July 2022 Reads

 

Not sure about anyone else but the warm weather really had an effect on me last month. No sooner had I picked up my book to read but I wanted to have a snooze. Reading time was also eaten into by four trips to the cinema. Finally catching up on all the blockbusters I wanted to see but also the luxury of sitting in an air-conditioned room for a couple of hours.

There was slightly more variety in books during July. Starting with the books that don't fall into the thriller catagory we had Love Untold from Ruth Jones. I enjoyed the story of four generations of women from one family and how circumstances had molded them. The main character, Grace, is wonderful and her story is the most surprising of all. Every time a character spoke I just had Nessa's voice in my head.

Another book outside my normal genre was Christmas At The Borrow A Bookshop by Kiley Dunbar. This is the sequel to The Borrow A Bookshop Holiday which I haven't read but that really didn't matter to the story. Set in a quaint coastal village people pay to rent and run the local bookshop as as a staycation. In the run up to Christmas it's the turn of Magnus Sturluson who has recently split up from his girlfriend and also seen his own bookshop business fold. Lots of eccentric characters populate the village and help Magnus realise that things will get better. It felt very strange reading a book with "Christmas" in the title during July but there really wasn't much of a holiday theme, it was more about winter.

The remainder of the month was devoted to thrillers. Author Jack Jordan was new to me when I picked up Do No Harm. The story really packs a punch right from the start. You really do wonder how surgeon Anna Jones is going to rescue her kidnapped son. Will she do as the kidnappers have demanded and kill the prominent politician she is to operate on? A great beginning and end let down by a weak middle section and too many coincidences.

David Fennell was another author new to me this month. I have his second novel, See No Evil, near the top of my TBR pile but wanted to read The Art Of Death first. Shocks abound in this story about an anonymous artist who uses dead bodies in his work. DI Grace Archer is in a race against time to discover his identity. Loved the character of Grace Archer, damaged, vulnerable and formidable. I really do hope we haven't seen the last of her.

The rest of the reads this month were all five star reads. At this stage I'd normally say that it's impossible to chose between them but that's not quite the case this time around.

I struggled initially with The Island Of Lost Girls by Alex Marwood, lots of different threads over different time periods were a little confusing. Once I'd got to grips with the different characters I was gripped by this sordid tale of greed and corruption. A Mediterranean island becomes the playground of the uber-rich and anything goes. Be prepared to be shocked, saddened and angered by the way in which the rich and powerful use people as commodities.

The Last Party by Clare Mackintosh, was full of twists and turns. A luxury resort of second homes nestles the edge of a Welsh lake. When a body washes up the police have to investigate the possibility of murder. We move between the police involved in the investigation and the owners of the resort homes. As well as the current day investigation we move backwards and forward through the previous six months to find that lots of people are hiding secrets they would kill for. What really made this story for me was the way in which the author had fleshed out the murder victim, he has to be one of the most loathsome characters I've come across in recent times.

DS Max Craigie and the rest of the team investigating police corruption in Scotland return in The Night Watch, third book in the Max Craigie series. Neil Lancaster just gets better with each book. This time the team are dealing with a forensically aware killer out to murder criminals who have evaded justice and everything points to the killer being a serving police officer. The reader is left wondering if Max has met his match this time around. I love the way in which the team interact with each other, my favourite being analyst Norma. This can easily be read as a standalone novel but if you haven't read the first two books in the series I would heartily recommend starting with them.

Which brings me to my absolute favourite of the month (apologies to the other five star reads, I really do hate to favour one book over others). The Accomplice by Steve Cavanagh is a fantastic page turner, the type of book you simply cannot put down. When the serial killer who has been terrorising New York evades arrest his unsuspecting wife is arrested as an accomplice. Evidence points to her being involved in at least six of the murders. Lawyer Eddie Flynn and his team are drafted in a the last minute to prove her innocence. We have twist after twist and lots of OMG moments in this seventh book in the Eddie Flynn series. Fans of the series will be on the edge of their seat wondering how Eddie is going to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat. 

I managed two audiobooks this month. What The Flock! by Sally Urwin was a look at the life of a working farm in the north of England. It was interesting to hear about the ways in which farms have had to diversify to survive and how they have had to deal with unprecedented events such as foot and mouth and Covid. My second audiobook was A Lady's Guide To Fortune-Hunting by Sophie Irwin. In the vein of Jane Austen and Bridgerton we have a young woman seeking a wealthy husband out of duty to her family. The story flows pretty much as you would expect, the hero is identified early on, but the characters have the intricate battle of wills you would expect before realising they love each other. 

Publication dates to watch out for listed below.

The Last Party by Clare Mackintosh will be published in hardback, ebook and audio format on 4th August 2022.

Christmas At The Borrow A Bookshop by Kiley Dunbar will be published in paperback and ebook format on 1st September 2022.

The Night Watch by Neil Lancaster will be published in ebook and audio format on 8th September 2022, the hardback follows a week later on 15th September.

Love Untold by Ruth Jones will be published in hardback, ebook and audio format on 29th September 2022.