My recent reads - 1

Like many people at the moment, I'm struggling to concentrate on reading, even though this used to be my main form of escapism. I'm also struggling to write reviews in any great detail. But when particular books manage to retain my attention, I do want to recommend them. So I am going to write some short reviews on here.

Hopefully once life returns to some form of 'new normal' and my anxiety and concentration levels settle down, my words will flow again. Watch out for this new series of posts, featuring a few books at a time.

The Toy Makers by Robert Dinsdale

I raced through this fairytale, which is set around the time of WW1. It involved embracing the magical element and immersing myself in the story. I thought it was beautifully written, cleverly plotted and very emotional, about love, war and family relationships. My OH picked it up after me and I don't think I have ever seen him read a book so quickly!


Midnight at the Bright Ideas Bookstore by Matthew Sullivan

This is an intriguing, intelligent mystery. I found it difficult to put down, and loved everything about it, from the characters to the setting (a bookstore - how can anyone not love that?) and the compelling plot. It is an easy read (some people may call it 'quiet' crime novel) but also a very twisty (and clever) one, featuring secrets from the past, with a horrific killing and a suicide at the heart of it.


The Holiday by T.M. Logan

I have been meaning to read this book for ages and finally took it off my shelf when the author's next book (The Catch) arrived in the post. It's a psychological thriller (domestic noir) set in blazing sunshine in a Mediterranean paradise - perfect escapism from my current location. This is a gripping read, all about family dynamics, friendships and the hazards of parenting teenagers. It kept me guessing to the end and now I'm looking forward to reading The Catch.


The Flower Girls by Alice Clark-Platts

This is another book that's been lying around here for a while, and I am glad that I chose to read it now, as it proved to be great escapism. It's a very dark and disturbing story about two children, one convicted of murder and the other given a new identity, following the killing of an even younger child. I found myself trying to analyse the two main characters and their motives and personalities. The book explores the justice system, the nature of 'evil' and childhood trauma, and features a brilliant ending!

That's all for now! 

Back soon with some more recommended reads. 

Keep safe and well, everyone!

BEST OF CRIME with Jonathan Pinnock

Welcome to my latest BEST OF CRIME feature, looking at crime writers' top picks, from their favourite author and fictional detective to their best writing tip. 

Today I'm delighted to welcome 

JONATHAN PINNOCK

to share his BEST OF CRIME ...

... AUTHORS

I’m very much looking forward to whatever Gillian Flynn comes up with next, because Gone Girl was such a wild, mad ride. But in the meantime – and this might be cheating slightly, because they’re strictly speaking spy stories, but then again I don’t have a lot of time for genre boundaries – I’m currently working my way through Mick Herron’s Slough House series, and they are an absolutely marvel. Imagine looking at Le Carré and thinking “Nah, way too upbeat.”

If I can be ever so slightly pretentious for a moment, I’d also like to chuck in a third preference vote for Jorge Luis Borges, if only for Death and the Compass, which is possibly the single greatest crime short story ever written. As I’m sure everyone knows, the central conceit was borrowed by Umberto Eco for The Name of the Rose, which is why one of the key characters is called Jorge de Burgos. As slightly fewer people know, I also nicked it for The Truth About Archie and Pye, which is why one of my characters has the name George Burgess.

OK, OK, I’ll try and keep the answers shorter from now on.

... FILMS/MOVIES

I’m a massive fan of Raymond Chandler, so it’s got to be The Big Sleep – nothing comes close. But for God’s sake, make sure it’s the original 1946 Howard Hawks version with Bogart and Bacall at the top of their game, not the execrable 1978 Michael Winner remake. I actually paid real money to see this in the cinema when it came out and I’m still angry, over forty years later.

... TV DRAMAS

Ooh, this is tricky. Giri/Haji and the first series of Killing Eve are strong contenders, but in the end, it’s got to be The Bridge, or Bron | Broen, as we call it in our household, where we now speak fluent Scandinavian. The first two seasons in particular are wonderful, mainly because of the weird chemistry between Saga Norén and Martin Rohde. Oh, and that theme tune by Choir of Young Believers is just perfect.

... FICTIONAL KILLERS

Well, I guess Hannibal Lecter is a bit of an obvious choice, so let’s go with Gerry and Sylvia Anderson’s Mysterons, mainly because they were so endearingly useless. At the start of every single episode, they would announce that they were going to kill someone or cause some kind of disaster, and every single time they were thwarted by bloody Captain Scarlet. Hopeless.

... FICTIONAL DETECTIVES 

I think it would have to be Louie Knight, from Malcolm Pryce’s Aberystwyth Noir series. On the face of it, he’s a pastiche of Philip Marlowe, but there’s so much more going on there. Pryce’s Aberystwyth is a masterpiece of world-building.

... MURDER WEAPONS

I’m guessing that someone must have mentioned it before in this series, because it’s just so neat, but there’s Roald Dahl’s frozen leg of lamb that a woman uses to bludgeon her husband before serving it to the investigating detective. I also quite like the serial killer in one of Lee Child’s Jack Reacher books, The Visitor, who goes around drowning their victims in their own bathtubs in camouflage paint. Not only is it downright weird, but it’s also preposterously inefficient.

... DEATH SCENES

Might need to put a mild spoiler alert on this – and possibly a Lionel Shriver alert too – but the conclusion of We Need to Talk About Kevin shocked me much more than I was expecting it to.

... BLOGS/WEBSITES

I’m afraid that I’m not a particularly faithful web surfer, and if I’m about to do any research I tend to just start with Google and see where it leads me. My search history can make for interesting reading in itself.

... WRITING TIPS

Most of all, I’d recommend that you avoid taking advice from strangers on the internet. But if you insist, read widely and outside your genre, make sure all your characters have agency and for God’s sake, listen to how people talk.

... WRITING SNACKS

I share my life with someone who, if given a two-finger Kit-Kat, will break it in two, eat one finger and carefully re-wrap the remaining one to keep for some future occasion. Maybe next week, or some time the other side of Christmas. I, on the other hand, see a packet of chocolate digestives as an atomic entity, intended to be eaten all in one go if I think I can get away with it. So what I’m basically saying is that I don’t do snacks while writing. They’re far too dangerous.

About JONATHAN PINNOCK

Jonathan Pinnock first came to notoriety as the author of Mrs Darcy Versus the Aliens, of which he should probably be more ashamed than he actually is. He is also the author of two collections of short stories, a slim volume of poetry and an uncategorisable (and – frankly – largely unsaleable) musical memoir. More recently, he is the author of Farrago Books’ Mathematical Mystery series, the third of which, The Riddle of the Fractal Monks, was published on 16 April 2020.

Find Jonathan Pinnock on Twitter - @jonpinnock

About THE RIDDLE OF THE FRACTAL MONKS

Publisher's description

A mystery lands – literally – at Tom Winscombe’s feet, and another riotous mathematical adventure begins…

Tom Winscombe and Dorothy Chan haven’t managed to go on a date for some time, so it’s a shame that their outing to a Promenade Concert is cut short when a mysterious cowled figure plummets from the gallery to the floor of the arena close to where they are standing. But when they find out who he was, all thoughts of romance fly out of the window.

Just who are the Fractal Monks, and what does Isaac, last of the Vavasors and custodian of the papers of famed dead mathematical geniuses Archie and Pye, want with them? How will other figures from the past also demand a slice of the action? And what other mysteries are there lurking at the bottom of the sea and at the top of mountains? The answers lie in The Riddle of Fractal Monks.

The Riddle of the Fractal Monks is published by Farrago Books.

Look out for more BEST OF CRIME features coming soon.

Click here to read more BEST OF CRIME features.

BEST OF CRIME with Amy McLellan

Welcome to my latest BEST OF CRIME feature, looking at crime writers' top picks, from their favourite author and fictional detective to their best writing tip. 

Today I'm delighted to welcome 

AMY McLELLAN

to share her BEST OF CRIME ...

... AUTHORS

My all-time favourite is Graham Greene, master of noir, shabby spies, tortured souls and ruthless criminals. 

... FILMS/MOVIES

A Few Good Men. First date with my husband, fellow author Adam Hamdy. We loved a good conspiracy thriller even back then. No, you can’t handle the truth.

... TV DRAMAS

Bosch on Amazon Prime, starring Titus Welliver.  Gripping story-telling that gets better and better with every season.

... FICTIONAL KILLERS

Ian Fleming’s Dr No. Such a sinister character with his secret island and his fascination with pain. And the scene with the spiders…let’s not go there… 

... FICTIONAL DETECTIVES 

So many greats to pick from but I’d like to share the love for Elliot Rook QC, a criminal barrister with a secret past. He’s the wonderfully drawn main character in Gary Bell’s debut Beyond Reasonable Doubt, which feels so authentic you wonder to what degree Mr Rook is actually auto-biographical …

... MURDER WEAPONS

Mouldy peanuts, as used in Graham Greene’s The Human Factor. Apparently the mould kills liver cells, useful for spies trying to dispose of people without any public fuss.

... DEATH SCENES

There’s a scene in Alison Belsham’s dark and gripping The Tattoo Thief which stayed with me. The clue is in the title…

  

... BLOGS/WEBSITES

Mumsnet. All of human life is on there. Utterly addicted

... WRITING TIPS

Sit down every morning, stare at empty screen, fill it one word at a time. And repeat. Seriously, just keep going. 

... WRITING SNACKS

Coffee. Lots of coffee. And gum, to stop me eating ALL the chocolate. 

About AMY McLELLAN

Amy McLellan is a freelance journalist and copywriter. She lives in Shropshire with her husband and three children. Remember Me is her debut novel.  

Find Amy McLellan on Twitter - @AmyMcLellan2

About REMEMBER ME

Publisher's description

Sarah witnesses her sister’s murder but she can’t identify the perpetrator because she has prosopagnosia - she can't recognise faces. The police think she did it and if she doesn't find the man who did it, she’s going to be found guilty of murder…but who do you trust when people may not be who they say they are?

Remember Me is published by Orion.

Look out for more BEST OF CRIME features coming soon.

Click here to read more BEST OF CRIME features.