City of Circles - Jess Richards

Let’s cut to the chase. Give this book an award now. Forget about shortlists and other delaying tactics, just hand over the award.

It’s as if Lewis Carroll and Franz Kafka have taken you by the hand and led you into a Max Escher picture of Gormenghast and The Magic Faraway Tree with refreshments by Timothy Leary. Such language, such imagination, such imagery. This book had me in its thrall right from the start. And I fear I may lack objectivity. In truth I do not know if this book is good or bad. But I do know that the Book Cupid shot an arrow into my heart with it. And this book requires an open mind and an open heart.

On one level it’s simply a story, whimsical, quirky; how about running away from the circus instead of to it? A story of love, loss, grief. A story of searching. A story of Danu, the tightrope walker. Populated with characters of intensity, it’s a richly layered tale. Magical realism is the genre if you require a genre. And you can enjoy it just on that level.

But on another level the prose just blew me away. The words are like jewels, precious stones. I wanted to say them aloud and let the phrases roll off my tongue forever. It’s a long time since I have been so overwhelmed by the consistent beauty of language in one book.

And within that language are truths and wisdoms that I just wanted to read and re read. There’s so much that should not be glossed over as ‘just’ the narrative in a fiction. There are words and notions here to be pondered and considered. There’s paradox after paradox, yin and yang sublime. The name of the city in the story, Matryoshka, gives something away, named after the nestling dolls, one inside another.

Reading is subjective, I’ve already vaguely alluded to that. In your life as a reader there are maybe a handful of books that really grab hold of you. I thought I was too old for it to happen again!! But it has. I will read and re read this book. I will gift a copy to as many people as I can. I will name it as one of my favourite books, not just this year but of all time. And I am humbled, for this book deserves better words than I can give it.

From the Shadows - Neil White

Wowsers! Never read a book by Neil White before, my loss absolutely. Thanks Nudge, for the opportunity. If you read no other legal thriller this year at least read this one. It is scrumptious!! You expect a twist at the end of thriller but at the end of the prologue?! Oh my, I never saw it coming. I am so tempted to do a spoiler here that, in spite of writing a review, I am metaphorically sitting on my hands I so want to share it!!

I loved this. Every single word of it. It’s like a one of those fireworks that explodes again each time you think its finished. Plenty of action but also plenty to think about.

Many courtroom dramas fail to strike a balance and there’s an overload, m’lord, of the courtroom protocols and procedures. Here all the narratives inside the court are so relevant and pertinent. As with most of the legal thrillers these days issues of integrity are raised. Do defence lawyers care about the truth and about real justice? I think these issues are admirably dealt with here without becoming sanctimonious at all. It comes across as very real. 

The cast of characters are diverse, many merely functional, others drawn with some depth so that we can begin to care about them. The plot is as tight as a tick. The writing flows easily and accessibly. I did find the time frames a little exasperating; it switched about more than I would like and I wasn’t entirely clear as to why. But it was a small price to pay for the quality of the rest of the story. 

There are some chilling moments. There are some hard to guess outcomes. It’s a fiction that involves the reader right to the end. The temptation to offer a saccharin conclusion is avoided, thankfully, the credibility  of the novel as whole would have been diluted. I’ve little negative to say. I really enjoyed it. So much so that I’m cutting this review short to go seek out some more Neil White.

Between Sisters - Kristin Hannah

This book was first published in 2003 but there must be sufficient confidence in it to republish in 2017 or maybe its a first UK publication? Several years ago I read a Kristin Hannah book. It was a freebie and I had minimal expectations from it. But I was pleasantly surprised and enjoyed it far more than I thought I was going to. So when the benevolent bibliophilists from Nudge Books made this novel available I was happy to renew my acquaintance with Ms Hannah,

I guess this is chick lit, romantic fiction if you’ve a need to pigeon hole it. Neither are genres that have the polarity to draw me towards them. But I do believe that if you are a reader/reviewer you must occasionally step outside your comfort zone to maintain an objectivity and broaden your horizons.

It would be too harsh to say that I didn’t enjoy this book but it won’t reach the higher echelons of my best reads this year list. It’s the work of an experienced writer with a proven track record. A writer who understands her craft, her audience and I salute that. 

Given the original publication date, yes, some bits are dated; the reference to Tony Soprano doesn’t have the same impact as it did in 2003. I think you have to bear that in mind as you read. The plot was predictable. Two sisters fall out, follow diametrically opposed lives and circumstances draw them back together. I’ll not be persuaded to give any more away than that. The plot is well thought out and the narrative moves along consistently. The writing flows.The characters are efficiently drawn. 

If you’re a sucker for a bittersweet, sentimental, emotional escapist novel you wont be disappointed. It’s schmaltzy,  It’s a tear jerker. But it’s meant to be. The kind of book you disappear and leave your life behind for the duration. Life isn’t really like this but who cares? It’s a story, it’s entertainment. and as such it’s superficial but some of these are the reasons people read. If you like a little more depth to your reading then maybe it’s one to miss. 

Death Makes a Prophet - John Bude

Very happy to reacquaint myself with Inspector Meredith again although I had to wait until a good half way through the book to do so! Bude’s crime novels always make me think faintly of Enid Blyton for grown ups. It’s almost as if this is what the Famous Five and the Secret Seven might be doing if we had followed them, Harry Potter style, into adulthood. 

I think it is important to remain mindful of the fact that these stories were originally written and published in the 1940/50’s. From an historical perspective one can marvel at the challenges that policing at that time demanded. Little in the way of forensics and certainly no digital tools. It’s all painstaking headwork and deduction. Makes for fascinating reading though!

However Bude’s books never seem to be just about the crimes. In this recent reissue from the British Library Crime Classics series the title alone should give a hint of what is to come! The first half of the book is a tongue in cheek indictment of what might be called New Age living although I don’t think the term had been coined at the time of Bude’s writing. It’s affectionately farcical with no real unkindness intended I don’t think. 

The characters are caricatures, exaggerations of personality types, people we’ve all come across in our lives at some point, (well maybe NOT the criminals and murderers!), who have their parts to play in the unfolding tragicomedy. And there are a lot of them! Many are stereotypical and functional, the gardener who spots the shadowy figure from his window. But the key players leap out of the page at you from their myriad walks of life and insist you engage with them.

Bude maintains a meticulous approach to plotting that almost takes your breath away! The attention to detail is impeccable. The ability of Meredith to arrive at the final denouement is almost a work of art! 

Does the book have something to say about religious cults? Perhaps not intentionally but I think it does have something to say about the people who might be recruited. 

Ultimately it isn’t a book to be taken seriously in most respects. It is book to be enjoyed. It’s an entertaining read that revels in its genre and should bring a smile to your face.

The Soldier's Curse - Meg and Tom Keneally

It works for P.J Tracy and for Nicci French so why shouldn’t it work for Meg and……. Tom Keneally!?

I did a double take, I really did, when I heard of this partnership. Possibly because I revere Tom Keneally. Schindler’s Ark had me visiting Krakow at the first opportunity to find Oskar Schindler’s factory!! However, practically, I doubt this book will see me jetting it to the Antipodes to find the site of the Port Macquarie penal colony. And not because I didn’t enjoy the novel. I did, I thought it was marvellous. 

I watched the BBC 2 drama series Banished, aired in 2015, which is set in an earlier period than this book but afforded me a strong visual connection with many of the incidents detailed in this novel. It also served to reinforce the accurate historical research that gives this story so much of its richness.

As well as being an historical novel it is also an intelligent and engrossing crime story. The first in the series the main protagonist is Hugh Monsarrat, erstwhile forger and fraudster, elevated to clerical work for the commander of the penal settlement. My research shows that the second book is already available in Australia and that an entire series is planned for Monsarrat. That’s all good news as far as I’m concerned. 

Initially I found I had to reread the first few pages and I feared this book would be an arduous read! But it was a merely a case of adjusting to the style of writing which having done so was wonderful. Set in 1825 the narrative is written in the vernacular of the time so effectively you almost find yourself thinking and speaking in the same way. It’s one thing to use extensive historical research effectively in a novel, factually,  but to capture the etymology of the time is skill indeed. 

The narrative is tight and the plot well constructed and accessible. It is the proving of the crime rather than the solving of it that becomes key in the latter stages of the book. But the reader is subtly allowed to accompany the characters as the fiction progresses rather than remain as bibliophilic bystanders. It was refreshing to be so involved in a story so far removed from contemporary life. 

The characters are substantially drawn and you warm or shrink from them as each deserves. I love it when ‘bit part’ characters are imbued with as much life as the main characters. There is some brutality in the book and the characters respond appropriately but there is also some wit, humour and warmth.

This is a solid and intelligent read. It’s story telling mainly but the history is interesting and informative. There is a comprehensive Author’s Note at the end which clarifies several points of fiction versus history.

I was delighted to received this book from Real Readers but even more delighted to actually read it. I look forward to more in the series which I believe features not only Monsarrat but Mrs. Mulrooney too. Who’s she, you ask? Go and read the book!!

The Dragonfly - Kate Dunn

This book has been shortlisted for the Virginia prize for fiction. It’s not an award I am familiar with but anything that manages to find its way onto a shortlist has got to be good, hasn’t it?

Also I have no idea what kind of karmic forces are at play here but I find that i, invariably, greatly enjoy books written by anyone with the name ‘Kate’ ! What’s that all about?

Even so, you know sometimes you pick up a book, glance at the cover, read the blurb and have no real expectations. You start reading. continue to be underwhelmed and then something changes, quite subtly. And what you thought was yet another ‘father wants to help estranged son on a murder charge by taking the granddaughter he’s never met on a boat trip through the waterways of France’ type story is elevated. 

I think that when you read a lot of books it becomes harder to find true originality and this book seemed full of situations and circumstances I felt I’d read before. Chocolat was frequently brought to mind. The storyline follows a parallel path with Colin and his granddaughter, Delphine, on the beautifully named boat, The Dragonfly and Colin’s son, Michael, in remand on a murder charge. The two work well and prevent the story from becoming one dimensional.

This is not a tale overpopulated with functional characters. These are ordinary people dealing with extra ordinary circumstances as best they can. They are well developed and believable in their deeds and emotions. The narrative is written from Colin’s perspective in the main but it never becomes one sided. What impressed me was the writer’s perception and understanding of the behaviours and emotions of a child struggling with an unenviable burden. I was moved to tears on more than one occasion. And its a rare book that does that to me.

It’s an undemanding read on most levels with a satisfactory conclusion, perfect to take away on a summer holiday, especially France! It’s not as superficial as chick lit, it has more depth but I guess if you want to categorise it it is a love story, a story about developing relationships on many levels but a love story with some substance. 

Calling Down the Storm - Peter Murphy

Some years ago I read a Peter Murphy book, Test of Resolve which I liked very much. I was delighted to revisit his work with this latest fiction, a court room procedural, the fifth novel featuring lawyer Ben Schroeder. This is the first in the series that I have read but it was perfectly accessible as a stand alone story.

The book deals with a murder case and subsequent trial with a sub story featuring the presiding judge that ultimately turns out to have a tenuous link to the case.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this. I marvelled at the legal process and the protocols that the legal profession follow to reach what is, hopefully, justice.

For me, the main character in this book is not, as you might expect, the lawyers, solicitors, judges, defendants, accused, no, it was the actual CASE itself! Everyone else were accessories, characters there with their parts to play in the tale and the legal proceedings. So it was hard, unnecessary even, to engage with many of the characters. Few had any endearing qualities and seemed two dimensional.

I fervently hope that this was the intention of the writer. If so, it was cleverly done, allowing the case to dominate and urging the reader to seek for the truth and for justice and concerning themselves wholly, with the ultimate verdict. If this was not the intention then all I have written about the characters may be interpreted as criticism. So be it!

Arguably the sub plot concerning the judge was more character driven but, even so, the characters did not invite us to engage with or even like them. They remained functional rather than personable.

The plot was tight, well constructed and well researched in all aspects not just the dominant legal ones. The writing is competent and confident.

The conclusion was enigmatic and slightly anti climactic after the urgent need for the reader to know the verdict.

But, is this is a good book? Not for me to judge (pun absolutely intended!). How about you read it ?