Mr Brigg's Hat – Kate Colquhoun

Author Kate Colquhoun very kindly sent me a US paperback copy of her last book – Mr Brigg's Hat (or Murder in the First Class Carriage as it is known across the pond). It was an incredibly exciting read and one I can't stop recommending. 

The book tells the extraordinary tale of a crime, the pursuit of a suspect and the ensuing path through the justice system. 

The particularly violent crime takes place in a railway carriage (for the first time in this country) and it shakes the middle classes, who realise their vulnerability in travelling in this way. The trains may be fast and convenient, but there is no way of alerting the driver should they find themselves in difficulty. The carriages at this time were all separate so the only way in or out was through the doors on either side when they were unlocked during station stops. So when an empty blood-soaked carriage is discovered the puzzle begins. 

Whilst highlighting the changes that have taken effect since the crime took place, it also makes plain the things that really haven't changed – the fervour of the press, the public's appetite for details and the urgency for a perpetrator to be found. It also reveals the early changes in attitude that were starting to emerge regarding public hanging and capital punishment. 

I really don't want to give away the conclusion and spoil the journey that this book takes you on. The insights you get into Victorian society really are fascinating; attitudes to crime and punishment; the excitement of the press; our keen interest in murder and the great leaps in progress that took place during this period are enthralling. 

After reading books like this it always gets me thinking about how many more incredible stories are lurking in the archives of our history waiting for someone to unearth. Let's hope great writers like Kate keep digging for them.

Bellman & Black - Diane Setterfield

It's been a long time coming, but certainly doesn't disappoint. Bellman & Black, Diane Setterfield's soon to be released second novel, has that same wonderful feel as the Thirteenth Tale; an atmosphere of unease, that all isn't quite as it seems; the apprehension that the story will suddenly tilt on its axis. 

We are introduced to Will at the age of ten, playing with his friends in the fields near their home, where a childish bet culminates in the unnecessary death of a rook. Will repents his action as soon as the stone has left his catapult and secretly hoped the rook would take flight before it was hit. His friends are stunned by his incredible skill, but he desperately regrets what he has done. It disturbs him to such an extent that he puts the event out of his mind and hopes to never think on it again.

He grows up to become a hard working, meticulous, liked and respected businessman which starts with the opportunity at his family's mill and leads to a very successful career.

But an encounter with a stranger - Mr Black - changes his direction in business. But who is he? Does he even exist? Has anyone else seen him? On what basis does their relationship rest? Is it a projection of himself - a figment of imagination perhaps, from a mind that has seemed so well balanced and logical? 

Set in the Victorian era with a dark, gothic feel embracing the attitudes towards death and the lengthy  mourning period that must ensue, the life and ambitions of William Bell are told.  The book is full of beautifully illustrative imagery that conjure up some startling and unsettling scenes making this a perfect Halloween read, for instance:

"At the graveside, fingers of lucid September sun pointed at the coffin and at the pit". 

The recurring theme of the rooks, their nature and mythology is a great device that keeps the tension building. The reader is introduced to a multitude of terms used to describe a group of rooks. After finishing this novel I'd be inclined to say that this group of rooks is a masterpiece of storytelling. 

It's out this October and is one of my favourite reads this year. 

Joyland – Stephen King

King is a superb storyteller and the first 75 pages hooked me in. The beach, the rides and fairground culture, the shies and the shooting range. He is great at setting the scene, directly addressing the reader and pulling you into his characters world. But it then fell quite flat and the high expectations I had initially built weren't fulfilled. The last 80 pages picked up a little as the story headed towards its conclusion but I felt very disappointed once I'd reached the end.

The front cover suggests a much more dramatic tale than actually unfolds. It is a mystery more than anything with a supernatural touch – only really just a touch – but definitely not what I would class as a horror. On re-reading the description on the back cover I would say the story of first love and growing up is probably a closer match to what this book is really about. And maybe that was my misinterpretation.  

I like to be frightened. I want to jump when I hear a sound outside of the little bubble I always inhabit when I open up a Stephen King novel. I want to be spooked and left questioning and doubting the actions or motives of the shifty, suspicious characters I always encounter in his stories. And none of that happened for me.

This felt like it might be better suited to a short story rather than a novel, although it only actually took a couple of days to read so no time lost!

I am ashamed to say I have never read The Shining, but am getting caught up in the hype for the sequel coming out very soon (Doctor Sleep) so might have to read that in the very near future so I am ready for his next release. 

The Poisoned Island – Lloyd Shepherd

Another superb tale of mystery, myth and crime unfolds in Shepherd's latest novel. Following on from the English Monster, which introduced us to the wonderful sleuthing duo of Harriott and Horton  and their quest to introduce detective work into the role of the police, we find them undertaking an equally tangled and seemingly inexplicable case. 

It involves a number of sailors meeting a grisly disturbing end following  a voyage of discovery to Otaheite (Tahiti today). The shipmates and their captain all have something to hide from their journey to collect exotic botanical examples to fill Kew Gardens. The story travels back and forth so that the present day case unfolds alongside the background context filling in the details behind the  characters, motives and actions.

Once again we have some true historical details which the story is framed around so you really get a feel for the period, along with the keen desire for knowledge that was prevalent during this time.

I think I enjoyed this one even more than The English Monster, which I would urge readers to go for first. Not simply because it's a great story (up for the HWA this year no less!) but also because I think Harriott and Horton's characters and relationship are worth following right from the beginning. They'll quickly become an endearing pair you'll look forward to following in this gripping series.

Kiss Me First – Lottie Moggach

How much can you infer from studying someone's email correspondence? From the varied ways they choose to greet and sign off their communication to others? Or the version of the persona they choose to present? How easy is it to assume that persona, creating the illusion that they still exist, when they may not? What bits matter? How meaningful are those 'in-jokes' and how important are they to people and their relationships?

Leila is of the strong opinion that people have the right to choose their own future and the time upon which they want to end their life. She sets out to help Tess fulfil her human right and achieve it in the most humane and sensitive way. She assumes Tess's identity whilst she disappears abroad to take her own life after telling friends and family she wants to get away from it all and start afresh. Then Leila takes over all correspondence online – emails, facebook etc until Tess is expected to gradually fade out of everyone's lives. She'll be forgotten and people will lose touch. Job done.

But Leila starts to enjoy living Tess's virtual life. And suddenly the line blurs between the real world and her online world. Their characters that started out at polar opposites begin to meld. The 'best' of Tess merges with the 'best' of Leila – in her eyes at least.

This is an incredibly relevant novel to the world today and our obsession with our online presence. It explores the personas that we create and how far from the truth they can be. It looks at the Facebook generation and our interpretation of 'friends' on this platform. It takes you through the fantasy and the repercussions that occur when that fantasy comes crashing into real life.

I think this book is going to be huge. I read it over the last bank holiday weekend and could not put it down. It's bizarre and somewhat fantastic, yet so real and enthralling you really do need to keep going to find out just where it will all end. It mingles the discomfort you might have felt watching the film 'Single White Female', with the page turning quality of the likes of 'Gone Girl' or 'Before I Go To Sleep' and stays with you long after you've  finished it. This will be a great one to discuss at Book Clubs. I can't wait till it's release so I can start discussing it with others!

The Devil's Ribbon - D.E. Meredith

We're back in 19th century London in all its festering beauty and intrigue.A cholera epidemic is keeping Hatton and Roumande busy at the morgue, whilst a tale of Irish unrest in the heart of the capital fed by a history of inequality and betrayal unfolds.This is turning into quite an addictive crime series and I can't wait for the next instalment. The characters are totally endearing and feel like old friends now. Their crusade to develop forensic examination techniques, to ensure that criminals are identified and punished for their crimes, becomes even more relevant now that that they have to work alongside the rather flamboyant  Inspector Grey - who doesn't always care for little details like evidence that might stand in the way of closing a case. Devoured (see my earlier review last year) was superb and this follow up does not disappoint. Let's hope there's lots more to come!

Autobiography of Us - Aria Beth Sloss

In the opening chapter Rebecca refers to her friendship with Alex as ‘braided’ which is a great description of how their lives remained forever intertwined since that unlikely childhood friendship began.
Their friendship is a complex entanglement of trust, admiration, love and betrayal which is a consuming mass of emotions that sits at the heart of their very existence. It’s as fragile as it is deep, as spiteful as it is loving.This book explores two girls aspirations to become the individuals they aspired to be, to achieve more than their parents were able and the struggle they experienced to think and behave in new ways that would transform their lives in this era. 
Set in the early 1960s onwards attitudes towards education, affluence, sex, sexuality and race are all explored through Rebecca’s eyes illustrating the impact these all have on a generation of young women trying to strike out on their own and achieve their own versions of success. In the background to Rebecca’s story the effect of the last financial crash, the Vietnam war and race relations all simmer.
At the heart of this debut novel Sloss captures the female struggle through the enduring friendship and the different paths Rebecca and Alex pursue. The story was so fresh and engaging it really kept me speculating where it would eventually lead and ultimately who Rebecca was really addressing in her narration. I really couldn’t put it down until I had finished it. Rebecca's voice felt so genuine and natural as if she were directly opening up to me to reveal her incredible story. 

The Sense of an Ending - Julian Barnes

How well do we really remember events from times gone by? An action, tone of voice or glance that we interpret and store away. Do we sometimes choose a more favourable version of a memory that shows us in a better light, allowing us to live with ourselves a little more comfortably?

Tony has gone through life seemingly with little impact on those around him. He’s coasted through an average unassuming life - work, retirement, marriage and a thoroughly amicable divorce. He presents to us his recollection of his youth; the clique he belonged to; the ex girlfriend he never really understood and the tragedy of his closest friend Adrian that punctuates the end of his student life. All these memories are revisited and reevaluated when he finds out he has been left Adrian's diary in a will.

Barnes takes us through a fascinating, thought provoking exploration of Tony’s past at a pace that keeps you trying to figure out what has really happened. When the conclusion unfolded it struck with such effect that it stayed with me long after I finished reading it. The first time I read it I wanted to start it over again as soon as I had got to the end. I wanted to go back and see what I had missed and re-read it with the knowledge of the ending in mind. It’s one to keep on the shelf and revisit.  

The Beauty of Murder - A.K. Benedict

Stephen Killigan joins Cambridge University as a lecturer in Philosophy  and soon discovers the body of a beauty queen wearing an ancient stone mask who went missing a year previously. But by the time he has alerted the police the body vanishes and the reliability of his account comes into question. This deeply unsetting encounter leads him to make his own investigations into what happened and introduces him to a dark side of Cambridge he could never have imagined. 

The story unfolds across the centuries as he searches for the truth. And the elusive Jackamore Grass, the villainous culprit is luring him along the way. Is it possible to catch him? Does he want to be caught? 

This is crime fiction with a compelling twist. It's a fantastic debut that leaves you wanting to read more. The idea of time travel in any kind of novel would never normally appeal to me, but it is done so elegantly it just transported me back and forth without protest. 

The vivid characters and settings evoked draw you into this sinister tale with a darkly gothic feeling of a hidden Cambridge, where on the opening page the scene is set "as the sky is in liver mortis". And the cold seeps into your bones just as it does Stephen's. It's a chilling read you won't be able to put down and one I can't recommend highly enough. I guarantee you will want to share tea and a packet of Custard Creams with the enchanting Iris Burton!! 

Fingers crossed A.K. Benedict follows this up with an equally absorbing sequel.

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time - Mark Haddon

Christopher discovers the dead body of a pectin his neighbours garden and sets out to find who is the culprit of such deed. This simple premise opens out to illustrate the life of an Aspergers Syndrome sufferer and the impact that has on their family. It also provides an insight into how Christopher is treated by society as he explores and investigates outside his immediate comfort zone and routine. 

Christopher's direct first person narrative creates a very powerful voice that speaks out to all those unfamiliar with the world of an Aspergers sufferer. The way that he strives to function within everyday life and the processes and logic he has to apply to get through the day is quite exhausting to read. 

It's a very easy book to read, save for the passages of mathematical problems and reasoning that pepper the narrative. But this is the first time I have managed to get my head around the Monty Hall problem, to the point where it hash started to make sense! I believe that I read this elsewhere in The End of Mr Y by Scarlett Thomas, but no amount of slow re-reading made any sense to me at the time. 

Looking forward to seeing the stage production of this novel next month which has had fantastic reviews. 

What Was Lost - Catherine O'Flynn

Every character in this story, however minor some may be, is experiencing loss of some kind. For some it is the physical and emotional loss of a loved one, lost through a debilitating health issue or a death. Other have lost their way in their career or personal life. A relationship that's coasting and going nowhere or a job which is mid numbing and depressing. There is also a sense of people being trapped, having trapped themselves creating false barriers which keep them locked in their current predicament because of lost confidence and self esteem. 

There are lots of issues that everyone will be able to relate to in this novel. We all have that feeling from time to time that we may be treading water. O'Flynn's acute observations come across so well especially her descriptions of working in a record shop. How it makes people feel and behave and the kind of people that work there. These experiences are drawn from her personal previous experience of working in that environment. 

I hadn't come across her before and only discovered this book through my Book Club. It's a hard book to categorise as there are elements of all sorts of genres - mystery, detective, thriller and a little supernatural. Is what i would refer to as one of those slices of life that give you an insight how different people live and are affected by a common event. I'll definitely look out for her other books now and would recommend this to anyone who is perhaps between books and unsure what to pick up next.

Cloud Atlas - David Mitchell

"In the first set, each solo is interrupted by its successor: in the 2nd, each interruption is recontinued, in order. Revolutionary or gimmicky?"

So says Robert Frobisher in the concluding part of his story. But surely David Mitchell is provoking us at this point to our own conclusion on his incredible collection of tales spanning the past and future in 'Cloud Atlas'. I'd forgotten what a masterpiece this book actually is, having just re-read it in time for the release of the film this week. It's one I always intended to go back to, after enjoying but struggling a little with it the first time round. There are some stories more appealing to me than others, just like the first time, but the quality of writing and the concept of each story interlinking with the next across the different eras still makes me wonder at the accomplishment of this book. And I am astonished that it missed out on the Man Booker Prize back in 2004.

One of the strongest  themes that appear in the book is the importance of stories. Imparting and recording them for those in the present and future, both vocally and in writing. The purposes vary from instructing, informing, exposing or just simply sharing and entertaining. Clearly stories from Christianity, although the religion itself is not mentioned in those set in the future, have continued to be shared in some form. This is evident in the language used on more than one occasion to describe telling on someone, referred to in the narrative as 'judasing'. Even though we find an unfamiliar spirituality in the last (middle) tale set far in the future beyond exploration and colonisation of foreign lands, radioactive fallout and cloning on an industrial scale this term still appears.

It's not a quick or easy read, but incredibly rewarding and worth staying with to the end even if it does seem a little  bewildering at times. I am intrigued to see how all (or any!) of this could possibly be conveyed on the big screen sufficiently. Hopefully it will encourage those who haven't read it to grab a copy and go on the complete journey across different geographies and time. So revolutionary or gimmicky? Simply 'magnificent' sums it up perfectly. 

The comparisons to be made between the first story set back in the 19th century and the final post-apocalyptic pinnacle pose some interesting questions; where does conflict, tribalism, technology, power struggles, greed and competitiveness really get us? Do we evolve or just go backwards? Or does nothing really change in the grand scheme of things? In every tale there is something good that is revealed about human nature, be it the quest for justice or our powers of creativity.

The English Monster - Lloyd Shepherd

Was the right person convicted for the appalling atrocities that went down in history as the Ratcliffe Highway Murders? Lloyd Shepherd weaves his own story of piracy and ancient curses around one of the most infamous crimes to take place in London. We move back and forth across time and characters to gradually discover the monster at the heart of the novel. We meet policemen who are keen to explore the revolutionary idea of 'detecting' as opposed to simply listening to hearsay and drawing the obvious conclusion.

It's hard not to spoil the story by giving too much away, but it covers the genres of crime, historical fiction and fantasy so should have a wide appeal. So many questions fill your head at the start, but gradually the answers unfold as you get deeper into the book.

And thankfully Harriott and Horton, who succeed in their quest to investigate what really happened, return in Shepherd's latest book 'The Poisoned Island' released at the end of this month!

Hotel du Lac - Anita Brookner

After an incident that causes her friends more embarrassment than herself it seems, Edith Hope takes a break at the hotel de Luc in Switzerland. Her aim is to let all the fuss die down and concentrate on writing her next novel in a tranquil environment in which she can focus, where she is unknown to the guests that surround her.

She is soon befriended by the glamorous Mrs Pusey and her daughter Jennifer, who share a very close, somewhat bizarre, relationship. She becomes their regular companion and then shortly gets to know the enigmatic Mr Neville who propositions her with a life she feels compelled to take. But her ideas of love, both from personal experience and the kind of love she writes about, challenge her decision.

It's a very well written short novel, reminding me a little of Ian McEwan's On Chesil Beach, where such a short period of time is analysed under the microscope. The story goes back and forth so that we can fill in the details of what brought Edith to the hotel. I found it quite hard to determine when the novel is set. The language and character descriptions tended to hark back to a later period than it actually intended - more of a feel of the 40s. Had it been a larger book I may not have persevered as it wasn't the most exciting or gripping story, but it was a reasonable short read.

Gone Girl - Gillian Flynn

A wife goes missing in suspicious circumstances on her fifth wedding anniversary and all you have to go on is her husband's version of events, the crime scene and a diary charting her last 7 years. The story soon shapes up to be pretty cut and dried. But is it? Confusion and contradictions ensue and suddenly you start to question who is really telling the truth. The further you get into the book the more you get to know the characters and their motives.

The story twists and turns and you really don't know how it will all end until you get there. This is one of those ultimate page turners, in the same vein as Before I Go To Sleep by S J Watson. A really great thriller that keeps you guessing. One I am recommending to lots of people at the moment, whilst desperately trying not to give anything away!

(No picture for this one, i read this on my kindle but this book seems to be everywhere at the moment so easy to find). 

The Misinterpretation of Tara Jupp - Eva Rice

Meet Tara Jupp - one of a very large family brought up in the rural idyll of Cornwall, discovered for her remarkable singing voice and transported to London. Set in the swinging sixties Tara's naive world suddenly expands as she meets the rich and influential, all chasing fame and notoriety. Along the way her elder, more attractive sister Lucy is carried along with Tara and her sub story runs in tandem.

It's a nice enough tale, but very romanticised - the portrayal of London in this era is not the one you'd expect. It may be inhabited by rock stars and bohemian characters at eccentric parties, but nothing like the wild, edgy excitement usually associated with such an influential and creative decade. It's an easy read and the story carries you along perfectly adequately, but everything works out in the end far to neatly. Every girl gets to be with the guy they want and are destined to be with and it's all happy ever after.

This book wouldn't  encourage me to read any more of Eva Rice's novels, which is a shame as her previous one seems to have had some great reviews. Wouldn't surprise me if this one gets adapted for TV. It has that sunday night slot feel to it!!