I've just finished the wonderful The Girl Who Played With Fire by Stieg Larsson. This is one of those rare books that you can't wait to finish but then feel flat when you've finished because the joy of reading it is over. This is the second in Larsson's trilogy and it makes you hungry for the next one. Mikael Blomkvist, journalist at Millennium is about to publish an expose about the sex trade written by two writers when they are murdered and crime scene evidence points to Lisbeth Salander as the murderer. Mikael knows this is not possible and sets out to find the real murderer. Salander is the most interesting character to emerge in thrillers in recent times.The reader is led on a trail of government cover ups, murders and espionage before the truth is finally revealed. I highly recommend this book, but be sure to read the first in the trilogy The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo before you read this one. 5/5
I've read this chilling fictional account of a "school massacre", We Need to Talk About Kevin by Lionel Shriver. I had never intended to read this book because of the subject matter but it was set as our next Crime Club book. The story is told in the form of letters written by the murderer's mother, Eva, to her husband, Franklin. We learn about Eva and Franklin's life pre-Kevin, then the difficulties they have with Kevin as he grows up. Eva feels there is something "not quite normal" about Kevin but Franklin refuses to see his faults. Kevin's behaviour towards his family and his school are examined and focus on some incidents. As we near the end of the book, the suspense is heightened, even though we know some of what is to come. This psychological thriller reaches a terrible climax that haunts the reader for some time. Brilliant but disturbing! 5/5
Child 44 is the debut novel of Tom Rob Smith set in early1950s Soviet Russia where "crime" was not recognised because in this "perfect society" it couldn't exist, so to suggest that there was a child serial killer at large was itself a crime. Officer Leo Demidov has hunted down "criminals" whose "crimes" were non-existent in any free society e.g. being late for work, reading a "western" book, dissident thoughts or actions. When Leo begins to understand that the child murders are connected and not random acts of local "lunatics", he himself is hunted down for daring to believe that these crimes could happen. So it is a race against time as he hunts the killer and he himself is hunted. This was a thrilling story which at the same time revealed a society driven by paranoia, where "innocent" people were summarily executed or sent to spend years in the gulags. This era has been thoroughly researched by the author, who provides a list of books for further reading. It draws heavily on the case of Andrei Chikatilo. A follow up The Secret Speech was published April 2009. 5/5
This thrilling story The Winner Stands Alone by Paulo Coelho is set during the Cannes Film Festival amid all its glitz, glamour and "plastic" people. A spurned ex-husband, Igor, knows his ex-wife and her new husband are attending so sends "messages" to persuade her to return to him. The events take place in one day as Igor uses murder to send his "messages". He has a distorted view of the difference between "good" and "evil" which is different to the norm, but is his justification and motivation for the murders. A chilling story with some in-depth characters. The reader goes "behind the scenes" to see the artificial world of the super rich, actors and wannabes who populate this event. Another brilliant story from Coelho. 5/5
The Road Home by Rose Tremain won the Orange Prize for Fiction in 2008 and having now read it, I can say the win was very well deserved. Lev, a Russian, moves to London to seek his fortune and send money home to his family in his small village. He had come prepared, so he thought, but soon learns that the reality of his new life is very hard. The reader follows his adventures and misadventures as he navigates his way around a new life in a very different country. We feel his loneliness and his frustration, follow his struggles and wince at his mistakes. He dreams of being a chef with his own restaurant - will this dream come true? This is one of those books that is sad to finish. The writing is so good and is a great story. 5/5
I thoroughly enjoyed the thriller The Devil's Star by Jo Nesbo. It is a sequel to Redbreast but not essential you read that first. Det Harry Hole investigates a serial killer who leaves a five pointed star marked near his victims. Hole is also trying to expose his nemesis, Tom Waaler, a corrupt cop. The story has many twists and turns before the thrilling finale. 5/5
This beautifully haunting story The Vanishing Act of Esme Lennox by Maggie O'Farrell is very well written in an unusual "unstructured" style. Iris learns she has an elderly great-aunt, Esme, being released from an asylum after 60 years. Is Esme really insane? Why did her family put her there in the 1930s? The reader follows Esme's life as well as Iris's life and see how they will eventually interact. Esme was a high-spirited teenager who did not "conform" to her family's idea of how a young woman should behave - but why was she "punished" in this dreadful way? 5/5
I enjoyed this wonderful story The Help by Kathryn Stockett which was set in Mississippi in 1962. The story is told in the first person by three of the characters - Aibileen, Minny and Skeeter. Aibileen and Minny are black maids working for white families and Skeeter is an aspiring white journalist and writer who persuades these maids and others to tell their stories. In this environment, this is a very dangerous enterprise and secrecy is essential. The reader is faced with some of the realities of black people living in this time, some of which seem ridiculous to our 21st century minds. For example, black people's urine carries more diseases than white people's - seems laughable now but the consequences for black people at that time using a "white" toilet could be tragic. The author wrote with authority and experience as someone who grew up being served by a black maid, so she brings that personal knowledge as well as her research to write a suspenseful, unputdownable book that keeps you thinking. Highly recommended. 5/5
I very much enjoyed The Guernsey Literary & Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer. This cleverly written book is set in Guernsey shortly after World War II. Guernsey was occupied by the Germans during the war and the islanders suffered as a consequence. After the War, writer Juliet Ashton in London receives a letter from Dawsey Adams from Guernsey and so a correspondence begins. The story is told through letters, a literary device that works brilliantly in this book. This is a literary masterpiece, but sadly we shall read no more from this first-time author as she died prior to publication. Highly recommended. 5/5
I thoroughly enjoyed Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen. The story is set in a circus in 1930s America but first we are introduced to 93 year old Jacob Jankowski in a nursing home. Jacob looks back to his time in the circus and the hard times that they were in that period. There is a love interest and the story moves along at a good pace. This is a terrific story - highly recommended 5/5.
I enjoyed this wonderful story The Help by Kathryn Stockett which was set in Mississippi in 1962. The story is told in the first person by three of the characters - Aibileen, Minny and Skeeter. Aibileen and Minny are black maids working for white families and Skeeter is an aspiring white journalist and writer who persuades these maids and others to tell their stories. In this environment, this is a very dangerous enterprise and secrecy is essential. The reader is faced with some of the realities of black people living in this time, some of which seem ridiculous to our 21st century minds. For example, black people's urine carries more diseases than white people's - seems laughable now but the consequences for black people at that time using a "white" toilet could be tragic. The author wrote with authority and experience as someone who grew up being served by a black maid, so she brings that personal knowledge as well as her research to write a suspenseful, unputdownable book that keeps you thinking. Highly recommended. 5/5
I thoroughly enjoyed the much awaited The Girl Who Kicked the Hornets' Nest by Stieg Larsson, the third of his brilliant "Millennium Trilogy". The wonderful character Lisbeth Salander is in a "tricky situation" (can't say too much in case you haven't read book two). She is accused of three murders and her friend, journalist Mikael Blomkvist fights to prove her innocence. This is excellent writing of the "can't put it down" variety, a book you want to finish but can't bear it when the story is over. We want more from this great writer but sadly that cannot be. Very highly recommended (but read the books in order). 5/5
I very much enjoyed The Guernsey Literary & Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer. This cleverly written book is set in Guernsey shortly after World War II. Guernsey was occupied by the Germans during the war and the islanders suffered as a consequence. After the War, writer Juliet Ashton in London receives a letter from Dawsey Adams from Guernsey and so a correspondence begins. The story is told through letters, a literary device that works brilliantly in this book. This is a literary masterpiece, but sadly we shall read no more from this first-time author as she died prior to publication. Highly recommended. 5/5
I thoroughly enjoyed Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen. The story is set in a circus in 1930s America but first we are introduced to 93 year old Jacob Jankowski in a nursing home. Jacob looks back to his time in the circus and the hard times that they were in that period. There is a love interest and the story moves along at a good pace. This is a terrific story - highly recommended 5/5.
