We were relaxed about our reading theme in September because Oundle Library was still closed. We decided we could re-read a book we’d really enjoyed and which we’d kept on our bookshelves, or otherwise read whatever we fancied. So, at our meeting we found ourselves chatting about a good mix of brand-new novels and some absolute classics, as well as books by authors we’d never heard of before. Our list of nine recommendations below includes two e-audiobooks and is shown alphabetically by author.
The Lie Maker by Linwood Barclay
When Jack Givens was a boy, his father (who was a hitman) went into witness protection, leaving Jack and his mother behind. Now, 20-years later, Jack is a talented but struggling author who works for the US Marshals’ service writing false histories for people in witness protection. With the help of his girlfriend, Jack decides it’s time he tried to find his dad. The only problem is that his dad hasn’t been in contact with his handlers recently and they have no idea where he is. And that’s when things start to go badly wrong for Jack, who has no idea who he can trust. Freyja says although Linwood Barclay’s plots are often over-the-top, his novels always feel realistic because his descriptions of people and places are so good. She gave this 3 Stars because it was such a good, exciting story.
The Dark Wives by Anne Cleeves
This is the latest ‘Vera’ novel and didn’t disappoint! A body is found outside a care home for troubled teenagers and Vera is called to investigate. The victim is Josh, who works at the home. At the same time, Chloe, a resident, also disappears and then another body is found at the standing stones known as The Dark Wives. All this happens at the time of year when a local witches festival takes place, and Vera knows she urgently needs to find Chloe. Norfolk Gal says the book is unputdownable! Vera is her usual self and there’s the usual cast of characters plus some new ones, who are just as interesting. But most importantly, Ann Cleeves is back on form – it’s a great story that’s well-paced, with descriptions so vivid you can see the locations in your mind’s eye. This was just so much better than the last book Ann Cleeves published, which was about Matthew Venn in Devon. Vera gets 5 Stars.
Holy Disorders by Edmund Crispin
Geoffrey Vintner, a famous organist, is summoned by his friend, Gervase Fen to play at Tolnbridge Cathedral because the resident organist has been attacked in the locked, empty cathedral. The man is then murdered while in hospital and Fen, an amateur detective, along with Vintner and the local police Inspector start to investigate. Vintner was warned off going to Tolnbridge, so they presume something is hidden in the organ loft. Later, another member of the clergy is murdered in the cathedral in similar circumstances and after many twists and false trails the perpetrators and the reason for the murders is uncovered. Mo says the plot is serious and well thought-out but the writing is certainly not serious. The author, Edmund Crispin, read modern languages at Oxford and his characters, Fen and Vintner delight in making private jokes, some of which are now quite hard to fathom. It might not be the easiest book to read but Mo says that’s part of its charm and gave it 4 Stars.
A Death Divided by Clare Francis
This was published in 2001. Joe has a high-powered job in a legal firm and is challenged to find childhood friend and neighbour, Jenna, who has been missing for four years. Growing up, Joe’s family life had been chaotic and Jenna’s home had been his happy place; and he feels guilty because she disappeared with Chatwood, whom he introduced her to while at university. Now, with the help of his friend Sarah, Joe’s enquiries unlock a chain of events. Norfolk Gal says the family dynamics explored in this were interesting, the characters were compelling, and it was so well paced she couldn’t stop turning the pages. 4 Stars.
The Man in Black by Elly Griffiths
Published in June, this is a volume of 19 short stories – five of which feature Ruth Galloway, with one each about Harbinder Kaur and Max Mephisto. The others are standalone tales, including a couple of ghost stories. Cornish Eskimo says they all have Elly Griffiths’s trademark wit, so although the short story format doesn’t allow deep plotlines they are all engaging and lots of fun to read. For fans of Elly Griffiths this is definitely a book to enjoy. 4+ Stars.
Norwegian by Night by Derek B Miller
Listened to as an e-audiobook. An irascible 82-year-old New Yorker, Sheldon Horowitz, has been transplanted to live in Oslo with his granddaughter and her husband, following the death of his wife. Unsettled by the move, he one day finds himself pitchforked into a real-life drama, rescuing the small son of the woman who lives upstairs from a violent encounter with an aggressive man. When the woman is killed he flees with the child to save him. Neither of them speak Norwegian, so Horowitz (a former Marine sniper in the Korean War) must rediscover himself to get them across Norway to the safety of his son-in-law’s forest cabin. What starts as a laugh-out-loud-funny story turns into a tense tale that spans the generations which, in places, is profoundly moving. It turns out this was Derek B. Miller’s debut novel and won all sorts of awards, including the 2013 John Creasy (New Blood) Dagger. Cornish Eskimo said it was brilliant and gave it 5 Stars.
A Death in Cornwall by Daniel Silva
Published in July, this is the latest Gabriel Allon mystery and Cornish Eskimo says it’s very enjoyable indeed. A professor of art history is murdered in Cornwall and the assumption is that she’s the latest victim of a serial killer being hunted by the police. But there are inconsistencies with the death and an old friend of Allon’s asks him for help. It doesn’t take long for Allon to discover the murder victim was searching for a looted Picasso, and the trail leads him across Europe investigating the international art market and the lives of the super-rich. There’s all the insatiable greed you’d expect, as well as double-dealing, bribery, and tax evasion on an industrial scale. It’s an exciting story, and of course Allon gets to the bottom of it all. 4 Stars.
Bad Debts by Peter Temple
Cornish Eskimo listened to this as an e-audiobook, having never read anything by this author before. It turns out Temple was one of Australia’s most acclaimed crime writers and a five-times winner of the Ned Kelly Award for Crime Fiction. Bad Debts was published in 1996 and the first of five books about Jack Irish, an ex-solicitor who works as a private eye and debt collector. Set in Melbourne this has two story strands: one about high-level corruption and property development, the other about fixing horse races. But that’s rather under-selling it, because Cornish Eskimo says it’s anything but dull. She described it as a twisty, clever story that keeps you on your toes and Jack Irish as a wisecracking and entertaining protagonist. In places it’s laugh-out-loud funny. There are only four novels in the Jack Irish series but she’s now keen to hunt down the others. 4 Stars.
The Dark Room by Minette Walters
Published in 1995 Freyja had enjoyed this so much she’d kept it on her book shelf ever since. She says it’s a dark, dense, claustrophobic and convoluted psychological thriller, which starts with the discovery of two decomposing bodies in a wood. A bit later the reader meets Jinx, a young photographer who, jilted by her fiancé for her best friend, is in a private clinic recovering from an alleged suicide attempt. She’s suffering from memory loss and has a paralysing fear of something she doesn’t want to remember. When the police realise the bodies in the wood are those of the fiancé and Jinx’s best friend, they naturally suspect Jinx of being involved, and her situation isn’t helped by the fact that her father is a notorious ex-East End gangster. Freyja says the novel is really well written and has a shocking and unexpected ending. Reading it again was very satisfying and she gave it 4 Stars.
If you’d like to attend a meeting of Oundle Crime to meet other crime fiction fans and chat about the books and authors you enjoy, just email join@friendsofoundlelibrary.org.uk and we’ll send you the details.