Irene - Pierre LeMaitre

Following on in the UK is this translation from the original French by Frank Wynne and it's a good one.

The first section of the book gives detail of the difference to the French judicial system to the English. In France a judge can be allocated as part of the investigating team to a particular crime. When the case gets to court the judge is part of the prosecuting team rather than on the bench. After being part of a team against a defendant the judge is not allowed to act as judge at any time in the future against this person.

Despite th fact that this is the second book in the UK it is the predecessor to Alex which proved amazingly popular.

This means that those people that have read Alex have an idea of the ending. I was one of them. I did skip straight to the end to confirm and also to get what was likely to be extreme gruesomeness out of the way.

Then it was back to the beginning retaining the uncomfortable knowledge of the ending. Or so I thought.

The police team consists of the diminutive Commandant Camille VerHoeven (male) and his subordinates, Louis- extremely rich and Armand, extremely frugal, embarassingly so and Maleval, the gambler. All of them overseen by LeGuen.

Someone is killing women. they're leaving behind a clue in the form of a fingerprint and sending messages to VerHoeven to taunt him. As well as investigating he has to deal with the press who are ahead of the press releases somehow. Commandant is spending more time than is ideal batting away press hassle and his boss demanding answers.

At the same time he's trying to keep his family situation sane as his wife prepares to give birth to their first child.

Clues accumulate on the murders and gain attention of locals who are able to help. This all muddies the waters as far as suspects are concerned.

Multiple murders and multiple strands to the investigation alongside the main players relationships make a very entertaining book and a book well worth reading even if you've read Alex.

All of this culminates in one humdinger of an ending which hits the reader full on towards the end. I can definitely see this one as an excellent film. Tom Cruise would make a perfect VerHoeven :)
Buy it here

Publisher - MacLehose

The Skeleton Cupboard - Tanya Byron

A travel through the evolution of a clinical psychologist, from initial wonder as to how the brain works to years of experience.

Tanya Byron has taken cases from each step of her progress to illustrate the case, her dealing with it and, in the earlier cases, her mentor's assessment of the case and her reactions.

Put together these aspects make an educational and, at times, heart-rending read. Despite being about health it is nowhere near similar to the misery literature clogging up bookshelves at the moment.

The reader can feel the frustration of investing such a large amount of emotional commitment and time into a career only to find the mentor appears to be disinterested as Byron struggles to believe in her own ability and searches for affirmation of her skill. You get no impression of the author having written only for the purposes of blowing her own trumpet. Reading may mean that you are able to be a bit more generous in your perception but not necessarily that you'll be able to jump in and help in any given situation. Unless you're already a health professional.

Empathy with the new psychologist comes into it when there's a case that is doomed fom the start and unusually for this type of book not all of the cases are out and out successes. Across the seven chapters they range from a married pensioner couple whose story is simply heartbreaking and beautiful to transgender individuals to drug addicts.

The book has the same readability of  Tori Hayden without the congratulatory self-patting on the back. I predict this one will fly higher and soar longer than Hayden.

All in all it's a must read- especially if you think dementia is as simple as forgetting things when you're older.

Buy it here.

Publisher - MacMillan

Perfect - Rachel Joyce

I admit to loving Harold Fry. I loved the tweeness, the sentimentality and it made a welcome change from the crime thriller that graces my bookshelves and infiltrates my reading time. I even passed it on.

So Perfect was a book I was wary of. How would an author follow a book as different as Harold with something equally leftfield and yet so different as to be beyond compare. Difficult to do.

Rachel Joyce introduces us to Byron at a time when he's in his youthful element, full of what ifs and whys.

When 2 seconds are added to a day he's not slow in realising that anything could happen in that space of time that until then would have been denied it's opportunity. And it does.

With no official notification of when the 2 seconds are added Byron nevertheless notices and registers the events with dismay.

Can he be the only one aware? Should he stay that way or tell?

With a mother desperate to keep up with the neighbours and a father who pops back home now and then to check that she is Byron resorts to his best friend James. Despite previous impressions of Byron James is the nerdy one!

Alongside events unfolding in the 70s (+2 seconds) we are told the story of Jim who is employed in a local cafe and struggling with OCD. The only smile in his life comes from a rebellious colleague who ignores his differences and gives him a semblance of confidence.

How do the two lives relate? Do they overlap, crash, imitate?

Whilst very different from Harold the book is written in the same gentle style. In Harold the point of the tale could not be missed, with Perfect the nuances are much more subtle.

Personally I preferred Harold but I'm honest, that's because I don't necessarily want to overanalyse a book, I simply want to read it.

Which was your preference and why?

Alex - Pierre LeMaitre

I admit I'm late to the party with this one. I missed the speeches, the drunken uncle and had the room to myself to enjoy the atmosphere.

Nearly to myself. I was joined by a very short detective, a very suave, very rich, almost savant detective, an amazingly frugal detective and their avuncular boss.

The case revolves around the search for Alex (female) who's been kidnapped. No-one knows who she is, no-one's reported her missing. A witness saw her taken so it's the job of Camille (male) and his two sidekicks to try and find her before it's too late.

It's been translated from the original French and I knew before starting that their crime fiction can be particularly graphic. It is here as well, but no more so than some of our homegrown writers.

The book's in three parts and is a roller coaster of a ride, good enough to send me to the shop for the second in the series, Irene.

The three detectives read in an interwoven way, feeding lines from each other, tolerating each other and being frustrated. A particular favourite theme of mine in the book is the character of Armand. You can almost see the incredulity on the faces of those that don't know him, the forbearance of those who work closely with him and the hidden anger of those he gently cons.

The only downside was when some digital photographs were found and still no-one knew a location. Is that still possible on digital? I thought the image data gave the game away on every amateur thanks to google.

Aside from that, stuck with it, loved it and am definitely taking my place at the pre-launch party next time!

The collected works of A J Fikry - Gabrielle Zevin

Ooooohhhh.....!
A fun book!

The last one I read was Mr Penumbra's 24 hour bookstore and that was last year.

Not because I deliberately avoid them but because they lurk in plain clothes on bookshelves.

As an avid reader and nerdy booklover I enjoy books about books so The collected works of A J Fikry by Gabrielle Zevin was going to end up in my sticky mitts at some point.

The snag being that when I went to Red Lion Books I could only remember from the blurb that "it's about a bookseller who has a baby dropped on his doorstep with a funny name, possibly Filkry" "author?" "no, sorry, I don't know that either"

Due credit to them, an excited young bookseller exclaimed "I know that one" and almost leaped across the shop to get it from the shelf it had sat on for a whole day.

Fikry it is then.
That's why I love bookshops.

Home with the purchase and it's a book that grabs you immediately and lets go around 4 hours later. So not a long book, not a complicated read, but fun.

Widower A J Fikry owns a bookstore on Alice Island USA.

The shop is open but he's lost enthusiasm.

He's got family support and local support but not his important person anymore.

Great characters surround him, a local divorced police officer, a sister in law married to a man who has trouble with zips, particularly those of the trouser variety and one day a baby is added to his circle. The baby has a letter attached asking him to care for it. Shortly afterwards the mother is found drowned.

He has no idea what to do with one of those but Google has its uses.

When he finds that the baby is due to be farmed out to any foster family he decides that a specific request from the mother gives him a certain obligation.

Life gradually changes.

So far so women's lit with a pink cover.

But that is underselling this one.

It has excerts from great books, it has a sub-story, mystery, a bit of crime, some romance, teenage angst, bookselling trials and tribulations.

Excellent, great one for a book club as well because nobody won't have time to read it.

Keep your friends close - Paula Daly

Following a quiet success with What kind of a mother are you? is Paula Daly's latest outing into the world of thrillers.

This one's better.

Natty has been married forever it seems and has got to the stage of marriage where everything is work and she's the one keeping all the balls in the air.

So her husband is ripe for the picking.

When her long standing best friend, Eve, arrives she's only pleased to see her and catch up on her news. Since Natty owns a hotel her friend is able to simply stay over when Natty's youngest daughter is taken ill on a school trip to France.

Sean, Natty's  husband is beside himself being left behind when Natty takes the last place on a flight to France so Natty is relieved to leave her family in Eve's capable hands. Quite literally in Sean's case.

When she gets home it's to an unrecognisable Sean who claims to be in love with Eve despite having only been in a relationship with her for a matter of days.

So far, so relatively simple.

But is Eve everything she appears to be to everyone?

The book raises the question of just how much do you know about people supposedly close to you?

If you don't see them for years and they say they've passed high level exams do you have any reason to disbelieve them?

Been married and divorced?

Their mother has died?

How would you react if maybe some of it wasn't true? And if you were the only one that knew? Would you be paranoid or enlightened?

So much in life we take for granted and Paula Daly flips all this on it's head.

And then slam dunks the finale home.

Brilliant ending. If you're one of those people who reads the last page to see if you'll like the book, don't. Just don't.

Publisher - Bantam Press

 Bantam Press

Freda's Voice Friday 56

"Eve's not being a bossy-wife substitute is she?" I say, laughing"

The Accident - C L Taylor

The Accident - C L Taylor

Wow.

This is what domestic abuse is. This is how it plays on your mind. This is how it spoils years afterwards even if you manage to get away.

This is extreme.

How powerful is emotional abuse and can it even change the shape of your body?

This is a psychological thriller with a vengeance.

A daughter lies in a coma and a mother is convinced there's a reason behind here accident. She sets out to confirm her suspicions but she's generally regarded as unstable by those around her who have no comprehension of the long lasting effects of the ordeal she suffered much earlier on in life.

Surely her abuser would have given up and it's therefore all in her mind?

Past and present run parallel.

This is one for fans of Elizabeth Haynes' Into the darkest corner.

Masterful.

Burning Air - Erin Kelly

As a family including a private school teacher, a magistrate and the perfect children the MacBrides should have a comfortable life.

And on the surface they nearly do. But every family has its secrets and this one is no exception. The secret however has affected another family and one member of that family has no intention of forgetting. Revenge is much more likely.

Having made, or helped to make, a decision which was to affect the rest of Darcy Kellaways life Mr Macbride is unaware of the actual impact of his decision.

Written in several voices starting with Lydia, the mother, the reader is led backwards and forwards through the history, learning from various angles the effect or lack of knowledge each character has been subjected to as a result of one decision.

While the MacBrides wait for the arrival of a new baby at the same time as it's grandmother is dying Darcy is scheming his revenge.

As a psychological thriller this is an excellent read with surprises throughout the book and a twist right at the end.

It seems an illustration of a damaged mind more so than a genetically warped one and the despair and frustration suffered by Darcy come across well. The small triumphs as his plan comes together are exactly that, very small, but in his mind they play a major part towards his ultimate revenge.

Just how far would a family member go to protect a family member, to try to please a member or even just to try and be what a parent wanted?

One of those books you pick up and put down only when it's finished.

Publisher – Hodder & Stoughton

The Silence - Alison Bruce

A second outing with Alison Bruce following The Siren.

Again it's a DC Gary Goodhew crime thriller. This time there are a series of deaths with accident and suicide amongst them going back a period of years.

For me Alison Bruce stands out because of her cutting wit. I get the feel reading some of the lines that she would make a pretty good stand up comedienne as well as being an excellent author.

Llewellyn-Bowes at his best would not be able to describe settings as accurately as Bruce and with him we usually have the advantage of being able to see the setting.

Add to that a complete awareness of characters and the whole thriller comes together near perfectly. Portrayal of an early victim gives a very clear picture of desperation.

The only group of characters without comparable substance for me were the potential victims. They just didn't come across as vividly as other players.

Subtle dynamics between the junior PC Gully, Goodhew's boss DI Marks, colleague Kincaide and Goodhew give added dimension to the book with very different relationships between each two people.

Kincaide is a character desperate to succeed and aware of his own failings. He covers this with blustering arrogance. It would be great to see his character a bit more in one of the next books.

At £18.99 for the hardback this was an expensive read but I got my pennies worth.

Would I buy another? Yes

Publisher - Constable

The boy who fell to earth - Kathy Lette

A drift away from crime thrillers to read the latest offering featuring autism/aspergers hot on the heels of Jodi Picoult. This one's more adept from a personal experience point of view as the author has a child with the condition.

For me the downside has to be the author's trademark one liners. In a book this thick they get incredibly wearing and take away from the enjoyment.

Overall the book's a reasonably ok read- what does happen to family dynamics when a child is diagnosed? Does a marriage make it? How do relationships work?

A chick lit with a bit of a twist.

Would I read another? No

Publisher - Transworld 

Stonemouth - Iain Banks

Having just got back from a place very, very similar to Stonemouth called Stonehaven close to Aberdeen this was tempting. And then someone gave it to me.

It was my first Iain Banks novel. Not my last.

It is an unusual tale of a lovestruck exile from Scotland who returns for a local gangsters funeral. The love of his life is the precious daughter of the gangster family and they're not best pleased to see him.

The reader meets the schoolfriends, the family, the gangsters and the local policeman. Throughout the book there is a feel of the slapstick and definitely some 'snerk' moments best kept for when you're not on the bus!

Parallel to today's storyline runs the history behind it, the schoolfriends growing up years and escapades and what went wrong in the love story.

Excellent fun book. Surprising with the number of references to Apple, Iphone that they're not the publishers – and now they get even more publicity.

Recommended for a change from the norm.

Publisher - Abacus

Grey Souls - Philippe Claudel

Following reading Monsieur Linh and his child it was an immediate trip out to buy another Claudel.

This one is written in the same spare way and is an especially thin paperback.

Similarly again it packs a punch at the end.

Based in France during the first world war it is set in a village close to the front. Within hearing distance of the fighting but with a population mainly exempt from call up through their occupations the village is privileged. It's also the first port of call for injured soldiers on their way back to hospitals.

After a young girl is killed the police, prosecutors and village people are keen to find the culprit quickly. Possibly the wrong culprit? The interrogation is brutal but there is no gratuitous violence in the book. Several story lines thread through including that of the prosecutor and the policeman adding their own harsh reality.

Another beautifully written book from Claudel leaving me looking forward to the next.

Publisher – Phoenix

Tales from the Mall - Ewan Morrison

Is this my definitive non fiction book for 2013?

Ewan Morrison leads us through the ideaology and intentions of the shopping mall.

With angles from location, people, layout, materials and planning policy this is an in depth book that reads easily for the subject matter.

Lots of researched anecdotal stories make it entertaining and mean that as much as we all had some idea of the tricks employed to keep us shopping you're bound to learn something you didn't already know.

Why are malls so shiny? Why are the restaurants where they are? Why do they serve the food they do? And why are employees shifts organised as they are?

We get an idea of the damage done by malls and the statistics of the numbers closing.

My favourite story relates to an old lady revisiting and trying to have her sandwich and flask of tea. Are you allowed to drink from your own flask in a mall?

The book covers mainly the UK and US so there's a good chance you'll be able to relate it directly to a place you know.

Highly recommended to make you think twice while shopping....especially when queuing to pay...

Would I buy another? Yes

Publisher - Cargo

Clay - Melissa Harrison

Is this this year's Night Circus? Or Snow Child?

It has the delicacy of Snow Child and the mystical essence of Night Circus.

Unlike Night Circus the landscape is very real and around us all at all times. Written by acclaimed nature writer Melissa Harrison the book takes 3 very different characters in an urban landscape and a relatively short time period.

Jozef is an immigrant of several years standing working to maintain a mean existence. TC is a child of a broken home who is a reader and adventurer/explorer in an age of xbox. Lastly, Sophia, a pensioner widow, living in her marital home long after it's show home glory has been eroded.

Gradually the three lives interconnect in an innocent manner reminiscent of times long past. Society, however, has moved on and sideways glances are inferred throughout the story.

What makes this book stand out is the setting of the tale. The urban landscape is painted over with the description of nature which abounds including the changes in the seasons – the new arrival of life, plants surviving, trees coppiced and sprouting. There's an element of nature to be admired in every layer of brick, crack in the pavement and derelict property.

That doesn't mean the reader is spared the harsher realities of urban warfare. There are tattoos, pit bulls, broken families, sadness and hunger present in the narrative.

This is a beautifully written book, not an off note in it at all, by a writer with an enviable vocabulary.

This one is my pick to soar high in 2013.

Would I buy another? Yes

Publisher - Bloomsbury

The Siren - Alison Bruce

I like DC Gary Goodhew. At last a police character that's not a divorced drunk with estranged children. But he does have quirks- a love of vintage films, a tendency to meditate and a bit of a feminine side. Add to that a large dose of sensitivity and you have a person most mums would love. And most daughters too once they'd got past the bad boy stage.

In this crime thriller we are first introduced to a couple, their friend and her son and very shortly after to the friend's ex-boyfriend who has locked in syndrome.

The cast of the book is extensive and characters re-appear chapters after they've first been introduced in a very passing way. You do need to keep track of the bit players.

Following a fire at the couple's house while they are babysitting the young son the child is nowhere to be found. Neither is the husband. But that would be too simple. So it's time for DC Goodhew to step in with his new permanently blushing female sidekick PC Gully and his colleague Kincaid.

There's a mystery to be solved

Part of the entertainment with this novel is the diversity of the characters-from miserable failure police officers to successful social workers (I'm sure I once knew the DC who hunches over the steering wheel only that one huffed as well). Great tongue in cheek humour.

There's an element of normal people, criminal underclass, police and press all with believable storylines. Steadily paced for the first three quarters and then romps home in an unexpected way.

Would I buy another? Yes- I missed my bus stop with this one!

Publisher – Constable and Robinson

Choked - Tania Carver

Tania Carver aka Martyn Waites shifts the focus away from Colchester in the latest Esposito crime thriller allowing readers a new view of the Essex coast and just touching into Ipswich. As a local this both detracts and adds to the enjoyment- I don't know as many of the places so I can concentrate more on the storyline. And the storyline has upped it's game as well. Much more twisty turny than the previous novels in the series. Esposito's child is taken and the race is on. It has an unusual concept with a released criminal being manipulated to try and clear his name. The criminal casts a sad character with a very sorry background which almost endears him to the reader. Overall this is a romping good read.

Would I buy another? Yes

Publisher Little Brown

The Sins of the Father - Jeffrey Archer

Is Jeffrey Archer a guilty secret? He is definitely a great story teller although his books do take very little time to read. The Sins of the Father is the second in the Clifton Chronicles of what looks to be 5 lined up. At the end of the last book our main character had stolen an identity only to find it was that of a murderer. In this book he ends up in prison....where he writes a diary....which is published...sounding familiar? Fortunately this part of the storyline doesn't overpower the rest of the story as we're led through 1939 in the UK, Tobruk and the US. Tongue in cheek humour is to be had as well providing added entertainment. Again the book ends on a cliff hanger ready for part three which I understand is to be published in early 2013.

Jeffrey Archer writes the sort of books that take only lightly longer to read than a decent sized magazine so on my value for money scale they're quite low. I will be reading the next one but again when it makes it to paperback.

Would I buy another? When I next take a train journey

Publisher – Pan MacMillan

Without Warning - John Birmingham

In a bookshop that was nearly empty of people on new year's eve I took advantage and looked around slowly. Without Warning was filed in amongst the crime fiction and as it was an author I hadn't heard of I settled in for a read of the first chapter. Cheeky maybe but not as cheeky as photographing it to buy from amazon/ebay/abe later.

The first little bit that I read dealt with a woman awaking from an accident and realising she had been using an alias to infiltrate a group and to compound the deception she had been pretending to to understand French. An impression she quickly dispels, accidentally. As a taster it is well written enough to warrant handing over the cash.

It's a 'what if' book and in this case America has been nearly wiped out by a mysterious 'wall'. It deals with the impact on the near community and also overseas repercussions including Cuba and France. From food shortages to riots to who is going to be the government now that New York is gone there's a wide variety in the book with a cast of very distinctive diverse characters.

Despite the dire situation that people are in the book still has a sense of humour running through it lifting the tone to an enjoyable entertaining 600 pages plus read. For those of us not immediately aware of who the prime minister of Venezuela it is adept enough at leading us through the different politicians involved in the various scenarios although it's slightly disconcerting reading about Tony Blair (not something I usually volunteer for).

The ending leaves us on a hook ready for the next in the series, due out in February 2013. It looks like a re-issue and it's a book that will appeal to Ken Follett fans, although it is likened to Tom Clancy. It could have done with less acronyms or maybe just more explanation of what they were but overall a great adventure sci-fi to read.

Would I buy another? Yes, in February 2013

Publisher Titan Books

The Patchwork Marriage - Jane Green

Several reviews gave the impression that this one was more than women's fiction and headed towards the clever “what if” of Jodi Picoult. For me it didn't make it. A step family and the dynamics with a father devoted to his daughter and a stepmother trying hard to create a new family. Unlikely situations and reckless teen behaviour abound with a definite lack of presence from the actual mother-disappointing.

Would I buy another? No, I'd trust my instincts

Publisher – Penguin Books Ltd

The Lighthouse - Alison Moore

On the Man Booker list which usually means I won't like it. Another one I heard of via twitter.

This is the story of the oddest character I have come across in a long time. Socially dysfunctional and brilliantly described it tells of the collapse of a relationship and the absolute unknown of the future. Given freedom it's surprising how many options there are. The lead character heads off to Germany and once there stays in the lighthouse of the title “Helle Haus”, a local inn. On meeting the landlady and her possessive, aggressive husband he is clearly unable to begin to see, let alone understand the undercurrents between the couple. The book flips between watching the lead character on his journey and the couple in their hotel. As he travels on and makes more and more bizarre decisions we are given glimpses into their relationship progressing rapidly downhill. The husband has great capacity for creating imagined scenarios but he is given cause to exaggerate by his wife.

Brilliantly written there is an element of finishing the story in your head as you reach the ending. Worthy of it's place and the list and well worth the cover price for a thin read.

Would I buy another by the same author? Yes

Publisher - Salt Publishing