Read this!

Haven't had much time to read things of any particular interest recently, but I did manage to get hold of 'The Gone-Away World' by Nick Harkaway. Go and find a copy and read it now. When I've finished reading through a second time, I'll write more.

The Duke & I by Julia Quinn

What the cover says:
"After enduring two seasons in London, Daphne Bridgerton is no longer naive enough to believe that she will be able to marry for love. But is it really too much to hope for a husband for whom she at least has some affection?
Her brother's old school friend Simon Bassett - the new Duke of Hastings - has no intention of ever marrying. However, newly returned to England, he finds himself the target of the many marriage-minded society mothers who remain convinced that reformed rakes make the best husbands.
To deflect their attention, the handsome hell-raiser proposes to Daphne that they pretend an attachment. In return, his interest in Daphne will ensure that she becomes the belle of London society with suitors beating a path to her door...
There's just one problem, Daphne is now in danger of falling for a man who has no intention of making their charade a reality..."

From the beginning of this novel, you know exactly what the ending is going to be as it follows a tried and trusted formula. However the journey from start to finish is delightful, with little twists and turns along the way, but never leaving you doubting too much that things will turn out for the best.

9/10

Samantha Smythe's Modern Family Journal by Lucy Cavendish

What the cover says:
"Very few women think they have the 'perfect' 21st-century family, and Samantha Smythe i no exception. Most of the time she takes that in her stride - unfazed by the amount of time Edward, 8 spends drawing pictures on his willy, Bennie, 2 avoiding a potty and baby Jamie refusing to eat anything but butternut squash. Samantha and her husband, John, are holding it together and embracing the chaos. But sometimes she does wonder: is it possible, when your first son's father is entirely absent, and you are now the mother of two more boys by your second husband, to have a real family? The one you always dreamed you'd have?
And then the absent ex-husband makes a dramatic reappearance and somehow ends up borrowing the spare room. This, of course, is enough to throw the family dynamic entirely off-course. With sanity, and capacity for rational thought in short supply, can Samantha protect everything she hold dear, without disappearing out of sight herself...?"

The 'aside' parts of this book that deal with life with children are sadly more interesting than the main story. The characters of the boys are probably the most realistic; but I found Samantha to be neurotic and irritating, John 2 to be far too patient and too good to be true, and all the other characters just too one-dimensional and contrived. Ok, but not a must-read.

7/10

The Hippopotamus by Stephen Fry

What the cover says:
"Ted Wallace is an old, sour, womanising, cantankerous, whisky-sodden beast of a failed poet and drama critic, but he has his faults too.
Fired from his newspaper, months behind on his alimony payments and disgusted with a world that undervalues him, Ted seeks a few months' repose and free drink at Swafford Hall, the country mansion of his old friend Lord Logan.
But strange things have been going on at Swafford. Miracles. Healings. Phenomena beyond the comprehension of a mud-caked hippopotamus like Ted..."

I really really wanted to love this book as much as I love Stephen Fry, but I found it quite tricky. Didn't get into it until past half way through, and found it quite meandering up to that point. From there on in it slowly gripped me and I loved the last 2 or 3 chapters. I could have done without the detailed boy/horse encounter though. Beautiful use of language throughout of course, as one would expect from Mr.Fry.

7/10

The Iron Horse by Edward Marston

What the cover says:
"Derby Day at Epsom Downs. A multitude of people crows to watch the races: dukes and dustmen, bishops and beggars, privileged ladies and prostitutes. The gamut of Victorian society and a hotbed for crime abd crooks of all kinds.
With the country a-flutter in the run-up to this national occasion, events reach a fever pitch when a disembodied head is discovered on a passenger train at Crewe; the first in a murky course of events that takes in murder, fraud and race-fixing. Detective Inspector Colbeck and his assistant are assigned to the case and are soon snarled up in a web of skulduggery stretching across the country. Soon, they are forced to ask themselves: just how much is someone prepared to hazard in order to win?"

I've written before about the style of The Railway Detective books, and this is no different. An intriguing storyline - I thought I'd guessed the identity of the criminal but was only half correct, and had to wait to the very end to find out. Splendid stuff from Marston once again.

9/10

The Death of Dalziel by Reginald Hill

What the cover says:
"Can it be true? Has the Fat Man really sung?
Caught in a huge Semtex explosion, it seems the only thing preventing Superintendent Andy Dalziel from stepping through Death's door is his size - and sheer bloody-mindedness.
An injured DCI Pascoe works to uncover what he feels sure is a conspiracy - despite the security services believing the blast was an accident in which the terrorists blew themselves up.
Who, then, are the mysterious Knights Templar, bringing the war in Iraq back home with their gruesome acts of vengeance? What have they got to do with a hit-and-run on Yorkshire CID's most inept officer? And, most importantly, will Dalziel ever wake up to hear the truth...?"

I've always loved the tv adaptations of the Dalziel and Pascoe books, and I think Warren Clarke is an inspired choice to play the Fat Man. The books are different, but just as good if not better. This is a fascinating tale as for the first time Dalziel takes a major backseat, and Pascoe comes into his own - but not in the way that he would ever have imagined. A clever tale with everything you could ever want from a crime thriller, and gripping from start to finish. The only bit I didn't like was the very last page, but that's more to do with my (slightly irrational) dislike for one particular character as much as anything.

9/10

Blood Hunt by Ian Rankin

What the cover says:
"Gordon Reeve has a funeral to go to. His journalist brother has been found dead in a car, a presumed suicide. Not a nice reason to be flying the Atlantic.
And when he gets there it seems that nobody wants to answer his questions - why was the car in which his brother's body was found locked from the outside? Why does the local cop act like his shadow and prevent him talking to the friend who saw Jim last? Why does he have the sinking feeling that it wasn't a ghost he saw parked outside the crematorium?
Ex-SAS, a professional killer with an anger management problem, it's not in Reeve's nature to let such questions go unanswered, particularly when the murderers come knocking on his own front door."

I'm a big Rebus fan, and didn't really twig that this was one of Rankin's forays outside of Edinburgh until I started reading it. It's a slow-burner and took me a little while to get into, but then I began to be gripped, particularly towards the end. The scientific bits that are dropped in there did confuse me a little, but it didn't matter too much. Dark as any Rebus novel, but just as delicious.

8/10

Over The Edge by Jonathan Kellerman

What the cover says:
"Is it all in your mind?
Jamey Cadmus is clearly a deeply troubled young man but is he guilty? Found clutching a bloodied knife at the scene of a brutal double homicide he must be the vicious serial killer who's been terrorising LA, what other explanation can there be?
The public are demanding the death penalty but his lawyer is pleading diminished responsibility. Psychologist Alex Delaware is asked to make an assessment of Jamey's mental health but to do that he needs to look into Jamey's past and no one - not the police, not his family, not even his lawyer - wants Alex digging there..."

This is a fantastic Kellerman novel - lots going on, characters you can care about and an ending that is both happy and sad all at once.

8/10

The Dark Tide by Andrew Gross

What the cover says:
"They say bad luck comes in threes. But for Karen Friedman's family, bad luck is just the beginning.
It starts with her husband Charlie's investments going wrong and the sudden death of a much-loved family pet. Then one morning Charlie takes the train to work - straight into a lethal terrorist blast. For Karen and her children, all that remains of Charlie is a memory.
Or is it? When the Friedmans being to receive terrifying threats Karen turns to Detective Ty Hauck for help. Hauck's family fell apart too after a tragic accident he still blames himself for. Now he's determined to keep Karen's family safe. But Hauck doesn't know how the people who investigate Charlie have a way of ending up dead..."

This is an ok book, keeps moving along, keeps you guessing, but didn't grab me somehow. Similar to the ones that Andrew Gross has co-written with James Patterson - good but not great.

7/10

The Timer Game by Susan Arnout Smith

What the cover says:
"CSI Detective Grace Descano gets a call to work a routine crime scene, but two hours and three dead bodies later, Grace is the one under investigation.
When her 5 year old daughter is snatched, Grace is thrown into a nightmare world of timed riddles, which must be solved - if she wants to see Katie again.
She's got 24 hours.
Welcome to the Timer Game."

A breathless chase from beginning to end. You're thrown straight in from the first chapter in a completely unexpected way, and the pressure doesn't really let up from there. Twists and turns along the way add to the suspense, and this could easily be read in one sitting - not because it's short, but because you won't want to stop till the end.

9/10

Scream For Me by Karen Rose

What the cover says:
Special Agent Daniel Vartanian has made a horrific discovery - photographs, taken years ago by his brother Simon, showing a gang of teenagers raping young girls. Disgusted, Vartanian is determined to bring the rapists to justice.
Alex Fallon's family fell apart when her sister was murdered thirteen years ago. And history now seems to be repeating itself with her stepsister Bailey's disappearance. When Vartanian meets Alex, and realises that her dead sister was in the photos, he starts to believe that the rapists may be behind Bailey's disappearance.
Bailey Crighton is being held captive by a monster. Alone and unable to escape, all she can do is scream for help. Vartanian and Alex must confront their pasts head-on if they are to find Bailey - before it's too late...

Excitement from beginning to end. It does get rather confusing at times, particularly with the use of code names, but this really is part of the story, and it wouldn't work as well otherwise. Gripping and unputdownable.

9/10

Then We Came To The End by Joshua Ferris

What the cover says:
"They spend their days - and too many of their nights - at work. Away from friends and family, they share a stretch of stained carpet with a group of strangers they call colleagues.
There's Chris Yop, who is clinging to his ergonomic chair; Lynn Mason, the boss, whose breast cancer everyone pretends not to talk about; Carl Garbedian, secretly taking someone else's medication; Marcia Dwyer, whose hair is stuck in the eighties; and Benny, who's just - well, just Benny. Amidst the boredom, redundancies, water-cooler moments, meetings, flirtation and pure rage, life is happening, to their great surprise, all around them.
Then We Came to the End is about sitting all morning next to someone you cross the road to avoid at lunch. It's the story of your life, and mine."

A huge great disappointment. Described as 'The Comedy Debut of the Year' yet I didn't find a single sentence even remotely amusing. And as for being a story that everyone can relate to, it bore no resemblance to any office I've ever worked in. I was hoping for an amusing day-to-day account of normal office life, where this  was actually a tale of a firm going through the process of 'downsizing', when if it had been a real company and these the real employees it would have just needed to be closed down for everyone's sake.

3/10

Killer Heat by Linda Fairstein

What the cover says:
In District Attorney Alexandra Coper's line of work, the discovery of a corpse isn't unusual. Not even the corpse of a young woman who was bound, bludgeoned and tortured to death. It's the location which is unusual - an abandoned ferry terminal at the southern tip of Manhattan, from where the ferries only went to one destination... Governors Island.
The corpse is identified as that of a part-time prostitute with a side-line in kink and a high-end client list. A list to kill for and, clearly, to die for.. but the list is missing, and so is another girl. The her body is found. Another deserted location, another viciously violent killing.
There is a faint trail to follow, but when another young woman disappears not far from Governors Island, Alex joins the desperate hunt for a singularly depraved murderer. A chase which catapults her into one of the most chilling encounters of her life.

This one is quite a slow burner, and doesn't feel to really get going until at least two-thirds of the way through. Not one of the best 'Coop' novels, but fairly readable nonetheless.

7/10

Every Breath You Take by Sheila Quigley

What the cover says:
"A stranger stalks the streets of Houghton-Le-Spring and for Detective Inspector Lorraine Hunt he is getting too close for comfort.
Selina, the daughter of Lorraine's partner, DS Luke Daniels, is a beautiful and wilful sixteen-year-old with a dark past. Just as it seems she's finally getting back on her feet, she is attacked. Is Selina's past catching up with her? Or is there an even more sinister motive for the assault?
Before long, Lorraine and Luke's worst fears are realised, and a body is found. A young woman, brutally murdered, her heart cut out, and in its place - a single white rose.
Soon the White Rose Killer steps up his campaign. Is DI Hunt imagining it? or does he have a message specially for her? As he circles ever closer, nobody escapes suspicion and Lorraine faces her toughest case yet."

This isn't a bad book, good characters and storyline, with a highly exciting ending. Unfortunately, the inconsistent and wholly unnecessary use of "yer" for "you" was deeply irritating. Writing in dialect is all well and good, but changing just one word on an intermittent basis adds nothing to the storyline and detracts on reading pleasure.

6/10

Everything and the Moon by Julia Quinn

What the cover says:
When Robert Kemble stumbles across Victoria Lyndon in a hedgerow maze, he can't believe his eyes. The girl who'd torn him in tow - who let him plan an elopement and then left him standing by the side of the road - is suddenly within arm's reach, and still impossible to resist.
Victoria's father told her an early would never marry a vicar's daughter, and he was right. Robert had promised her marriage, but then danced off to London, leaving her thinking that he had jilted her. So when Robert offers her a new job - as his mistress - she refuses, unable to sacrifice her honour, even for him.
But now Robert won't take no for an answer, and vows to make her his, through any means possible...

Julia Quinn's novels are Georgette Heyer meets modern chick-lit, and are a delight to read. The lead characters are both loveable and the plotline provides many opportunity for amusement. Nothing too serious, but very witty and a good escapist read.

9/10

A Dark Devotion by Clare Francis

What the cover says:
Grace Dearden is beautiful, clever and admired. The last person to disappear into the lonely Norfolk marshes in the black depths of winter.
Seven days... and still no trace.
With police investigations stalled, old family friend Alex O'Neill returns to the haunting landscape of her childhood. And immediately begins to uncover disturbing new clues...
Each one drawing her closer to a family's tragic secret...

Not sure how I felt about this one. I do tend to prefer to like at least one of the characters in a book as I find it gives more of an interest in how the story will turn out. Unfortunately I didn't feel anything for any of the main protagonists except perhaps mild dislike for the more unpleasant. On the whole, not bad I suppose.

7/10

Name to a Face by Robert Goddard

What the cover says:
When Tim Harding agrees to do a favour for a tax-exile friend by representing him at an Auction in Penzance, he is unaware of the secrets that tie the ring he is sent to buy to three widely separated events: the loss of HMS Association with all hands off Scilly in 1707; an unsolved murder in Penzance thirty years later; and the seemingly accidental drowning of a journalist diving at the Association wreck site in 1999. Very soon he discovers that by taking on this apparently simple task he has allowed himself to be drawn into a web of conspiracies. Somewhere a perilous truth awaits him, coupled with a terrible realization: those who uncover the truth are not allowed to live...

Typical Robert Goddard fare, but no less enjoyable. As always, you only know what the hero knows which keeps the mystery going from start to finish. The main character is flawed but likeable, and you are rooting for him right to the very end. The plot is fanciful and complex, but very clever.


8/10

Double Cross by James Patterson

What the cover says:
Just when Alex Cross's life is calming down, he's drawn back into the game to confront he Audience Killer - a terrifying genius who stages his killings as public spectacle in Washington DC and broadcasts them live on the net.
In Colorado, another criminal mastermind is planning a triumphant return. From his maximum-security prison cell, Kyle Craig has spent years plotting his escape and revenge. Craig prefers to work alone, but if joining forces with DC's Audience Killer helps him get to the man who put him away - Alex Cross - then so be it.

I love the Alex Cross novels and have read all of them. This is as good as any of the others, but I must confess, I'm getting a little bored with Kyle Craig now, and will be much happier when Alex gets round to shooting him (as I'm sure he inevitably will). Probably not one to read if you haven't read some of the earlier ones.

9/10

Selected Stories by H.E. Bates

This is a really old edition that I must have picked up in a charity shop somewhere and forgotten about.
These stories were all written in the 1930's and are very evocative of that age. The writing is incredible and conveys the atmosphere beautifully, but they are pretty much all about love, loss and death, and I found them actually quite depressing to read. Perhaps it was the sense of impending doom with the approach of the second world war that casts such a shadow over the book. Not sure I could cope with a whole novel by Bates!

Enigma by Robert Harris

What the cover says:
March 1943, the war hangs in the balance, and at Bletchley Park Tom Jericho, a brilliant young codebreaker, is facing a double nightmare. The Germans have unaccountably changed their U-boat Enigma code, threatening a massive Allied defeat. And as suspicion grows that there may be a spy inside Bletchley, Jericho's girlfriend, the beautiful and mysterious Claire Romilly, suddenly disppears.

I picked this up because of my interest in codes and more recently Bletchley Park (particularly as it's not that far away) and because I couldn't be bothered to stay up to watch the film when it was on a few weeks ago. I'm very glad I didn't though as I'm fairly confident that the book is way better than the adaptation.
It's a classic wartime thriller with spies and codes and a tormented genius for a hero. Although it starts off fairly gently, the tension builds and builds to a breathless finale and once I got past halfway through I couldn't put it down.

9/10

Punchbag by Robert Llewellyn

What the cover says:
Nick hasn't managed to achieve much in 35 years except a good set of pecs. He has a grotty flat, a stationary car, a teenage son who he doesn't know all that well, an ex-girlfriend who hates his guts, and a job as a night club bouncer that's going nowhere.
Then Tara, a speaker at a women's conference, invites him to San Francisco. She wants him to become a padded assailant in a women's self defence class. She wants him to wear a protective suit and assault women for a living. Why not? It's a free trip to the States.
It's a trip that's going to change Nick's life. But will it be for the better?

I had quite high hopes for this one. Robert Llewellyn is a star, and I loved his other novel that I've read (The Man on Platform 5). It didn't disappoint me entirely. The padded assailant thing is fascinating, as is Nick's transformation from zero to hero (kinda). It's not as good as TMoP5 but a reasonable read, and all the story threads run through nicely and are tied up neatly at the end in a very satisfactory way.

8/10

The Pact by Roberta Kray

What the cover says:
Eve, the 34 year-old daughter of recently deceased conman Alexander Weston, knows a good deal when she sees it - and this one doesn't even come close. However, with vulnerable brother Terry being beaten in jail, she can't afford to be fussy. She needs to organize protection for him, and fast. The intimidating and powerful con Cavelli seems the perfect solution, but how high a price is he going to exact? She may well be forming a pact with the Devil.
A break-in, followed by a vicious assault, soon makes Eve question the wisdom of her choice. Cavelli is leading her straight into Hell. And suddenly, her own life is in jeopardy...

Going solely on the author, you would perhaps expect great things from this novel, and indeed it does have a promising start. Unfortunately it doesn't quite carry on with the same impetus, and the ending is clever in parts and uninspiring in others. If you hadn't looked at the cover, it would be quite easy to think you were reading something by Martina Cole - not sure whether that's a good or bad thing! On the whole it's ok - not great, not awful, just ok.

7/10

Fall of a Philanderer by Carola Dunn

What the cover says:
In the summer of 1924, the Honorable Daisy Dalrymple Fletcher has planned a quiet, relaxing holiday in the small coastal town of Westcombe. With her husband, Detective Chief Inspector Alec Fletcher of Scotland Yard, planning to join them later, Daisy goes ahead with her step-daughter Belinda, and Belinda's chum Deva. Currently three months pregnant, Daisy is looking forward to a nondramatic vacation of quiet strolls along the cliffs and days down at the beach. She doesn't have that kind of luck, however, as the seemingly quiet seaside town turns out to be a hotbed of rumour and scandal. It seems much of the turmoil centres around local lothario George Enderby - the married owner of the town pub - who keeps himself busy attempting the seduction of whatever women cross his path. In a town this small, no indiscretion remains secret for very long - a consequence clearly illustrated when the husband of one of his rumoured conquests assaults the innkeeper in full view.
The last vestige of the idyllic vacation dissipates shortly thereafter when the Fletchers, out for a simple picnic, discover Enderby's broken body at the foot of a sea cliff. With murder the most obvious conclusion, Alec's vacation is cut short by the official investigation. It is up to Daisy, however, to uncover the truth lurking behind the rumours, gossip, and closely held secrets of this small town if the killer is ever to be found.

An easy to read, enjoyable enough story. It is a little laboured in getting to the point sometimes, and tries rather too hard to imitate the style of the great authors who have written in this period before. The ending is clever, but something of an anti-climax. I'd happily read another 'Daisy Dalrymple Mystery'.

8/10

Ready Or Not? by Chris Manby

What the cover says:
Every bride is entitled to some pre-wedding jitters. And what girl wouldn't think twice about marriage when her fiance gets his eyebrows shaved off just in time to look horrendous for the photographs?
But what if it's not the ceremony that freaks you out but the happy ever after? Heidi Savage is wondering whether she an really forsake all othersfor macho, berr-swilling Ed. And how can a couple who've never even been babysitters be ready to start a family of their own?
Will the answer come in the form of her ex-boyfriend Steven? Grown-up, gorgeous and good-with-children. Is Heidi's dilemma simply a case of right shoes, right dress, wrong husband?

I was really disappointed in this story. Chris Manby's books are usually good fun to read, but this time I felt nothing for any of the characters (apart from mild irritation) and just wanted Heidi to get on with it and make her mind up. And when she finally did at the end, all I felt was slightly cheated for some reason.

6/10

The Railway Detective by Edward Marston

What the cover says:
London, 1851. With the opening of the Great Exhibition at hand, interest is mounting in the engineering triumphs of the railways, but not everyone feels like celebrating...
In an audacious attack, the London to Birmingham mail train is robbed and derailed, causing many casualties. Planned with military precision, this crime proves a challenge to Detective Inspector Robert Colbeck who fights to untangle a web of murder, blackmail and destruction.

This is a beautiful period piece, written in a style perfectly suiting the era in which it is set. The heroes are heroic and the villains truly villainous, exactly as you would wish for. The plot bowls along merrily and is relatively straightforward without being dull. I look forward to reading another "Detective Inspector Colbeck mystery". All in all, a real delight.

9.5/10

Booked for Murder by V.L.McDermid

What the cover says:
Why would anyone want to kill Penny Varanvides, bestselling author of the 'Teen Dreams' series? Her demise can't be the freak accident it first appeared - it's an exact replica of the murder method in her forthcoming book. Only three people knew the plot of Penny's unpublished novel; her literary agent, her editor and her ex-girlfriend Meredith.
In an effort to clear Meredith, Lindsay Gordon delves beneath the glittering facade of the seemingly glamorous world of London publishing in search of a murderer. While hobnobbing with industry notables, Lindsey encounters an unsavoury mix of soured relationships, desperate power plays, underhanded fraud and seething rivalries. Who, amongst this sordid group, wanted Penny Varnavides dead?

This has a fantastic opening chapter, and the rest of the book carries on in a similar way. There's twists and turns and red herrings and you're kept guessing right to the end. The subplot is woven seamlessly into the main story with no confusion and all the main and secondary characters are very likeable. The only complaint I have is that it was too short!

9/10

7th Heaven by James Patterson

What the cover says:
The hunt for a deranged murderer with a taste for fire, and a devastating new lead in the high-profile disappearance of the governer's son combine in an electrifying series of stunning twists and emotional surprises.
With the help of her friends and fellow members of the Women's Murder Club, Lindsay must race to find the suspects and stop the cold-blooded killers, fast.

I'm still not so sure about this Women's Murder Club series. I've been a big fan of James Patterson for a long time, and keep reading them in case he suddenly has a return to early form, but this is not it.
It's readable of course, but I've never been able to warm particularly to any of the characters. The arsonist storyline is clever, but seems to end with more of a whimper than a bang. The twist in the tale is the one redeeming feature, but it's unfortunate that you have to plough through so much mediocrity to get there.

7/10

Blood Substitute by Margaret Duffy

What the cover says:
DCI James Carrick is playing rugby for police team The Ferrets when an injury sends him off the pitch. His substitute is DS Cliff Morley, an undercover policeman investigating a criminal gang operating in the Bristol area. The next day Morley's horribly mutilated body is found dumped in woodland near Bristol, the initials RK carved on his torso.
Patrick Gillard and Ingrid Langley, late of MI5 and now working as consultants for SOCA, are called in to investigate. At the same time Carrick, who is an old friend of theirs, asks them to make some discreet inquiries on a private matter: he has discovered that his father, whom he thought long dead, is not only alive but a criminal. His name is Robert Kennedy. Can there be a connection between the two cases, and if so, what is it?

Oh where to start with this one? It's not often that I struggle with a book so much that I'm tempted not to even bother finishing it, but this one came very close to beating me. The basic story idea seems a good one, but it is told in such a convoluted meandering way that it ends up making very little sense. The lead pair seem to be almost superhero-like with their huge range of skills and talents that just happen to suit precisely every tricky situation they land themselves in (frequently through being downright stupid). There is not one likeable or even remotely realistic character anywhere, and to be honest, I cannot imagine being so desperate for a book that I would ever consider picking up another one from this series.

3/10

New books

Went shopping today to spend some book vouchers I got for my birthday, and this is what I got (thanks to 3 for 2 at Borders):

Murder in Steeple Martin by Lesley Cookman
The Suspicions of Mr Whicher or The Murder at Road Hill House by Kate Summerscale
Dead Man's Footsteps by Peter James
Scream for Me by Karen Rose

Dead Heat by Dick Francis

What the cover says:
The night before the 2,000 Guineas at Newmarket sees the horse-racing community gathered for a prestigious black-tie gala dinner. It is a fitting testament to the glamour of the occasion that top chef Max Moreton is cooking the evening meal. However, when Max's food is suspected of putting twenty-four of the dinner guests in hospital, his pride and professionalism tell him that all is not as it seems.
Within hours, Max's restaurant is forcibly closed, his reputation teeters on the brink of ruin and a court case looms. But the day is far from over, and soon Max Moreton finds himself desperately fighting for more than just his livelihood...

This book is actually written by Dick Francis and his son Felix, but you wouldn't know as it is vintage stuff. Everything you would expect from a Dick Francis novel, and with some great twists at the end. As always, the hero is eminently likeable, there is just the right level of romance with a suitable heroine, and the use of the restaurant is a great plot device. It was one of those books where I couldn't stop reading, yet was reluctant to read too fast I as wanted to prolong the enjoyment.


9/10

Say Goodbye by Lisa Gardner

What the cover says:
Young women are disappearing... girls no one will notice are gone: prostitutes, runaways, high-risk teens. One night they exist, next morning they've vanished.
...
The only lead - a man who gets his kicks in the creepiest of ways: a twisted sadist with a brutal past. Kimberly Quincy, FBI Special Agent, knows she mustn't get caught in his web, but as the trail leads her closer, it seems she must become the prey if anyone else is to survive.

Warning - not for arachnophobes!!
I've now read a few of Lisa Gardner's books, and usually thoroughly enjoy them. This one is not quite as good as some of her others, but is still an enjoyable read. There are a couple of negatives - the bits from the killer's point of view are sometimes confusing as it's difficult to know when they're talking about the past or the present, and there is a little too much about the heroines relationship with her husband than I felt strictly necessary but there's enough there to keep those pages turning right to the end.

7/10

Stay of Execution by Quintin Jardine

What the cover says:
Evil stalks the city of Edinburgh. This time the threat is bigger than the crooks, scam-artists or drug dealers who find their prey in the shadows of the streets. Some people are looking for a big-time hit.
It starts small. The body of a respectable businessman is found hanging from a tree; a veteran from a Belgian marching band is killed in a hit-and-run incident and another dies of an apparent heart attack. Excitement on the streets of Edinburgh is feverish as the city prepares for a huge rally to celebrate the return of Pope John the 25th to his home town. The security has to be bulletproof. But is there a chink in the armour and does DCC Bob Skinner have the inner strength to find the answer to the biggest question of all?

An interesting idea and beautifully written as you would expect from Jardine. Apart from getting me totally confused with the departmental reorganisation at the beginning, it keeps you guessing right to the end.

8/10

The Survivors Club by Lisa Gardner

What the cover says:
The Survivors Club... that's what Jillian, Carol and Meg call it. They don't consider themselves to be victims. They are survivors who faced the blazing headlines and helped lead the investigation that caught Eddie Como, the man who changed their lives forever.
But now Eddie Como, the College Hill Rapist, has been murdered, shot down outside the courtroom moments before his trial was to begin. Jillian, Carol and Meg are openly ecstatic - but they are also the prime suspects in his murder.
Detective Roan Griffin has never had a case quite like this one. Could three ordinary women have been driven to do the unthinkable? Has someone in the Survivors Club become a killer? And then another woman is brutally attacked...

This is an excellent read, full of more twists and turns than you can shake a stick at. It does become ever so slightly slow and laboured in places, but that is easily forgiveable with such a clever idea.

8/10

A Cursed Inheritance by Kate Ellis

What the cover says:
The brutal massacre of the Harford family at Potwoolstan Hall in Devon in 1985 shocked the country and passed into local folklore. When a journalist researching the case is murdered twenty years later, DI Wesley Peterson is faced with his most disturbing case yet.
As more people die violently, Wesley needs to discover why a young woman has transformed a dolls house into a miniature reconstruction of the massacre scene. And could the solution to his case lie across the Atlantic Ocean, in the ruined remains of an early English settlement in Virginia USA?

Sadly, this is a book that appears to promise much but actually delivers very little. There are too many characters, too many obvious red herrings and too many threads to the story. In trying to be clever, the book actually just becomes overcomplicated, including an unnecessary and half-hearted attempt at a romance.
It's a shame, as the idea is a good one and could have been thoroughly enjoyable if simplified a little.

5/10

Jericho Point by Meg Gardiner

What the cover says:
When a young woman tumbles dead onto the beach, the police identify the body. It's Evan Delaney.
Except that Evan is very much alive, It's her identity that's been stolen. Soon she finds herself harassed by drug runners and suspected of murder. She must save herself - but to do that must escape a web of deceit that threatens to destroy not just her, but her boyfriend Jesse.

This isn't as good as the other Evan Delaney books I've read. Not bad, but just not quite as good. There's been just one too many layers added into the identity theft storyline which uses up pagetime that could be better spent exploring the other aspects of the story in more depth and would have made it less confusing.

7/10

China Lake by Meg Gardiner

What the cover says:
The Reverend Pete Wyoming is arming his flock - and not just with the scriptures. The way he sees it, the end of the world is nigh and he's ready for judgement. But judgement comes in unexpected ways...
Evan Delaney is shocked to discover that her ex-sister-in-law has joined The Remnant - Wyoming's fanatical band of disciples. And that Tabitha is trying to regain custody of her six-year-old son, Luke, currently in Evan's care while his father is posted to the Naval Air Warfare Center.
Two deaths and one kidnap attempt later, Evan realises she's started down a long road - the one to hell.

The religious group in this reminded me very much of the vile people in the Phelps' Westboro Baptist 'Church', and the hope of seeing them get their comeuppance keeps the pages turning! I frequently felt like I was holding my breath waiting to see what would happen next, and it was often the unexpected. A good read.

8/10

Compulsion by Jonathan Kellerman

What the cover says:
"A young woman who disappeared into the inky black night....
A retired schoolteacher stabbed to death in broad daylight...
Two women butchered in a small-town beauty parlour...
Three baffling murder cases, linked only by a perplexing lack of motive...."

This was for me, standard Kellerman fare, following the usual formula. However, the plot was interesting and clever, and the ending exciting even though the outcome is always predictable - mind you, one day he'll surprise me by killing off Alex, Milo or Robin at the end!

8/10