Shallow Breath

I read Shallow Breath by Sara Foster which is set mainly on the coast of Western Australia.  The story is told by a different character and time period with each chapter.  The chapter is headed by the character's name but until you start reading you're not sure which time period as it is  not chronological.  They are all important characters so can't really point to a "main" one, though Desi is really at the centre and the other characters have some relationship to her.  There is a mystery about Desi and the reason she has been in prison.  Secrets are gradually uncovered.  Most importantly the story is told against the background of endangered species and their horrific plight.  The author tells about the slaughter of dolphins, sharks, elephants and orangutans, cleverly weaving their story within the story of Desi and her family. 31/2/5

The Promise

I very much enjoyed The Promise by Ann Weisgarber which is a love story set around a devastating hurricane that hit Galveston, Texas in September 1900.  Living in Ohio, Catherine Wainwright is an accomplished concert pianist who has an illicit affair with a married man which causes a scandal.  She is ostracised by her friends and family and no longer able to earn a living.  Finally realising her affair holds no future for her she tries to find an alternative.  She remembers a childhood friend, Oscar, who moved to Galveston some years ago and she resumes a correspondence with him.  Oscar has been recently widowed and left with a 4 year old son, Andre.  A local woman, Nan, who was a great friend of Oscar's wife made her a promise that she would always look after Andre.  Catherine travels to Galveston and events unfold from there.  Each chapter is told in the first person by either Nan or Catherine, so the reader sees each perspective. The reader lives through the terror of the storm with the realistic depiction and the suspense of waiting to see who survives. This is beautifully written  41/2/5

What Have I Done?

I read this horror story What Have I Done by Amanda Prowse.  There is no question of "whodunnit" in this book.  The reader learns immediately who the killer is but the full story unfolds gradually.    Kathryn Brooker has a seemingly content upper middle class life with her charming school headmaster husband and her teenage son and daughter.  Her children are her whole life and her reason for enduring the horrific abuse meted out by her husband.  The story is told in retrospect, looking back over different time periods, the first and earliest being "Ten years ago" as the story unfolds until "Today".  The author has dedicated her book to women in controlling and abusive relationships.  Kathryn is a well-drawn character and there will be discussion about her actions, or non-actions both before and after the crime is committed, or whether the crime needed to be committed at all.  This is our first Crime Club book for 2014 and I look forward to talking about it. 41/2/5

Blue Blood

I enjoyed Blue Blood by Sara Blaedel (in USA title is Call Me Princess) which is a story of a brutal serial rapist, set in Copenhagen.  Detective Inspector Louise Rick investigates the crimes which left the victims severely traumatised.  They met their assailant at an on-line dating site and he was very hard to identify with false name, no photo, so makes DI Rick's job very difficult.  As well, DI Rick has her own personal issues to deal with.  Will she eventually "get her man"?  31/2/5

All the Birds, Singing

I enjoyed All the Birds, Singing by Evie Wyld which has an unusual structure.  The story is written in the first person by Jake Whyte, a young woman who has bought a small sheep farm on a British island and wants to be left alone.  Her sheep are being attacked and she is puzzled by the wounds inflicted.  She later finds a man sleeping in her barn taking shelter and the story continues about their relationship and her life on the island.  Jake has a mysterious past and in the alternate chapters we learn about that past in reverse.  Each alternate chapter takes the reader further back in time till we learn about the terrible secret which has brought her so far from her home in Australia. 31/2/5

Police

I very much enjoyed Police by Jo Nesbo just as I enjoy all his books.  This is a follow up to the previous book Phantom and we learn what happened to the characters involved in that one, particularly about Harry Hole's fate.  In this story police who were involved in unsolved crimes are being murdered and the police are desperate to find the killer.  The new Chief of Police Mikael Bellman is embarrassed at the length of time it is taking to solve the murders.  A small task force is formed to find a motive for the killings and Harry is asked to join them.  The body count rises and the murders are quite graphic.  There are many twists and turns, red herrings and mystery to keep the reader wondering what will happen next. 41/2/5

November 2013 Book Club

We had a very enjoyable book club meeting last Monday evening.  We
were all there minus one member who had visitors from overseas.  One of our ladies had recently returned from visiting family in Zimbabwe and told us about life there.  We are very lucky to be in Australia.  Our hostess bought some great new books for us to enjoy.  As we won't be meeting again till February, we all grabbed many books to devour until then so there would not be a reading drought.  Our hostess provided a delicious supper including a dark chocolate cake served with raspberry sauce and cream.  Every mouthful was such a treat.  Next month we will go out to celebrate the end of the year which always seems to come too soon.

The Other Child

I very much enjoyed this psychological thriller The Other Child by Charlotte Link (originally written in German). A murder is committed in a seaside English town and is investigated by Detective Valerie Almond.  The main characters are gradually introduced.  Gwen, a frumpy woman in her 30s, is doing a course to improve her self-confidence and meets a suave good-looking man, Dave, who asks her to marry him.  His motives for marriage are suspect and Gwen's friends are keen to warn her against him but are reluctant to hurt her feelings.  Her father Chad is withdrawn and his long time friend Fiona is concerned about the pending marriage.  Chad and Fiona have known each other since World War II and they share a terrible secret.  Events take a tragic turn and the reader is kept in suspense as the truth about the events during and after World War II then clash with the current time. This is a real page-turner as the reader anxiously waits for events to unfold and learn the truth. 5/5