Three-word titles was the theme this month, although we decided we could disregard the word ‘the’ in the title if it made it a little easier to find books we actually wanted to read … because one-word-titles we attempted earlier in the year had been quite a challenge. You’ll see that several of us found reading a solace during the blistering heatwave that was August!
Bang to Rights by Jo Bavington-Jones
Set in Folkestone, post-COVID, where the annual art festival is underway. The previous year’s festival had been marred by a murderer who’d decorated the art pieces dotted around the town with his victims, but when the killer’s body had been found it was presumed he’d committed suicide. The main characters of this novel, Amy and Jenny, had something to do with that, so when more bodies appear on exhibits at the current festival they worry they might be found out, start investigating, and get themselves in all sorts of trouble. Although a bit gory at times, this comedy novel was laugh-out-loud funny in places, with well-drawn characters and locations. Norfolk Gal described it as “a really good, light-hearted read, perfect for when your grey matter needs a rest!” 4 Stars.
The Christmas Cracker Killer by Alexandra Benedict
A remote island in the Outer Hebrides, where a castle has been developed into a luxury hotel by its new owners – a married couple and their daughter, who is in her late-30s. Some influential guests are staying over Christmas, mainly so they can recommend the hotel. Among them Edie, a crossword puzzle-setter in her 70s, her partner Riga, and her adopted son, Sean, who is a police inspector; and in addition to the guests there are also new staff working in the hotel. The Christmas entertainment is elaborate, with a game where everyone has to reveal the worst thing they’ve ever done. Soon the deaths begin and although the first appears to be natural, the later ones are definitely murder. Alarmingly, all communications to the island have been destroyed, as well as the hotel’s only boat. Edie is a rather Miss Marple-like character and eventually works out who the killer is and their motive. Freyja said the first 90% of the novel was excellent – well-constructed, with well-described characters, but she found the ending a bit weak so it only earned 3+ Stars.
A Divine Fury by DV Bishop
Book 4 in a series and Norfolk Gal thought she would have benefited from reading some of the earlier novels to understand the background a bit better. This one is set in Florence in the autumn of 1539, where Cesare Aldo is an officer for the criminal court and on night patrol during the dusk-to-dawn curfew. One night he finds a dead man in a square, whose body has been posed, and soon another body, similarly posed, is discovered. So … a serial killer on the loose! Norfolk Gal said this was a really interesting story to read because it’s set in a time she knew very little about, and the interaction between church, state and the ruling family adds to the twists and turns of the plot. A good mystery with interesting characters, but she would have liked the descriptions of Florence to have been a bit more evocative. 3 Stars.
Sharp Force by Patricia Cornwell
MadDog has followed the Kay Scarpetta series for many years and says this is another twisty and interesting tale. It’s nearly Christmas and Kay and her husband are preparing to go on holiday, as soon as Kay has finished the case she’s currently working on: the suspicious death of a man called Rowdy O’Leary. Then, on Christmas Day, she gets a call telling her the serial killer ‘The Slasher’ has struck again. This time the victim is a psychiatrist, Georgina Duvall, and one of her students, a young man called Zane Willard has been injured in the attack. Clues at the crime scene don’t seem to add up, not least because Kay finds a substance that can’t be identified, is invisible to the naked eye, and seems to be critical to the case. MadDog enjoyed catching up with characters she now knows well. She said this was a twisty tale and she hadn’t been quite sure how it was going to end. Very enjoyable! 4 Stars.
The Wrong Sister by Claire Douglas (e-audiobook)
Juno listened to this on BorrowBox and said it gripped her from the first chapter. Tasha and her sister live very different lives. One a dental nurse, married to a mechanic with twin toddlers. The other wealthy and childless, with a holiday home in Venice. The couples do a holiday swap for a few days, and Alice and her husband Kyle offer to look after Tasha’s children. Soon after arriving in Venice Tasha gets a phone call saying her home has been broken into, her brother-in-law killed, and her sister is in intensive care in hospital. This is well-narrated and has lots of twists and turns, but although there was a great twist at the end, Juno wasn’t entirely convinced by it, which is why she gave this 4- rather than 5-Stars. Still, it was absolutely compelling to listen to!
The Night She Disappeared by Lisa Jewell
A really cleverly written and well-plotted story, which captures your imagination. So said Freyja, of this 2021 novel. The story is set in a village in Surrey where, in 2017, 18-year-old Tallulah and her boyfriend Zach disappear. Tallulah’s mother has – quite literally – been left holding the couple’s young baby, and despite her frantic search and the involvement of the police, no trace of the pair is found. The following year (2018) at a nearby posh school, the new headmaster’s wife sees a sign nailed to a fence post saying ‘Dig Here’ and finds what is recognised as Tallulah’s engagement ring. The police are alerted and here the novel splits into three timelines: the present, where Tallulah’s mother is hoping her daughter might be found; the previous year and the night Tallulah disappeared; and the months leading up to that point. Because of the author’s skill, none of this is confusing and the story is completely gripping. Freyja loved it and gave it 4+ Stars (and she’s a tough reviewer!).
The Venetian Game by Philip Gwynne Jones
If you enjoy mysteries with a whiff of jollity about them, the Nathan Sutherland series might be up your street. This is Book 1 (of 9 so far) and introduces us to Sutherland, who is English Honorary Consul in Venice, scratching a living as a translator. His wife has returned to live in Scotland, but he’s becoming more certain by the day that Edinburgh doesn’t have the pull for him that Venice does and he is lingering behind. Enter an urbane Englishman called Montgomery, who asks Nathan to look after a small package for him with the promise that he’ll be paid ten thousand Euros for doing so. Soon Nathan is embroiled in an art forgery racket. This isn’t cosy crime, by the way. It’s a proper mystery, with good characters and the wonderful setting of Venice. Cornish Eskimo enjoyed it and awarded 4 Stars.
The Edinburgh Murders by Catriona McPherson
Edinburgh in 1948 and Welfare Officer, Helen Crowther (Nelly to her nearest and dearest), is busy scrubbing the back of Mrs Hogg at the local slipper baths, when she spots ‘funny business’ in the men’s slipper baths. It turns out a male bather has been boiled to death … the first of several murders. Three more, equally complicated killings later and the only common denominator is that none of the men can be identified by the police, and none have been reported missing. Helen’s curiosity about what is happening takes her into some dark places and the reader finds out about Edinburgh’s back streets, the complex class structures and etiquettes, various religious practises and habits, sexual politics, child care and social deprivation. It’s a hugely colourful and intricate story and Granny Weatherwax enjoyed every page. She gave it 5 Stars.
The Invisible Woman by James Patterson
Elinor Gilbert lost her job with the FBI and is now a music teacher. Her former boss offers her a too-good-to-be-true undercover assignment which could see her reinstated and get her FBI pension back, so she agrees. The job is to work as a nanny to an art dealer suspected of money laundering for a drug cartel. Wearing a disguise and working undercover, Elinor becomes an invisible woman, but despite her best efforts she can’t really find out anything terrible about the family she’s with, and later – alarmingly – she discovers that her assignment isn’t for the FBI anyway. MadDog said this isn’t an over-complicated plot but it’s a very entertaining novel and was the perfect antidote to the heatwave that was raging at the time. 4 Stars.
Laying Out the Bones by Kate Webb
When a skeleton is found on Salisbury Plain after a flash flood, DI Matt Lockyer is sent to investigate. The remains are those of Lee Geary, a man with learning difficulties and a drug user, who had been missing for nine years. The death could have been a simple accident, but Matt knows Geary was a townie, so why was he on the Plain all alone? He had also been questioned by the police about a murder just before he disappeared and when Matt finds that others who had been questioned had also died or disappeared, he starts to suspect Geary’s death could be one of a string of murders. Matt is also coping with other personal problems, and these run alongside the case. Norfolk Gal said there’s lots to keep track of but the characters are well-drawn and although she found the book a bit hard to get into, she was pleased she’d persevered. 3 Stars.
What’s in a Star?
Deciding why you like an author or have enjoyed a book is, of course, entirely subjective, and everyone who comes along to meetings of Oundle Crime has different tastes. So how do we try to get some consistency in our Star ratings? Well, after some discussion, we’ve come up with the following:
- 5 Stars: Outstanding and unforgettable. A book you can’t wait to tell others about.
- 4 Stars: A good book with an interesting, layered story that you will still remember after a month.
- 3 Stars: Not good or bad, but an average story and characters. You enjoyed reading it, but might not remember it after a month.
- 2 Stars: Poorly written, superficial and probably a bit of a yawn. Forgettable.
- 1 Star: Rubbish through and through. A book you wish you hadn’t read and don’t want to remember!
If you’d like to meet other crime fiction fans and chat about the books and authors you enjoy, why not come along to an Oundle Crime meeting? It’s relaxed and friendly, and anyone can drop in. Email join@friendsofoundlelibrary.org.uk and we’ll send you the details.