Knowing I had a holiday in October to look forward to, I
decided I’d use the week to make a slight dent in the TBR pile. With so many
good books available for review, I find that the TBR pile simply grows and
grows, and I know that I’m probably missing out on some fantastic books. Hence,
there are a few older books among my October reads.
I’ve always loved Sharon Bolton’s books, so I leapt
at the chance to take part in the blog tour for her latest, The Token. The
opening chapter is very dramatic and has you wondering where the story can
possibly go. The narrative then jumps back a few days and takes a completely
different turn; seven strangers receive tokens and are told they will inherit a
billionaire’s fortune when he dies. Why have they been chosen, and how are
their lives impacted?
I’m trying to work my way through the David Raker series by Tim
Weaver. Last month, I read Never Coming Back, the fourth book in the
series. An old friend asks Raker to help her find out what happened to her
sister and her family, who disappeared from their home almost a year ago. The scope
and geography of the story take the series to a whole new level, with Raker
taking on a decidedly evil adversary. This is a somber story, but it offers a
little window of hope at the end.
The Queen Who Came In From The Cold by S. J.
Bennett is the fifth book in the Her Majesty The Queen Investigates
series. The story is set in 1961 and sees the Queen involved in a spy trying to
defect from Russia. It is all set against a backdrop of British double agents
and the space race. There is also quite a glamorous feel as the Royal Yacht
Britannia is being used for a state visit to Italy, and England is obsessed
with James Bond and the upcoming visit of the Kennedy's.
The return of The Thursday Murder Club in The Impossible
Fortune by Richard Osman was like visiting old friends; I hadn’t
realised how much I’d missed them. A friend of Joyce’s daughter asks for help
after his life is threatened. His subsequent disappearance has the group springing
into action. This is very much Elizabeth’s story as we see her regain some of
her spark. There is a fine balance of humour and danger, with a lovely bit of
karma for good measure.
New Year’s Eve must be pretty lonely if you have recently
moved to a new country and your husband is completely focused on the opening of
his new business. This is the predicament Becca finds herself in in The
Afterparty by Ruth Kelly. It is no wonder she jumps at the chance to
reconnect with a friend she hasn’t seen in a decade. Things take a nightmare
turn when Becca wakes in the hospital with no knowledge of how she got there,
and her friend is missing. Becca becomes the prime suspect in this unsettling
story with massive twists.
Believe by S. M. Govett was the first of my
TBR holiday reads. This is a brilliant psychological thriller that has you
feeling rattled throughout. Natalie has never recovered from the trauma of
being attacked by her boss. Ten years later, her husband is accused of the same
crime. She is torn between being loyal to her husband and believing the other
woman. The story is turned completely on its head when the accuser is murdered;
an added complication is that Natalie is suffering blackouts and can’t account
for huge chunks of time.
The Woman In Cabin 10 by Ruth Ware has sat on
my TBR pile for ages. The publication of a sequel reminded me that I hadn’t
read it, but the TV adaptation moved it to the top. Travel journalist Lo
Blacklock is given the opportunity to sail on the maiden voyage of a boutique
cruise ship. In the middle of the night, she is convinced she witnesses the
woman in the cabin next door being thrown overboard. The only problem is that the
owner and crew are adamant that the adjacent cabin was unoccupied. Lo’s mental
health is called into question, and her life is in danger, as she searches for
clues to prove what she saw.
The Names by Florence Knapp is another of
those books I kept putting off reading, and I’m kicking myself for doing so. On
the day Cora registers her son’s birth, she faces three options: to follow
tradition and name him after his father, to use the name her young daughter
likes, or to give him the name she has chosen. The story splits into three separate
threads as we follow the boy through life and see how the choice of a name can
have such a huge impact on the life he leads. This is a powerful and emotional
read.
The Slough House/Slow Horses series is a favourite of mine.
Having read them all, I decided to check out some of author Mick Herron’s
other books, starting with Down Cemetery Road. This is the first book in
the Oxford series, featuring private investigator Zoé Boehm. Boehm doesn’t
really feature much; this is more about bored housewife Sarah Trafford, who is
investigating an explosion at a neighbour’s house. Sarah is intrigued by one of
the people who died in the explosion, a soldier who supposedly died four years
earlier. Sarah finds herself mixed up with unscrupulous members of the
intelligence service.
When I discovered that John Irving had written a
sequel to The Cider House Rules, I decided to re-read the book before
the publication of Queen Esther in November. It’s almost forty years
since I originally read the book, so the majority of the story felt fresh. Homer
Wells was brought up in St. Cloud’s orphanage. As he gets older, he begins to
help Dr. Larch with the medical procedures carried out at the orphanage; Larch
hopes that Homer will one day take over his role and continue the work he does.
Considering this was written forty years ago, the message regarding women’s
rights is just as relevant today.
I finished the month with my book group read, Hamnet
by Maggie O’Farrell. This is a fictional telling of the death of
Shakespeare’s young son. The writing is evocative, I felt as if I was immersed in
the hustle and bustle of Elizabethan life. It certainly made me appreciate how
convenient modern life is. I was gripped by the story of Hamnet, but wasn’t
engaged by the romance element of the story.
I managed two audiobooks during the month, the first being The
Woman Downstairs by JD Kirk. This is a new author to me, but I’ll
certainly be checking out more of his books after listening to this twisty
tale. Diane is sympathetic towards her new neighbour, who is fleeing an abusive
relationship. Things quickly escalate when the abusive partner turns up and
Diane is dragged into a living nightmare.
Publication dates to watch out for:-
The Token by Sharon Bolton will be published
on 6/11/25 in hardback, ebook and audio format.
The Queen Who Came In From The Cold by S. J. Bennett will be published on 6/11/25 in hardback, ebook and audio format.
