It’s summer, so naturally we chose exotic or holiday locations as our reading theme in July. Some of our choices are new books and a few were published quite a while ago, but the thing they all have in common is that we enjoyed reading them and think you might do so too. Better still, all of the books we’ve recommended this month are available from Oundle Library or on BorrowBox.
Actually, I’m a Corpse by Terry Deary*
Better known as a children’s author, this is Deary’s second crime fiction book for adults. Set in 1973 in Sunderland, a train pulls into the station with a dead body on board. The area is on high alert because earlier in the day a bomb had gone off in York’s Left-Luggage office, killing three people, and the bomber was thought to have escaped on that train. There are no obviously suspicious passengers alighting, apart from actor Tony Davies who is there to join a local theatre company. Police Sergeant Aline James knows Tony from before and with his help, and that of the assassin John Brown, solves the case. Described on the cover as a Cosy Mystery, Cornish Eskimo said this looked as if it was going to be funnier than it actually was. Enjoyable light reading but not particularly memorable. 3 Stars.
Local Girl Missing by Claire Douglas*
Eighteen years earlier, Sophie Collier disappeared from the old Victorian pier at Oldcliffe-on-Sea. Now some human remains have been washed up nearby and Sophie’s best friend, Francesca, returns to help Sophie’s brother, Daniel, find out what really happened. It’s the middle of winter and Frankie stays in a holiday rental that overlooks the pier and, while there, experiences various strange happenings. This rather bland summary might not make this sound very intriguing, but MadDog said it was a real page-turner – full of brilliant twists and an ending that she absolutely didn’t see coming. 4 Stars.
Who Can You Trust by Susan Lewis*
This is a standalone story, even though some of the characters have appeared in a previous book. Twenty years ago, Nicole’s twins disappeared without a trace, and despite her pleas of innocence she was convicted of killing them and has just been released from prison. And now she’s out, unexpectedly she has confessed to the crime, although Cristy Ward, the host of a true crime podcast doesn’t believe a word of it. Pussycat said this is a story where nothing is quite as it seems. On the surface it’s about a misspent youth, drink, drugs, and free-love but it’s not quite so simple. There are lots of twists, the story is cleverly told and she really enjoyed this. 4 Stars.
That Night by Gillian McAllister*
A dual timeline book that’s full of tension. In one timeline, three adult siblings – Joe, Cathy and Frannie – are on holiday in Verona, staying at their holiday home. One night, Cathy has a phone call from Frannie who has hit and killed a man with her car. She’s terrified at the thought of being jailed in a foreign country, so the three of them bury the body, clean up everything and swear they will never talk of it again. Despite the police looking at Frannie as a possible suspect they can find no evidence she was involved, so the three return home. The other timeline is a few years later, when one of the siblings is seeing a solicitor and preparing to be a witness for the prosecution in a murder trial. So what has happened? We don’t want to spoil anything but, rest assured, the plot is easier to follow than it sounds and it’s a great story. In fact, Freyja says it’s well-written, keeps you guessing until the end and was difficult to put down. She also said it was thought-provoking, because it’s a perfect study of the soul-destroying effects of guilt. 4 Stars.
A Game of Lies by Clare Mackintosh*
A reality TV show that involves isolating the contestants in a compound on a Welsh hillside. What could possibly go wrong? Well, things deteriorate from the moment they all arrive, because they soon learn that the ‘game’ they are playing isn’t what they were told it would be. In fact, each of them has a deeply guarded secret and the aim is for the other players to expose it, so the last one standing can win a life-changing cash prize. As stress levels rise the group begins to unravel as people desperately try to protect their secrets and then, of course, things start to go wrong. The police get involved because someone goes missing and there’s a death. DS Ffion Morgan is the person who must untangle everyone’s stories and get to the bottom of the mysteries. Mo says there are lots of characters to keep track of and the plot is complicated, but it’s a good mystery and definitely worth reading. 3+ Stars.
The Getaway by Nicola Martin*
This psychological thriller features Lola, a 30-year-old woman who has worked her whole life in the hospitality industry. On losing her job in Hong Kong, she phones her friend and ex-boss, Moxham, for help because he’s now manager of a resort on Keeper Island in the British Virgin Islands in the Caribbean. The island is the private property of a 60-year-old multibillionaire who has developed part of it into an exclusive resort for multimillionaires. The problem is that a day after Lola arrives to start work, Moxham is found dead. It’s deemed accidental, but Lola thinks differently and enlists the help of another member of staff to help her find out what really happened. Then there’s another death. Although this sounds a bit formulaic, Freyja said it is actually very readable, with some great moments featuring the multimillionaires that are laugh-out-loud funny. She enjoyed it and awarded 3+ Stars.
Dead Behind the Eyes by Ian Moore*
Set in Tours, France, where juge d’instruction – Matthew Lombard – is dealing with a headless corpse that’s been fished out of the River Loire. The body has been in the water for some time, so there are very few clues and few ways to identify the victim. Lombard is a bit of a misfit: a widower grieving for his wife, and a man who refuses to play political power games. Throw into the mix a missing heiress, and domestic terrorism in the shape of violent environmentalists, and the plot got increasingly interesting. But although Cornish Eskimo enjoyed this, she said the conclusion was so absurd it felt as if the author had been rushing to reach his word count. Nonetheless she had liked it up until that point and said she’d try another in the series because this had still been quite fun to read. 3 Stars.
The Girl in the Lake by Lauren Oliver*
Set in Massachusetts, USA, where Kate Willis is a psychiatrist and researcher. When she’s called to visit a six-year-old girl who claims to remember details of a past life, Kate expects to find a simple explanation. But she’s astonished to find the child seems to know details of Kate’s own childhood, particularly about the disappearance of her friend, Becca, who vanished one summer while they were at a Summer Camp. Various coincidences and chance meetings between those who were at the Camp all those years ago and strange, seemingly unrelated events, eventually lead to the truth. Pussycat said this story took a while to get going and if she’d had more books to hand, she might not have finished it – but she was glad that she did because it turned out to be well worth reading. 3+ Stars.
Breaking Cover and The Moscow Sleepers by Stella Rimington*
Juno listened to these on BorrowBox and really enjoyed them. They are the final two novels in Rimington’s Liz Carlyle series, written in 2016 and 2018 respectively, but despite their age, they are classy, believable espionage stories that still feel completely topical. Both concern Putin’s Russia and involve two different but very satisfying cat-and-mouse operations. Liz Carlyle is a great character and knowing Stella Rimington’s history makes everything seem very immediate and convincing. Juno said these were great books to listen to and gave 4 Stars to each.
The Haven by LJ Ross*
One of Ross’ ‘Summer Suspense’ mysteries, this is set in Tintagel, Cornwall. Irish newsreader and celebrity, Isolde Malone, travels to Tintagel to visit her brother and recuperate after a hectic and stressful period at work. But what should have been a restful break turns into something quite different when a body washes up on the beach. This series is probably best described as romantic suspense, and Northumberland Lass says that while they’re not nearly as intricate or exciting as LJ Ross’s DCI Ryan novels, they do make excellent holiday reading. This story bowls along at a good pace and earned 4 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.