A Dangerous Fossil - John J. Delaney

This book really does have it all; mystery, drama, twists and turns - and dinosaurs, so I was hooked from the start. The story unfolds as ‘Jurassic’ Jemma discovers the largest plesiosaur that has been found on the Dorset coast. She battles the tide, joined by a team of helpers led by her young nephew Billy, to excavate every last piece. This exciting discovery is a catalyst for a series of events that make you question which characters you can really trust, what their genuine motivations are and how far they’ll go to get what they want.

The story is multi-layered as we learn about the struggle to keep the local Lulcombe museum open, fending off developers who want to transform the area building a hotel, spa and casino on the land. Alongside these visions of what a future Lulcombe could be like, Jemma is taken back to her past as an old flame arrives with a keen interest in purchasing the dinosaur and reigniting their romance. 

A Dangerous Fossil moves at a fast pace and is a real page turner that keeps you guessing until the end. We get to know Jemma who, like all great protagonists, has her flaws and weaknesses and takes us on her personal journey as she tries to make sense of everything unfolding around her and seek the source of these dangerous, sometimes fatal, circumstances.

I can highly recommend this book, which would be a particlaurly good holiday read - especially if you are spending time on the Jurassic coast this summer. I am hoping that there are more of Jemma’s adventures to come as I’m sure she has some more exciting discoveries ahead, with some equally intriguing subplots and characters interlaced. 

Bradington Bay - Alaric Mark Lewis

When you first meet Edward at the start of the novel, you make an instant assumption about the kind of person he is; entitled, cold, mechanical,selfish. And he is all of those things to a certain degree. However, in the wake of a hurricane that has grounded all flights he sets out on a road trip across America to reach the place he spent his childhood. A place that pulls him with so many mixed memories. 

After a stark phone call with his boyfriend it seems that he has been, or is about to be, dumped. There is very little if any emotion displayed at this point. Nostalgia calls him and he sets off in his Range Rover. We travel forwards alongside Edward as his physical journey evolves, but we also travel backwards in time with him in a series of chapters that show him from a child growing up into a young man with an important surname to live up to. Within these chapters unfolds life changing events on many levels in and around Bradington Bay.

After meeting Hank randomly in a bar one night as he stops over in a motel on his way, he decides that Hank should join him on the trip, keeping him company. He feels comfortable with Hank and very quickly their conversations begin to open up about their complicated pasts.

The story splits into chapters from Edwards childhood and early adulthood to the present day, and gradually we see how the past has informed the future. Their exchanges and advice to each other (not always welcomed) illustrate beautifully what complex characters these fragile two men really are.

I read this book in 2 days and literally couldn’t put it down. It’s so beautifully written and incredibly sensitive in the depiction of relationships, both familial and romantic. Although only a short book it is so rich. Edward unfolds as a complex, thoughtful man, born into a very wealthy family, which has had it’s drawbacks as well as it’s benefits. Mistakes, or bad choices - or maybe just a simple lack of courage - have put him on a path that he has continued along for so long. 

For a debut novel this is such a powerful, important book, which I predict is going to be an instant hit.