Blood Sympathy

I enjoyed Blood Sympathy by Reginald Hill which is set in England.  PI Joe Sixsmith is asked to investigate when someone confesses to murdering his whole family.  Sixsmith is a quirky character desperately trying to make a success of his new career, which was forced upon him after being made redundant from his job as a lathe operator.  He has a cat called Whitey which he takes everywhere.  Another problem occurs when a local shopkeeper's business is burnt and the proprietor knows who did it.  These people are doing it tough.  Sixsmith is a lovely character as are they all. 3/1/2/5

Cadillac Jukebox

I read Cadillac Jukebox by James Lee Burke, a Dave Robicheaux story.  Det Robicheaux is asked by an election candidate to ignore calls from an ex-Klansman about whether or not he was actually guilty for the murder of a civil rights activist.  The body-count is high in this story. 4/5

The Bone Seeker

I very much enjoyed The Bone Seeker by M.J. McGrath.  It is set in the Arctic in an Inuit community.  A young girl goes missing and teacher, Edie Kiglatuk, asks her police friend Derek Palliser to investigate.  The reader learns a lot about the native culture in the region which I found very interesting.  The names were a bit difficult.  Edie and Derek discover a disturbing truth about how major world powers have abused and misused the area where the Inuit live.  These powers go to great lengths to ensure the public does not discover what happened. 4/5

Home

I very much enjoyed Home by Harlan Coben.  Myron Bolitar investigates when a boy who was kidnapped 10 years previously is thought to be seen in London.  This teenager and his friend had been kidnapped from his home and not seen since.  The parents of the boy who is found insist the teenager is their missing son.  Myron then tries to find out what happened to the other boy.  This story will keep you guessing before the truth is revealed. I read the Kindle version.  41/2/5

Finding New Meaning in Life

I read Finding New Meaning in Life by Marcia Griffin & Paul McQuillan which shows us how to find meaning in life using Logotherapy, a form of psychology.  In alternate chapters Marcia and Paul outline a number of issues in our lives including "decisions", "purpose", "responsibility" and "resilience".  Each chapter addresses healthy attitudes and unhealthy attitudes.  An example of a "healthy attitude" - "My past mistakes guide me towards better decisions in the future."  Whereas  the "unhealthy attitude" for this point is "I feel guilty for some of my past and so I try never to think about those events."  There was not a lot of "new" insights for me but it's good to have healthy attitudes reinforced. 31/2/5

The Invisible Ones

I very much enjoyed The Invisible Ones by Stef Penney.  She wrote The Tenderness of Wolves which was also a great book.  This one is set in England where PI Ray Lovell has been hired to find a woman missing from a gypsy community for six years. The story is narrated by Ray as he tries to find Rose.  Other chapters narrated by JJ, a young boy living in the community.  Ray is from gypsy descendants so it was relatively easy for him to penetrate the secrecy surrounding the group.  They were very private people.  This is a great story, well written, with a good twist.  41/2/5

The Taxidermist's Daughter

I very much enjoyed The Taxidermist's Daughter by Kate Mosse which is set in 1912 England.  The daughter, Connie, is slowly getting some memories back after an operation on her brain.  A young woman is found dead close to her home.  Connie struggles to make sense of her world and work out who this woman was.  Eventually the truth is revealed.  This was a very good story. 41/2/5