Night Watch by Terry Pratchett

 

Review by The Mole

It's the 30th anniversary of the death of John Keel - a former mentor of Vimes and a founder of the Watch. An annual pilgrimage to Keel's graveside is underway by Watch men when Vimes, chasing a hardened criminal, is transported magically back in time along with Carcer, the chap he's pursuing. 

Arrested by his younger self, for fighting with Carcer, Vimes is put in a cell alongside the man who killed John Keel. Upon his release he heads to the Unseen University to ask to be transported back when he is accosted by time controlling monks who explain he must assume the identity of John Keel who has been murdered.

While Pratchett plays with time travel in ways so many authors have, he stays true to the Discworld and the style of writing we all love. I often find I criticize time travel in plots while reading but Pratchett manages to use it in a way where I don't feel such a need.

Excellently plotted and excellently executed this story explains much of the origin of Vimes who is, to many, the best character in the entire series.

While this book has won awards (as so many Pratchett books have) it has also been serialised for Radio 4. A truly magnificent creation that I wouldn't hesitate to recommend and the sixth book with Sam Vimes in.

The Queen of Dirt Island by Donal Ryan

In a small bungalow on the outskirts of a village in Co. Tipperary live three generations of Aylward women - Eileen, her mother-in-law Mary, and daughter Saoirse. It isn't a peaceful household, yet, despite the arguments and fallings-out, it's a place filled with love; a home that's far more than bricks and mortar, but a haven, a place of belonging and nurture. 

It'll come as no surprise to readers of this blog that I'm an ardent admirer of Donal Ryan's writing. I've been hooked since I first read The Thing About December, and he's one of the few authors whose books I can pick up knowing I'll be enthralled and moved. This new story is no exception.  Two pages in there's a body blow of a shock and such is Ryan's writing that the reader already feels for this character, has shared their hopes and dreams, and mourns their loss - and like the women left behind by this tragic death, we readers too have to pull ourselves up and start over again.

This unexpected start sets the tone for the book. Revolving around these three generations of women, The Queen of Dirt Island is a story of resilience despite what life throws at you, about love and family ties, told with compassion and understanding. Their lives aren't easy - by any standards they seem to attract more than their fair share of tragedy, disappointment, loss, and straight forward bad luck - but together they pull through, and we're left with an impression that the future is bright.

It's set in the same general location as most of Ryan's work (an unnamed village somewhere near to Nenagh, Tipperary), and characters from other novels put in an appearance - most noticeably from Strange Flowers, to which it feels like a companion piece, but I'm fairly sure there are others too. I love this way of setting a particular story against a backdrop where other tales are unfolding; the postman, policeman, schoolgirl, the passers-by on the street, as in real life they all have lives of their own (and if we haven't been told about them yet, maybe we will be soon).

I also particularly enjoyed what seemed like a sly criticism of  male authors or teachers of writing courses - the way Saoirse's story is taken by someone claiming to know better than her, and twisted into something more dramatic, full of violence and extreme emotions, but essentially untrue. I'd love to know if Donal Ryan had someone in mind when he wrote this. 

A book that takes its characters through devastation and anger but is ultimately filled with the redemptive power of love.

Small Gods by Terry Pratchett

 

Review by TheMole

Brutha is working in the monastery gardens when a turtle lands nearby - as they do. This turtle was supposed to be a mighty eagle but you can't have everything.

Brutha is a novice in the monastery, dedicated to the god Om, and is not likely to progress because while he seems to lack many skills he also has unrecognised skills. One such skill is to hear the voice of this particular turtle who claims to be the god Om. Brutha is a gentle soul and would not hurt a harmless creature and so he becomes guardian of the turtle god.

Brutha is chosen to go with a delegation to try to persuade them to worship Om but he suspects treachery, murder and war may ensue. And harmless Brutha with his pet turtle are trapped in the middle.

The 13th book in the series this felt like a deviation from the "normal" Discworld books but still delights in the same humorous vein. None of the regular characters appear although you very quickly don't miss them.

Once again you can see parallels to real life and views on those events expressed - but not at the expense of humour and a most enjoyable story.

Highly recommended but if you're new to the Discworld and want to know what it's all about then consider not starting with this one.

Publisher: Transworld

Genre: Fantasy, comedy

Guards Guards by Terry Pratchett

 

Review by The Mole

Sam Vimes, the head of the nightwatch and sometimes drunk, is not taken seriously by the people of Ankh-Morpork. With guilds legalising most crimes how can you take the guards seriously?

In an aspiration to depose the Lord Vetinari a would be usurper introduces a hero who shall become king. Unfortunately they unleash forces beyond their understanding and get on the wrong side of Vimes as well as Lady Sybil.

It's going to be tough and messy but will the good guys win?

Vimes is another of the enduring and ever popular characters in the series so don't count him out yet.

Oh, and here there do be dragons.

Another fabulous trip to the discworld that puts an explanation to things that occur later in the series. No, you don't have to read them in order but it's perhaps more fun if you can.

Publisher: Transworld

Genre: Fantasy, comedy

Wyrd Sisters by Terry Pratchett

 

Review by The Mole

The kingdom is in a state of flux following the death of the king. Having been accidentally stabbed to death and died falling down stairs, his baby son is smuggled out of the castle and ends up in the worst possible place - with Granny Weatherwax. Granny is a good person but with all the parenting skills of a wardrobe. Between the three members of the "coven" they find a home for the child until it's time to restore the throne to the true line. Or something like that.

Here we meet Nanny Ogg, the second of the much loved witches but one who goes through life with a lower moral standard than Granny. Nanny loves her bawdy songs and has an extended family of which she is head.

Then there's Magrat Garlick, the youngster who's read too many books and believes that the rituals and potions are all necessary. Granny can't be doing with all that.

Getting into scrapes then out again, getting others into scrapes and leaving them there, getting it wrong more than they get it right - the three set about bring their order to chaos. Or is it the other way around?

Of course Granny and crew will save the day - Pratchett wouldn't be Pratchett if they didn't. And it's not about the how either - it's all about enjoying the confusion of the journey. 

Another fabulous Discworld story that has been enjoyed for years and will continue to be enjoyed for many years more

Publisher: Transworld

Genre: Fantasy, comedy

Mort by Terry Pratchett

 

Review by The Mole

My first book in the Discworld series was, unsurprisingly, The Colour of Magic - the first in the series. What is more surprising is how it came about. My wife was getting birthday presents and asked our youngest (about 4 at the time) which she should buy and she chose it because it had the nicest cover! Since then I became a fan. In The Colour of Magic apart from Rincewind we also meet Death. Death is obviously a busy man as he shepherds the dying into their next... well we never really know what's next. 

Death is also one of the most recurring characters in the series even if only in cameo roles. And such a busy individual needs help from time to time so he decides to visit a job fair and take on an apprentice - enter Mortimer, Boy or Mort in book 4 of the series.

Do complications arise when Mort meets Death's "daughter"? Or is it part of a greater plan? Is Mort ready to deputise when Death decides to take a break or is that a complication?

This is a story that can either mess with your head or you can sit back and just enjoy the ride. Enjoying the ride is what Pratchett would have wanted from you.

Another fabulously comical story and another great cover!

Publisher: Transworld

Genre: Fantasy, comedy

Equal Rites by Terry Pratchett

 

Review by The Mole

In Ankh Morpork is the Unseen University and therein exists the library. And the library has power because of that concentration of spell books.

When I had the opportunity to get 8 books in the Discworld for review, they sat on my phone exuding the power of the Unseen University's library. Having read them all I think I shall review them in the order of the series although, as the author says, all the books can be read stand-alone.

Esk is about to be born the eighth son of an eighth son, and a wizard visits the household and bequeaths his staff to the child before dying just minutes later. But Esk is a girl and girls cannot be wizards - it's a rule apparently.

When Esk starts to display powers beyond her family's understanding she is sent to... Yes, Granny Weatherwax!, for education and training as a witch. But this proves too little - Esk is too uncontrolled - so she must break the glass ceiling and go to the Unseen University for training. But Archchancellor Ridcully believes the ceiling is unbreakable glass. But it's also the first time he meets Granny Weatherwax.

I still have 17 to read in the series but one thing that surprises me is that over the writing of 41 books you feel that the characters remain unchanged throughout the series. The first time we meet Granny she's the same grouchy, crotchety old witch who doesn't abuse the immense power with which she is given by Pratchett, as she is in the last. (The books I haven't read are dotted throughout the series)

A really great read once again and created in ebook format with all the accuracy in presentation you would get from a hard copy. Light hearted, laugh out loud at times but also often examining social issues in a fantasy setting.

Publisher: Transworld

Genre: Fantasy, comedy

The Samurai Inheritance by James Douglas

Review by The Mole

When Jamie Saintclair is asked to trace a shrunken head he is made an offer too good to refuse and anyway his life partner, Fiona, is in awe of the man making the offer so also insists he take the offer. It appears though that Keith Devlin is not the only one interested in the quest that Jamie has taken up and he quickly becomes embroiled with Russian, Chinese and Japanese criminal gangs - or are some of these "supposed" to be security forces but acting in their own interests? Travelling across the globe and ducking and diving against pursuers, it turns out to be a life or death mission but what does Devlin REALLY want and what will he end up with?

Having read The Excalibur Codex I had met Jamie before but under very different circumstances. One of the things I wasn't sure about before was Jamie's ability to keep his hormones under control but here that problem seems to be played down a lot more.

The back story is littered through the book and at times seems totally irrelevant and really only pulls together at the end in several small "eureka"moments. One of the problems I had had with The Excalibur Codex was it was slow to start but this begins much more quickly and the pace is maintained throughout. It retains many of the same qualities of it's predecessor but the thriller aspect is more pronounced while the "superman" qualities of Jamie are now more mature and less humorous.

This felt a different style of  book although once again I thoroughly enjoyed Douglas's work but for slightly different reasons.

Publisher: Transworld Books
Genre: Crime Thriller

Like This, For Ever by Sharon Bolton

 review by Maryom

Five boys have been abducted and murdered in London and the police don't seem to be getting very far with their investigations but eleven year old Barney Roberts has been keeping track of events with a police-style wall chart and feels he can begin to see a pattern emerging. He doesn't really want to acknowledge it though because it points a little too close to home....
Like This, For Ever is part tense psychological thriller and part police procedural, and I found it unfolded a little unevenly. The story is told from three different points of view - Barney's, his on-leave policewoman neighbour's and that of the investigating police team. Add to this interspersed extracts from an interview between a psychiatrist and the murderer (after his capture) and there's a lot of different angles to get your head round, especially as the police characters seem to have been picked up mid-story-line following on presumably from a previous book. I don't normally mind picking up a series part way through but this time it proved a drawback. So many of the characters had history with each other but not having met them before, I found it really hard to care about them and their personal problems  - and wished a lot of the time that they'd just get back to doing some police work and crime solving!

Barney's storyline, on the other hand, was compelling reading. Although some of the incidents surrounding him and his friends seemed a little far-fetched, and sometimes I had difficulty believing how young they were, his story gradually built in tension as he was forced to face the facts that bothered him.


Maryom's review - 3.5 stars
Publisher - Corgi/Transworld
Genre - adult crime, psychological thriller,


Buy Like This, For Ever from Amazon

The Excalibur Codex by James Douglas

Review by The Mole

The legendary sword doesn't exist and never has. Or that's what Jamie, an art recovery expert, believes as does nearly everyone else. Then, following the tragic death of his girlfriend, he is approached by an old friend and shown a codex to a will that says it does exist and was stolen in 1937 - it becomes Jamie's task to recover it. Little does he know the repercussions this task will have on the world around him.

I had expected a mystery along the lines of "The Da Vinci Code" yet I looked forward to reading this - I am not a fan of Dan Brown's work. What I got was a bit of "Romancing the Stone", a bit of "Indiana Jones", a bit of Dan Brown and a fair slice of Janet Evanovich. Oh, and don't forget to add a dollop of Gerard Butler. Quite a recipe!

I found it just a little slow to get started as it set the scene rather than tell the story and at times some of the fight scenes (and it's not short of them) are a bit drawn out but once it picks up momentum it really drags you along despite whatever else you should be doing. About two thirds of the way through we learn who the real plotters are but it came as no surprise to me as it is the nature of book that they would always be the guilty party and I had figured that out VERY early on. Did it spoil the book? No, because it's all  the about the chase and not a whodunnit. And does it all end happily? And the way the reader expects? Well look back to the recipe list and ask yourself  "Could it not?" but is it the way the reader expects? Like Indie stories - I would say no. But that is giving nothing away - it's a fantastically fun read for anyone that enjoys over the top thrillers with a mystery thrown in.

Publisher: Transworld Books
Genre: Crime Thriller

Buy The Excalibur Codex from Amazon

The Rose Garden by Marita Conlon-McKenna

review by Maryom

Her husband's sudden death has left Molly Hennessy adrift and alone in the large country house they were restoring. Her two daughters have grown up and left home, the bank is pressurising for loan repayments; it seems like the sensible thing to do is sell up and downsize. But Molly loves her home, Mossbawn, and doesn't want to leave. Meanwhile, her niece, Kim is down on her luck - she's lost her job, her boyfriend and her home. Mossbawn where she spent so many idyllic hours as a child seems like the perfect place to escape to. When Molly buries her grief in restoring a long-forgotten rose garden on the property, she might have found a way for them both to put the past behind them and move forward.

I thought this sounded like it would be an interesting read but sadly I found it a bit shallow and predictable - and above all 'nice'. The development of Molly's character was quite interesting, as she goes from someone who relied on her husband to organise almost everything in their lives, to an independent person, capable of standing on her own two feet.  I think mainly this just isn't my sort of book - I prefer them edgier - but I'm sure lovers of romantic fiction will enjoy it.

Maryom's review -  3 stars

Publisher - Transworld

Genre - adult fiction, romantic fiction, 

Buy The Rose Garden from Amazon

Perfect by Rachel Joyce

review by Maryom

In 1972 to make 'artificial' clock time agree with 'real' time measured by the Earth's movement, two seconds were added to the year. Hardly any time at all. Blink and you'd miss them. And after all, what could possibly happen in those two extra seconds? Well, as it turns out for 11 year old Byron Hemmings and his family, enough to change his whole world. A small accident kicks off events in the way that a small trickle of water seeping through a dam can eventually bring everything crashing down.

The story is told from two angles; that of Byron, back in 1972, struggling to understand what is happening as his once ordered and mapped out life is derailed and sent spinning out of control; and in the present, that of 50-something Jim who's spent his life in and out of psychiatric care, struggling to find order in a chaotic world, but taking the first tentative, stumbling steps towards a relationship. It's only as the story draws to a close that the reader realises the relationship between the two story-lines.

Perfect is an amazing second novel from Rachel Joyce, author of The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry - and, in my opinion, a far more complex and compelling story. It's rather dark but has the emotional pull that keeps me reading. I so wanted to discover what would happen to the characters, how the two halves would connect and would there be a happy, or at least hopeful, ending.
Joyce has been more ambitious this time with a wider range of characters, drawn with sympathy and understanding. Byron struggling to understand the changes taking place in his world; his mother, Diana, with her carefully built oh-so-perfect, but essentially hollow, life; and Jim with his daily 'rituals' that must be observed to keep the randomness of the universe at bay. There is of course a villain - the devious, manipulating Beverley who turns events to her advantage and infiltrates Byron's perfect world with devastating consequences. Byron may not understand her and her motives but the reader does, all too well!

Perfect is a novel exploring the fragility of our lives, particularly if like Diana's they're a sham - the events set in motion in those fateful two seconds bring the whole façade crashing down. There's more than a touch of chaos theory about things - like the butterfly flapping its wings and creating a hurricane, one simple act sparks a chain reaction; some are engulfed by it; others turn it to their advantage.

Harold Fry brought Rachel Joyce a whole flood of fans, this will bring even more!

Maryom's Review - 5 stars
Publisher: Transworld Books
Genre: Adult, literary


Buy Perfect from Amazon

The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry by Rachel Joyce

Review by The Mole

Harold receives a letter from Queenie, a work colleague of many years ago, to say that she is dying in a hospice over 500 miles away and to say thank you for his kindness twenty years ago. Harold feels unable to express adequately in a letter the reply he wants to give but sets out to post a letter in reply. He keeps giving himself excuses not to post it yet but to go to the next post box. After a conversation with an assistant in a garage he decides to carry on his walk and go to Berwick-on-Tweed to speak to Queenie directly. After phoning the hospice and his wife he continues walking with only what he is wearing and carrying.

This book is one of those books that no two people read the same story in. I know that the version Maryom told me was not what I read and having heard Rachel Joyce read from it twice, once at Lowdham and once in Waterstones, it is not the book she read to me. At Waterstones people talked about their experience with the story and yet again it was not the story I read.

From the off I didn't like Harold Fry. He was a mouse of a man with no opinion of his own. I tend to refer to such people as 'acquiescent man' - he is what others expect him to be. Maureen was very different, a rather unpleasant character from the off with a foreboding of evil about her. What we learned of Queenie at the outset was not very endearing either. Having said all that I found I just had to keep reading - I was enjoying it despite the characters. Perhaps it was the hope that he would leave the old Harold Fry somewhere by the roadside and return home reformed and be able to make something of his marriage to Maureen.

As he meets new characters along the way I started to find characters I actually liked, the oncologist and Martina, characters who seemed properly connected with the world and who showed true compassion. And let's not forget Dog please!

The end started to feel like a French farce at times as secrets between Harold, Maureen and Queenie tumbled across the page - even the garage girl shared secrets. As for the ending? It was not the ending I hoped for but perhaps it's the most we could expect for as readers.

I did enjoy this book but if you are not looking for a book that will try to tug at your emotions - even if it's not always successful - and a book that will get you thinking about people then this isn't the book for you.

Publisher - Black Swan
Genre - Adult Fiction

Buy The Unlikely Pilgrimage Of Harold Fry from Amazon

If I Never See You Again by Niamh O'Connor

review by Maryom

DI Jo Birmingham is a single mum trying to cope with the needs of her two sons and the demands of her job - neither task is helped by her boss, ex-husband Dan who appears to be standing in the way of her promotion. When she stumbles on the murder of a Dublin prostitute and is given charge of the case, she thinks she might at last have the chance to prove what she can do.

Told mainly from Jo's point of view, the story follows the unfolding Garda investigation, linking the first murder with others committed in the same area of Dublin leading to the realisation that there's a serial killer on the loose. There are slight 'asides' to hint at the killer's reasoning and methods but nothing to give the culprit way - and for once I had no idea who dunnit till the very end, though there were plenty of suspects to choose from.

Niamh O'Connor is a new author to me who I discovered via Twitter when she was nominated for an Irish Book Award for the latest Jo Birmingham thriller, Too Close For Comfort. Unfortunately at the time my library didn't have that available but also it seemed logical to start at the beginning of a series. I discovered afterwards that If I Never See You Again had also been nominated for an award - in the Best Newcomer category, 2010. I do expect anything up for an award to be good, but this was absolutely my kind of detective story - a good balance between work and personal life (and the problems of both), not too much gore and, most importantly, believable characters - both cops and villains.

If I Never See You Again is an engrossing, unputdownable read. It's nearly 400 pages long but I whizzed through it in a couple of days. On this showing, Niamh O'Connor is a crime writer I definitely want to read more of.

Maryom's review - 4.5 stars
Publisher - Transworld Ireland 
Genre - adult, crime/thriller, 

Buy If I Never See You Again from Amazon

Life After Life by Kate Atkinson

review by Maryom

On a snowy February day  in 1910 a baby is born - not once, but a second, a third, an infinite number of times. This baby, Ursula Todd, has an amazing gift - to be able to relive her life; to go back to the moment of birth and try again - to find love, happiness, to alter events at a small personal level or create a wider impact and change the world.
Happy Ever After isn't easily found though. Death and disaster are waiting in many guises - a world war, flu epidemic, strangers lurking in country lanes, another war.... averting one danger leads straight to another.

You might expect a novel to have a sad, tear-jerker of an ending; you might expect a few poignant moments along the way; but Life After Life positively bombards the reader with them. It's "Death and again death" as Virginia Woolf says: sometimes unwanted or unexpected, sometimes welcomed. Strangely in view of this, the overall feel is of something tremendously life-affirming. Ursula strives so hard to find a happy way through life and I just found myself urging her on in her attempts. The same people and scenes re-occur over Ursula's many life-times, weaving in and out with greater or lesser impact.

A book for anyone who's ever wondered Did I make the right decision? What would have happened if I'd chosen X instead of Y? Much as I love Kate Atkinson's Jackson Brodie books, this is a return to more thought-provoking story telling. I was torn between savouring every moment and finding out how it would all end.  A stunning, emotion packed read and I'd challenge anyone to not be moved.


Maryom's Review - 5 stars
Publisher: Transworld Books
Genre: Adult, literary

Buy Life After Life from Amazon (pre order till March 2013)

Rachel Joyce - author event

We started this year's round of literary events at an evening with Rachel Joyce held in our (almost) local Waterstones as part of the promotional tour for the launch of The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry in paperback. This is the second time we've seen her as she appeared along with ML Stedman at last year's Lowdham Festival

A lot has happened since then for Harold Fry - being one of Transworld's biggest sellers of 2012, an audio-book version produced read by Jim Broadbent, selected for the Man Booker longlist, winner of the Specsavers National Book Awards 'New Writer of the Year' 2012 and now chosen for Richard and Judy Spring 2013 Bookclub .... all of which has all led to an unexpectedly busy promotional year for the author.
 There's also the exciting prospect of a film sometime in the future - rights have been sold to a British company and, if produced, will be shot in Britain and feature British actors of appropriate age.

As a 'solo' performance this event was quite different to the last, with different topics covered. Things started with a chat-style interview, followed by a reading from the beginning of Harold Fry's journey. There was of course time for questions from the audience and their response showed that Harold Fry is a book - and character - loved equally by men and women. A brief mention was made of Joyce's upcoming next novel, Perfect, to be published  later this year and the evening concluded with a book-signing.

Two Brothers by Ben Elton

review by Maryom

Inspired by his family history, Ben Elton tells the story of two brothers - Paulus and Otto - twins in every way except birth.
When one of an expected pair of twins dies at birth, a Jewish couple adopt an orphaned non-Jewish baby. Frieda and Wolfgang bring up the two boys as equals, not knowing of their different backgrounds, showering them both with the same love and care. But 1930s Germany is not a safe place to be Jewish and when bureaucracy starts stalking them, they and their family are faced with the impossible dilemma of which of them will be condemned for being Jewish and which saved for not?

My review copy of Two Brothers came with a slip which said "hoping you'll be pleasantly surprised". Surprised? I was stunned!
Despite a string of novels and plays, Ben Elton is still to me the stand-up comedian with the dodgy suit, so this epic novel spanning 80 years was something totally unexpected. Two Brothers is an enthralling page turner, a convincing portrayal of  Berlin life through the wild, pleasure seeking, galloping inflation years of Weimar Germany to more sombre ones as the Nazis steam-roller their way to power but at its heart lies the dilemma of two brothers united in everything but blood - they even fall in love with the same girl!
The reader knows from the beginning that ONE brother survived but is kept guessing which - and just when you think you know how it all will end, Elton pulls yet another twist and turn out of the hat!

Two Brothers is a deeply moving and thought provoking story, so if you thought you knew Ben Elton - think again!


Maryom's Review - 5 stars
Publisher: Transworld Books
Genre: Adult, Historical

Buy Two Brothers from Amazon

..and if you want to hear Ben Elton talking about Two Brothers check out the Waterstones blog 

My Goodreads review: Basically - Wow! Totally unexpected as I still think of Ben Elton as a funny-man. Although still there's dark humour, Two Brothers isn't a light hearted book. The story of twins growing up in Weimar Germany, as close as any twins - apart from the fact that one is adopted and isn't Jewish - as the Nazis gain power this means one twin can be saved. But how can a family choose which one? Lots of detail capturing Cabaret-feel decadent Germany of 1920s and the unstoppable rise of Nazis but the heart-breaking dilemma faced by the Twins, balanced by others intent only on saving their own skin, creates an unforgettable story.

Case Histories by Kate Atkinson

review by Maryom

Jackson Brodie, ex- police inspector turned private detective, has three old Case Histories on his hands: - in 1970, after spending the night sleeping out in their garden in a tent with her older sister, 3 year old Olivia goes missing.Despite a police search there are no clues as to what occurred until many years later when amongst their recently deceased father's belongings her sisters Amelia and Julia discover Olivia's favourite toy, Blue Mouse, believed to have disappeared with her ; - in 1979, Michelle, a young mother kills her husband. While in jail she cuts off all contact with her family but now her sister Shirley is trying to trace her and her now grown-up baby ; - and in1994 teenager Laura Wyre was helping out in her father's office and murdered seemingly at random by a knife-wielding man who was never caught. Her father Theo has tried for 10 years to track down the culprit but with no success and has now decided to enlist the help of Jackson Brodie.
Jackson also has several missing cats to trace and an airhostess, believed by her husband to be having an affair, to follow. And if he can find time, there's his relationship with his ex-wife to sort out ... and someone intent on causing him grievous bodily harm, perhaps even trying to kill him!

That's a tremendous number of storylines to juggle and keep all up in the air but Kate Atkinson pulls it off with seeming ease. Actually the movements of a folk dance might be a better comparison - the plots move along together, then separate and circle round before coming together again. At the centre of them all is Jackson Brodie, sometimes seeming bemused by all the things happening around him, sometimes feeling like he's the one calling out the moves.

It's taken me a long while to get round to reading this, the first of the Jackson Brodie novels. I didn't read Case Histories when it first came out but jumped into the series at book 2, One Good Turn, and then bought the third, When Will There Be Good News? Having seen the TV adaptation, I determined to go back and read the whole series in order but at the time the library was overwhelmed by demand for Case Histories. I was reminded of my plan when I read about Subtle Melodrama's Scottish Summer reading challenge and, although I'm not absolutely sure that it qualifies, decided to revive it. So I'll soon be reading the two books I own and hopefully have time to borrow the fourth, Started Early, Took My Dog, before the challenge ends.

As with so many TV/film adaptations various things had been changed and moved around - I was very surprised to discover that Case Histories is NOT set in Edinburgh  - but much further south in Cambridge. It also seemed far darker than its TV counterpart being more of an exploration of loss and guilt that a simple whodunnit. A compelling read whether you've seen the TV version or not. I'm off now to read the rest of Jackson's story...

Maryom's review - 5 stars

Publisher - Black Swan (Transworld)

Genre - crime, adult fiction, TV tie-in

Buy Case Histories: (Jackson Brodie) from Amazon

Lowdham Book Festival

A few months ago I had the delight of reading ML Stedman's début novel The Light Between Oceans - a wonderfully atmospheric and engrossing tug-of-love story - so when I heard the author would be appearing at the relatively local Lowdham Book Festival I told The Mole we had to go! I also suggested he read the novel first - which he did.

The event was billed as Coffee and Cake with debut novelists Rachel Joyce and ML Stedman to be chaired by Alison Barrow from Transworld Publishers and held in the slightly unusual but very beautiful St Mary's Church. As it turned out, due to hold-ups with the train bringing ML Stedman and Alison Barrow, the audience started on the coffee and cake before they arrived - an excellent way to keep everyone happy and occupied while waiting for the vagaries of transport.

The real event started with Rachel Joyce and ML Stedman reading short teaser sections from their respective novels and then chatting to Alison Barrow before throwing the discussion open to the audience. Topics covered included the authors approach to writing, how and where to get their thoughts into words, striking a balance between the creative world and the real one, the route to publication, future novel writing plans. A comment of ML Stedman's that particularly struck me was how she sees her novel as a chrysalis (while working on it) now turned into a butterfly heading out among readers and coming back with their thoughts of what the book meant to them or how they saw the characters.
I normally go to events involving an author whose work I've read and loved, I suppose in the hope of gleaning extra insight into their novels or them as a person. This time there was an author who had deeply impressed me - and one of whom I knew nothing. The extract from and talk of Rachel Joyce's novel The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry have whetted by appetite enough that I now intend to track it down and read it.

Both books are published by Transworld.

The event still has a few days to run and the timetable shows that the events are varied and include a cooking demonstration by the kind person that provided the cakes for this event.

Read The Mole's review and/or mine