Picks of 2012 - The Mole

My selection of from 2012 is driven from the books that have made an impression with me and I remember. Rather more in my selection than in Maryom's - perhaps I'm just greedy?


Historical Novels
Empire Of The Moghul : The Tainted Throne by Alex Rutherford
This is the first historical novel I have read and it left me wondering why I hadn't tried them earlier. Definitely I will be reading more in 2013 - particularly if they are as good as this one was.

Fantasy
Shadow Blizzard by Alexey Pehov
Shadow Prowler by Alexey Pehov

This year saw me reading the second and third books in the Chronicles of Sala trilogy and, unusually, found each book better than the last - a series well worth a read.

Liberator's Ruin by P J Johns 
This book came as a bit of a surprise but Maryom described it as "Star Wars as it should have been written". Bear that in mind and you will see that justice is a relative thing.




 

Classics/Nostalgia/Sci-Fi
Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury
This is a book that disappeared from my own collection many years ago and when given the opportunity I jumped at it. It ages remarkably well.




Children's
Red, White and Black by Matt Cartney
Danny Lansing is a youngster who has caught my imagination and I'm sure he will catch many more. This is his second adventure and it's even better than his first.

Wolfie by Emma Barnes
A story to delight children from 1-101

Artemis Fowl and the Last Guardian by Eoin Colfer
The final adventure for Artemis Fowl - a truly memorable last adventure it is too.

Guinea Pigs Online by Jennifer Gray and Amanda Swift 
This is about memorable and enjoyable books and this one certainly is both.

Edwin Spencer: Shadow Magic by J D Irwin
 Edwin is a true reluctant hero - But he loves IT!









YA
Ramshackle by Elizabeth Reeder
Surprisingly, of all the YA I have read this year this is the one that truly stands out. Plenty of award nominations but not enough awards - it deserves far more




 
Thriller/Crime
Uncommon Enemy by Alan Judd
A story of a spy betrayed.



Midwinter Sacrifice by Mons Kallentoft
My first Nordic Noir - and I plan on more.





The House of Silk by Anthony Horowitz
A modern Sherlock Holmes - and thoroughly enjoyed.









Humour
Everything's Fine by Socrates Adams
I was warned it was a little eccentric and it was - but it was also great fun and you may never see your Sat Nav in the same light.


The Fart by Cynan Jones
During the year of the short story - here is a VERY short story that I found very amusing!



Non-fiction
Bridge of Spies by Giles Whittell 
An era that I knew less of than I thought and told with a cynicism that will amuse
 
Red Bull Racing F1 Car 2010 (RB6) Owner's Workshop Manual 
OK, it's not REALLY aimed at owners but it was a Christmas present and it was hugely informative.


How To Win Friends and Influence People
Something we all aspire to.









Short Stories

Unthology No. 3 edited by Stokes Ashley and Robin Jones 

And 2012 was the year of the short stories - well it would have been but that is actually explained in the forward to this collection that warmed me more to short stories that I have ever been. Perhaps all anthologies should be like this?

Midwinter Sacrifice by Mons Kallentoft

A chilling read!
Review by The Mole

It's an unusually cold winter in Sweden and the people are in a state of apathy waiting for warmth to come when a body is found hanging in a tree. The body is naked and has been beaten and slashed beyond recognition and Malin, with her partner Zeke, are called to start the investigation. Without identification and no-one matching having been reported missing there won't be a quick solution.

This is the first Scandinavian crime thriller that I've read and I have to say that I thoroughly enjoyed it. Maybe 'enjoy' isn't quite the word I'm looking for but I would most certainly do it again.

The style was comfortable for me to read (being of the squeamish nature) for example the victim suffered some horrific injuries and it could have been described in a stomach churning fashion - but it wasn't, and where ever the opportunity arose to shock the impact was thoughtfully minimised. The purpose was to shock and horrify the characters but not the reader.

Malin has lots of life 'issues' but show me a fictional detective that lives a happy life. (OK.. they do in Midsomer but they're more fictional than fiction!) But we also get close to most every other character in the book.

The investigation develops slowly but that's not to say the story moves slowly - it doesn't and you start to wonder where the 420 pages went! With the entire detection process no secrets are held back from the reader and in fact as the victim actually has a voice from the grave throughout the book it's arguable that the reader knows more than the detectives. And in the end was justice served? Is justice ever served fairly? Maybe and maybe not and as with life not all the loose ends are tied off. Some are left for the reader to ask about, wish for or wonder at. But as with all good crime thrillers it's not guessing who did it that matters - it's the story of actually getting there.

A really good book and I look forward eagerly to Malin's next case - and maybe we'll find out what Karim's wife WAS thinking!

The version of the book I was reading was The Richard and Judy Book Club version that is exclusive to W H Smith and has bonus content including the first chapter of the next book as well as a Q&A with the author, Mons Kallentoft.

Publisher - Hodder
Genre - Adult Crime Thriller

Buy Midwinter Sacrifice from W H Smith