There was slightly more variety than usual in my reading in April. My preferred genre of thrillers was well represented but I also managed to get through three "feel good" books. This month I also decided to try an audiobook.
Seven thrillers this month and not a bad one among them. I discovered the cosy crime series featuring The Queen in The Windsor Knot by S. J. Bennett. The author did a fantastic job of writing the role of The Queen to fit everything we know about her but also bring something new by turning her in to a sleuth. I enjoyed this so much I've just started the sequel, A Three Dog Problem.
April was the month when I discovered the Cyrus Haven series from Michael Robotham. I thoroughly enjoyed Good Girl, Bad Girl in which we first meet Cyrus Haven and problem teen Evie Cormac. As well as solving a murder along the way we get to hear about the tragic and harrowing backgrounds of both characters, however by the end of the book you just want to know more! Thankfully the author addressed most of the unanswered questions in the sequel When She Was Good. This time round the story focused on Evie's origins. This book was my joint favourite for the month.
Other thrillers for the month included The Lies I Tell by Julie Clark, about a female con-artist and the lengths she goes to in order to seek revenge. Karin Slaughter came up trumps with the engrossing Girl, Forgotten which spans two timelines to recount an unsolved murder. Fans of The Sanatorium by Sarah Pearse will enjoy the authors second novel, The Retreat. An idyllic holiday get-away on an isolated island turns into a nightmare when a guest is murdered. My final thriller of the month was Nobody But Us, the debut novel from Laure Van Rensburg. An attractive couple decide on a romantic weekend away, unfortunately he's a bit of a slime-ball and about to get his comeuppance.
I do like to read the odd "feel good" novel as a break from all the thrillers, somehow this month I managed three of them. The Secret Life Of Albert Enwistle by Matt Cain features the wonderful character of Albert who proves that it's never too late to change. This is a love story with a twist. It's a while since I read anything by Mike Gayle, thankfully The Museum Of Ordinary People didn't disappoint. A story about what is valuable to us because of the memories. I must look out the Mike Gayle books I've not read.
Back in February I was fortunate to receive a review copy of The People On Platform 5 by Clare Pooley (published on 26th May 2022). I loved this book so much I decided to try Clare's first novel, The Authenticity Project. This book turned out to be my joint favourite of the month. A wonderful, eclectic mix of characters who show what being a community is all about. Joyfully uplifting.
This was the month I also decided to try an audiobook. I sometimes feel as if I'm wasting valuable reading time, usually if I go for walk, spend time on a jigsaw or on a long car journey (unfortunately I'm unable to read in the car). It dawned on me that audiobooks would help overcome this so I got a copy of The Housemaid by Freida McFadden. I wasn't really taken with the narrator's voice to begin with but as the story progressed you realised it was an important part of the characterization. At the halfway point the story really took off and I was engrossed until the end. Audiobooks are here to stay for me.
Publication dates to watch out for are:
The Secret Life Of Albert Entwistle by Matt Cain, paperback published on 1st June 2022
The Lies I Tell by Julie Clark, published on 2nd June 2022
Girl, Forgotten by Karin Slaughter, published on 23rd June 2022
The Museum Of Ordinary People by Mike Gayle, published on 7th July 2022
The Retreat by Sarah Pearse, published on 21st July 2022
No comments:
Post a Comment