September 2013—Readers’ Day edition
Welcome to Fife’s libraries reader reviews newsletter. All books reviewed in this newsletter are available from Fife’s libraries. To check the location of a particular title, make a request or to contribute a review, contact your local library or visit www.fifedirect.org.uk/readingroom
What’s New? Closed doors by Lisa O’Donnell The Frozen Shroud by Martin Edwards The Bay of Secrets by Rosanna Ley Someday I’ll Find You by Richard Madeley
Books Reviewed this month Natural Causes by James Oswald Pictures at an Exhibition by Camilla MacPherson The White Lie by Andrea Gillies Anywhere’s Better Than Here by Zoe Venditozzi Pedigree Mum by Fiona Gibson The Woman who Walked Into the Sea by Mark Douglas-Home This Is Where I Am by Karen Campbell
This month’s edition of A Right Guid Read features authors who will be appearing at Fife’s libraries Readers’ Day on Saturday 30th November. Booking forms will be available in September. To obtain a booking form email fife.libraries@fife.gov.uk and a form will be sent to you.
Sacrifice by Will Jordan Island Wife by Judy Fairbairns
All editions of Right Guid Read are available on www.fifedirect.org.uk
Reader Reviews Natural Causes by James Oswald First in a new series of crime thrillers set in Edinburgh and featuring DI Tony McLean. Written by Fife farmer turned author, this book was originally published as a e-book but a publishing deal with Penguin has meant that this book and the second in the series, ‘Book of Souls’ have been published in hard copy. I loved this – it has a slightly supernatural twist to it which adds to the mystery and tension throughout and the action all takes place in an Edinburgh in the middle of a heat wave ( yes, I know that’s virtually unknown, but it is fiction!). Clever plot though and very enjoyable. James Oswald will be appearing at Fife’s libraries Readers’ Day on Saturday 30th November.
Pictures at an Exhibition by Camilla MacPherson A terrible tragedy has left Claire's marriage to Rob in tatters and there seems little hope of reconciliation. Then she finds Daisy's letters, written to Rob's grandmother, and gradually, picture by picture, month by month, Daisy's world in the 1940s becomes more real to Claire than her own. Slowly, too, she begins to notice intriguing parallels between their lives.. But Daisy is from another time, and unless Claire can find a way to make sense of the past, she risks losing everything that she cares about in the present. A very good read!! Available in LP and SW
The White Lie by Andrea Gillies An extended family, a Scottish estate, a long, hot summer,,, and a death. When I read the blurb on this book, I reckoned it ticked all the boxes for me— Scottish setting, interesting characters and crime—and it didn’t disappoint. This is not a traditional who dunnit, or police procedural but rather an unsettling, dramatic family story which keeps you thinking, guessing and totally engaged all the way through. When Ursula Salter bursts in on her parents on a hot afternoon, confessing that she has just killed her nephew on the loch, all hell breaks loose. The search for missing Michael begins, but so does a search for answers for lots of family secrets. This took a bit of getting into—it’s not a book that you can easily pick up and put down, but compulsive once you get into it. Andrea Gillies will be appearing at Fife’s libraries Readers’ Day on Saturday 30th November Also available in SW
Reader Reviews Anywhere’s Better Than Here by Zoe Venditozzi A debut novel by a Fife born author, this proved to be a brilliant read for me. If you’ve ever had that feeling that you’re stuck in a rut and that your life is going nowhere, then you’ll be able to sympathise with Laurie who finds her self stuck in a job she hates and with a boyfriend she is struggling to live with. I loved Laurie’s impulsiveness which leads her to change her life dramatically and I really enjoyed this book. Great to discover a new local author and I’m looking forward to her next book. Zoe Venditozzi will be appearing at Fife’s libraries Readers’ Day on Saturday 30th November
Pedigree Mum by Fiona Gibson Light, easily read and hugely enjoyable, if you need a book to make you smile, then try this. Kerry, husband Rob and two children make the move from city to shore and begin a new life in the fictional town of Shorling, a life meant to give them time together as a family and fulfill all their dreams. But alas, it is not to be. This book made me laugh—the characters are likeable and although a bit predictable, a great read. Fiona Gibson will be appearing at Fife’s libraries Readers’ Day on Saturday 30th November
The Woman Who Walked Into the Sea by Mark Douglas-Home We first met Cal McGill in this author’s debut novel ‘The Sea Detective’ and he returns again in this brilliant crime novel, set on Scotland’s remote west coast. Cal is drawn into investigating a suicide which took place 26 years earlier, and tries to find out what really happened to Megan, the woman who walked into the sea. I loved meeting Cal again and like the fact that as an oceanographer, he brings a whole different approach to crime detection. A great mix of environmental issues, mystery, tension and a great ending which kept me guessing. Mark Douglas-Home will be appearing at Fife’s libraries Readers’ Day on Saturday 30th November.
Reader Reviews This Is Where I Am by Karen Campbell This book is a complete departure from her previous novels, but is a wonderful absorbing and emotional read. It describes the growing friendship between Debbie, assigned by the Scottish Refugee Council to act as a mentor for Somali refugee Abdi. As Debbie shows Abdi her Glasgow and what it means to her, Abdi teaches Debbie about the importance of family. I loved the characters and was caught up in the emotional journeys that the characters have taken. Very different from her crime novels, but very good. Karen Campbell will be appearing at Fife’s libraries Readers’ Day on Saturday 30th November.
Sacrifice by Will Jordan This is the second in the Ryan Drake series of thrillers and is fast paced and full of tension and excitement. Set in Afghanistan, CIA operative Ryan is brought in to rescue a hostage from insurgents. Lots of action and firefights follow, and although this isn’t the kind of thriller I’d normally pick up, I enjoyed the clever plot and the satisfaction of an everything—works—out—in—the—end ending. If you are a fan of Scott Mariani’s Ben Hope thrillers, then try this too, you’ll like it. Will Jordan will be appearing at Fife’s libraries Readers’ Day on Saturday 30th November.
Island Wife by Judy Fairbairns A wonderful true account of the author’s and her family’s life on a remote Hebridean island. We follow Judy from her first meeting with her husband to the early years of their marriage ekeing out a living on a farm to the life changing move to the island and their subsequent happy years there. The story is told with such warmth and humour that I was soon caught up in all the family goings on and laughed at the antics of the children while admiring how Judy coped with running a family home and business in such an inhospitable environment. A really great read.
What’s New? Closed Doors by Lisa O’Donnell Eleven-year-old Michael Murray is the best at two things: keepy-uppies and keeping secrets. His family think he's too young to hear grown-up stuff, but he listens at doors; it's the only way to find out anything. And Michael's heard a secret, one that might explain the bruises on his mother's face. When the whispers at home and on the street become too loud to ignore, Michael begins to wonder if there is an even bigger secret he doesn't know about. Scared of what might happen if anyone finds out, and desperate for life to return to normal, Michael sets out to piece together the truth. Closed Doors is the startling new novel from the acclaimed author of The Death of Bees.
Bay of Secrets by Rosanna Ley Spain, 1939—Following the wishes of her parents to keep her safe during the war, a young girl, Julia, enters a convent in Barcelona. Looking for a way to maintain her links to the outside world, she volunteers to help in a maternity clinic. But worrying adoption practices in the clinic force Sister Julia to decide how far she will go to help those placed in her care. England, 2011—Six months after her parents' shocking death, 34-year-old journalist and jazz enthusiast Ruby Rae has finally found the strength to pack away their possessions and sell the family home. But as she does so, she unearths a devastating secret her parents, Vivien and Tom, had kept from her all her life.
The Frozen Shroud by Martin Edwards In Ravenbank, a remote community in the Lake District, Hallowe'en is particularly chilling. It is a time for telling the story of the Faceless Woman, a young housemaid brutally murdered in a nearby lane, her corpse discovered with a makeshift shroud frozen to her battered face. And five years ago, the tale became even more unsettling when another woman was murdered in exactly the same grisly manner. Daniel Kind, a specialist in the history of murder, becomes fascinated by the old cases, and begins to wonder whether the obvious suspects really did commit the crimes. Another murder brings Daniel together with DCI Hannah Scarlett of the Cold Case Review team in a an effort to discover the truth.
Someday I’ll Find You by Richard Madeley James Blackwell is sexy and handsome and a fighter pilot - every girl's dream partner. At least that is what Diana Arnold thinks when her brother first introduces them. Before long they are in love and marry hastily just as war is declared. Then fate delivers what is the first of its cruel twists: James, the day of their wedding, is shot down over Northern France and killed. Diana is left not only a widow but pregnant with their child. Ten years later, contentedly remarried, Diana finds herself in the south of France, sitting one morning in a sunny village square. A taxi draws up and she hears the voice of a man speaking English - the unmistakable voice of someone who will set out to torment her and blackmail her and from whom there can be only one means of escape...