A Terrible Kindness by Jo Browning Wroe

In 1966 William Lavery has just qualified as the countries youngest embalmer. When the call comes from Aberfan for help following the disaster William doesn't hesitate to volunteer. Little does William realise that the sights he will see will have a lasting impact on him.

The opening section of this novel is set during the first few days of the Aberfan disaster. The descriptions of the scenes, the fortitude of the volunteers and the desperation of the families are heartbreaking. Based simply on these opening chapters this novel will stay with me for a considerable time. The thought of children being identified by the clothes they wore brings you to tears. The "lucky" parents had a body they could identify.

William Lavery is an endearing character, a gentle "old soul" molded by his middle class Britishness to have a stiff upper lip and family tragedy when he was 8 years old. As we follow William we discover his upbringing means he keeps relationships at arms length, despite having a loving family.

The supporting characters are wonderful, particularly his school friend Martin Mussey. Martin is a larger than life character, the type of friend anyone would wish for. Time spent with Martin's family have visions Enid Blyton style family get-togethers. The relationship between Uncle Robert and Howard also make you realise the lengths people had to go to to keep secrets and how much society has changed.

Music plays a huge part in William's life. Throughout the novel we see that music, no matter the genre, can be uplifting and joyful. Music can give people a sense of purpose, a reason to live or simply a brief escape from the desperate life they lead.

It is obvious to the reader that William is suffering from PTSD and this, combined with his upbringing, is part of the reason he struggles with relationships. William realises that he needs to return to Aberfan, to confront his nightmares and hopefully allow him to move forward.

Equally heartbreaking and uplifting, this was a joy to read.

 

The Last House On The Street by Diane Chamberlain

 

Kayla is apprehensive about moving into her brand new home. The house she and her husband designed together. The house her husband died in as a result of an accident during the building process. As unsettling things happen Kayla turns to the only other neighbours on the street for support. Little does she know that their stories are intertwined.

Nothing can beat a Diane Chamberlain novel for drawing you into a story. Small town America is so well described, with tight knit communities that you almost feel as if you live there. Everyone knows everyone else but it also means that secrets can be very hard to hide.

The small town of Round Hill is the setting for this story. We are introduced to Kayla in 2010 as she prepares to move into her new home. Interwoven with this is the story of Ellie, set in the same community in 1965.

Ellie's story is the backbone of this novel. As a young women she is striving to break free from the expectations of her small community and is fired up by the way in which society is changing. Determined to make a difference to society Ellie becomes involved in the civil rights movement.

As the story progresses the reader gains an insight into the struggles that took place trying to change the status quo, including the danger that many people put themselves in. We also realise that Kayla and Ellie's stories are linked, even though they are years apart, and that the picture perfect community hides a disturbing secret.

Insomnia by Sarah Pinborough

 

As Emma Averell approaches her 40th birthday she begins to suffer from insomnia. This fills Emma with dread as exactly the same thing happened to her mother and for the past 35 years her mother has been in a secure unit after attempting to murder Emma's sister. Emma is terrified that the family curse is about to strike her.

This book really lives up to it's title as you'll have insomnia wanting to find out how the story ends. The introduction really grabs the reader. Snippets of seemingly unrelated events:- a car crash, an acrimonious divorce, a family feud, a mentally ill mother and trepidation about an approaching birthday all pique the interest of the reader. How do the events fit together?

Emma Averell is a likeable character, she appears to have it all. She's a successful solicitor, has a lovely home and a stay at home husband raising the children. As we peek into Emma's life we realise that things aren't as perfect as they initially seem and added to this is the family history she has kept secret from everyone around her.

As Emma's fortieth birthday approaches the insomnia begins to set in. Her perfect life begins to unravel. As things begin to go wrong you get a real sense of fear intensifying. The loss of control starts to spiral and the descent into madness kicks in. Is Emma losing her mind or is she being manipulated?

Insomnia by Sarah Pinborough will be published in hardback and ebook format on 31st March 2022. My thanks to NetGalley and HarperCollins UK for a review copy.

The Last House On Needless Street by Catriona Ward

 

Ted Bannerman lives in a run down house at the end of Needless Street, hiding from the world around him. Following the disappearance of a young girl years ago Ted became a suspect in the disappearance. Despite being questioned by the police and the house being searched, no trace of the girl was found. Ted retreated into his home, avoiding the outside world where possible. Things come to a head when Dee, the older sister of the missing girl, moves in next door. Dee is convinced that Ted is responsible for her sisters disappearance and is determined to find out the truth.

The opening chapters are very intriguing. They draw the reader in and keep you reading, determined to find out more. 

There are four distinct characters. Ted has had a difficult past and it's obvious he has mental health issues. Initially it's difficult to determine if his past has caused the mental health issues or has his mental health caused him to commit a crime. His story, and his behaviour, is extremely erratic and this makes the reader feel some of the confusion that Ted suffers.

Dee is the sister of the young girl that went missing. She has never been able to move on from her sisters disappearance, feeling responsible for what happened years ago. As the story develops we begin to understand that Dee also has mental health issues as a result of the past. Those issues mean that she doesn't always behave appropriately, however she justifies them by the determination to discover exactly what happened to her sister.

The third character is Lauren, Ted's daughter. Lauren visits Ted occasionally and her behaviour is extremely challenging for Ted to deal with.

The final character is Olivia, Ted's cat. Olivia's thoughts are expressed on the page as if she were a person. Olivia is very protective of Ted but doesn't get on well with Lauren.

As the story progresses and the characters begin to interact you realise that things aren't as straightforward as you first think. Slowly you begin to piece things together and draw conclusions, however even then not everything is as it seems. Each character is an unreliable narrator and it's only at the end that everything fits together like a jigsaw.

Into The Dark by Fiona Cummins

When Julianne Hillier turns up at her friend Piper's house for their pre-arranged weekly run there's no-one home. The whole family, mother, father and two teenage children are missing. It's as if the family were simply plucked from the kitchen in the middle of breakfast. Phones are on charge, school bags at the door and the family cars are on the drive. When the police arrive they notice spots of blood on the chandelier and discover a message scrawled in blood on a mirror in a bedroom. Have the family run from trouble or has something more sinister happened?

This is a story full of intriguing characters. No-one is quite as they seem and everyone has at least one secret they are hiding. As the story develops we begin to see how some of the characters and situations are manipulated by others, like a chess player setting up an attack.

The story isn't relayed in a linear fashion. We move regularly between days before the disappearance and days after the disappearance, along with the perspective of different characters. This constant shifting keeps the reader unsettled, constantly guessing about the who, the why and the how.

After numerous twists in this page turner the reader is still left, intentionally, with one or two unanswered questions. 

I particularly enjoyed a couple of the "minor" characters; Saul Anguish and Dr Clover March. Whilst they played essential roles in the storyline both characters have so much more to offer. Hopefully they will feature in their own spin-off.

Into The Dark by Fiona Cummins will be published on 14th April 2022 in hardback, ebook and audio format. My thanks to NetGalley and Pan Macmillan for a review copy.

 

Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus

Elizabeth Zott is a single mother in 1960's America. By accident she becomes the host of a daytime cookery show. Using her background knowledge as a chemist as part of her cookery demonstrations, Elizabeth offers a wake-up call to thousands of under appreciated housewives.

Elizabeth Zott is a wonderful character; beautiful, intelligent, outspoken and refuses to conform to societal norms. Unfortunately Elizabeth lives in 1950's/1960's America where the role of women is to run the home. Throughout the novel Zott refuses to conform to cultural stereotypes and despite repeated set-backs she is determined to succeed.

The novel deals with a number of difficult topics, women's role in society, homosexuality, unmarried mothers, sexual harassment and domestic violence to name a few. At times you are screaming because of the way in which society dealt with those issues at the time and then you are questioning how far we've actually progressed in 60 years.

We meet a wide range of characters, some who enhance Elizabeth's life and some who relish the chance to undermine her. In most cases karma is waiting in the wings to deal with each character as they deserve. The way that the characters are introduced over time and then revisited, along with the quirkiness of having asides from a dog, is reminiscent of early John Irving. 

Although the story is set in 1950's and 1960's it offers a very modern message, we need more "people who refuse to accept the status quo, who aren't afraid to take on the unacceptable". I predict this book will be a massive hit and it doesn't surprise me that it's been picked up by Apple TV to become a series.

Lessons In Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus will be published on 5th April 2022 in hardback, ebook and audio format. My thanks to NetGalley and Transworld Books for a review copy.

The Echo Man by Sam Holland

Jess Ambrose becomes the prime suspect when her house is burnt to the ground and her husband dies. Escaping from hospital Jess takes shelter with Nate Griffin, a detective on sabbatical who believes Jess is the target of a serial killer. A serial killer who is copying the murders of some of the worlds most infamous killers. As Jess, Nate and the police force try to track the elusive killer, dubbed "The Echo Man", the killer becomes more prolific with an endgame in sight.

Not for the faint-hearted, this story is full of graphic detail as the protagonist mimics the murders of some of the worlds most prolific serial killers. The story moves with pace taking the reader from one infamous crime to the next at blistering speed. You can feel the terror of the victims as they are hunted and killed.

As the story progresses we are given glimpses of the background of "The Echo Man" which give the reader some understanding of his nature. We also realise that he's an extremely intelligent individual and it's this intelligence that allows him to evade the police.

Along with Jess and Nate the other main characters are Cara Ellis, a police woman and Nate's sister, and Noah, Cara's partner in the police force. All of the characters are flawed and "The Echo Man" uses those flaws to make his attacks personal. 

As the story moves towards it's conclusion you wonder if "The Echo Man" is going to succeed in achieving his endgame, and who his final target is, or will the police be able to figure out in time who he is. Numerous twists throughout keep the reader guessing right until the end.

The Echo Man by Sam Holland will be published in hardback and ebook format on 14th April 2022. My thanks to NetGalley and HarperCollins UK for a review copy. 

 

December 2021 Reads

 

Unfortunately my reading mojo hasn't returned and I only managed 7 books in December. Keeping everything crossed that there is a return to form in 2022.

None of the seven books I read really blew me away, however nothing I read was really bad. Of the books I read the ones I enjoyed the most were:

You Never Said Goodbye by Luca Veste, a tense thriller with lots of misdirection and plenty of action. I enjoyed the way the different time periods progressed throughout the story.

A change from my normal thriller/crime reading was Impossible by Sarah Lotz. A romance that doesn't sit nicely in the romance genre. Wonderful characters that you are really rooting for.

A new author to me was T. M. Logan and his novel, The Curfew, has made me want to search out his previous novels. The author takes an everyday, family event and really turns it on its head. The story must be the nightmare of every parent who has teenage children.

Once again my thanks to NetGalley for the proofs which allowed me to read these books ahead of their publication dates. Dates to watch out for are:

The Long Weekend by Gilly Macmillan, published 3rd February 2022

The Interview by C. M. Ewan, published 17th February 2022

You Never Said Goodbye by Luca Veste, published 17th February 2022

The Paris Apartment by Lucy Foley, published 3rd March 2022

Run Rose Run by Dolly Parton and James Patterson, published 7th March 2022

Impossible by Sarah Lotz, published 17th March 2022

The Curfew by T. M. Logan, published 17th March 2022