates was predicated on two things, in Todd’s opinion: first, they had never been close friends before they had shared a flat so had arrived with no expectations or preconceived ideas of how cosy and wonderful it was all going to be and, second, they had never slept together. Suki was not his type any more, he was sure, than he was hers. He had once compared her to the chocolate bittermints his mother sent him at Christmas – small, dark, sour, an acquired taste – and she had reached over and snapped his pencil in two. She had eaten the rest of the mints: it was her right, she said. They kept their bike keys in the empty box, which lived beside the kettle. Two years of harmony, or as much harmony as you can get between the precious, late and only child of two Highgate psychoanalysts, and a stressed, over-stretched, cash-strapped graduate, who was the first person in his family to get to tertiary education. And now a third party was about to be catapulted into their midst. ‘I hope he’s not going to be friendly,’ Suki snarled, slapping shut her book on post-Newtonian cultures. As it turned out, they needn’t have worried on that score. It was a while before they caught their first glimpse of their new flatmate. The only sign that he’d actually moved in was the appearance of a packet of pungent Italian

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This Must Be The Place - Maggie O’Farrell coffee in the kitchen, a red toothbrush in the bathroom and, one morning, the pale, elongated balloon of a condom floating in the toilet bowl, transparent and alien as a sea creature. ‘I take it that thing’s not yours?’ Suki said, without looking up from her lecture notes, as Todd entered the kitchen. ‘Er, no.’ Todd shook the cereal box and found it empty. Then he turned, suddenly offended. ‘But it might have been.’ Suki snorted, turned a page, then another. Todd sighed. He flicked down the switch on the kettle. The state of his romantic life had begun, of late, to bother him. He didn’t know how one obtained sex here. It was the least erotic place in the universe, he’d decided. Undergraduates were off-limits – the faculty frowned on that sort of thing – and the graduate girls were all intent on their books. How, then, had this American made a conquest so fast? A few days later, a woman entered their kitchen. It was mid-afternoon. She had streaked hair spilling over one shoulder and she was wearing a Tshirt emblazoned with the name of a band from Manchester. It reached almost to her knees but, despite this, it was possible to tell that she was naked underneath. Neither Todd nor Suki had ever seen her before. She opened the fridge. She got out a loaf of bread, a slab of butter, then found a plate. She proceeded to make two sandwiches. ‘Hello,’ said Suki, in what might appear, to people who didn’t know her, as a friendly manner. The girl turned. ‘Oh,’ she said, shaking her hair out of her eyes. ‘Sorry. Dreadful manners. Hi. I’m Cassandra.’ ‘Hi, Cassandra,’ Suki said, then jabbed him with her pen. ‘Todd, say hello to Cassandra.’ ‘Hello, Cassandra.’ Cassandra cut her sandwiches into quarters, arranged them on a plate, then left. They heard her climbing the stairs to the attic. Only minutes later, it seemed, came the muffled crackcrack of the headboard hitting the wall. ‘Well,’ Todd said, reaching over to switch on the radio, ‘I guess he likes sandwiches.’ One night, fuelled by a heat-and-eat macaroni cheese from the corner shop, and some excellent dope from Marrakech, Suki and Todd decided to break into the American’s room. They tiptoed, shushing and nudging each other, up the stairs to the attic. Suki had brought one of her credit cards to slide into the lock but there was no need. The door was ajar. At the sight of a desk chair, draped with an empty leather jacket, Todd lost the impulse for snooping. ‘Maybe we shouldn’t . . .’ he began, stepping back to the edge of the small landing, but Suki had pushed the door and walked in. We have copies to give away FREE. See page 65 to claim yours.

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This Must Be The Place - Maggie O’Farrell There was a long pause. Todd strained his ears for an exclamation, a comment, anything, but Suki, uncharacteriscally, was silent. ‘What?’ Todd said. ‘What’s in there?’ His mind flashed through options – strange sex toys, disturbing pictures, a dead body. His? The American’s? Had he hanged himself, or overdosed and been lying there for days? ‘Shit,’ Suki murmured, and Todd could bear it no longer. He pushed through the door, stepping on Suki’s foot and banging into the desk. The room was much as Todd had last seen it – low, slanting ceilings, bare window out onto blackened branches. A desk in the corner, a bed squeezed in next to it. But the walls were filled with words. Hundreds of them. Written in slanting black capitals on index cards and tacked to the faded floral wallpaper. Villain, was the first one Todd saw, and next to it, animosity. He turned his head. Silly and hierarchy jumped out at him. Next to the door: dizzy, annoy, pagan, profane, doom, fatal. Suki padded forward and gave one of the cards a tap with her thumbnail. She let out a long, swooping whistle. ‘Mad,’ she whispered. ‘What?’ Todd whispered back. ‘Mad as a hatter.’ ‘Do you think?’ ‘Yep. Totally lost it.’ ‘Not necessarily,’ Todd whispered. ‘Maybe there’s some... I don’t know . . . scheme behind it all. I mean—’ ‘Scheme?’ Suki hissed, pulling her cardigan sleeves down over her hands. ‘Do you see any evidence of schematic thinking in this?’ She gestured around her so violently that the word discreet fluttered to the carpet. Todd bent to pick it up, then changed his mind. ‘Perhaps we should—’ At that moment, they heard the front door slam shut. They leapt towards the landing and hurled themselves down the stairs and into their own rooms, then shut the doors. Maddy Broome’s review of This must Be The Place Maggie O'Farrell's new novel is yet another well crafted story full of interesting characters. As with many of her novels, the story is narrated non chronologically, by a variety of characters. Mainly set in Donegal, it also visits London, New York, India, Stockholm and Surrey. This multi-layered approach is very effective as it gradually builds up into a solid picture. It's a bit like getting to know a new friend; you don't usually get their whole life history in one go. The (flawed) hero is Daniel and it is mainly his story. He is very likeable but also exasperating.

His French mother-in-law, Pascaline, describes him as 'different on the inside from how he is on the outside' 'charismatic . . . . . but underneath self destructive.' We see his character from the varying points of view of his wife, his children and friends. The other main character is the reclusive, slightly mysterious Claudette, Daniel's wife. I liked Claudette's character but I think she could be difficult to live with. I've liked all of Maggie O'Farrell's novels and [this] is as good as the others and gives plenty of material for a good book group discussion.

Personal read Group read

★★★★★ ★★★★★

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My Favorite Cathedrals: We forgive Mr Lovett his American spelling when he shares our love for Winchester in his blog.

Winchester Cathedral

The Bookman’s Tale by Charlie Lovett is published by Alma as a £7.99 pbk.

First Impressions by Charlie Lovett is published by Alma as a £7.99 pbk.

Taken from Charlie's blog -

http://charlielovett.com/blog/ - and

see over for when he met Phil Ramage.

Photos © Charlie Lovett.

ell I promised you a sneak peak at some of my favorite English cathedrals (and some of the inspirations for The Lost Book of the Grail, which is set in an English cathedral) so here we go. Because my cottage is in the Cotswolds, there are several great cathedrals that we can reach in an easy day trip. One of these is Winchester, which has special meaning to me. Not only does one of the earliest scenes in The Bookman’s Tale take place in Winchester (at the tomb of Bishop William of Wykeham), but one of the final scenes in my novel First Impressions leads to the grave of Jane Austen, just yards away

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from Wykeham’s tomb at the west end of the nave. So Winchester has literary associations for me and for any Jane Austen fan (she died in a house just outside the cathedral precincts). Also near Austen’s tomb is what I think is one of the most beautiful wall memorials in any cathedral—a lovely mosaic of an angel holding a harp. The nave that William of Wykeham built is glorious, and although the tower is fairly squat, giving the exterior a truncated look, the west façade is about as good as it gets, with a massive stained glass window. At the west end of the nave, near Austen’s grave, is a little staircase you can climb about thirty feet up to get a spectacular view down the side aisle. The cathedral is filled with wonderful spots. The Epiphany Chapel has four of my favorite stained glass windows—all by the Pre-Raphaelite influenced artist Edward Burne-Jones. This chapel was the inspiration for the fictional Epiphany Chapel in Barchester Cathedral in my novel. Not far from that chapel is the entrance into the crypt, which is usually filled with

Winchester water (a fact alluded to in my novel). The east end of the cathedral sits on soft, wet ground, and was in danger of collapse in the early 20th century, when a diver named William Walker spent hundreds of hours underwater helping to shore up the east walls. There is a memorial to him near the spot where he saved the cathedral. In the south transept is a different kind of memorial— one to Victorian ostentation. It is the memorial to Bishop Samuel Wilberforce, who famously debated Darwin’s theory of Evolution at Oxford in the 1860s. He died falling off a horse, and this memorial, designed by George Gilbert Scott, while full of lovely detail, is altogether out of proportion to the transept in which it sits, if you ask me. George Gilbert Scott saved and rebuilt countless cathedrals and parish churches during the 19th century, and I think his work is some of the best and the worst that the Victorians had to offer (I have a piece of furniture he designed for Christ Church Cathedral, Oxford in my living room). As a whole, I think this memorial is just too much, but

In the 11th century crypt you’ll find Antony Gormley’s mysterious life-size sculpture of a solitary man, Sound II, sometimes standing up to its knees in water.

I love this detail of a thurifer swinging his incense. The city of Winchester is also wonderful. You can walk out to the Hospital of St. Cross (a sort of medieval old folks home that still operates) and ask for your “wayfarer’s dole.” This was a meal offered to pilgrims getting ready to leave on the long road to Canterbury and the shrine of Thomas Becket. Today you will receive a cup of beer and a slice of bread to speed you on your way. From there, hike to the top of St. Catherine’s Hill to walk the

ancient turf maze cut into the chalky soil. Back in town you can wander narrow medieval streets and visit the “round table of King Arthur.” But the cathedral will always draw you back. Be sure to stop in for Evensong, and hear the voices of the choir echo on the ancient stones. The music of the great cathedrals was as much an inspiration in my writing as anything, and evensong is the perfect way to end your day at Winchester. Charlie Lovett

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AUTHOR MEETS REVIEWER

Phil Ramage was impressed with Charlie Lovett's first two books so we asked him to interview this anglophile American.

Phil Ramage: An important aspect of your writing which has become very evident in your first two novels is your love for books and book collecting. How has that influenced The Lost Book Of The Grail? Charlie Lovett: The Lost Book of the Grail certainly continues the bibliophile tradition of my previous novels. Having set a novel partly in a university rare book library (The Bookman’s Tale) and one partially in libraries of stately homes (First Impressions) I thought it would be interesting to set one in a cathedral library.

I also knew I wanted the freedom to invent most of the history of that city for myself (the historical bits of my novel go back as far as the sixth century). But I wanted my fictional city to have a ring of authenticity about it. Setting the book in Barchester seemed the perfect solution—it seems real, especially to lovers of English literature, but I can invent its history for myself. I did include many references to Trollope: character names, details of the local geography, and so on. Arthur even lives in what was once (in The Warden and Barchester Towers) Hiram’s Hospital (now converted to modern flats).

P hil Ramage meets

The Lost Book of the Grail by Charlie Lovett is published by Alma as a £8.99 pbk on 23rd March.

The setting and some of the books existed in my mind before the characters did. Many of the books Arthur encounters are real and many of the medieval manuscripts in the library he loves were inspired by pieces I saw in various cathedral libraries.

PR: Central character Arthur Prescott is a delight, set in his ways, full of procrastination and contradictions and bewildered by modern academia. In many ways a contemporary Everyman. How did he develop as the unlikely hero of the novel?

PR: I’d like to know more about the decision to set the novel in modern-day Barchester, a location which would certainly resonate with Trollope fans.

CL: For me Arthur started first and foremost as a book lover, and I rapidly began to realize that his ability to interact with books far exceeds his ability to interact with human beings. His small circle of friends is comprised of other bibliophiles and he is happiest alone in the

CL: I knew I wanted the book to be set in a cathedral city, and

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AUTHOR MEETS REVIEWER

cathedral library. With the common image of the grail hunter being an adventurer on horseback, like Indiana Jones, I wanted to create a grail hunter whose adventures would be more of the mind, yet just as exciting. PR: In your work it is easy to appreciate the obsession with the search for a rare book. As an antiquarian bookseller what was your greatest “find”? CL: I got called out to a house one time that was little more than a shack in the woods— four small rooms. Inside were over 6000 books, including

dear to Arthur. There’s a dilemma between books being special and becoming demystified by the process of having them readily available. As someone who made a living with rare books what are your feelings about the physical versus the digital? CL: I believe a lot of what Arthur says when he argues with Bethany, but I also believe a lot of what Bethany says. That’s why those scenes were so much fun to write. I think there is, and will always be, room in the world and in the marketplace for physical books. Most people I encounter prefer

C harlie Lovett many classics of modern fiction in perfect condition in their original dust jackets. I ended up buying most of the books and it took me months to sort through them all. I didn’t sell paperbacks at my shop and I was about to pitch a couple of paperback volumes on to the 25¢ pile when I realized they made up the two-volume first edition of Lolita. I sold them with a phone call for a lot more than 25¢.

to read them, and they are a proven means for safely storing information for hundreds of years without the need for electricity or infrastructure. However, digitization has been a boon to me as a researcher. The online British Library Newspaper archive, for instance, allows me to access information that it would have taken me years working away in Colindale to find the old fashioned way.

PR: Tension is established in the novel when Bethany arrives to digitize the cathedral library with its collection so Full Q&A on nudge-book.com

Phil's review of The Lost Book Of The Grail

I recently read Charlie Lovett’s 2013 debut The Bookman’s Tale and was impressed by his successful combination of a passion for books with an adventure genre novel. His third, is a much quieter work but once again this ex-antiquarian bookseller makes a love for old books a central theme and is every bit as entertaining. He has taken the brave step of setting it in the cathedral town of Barchester, a fictional location familiar to Trollope fans, but by bringing it to the present day there are merely echoes of those classic novels. Central character, Arthur Prescott, is the main reason I enjoyed this. A frustrated English lecturer at the University, with a penchant for PG Wodehouse, he is a man without religious beliefs who attends church services a number of times a day. From a child he has been obsessed with Arthurian myths and the legend of the Holy Grail and his grandfather suggested there could be links with these and their home town. Arthur’s life changes when another Grail devotee, an American woman, arrives to digitize the cathedral’s manuscripts. The dilemma over the future of our important works is a fascinating theme of the novel and would create much discussion for reading groups. In many ways this book is the antidote to the Dan Brown-type adventure novel suggested by the title. There’s no globe-trotting, the puzzles are intellectual and carried out in the cathedral library. We are teased throughout with moments in history where the keepers of Barchester’s secrets overlap and with sections from a guide book Arthur is writing about the cathedral. If this sounds a little too restrained there’s the delight of Arthur, at odds with changes in modern academia and his group of code-busting pals, the Barchester Bibliophiles who keep the momentum going in this inaction action quest novel. I ended up enjoying this even more than his slightly more genre-aware debut. Reading about a genuine love for books is always a delight.

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astute, invigorating, and an excellent read Helen Dunmore

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I See You - Clare Mackintosh

he man behind me is standing close enough to moisten the skin on my neck with his breath. I move my feet forward an inch and press myself into a grey overcoat that smells of wet dog. It feels as if it hasn’t stopped raining since the start of November, and a light steam rises from the hot bodies jammed against each other. A briefcase jabs into my thigh. As the train judders around a corner I’m held upright by the weight of people surrounding me, one unwilling hand against the grey overcoat for temporary support. At Tower Hill the carriage spits out a dozen commuters and swallows two dozen more, all hell-bent on getting home for the weekend. ‘Use the whole carriage!’ comes the announcement. Nobody moves. The grey overcoat has gone, and I’ve shuffled into its place, preferable because I can now reach the handrail, and because I no longer have a stranger’s DNA on my neck. My handbag has swung round behind my body, and I tug it in front of me. Two Japanese tourists are wearing gigantic rucksacks on their chests, taking up the space of another two people. A woman across the carriage sees me looking at them; she catches my eye and grimaces in solidarity. I accept the eye contact fleetingly, then look down at my feet. The shoes around me vary: the men’s are large and shiny, beneath pinstriped hems; the women’s heeled and colourful, toes crammed into impossible points. Amongst the legs I see a pair of sleek stockings; opaque black nylon ending in stark white trainers. The owner is hidden but I imagine her to be in her twenties, a pair of vertiginous office heels stashed in a capacious handbag, or in a drawer at work. I’ve never worn heels during the day. I was barely out of my Clark’s lace-ups when I fell pregnant with Justin, and there was no place for heels on a Tesco checkout, or coaxing a toddler up the high street. Now I’m old enough to know better. An hour on the train on the way into work: another hour on the way home. Tripping up broken escalators. Run over by buggies and bikes. And for what? For eight hours behind a desk. I’ll save my heels for high days and holidays. I wear a self-imposed uniform of black trousers and an array of stretchy tops that don’t need ironing, and are just smart enough to pass as office-wear; with a cardigan kept in my bottom drawer for busy days when the door’s forever opening and the heat disappears with every prospective client. The train stops and I push my way on to the platform. I take the Overground from here, and although it’s often as busy, I prefer it. Being underground makes me feel uneasy; unable to breathe, even though I know it’s all in my head. I dream of working somewhere close enough to walk to, but it’s We have copies to give away FREE. See page 65 to claim yours.

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I See You - Clare Mackintosh

never going to happen: the only jobs worth taking are in zone one; the only affordable mortgages in zone four. I have to wait for my train and at the rack by the ticket machine I pick up a copy of the London Gazette, its headlines appropriately grim for today’s date: Friday 13 November. The police have foiled another terrorism plot: the front three pages are rammed with images of explosives they’ve seized from a flat in North London. I flick through photos of bearded men, and move to find the crack in the tarmac beneath the platform sign, where the carriage door will open. My careful positioning means I can slide into my favourite spot before the carriage fills up; on the end of the row, where I can lean against the glass barrier. The rest of the carriage fills quickly, and I glance at the people still standing, guiltily relieved to see no one old, or obviously pregnant. Despite the flat shoes, my feet ache, thanks to standing by the filing cabinets for most of the day. I’m not supposed to do the filing. There’s a girl who comes in to photocopy property details and keep the cabinets in order, but she’s in Mallorca for a fortnight and from what I saw today she can’t have done any filing for weeks. I found residential mixed up with commercial, and lettings muddled up with sales, and I made the mistake of saying so. ‘You’d better sort it out, then, Zoe,’ Graham said. So instead of booking viewings I stood in the draughty corridor outside Graham’s office, wishing I hadn’t opened my mouth. Hallow & Reed isn’t a bad place to work. I used to do one day a week doing the books, then the office manager went on maternity leave and Graham asked me to fill in. I was a bookkeeper, not a PA, but the money was decent and I’d lost a couple of clients, so I jumped at the chance. Three years later, I’m still there. By the time we reach Canada Water the carriage has thinned out and the only people standing are there by choice. The man sitting next to me has his legs so wide apart I have to angle mine away, and when I look at the row of passengers opposite I see two other men doing the same. Is it a conscious thing? Or some innate need to make themselves bigger than everyone else? The woman immediately in front of me moves her shopping bag and I hear the unmistakable clink of a wine bottle. I hope Simon has thought to put one in the fridge: it’s been a long week and right now all I want to do is curl up on the sofa and watch telly. A few pages into the London Gazette some former X Factor finalist is complaining about the ‘pressures of fame’, and there’s a debate on privacy laws that covers the best part of a page. I’m reading without taking in the words: looking at the pictures and scanning the headlines so I don’t feel completely We have copies to give away FREE. See page 65 to claim yours.

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I See You - Clare Mackintosh

out of the loop. I can’t remember the last time I actually read a whole newspaper, or sat down to watch the news from start to finish. It’s always snatches of Sky News while I’m eating breakfast, or the headlines read over someone’s shoulder on the way in to work. The train stops between Sydenham and Crystal Palace. I hear a frustrated sigh from further up the carriage but don’t bother looking to see who it’s from. It’s already dark and when I glance at the windows all I see is my own face looking back at me; even paler than it is in real life, and distorted by rain. I take off my glasses and rub at the dents they leave either side of my nose. We hear the crackle of an announcement but it’s so muffled and heavily accented there’s no telling what it was about. It could have been anything from signal failure to a body on the line. I hope it’s not a body. I think of my glass of wine, and Simon rubbing my feet on the sofa, then feel guilty that my first thought is about my own comfort, not the desperation of some poor suicidal soul. I’m sure it’s not a body. Bodies are for Monday mornings, not Friday evenings, when work is a blissful three days away. There’s a creaking noise and then silence. Whatever the delay is, it’s going to be a while. ‘That’s not a good sign,’ the man next to me says. ‘Hmm,’ I say non-committally. I carry on turning the pages of my newspaper, but I’m not interested in sport and now it’s mostly adverts and theatre reviews. I won’t be home till after seven at this rate: we’ll have to have something easy for tea, rather than the baked chicken I’d planned. Simon cooks during the week, and I do Friday evening and the weekend. He’d do that too, if I asked him, but I couldn’t have that. I couldn’t have him cooking for us – for my children – every night. Maybe I’ll pick up a takeaway. I skip over the business section and look at the crossword, but I don’t have a pen with me. So I read the adverts, thinking I might see a job for Katie – or me, come to that, although I know I’ll never leave Hallow & Reed. It pays well and I know what I’m doing, now, and if it wasn’t for my boss it would be perfect. The customers are nice, for the most part. They’re generally start-ups, looking for office space; or businesses that have done well, ready for a bigger place. We don’t do much residential, but the flats above the shops work for the first-time buyers and the downsizers. I meet a fair number of recently separateds. Sometimes, if I feel like it, I tell them I know what they’re going through. ‘Did it all turn out okay?’ the women always ask. We have copies to give away FREE. See page 65 to claim yours.

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I See You - Clare Mackintosh ‘Best thing I ever did,’ I say confidently. It’s what they want to hear. I don’t find any jobs for a nineteen-year-old wannabe actress, but I turn down the corner on a page with an advert for an office manager. It doesn’t hurt to know what’s out there. For a second I imagine walking into Graham Hallow’s office and handing in my notice, telling him I won’t put up with being spoken to like I’m dirt on the sole of his shoe. Then I look at the salary printed under the office manager position, and remember how long it’s taken me to claw my way up to something I can actually live on. Better the devil you know, isn’t that what they say? The final pages of the Gazette are all compensation claims and finances. I studiously avoid the ads for loans – at those interest rates you’d have to be mad or desperate – and glance at the bottom of the page, where the chatlines are advertised. Married woman looking for discreet casual action. Txt ANGEL to 69998 for pics.

I wrinkle my nose more at the exorbitant price per text than the services offered. Who am I to judge what other people do? I’m about to turn the page, resigned to reading about last night’s footie, when I see the advert below ‘Angel’s’. For a second I think my eyes must be tired: I blink hard but it doesn’t change anything. I’m so absorbed in what I’m looking at that I don’t notice the train start up again. It sets off suddenly and I jerk to one side, putting my hand out automatically and making contact with my neighbour’s thigh. ‘Sorry!’ ‘It’s fine – don’t worry.’ He smiles and I make myself return it. But my heart is thumping and I stare at the advert. It bears the same warning about call charges as the other boxed adverts, and a 0809 number at the top of the ad. A web address reads www.findtheone.com. But it’s the photo I’m looking at. It’s cropped close to the face, but you can clearly see blonde hair and a glimpse of a black strappy top. Older than the other women pimping their wares, but such a grainy photo it would be hard to give a precise age. Except I know how old she is. I know she’s forty. Because the woman in the advert is me.

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lives, they move house and change their names. They are safe – for now. But Laura knows that to confess her lapse of judgement would mean losing Kit. It’s set in the world of eclipsechasing, a movement of people who devote their lives to HE SAID/SHE SAID is a travelling the world to observe psychological thriller about a total solar eclipses, whether at a little white lie that spirals hippy rave or up a remote fatally out of control. The mountain. The book is theme of trusting the wrong structured like the stages of an person is an established trope eclipse: from the first moment of the genre; I wanted to the moon crosses the sun, explore what happens when the through total darkness, and out person you have mistrusted is the other side. Kit and Laura are yourself. devoted eclipse-chasers,

worked with a legal consultant. Real-life trials, I realised, are fisteatingly tedious for the most part with perhaps an hour of truly high drama over the course of a week. I enjoyed the challenge of making sure that authenticity dovetailed with my need for suspense. I am now depressingly well-versed in the politics of rape culture and see it everywhere, from the weighted machinations of the justice system to the way the media portrays sexual assault. I have never felt so acutely the novelist’s duty of care to real-life victims.

He Said/She Said

by Erin Kelly

Ever trusted the wrong person? It’s narrated in turns by Laura and Kit, a young couple who witness a rape – or think they do – at a festival in 1999. Laura is so sure of what she’s seen that, during the trial, she tells an untruth in the witness box. After the verdict, the victim turns up on their doorstep. Unwanted attention quickly spirals into dangerous obsession and makes Laura doubt her previous certainties; after one horrific night when the couple are lucky to escape with their 54

determined not to let events of the past overshadow their greatest passion in life even though travel is a great risk. Eclipses encompass the globe, and there are scenes on nearly every continent. After writing a couple of claustrophobic chamber-pieces I relished the global scale of this new book. It was also my first foray into courtroom drama – the midsection of the book covers the rape trial itself. I sat through several sexual assault trials and

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He Said/She Said by Erin Kelly is published by Hodder & Stoughton as a £16.99 hbk on 20th April.

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He Said / She Said - Erin Kelly

A total eclipse of the sun has five stages. First contact: The moon’s shadow becomes visible over the sun’s disc. The sun looks as if a bite has been taken from it. Second contact: Almost the entire sun is covered by the moon. The last of the sun’s light leaks into the gaps between the moon’s craters, making the overlying planets look like a diamond ring. Totality: The moon completely covers the sun. This is the most dramatic and eerie stage of a total solar eclipse. The sky darkens, temperatures fall and birds and animals often go quiet. Third contact: The moon’s shadow starts moving away and the sun reappears. Fourth contact: The moon stops overlapping the sun. The eclipse is over.

We stand side by side in front of the speckled mirror. Our reflections avoid eye contact. Like me, she’s wearing black and like mine, her clothes have clearly been chosen with care and respect. Neither of us is on trial, or not officially, but we both know that in cases like this, it’s always the woman who is judged. The cubicles behind us are empty, the doors ajar. This counts as privacy in court. The witness box is not the only place where you need to watch every word. We have copies to give away FREE. See page 65 to claim yours.

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He Said / She Said - Erin Kelly

I clear my throat and the sound bounces off the tiled walls, which replicate the perfect acoustics of the lobby in miniature. Everything echoes here. The corridors ring with the institutional clatter of doors opening and closing, case files too heavy to carry wheeled around on squeaking trolleys. High ceilings catch your words and throw them back in different shapes. Court, with its sweeping spaces and oversized rooms, plays tricks of scale. It’s deliberate, designed to remind you of your own insignificance in relation to the might of the criminal justice machine, to dampen down the dangerous, glowing power of the sworn spoken word. Time and money are distorted, too. Justice swallows gold; to secure a man’s liberty costs of tens of thousands of pounds. In the public gallery, Sally Balcombe wears jewellery worth the price of a small London flat. Even the leather on the judge’s chair stinks of money. You can almost smell it from here. But the toilets, as everywhere, are great levellers. Here in the ladies’ lavatory the flush is still broken and the dispenser has still run out of soap, and the locks on the doors still don’t work properly. Inefficient cisterns dribble noisily, making discreet speech impossible. If I wanted to say anything, I’d have to shout. In the mirror, I look her up and down. Her shift dress hides her curves. I’ve got my hair, the bright long hair that was the first thing Kit loved about me, the hair that he said he could see in the dark, pulled into a schoolmarm’s bun at the nape of my neck. We both look . . . demure, I suppose is the word, although no one has ever described me that way before. We are unrecognisable as the girls from the festival: the girls who painted our bodies and faces gold to whirl and howl under the moon. Those girls are gone, both dead in their different ways. A heavy door slams outside, making us both jump. She’s as nervous as I am, I realise. At last our reflections lock eyes, each silently asking the other the questions too big – too dangerous – to voice. How did it come to this? How did we get here? How will it end? We have copies to give away FREE. See page 65 to claim yours.

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He Said / She Said - Erin Kelly FIRST CONTACT LAURA 18 MARCH 2015

ondon is the most light-polluted city in Britain, but even here in the northern suburbs, you can still see the stars at four o’clock in the morning. The lights are off in our attic study, and I don’t need Kit’s telescope to see Venus; a crescent moon wears the pale blue planet like an earring. The city is at my back; the view from here is over suburban rooftops and dominated by Alexandra Palace. By day it’s a Victorian monstrosity of cast iron, brick and glass, but in the small hours it’s a spike in the sky, its radio mast tipped with a glowing red dot. A night bus of the same colour sweeps through the otherwise empty park road. This part of London has a truer 24-hour culture than the West End. No sooner does the last Turkish kebab shop shut than the Polish bakery takes its first delivery. I didn’t choose to live here, but I love it now. There is anonymity in bustle. Two aeroplanes blink across each other’s paths. One floor below me, Kit is deep in sleep. He’s the one going away, yet I’m wide awake with pre-trip nerves. It is a long time since I slept through the night but my wakefulness now has nothing to do with the babies in my belly who tapdance on my bladder and kick me awake. Kit once described real life as the boring bit between eclipses but I think of it as the safe time. Beth has crossed the world to find us twice. We are only visible when we travel. A couple of years ago, I hired a private detective and challenged him to find us using only the paper trail of our previous lives. He couldn’t trace us. And if he couldn’t do it, then no one else can. Certainly not Beth, and not even a man of Jamie’s resources. It has been fourteen years since one of his letters found me. This total eclipse will be the first Kit has seen without me since he was a teenager. Even the eclipses he had to miss, he missed with me, because of me. It’s not a good idea to travel in my condition, and I’m so grateful to be in this condition that I don’t begrudge missing the experience, although I am terrified for Kit. Beth knows me. She knows us. She knows that to hurt him is to destroy me. We have copies to give away FREE. See page 65 to claim yours.

Sara Garland’s review of He Said/She Said This is a contemporary slow burn suspense thriller that flits in time between 2015 and 2000. It captures the complexity of a couple’s relationship that initially appears solid and balanced, but as the story progresses and you scratch beneath the surface it isn’t what it first appears to be. Readers are introduced to Laura in 2015. She is pregnant, prone to panic attacks and practices mindfulness to counter this. Her partner Kit studies eclipses and we learn about how they met and shared a love for these eclipses and most importantly when they encountered Beth… Beth now known as Liz Taylor has legal anonymity after the court case. This was a rape trial against the rich upstart Jamie. Laura witnessed the sexual encounter and as a consequence both her and Kit were involved in the rape trial in Cornwall. And so it comes to down to who saw what and who said what. But Laura tells a little white lie that haunts her. She is unable to disclose this to anyone, something that has her in knots, something she fears will come back to bite her. The story gradually unfolds to reveal what truly happened. There is an intricacy to the tangled relationships between Laura, Kit & Beth.

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The dialogue is as much about what isn’t said as is said. In this way it weaves a clever and intoxicating story that incorporates a fitting but unusual backdrop about eclipses. All the characters are memorable and distinctly evolve as the story progresses. Essentially there are a good number of twists that occur through peristalsis so that the effect is gradual & rhythmical, but nonetheless transpire markedly and memorably. The writing has a means of holding you and drawing you into its nuances. It gets you thinking and cleverly captures how remarkable personal interactions and relationships are. Much is told in the 1st person, which lends itself to the character’s personal and often unreliable interpretation of events around them. It allows us to see how we filter what we see and hear to our own preferences and interpretations. It is realistic amidst the simmering personal devastation that is experienced. In all everything about this book atmospherically resonates, so that there’s a reading after burn long after finishing the book, which is always a great effect to have and the sign of a solid, good read. Personal read ★★★★ Group read ★★★★★

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s fans of DCI Jim Daley will already know, he has faced psychopaths, hired assassins, corrupt politicians, gangsters, bent cops and many other hazards since moving to Kinloch. This time, he has to solve a case from the past to make sense of the present. The Bremner family go missing from their farm on the idyllic island of Gairsay, just off the coast of Kintyre. Pots boil on the stove, their breakfast is on the table, but of the Bremners, there is no sign.

packed with military personnel, as the locals do their bit to aid the war effort. As Daley unravels this case though, he finds hidden secrets that have resonance in the modern world. I thoroughly enjoyed writing Well of the Winds, researching the Second World War and its impact on Campbeltown, the real Kinloch. Strategically, it was perfectly positioned: not far from the battleground that was the Atlantic; easy routes to the Baltic via the North of Scotland; safe haven and easy access to the river Clyde, as well

Well of the Winds Denzil Meyrick shocks himself! On investigation, Daley and his redoubtable assistant DS Brian Scott, discover there is much more to the family than meets the eye. When Daley comes into possession of a journal written by one of his predecessors in Kinloch, Inspector William Urquhart, he realises that answers can only be found if he can solve a crime dating back to the end of World War II. In this book we see our Kintyre setting as it was in the 1940s, just as the Nazis were facing defeat. Wartime Kinloch is a very different place, the loch crammed with large Royal Navy battleships, the town

as the west coast English ports and beyond. Then, Campbeltown bustled with soldiers, sailors and airmen. But not all were keen to aid the allies. A dark underbelly hides a number of groups and individuals who had very different ideas on the shape of the world when the war was over. With Scott and their new boss Chief Superintendent Carrie Symington continuing the investigation on Gairsay, Daley is left to ponder the case back in Kinloch. At its heart, lies a secret from the real world. A theory I weave into the fictional plot.

Though it has been in the public domain for years, its discovery still has the power to shock. It shocked me!

Well of the Winds by Denzil Meyrick is published by Polygon as a ÂŁ8.99 pbk on 6th April.

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aley saw Potts’s empty car as he drove into the farmyard. Assuming his DC was busy checking the property as instructed, he made his way around the corner of the house, cursing the fact that he’d left his torch in the hotel. He called out to Potts, waiting for a reply that didn’t come. As he fumbled along the rear of the house, his foot caught on something bulky. He cursed loudly as he landed heavily on his knees, wincing as he tried to pull himself back to his feet. He could smell something – a chemical smell. He was surprised when he heard a groan coming from the object he’d tripped over. He edged towards the noise and leaned down. ‘Potts, is that you?’ The reply was indistinct, but he could discern the strong odour of chloroform now. In the darkness, knee twinging painfully, he dragged Potts back around the building to his car. As he struggled to get the young DC out of the cold, he picked up the mobile phone lying on the dashboard. He listened for a few moments before a familiar tired voice answered the call. ‘Brian, get yourself up to the Bremner farm now! We’ve got a situation.’ Before Scott could reply, Daley hung up and, using the torch on his phone, looked around. The farmhouse door was ajar, the shattered lock visible. Daley took a deep breath, then, as silently as he could, made his way up the front steps. Even with the little torch on his phone, it took him a few moments to become accustomed to the gloomy interior of the farmhouse. He stopped in the hall for a few moments and listened. There was definitely movement, muffled footsteps, the sound of something being dragged across a floor. It was hard to pinpoint from exactly where the sound was coming, until he noticed a sliver of light from under the door in the hall. Someone was in the basement. Taking care to do so as quietly as possible, Daley lifted the hatch and made his way tentatively into the cellar, pausing only when one step creaked under his weight. When the sounds from below continued, undisturbed by his footfall, he carried on until he reached the bottom, where he paused, heart thudding. The immediate area was empty, so he followed the pale light further into the cellar, trying to recall the layout he’d seen only a few hours before. The door to the room with the beds and the filing cabinets lay open, but the movement – a shuffling noise, like something heavy being dragged across the floor – ceased. Daley stopped dead, hardly breathing in case whoever was in the cellar heard him. Silence. He could see that one of the filing cabinets had been dragged into We have copies to give away FREE. See page 65 to claim yours.

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Well of the Winds - Denzil Meyrick the middle of the floor. An open drawer revealed a rank of yellowed files, each marked in neat, faded German handwriting. The door to the next room – a small kitchenette, as far as he could remember – lay wide open, though no light issued from within. Assuming whoever was in the cellar must be in this room, he tiptoed towards it, pausing just behind the doorframe to listen for signs of life. ‘Don’t move.’ The voice was deep and authoritative. ‘Turn around slowly.’ Daley did as he was told. The man facing him was older than himself, muscular with close-cropped hair. He was holding a pistol, which was now pointed at the detective. ‘I was hoping you would arrive,’ he said casually. ‘It makes things easier. Of course, I’m sure your colleagues won’t be far behind, so we don’t have much time.’ The man’s accent was hard to place, but he spoke clearly and with precision. ‘My detective sergeant is on his way. Whatever you think you’ll achieve here, let me assure you, you won’t. Please put down the gun.’ ‘You should have been more careful, checked behind the filing cabinet. A rudimentary error, if you don’t mind my saying.’ Daley didn’t reply, but knew he should have made sure the room was empty before pursuing his quarry into the next. He wasn’t thinking properly. He had to get his head straight. ‘Just put down the gun,’ he said eventually, with more confidence than he felt. To his surprise, the man laid the pistol on top of the filing cabinet and picked up something else as he did so. ‘Take this, and take my advice. Keep it to yourself, or soon it will be removed from your possession. Read it and understand it. It is the key to what happened here.’ He handed Daley a leatherbound notebook. The cover felt rough and brittle with age.‘ What do you mean, keep it to myself ? I’m a police officer, and this is evidence.’ ‘I know who you are, DCI Daley. And, as I said, in a way, I’m pleased you have stumbled into this on your own. Otherwise, we would have had to work out a way of getting this to you without raising suspicion. From what I know of you, you are a straight, determined man – much like the person who wrote this.’ He gestured towards the notebook and moved closer. Suddenly, Daley realised that he’d seen the man before – briefly, in the hotel bar. ‘You are under arrest, Mr . . .’ The man smiled. ‘My name is Feldstein, and you may place me under arrest if you wish. But I can assure you that it will be short-lived.’ ‘I’ll leave that for the procurator fiscal to decide,’ replied Daley, suddenly We have copies to give away FREE. See page 65 to claim yours.

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aware of a commotion coming from the ground floor. ‘Your colleague has arrived. Sergeant Scott, I think I’m right in saying?’ Daley’s brow furrowed. ‘How are you so well informed, Mr Feldstein?’ ‘Being well informed has been my business for very many years, Mr Daley. Far too many, in fact.’ ‘Jimmy, are you doon there?’ Both men raised their eyes to the ceiling at the sound of the call. Scott’s footsteps above sounded deafening in the low-roofed cellar. ‘Your colleague has a less subtle approach, no?’ Feldstein smiled. ‘You could say that.’ ‘If you are not accustomed to listening to advice, DCI Daley, I urge you to listen to mine. Take this journal and keep it safe. You will learn much. Make it subject to your evidence protocols and it will be spirited away, and what happened here, and in many other places, will remain hidden for longer than it has been already. And let me assure you, what happened here is not just dusty old history.’ He held up the journal. ‘I was lucky to find it so quickly, but I don’t suppose Bremer ever thought we’d get this close.’ ‘Don’t you mean Bremner?’ ‘I meant what I said.’ Scott burst into the room, an extendable baton clutched in his right hand. ‘What the fuck’s going on? Is this the bastard that did for DC Potts? He’s up there in the motor, spark oot.’ ‘It’s okay, Brian. Please place Mr Feldstein under arrest. Attempted theft by OLP should be an adequate charge for now,’ said Daley. ‘Come here, you big bugger,’ shouted Scott, grabbing Feldstein and handcuffing him in one smooth, well-practised movement. ‘Here, there’s a shooter on top o’ that filing cabinet!’ ‘Remember what I said, Mr Daley.’ Feldstein smiled as Scott pulled him roughly out of the room and upstairs. Daley fanned the pages of the journal in his hand. Tiny spidery writing, in faded fountain-pen ink, neatly covered the pages, so tightly spaced it was hard to decipher. He closed the journal, and followed Scott and his prisoner out of the cellar at Achnamara.

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Sheila A. Grant’s review of Well of the Winds

n absorbing mystery set in a remote area off the west coast of Scotland when three generations of a family who settled in the community during WW2 simply vanish, leaving a pan boiling on the stove and a table set for eating. The Bremners have lived on the tiny island of Gairsay since apparently escaping from Nazi Germany in 1945. Local special constable McAuley discovers the empty house when delivering the mail. He’s an endearingly quirky character who as well as being a ‘special’ and the local postman is also a fireman and a grocer, all of which tasks he takes extremely seriously. He is portrayed with humour and is the butt of many entertaining asides. This writer has a flair for painting word pictures and the reader soon connects with the people and the countryside, getting a real sense of island life where it is nigh impossible to keep a secret, or is it? McAuley is not best

pleased when a team given up alcohol, while from Glasgow are Carrie Symington has a brought in to help him in past known to the Special his investigations. After Branch officer who has DCI Daley, his side kick, her in his sights. There Scott, and their new are many twists and turns Chief Superintendent in this most enjoyable Carrie Symington find a story that rolls along with hidden cellar in the further deaths and tragic empty house it appears events as the seemingly that the Bremner family simple life of the area is may not have been, as disrupted and the they claimed, Jewish schisms revealed. evacuees. The contents A touch of the Boy’s suggest that sinister Own Adventure in the events, dating back to tale gives it a bit of speed WW2, have cast a dark in what I would describe net far beyond this little as cozy crime, community. lighthearted and When a war time peppered with a dark journal, with sections sense of fun, an obliterated, is given to entertaining read. Daley, it seems there may Slightly overwritten with be a connection to the too much irrelevant back events of the present day. story for many of the Was the Bremner family characters tends to slow what they claimed to be? the story down slightly. Why the sudden flight? The dialogue is excellent Was it motivated by apart from words that choice or by fear? The are more Newcastle arrival of officials from dialect than west of the Home Office and Scotland such as ‘reet’ or Special Branch would ‘whoot’. But it is a imply their believable and well disappearance has wider written tale that I suspect implications. may be loosely based on This thriller has its fact. It would make a smattering of police good television series. officers with problems. Daley is grieving the loss Personal read ★★★★ of his lover, Scott has Group read ★★★★★

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91a Foxlowe by Eleanor Wasserberg

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Coming to a screen near you Neruda

Mel's been to a preview screening!

f you are looking for a straightforward biopic of celebrated Chilean poetdiplomat Pablo Neruda, Neruda isn’t it. Playful and creative, director Pablo Larraín (also Chilean, of course – what other nationality could be trusted to evoke the Latin American spirit Neruda embodied and for which he was adored) takes the essence of the man and Nobel Prize-winning poet and politician who captivated his country men and women and presents a highly stylised and not entirely fact-based chapter in his life.

Selected Poems of Pablo Neruda, published by Vintage Classics (2012, pbk)

Also worth checking out: Il Postino: The Postman The Postman is a 1994 Italian film directed by Michael Radford, which tells a fictional story in which the real life Chilean poet Pablo Neruda forms a relationship with a simple postman who learns to love poetry. It stars Philippe Noiret, Massimo Troisi (as the postman),

The success of this film for me lies mainly in the casting of the three key characters – Neruda, magnificently and comically played by Luis Gnecco, his devoted and politically astute wife Delia intelligently played by Mercedes Morán and Peluchonneau, the boyish police inspector who battles his determination to capture the poet with his increasing fascination for him, played with by Gael García Bernal. Distinct from each other in terms of personality, they become intrinsically linked as Delia and Peluchonneau orbit the brilliant but monstrous Neruda. As Neruda’s ego threatens to alienate the people closest to him, behind closed doors he

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and Maria Grazia Cucinotta. Writer/star Massimo Troisi postponed heart surgery so that he could complete the film. The day after filming was completed, he suffered a fatal heart attack.

becomes ever-more obsessed with his image. Unable to resist slipping out unaccompanied he revels in, and indeed appears to require, the uncomplicated adoration of his fans, which seems incomprehensible most of the time. Typically misogynistic, he ignores the creative brilliance and needs of his wife and the practical challenges of their confinement and instead makes a game of the dangerous situation they find themselves in, taunting and provoking Peluchonneau. Frequently funny, Neruda moves quickly, showcasing Larraín’s skill in combining farcical elements while always keeping the focus on character and reaction, rather than plot. The ‘catch me if you can’

Luis Gnecco plays Pablo Neruda

element of the story is at once ridiculous and unlikely but nevertheless highly compelling as you wait for the inevitable denouement in this almost surreal faux-narrative. It is not

overtly political enough to be taken too seriously but for Larraín that is not the point – “Neruda liked crime stories…we created a novel that we would have liked Neruda to read.”

The most amusing, and revealing, moment for me was between Neruda and Delia as the strain is beginning to tell on their relationship. Neruda is reading out some of his poetry, in his normal voice, but something isn’t quite right, the words are meaningless and devoid of passion. Delia essentially tells him to perform the words, which he obediently does, and suddenly the gravitas and flair of the great Neruda is apparent. He becomes a literary giant again, rather than the shuffling, overweight middleaged man he otherwise is. It reveals his shortcomings and her sagacity and turns their relationship on its head. I applaud Larraín for exposing the man behind the legend and not succumbing to the blind idolatry that characterised Neruda’s popular success in his lifetime. I think this film could lead to some fascinating reading group discussions about the perception of literary personalities and the opposition between public and private selves, alongside reading a selection of Neruda’s poetry – I was inspired to buy a copy of the Vintage Classics ‘Selected Poems’ and highly recommend this as a perfect single volume exploration. Mel Mitchell ****

Gael García Bernal and Diego Muñoz in Neruda

Neruda is in UK cinemas from 7th April. 20th Century Fox.

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BOOK FIRST, THEN FILM/TV VERSION . . .

so says Phil Ramage

V adaptations if done well, can certainly reignite interest in the printed word. Last year’s The Night Manager certainly renewed enthusiasm for John le Carré and after a few years of being out of fashion readers are rediscovering Winston Graham largely because of Aidan Turner’s smouldering Poldark. As someone who likes to read the book before watching the TV version it’s worth finding out from time to time what TV schedulers have in store for us.

From left, Tom Hollander, Olivia Colman, Tom Hiddleston, Elizabeth Debicki and Hugh Laurie. Picture: Mitch Jenkins

The bombed-out ruins of Buckingham Palace as depicted in SS-GB. Image © Sid Gentle Films Ltd

I managed to read Len Deighton’s 1978 alternative history SS-GB just before the BBC series began. I thought the book had not aged that well despite its fascinating premise but was seduced into watching by the visuals and high production values. It seems, however, as if it might be best remembered for mumbling and poor audibility which had also seriously marred reception for the BBC adaptation of Jamaica Inn a couple of years back.

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First look at Tom Burke and Holliday Grainger in JK Rowling adaptation The Cuckoo's Calling. Picture: BBC

Perhaps the most anticipated is a TV version of JK Rowling’s The Cuckoo Calling due this autumn. Tom Burke (from The Three Musketeers) has landed perhaps this year’s best part in Rowling’s larger-than-life creation, Cormoran Strike. I was a little underwhelmed by the adaptation of Rowling’s

PHIL’S REVIEW OF SS-GB

Starring K.J. Apa, Lili Reinhart, Cole Sprouse, Camila Mendes, Ashleigh Murray, Madelaine Petsch. © Netflix

before watching. I’m seriously considering a Netflix subscription because of Riverdale. Not quite a straight adaptation but following the trend of reimagining a story from characters, as in Elementary and Emerald City. As a child I was obsessed with the characters in the longrunning imported Archie Comics. (Remember their hit single Sugar Sugar?) The characters have burst from their cartoon form for a dark crime drama series which seems a bold reworking.

A Casual Vacancy but have high hopes for this. Already broadcast in the US and promised over here is When We Rise a six parter based on the memoir of gay activist Cleve Jones, who was part of Harvey Milk’s team. With Gus Van Sant on board as Director, written by Dustin Lance Black, partner of British diver Tom Daley and with Guy Pearce in the lead this promises to be a major television event and also a brilliant recreation of San Francisco in the 70s and 80s.

I’m also looking forward to the BBC version of Jessie Burton’s The Miniaturist due later this year, especially as it will prompt me to move my copy from the Road To Riverdale and Riverdale #1 bedside Cover B. © Archie Comics pile and Check out Phil's blog read it reviewsrevues.com

I’ve recently read the book and although the premise of a Britain occupied by the Nazis following defeat at the Battle of Britain is fascinating the plot felt a little lacklustre, characterisation dated and the relationships between the main characters somewhat stilted. However, I did get some enjoyment from the book and thought this visual interpretation would help me at moments if my attention wandered from the story. My assumption [was] correct from the opening moments as a spitfire looped a loop before landing on the Mall with a bomb-damaged Buckingham Palace in the background. . . A radio news broadcast announces the relaxation of a curfew to celebrate German/Soviet Friendship Week, which we feel might suddenly become less friendly as a member of the British Resistance guns down a German Officer. It is November 1941 and we soon meet (post-coitally) Douglas Archer from Scotland Yard who is now solving crimes alongside the Nazis. Before I’d seen any of this I’d written about Deighton’s novel; “it feels like it should be read out of the corner of the mouth with a cigarette on”. I might have suspected Riley of taking my note literally, that is if it hadn’t been filmed what seems like an inordinately long time ago at the end of 2015. About ten minutes in, you realise what is going to happen and it has nothing to do with the plot. This series is going to be most remembered for that bugbear of BBC Drama – mumbling. Like Happy Valley which wasn’t spoilt by the much complained about mumbling and the much-maligned Jamaica Inn which certainly was, it is the mumbling grumbling which is going to dominate. Indeed by the day after broadcast there had been complaints to the BBC (apparently less than 100 by Monday afternoon from a 4 million viewing audience, but the press always like a good BBC-baiting news story) and it is fairly evident that there’s little that can be done about it because the lead actor has chosen to play it that way. Is this the reason behind the length of time between production finishing and transmission? It was good to see James Cosmo (a likeable stint in the Celebrity Big Brother house earlier this year) co-starring as Harry Woods [but] the rest of the cast wasn’t particularly familiar to me. Once we’d risen above the audibility issues the first episode felt reasonably close to the book and so I share the same reservations I had for the novel. I am going to stick with it, however. I am especially looking forward to a Highgate Cemetery scene which, given the high production values, promises to be a highspot.

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Faves

Photo: Natalie McKenzie Brown

THE NOVEL IN THE VIOLA BY NATASHA SOLOMONS

Cesca Major's 5 Faves will move you to tears and make you laugh out loud.

I adored Natasha Solomon's debut the quirky, warm Mr Rosenblum's List so her second had a lot riding on it.

THE GUERNSEY LITERARY AND POTATO PEEL PIE SOCIETY BY MARY ANN SHAFFER AND ANNIE BURROWS

The book is set in the Dorset countryside during World War II and centres around the story of Elise Landau, a Viennese Jewess, who applies to become a domestic help in England to escape the troubles in Europe.

This is my favourite book of all time. I wish I had written it. The style is interesting, told through a range of letters from different characters. The tone, wit and characterisation are exceptional.

The book is a great mix of light and dark. Natasha Solomon has the ability to draw such a vivid cast of characters. We get a real insight into a dying world, an old order. Then there are the little glimpses of local history that drag you straight back into the 1930â&#x20AC;&#x2122;s and wish you could experience it all for yourself.

We see what Nazi occupation of Guernsey was like during the Second World War and learn a lot about the local population and their reaction to it.

There is humour and charm on every page.

As I closed this book I had that dreadful realisation that the characters in the pages were fictional and I could never meet them in real life.

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This book moved me to tears on more than one occasion and also made me laugh out loud. No mean feat.

THE SHADOW YEAR BY HANNAH RICHELL

WHAT ALICE FORGOT BY LIANE MORIARTY

I could choose The Shadow any of Liane Year is simply everything a book Moriarty's should be - it's a fantastic page- novels - in my opinion she can turner with dual story lines that do no wrong. She always creates impact on each other. The debooks with excellent premises, scription is rich but doesn't slow furious page turners with real the pace, the characters are emotion, wonderfully dry wit multi-faceted, flawed and beand great plot twists. This book lievable. is no exception - imagine waking up ten years older than you It is 1980 and a group of stuthink you are and finding the dents find themselves enjoying a man you loved (and married) hot, humid day out in a hidden loathes you (and divorced you) cottage by a lake. They decide but not remembering why. to live there for a year relying only on nature and the bare ne- A fun, frolicking read that keeps cessities. But the plan doesn't go you guessing - I loved it. as they hoped. Thirty years later Lila is recovering from a terrible accident. A mysterious parcel arrives containing a large iron key, the deeds to a house and no note. The key unlocks the cottage and Lila sets about discovering just what went on all those years ago. It is compelling stuff and Hannah Richell writes so lyrically the whole book is an utter joy.

THE NIGHT RAINBOW BY CLAIRE KING I do love a book written from a child's point of view and this was one of the magical things that worked in Claire King's fabulous debut. The Night Rainbow is a story about a five year old girl called Peony, or Pea as she is known, and her sister Margot. It is the story of one summer in France. Maman is sad because Father has died and because of the baby, and Pea tries everything she can think of to make her happy. It is a book about friendship, family, love, loneliness and grief. I adored this warm, wonderful debut. The setting is impeccable. Pea is a total delight and the book will make you smile and break your heart a little bit.

“A fun, frolicking read that keeps you guessing - I loved it” The Last Night by Cesca Major is published by Corvus as a £7.99 pbk on 4th May 2017.

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- worth looking out for! Search nudge with Legend Press and you will be amazed at the high scores - we wanted to know more, especially what's coming. Stephan Collishaw

In 2017, leading UK independent book publisher Legend Press are introducing historical fiction to their awardwinning list. Here 3 of their new historical authors discuss what the genre means to them.

‘Fiction and history have always been my two passions. As a teenager, if Greer Macallister I wasn’t ‘For me, books are reading a transportation. I want to be novel, then I was reading a taken away when I read, swept history book. It was perhaps off to natural, then, that when I came another to write a novel it would be set world. Any in the past. Historical fiction is wonderful quite a ‘baggy’ term that covers book can do a wide range of different styles. this, but I’ve never been a particular fan with of ‘hard core’ historical fiction, historical but do love the writing of fiction, it’s people like Helen Dunmore an especially engaging trip. who often mine the past for a Great historical fiction takes me setting. The Siege is a beautiful, to a place and time I could harsh novel about Leningrad in never go, inside the life of the Second World War while someone I could never be or her first novel explored the life even meet. The best historical of D.H Lawrence. She makes no novels build a world around you attempt to show off her so plausible you feel like you’re historical knowledge, but you there. You see it, feel it, smell feel confident in her hands, and taste it. Those are the delving into past lives. Sebastian books I love to read, and the Faulks does a similar thing. I books I try to write. Because loved his novel Human Traces who doesn’t love to get carried which deals with psychiatry in away?’ the early twentieth century.’ The Magician’s Lie by Greer Macallister is published in pbk on 3rd April.

The Song of the Stork by Stephen Collishaw was recently published in pbk.

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M.J. Tjia

‘I enjoy historical fiction that offers new perspectives on past periods and situations. I especially like historical fiction, such as neo-Victorian novels or works set in periods of war, that also respond to contemporary issues. Historical fiction, although set in the past, can explore themes that are currently relevant, such as feminism, post-colonialism, sexuality etc. Although, of course, there are varying degrees of accuracy in historical fiction, a ‘re-imagination’ of a period or situation might actually hold more accuracy than that which has been portrayed in the past. Historical fiction can give voice to characters who were marginalised in their own time or have not been well represented in the fiction of the time, such as women, the working-class, Asians etc.’ She Be Damned by M.J. Tija is published in pbk on 1st August.

I’M A WRITER... Get me out of here!

Melinda Salisbury has a problem . . . I’m a writer and I hate writing… the first draft, at least. God, I hate the first draft. A piece of advice I always offer at events is not to compare your first draft to a published book, because it’s like comparing a single brick to a completed house – there is no real comparison. It’s a piece of advice I wish I’d follow. Writing a first draft feels like my mind slowing, leaking onto a page via my fingers, word by painful word. It doesn’t matter how well I’ve planned each scene and chapter, or how many hours I’ve spent imagining it, and blocking it, or how many questionnaires I’ve filled out online from my character’s point of view. In fact, I’d rather stand up and act out the entire book as a one-woman show and have someone else write it down if it would save me from the agony of the first draft. Getting those first words out always feels like my brain is being squeezed through a mangle. In a vacuum. On Uranus. While recovering from the flu. And the words… Oh they’re bad words. Sentences are too long, some words are repeated so often I forget what they mean. Characters look and blink and turn with the kind of regularity that would lead to whiplash in real life. Similes are clunky and ugly,

descriptions are hackneyed and uninspiring. There’s nothing quite like a first draft to make you realise you have no business writing. To keep myself from tearing my hair out I have to edit as I go. Everyone tells you not to, that you should keep going until you finish, but I can’t. I have to go back to the last bit I wrote and polish it before I can allow any new words out. I tell myself I’m doing it to keep the plot fresh in my mind, and to organically work my way into the story again, but really it’s because I’m scared that I might die partway through a draft and if anyone ever read it I’d spend eternity spinning in my grave from shame. I want to be the kind of writer who can frantically get it all down, and keep my eyes on the finish line, but I’ve tried, and not only is it painful, it’s joyless too. For me, the real magic and pleasure comes with editing. There’s an alchemy in taking something malformed and simple and turning it into something that makes the heart race and the palms sweat. Polishing a scene over and over, weaving in new layers, stripping out old ones - that’s when I feel like a writer - when I have the time to choose each word carefully, when I can craft

something with care and precision. For me the real storytelling comes with the editing. The writing is the wet lump of clay I have to smash around until it’s malleable enough to use. Editing is what makes the pot. Or the plot, as it were.

The Scarecrow Queen has recently been published by Scholastic.

When not working on her next novel Melinda Salisbury is busy reading and travelling, both of which are now more addictions than hobbies. She lives by the sea, somewhere in the south of England.

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BIG INTERVIEW

Emma Henderson ...meets Berwyn Peet

Berwyn Peet: e book is set in the French Alps and I loved the descriptions of mountain scenery. What inspired you to use this setting? Emma Henderson: I have always been fascinated by the Alps and, between 1999 and 2005, I lived and worked in a small village in the French Alps, running a ski and snowboard lodge in the winter months. I didn’t go there with the intention of writing a novel set there. I went there with the intention of writing my ﬁrst, very diﬀerent novel, Grace 74

Williams Says It Loud. While I was there, however, I became interested, not just in the place, but in the relationship between the people who were born and bred there and the rest of us who were seen as ‘tourists’ or incomers, even if we’d put down roots and settled. I wished I had the skills and powers to create a documentary ﬁlm of what life ‘behind the scenes’ was like in a busy winter ski resort that became, in the interseason, a sleepy mountain village. And then I came across a chalet, high up in the mountains, built in 1858 by Sir Alfred Wills, an English mountaineer and High Court judge (who presided over the Oscar Wilde trial) and used, for years, by his family as a summer holiday house. e chalet, from the outside, looked like a conventional chocolatebox style chalet. But on the inside, apparently it was kitted

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out more like an English country house, with a billiards’ room, a dark room, hot water and all sorts of things that, I imagined, would have made local tongues wag. Again, initially, I thought this was perfect material for a documentary or for a nonfiction account of the first English tourist to arrive in the valley. But I’m not a historian, nor a documentary film-maker. Over time, over years, more than ten years, I saw that I might be able to bring together my fascination with mountains, with outsiders and insiders and with this particular English family into a fiction that I and only I could write. BP: What came first - the setting or the idea for the story? EH: e two are inextricably intertwined. Some of the ideas for the story come from the very

Photo: Debra Hurford Brown

erwyn Peet was already a fan of Emma Henderson (Grace Williams Says It Loud!) so it wasn't a surprise to ﬁnd she really liked Emma's new book - e Valentine House.

BIG INTERVIEW

real presence of foreigners, outsiders, tourists in the place, but these people are there because of the place. ey, like me, fell in love with the place. In e Valentine House, I’m interested in the relationship between people and place; I think of it as a love and a land story and the story of the conflict that can arise as a result. BP: Mathilde is a complex and interesting character. Did you have her life story planned out at the start or did it evolve as you were writing? EH: I didn’t have anything planned out at the start! Mathilde existed as a character, though, complete and complex from the start and I knew that she would work for the rich English family and be the main narrator of the story. Beyond that, her life story evolved, with the help of Benoit and Madame Tissot and, above all, Costa. Costa didn’t exist at all when I first started writing e Valentine House. But one day, when I’d written about a fih of the novel and was struggling, he appeared. Like Daniel, in Grace Williams Says It Loud, Costa is pure invention; he leapt into my head and jumped onto the page fully-formed, and I fell in love with him. He felt like a gi. To the story, to the plot, to Mathilde. He enabled me to give Mathilde the full emotional life I wanted her to have and to make Mathilde’s personal story 76

as much about him as about the Valentines’ shenanigans. BP: e pacing of the story is done so well. How did you achieve the gradual building up of tension? EH: I think it helped to have George’s narrative, the 1976 narrative, in between Mathilde’s narrative, which takes place over decades. Once I’d got the hang of making the two narratives fit together – each chapter has to end in a way that looks forward both to the next chapter and to the one aerwards – the building up of tension came quite naturally; the narrative began to acquire its own pace, with the dramatic events of the summer of 1976 coming together chronologically with the denouement of Mathilde’s story. BP: e events take place over about a century up to 1976. How difficult was it to cover such a long time span? In some ways I would have liked to know more about certain periods, perhaps how Mathilde managed during WW2. Did you need to be very disciplined to keep to the main aspects? EH: It was very difficult to cover such a long time span. e research involved was daunting, especially since the sort of research I needed to do oen concerned the minutiae of daily life and, oen, daily French life,

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daily French rural life, even. Even more daunting was the question of how to cover such a long time span. e temptation was to want to put everything in. I still feel as if I could rewrite the novel, making it ﬁve times as long. I know exactly how Mathilde managed during WW2 and could tell you, even down to her expostulations at the Germans requisitioning her horse. Other people have said they would like to know more about the Valentines' life in English. I could tell them. A lot. Everything. I lived in the world of the novel for a long time. So yes, I had to be very disciplined in order to stick to the story. ere are boxes in my attic with thousands of unused words. e Valentine House is hewn from these. BP: Of the characters from the 1976 part Jack and omas are the ones that the reader empathises with most. What do you see as their roles in the story? EH: eir roles in the story are to give a context to George’s experiences over the summer of 1976 in the mountains. ey are also there to provide two contrasting views of the place and to enable George to understand both. Jack and omas are older than George and he looks up to them, while he struggles to ﬁnd his own path. ere are hints they have their own issues and problems,

BIG INTERVIEW

but for omas, at least, his sense of duty as a mountain guide, prevails over everything else. BP: I felt there were various themes in the novel - identity, betrayal, the contrast between the English upper classes and the hardship of the Alpine farming community. Am I right? Are there others? EH: Yes, you’re right, those are some of the themes. Closely related to the theme of identity is that of language – how closely identity is connected with place and with language. e scene between Mathilde and Sir A., during his last summer at the chalet, is important in this

respect; I wanted to show how a sort of understanding between two people can, in exceptional circumstances occur beyond the barriers of language, of age, of class. It’s one of my favourite scenes. Friendship is another theme; it’s not explicit, but it’s there in the transformation of Angelique, in Mathilde’s loyalty, ultimately and despite it all, to Daisy, and even in what we learn of the relationship between George and Graham. And love. Please don’t forget love. Underpinning most of the action of e Valentine House is love, of one sort or another land love, unrequited love, betrayed love, forbidden love…

Andrea Lewis's review of Grace Williams Says It Loud! Set in the 1950s this book tells the story of Grace Williams, a mentally and physically disabled young girl with a strong will, and determination to get on with life. We follow her through the difficulties of being abandoned by her family, day to day life in the institution, coping with adolescence and a blossoming relationship with Daniel an epileptic, who becomes the focus of her life. In reality, not a lot happens but the journey is written in quite an unusual way through Grace's eyes as she grows up. I found this book both touching and shocking. The relationship between Grace and Daniel is gentle and inspiring then suddenly we are catapulted into the realities of life in a 1950s mental institution. It will challenge your perceptions and hopefully open your eyes to what we should see and understand when it comes to disability. 4/4

Many thanks to both Emma and Berwyn.

Berwyn’s review of The Valentine House This was a novel I really enjoyed reading. Good story, interesting characters and lovely setting. Mathilde’s story starts in 1914 when, aged 14, she begins work at a chalet in the French Alps. The chalet was built several years before by Sir Anthony Valentine, a keen mountaineer, and he and his family use it as their summer home. “Les anglais” are regarded with suspicion but they employ people from the local community as alpine guides and and hire girls to work in the house, usually ugly ones, so Sir Anthony will not be tempted, it is rumoured. Mathilde is one of these and the novel follows her relationship with the Valentine family over many years and the gradual uncovering of secrets. As well as Mathilde’s life story there are chapters set in 1976 when George, Sir Anthony’s great-great grandson comes to stay after his parents have died in an accident. There are evocative descriptions of the grandeur and beauty of the alpine scenery as well as reminders of the dangers. Both stories are engrossing. The slow unravelling of the secrets is beautifully done with a clever building up of the tension. I was very impressed with the writing – intriguing plotting and yet there are deeper themes of love, identity and different cultures. Highly recommended as a personal read and I think this might become one of the reading group favourites for 2017.

The Valentine House by Emma Henderson is published by Sceptre as a £16.99 hbk on 6th April.

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AU THOR

M EE TS

REVIEWER

Michael Fishwick Jade Craddock is intrigued by The White Hare.

The White Hare by Michael Fishwick is published by Zephyr as a £10.99 hbk.

Jade Craddock: I believe The White Hare is your first novel for a younger audience, what motivated you to make the leap from adult to children’s fiction? And as an author what is the best thing about writing for younger readers?

human relationships with a magicality that perhaps transcends and heals the fractures in the real world. I think Robbie’s encounter with Mags’s world helps him reconcile himself to the world he finds himself in, and ultimately to forgiveness towards his father. I think this kind of writing is only really feasible in children’s literature; it’s something to do with the way the imagination is allowed to flourish and empower, releasing the reader from the adult world. It was a challenge to write about a grieving fourteen-year old, to get the balance right, and I did want to write it for adults too, for anyone who likes to get caught up in a story.

Jade: A lot of fiction aimed at younger/ teen readers at the moment tends to be less lyrical and mythical than your novel, Michael Fishwick: About fourteen years ago I went with a was bringing this sort of reading experience to this age New Zealand friend to see the group important to you in film Whale Rider, where a young girl has to win the trust of writing this novel? her grandfather by proving herself the natural leader of their Michael: In preparation for writing the book I reread old tribe; she forms a bond with a favourites of mine: Alan whale and is ridden out to sea, Garner’s The Owl Service, John and indeed under the sea. Masefield’s The Midnight Folk, It made me want to write Barry Hines’s A Kestrel for a something that combined 78

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Knave, among others. I was really simply hoping to imbue my novel with the richness and intensity of those kind of works. Jade: Are you encouraged by the books that are available for children/teens, or do you think there’s more to be done? Michael: I read to my three sons until they were each eleven, and though in their earlier years we read contemporary books, as they grew older we read works that I had loved: C.S Lewis, Masefield and Garner, Tolkien, Arthur Ransom, Richmal Crompton and the beloved Moomins, etc. The advent of J.K.Rowling was greeted at the time with a universal hooray, partly because she got children away from games and TV to books; and her books were astonishingly creative; one did feel a new golden age had arrived. And children’s publishing is very vibrant and innovative and is a very passionate and enthusiastic community. There will always be more to be done, and it’s good to have variety so that all tastes are catered for. Jade: The White Hare relies quite a lot on imagery and metaphor, what do you hope

AUTH OR

younger/teen readers take from the book? Michael: I think I simply would love them to find an imaginative engagement with the world of the novel; I often think enchantment is a quality of all good novels and poems and plays (and music and painting), and I would love them to find that quality in The White Hare. Jade: The hare itself is intrinsic to the novel, what was it about this creature that attracted you to using it as the central motif in the story? Michael: Its wildness, its otherness, its mystery, its elusiveness, its inherent magic; and everyone loves hares, the world over. Jade: What does the white hare symbolise to you? Michael: Well, it’s the legend of the white hare, which involves the brutality of love, I suppose; Fran’s broken-heartedness, and the desire for revenge; as Mrs Allardyce hints at, it could be said to stand for all the mistreated women of the world, and so when he sees it, it sometimes merges into a succession of women’s faces, until his mother tells him to learn forgiveness: ‘It doesn’t have to be this way.’ So love and loss, but also redemption and healing. Jade: The countryside also contributes significantly to the

novel, was there a particular area that conjured this world in your mind before you wrote the novel? Michael: Yes, where the book is set; an area of Somerset which we as a family have been visiting for twenty-five years between Alfred’s Tower on the Stourhead estate and King Arthur’s Camelot, Cadbury Castle, and on the edge of the Somerset Levels. Bringing up children is a magical thing, and I always felt this part of the world was deeply magical, too. Jade: The city/urban landscape tends to be used more readily for children’s/teen novels than the countryside, aside from the fact that the white hare is more realistic in a rural environment, how important to your novel was setting the story away from an urban environment? And how did this setting contribute to Robbie’s development? Michael: I think you’re right, using the hare necessitated the countryside, but I could set up a tension in Robbie’s life between his love of the town and the world he now finds himself in, with a family he doesn’t like, grief-stricken and with a father who seems detached, finding solace and relief and distraction and friendship in the natural world. And I welcomed the opportunity to write about nature, which has always been important to me as a source of regeneration and healing.

M EETS

RE VIEWER

JADE’S REVIEW OF THE WHITE HARE

Unlike the typical middle grade/YA novel of the moment, which tends to fall into either the contemporary or dystopian/fantasy genres, Fishwick’s novel is positively literary. Not in a pretentious or exclusionary way, but in an ambitious, distinctive way that I think is great for teen readers, introducing them to a different style of writing and reading. Indeed, there’s a very natural lyricism to the novel that again is perhaps not of the typical YA fare, as well as a strong mythical and metaphorical element that encourages readers to engage their imaginations fully. At its heart is a coming-of-age story centred on Robbie, whose life has been turned upside down not only by the death of his mother but by his father’s subsequent relationship with Sheila and the family’s move from the inner city world where Robbie has spent all of his life to the quiet rural backwaters where his father grew up. Robbie’s readjustment is made somewhat easier by his friendship with the enigmatic Mags, but the appearance of a strange and mysterious white hare and his run-in with a pair of rapscallion local brothers ensure that his new life is full of curiosities. Fishwick’s depiction of place and landscape as well as his creation of the atmosphere and mythology of the novel is excellent, if at times the mythology itself requires some inspiration. The dialogue was occasionally a bit erratic and the pace was pretty runaway but by and large this is a novel of high quality and creativity. I do wonder what the target market of teenage readers will make of it in an arena saturated by much more prosaic works but it is exactly the sort of book that deserves to figure in the reading lives of young people. Jade Craddock Personal read Group read

★★★★ ★★★★

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Shortlist

Mend the Living by Maylis De Kerangal (Trans. Jessica Moore (FICTION) I believe this could be the most intensely atmospheric book I have read. Three teenage boys rise before dawn ‘the night still sealed, shut behind the cliffs’, heading off in excitement at the prospect of surfing an exceptional and rare wave that has been forecast – An enthralling opener that grabbed me immediately holding me until the very last word. Journeying home on a high from the thrill of their morning a dreadful accident leaves two of the boys seriously injured and Simon in a critical condition, unlikely to survive. I felt I was in that hospital, an observer when the medical team discussed their choice of way forward as the story unfolded. The spare prose has such clarity it is like watching a movie crammed with emotion, relationships and decisions of intensity. This is such a wonderful book and certain to arouse empathy in readers. The events are so real and relevant to the now, a book that will stimulate lively discussion and raise the question in readers’ minds ‘What would I do?”

How to survive a Plague by David France (NONFICTION) AIDS was supposed to be the next pandemic, A disease that would take out 1 in 4 of the population. So far this virus has claimed around 40 million victims and it is thought that there are around 37 million still carrying the HIV or full blown AIDS virus at present. It was passed through sexual contact and once it had entered into the gay community it spread rapidly. Most Americans, in particular, those of a right-wing persuasion could not be described as ‘sympathetic’. The problem was that this virus was decimating people. David France brings us this insider’s view [although it] is not the easiest to read . . . very dense, long and incredibly detailed. He lost partners and many close friends. Thankfully modern drugs mean that the disease is manageable, but this book is a reminder of a time that should not be forgotten. Photo: Ken Schles

Photo: Philippe QuaissePasco & Co

The £30,000 Wellcome Book Prize celebrates the best new books that engage with an aspect of medicine, health or illness.

Paul Cheney 3*

Sheila A. Grant 5*

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When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi (NONFICTION) Neurosurgery is not for the faint hearted. It demands the highest training and skill for even a couple of millimetres can mean kill or cure. Paul Kalanithi never wanted to become a doctor, having grown up in a family of medical practitioners. But, he ended up choosing this career after studying English literature and human biology followed by a master’s in the history and philosophy of science. It was whilst training as a neurosurgeon that he learnt to talk to patients about their treatments, their hopes and sometimes the stark realities of their prognosis. Then one day the tables were turned; he became the patient. It is an eloquently written book and such a sad story. Towards the end of his life they decide to have a child, knowing that the wider family would support Lucy; the description of him being at the birth but barely able to rise from his bed is very moving. Finally, Lucy’s eulogy to Paul is equally heart breaking and full of love. Paul Cheney 4*

revealed

Mel Mitchell 3*

Paul Cheney 4*

I Contain Multitudes by Ed Yong (NONFICTION) You may think that we are just made from muscles, blood cells, bones and a fair bit of DNA, but in between the gaps are microbes. Billions and billions of them. There are the odd rogue ones, but most of them are useful and make up an essential element of our being. Without them we could not live. (This) is a fascinating account of the unseen creatures that live within and all around us. Yong takes us on this journey through the microscope to discover the most recent research from scientists all round the world and tell us of the secrets that are being discovered about microbes. Some of the treatments being developed have the potential to make people’s lives so much better; one example is RePOOpulate – as unappealing as it sounds! However, this treatment has worked miracles with a 94% success rate and no side effects, a success rate not seen in many other cures. Yong writes with an engaging and eloquent style and makes the science in here really accessible. Well worth reading.

Photo: Urszula Soltys

The Gene by Siddhartha Mukherjee (NONFICTION) Genes are not only the key to life, but hold the details of our history and our future too. Mukherjee takes us on a journey to uncover the origins of this master code: Gregor Mendel may not have been the first to be fascinated by the ideas of heredity, and he certainly wasn’t going to be the last. Darwin was one of the next with his discovery of evolution. Each discovery added to the knowledge of how each of us carries traits and characteristics from our parents. The brilliant X-ray images of DNA that Rosalind Franklin took gave Francis Crick and James Watson the insight to work out the construction of the beautiful double helix that is DNA. [The book] is fairly detailed and occasionally baffling and incomprehensible to a nonscientist like myself, but thankfully not very often. Woven through the book too is the story of Mukherjee’s family and their re-occurring history of mental illness; a nice personal touch. If you want a good overview of the history of the gene, you can’t go wrong starting here.

Photo: Deborah Feingold

Photo: Warwick University

The Tidal Zone by Sarah Moss (FICTION) Miriam is a precocious teenager and the daughter of Adam, our narrator. When she collapses unexpectedly at school and is hospitalised the family is plunged into a world of uncertainty. Alongside are entwined two side stories from the past and the three are woven together seamlessly, providing relief from the agonising wait that Adam is going through and representing (to my mind, at least) life without the conveniences of modern medicine and the prevailing of the human spirit. I found myself questioning my assumptions about the human body and what can be done to fix it. It defined the sense of isolation, relationshipfracturing and emotional adjustment that can occur when one member of a family is in danger. There is no doubt that Sarah Moss is an incisive and intelligent writer but The Tidal Zone didn’t move me quite as I’d hoped..

Paul Cheney 4.5*

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JADE’S ‘IN’ ROMANIA Space often limits Jade's travelogues but they're worth checking out on nudge.

couldn’t ignore what is one of the early publishing phenomena of 2017, EO Chirovici’s The Book of Mirrors, not least when its author hails from one of the lesser translated nations in global fiction, indeed perhaps one of the less familiar nations full stop. Throwing my plans out of the window (Switzerland was supposed to be next), I’ve followed the white rabbit all the way to Romania, of which my knowledge stretches to only two things, the first being that it is home to Transylvania, the setting of Bram Stoker’s Dracula, and the second that Romania’s football team dazzled the World Cup in 1998, but more so with their bleached blonde hair than their football. Luckily the internet is able to fill in the craters in my rather curious knowledge, informing me that not only was an area of Romania part of the earliest European civilisation, but also that the earliest homo sapiens fossils – estimated to be 37,800 to 82

42,000 years old – were discovered in southwestern Romania, in the Cave of Bones. There is also some debate over whether three clay tablets discovered in Romania, which date back to around 5300BC, represent the earliest known form of writing in the world. The Romanian language dates back some 1700 years. Furthermore Romania is also home to Europe’s second largest underground glacier, the tallest wooden church in the world, the largest organ in Europe found in the Black Church, the second largest building in the world, and the tallest rock sculpture in Europe. Who knew? Romania also paved the way in terms of electricity, boasting both the first European city and castle to be lit by electric lighting. As Europe’s richest country in gold reserves, Romania is the only European country to have its own gold museum, whilst it also has the largest population of brown bears. A veritable smorgasbord of claims to fame. In terms of its literature,

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however, Romania isn’t the most famous of world producers. The first printed books in Romania date back to the 16th century, but it was not really until the country achieved unity in 1918 that it entered a ‘golden age’. Unfortunately many of these early exponents of the Romanian novel have not been translated into English, but Livia Rebreanu’s The Forest of the Hanged, written in 1922, will be available in April. The poems of George Bacovia and novels of Max Blecher are two of the other exceptions that are available in English. More recently Dalkey Archive Press’s Romanian Literature series has seen the likes of Gabriela Adamesteanu, Dumitru Tsepeneag, Dan Lungu and Lucian Dan Teodorovici published in translation. The works of Norman Manea, Bogdan Suceava and Mircea Cartarescu have also been translated. Romanian-born, German novelist, Herta Muller, is though perhaps the most well-known author, not least as she was awarded the

Nobel Prize in 2009. EO Chirovici’s springboard onto the world stage with The Book of Mirrors is therefore somewhat noteworthy and a great chance for many to experience fiction written by a Romanian author for the first time. The novel begins with a partially complete manuscript finding its way onto the desk of literary agent Peter Katz. Its author Richard Flynn has written what appears to be a memoir of his time in Princeton in the eighties, most notably including the unsolved murder of Flynn’s acquaintance, Professor Joseph Wieder. Unfortunately the manuscript ends without any further insight into Wieder’s death, but Katz is all the more intrigued, not least as to whether Flynn’s manuscript serves as confession or witness statement, and determines to uncover exactly what happened to Professor Wieder. But before he can get his hands on the rest of the story, Flynn dies and, so it seems, the trail ends. Desperate to solve this real-life crime thriller, however, Katz enlists the help of investigative journalist, John Keller, who takes up the reins, before it comes down to retired police detective and officer on the original case, Roy Freeman, to see the investigation through to the end. Chirovici’s narrative form is

one of the biggest draws of the novel for me. The first part, centring on Katz, opens and closes with brief chapters from the literary agent, but the bulk of the section is given to Flynn’s manuscript itself, such that the reader is placed in the role of literary agent, reading the story along with Katz that first time. It is a genius stroke, and one that will appeal to readers, and really sets up the novel. Chirovici then uses his two further narrators, Keller and Freeman, to advance the story and move the reader closer and closer to the truth. The transitions are natural and seamless, but also particularly original – we are not privy to any of the main players in the drama itself but rather characters removed from but invested to various degrees in the murder. There’s also a greater sense of realism to this way of uncovering the story, rather than being shown events as they happened from those directly involved, and again it places the reader alongside the narrators in the story, learning the facts as they go along. I really enjoyed this approach and how each section, each narrator, builds up the plot until we are finally given the truth. The characters within the murder plot as well as the narrators of the book do lack depth, but this I suggest is in large part because of the way the story is narrated and the

motivation of the narrators. Whilst the novel did impress me stylistically, unfortunately the ‘murder story’ itself and the thriller element of the book fell short. From that first interaction with Flynn’s manuscript, the tension and intrigue is established surrounding Wieder’s death, but the rest of the journey is both long-winded and drawn out and the conclusion mundane and anticlimactic. For a book being promoted as one of the main thriller titles of the year, it is far from thrilling. However as a piece of literature and a demonstration of narration and storytelling it is much more successful. Jade Craddock Personal read........................★★ Group read.........................★★★

The Book of Mirrors by by EO Chirovici is published by Century as a £12.99 hbk, available now.

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THE WINNERS!

BOOK OF The YeAR 2017

THE WINNERS! As you might expect, the best thing about pulling together the 2017 winners of the nudge Book of the Year wasn’t counting the votes but reading the accompanying comments. As I’m sure the authors will agree, there is something pretty special about the enthusiasm of readers for a book – and however generous the marketing budget it wouldn’t ever be able to quite match up to the rave review of an Actual Reader. We think all of the books on the nudge shortlists are worth paying attention to – almost all of them were Books of the

OWL SONG AT DAWN Emma Claire Sweeney

“A compassionate account of disability and how it affects lives. I remember how I felt when I read it, which I can’t say about many other novels.” Dave, Hemel Hempstead

THE INVISIBLE MILE David Coventry

“Extremely well written. His prose was educated and faultless. I felt transported back to the French village way of life. And the anticipation of the race and internal conflict of the cyclist.” Craig, Lower Hutt

Month in 2016, so it goes without saying – but the winners have been voted for by these actual readers, yes, people who have read the book and cared enough about it to cast their vote…and nobody can say fairer than that. If any of these are new to you, I suggest you hotfoot it to your nearest independent bookshop (or wherever you get your books from, no judgment here) and acquire them – that’s not us speaking, that’s people like you. Actual readers. Without further ado, I present to you the nudge 2017 Book of the Year winners.

THE OUTRUN Amy Liptrot

“Beautiful interweaving of personal story and nature writing. Writing that made me reread passages which were so universally true that they felt like they were about me.” Peggy, Manchester

MOVING Jenny Éclair

“I honestly couldn’t put it down. The characters were fascinating and varied. I really cared about what would happen. Really well written.” Jayne, Glossop

THE KILLING FILES Nikki Owen

“Gripping, imaginative, characterful. Brilliant read” Claire, Bath

CONJUROR John and Carole Barrowman

“The authors brilliantly mix present day world young people dealing with the mythical worlds of the past and real history. It is exciting and gripping and suspensefully written. A great story!” Claudia

directory The reviewers have their say

For reasons of space some reviews have been edited but you will find them in full on nudge. Tip: simply use dir92 as your search.

reviews

CATHAR Christopher Bland Head of Zeus Mar 2017 pbk ISBN - 9781784976088

The talent of some people never fails to amaze me. Christopher Bland was apparently a Knight of the Garter and a former Chairman of the BBC, BT and the Royal Shakespeare Company, and here he produced a splendid historical novel that has managed to enthral me for all of its 338 pages. The subject matter is, to my knowledge, a theme that has not been widely written about - the trials and tribulations of the Cathar religion in 13th century France and, more specifically, the Languedoc region. Bland tells the story of the horrendous plight that those who followed the Cathar faith found themselves in, with the mainstay rival Catholic Church constantly hounding them and denouncing them as heretics. The notorious Inquisition is never far from the scene and it casts its evil shadow over the proceedings with alarming regularity, with there regularly being either talk or actual depictions of war, torture and the stake. The main character is Francois de Beaufort, a knight and a Cathar. The novel recounts his

adventures in stirring and graphic detail. Throughout the course of events, he will survive two sieges, be sentenced to undergo a pilgrimage of penance to the shrine at Compostela, love three very different women and suffer the torture of being blinded in one eye and having an arm amputated. He also becomes an accomplished shepherd and cheese maker! Francois is an all-round hero you just can't help but want to succeed, and you empathise with him all the way. But it is more than just a heroic romp of love, war and religion in 13th century France. Bland manages to impart a lot of detail about the religious dogma and beliefs of that time in a nonacademic way that is quite instructive and this reader, for one, learned a lot about the period. Any fan of medieval historical fiction is certain to enjoy this. Ray Taylor Personal read ............★★★★★ Group read .................★★★★★

THE GIRLS Emma Cline Vintage May 2017 pbk ISBN - 9781784701741

The Girls by Emma Cline is certainly a wonderfully crafted novel, transporting the reader into the rapidly changing world of 1960s America and its radical ‘free thinking’ culture, which

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created a new kind of living for many. The characters are all wonderfully crafted; you can really see and understand how Evie becomes so wrapped up in the world of Russell and his ‘girls’. Though she is actually quite irritating at times, and I sometimes just wanted to shout at her for being so stupid or childish, the writing makes you see how and why it happens, so you can forgive her a little. The pull of what is obviously a cult is so strong that she can’t resist, despite the substandard living conditions and largely unpleasant nature of many of the girls – who are also pleasingly fleshed out people. Although Evie is infatuated with Suzanne, we can see some of her true colours, while also understanding that Evie can’t resist her. The story jumps back and forth between the present day, with Evie as an adult, and 1969 when Evie was an easily-influenced 14-year-old although she still seems this way as an adult to some extent! Her past experiences don’t seem to have taught her to be less influenced by strong characters, and she still seems to be guided or told what to do by people who are, really, just teenagers. The Girls is certainly an evocative and beautifully written summer read – definitely recommended! Laura Nazmdeh Personal read ............★★★★★ Group read .................★★★★★

THE REVELATIONS OF CAREY RAVINE Debra Daley Quercus Mar 2017 pbk ISBN - 9781782069966

London society in the 1770s. At first this novel has the feel of a rollicking Georgian romp with a masked ball and some mildly erotic encounters but then a darker side emerges as Carey finds her husband is involved in political intrigue and machinations. There is a rather complicated plot about the cover up of nasty events in India where both Carey and Nash have connections. The story is told in the first person by Carey and she is a feisty, engaging character. At first she seems very flighty but becomes more complex and admirable as we discover more about her background and as she begins to question her husband's actions and motives and to confront her illusions about herself. By the end she is a very different person and I liked the way this is portrayed. There is a lot of period detail but this doesn't hamper the pace or plot development. The London settings come over well as do the culture and values (or lack of them) of the period. However, while I found it an engaging and pleasant read, it is rather a strange mix, not quite knowing whether it is

reviews aiming to be an amusing historical romp or a more serious story exposing the greed and evil of some politicians and businessmen. Berwyn Peet Personal read ....................★★★ Group read.........................★★★

ZERO K Don Delillo Picador Feb 2017 pbk ISBN - 9781509822843

I was three quarters of the way through this book when I realised I was still not completely sure what it was about, or how to categorise it. It is part literary fiction, part science fiction and in my opinion quite confused. The story revolves round Jeff Lockhart whose father, Ross, is a billionaire in his sixties, with a younger second wife who suffers from a progressive disease. Ross is the main investor in a remote and secret compound where death is controlled and bodies preserved until a future time when medical advances can return them to a life. Jeff joins his father and Artis (his stepmother) at the compound to say goodbye before she is frozen. I did not feel empathy for either of the two male characters and felt they were a bit two dimensional, especially the father Ross Lockhart. He was portrayed as a Gordon Gekko type character whose religion is

money. I felt that a lot of the philosophising done by Jeff and his father doesn’t come across as authentic dialogue; at all times I felt I was reading a book of ideas not a novel. The author is often hailed as one of the America’s greatest living authors and this was my main incentive for reading Zero K – however, I prefer a novel that grips me and propels me through the pages and unfortunately this did not. However, I think as a book group read it may work better as there are several issues raised which would work well. Carolyn Fraser Personal read ....................★★★ Group read .....................★★★★

MY NAME IS LEON Kit de Waal Penguin Apr 2017 pbk ISBN - 9780241973387

My Name is Leon really surprised me; I didn’t know what to expect but I certainly didn’t think I'd feel so many emotions through a 250 page book! The author has created such a loveable character in Leon, and I certainly fell in love with him. As he’s only 9 years’ old the world that Kit De Waal creates around him seems, at first, very innocent, but as his life continues and he realises the unfairness of life, you notice how he becomes disillusioned and angry – and I don’t blame him!

In fact, every character is so well crafted; I loved Maureen, Sylvia, Tufty and Mr Devlin too, each in their own charming ways. They all seem like so well-defined but wonderful characters, and to be honest I just wanted to read more about them! The story takes the reader on so many highs and lows, but always with plenty of humour (some of which Leon doesn’t seem to pick up on and seems to go over Leon’s head) which stops it being too glum. You’re always very aware of what a hard life Leon has, and probably will always have, to be honest. It really makes you think about how your start in life can affect so much. I really enjoyed this novel; it could be suited for a slightly younger audience too, really, as it’s written from Leon’s point of view… though there is some bad language so perhaps not too young an audience! It's all written so wonderfully that I found it a delight to read, despite being sad at times. Highly recommended. Laura Nazmdeh Personal read ............★★★★★ Group read .................★★★★★

WHAT BELONGS TO YOU Gareth Greenwell Picador Mar 2017 pbk ISBN - 9781447280521

What Belongs to You begins

with an American teacher entering the public bathroom beneath Sofia’s National Palace of Culture looking for sex. There he meets a young hustler called Mitko and so begins a relationship that comes to define his life – and that could also possibly destroy it. As our unnamed narrator tells his story, we are rapidly drawn into the dark dance that these two characters’ conduct around each other – a twisted waltz of desire and eroticism, love and manipulation that examines the ways in which our backgrounds and cultures, private shames and desires can shape the way we are. It is difficult to believe that this is a debut novel, such is the power of Greenwell’s writing. This is a deeply lyrical book, which manages to render even the basest human actions and feelings with vivid, poetic intensity. This might be a man on his way into a public bathroom to pay a young man for sex but it is written with such richness and such sensual detail that it lends the encounter an almost poetic air. And it isn’t just the writing that packs a punch. The emotional resonance of the story is remarkable given that the book is less than 200 pages long. Throughout his encounters with Mitko, the narrator remains a complex enigma, hidden from the reader because he remains hidden from himself. Mitko is also elusive, weaving in and out of the story and wearing many faces, both beautiful and terrible and often both at once. For a reader, it is writing that asks a lot of questions and offers little by way of answers.

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reviews As you can probably imagine, this does not make for an ‘easy’ read. Although not a lengthy book, it makes many demands on the reader - rewarding close attention to the subtleties of human interaction via writing that insists on being savoured rather than sped through. Fans of pacy plots and sharp dialogue should look elsewhere, for this is a Merchant Ivory novel rather than a Hollywood blockbuster. Neither is it ‘light’ in any sense of the word. This is, at times, an unremittingly bleak book, which offers little by way of salvation for its characters. Take the time to get through this however, and you’ll discover a richly layered novel with an aching, emotional heartbeat that makes it a commanding debut from someone who is sure to become a literary writer to watch out for. Amy Louise Blaney Personal read ................★★★★ Group read .................★★★★★

CLOSED CASKET Sophie Hannah Harper Mar 2017 pbk ISBN - 9780008134129

Sophie Hannah has risen to the challenge of becoming the voice and mind of Hercule Poirot and mimicing everything that the Grand Dame of Crime Fiction created. Hannah has picked up where Agatha

Christie left off and it is impossible not to notice that Poirot first came to life over 100 years before. Closed Casket is a seamless addition to the Poirot canon. Hercule Poirot has been invited to the newly independent Ireland. He is to be the guest of aristocratic author Lady Playford at her country estate, Lillieoak. We see through the eyes and voice of Inspector Edward Catchpole of Scotland Yard, a friend and colleague of Poirot’s. It is October 1929, and both Poirot and Catchpole wonder why they have been invited to stay by Lady Playford. Everything becomes clear in the first night, when Lady Playford’s secretary, Joseph Scotcher, is found murdered. So begins a classic Christie, manor house style mystery. Even at the Coroner’s Inquest, Poirot recognises that all they have been told and what has been said in court is not necessarily the truth. The suspects all have their own quirks and secrets that they do not want to come out, as did the murder victim. Like Christie, Hannah does not delve too deeply into the characters, but is instead focused on creating a marvellous country house mystery. Closed Casket does not disappoint, and I am sure Christie herself would have been delighted with this story if she had written it. For fans of Poirot, all his nuances are there, including his gait, his OCD and how he expresses himself in Franco-English. Sophie Hannah has written Closed Casket so well that Poirot is just as he was when Christie wrote her last book. This is a seamless continuation of a

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fine series. Paul Diggett Personal read ............★★★★★ Group read .................★★★★★

THE PARTICLE ZOO Gavin Hesketh Quercus Sept 2016 hbk ISBN - 971784298678

Most people know that you can take an object and break it down into its pure elements, and from that you can use an electron microscope to look at the very atoms that make up the element. In the early part of the twentieth century, we discovered that the atom consisted of protons, neutrons and electrons. For a while, physicists thought that was it, with regards to the makeup of all the elements. But, slowly and surely, these three particles were split again and again to answer the fundamental question: what are these particles made from? Hesketh explains the processes and sets about describing the wonders and mysteries that scientists have discovered. We learn about the string theory, whether there is dark matter and the finer nuances of quantum physics. In this strange new world we unearth the weird and wonderful timetravelling electrons, gravitons and glueballs, and we glimpse the fleeting trace of the neutrino. All of these sub-particles are collectively

known as the particle zoo, the most elusive of which is the Higgs Bosun. Hesketh is eminently qualified to write this book, since he is an experimental particle physicist involved in the world’s largest and most expensive experiment, the Large Hadron Collider (better known as CERN). Here, particles are accelerated up to a speed not far short of the speed of light before being slammed into each other. The result is a high energy collision and physicists spend hours poring over the results, determining just what particles are produced. Overall, Hesketh has written a comprehensive guide to the latest developments concerning the strange subatomic world. It is a very weird world indeed, but thankfully he does bring some clarity to the mystery that is particle physics. At times it is baffling, and often stranger than fiction; as he says at one point, ‘you couldn’t make it up’! But it is a good book for a reader interested in recent progress made at CERN and a more general history of particle physics. Paul Cheney Personal read ................★★★★ Group read.........................★★★

reviews

THE NIX Nathan Hill Vintage Jan 2017 hbk ISBN - 9781509807833

The novel tells the story of Samuel Andresen-Anderson, a college professor whose mother left him when he was a young boy. He hasn't seen her in twenty years, but when she's revealed to be the 'Packer Attacker' (captured on film throwing stones at a state governor/potential presidential candidate in a clip that becomes a viral sensation), his need to meet her is spurred on not only by a plea from her lawyer but by his own threatened book deal as she becomes the new focal point of his longoverdue work. Samuel's long-awaited meeting with his mother sends him on a journey to uncover her life before Samuel; to her upbringing in a small midWestern town and her escape to college life in Chicago and the protests of 1968. Just what did his mother do? Moving from the past to the present, the novel moves to and fro from Samuel's life to that of his mother, Faye, and her Norwegian father, the man responsible for telling her ghost stories, including the one about the Nix. The Nix is a spirit that appears to children as a horse and carries them away to their deaths. As the novel progresses, both the reader and Samuel

will come to understand the moral his mother told him about the Nix: "The things you love the most will one day hurt you the worst." If all this isn't enough, parts of the novel feature an online gaming theme, where the unspeakable happens and real life is forced to make an appearance. Even though I'm not a gamer, I really enjoyed these parts of the novel and they also provide some tragicomic value to the story as Samuel enlists the help of his online friends. All this (and much more) are revealed in the 620 pages of The Nix. Yes, it is a long novel and I do think that it could have lost a few pages without losing any of its excellent storyline. But The Nix is definitely worthy of the hype - it's an excellent first novel, with many themes worthy of discussion (not least of how history repeats itself ). I loved reading about Faye's life and the choices she was forced to make, and I loved how Nathan Hill gradually reveals both Samuel and Faye's lives to the reader. It's funny, sad, satirical and thought-provoking. Readers won't be disappointed. Judith Griffith Personal read ............★★★★★ Group read .................★★★★★

the narrator explains in great detail how their commune is run and what activities they take part in, although I couldn’t quite believe they would remain so optimistic and upbeat in the middle of the famine, revolts and prosecution that occurred during the revolution. Virginia Chico

THE VANISHING FUTURIST Charlotte Hobson

Personal read ....................★★★ Group read .....................★★★★

Faber & Faber Mar 2017 pbk ISBN - 9780571234875

Gertie is a young English governess in Moscow during the years prior to the Russian Revolution. In 1917, she becomes part of a communist commune led by the visionary inventor Nikita Slavkin and her life changes forever. This is a fictional autobiographical account of a woman’s life in a commune during the Russian Revolution, the difficulties she endured and her experiences of finding love in troubled times. The protagonist is a young and brave foreigner who becomes involved in the communist movement and who must try to survive the atrocities committed by the Red Army. The narrator writes an account of her life during the revolution for her daughter in order to confess a secret and solve the mystery of the disappearance of Nikita Slavkin, the eponymous Vanishing Futurist. Although fictional, this novel is fact-based and it feels realistic and plausible. The story is a little slow, but it's full of detail and very engaging. The characters are well rounded and likeable. Their commitment to the cause is very convincing and

POEMS THAT MAKE GROWN WOMEN CRY Anthony Holden and Ben Holden Simon & Schuster Mar 2017 pbk ISBN - 9781471148644

It can sometimes feel as if poetry collections are simply reproductions of each other, churning out the same poems in a similar manner. But the specific ensures that there is an original slant to this collection, a different, more specific focus, and although some of the poems are inevitably predictable, the range of contributors limits this effectively, creating a very diverse and heterogeneous collection. What pleased me too was that given that the anthology takes the same remit as its male forebear there was the potential for repetition and overlap between the two collections, but fortunately this too is minimal, with only a

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reviews handful of poems recurring in both volumes. So instead of simply a rehash of the first anthology, this latter anthology is original and distinctive. And whilst both collections work wonderfully well individually, I actually think they work much better as a pair, in conversation, raising a lot of interesting questions about the discrepancies between the two volumes, how the male choices differ from the female choices, and what this says about poetry and gender – if it says anything at all. Each poem is prefaced by a short introduction from whomever has selected it, explaining its choice, and it is often in these introductions that the emotional resonance of the poem lies, the personal connection, the association the poem has with the person’s life that makes it speak to them. Indeed, the poems don’t always have the same emotional impact on the reader but understanding the impetus behind the selection often bears out its significance. And I think that’s an important factor to remember when reading the anthology. After all, the emotional impact of a poem often depends on the personal resonance with the reader rather than some intrinsic quality, and I admit that I was left dry-eyed – that’s not to say unmoved – by the choices herein, such is the subjectivity of an emotional connection. Amongst my favourite poems though were Emily Dickinson’s ‘I took my Power in my Hand’, Douglas Dunn’s ‘The Kaleidoscope’, Deborah Keily’s ‘The Last Part’, Warsan Shire’s ‘Home’,

Sebastian Barker’s ‘The Ballad of True Regret’ and Jeremy Robson’s ‘Vigil’. But it was Harold Pinter’s ‘To A’ selected by his widow Antonia Fraser that summed up this beautifully poignant collection for me. Once again Anthony and Ben Holden, with their impressive range of contributors, have delivered a thoughtful, evocative anthology that redefines how we understand poetry and interact with certain poems. Jade Craddock Personal read ................★★★★ Group read.........................★★★

THE COUNTENANCE DIVINE Michael Hughes John Murray Apr 2017 pbk ISBN - 9781473636514

Have you ever got to the end of a book and thought, I think that was really good – although I’m not entirely sure, and I can’t really say what happened or what it was all about? Well, that was the general feeling, I had when I finished Michael Hughes’ highly anticipated novel The Countenance Divine. In a novel that moves back and forth between four time periods, from 1666 where Thomas Allgood is penning the history of his time with John Milton as he works on his epic Paradise Lost, through 1777 where poet William

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Blake is pursuing a spiritual quest, 1888 where Jack the Ripper is going about his murderous path and 1999 where a computer programmer, Chris, is facing up to the challenge of defeating the Millennium Bug, there’s a sense you’re reading something very exciting and significant. Indeed, the novel has been compared to David Mitchell’s genre-bending ways, and there’s certainly something Mitchell-esque in the structure and form of the story, although there’s perhaps more fluidity to the way Hughes manipulates his story lines and time. However, in terms of actual plotting within each story, the comparisons, for me, fall down somewhat. Whereas Mitchell’s subplots each tend to work as well individually as collectively, Hughes’ four story lines are largely rather ineffectual of and by themselves, but together they perhaps have an even greater effect than Mitchell’s collectives. Indeed, this is not a book with easy answers and nice, simple meanings, it is a labyrinth of figuration and symbol, and it requires the reader’s full efforts and attention to have any effect at all. It is quite hard-going and mentally testing but as a result it’s also fascinating and intriguing. In many ways this incertitude makes this a more rewarding group read than personal read, in which competing readings of the novel can be explored and meaning further scrutinized, but I also suspect that this book will be one that divides readers’ appreciation, and tests some readers’ stamina. Jade Craddock

I FOUND YOU Lisa Jewell Arrow Mar 2017 pbk ISBN - 9780099599494

I Found You begins with busy single mum Alice finding a man on the beach outside her home. He's lost his memory and Alice finds herself taking him under her wing. Meanwhile, a young woman, newly married and a new arrival to the UK, waits alone for her husband to come home. As the days pass, she learns that she hardly knew him at all. I love Lisa Jewell's books and I Found You is no exception. From the very first page, I was drawn into the story, not only that concerning the mysterious man, but also the story of Alice and her family. The book is full of twists and turns, and it really kept me guessing. Everything is certainly not what it seems. It's a fast-paced story with some real cliffhanger chapter endings, which left me not wanting to put it down. The story is full of empathy and I thought it was superbly written. Nicola Smith Personal read ............★★★★★ Group read .....................★★★★

reviews

CHILDREN OF EARTH AND SKY Guy Gavriel Kay Hodder May 2017 pbk ISBN - 9781473628137

When is epic fantasy not epic fantasy? A question that spun around my head when reading the latest novel by Guy Gavriel Kay. Epic, certainly. Fantasy? Depends upon your definition. For sure, Kay was inspired by Renaissance Europe, and this novel reflects that in spades. This is a story on two levels. The first concerns the business of nations and tribes. There is war, spying, court politics and even a little commerce. There is faith and duty. Life in a court environ. Which leads on nicely to the second level: the stories of the main protagonists. Character number one is Danica: a young woman from Senjan, a coastal town known for piracy. Her family is lost, destroyed and she is after vengeance. Character number two: an artist, Pero, who has nothing to lose and everything to gain when he accepts a dangerous commission to paint the Grand Kalif of a distant empire. Character number three: a spy, Leonora, who pretends to be married to a doctor – is she running from her past, or seeking her destiny? As with any book that begins with a map and a

page or two of character lists, it takes some perseverance to get used to who is who, where is where, and how they all interconnect. There is a huge amount of interconnectedness in the plotting, and how choices can affect the lives of others. Throughout, only a single character – that we are made aware of – experiences anything magical or supernatural. Danica talks to her dead grandfather, and he talks back. But this is a case of Is it just in her head or is it really her grandfather? The reveal is nicely handled. But that’s it. Nothing else magical, so any fans of dragons, wizards or gods might be a little disappointed. Rarely, however, does a novel surprise me. When Pero’s encounter with the Kalif appear to be reaching its inevitable conclusion, Kay pulls a remarkable rabbit out of the hat and wallops you with something totally unexpected. Well done sir. There is plenty to get your teeth into within these pages. It is an absorbing novel, especially once you’re familiar with the characters. Guy Garvriel Kay surely knows how to write and how to tell a story. I’m just not convinced you should find it within the epic fantasy shelves. Ian Simpson Personal read ....................★★★ Group read .....................★★★★

SERIOUS SWEET AL Kennedy Vintage May 2017 pbk ISBN - 9780099587439 Man Booker Longlist 2016

I have a bit of a chequered reading history with AL Kennedy. When The Blue Book came out in 2011 I decided that a love affair between two mediums would be right up my street and added it to wish lists and to be read lists. To whet my appetite (as I decided to wait for the paperback) I read a short story collection from 1994 Now That You’re Back and it really did nothing for me. Only one of the stories, the one that bore the collection’s title grabbed me in any way. In fact, so put off was I by the experience that The Blue Book found itself being removed from the wish lists and to date remains unread. Now I appreciate that Serious Sweet is Kennedy 22 years on and it was time for a reappraisal. I read it with an open mind but I cannot say that I’m surprised that it did not make the shortlist. This is the story of two characters somewhat adrift in modern London. Meg is an ex-alcoholic who works in an animal shelter and Jon is a civil servant, working in Whitehall, who is disgruntled with just about everything. The story opens with a scene which touches on a bit of a phobia of mine

as Jon attempts to free a young bird trapped in some netting. The detail and level of observation in this was too much for someone who regularly has nightmares about this kind of thing. The author was not to know how disturbing I would find this opening but it nearly caused me to abandon the book (something I just don’t do). Away from the bird incident Jon struggles to get to work, where all, we quickly sense, is not right. The time ticks away in this book and yet Kennedy has the ability to regularly make time stand still through the detail in her writing. We know that at some point Meg and Jon will meet, but not the circumstances. Each seem rather bound up with internal monologues of anxiety and selfcenteredness. There will be times when you will be very frustrated with these characters and you may not care about those circumstances. I did enjoy this significantly more than my previous experience of the author and The Blue Book is back on those lists again but I still feel there is something about AL Kennedy that is very much an acquired taste. Is it because of too much internal pondering by the characters and the jumping between first and third person narratives which ends up making Serious Sweet rather jarring? Phil Ramage Personal read ....................★★★ Group read.........................★★★

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reviews

THE GOOD PEOPLE Hannah Kent Picador Feb 2017 hbk ISBN - 9781447233350

In The Good People religion is itself at odds with the lore of fairies and the superstition of deeply entrenched folklore. The local priest can only speak out about this, his influence upon it is limited. When the son of Nora Leahy’s recently deceased daughter fails to develop in the way he should the locals believe that he is a changeling and that the real Michael has been swept away by the fairies (the “good people” of the title). It is when Nora seeks the help of the isolated local wise woman Nance (described by some as the “herb-hag”) that Nora begins to believe they can get the real Michael back. The evocation of life in this Irish valley a day’s walk form Killarney, Co. Kerry, is very strong. It is a tough existence where survival of the community is so much to the fore that superstition provides a strong grounding for luck or lack of it. Kent has used a real incident as her starting point and has developed believable characters and highly plausible situations. At times this can make for difficult reading as misery is heaped on the unfortunate child “to put the fairy out of it.” Anyone expecting tweeness

so close to the realm of the fairies would be wrong. What you get from this book is the real sense of how important folklore was to this village’s everyday existence. This suggests seamless research as the book is saturated with the feel of the times. It is dark, has a strong sense of foreboding, with inevitable tragedies and is a very involving read. Phil Ramage Personal read ................★★★★ Group read .....................★★★★

THE PRODIGAL DAUGHTER Prue Leith

her own experiences to write about Angelica's TV and food writing, and I suspect that some of the things that happen in the book are Leith's own anecdotes or ones that she has heard about. It was lovely to meet the Angelottis and their extended family again. I thought Angelica was a feisty force of nature, although she did seem to be good at everything she turned her hand to! It's a good old-fashioned family saga and I'm looking forward to the final book as this one ended very abruptly and left me hanging somewhat! An engaging read with some likeable characters and fascinating settings. I'd recommend it if you like reading books where food is almost a character in its own right. Nicola Smith Personal read ................★★★★ Group read.........................★★★

Quercus May 2017 pbk ISBN - 9781784290191

This second in Prue Leith's Food of Love trilogy can be read as a standalone novel, but I think you would miss a lot of the background. Laura's daughter, Angelica Angelotti, is a budding chef in the late 1960s. We see her fall in love with a charming but unpredictable man, go to cookery school in Paris, work at The Savoy and then run a village inn while pursuing a career in TV and food writing. I am a fan of Prue Leith's writing, having read several of her other books. She doesn't always write about food but in this book she has written about what she knows best and I really enjoyed it. She clearly used

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HOT MILK Deborah Levy Penguin Mar 2017 hbk ISBN - 9780241968031 Man Booker Shortlist 2016

I can sense the sunshine in this book. Sofia, a procrastinating Ph.D student currently working in a coffee shop travels with her mother, Rose, to Almeria in Southern Spain. Rose is seeking private medical

treatment for a condition which intermittently causes mobility problems. The unorthodox Doctor Gomez and his daughter, a nurse, take control of Rose leaving time for Sofia to ponder on her life and dabble with holiday romances. There are days on the beach, somewhat treacherous waters and the hot, arid atmosphere comes through clearly. In fact, there’s something of the feverishness of sunstroke (or jelly fish stings) throughout the whole book. Gomez’ approach to Rose and his desert-set clinic have an unrealness about them and both Sofia and her mother exist in a blur of confusion. Rose is never going to be happy following the doctor’s advice, although Sofia, who is not the patient, does. Midway through there is a trip to Greece for Sofia to reunite with the father she has not seen for years but I found myself missing the Almeria environment and characters during this time. I was certainly drawn in by the quality of the author’s prose and found Sofia to be a fascinating character. The title implies something comforting, even soporific. I’m not totally clear as to the relevance of the title, unless it refers to breast milk used as a symbol of the pull between mother and offspring. I do think this would be a perfect book for reading group discussion. Phil Ramage Personal read ................★★★★ Group read .................★★★★★

reviews

THE WALL OF STORMS Ken Liu Head of Zeus Jun 2017 pbk ISBN - 9781784973278

The second book in The Dandelion Dynasty series, is set eight years after the events that were covered in the first book of the trilogy. It begins in the city of Pan. Here, Doru Solofi, one of the loyal noblemen and commanders of the Hegemon, once the most powerful man in the city, has resorted to trickery to earn enough money, only to gamble it away again. Now ragged and bitter, he is outwitted by the wily children of Kuni, which is made into an even more sour experience as a consequence that he will fester upon. Some years earlier, Luan, a travelling, noble scholar, encounters Zumi, a young, bright, observant peasant girl who is scraping just enough to live a hand-to-mouth existence with her mother. He is drawn to her character and the way she views the world, so much so that he seeks to open her eyes wider and mentors her. Through his teachings, and using her sharp wit, some years later she is able to undertake examinations that gain her an academic position in Kuni’s kingdom. Here, the characters' paths then converge as Zumi presents at the Royal Court where she engages the

audience, with Kuni’s children also being present. In her view, the current educational talent pool that seeks and offers opportunities to study and hopefully pass the Grand Examination is prejudiced towards affluent people. Unbeknown to her, her radical ideas fit perfectly with Kuni’s broader plans. She forms part of a new dawning of woman holding important positions and challenging the thoughts of others. This is intended to facilitate Princess Thera being accepted as ruler over her brothers when the time comes. Zumi is for me the most enjoyable character in the book as she seeks to influence through her unique style. There are deeper layered controversial happenings interspersed between the poetic metaphorical prose that is widely and pleasingly used in this series. Indeed, if you enjoyed the first book, I see no reason why the second book would not be just as pleasing, since more of this huge, complex story is imparted. Sara Garland Personal read ................★★★★ Group read.........................★★★

PRECIOUS AND GRACE Alexander McCall Smith Abacus May 2017 pbk ISBN - 9780349142036

For years Precious and Grace or Mma Ramotswe and Mma Makutsi, have been helping people with the problems in their lives, but their partnership is tested by a curious case: a client who wants to rediscover the life she lost when she left Botswana thirty years ago. The quest for the truth takes the two women in very different directions. They are each convinced they are on the right track - but what if they are both wrong? This is the first book I have read by this author and am certain it won't be the last it's like wrapping yourself in cotton wool. It is a slow and simple tale but, I would guess if you read enough of these books, the main characters become friendlike. I also loved getting to know Africa a bit more. The description of old Botswana appealed to me as it was described as " a place where it was thought a good thing to sit under a tree sometimes and look up at the sky and think about cattle or pumpkins or non-electric things like that". If only!! I enjoyed the book. It is gentle and unassuming, but gives your brain a work-out. There is no violence, bad language or sexual scenes, which, in my mind, usually indicates a good author as he/she has no need to resort to these things to make a story readable. Am sure the author has lots of loyal fans who can't wait for the next book to be published. It will take a while for me to catch up but am looking forward to becoming one of these fans. Dorothy Flaxman Personal read ................★★★★ Group read.............................★★

THE SPORT OF KINGS C.E. Morgan Fourth Estate May 2017 pbk ISBN - 9780007313266

Rumours of Great American Novel status abound regarding The Sport of Kings, but I found this Kentuckybased horse racing novel to be florid and overlong. Henry Forge’s father, John Henry, is desperate to educate and discipline his son, violently if necessary. Lavinia, Henry’s mother, is a deaf-mute who communicates via sign language. At the age of sixteen, Henry watches with rapt attention as a horse is broken and he decides that when he grows up and takes over, he’s going to trade Forge Run Farm’s crops for horses. His mother’s secret affair with Filip Dunbar, a Negro farmhand, has unexpected consequences and is likely the trigger for his lifelong problem with black people (not unusual in 1960s Kentucky). This situation comes to ironic fruition with the next generation, when his daughter Henrietta falls in love with Allmon Shaughnessy, their AfricanAmerican horse trainer. The novel doesn’t really achieve takeoff until Allmon comes on the scene at about page 180. His upbringing in Cincinnati is the subject of a long flashback: he was raised

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reviews by a single mother with lupus, and various men came and went from their lives. Allmon left Ohio because he didn’t want to become just another statistic by returning to jail. Meanwhile, the interpersonal relationships become surprisingly melodramatic and even oldfashioned, perhaps more fit for a late Victorian novel or maybe something by William Faulkner rather than a contemporary storyline. Morgan delivers the occasional great one-liner, but her prose is on the whole incredibly overwritten. She takes most of a page to say that the sun set; paragraph after paragraph of descriptions; confusing ‘interludes’ that seem to be about a nineteenth century slave catcher. Top that off with ironically metafictional rhetorical questions: “Or is all this too purple, too florid? Is more too much— the world and the words? Do you prefer your tales lean, muscular, and dry, leached of excess and honed to a single, digestible point?” Yes, frankly, I do. There’s a potent message in here somewhere about ambition, inheritance and race, but it’s buried under an overwhelming weight of words. The Sport of Kings can’t be the longed for Great American Novel if it’s nearly unbearable to read. Rebecca Foster Personal read........................★★ Group read.........................★★★

WHAT IS NOT YOURS IS NOT YOURS Helen Oyeyemi Picador Feb 2017 pbk ISBN - 9781447299394

Picador had me hooked and reeled in before I even knew who wrote the book. Their design team made sure What Is Not Yours Is Not Yours was physically different from any volume on whatever shelf. It has no spine! The names are printed onto the glue that holds the folded sheets together. The front and back boards match the pages in colour and in size. The thread that stitches the pages is green and shows through. The title is in gold lettering, embossed across a black rose. The cover announces that Helen Oyeyemi is a Granta Best Young British Novelist, and the faith her publishers have in her is surely reflected by the expense of producing such an unusually stylish book. If all that was what convinced me to buy the book my delight only increased when I looked beyond the packaging. Oyeyemi, a British novelist, sometimes seems like a visitor to this culture – and to Spanish culture, French culture, African culture, Cuban culture … she has stories set in all of these. She writes as one who knows the places and people intimately, but sees them through eyes

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born in a deeper, more detailed, reality. The traditions and expectations of her characters seem always a little to the left of those of the real world, but are so well realised that only frequent checks on Google could tell one from the other. And would we really want to know? Montse, a foundling, left with nothing but a key, meets an artist who tells of ill-fated lovers, a library, an abandoned garden, and the purpose of her key. Tyche works in a clinic where people are kept unconscious to help them lose weight. As her clients sleep she becomes embroiled in the online shaming of a celebrity. Rahda joins a puppetry college after falling in love with a lecturer. There is the marsh where the drowned dead live, the city where none of the clocks work, and characters who flit through each other’s stories. Dipping into this collection one feels like a child with their grandmother’s jewellery box. Everywhere you look something sparkles. If we sometimes miss the normal story arc it must be remembered that life is rarely like that. Oyeyemi’s world is such a satisfying experience in itself that supposedly satisfying endings would seem redundant. Helen Oyeyemi will take you to places you have never been before and help you see them in ways you never expected to. And, on a more literal note, please do open What Is Not Yours Is Not Yours carefully, because this is a book you will want to keep a long, long time. David McLaughlan

EVERY EXQUISITE THING Matthew Quick Headline Feb 2017 pbk ISBN - 9781472229571 ONe TO WATCh OUT FOR

Every so often a book comes along that has the power to speak acutely not only to an individual but to a wider audience, summing up their experiences and feelings so accurately as to be a lifeline, an expression of mutual understanding and a manifesto of acceptance. Matthew Quick’s Every Exquisite Thing is one such book. It has the feel of a great American coming-ofage classic about it – a To Kill a Mockingbird or A Catcher in the Rye. Eighteenyear-old Nanette has her future all mapped out for her and is on track to earn a sports scholarship to the university of her choice. But it’s not what she wants to do with her life, just as she doesn’t want to be part of the typical high-school experience. Instead she spends her lunchtimes chatting to her English teacher, and it is his introduction to her of an out-of-print cult classic, The Bubblegum Reaper, that is the catalyst for both stirring Nanette’s rebellious spirit and leading her to fellow outsider Alex. On the surface Every Exquisite Thing seems something of a standard

reviews coming-of-age novel but there’s absolutely nothing standard about this book. It is to, borrow from the title, exquisite. There are no predictable clichés or easy happy ever afters here, Nanette’s journey is difficult and painful. Her relationship with Alex, much like the boy himself, is magnificent and tortured. And Quick delivers it all with incredible insight and depth. The quality of the writing is superb, both on an emotional and philosophical level but also a technical level. Indeed, not only is Quick a superb character author and storyteller but also, as he proves in this novel, a poet, including several poems he ascribes to Alex that beautifully render the teen’s predicament and state of mind. And what is brilliant about the poems is that they are not merely there in order for Quick to show off or exorcise his inner poet but because they genuinely add to the narrative and in particular help to understand Alex. If I’m being greedy, I would have loved to have seen even more of these included in the novel, even in an appendix at the end. My only other gripe with the book was the shift from Nanette’s first person to third person narration in the second half of the novel. Although this is fully explained and again fits in with the narrative, it can get a bit grating. But the power of this novel is in the overall experience more than the sum of its parts. Whilst The Bubblegum Reaper is a figment of Quick’s imagination, the novel is scattered with literary references – creating a sort of accompanying

reading list: the poems of Bukowski and Larkin, The Picture of Dorian Gray, Antigone etc. It’s a lovely way in to exploring the characters and the novel’s context even more. For those who really connect with the plight of Nanette and Alex and understand their predicaments, this is a truly exceptional novel, but even for the average reader, I expect this book will be an experience. Although it features characters in their late teens and is being promoted as a YA read, I actually think this one has a slightly older feel to it and so don't be put off by the YA label. Profound, bold and rebellious, Every Exquisite Thing is a book for all time. Jade Craddock Personal read ............★★★★★ Group read .................★★★★★

THE SHADOW SISTER Lucinda Riley Pan Apr 2017 pbk ISBN - 9781447288626

were born or 'found' together with a unique token providing a clue to their heritage. Star is seeking independence and she is taken on a journey of selfdiscovery via a bookshop in London, which was once owned by Beatrix Potter, where a second saga begins, the story of Flora MacNichol. Almost a century before Star's search began, Flora MacNichol was on her own journey of discovery and the two tales are interlaced, contrasting Victorian high society with the anonymity of modern life. Who was Flora MacNichol? What is her connection to Star? What is the relevance of the clues left by Pa Salt? A brilliant read, captivating, heart-rending and evocative, it had me sobbing and elated in equal measure. I love the way Lucinda Riley connects characters across history, showing the contrasts in society and moral obligations. Fictional characters are interspersed with real people and they have such elaborate biographies you are left convinced of their existence. I don't usually read books that are in a series, but I was hooked by the first offering and eagerly await the next. While each may be read as a standalone novel, there are hints to underlying mysteries. Jillanne David

The third book in the Seven Sisters series and, in my opinion, the best yet, The Shadow Sister is Star's story. It tells of her search for a sense of identity, an escape from what has been and a new beginning. After the death of their adopted father, Pa Salt, Star and her sisters each receive a letter containing the coordinates of the place they

Personal read ............★★★★★ Group read .................★★★★★

EAST WEST STREET: ON THE ORIGINS OF "GENOCIDE" AND "CRIMES AGAINST HUMANITY" Philippe Sands W&N Mar 2017 pbk ISBN - 9781474601917 The BAiLLie GiFFORd WiNNeR

Back in 2010 the barrister Philippe Sands was asked to give a lecture at Lviv University in Ukraine on the subjects of genocide and crimes against humanity. This gave him the opportunity to visit the city, and maybe discover more about his maternal grandfather, a man he knew so little about. Sands knew he was Jewish, had moved to Vienna as war enveloped Europe in 1914 and then moved on to Paris after the Nazis entered Austria. When he probed further he discovered that there were scant details about him; it was a life enveloped in secrecy. Little by little, he discovered details of his grandfather’s life, how the family had moved across Europe, his mother’s journey to Paris as a small child in the company of someone other than her parents, somehow staying one-step ahead as the Nazi regime started sending people to the death camps. His visit to Lviv University also revealed that his own field of legal expertise -

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reviews international humanitarian law - had been conceived by two men who had studied law there. Rafael Lemkin and Hersch Lauterpacht were the men who forged the ideas of genocide and crimes against humanity. He brings the governorgeneral of Nazi-occupied Poland, Hans Frank into the narrative. Responsible for the deaths of over 1 million Poles and Jews in the short time he was in charge, he also had the dubious honour of being Hitler’s personal lawyer. After the war, the lives of Franks, Lemkin and Lauterpacht would come together in the International Military Tribunals in room 600 at the Palace of Justice as the world learnt of the horrors of the Third Reich . Sands has written a poignant and personal memoir of tracing his grandfather. However, this book is so much more than that. His story of the three people that culminated in the Nuremburg trials is a fascinating account of the development of international law. Words like genocide and crimes against humanity should never exist, but sadly, they do. For a book that is full of much sadness, there is hope too; the legal principles that they initiated are being used to bring people to justice. It is an influential historical account of men who were prepared to fight brutality with peaceful means. Paul Cheney Personal read ............★★★★★ Group read .................★★★★★

THE KEPT WOMAN Karen Slaughter Century Apr 2017 pbk ISBN - 9780062430229

Karin Slaughter once again proves why she is one of the world’s best crime thriller writers with The Kept Woman. It is the latest book in her Will Trent series; she once again brings back the much loved Atlanta investigator and, this time, she places him very much front and centre of the story, more than he would like to be anyway. When a body is discovered in an empty warehouse that is waiting to be converted, it is soon identified as the body of an ex-cop from Atlanta. Not a good cop either, so there could be plenty of people to investigate. Bloody footprints discovered at the scene indicate that they need to be looking for a vanished female victim. Will rapidly learns that whatever happens in this case, it is going to revolve around him, Angie and Sara, and he is forced to question whether he will be able to hold himself together? Sara is trying to support her man, while Angie is doing what Angie does best, that is, messing with his head, while making sure that she is fine. What makes this book so brilliant is the way Slaughter has written the interplay amongst the characters, and

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all the women in Will’s life are certainly far stronger willed than him. Karin Slaughter has once again delivered a dark and twisted thriller that hits all the buttons that readers love in her books. The way in which Slaughter weaves the current investigation with previous cases once again proves how well planned her books are. It draws the reader in and holds them hostage all the way to the end when you are left breathless and panting. Paul Diggett Personal read ............★★★★★ Group read .................★★★★★

THE LAST PAINTING OF SARA DE VOS Dominic Smith Allen & Unwin May 2016 hbk ISBN - 9781925266184

On starting this book I knew little about art appreciation (what makes art ‘fine’, for example) and nothing about the mechanics of painting but, by the end, I was reaching for the internet to check out Vermeers and even considering a course in art history. Fascinating detail here. We follow the interwoven stories of three people closely involved with one imaginary painting (such is the author’s skill, I can still see it clearly in my mind’s eye). We have the 17th century Dutch Sara de Vos

who painted it, bereaved and debt-ridden, eking out a living where she can and baring her emotion on canvas. Fast forward to 1950s New York and the latest member of the wealthy family, originally from the Netherlands, that has owned the painting for centuries and also to the struggling young Australian art restoration student who is commissioned to make a copy of it. Her copy is switched for the original but her involvement with the painting doesn’t end there the owner starts to hunt and seek her out. Move forward again to Sydney in 2000 where the former art student is now a respected art historian and involved in a major exhibition of 17th century female Dutch artists’ work. The exhibition receives two versions of the same painting. The writing is faultless clean and taut - and the tension builds as their worlds threaten to come together again. At first glance, the story of Sara de Vos would seem to be secondary to the main action. Her life and the subjects of her artwork, though, introduce many of the same themes - the loneliness, the loss of a child and family, the struggle for recognition. And at the heart of it all is the painting ‘At the Edge of the Wood’ Dominic Smith has done something special here in making it seem real and conveying its (and by extension, Sara’s) sense of yearning and loss. A remarkable feat and I admire his talent. Sue Broom Personal read ............★★★★★ Group read .................★★★★★

reviews endearing companion with whom to spend the duration of the book. Eleanor King Personal read ................★★★★ Group read .....................★★★★

BLEAKER HOUSE Nell Stevens Picador Jun 2017 hbk ISBN - 9781509824410

A book about how hard it is to write books, Bleaker House is a lot more interesting than you might think. The author of this memoir, Nell Stevens, wins a creative writing fellowship that allows her to spend three months writing anywhere she chooses. Faced with a world of choices, she decides that the place for her to write her novel is a weather-battered island in the Falklands during a bitterly cold winter, where for all but a few days she will be the only human resident (in terms of penguin residents, there are many). Of course, the reality is somewhat different to her imaginings. What follows is an examination of solitude and sanity, of hunger, a tale of travel to isolated places, of how trying to force an idea rarely gets you anywhere. She has chosen to put herself through this experience, it was not forced upon her, but that does not make it any less difficult to deal with. To her credit, she has taken a situation in which everything seemed very serious – not enough food, sanity-challenging isolation, a battle against the elements – and made it into a funny book, poking fun at herself as she goes along. She is an

NOTHING SHORT OF DYING Erik Storey

formerly worked as a wilderness guide and hunter, definitely used his previous experience to his advantage. There were clues about Barr’s past throughout the novel that hinted toward future plot developments and possible storylines, and I am certainly looking forward to this book being developed into a series in which his character can progress. Amanda Graham Personal read ....................★★★ Group read .....................★★★★ See also Paul diggett’s 5/5 review on nudge

Pocket Books Apr 2017 pbk ISBN - 9781501160738

Clyde Barr has only recently been released from a Mexican prison when his sister unexpectedly phones him. She is in trouble and needs Clyde to come and rescue her from a man who will kill her once he has the information he needs. Then the line goes dead. I was initially drawn to Erik Storey’s debut thriller as I had read several of the Jack Reacher books and enjoyed that series. However, despite the various comparisons, I didn't really see the similarity between the two characters. Jack Reacher is ex-military and much more polished, whereas Clyde Barr has a dark past and has learnt how to survive through numerous violent encounters whilst working as a mercenary and while imprisoned. I read the book in one sitting and really enjoyed the amount of detail used to describe the various weapons and hunting techniques used by Barr, as well as the local terrain. The author, who

DARK SIDE OF THE MOON Les Wood Freight Books Aug 2016 pbk ISBN - 9781911332008

A crime story minus any sign of the police? A bunch of small-time, incompetent, Glasgow crooks? A big man trying to show those Eastern European crims how it's done? The biggest jewel heist in history? Naw, it'll no work. Or will it? Les Wood's debut novel, Dark Side of the Moon, takes this premise and turns it into a hilarious, dark, characterled tale which builds to a jaw-dropping climax in the centre of the city. Boddice wants to reassert his authority as the local Big Man so he hires a motley crew of petty criminals to carry out his audacious plan to steal the diamond known

as The Dark Side of the Moon: Prentice does Boddice's dirty work collecting the money owed by junkies and shopkeepers, Boag is the homeless son of a former 'colleague' of Boddice's, the Wilson twins run a wee tattoo parlour and Kyle, well Kyle does Boddice's really dirty work. By the time Wood has described these characters and given a hefty amount of backstory, you begin to wish he'd hurry up and get on with the actual plot. A judicious bit of editing would have prevented the slow-down of the story and let the reader move on to the nub of the tale. Full of more twists and turns than the M8 roadworks out of Glasgow, the story follows their attempts to stop arguing, follow Boddice's instructions and carry out the theft without murdering each other in the process, all written with that distinctive black, crackling Glasgow humour. Despite their criminal pasts and being characters you wouldn't want to meet in broad daylight never mind a dark night, a certain sympathy for those flawed beings rises in the reader's gorge and the hope that they'll pull off the heist springs, well, if not eternally, then now and then throughout the book. There are also moments when the editor should have been more ruthless with their red pen as Wood does rather state the obvious at times. But these are minor quibbles in what was a rollocking great read and an original approach to the genre. This is an outstanding first novel with the promise of great things ahead for this writer. Ann Burnett

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WHAT WE ARE THINKING

book in advance, and left their review and star ratings. The build-up of conversation which you see on Twitter, Instagram and facebook happens because a book blogger has read the title before publication day. They’re not paid to review. They do it mostly because they enjoy discussing books with like-minded people. This is the biggest misconception surrounding Blogger Margaret book bloggers. They do NOT Madden puts the get paid to read and review books or to promote them. case for book They do not get paid. Full stop. blogs Bloggers receive free books (how else are they going to read ecently, there has been a them before they are in the backlash against bloggers shops?) and are often invited to in general, but the attitude book launches or events. Let’s toward book bloggers has be honest here. Often it ends up seen some bizarre comments costing the book blogger more surfacing in facebook groups. to attend these events than it Members were quick to point would to buy the book in the out that book bloggers are in traditional way. There are travel fact readers. They may even be expenses, food, childcare and the most qualified to post sometimes accommodation. All recommendations (and, indeed, this in return for a glass or two books to avoid). There were of warm wine and occasionally then plenty of comments from a cheese stick or a chocolate “real readers” which suggested sweet. The blogger usually buys they had no respect for book a finished copy of the book, bloggers as they are being paid getting the author to sign it to promote certain titles and are with a personal message. in effect just marketers. Multiply these events over a 12It was not long before twitter month period, and you can see was ablaze with the hashtag a financial loss. However, the #BloggersAreRealPeople. non-monetary rewards are When you do a quick search on priceless. If you are a genuine Amazon or Goodreads to see book-lover, there is no way on what people are thinking about earth you could put a price on a new release, it is mainly book spending time in a room full of bloggers who have read the like-minded people who can

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end up being some of your dearest friends. We do it for the love of books. It is similar to sharing the latest trailer for a movie that will not be released for months yet, or like telling a friend that your favourite band has a new song coming out soon. We also share articles from newspapers, magazines, reviews from other book bloggers and often bookrelated posts such as upcoming TV or film adaptations. This is a personal touch, not a marketing job. Not all reviews are good. Some book bloggers will only post positive reviews, whilst others will stick to their genuine and honest voice. An author or publisher knows that the book blogger may not like the book they are sending them, but from researching the blogger they can see their preferences and tastes, thus avoiding an obvious mismatch. In short, there may be no better qualified “real reader” than a book blogger. They do it for their love of books. That’s it. No agendas, no bias and no pay. If the bestselling authors can see the benefit of book bloggers, why can some readers not? Margaret Madden

Margaret Madden blogs as BleachHouseLibrary.ie This – abridged - article was originally published on www.irishtimes.com/culture/ books on 6 February, 2017

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