The Perfect Storm

I read The Perfect Location by Kate Forster which is set initially in Italy.  Three actresses work on a movie and each woman comes with her own "baggage".  Rose who is recovering from a divorce, Sapphira has a secret and a broken heart, Calypso whose mother had "managed" her as a child.  It is a "feel good" story, corny at times.  The ladies in my book club would describe it has "peaches & cream".  It is probably a good "chick lit" book.  Will there be a fairy tale ending?  2/5

The Burning Room

I quite enjoyed The Burning Room by Michael Connelly which continues the story of Detective Harry Bosch, now in the Open-Unsolved Unit.  He has a new partner, a young woman Lucia Soto.  Soto is very bright but Bosch initially has reservations about her experience.  Their case is the murder of a musician while he playing a guitar in a park.  The victim has the bullet lodged in his spine for 10 years and the investigation ramps up when he dies.  Bosch soon discovers the main reason Soto wanted to work with him - to solve another cold case crime of arson where a number of people died.  It is the usual Harry Bosch story keeping the reader interested till the end. 4/5

Long Gone

I enjoyed Long Gone by Alafair Burke which is set in New York.  Alice Humphrey, the daughter of a famous film director and an actress has been unemployed for some time when she is offered her dream job.  Her employer has been a bit mysterious and Alice's job is to run an art gallery.  The gallery opens with some controversial work done by an unknown artist.  When things start to go wrong, Alice fears for her life and must try and work out who is behind the conspiracy against her.  A bit slow at first but worth persevering.   4/5

Silent Scream

I really enjoyed Silent Scream by Lynda La Plante which is set in England.  A young film star, Amanda, is murdered and DI Anna Travis investigates.  There are a number of suspects and motives for the murder.  Anna is also grappling with the interference of her superior office, James, with whom she had had an affair some time ago.  He seems to pop up all the time when she least expects it berating the team for not yet making an arrest and also at Anna's home.  It takes some time to unravel the mystery of who killed Amanda and to finally get the evidence required. 4/5

Tell No Lies

I very much enjoyed Tell No Lies by Gregg Hurwitz which is set in San Francisco.  Daniel Brasher is the son of a very wealthy woman and he is married to Christina.  Daniel finds two mysterious envelopes in his IN tray addressed to people he doesn't know.  Inside the envelopes is a demand with a threat to kill if the killer's demand is not met.  Daniel then helps the police try and track down the killer.  The people who are targeted seem not to be linked.  It is a thrilling ride as we try to figure out what the connection is and who the murderer is.  4/5

The Elephant to Hollywood

I very much enjoyed The Elephant to Hollywood by Michael Caine which is, of course, his autobiography.  Caine tells us of his early childhood and dream of being actor and how that desire was eventually fulfilled.  There are some wonderfully entertaining insights in to his life and the people he met and worked with including Sir Laurence Olivier.  I loved the story of how he met his wife Shakira.  The book was published in 2010 and you can catch up on what he did since then on his website.  He seems a very nice person and he has had a wonderful life so far and I hope that continues for some time. 4/5