The Last Letter From Your Lover

I very much enjoyed The Last Letter From Your Lover by Jojo Moyes which is set in two time periods - early 1960s and 2004.  Ellie Haworth is a journalist with a London newspaper which is moving premises.  While helping sort through the archives, she discovers an intriguing letter written in 1964 asking someone to meet the writer at a railway station.  It is a poignant love letter entreating the recipient to begin a new life with him.  The story then crosses back and forward between the two time periods so we learn about the 1960s lovers and their lives and also about Ellie's life.  Ellie is determined to find out what happened to the lovers and this "investigation" has a great effect on her own life. 5/5

Headhunters

I enjoyed Headhunters by Jo Nesbo which is a thriller set in the corporate and art world in Norway.  The main character, Roger Brown, is a very unlikeable man.  He is ruthless in his work as a "headhunter" for businesses and steals art from his potential employees.  However, he finally meets a worthy "opponent"  when Clas Greve is deemed a worthy candidate for a position.  Roger at first finds himself "out of his depth" when he discovers exactly how ruthless Greve is in achieving his goals.  There are a number of references to the game of chess which Roger used to play with his father, so that is the theme - how each "player" will outmaneuver his opponent.  A thrilling ride with twists and turns till "checkmate".  41/2/5

The Night of the Mi'raj

I very much enjoyed The Night of the Mi'raj by Zoe Ferraris which is set in Saudi Arabia.  A pregnant teenage girl, Nouf, is murdered in the desert.  She comes from a wealthy family and was soon to be married.  One of her brothers asks his friend Nayir to investigate, as the coroner and the family have deemed her death "accidental drowning".  Nayir works with forensic scientist, Katya, to learn the truth behind Nouf's death.  As well as the story of the investigation, the book gives an insight into the culture of the Saudis which is very repressive towards women and intolerant to what are seen as "moral crimes".  It is understandable that some women if they have the means would seek a way out. 4/5

Wildflower Hill

I enjoyed Wildflower Hill by Kimberley Freeman, a Queensland author.  Australian ballerina Emma Blaxland-Hunter is living in London in 2009 enjoying a successful career.  Her story is told in the first person. She is forced to return to Australia and is surprised to receive an inheritance from her grandmother - a house in Tasmania, Wildflower Hill.  The other story is about her grandmother Beattie Blaxland, which is told in the third person.  Beattie migrates to Tasmania from Scotland with her daughter and lover and settles in Hobart.  Her circumstances change dramatically which has a huge impact on her life and following generations.  Emma's mother and uncle know nothing about their mother's mysterious past and Emma finds clues in the house which help put the pieces together.  A nice story about the two generations and the differences between them. 4/5

Midnight in Peking

I very much enjoyed Midnight in Peking by Paul French which is the true story of the murder of a British woman, Pamela Werner, in Peking in 1937.  This was a turbulent time in China with different political factions and the Japanese vying for full control of the country.  There was an area within Peking where the foreigners lived, some had been there for many years.  There were refugees fleeing communist Russia and other assorted "characters" who lived in this "foreign enclave".  Werner's father, a Sinophile, had lived in China for many years teaching and researching the country.  His daughter Pamela was to be home for dinner on a night in January 1937 but her body was found the following morning.  The investigation into her murder was hampered by conflict between the British investigators and the local Chinese investigators and the investigation was not as thorough as it might have been.  The victim's father was relentless in his pursuit of justice and the author has weaved an intriguing tale of corruption and debauchery.  The War then intervened and justice was "put on hold" and the reader will then learn more about the author's own discoveries. This story has all the elements of a thriller, "fact is stranger than fiction" as history and mystery converge. A very interesting story. 5/5

Silent Valley

I enjoyed Silent Valley by Malla Nunn an author now living in Australia who grew up in Africa, so she has an insight into the culture she writes about.  This is the latest Detective Sergeant Emmanuel Cooper story, set in South Africa in the early 1950s where residents were conscious of race and their "place" in society.  Cooper is tasked with investigating the murder of a 19 year old Zulu girl, Amahle, and together with his Zulu constable, Shabalala, he sets out to find the killer.  At first the cause of death and motive is a mystery but although facing obstacles to his investigation, Cooper eventually unravels the mystery. 4/5

The Story of Beautiful Girl

I very much enjoyed The Story of Beautiful Girl by Rachel Simon which is set in USA beginning in 1968.  A young girl, Lynnie, has escaped from an institution for the "disabled" with her boyfriend, Homan, then gives birth to a baby girl.  In the stormy night they seek shelter at the home of an elderly retired school teacher, Martha.  However, their freedom is short-lived as the institution authorities find them, but the baby is hidden and Lynnie begs Martha to look after her.  Martha keeps her promise and the reader follows the lives of the main characters over the next 25 years with a chapter devoted to each of them as the years progress.  There are many changes along the way until the past finally  meets the present.  The author has extensively researched the institutions of this kind, of which there were many, where families were encouraged to place their disabled children and "forget about them" for the good of all.  The treatment the "inmates" were subjected to was exposed and these institutions closed down.  They had varying disabilities and the author has based her character Homan on the true story of a deaf black man who was placed in an institution and died there after 50 years. Today many people with similar disabilities can lead productive lives within society.  Beautiful story. 5/5

Book Club - Bev's place

 We all enjoyed a lovely book club meeting at Bev's place.  I think she was expecting another dozen people judging by the delicious supper she served us that she'd been working on.  She had been on a holiday on an island off the Queensland coast during the month and had a great time.  Denise had celebrated a "0" birthday during the month and had visited her former "home" for a short time.  Penny was unable to come as she was working and Ulla couldn't come either.  Bev had purchased a great selection of books and I can't wait to start reading those I've picked for the month.  A very enjoyable evening.