"Perfect Match" by Jodi Picoult
Nina Frost, a district attorney, normally prosecutes the sort of crimes that tear families apart. She then finds herself in the situation of mother of a five year old victim. Where does she "draw the line"? She takes the law into her own hands and the consequences split the family group temporarily. A book you just can't put down!
"The House of the Seven Gables" by Nathaniel Hawthorne
A book bought in Salem Massachusetts 24 years ago but never read until now, and I realise why. I bought it as we visited Salem on our trip to New England, but having started to read it now, find it hard-going. The original book was written in 1851 and a hundred words are written where ten would do now. It is about a house, with seven gables, which belonged to the Pyncheon family for generations before, and is haunted by an old curse of ancestral sin which threaten the lives of the last four members of the family.
"These things hidden" by Heather Gudenkauf
A strange, but haunting book, as each chapter (although short) introduces you to the characters individually. The story spans five years, and the adoption of a little boy to a couple who have no children, but in the background are the family members of the child's natural mother, a teenager who goes to prison for killing the little boy's twin sister. But it's not that straightforward!
"Merlin's Keep" by Madeleine Brent
Jani lives happily with her guardian in the Himalayas and questions her past when the monastry oracle declares some frightening predictions. These take her to England where she finds friendship and love only to risk them with an inevitable confrontation.
"The Long Kill" by Patrick Ruell
A hired assassin, sent to the Lake District, finds his latest job goes wrong and thinks it's time to retire. Attracted by the landscape and a local widow, he dreams of putting down roots. However, his old masters will not let go, and when the family he has grown close to is put in danger, he must kill again to keep them safe.
"This Shining Land" by Rosalind Laker
Part fiction, part fact, covering the Nazi occupation of Norway during World War 2, it shows what lengths the Resistance would go to in order to disrupt the German occupation, as well as the lack of food and freedom suffered by Norwegians during this time. It follows the secret romance between two Resistance members, as well as the hatred they come up against when thought to be conspirators by their closest friends.
"Daffodils" by Alex Martin
Based around World War 1, Kate, a servant to the local manor house, would like to travel further afield, but ends up marrying Jem from the village. Jem volunteered to go to war, following the loss of their firstborn, Florence, when Kate isolated herself from all around her. Then, she receives a letter to say Jem is "missing in action" and she decides life isn't worth living. Walking into the local river to end it all, the local vicar, Lionel White, pulls her from the water, takes her home, and to keep her warm, strips off her clothes and gets into bed beside her. Lionel vows to love her, wants to marry her but the next day she receives a letter from Jem, and believes he must still be alive. She decides to train in nursing to go out to France, and then learns mechanics to keep the ambulances working. During her time in France, she bumps into Lionel White, who still carries a torch for her, but she is too tired to think of him at all. By the armistice, she helps out in form-filling to get the "boys back to Blighty" and there in front of her, waiting in a queue, is Jem.
(There are sequels to this, called "Peace Lily", "Speedwell" and "Woodbine and Ivy".)
(There are sequels to this, called "Peace Lily", "Speedwell" and "Woodbine and Ivy".)
"Dissolution" by C J Sansom
During 1537 and Henry 8th's reign, Thomas Cromwell sends commissioners around the country to investigate the monastries with a view to their dissolution. At Scarnsea on the Sussex coast, a commissioner is murdered, his head severed from his body. Shardlake is sent to investigate the murder, which brings into question his own beliefs.
"Poppy Day" by Annie Murray
Set in early 20th century Birmingham, Jessica Hart finds life, after her mother's death, unbearable when her father remarries, so she escapes to her Aunt Olive. There are secrets in Olive's family about which no one will speak and Jessica falls madly in love with Ned, who is already married.
"The Cradle will fall" by Mary Higgins Clark
A New York prosecutor involved in a car accident investigates unusual deaths related to a local hospital, and unfortunately becomes the next victim of one of the renowned doctors.
"Licence Renewed" by John Gardner
A revival of James Bond by John Gardner, with all the suspense and intrigue as usual.
"Cold Harbour" by Jack Higgins
An intriguing World War Two spy story involving a nurse sent to occupied France to retrieve Rommel's secret plans. A book you'll be unable to put down.
"A Perfect Gentleman" by Sarah McCulloch
Anne Fredericks, still unmarried at 24, is to visit Cheltenham for the Season, and with hope in her heart, she recalls a meeting five years previously with Richard Wykeham. On the road to Cheltenham, her coach is stopped by a highwayman, although nothing is stolen. It takes some time for Anne to solve the mystery of the notorious highwayman known as the perfect gentleman.
"A Curate for all seasons" by Fred Secombe
A young, inexperienced curate takes us through his reminiscences of hair-raising and hilarious moments during his time in a sleepy Welsh village just after World War Two.
"Doctor on Trial" by Henry Denker
All her life, Kate had wanted to be a doctor. In a New York hospital, one night, the daughter of a ruthless tycoon, dies in mysterious circumstances.
"Dolphin Sunrise" by Elizabeth Webster
A fire leaves Matthew without family or anywhere to live. Kindly neighbours suggest he should go with them on holiday to Cornwall and everything changes. During a long summer, Matthew makes friends, but it is his encounter with a dolphin that bring the most remarkable transformation to the quiet boy.
"Scoundrel" by Bernard Cornwell
Paul Shanahan had led a dangerous life working for various international terrorist groups. Now after four years quietly running a yacht-broking business, he is drawn back into action. The sister of Roisin, his lover, turns up demanding to know the truth about her sister, and the IRA paymasters are seeking his services again.
"I Take Thee, Serenity" by Daisy Newman
Serenity was a family name, odd to a young student of the 20th century with modern views. Yet when she discovered the world from which her family had come, she found the true value of a love she had till then taken far too lightly. A very good read.
"Trial" by Clifford Irving
Defence Lawyer Warren Blackburn is assigned a low-key trial of a homeless immigrant, but the next case is a big murder trial. When preparing his defence, he has a sickening feeling the two cases are connected.
"The First Casualty" by Ben Elton
A serious novel by Ben Elton, set in the First World War both in London and the trenches of France. A bit slow at the outset, but a good detective story.
"The Client" by John Grisham
An eleven-year old boy sneaks off for a smoke and sees a suicide but it's all connected to the murder of a Senator. It's a matter of who gets first what the boy knows, the Court or the mob.
"The Estuary Pilgrim" by Douglas Skeggs
A story that spans 50 years, starting with the confiscation of works of art by Germany's Gestapo during WW2. A long-missing painting by Monet or is it a forgery? Art expert John Napier must solve the mystery, but also investigate a murder.
"Jamaica Inn" by Daphne Du Maurier
Read initially some 40 years or so ago, an intriguing story of smugglers and intrigue, and especially good on the imagination if you've actually visited Jamaica Inn on Bodmin Moor, as this is all brought to life.
"Hunted" by Richard Pitman and Joe McNally
A detective story, set in the world of horse racing, and the closer Eddie Malloy gets to the truth, the more danger his own life is in.
"The Chamber" by John Grisham
A good read, as is always with John Grisham. An old man on death row becomes an obsession with a brilliant young lawyer from Chicago. "Right up to the wire" he fights for his grandfather's freedom.
"The Shivering Sands" by Victoria Holt
A book I read some 45 years ago, so thought I'd refresh my memory. Caroline goes to a lonely old house on the Kent coast to search for her missing sister, Roma. Is her sister's disappearance due to an accident or murder? If murder, is the murderer still at the old house? Caroline slowly becomes aware that she is to be the next victim......
"Tea Planter's Wife" by Dinah Jefferies
If you watched "Indian Summers" on TV, you'll really enjoy this book. Set in Ceylon on a tea plantation, where a 19-year-old joins her husband and finds that he spends long periods of time away. She spends her time exploring the plantation and finds curious things, an old wedding dress, a child's grave. She becomes pregnant, and upon delivery faces a decision which must be a secret from her upper-class neighbours and most of all, her husband. This is a story of guilt, betrayal and secrets.
"At the going down of the sun" by Elizabeth Darrell
World War One, and how it changes the lives of all in a village in Dorset. The wealthy and privileged three brothers who take different paths, Roland forced to leave his estate, Rex carefree and cavalier joins the Royal Flying Corps and Chris a classics scholar faced with terrors.
"This Time Next Week" by Leslie Thomas
A journey into the unknown. A true story of Leslie Thomas' childhood in Dr Barnardo's.
"Surprise Party" by William Katz
A good tale, where the new wife wants to give a party for her husband's 40th birthday, with old friends and reminiscences. But in digging up his past, she finds nothing. No records, no memories. The more she probes, the more she questions. Just who is her husband? What secrets is he trying to hide?
"The Man from St Petersburg" by Ken Follett
Set in the days before World War One, Lord and Lady Walden invite a Russian prince, a distant relative, to stay with them to negotiate a deal to get Russia on the side of France and England against Germany. Unbeknown to all of them, a Russian anarchist (also an ex-lover of Lady Waldren and father of Charlotte Walden) is stalking the prince to murder him before a deal can be negotiated. Charlotte, bored with Society life, finds an interest in the Suffragette Movement, joins one of their rallies, and "bumps" into Feliks (the assassin) who tries various ways to get close to the prince, putting the Walden family in great danger.
"The Glory and the Shame" by Harry Bowling
Set in post-World War Two, the trials and tribulations of a suburb of the East End of London, with the start of unions to protect workers, robbery and "cover-ups", and romance whatever the age.
"Hot Money" by Dick Francis
Again a good detective story written by Dick Francis, set around Newmarket and racing.
"Watching in the Dark" by Artemis Cooper
In 1990, eight-month old Nella was rushed into hospital with a severe intestinal infection. A true story of how Artemis watches from the sidelines as her daughter, Nella and the Westminster Children's Hospital fight for two months in a battle for survival.
"Stephanie" by Winston Graham
Death by misadventure, probably suicide; or was it? However, Stephanie's father is deeply suspicious, which brings danger his way. What link does an Indian in Bombay have with Stephanie's lover?
"Driving Force" by Dick Francis
Former jockey, Freddie Croft, has no enemies, or so he thinks. Two murders and "something going on" at the Croft Raceways makes him begin the think otherwise. A good suspense story, as usual, by Dick Francis.
"The Fearful Void" by Geoffrey Moorhouse
Fearful desolation but a challenge, this is the author's attempt to journey by camel from the east coast of Mauritania to the Nile, some 3,600 miles across the Sahara Desert, and experience the extremes of temperature, isolation, thirst, hunger, disease and dishonesty of his Arab companions. Find out if he makes it.
"A Palm for Mrs Pollifax" by Dorothy Gilman
A good read of a version of Miss Marple on steroids involving the CIA, a Swiss clinic, a Sheik, Interpol and a frightened little boy.
"Where are the Children" by Mary Higgins Clark
Nancy Eldredge lives with her husband and two children in Cape Cod, but her past catches up with her, threatens her family and her sanity. The children disappear, as did two previous children of hers, in similar circumstances. Only when others piece together the past and the present, is it clear she is not to blame.
"The Great Train Robbery" by Michael Crichton
Not the one in 1963, which we all remember, but approximately one hundred years before. Three very different people of three very different social classes join together to rob the Folkestone to London train.
"The September Starlings" by Ruth Hamilton
Six hundred pages but a book I couldn't put down. It tells of the life of Laura, who survived a tyrannical mother, a violent marriage and poverty, to eventually meet with Ben Starling, a prison visitor who has a secret past. However, after a period of happiness with Ben, dementia takes him and security away from her. There are twists throughout the book, which makes it impossible to leave.
"Tap on the Window" by Linwood Barclay
Yet another novel by Linwood Barclay. A private investigator, living in a small town, out late at night decides to help a lone girl who knew his son. She's stranded and needs a lift home. However, she asks to stop on the way at a café, goes in and he waits for her. She eventually comes back out to his car, gets in, and only then he realises it's not the girl he originally picked up, but someone dressed like her. Once tackled, she asks him to drop her in the middle of nowhere, and that's the last he sees of her until she's found dead near a river a few days later. He's then not just a private investigator, but also a suspect, having been the last to see her alive. There are many twists and turns to this story, and you really don't want to put the book down till you've got to the bottom of it.
"Gray Mountain" by John Grisham
Another good read by John Grisham. A large New York firm of lawyers starts to lay off its employees, some with the suggestion they do voluntary work outside the city for charities etc and they'd be considered for re-instatement in a year's time should the situation improve. Samantha decides to help out at a charity in the wilds of Tennessee which offered free legal advice. The area is known for large coal companies ruining the mountainous countryside and lots of residents who fall in and die through inhaling coal dust need the charity's help. Samantha, having never attended court in her legal career, let alone considered litigation, finds she is thrown in at the "deep end".
"Murder on the Cote d'Azur" by Susan Kiernan-Lewis
A Maggie Newberry mystery, the first in a series. Trying to find her wayward younger sister, Elise, in France and meeting up with a contact who knew Elise, she brings her sister back to the US in the hope of curing her drug-addiction. Suddenly Elise is murdered in Maggie's flat, Elise's daughter Nicole is found and returned to live with affluent grandparents and Maggie falls in love with Laurent. Twists and turns in the story take Maggie to Paris to find where Elise had been living and Elise's old boyfriend, Gerard, and while there. Maggie suddenly realises who Elise's killer could be after further murders in the US city of Atlanta.
"The Darling Buds of May" by H E Bates
When a young naïve tax inspector arrives at the Larkin's home, he does not expect to be staying for tea, supper and the weekend. His professional resistance to Ma's lavish hospitality, Pa's potent cocktails, is only topped by Mariette, the dark-eyed daughter.
"Stormchild" by Bernard Cornwell
Tim Blackburn hasn't heard from his daughter, Nicole, since she sailed off with Caspar and his idealistic followers. Calling themselves 'Genesis', their aim is to protect the planet, but there is a darker side. Tim's search takes him to the southern tip of South America.
"Loves Music, Loves to Dance" by Mary Higgins Clark
He attracts his victims through personal ads; he loves music and loves to dance. He leaves each victim wearing one high-heeled dancing show. When Erin falls into his fatal trap, her best friend comes looking for him. And that's exactly what he wants.
"Innocent in Las Vegas" by A R Winters
The first of a trilogy, Tiffany Black wants to leave her job in a casino and become a Private Detective. Her first case of murder of a casino-mogul leads her into trouble.
"Intruder" by Louis Charbonneau
The town of Hollister is controlled by a new computer system, which regulates all public services, traffic lights, electricity, hospital records, fire alarms, until an old man is found dead, a victim of a "computer error". That's only the beginning. A string of disasters, where ex FBI agent and colleague have to curtail the antics of the Intruder who has penetrated the computer system, as each disaster gets worse than the one before.
"What was good about today?" by Carol Kruckeberg
Carol and Walt's eight-year-old daughter is diagnosed with a rare form of leukemia. A mother's true story of a child whom it is impossible to forget.
"The Old House at Railes" by Mary E Pearce
Martin Cox, a Gloucestershire stone mason, poor and humble thinks he'll remain so, but his father Rufus things otherwise. Rufus strikes a bargain with the owner of Railes, John Tarrant, to give Martin an education. Martin is captivated by the lovely old house and the two sisters who live there. As the years pass, their lives change in the most unexpected ways.
"Frosted Shadow" by Nancy Warren
Toni Diamond, at a beauty convention, turns detective. Described as "Columbo in a lavender suit", she can't help snooping until it disturbs the murderer. Humorous in parts, a light-hearted and easy book to read.
"Cart before the Horse" by Bernadette Marie
A good romance. Holly has always done things differently. She could read before her peers, she went to university before the usual age, she graduated early. Now she finds herself pregnant but can't remember the man involved. Eventually, through her work colleagues, she finds out who it was, and goes to tell him he is the father. I won't tell you the rest - but there is a happy ending.
"Private London" by James Patterson
A young child is made to watch her mother being raped and shot because her millionaire father won't agree to pay a kidnapping ransom. Years later with the child now 19 years old and living a new life at University in London, she is kidnapped in London. Private, a worldwide detective agency, takes on the job of bringing the kidnapping to a conclusion, but it's not that it seems to be.
"Sycamore Row" by John Grisham
A sequel to "A Time to Kill", when a self-made man commits suicide and leaves everything in his Will to his housekeeper, the family contests the decision. Lawyers congregate like bees round a honey pot to get a slice of the million-dollar estate.
"Too Close to Home" by Linwood Barclay
Another novel by Linwood Barclay and just as intriguing. When neighbours were murdered, it was bad enough; but when the Cutter family realise they were the intended target, each family member has a secret they'd rather not reveal.
The book to the left I've not read, but I'm sure it would make us laugh, and currently it's on Amazon for between £8 (Kindle version) and £13 (Hardback).
(Click on photo to enlarge).
(Click on photo to enlarge).
"Lone Woman" by Dorothy Clarke Wilson
Elizabeth Blackwell, born in Bristol in 1821, did the unthinkable and became a doctor. She not only thought that there should be equality with men, but also believed firmly that women doctors could better serve the needs of women patients. She suffered hardship, ostracised by many Universities, jeered at in the medical schools of London and New York, this is a biography of the first woman doctor in England.
"The Corporal's Wife" by Gerald Seymour
The Corporal is the driver of a top general in Iran. He is entrapped by MI6 and held in a safe house. However, he won't give out any information until they get his wife out of Iran. She has a mind of her own, considers her husband a traitor and doesn't want to join him even though her life is in danger. A small team of ex-soldiers and a language student are sent in to bring her out with moments of extreme danger, love, courage, hatred and cowardice involved. A good story, but tends to go back and forth too often, thus confusing.
"Never Saw It Coming" by Linwood Barclay
Keisha Ceylon is a psychic. So she says. The truth is, she watches the news for stories of missing family members, gives it a few days, then tells these families she's had a vision. She may be able to help. And by the way, she charges for this service, and likes to see the money up front. Keisha's latest mark is a man whose wife disappeared a week ago. She's seen him on TV, pleading for his wife to come home, or for whoever took her to let her go. So she pays him a visit. The trouble is, her vision just happens to be close enough to the truth that it leaves the man rattled. And it may very well leave Keisha dead.
"The Gingerbread Man" by Maggie Shayne
A "Who done it" but it's difficult to put the book down. A retired police officer delves into a "cold case" which leads him to a small town "where nothing happens". He befriends a girl who has suffered the disappearance of her young sister years before, only to find that all the town's inhabitants have something to hide.
"The Tightrope Walker" by Dorothy Gilman
A "who done it" with a twist when Amelia finds a note hidden in an old hurdy-gurdy. She traces back to the person who wrote the note many years before, and others who were alive then in small-town Pensylvania. Her life is threatened several times but she needed to get answers to the questions the hidden note raised.
"On a Wing and a Prayer" by Helen Carey
Set in London in 1941 life is hard, but for Helen de Burrel who volunteered for the SOE showed a calm exterior while being placed in a fearful situation.
"Without Remorse" by Tom Clancy
A Vietnam Veteran turns vigillante when someone he loves is targeted by a drug syndicate. It takes all his courage and military expertise to find and eliminate those responsible.
"Patriot Games" by Tom Clancy
An American Professor in London sees an attempted attack on the Prince and Princess of Wales by the IRA, and because he intervened out of his naval instinct, his and his family's lives (when he returns to America) are threatened.
"The Mitford Girls" by Mary S Lovell
A biography of the Mitford Sisters. A hard book to get into at first, but very interesting to find out who was in their social circle (inc. Adolph Hitler, Edward VIII and Mrs Simpson), and their family tree (Duke and Duchess Devonshire of Chatsworth, Winston Churchill, Oswald Moseley).
"Fifty Shades Freed" by E L James
The last of the trilogy. Ana marries Christian but having limitless wealth brings difficulties and a kidnapping makes them realise how much they mean to each other. An unplanned pregnancy makes both think seriously what they want from their lives, either together or apart, and eventually everything turns out for the good.
"Fifty Shades Darker" by E L James
Sequel to "Fifty Shades of Grey", it follows the story of Ana and Christian and how they find true love. Pitfalls along the way include Ana's boss at a printing company and an ex of Christian's.
"The Litigators" by John Grisham
Another Grisham book, but good, as always. A commercial lawyer, who decides he can take no more in a massive impersonal firm, walks out of that life into a small ambulance-chasing firm bordering on bankruptcy via a drinking session in a local bar. Having never been in a courtroom before or dealt with clients face to face, he takes on a big drug company.
"Fifty Shades of Grey" by E L James
Lots of criticism about this book and its sequels, so thought I would find out what everyone was on about. Erotic - yes; porn - no; but a good story throughout. "Grey" is Christian Grey, a multi-millionaire businessman who has a penchant for sadism, and Anastasia, a young naive student. By the end of the first book, Christian has feelings for Anastasia he has not experienced before, and although Anastasia loves him, she cannot take any more of his sadistic sexual tendencies. (More to follow)
"The Island" by Elin Hilderbrand
A light read, suitable for relaxing on holiday. An affluent American family with a holiday home on an island off Nantucket are thrown into chaos when a daughter decides, close to her wedding, that she can't go through with it, because she's in love with his brother. After her decision, the prospective groom has a fatal accident, and she decides to retreat, with her divorced mother, to their holiday home. This brings new concerns and old memories, especially when her sister and aunt also accompany them. The resident male, who maintains the holiday homes, brings their supplies etc, causes secret and intrigue to all the women, by bringing back memories of when they were younger.
"No Time For Goodbye" by Linwood Barclay
I couldn't put this book down once I'd started it......
It starts in 1983 when a teenager wakes, after a confrontation the previous night with her parents, to find the house empty. Twenty-five years later, married with a family, and still haunted by the unanswered questions, she agrees to do a TV documentary revisiting the case, and then the trouble begins.
Throughout you try to put your own conclusions to the situation, but once you know what happened all those years ago, there's still a sting in the tail/tale!
It starts in 1983 when a teenager wakes, after a confrontation the previous night with her parents, to find the house empty. Twenty-five years later, married with a family, and still haunted by the unanswered questions, she agrees to do a TV documentary revisiting the case, and then the trouble begins.
Throughout you try to put your own conclusions to the situation, but once you know what happened all those years ago, there's still a sting in the tail/tale!
"A Pocketful of Holes and Dreams" by Jeff Pearce
An autobiography of a poor Liverpudlian lad who makes his fortune, not once but twice. This is a true story of a little boy who had nothing, but gained everything, and then had to start all over again. Very like "Angela's Ashes".
"Die Trying" by Lee Child
A Jack Reacher thriller, the first I've read but not the last. In the wrong place at the wrong time, Jack is kidnapped along with a female FBI agent, driven across America and held by a group who wish to govern the country their way.
"The Appeal" by John Grisham
A good read, in John Grisham's usual vein.
"Theodore Boone" by John Grisham
Slightly different for John Grisham, but still a "legal" story but in the eyes of a young boy.
"The Hunt for Red October" by Tom Clancy
A well-planned defection by a senior Russian submariner whilst trying to keep his crew and country ignorant of what he hopes to achieve. Having seen the film with Sean Connery in the title role, it was very easy to follow the plot.
"This Giving Heart" by Hugh Miller
Set in 1905, the thirteen-year daughter of a mining family, goes into service, but she needs more in her life. She is well educated by the family for whom she works, and rises to become housekeeper, although during this time tragedy has struck several times, with the death of her father through illness, the death of her daughter's father during the first world war, and the death of her daughter from whooping cough. She eventually is accepted into nursing training and after six years decides to return to the mining villages of South Wales as district nurse. This book was the pre-quel to the television series "District Nurse" starring Nerys Hughes.
"Texas Dawn" by Phillip Finch
Three men built the finest and richest cattle ranch in Texas, but as the land bound them, it also drove them apart, leaving bitter legacies for their heirs. A story about Texas and of people who made it their own. In the years the story covers, there is a long-standing love between Rose Ellen and Ray Newsome which has to compete with love of the land and greed. This story shows the many different hardships and passions experienced by the growing state.
"Theodore Boone - The Abduction" by John Grisham
Another in the series. A simple story and, I'm told, aimed at the younger generation.
"Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption" by Laura Hillenbrand
A true story of Louis Zamperini, the son of Italien immigrants who found he enjoyed track events introduced to him by his brother, Pete, so much so he entered the the Olympics in Berlin in 1936. Pearl Harbour and the War in Europe found him captured by the Japanese after his B-29 crashed. With no news of his whereabouts, he was declared dead back in his home country. On his return three years later to the US, he married and had a family, but civilian life and celebrity took its toll along with post traumatic stress disorder until he listened to Billy Graham, the Evangelist, which changed his life.
