After a very diverse reading list in September I was back to usual in October with only one book being outside the thriller genre. I'm going to start with that book, Really Good, Actually by Monica Heisey. I was drawn to this by the blurb "hilarious and addictive" and "laugh-out-loud funny, razor sharp and painfully relatable" as well as the fact that the author had been a screenwriter for the comedy series Schitt's Creek. Unfortunately I really struggled with the book and didn't find it relatable at all. It would probably appeal more to younger women. I also think that the dialogue and activities don't translate well to the UK market.
My other slightly disappointing read was The Prisoner by B. A Paris. This author was new to me and I was immediately gripped by the blistering start, the terror and the tension. The reader is thrown in to as much confusion as the central character, Amelie Hawthorpe, as she tries to figure out why her and her husband have been kidnapped. The pace is kept up by jumping between time periods so that the background to the couples relationship is revealed. A change in direction about two-thirds of the way through spoilt the premise of the story for me. My disappointment certainly hasn't put me off trying the author again.
The rest of the month was filled with 4 and 5 star crackers. Starting with the 4 star reads.Doug Johnstone continued the story of the Skelf women with the fourth book in the series, Black Hearts. A mixture of cases to investigate with a common thread of how we all deal with grief differently. Lighter moments in the story are contrasted with some dark and disturbing behaviour.
In Murder Most Royal from S. J. Bennett we return to the series "Her Majesty The Queen Investigates", a cozy crime novel in which The Queen, aided by her Assistant Private Secretary, solves a murder. A fun take on crime, with The Queen coming across as totally normal and everyday. The only thing that stopped this getting 5 stars from me was the vast array of characters I struggled to keep straight in my mind.
Another book that was fun to read was Killers Of A Certain Age by Deanna Raybourn. Imagine Charlie's Angels meets The Golden Girls in a Mission Impossible setting and you'll have an idea of how fun this book is. A group of female assassins are about to retire when they become the targets. They need to out-smart the organisation they used to work for and figure out who exactly wants them dead and why.
My last read of the month was one I look forward to all year, the latest book from Lee Child & Andrew Child. I've been a fan of the Jack Reacher series for over twenty years so was keen to get my hands on the latest novel, No Plan B. Reacher witnesses a murder that the police conclude was a suicide. Reacher is determined to investigates and travels across the country to discover who is responsible. This is standard stuff for a Jack Reacher story, however mixed in with this we had the stories of four other characters and it was impossible to see how they were all connected. All these extra story-lines dragged the story out. I do begin to wonder if it's time for Reacher to settle down.
Now on to the 5 star reads. The month began brilliantly with The Mysterious Case Of The Alperton Angels by Janice Hallett. This is probably my favourite of Hallett's books as the author weaves together a wide variety of media to give us an investigation into a cult that was going to sacrifice a baby eighteen years ago. Little is known about the actual events and mystery surrounds the whereabouts of the survivors. Twists and turns abound, to the point that when I got to the end I wanted to go right back to the beginning and start again.
In The Blink Of An Eye by Jo Callaghan is a new take on the buddy-cop thriller as one of the investigators is AI. I enjoyed the interactions between the real life detective who was partnered with the AI under duress and the AI persona, AIDE Lock. Being a fan of sci-fi shows I could easily imagine the monotone, emotionless voice. As the story progressed we discover that data driven investigation and human instinct are both needed to solve crimes.
What July Knew by Emily Koch is more a mystery than an thriller as we try to piece together exactly what happened to July Hooper's mother eight years ago. July knows her mother Maggie was killed in a car accident but everyone around her refuses to talk about Maggie. Desperate for even the smallest tit-bit of information July begins to investigate. Unfortunately this results in her father's disapproval, leading to some heart-breaking situations. July leaps out of the page, she is so lifelike and loving; I felt so much anger and frustration towards the adults in her life who abused her physically and emotionally.
Author Helen Field is someone I've only discovered in the past year and having now read three of her books I'm blown away by her skill and imagination at writing stories which are so engrossing and completely different from each other. The Institution takes place in a high security hospital for the criminally insane. When a pregnant nurse is murdered and her baby cut from her body psychologist Connie Woolwine has to go undercover onto the ward housing the worst of the inmates in order to try and find who was responsible and hopefully save the babies life. Terror, tension, revulsion and panic alternate throughout as you wonder if Connie can survive, never mind solve the crime.
If I was really pushed to pick a favourite book this month it would probably be Strange Sally Diamond by Liz Nugent. Sally certainly is a strange character. The opening chapters make you leap to a conclusion that is slowly shown to be completely wrong as we learn about Sally's background. Sally has been sheltered from society by her parents but now that she's alone she has to begin to interact with the world around her.
Two audiobooks listened to this month. How To Kill Men And Get Away With It by Katy Brent is a breath of fresh air. Modern, pacey and irreverent with an iconic lead character, Kitty Collins. After accidentally killing a man who refused to take no for an answer she sets out to deal with similar men.
The second audiobook was Christmas In The Little Irish Village by Michelle Vernal. Following the breakdown of her relationship Shannon swears off men for good as she is forced to move back home to the village of Emerald Bay. A host of eccentric characters and a handsome American tourist made this a gentle and comforting story.
Publication dates to watch out for are:-
The Prisoner by B. A. Paris will be published in hardback, ebook and audio format on 3rd November 2022.
Murder Most Royal by S. J. Bennett will be published in hardback, ebook and audio format on 10th November 2022.
The Mysterious Case Of The Alperton Angels by Janice Hallett will be published in hardback on 12th January 2023 with the ebook being available on 19th January 2023.
Really Good, Actually by Monica Heisey will be published in hardback, ebook and audio format on 19th January 2023.
In The Blink Of An Eye by Jo Callaghan will be published in hardback, ebook and audio format on 19th January 2023.
What July Knew by Emily Koch will be published in hardback, ebook and audio format on 9th February 2023.
The Institution by Helen Fields will be published in hardback, ebbok and audio format on 2nd March 2023.
Strange Sally Diamond by Liz Nugent will be published in hardback and ebook format on 2nd March 2023.
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