+ Catholic Church, crime fiction, fiction, Historical fiction, murder mystery, mystery, review, Tudor England, writing
The Lost Boys of London by Mary Lawrence
In the twilight years of Henry VIII’s reign, alchemist’s daughter Bianca Goddard uses her skills to aid the living, and help seek justice for the dead . . .
While her husband fights the Scots on behalf of King Henry VIII, Bianca Goddard earns her coin by concocting medicines that offer relief to London’s sick. Some unfortunates, however, are beyond any remedies she can provide–like the young boy discovered hanging from a church dripstone. Examining the body, Bianca finds a rosary twisted around the child’s neck. A week later, another boy is found dead at a different church. When Fisk, the impish little son of Bianca’s acquaintance, goes missing, she fears he may become the third victim . . .
There are many villains who would prey on wayward, penniless boys. But Bianca suspects the killings are not brutal acts of impulse, but something far more calculated. In her room of Medicinals and Physickes she examines the sole piece of evidence: a sweet-smelling, dark-stained cloth. If Bianca can unravel its secret, reputations and lives will be saved. But the expected hour of the next murder is approaching, and a single misstep may mean another boy is lost forever . . .
When I started reading I had no idea that this was Book 5 in the series of Bianca Goddard Mysteries. Nor did I realise that the author actually lives in the US. However neither of these detracted one bit from my enjoyment. The Lost Boys of London is a historical fiction novel – not my usual genre though I do dip in from time to time (Alice Hoffman, Kate Mosse, Andrew Taylor) – but it was a rip-roaring tale of murder and mayhem in Tudor England, which I thoroughly enjoyed.
My only criticism is the convoluted language which initially took some time getting used to and was often quite tiring to read, particularly when it crept into the descriptions as well as the dialogue. However, by half-way I’d forgotten my misgivings and got used to it. I was reading on my Kindle and at the end discovered a glossary of terms – I wish I’d known it was there from the beginning!
In the acknowledgements, the author mentions that she is not a history scholar and apologises for any mistakes she may have made with the facts. Well I am not either, though I did study the Tudors many moons ago for O Level and A Level History. In spite of that my knowledge of the Tudors is quite basic, but then I have to admit that I didn’t care too much (apart from the main facts about Henry VIII and the dissolution of the monasteries). I am not sure that a woman would have been allowed to accompany the police examining murder victims and interviewing members of the church in those days, but as this is a work of fiction I didn’t start checking the facts on Wikipedia.
Actually I really loved this story. It was exciting and the tension built up as we follow both Bianca and her accomplices in London and her husband John, sent away to Scotland to protect the bowmen as they fight the Scots, burning and pillaging the towns and villages. And we mustn’t forget her cat Hobs, who I dearly loved almost as mush as she does.
+ childhood, dementia, family drama, fiction, friendship, Kit Williams, literature, Magical realism, relationships, review, The Man Behind the Masquerade, writing
The Illustrated Child by Polly Crosby
Romilly lives in a ramshackle house with her eccentric artist father and her cat, Monty. She knows little about her past – but she knows that she is loved.
When her father finds fame with a series of children’s books starring her as the main character, everything changes: exotic foods appear on the table, her father appears on TV, and strangers appear at their door, convinced the books contain clues leading to a precious prize.
But as time passes, Romilly’s father becomes increasingly suspicious of the outside world until, before her eyes, he begins to disappear altogether. With no-one else to help, Romilly turns to the secrets her father has hidden in his illustrated books – realising that his treasure hunt doesn’t lead to gold, but to something far more precious…the truth.
This book is so beautiful and sad, words cannot do it justice. Yes it’s slow at times – especially in the middle – and I guessed at some of the tragedies that do not come to light until the end, but don’t let that put you off. It’s not yet another book full of twists and turns and a shocking reveal. This is a gentle read about Romilly’s coming of age and one that will have you in tears at the end. All the characters are beautifully drawn – her dad Tobias whose life is changing in ways that she is too young to understand, her mum who cannot cope with reality – we don’t find out why until later on (I can identify with this), her elderly grandmother Beatrice who she has only just met, her mysterious friend Stacey and Monty the cat. Then there is Lidiya in the Circus who plays a part in her childhood.
I loved this book. It’s so real and heartfelt, it will stay with me (and hopefully you) for many years to come. For lovers of When God Was a Rabbit and The Trouble with Goats and Sheep.
Many thanks to NetGalley for my ARC in exchange for an honest review.
I must also give a mention to Kit Williams, whose book Masquerade, written and illustrated in 1979 inspired a worldwide treasure hunt by concealing clues to the location of a jewelled golden hare. I know it also inspired The Illustrated Child. William’s amazing wishing fish clock built in 1985 by renowned clock maker Michael Harding still plays music and blows bubbles every 15 minutes in the Regent Arcade in my home town of Cheltenham.
How well do you know your neighbours?
When residents of a North London cul-de-sac enrol in a seemingly innocent social network called Join Me, they soon find themselves embroiled in a murky web of sinister manipulation and murder.
From the outside, Caroline and Jason Swinton have an idyllic life. But when the cracks start to appear the residents of Riverside Close are drawn into a dangerous game. When Jason’s body is discovered in a house on the close, everyone becomes a suspect. Could his lovely wife be responsible for his murder? Or do the neighbours have a motive for wanting him dead? As the secret lives of those living on the Close are gradually revealed, it becomes clear that someone is hiding something they will stop at nothing to protect…
When the residents of Riverside Close get a leaflet through the door about a website called Join Me, little do they know that some of their lives will be changed forever. Join Me, run by husband and wife team Jason and Caroline Swinton, is not supposed to be a dating website. Its aim is to bring like-minded people together to go on trips to London to visit the Zoo, take a boat trip down the Thames or share fine wine and dining. Why is it therefore that women don’t meet other women to share these adventures? That would be good. Like pen pals who actually meet and do stuff. Why is it that it’s only bored housewives who find a kindred spirit in the same handsome man under different guises? Join Me has a very different agenda, as ludicrously naive and stupid Susan finds out. So does Alexis, whose relationship with doctor husband Adam is falling apart. But Alexis is a lot smarter than Susan. And Olive, an eighty-something busy-body is keeping a diary of all the comings and goings. Then Jason is found dead inside the only empty house in the close – number 4. Who killed him? Were they lining up? This is wonderful stuff, so why only 4 stars I hear you ask. 4.5 would be nearer the mark.
I actually loved this book until the last bit when the killer is revealed. Towards the end I made a list of my ‘suspects’. The perp was originally number one on my list but I soon dismissed him as too obvious and a motive that would make him a total hypocrite, unless he was bonkers. I then went through the list dismissing each one until I chose the one I thought would be a great twist. Unfortunately I was wrong!! I loved my twist!! However, I still enjoyed it and would highly recommend it. It’s original and fun and brilliantly written.
Many thanks to The Pigeonhole and my fellow Pigeons for once again giving me the opportunity to read a book I would probably never have found on my own or chosen to read.
People would kill to have Faye von Essen’s life. She lives in an ultra-swanky apartment in the most exclusive area of Stockholm, she has a gorgeous husband who gives her everything she’s ever wanted, and she has an adorable daughter who lights up her world. Faye’s life is perfect.
So how is it, then, that she now finds herself in a police station?
The truth is that Faye’s life is far from what it seems. The truth is that Faye isn’t even her real name. And now she’s been caught out. There’s no way she’s going to go down without a fight. The only question is – who will escape with their life?
For once in my life I don’t really know what to say. What a difficult book to read. On the one hand it is well written and tells us a lot about a Swedish life-style I didn’t know existed, though I expect it’s the same in any Western country. Faye is one of a gaggle of rich and spoilt housewives whose lives are fuelled by greed and drink (I would be under the table after a tenth of what these women pour down their skinny necks), except she isn’t skinny and believes that is why her husband no longer fancies her. But he is a ruthless pig and has also locked her in a ‘Gilded Cage’ where nothing matters apart from what others in his world can see. And she doesn’t fit in. Academically smart but inherently stupid, it takes a wake-up call to finally catapult her into her final revenge.
Now all this would be fine if it wasn’t for a couple of things. Faye commits one crime that can never be forgotten and in my mind really spoils the whole story. Why the author included it I can never understand. Any sympathy we may have for Faye is now gone for good. Secondly, her rise to success in her own business is a little too predictable and unlikely. But then this is fiction so a bit of artistic licence is allowed.
Finally there’s the ghastly sex scenes. Even Fifty Shades of Grey managed to be more erotic and exciting. These scenes are all vile and horrible but maybe for someone of my generation I am expecting the sex to be at least a little romantic, even when it’s frantic. Unintended rhyme. I know many of us felt the same. Or maybe the author’s intention is to shock and disgust in which case it certainly succeeded.
Anyway, it’s still a good story and I would have given it 4 stars if it wasn’t for Viktor. Many thanks to The Pigeonhole and my fellow Pigeons for making it an enjoyable read.
+ crime fiction, Detective novel, fiction, murder mystery, police drama, police procedural, review, writing
Buried by Lynda La Plante
Millions of stolen, untraceable bank notes lie untouched in an old Victorian cottage, the hidden legacy of the Dolly Rawlins and her widows. But the millions are not forgotten. Released from prison, Esther Freeman is determined to retrieve the money. And so too is Mike Withey, Shirley Miller’s brother and Audrey’s son.
When a fire breaks out at the derelict cottage, with a badly charred body inside along with what looks like thousands of burnt bank notes, it attracts the attention of the police and one young detective in particular, Jack Warr. Jack’s investigation into the fire, and the burnt body inside, coincide with an investigation into his own past. Adopted at birth, Jack discovers his birth father may have been none other than Harry Rawlins, a renowned criminal.
As he finds out the truth about his own identity, Jack finds himself becoming increasingly aggressive, stopping at nothing to find the truth – including breaking the law himself.
This is a really good read if you are into traditional police procedural stories. Lots of great character development and twists and turns though probably not any massive surprises. For me personally it is a bit old-fashioned, a bit The Sweeney, particularly in the language and descriptions but I loved it nonetheless.
Jack is the perfect main protagonist. Adopted at five years old by Charlie and Penny, he has never been interested in where he came from until now and what he discovers will change his life forever. Charlie and Penny are lovely as is his wife Maggie. In fact she is probably the nicest of the lot! As for Jack, we can’t have a perfect main character can we. He needs to be flawed and conflicted but do nothing too bad that we can’t forgive. Or can he? You’ll have to read it to find out.
What I didn’t realise is that this book follows on from Widows, which was made into a TV series in the 1980s. I’ve never seen it unfortunately. However, there is enough background that it doesn’t matter whether you have read or watched Widows.
Will I read the next Jack Warr book? Probably, though I think this will make a great TV series and as this is Lynda La Plante I expect to see it on our screens soon. Anyone who reads my reviews will know I love to cast the characters but this one is hard as most of my ‘favourites’ are too old to play Jack. I think Lynda already has someone in mind, though Richard Madden is a slight possibility but my money is on David Caves (Jack from Silent Witness) though he’d have to lose the accent. I know he plays Jack in SW but I just kept visualising him as I was reading.
Many thanks to The Pigeonhole and to my fellow Pigeons for making this such a great experience.
She’s always looking on the bright side… Dawn Elisabeth Brightside has been running from her past for twenty-two years and two months, precisely. So when she is offered a bed in St Jude’s Hostel for the Homeless, it means so much more than just a roof over her head. But with St Jude’s threatened with closure, Dawn worries that everything is about to crumble around her all over again. Perhaps, with a little help from her new friends, she can find a way to save this light in the darkness?
And maybe, just maybe, Dawn will finally have a place to call home…
I absolutely loved this book. I’m not sure how many times I was reduced to tears but that’s a good sign for me! I would give it six stars if I could.
Dawn Elizabeth Brightside did not have an easy beginning. Her beloved father disappeared when she was a child and her mother – well let’s just say she wasn’t the best. Then something happened and Dawn has been running for 22 years. In fact the exact time since her daughter Rosie was born. We don’t know why she’s been running all this time but the reasons why are revealed bit by bit.
The story really begins when Dawn is accepted into St Jude’s hostel for the homeless in Dover. St Jude’s is run by Grace (half of the story is seen from her point of view) and Peter, an ex-service user himself. Then there is Cara, whom Dawn befriends, trying to get off drugs so she can be reunited with her twins, Jack, in care and then prison but trying to turn his life around once and for all, Teardrop Terry and a host of others, living in the hostel or on the streets. Everyone has a backstory, most are heart-wrenching.
But Dawn is full of hope and blessed with a vivid imagination. How can she and Grace and the others save St Jude’s when funding is withdrawn and the hostel is faced with closure? This is a book filled with sadness, but more than anything it’s filled with love and of course extraordinary hope.
Many thanks to NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
In 1726 in the small town of Godalming, England, a young woman confounds the medical community by giving birth to dead rabbits.
Surgeon John Howard is a rational man. His apprentice Zachary knows John is reluctant to believe anything that purports to exist outside the realm of logic. But even John cannot explain how or why Mary Toft, the wife of a local farmer, manages to give birth to a dead rabbit. When this singular event becomes a regular occurrence, John realizes that nothing in his experience as a village physician has prepared him to deal with a situation as disturbing as this. He writes to several preeminent surgeons in London, three of whom quickly arrive in the small town of Godalming ready to observe and opine. When Mary’s plight reaches the attention of King George, Mary and her doctors are summoned to London, where Zachary experiences for the first time a world apart from his small-town existence, and is exposed to some of the darkest corners of the human soul. All the while, Mary lies in bed, waiting for another birth, as doubts begin to blossom among the surgeons and a growing group of onlookers grow impatient for another miracle..
Such conflicting feelings about this book. Entertaining at times but massively overlong. So long I began skim reading parts of it. I get the message that people are prepared to degrade themselves for what? money, fame, notoriety but some of it was very unsettling. I guess it still happens. We don’t go to the same lengths but we still love to see celebrities degrade themselves on programmes like I’m A Celebrity Get Me Out of Here. They might not be prepared to stuff dead rabbits up themselves (hopefully), but they still get showered with rats and creepy crawlies and eat kangaroo’s genitals.
In fact one wonders how far some of them would be prepared to go for fame and money. Even Big Brother and Love Island have moral messages. Do we love the contestants to win or do we cruelly want to see them fail and be ridiculed? Or just want to see them have sex on live TV? As for Naked Attraction. The lowest of the low. Or just watch Jeremy Kyle if it ever returns. The clever use these programmes to their own ends but the less clever are thrown into the arena like the bull or the ‘cat-eaters’. And anyone whoever watched The Word in the 1990’s will know just what I mean.
However, back to the book. Though well-written and thought-provoking, much of the philosophising and descriptions of London life were far too long and that is where I started skipping paragraphs. Not that much actually happens. I wanted to know more about Zachary’s relationship with Anne for instance. That was far more interesting but there was too little about it. When I knew something interesting was going to happen I skimmed to those parts.
I am in fact more inclined to give it 3.5 stars. I would give it 4 stars but I have a feeling the lengthy paragraphs may cause some readers to drop out part way through.
Many thanks to NetGalley for my ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Scotland, 1940:
War rages across Europe, but Invermoray House is at peace. Until the night of Constance’s twenty-first birthday, when she’s the only person to see a Spitfire crash into the loch. Constance has been longing for adventure – but when she promises to keep the pilot hidden, what will it cost her?
2020:
Kate arrives in the Highlands to turn Invermoray into a luxury bed-and-breakfast, only to find that the estate is more troubled than she’d imagined. But when Kate discovers the house has a murky history, with Constance McLay’s name struck from its records, she knows she can’t leave until the mystery is solved…
How will one promise change the fate of two women, decades apart?
This is definitely not my usual genre (romance/historical fiction) but I really enjoyed it nonetheless. I couldn’t wait to read the next stave (reading with The Pigeonhole). I loved the way it followed the two stories – the first in 1940 and the second nowadays. There are links and secrets which will not come to light until the very end so you will have to be patient!
A couple of things about the ending were not what I hoped for but at least it was all tied up neatly. Personally I think it cried out for a bit of magical realism (my favourite genre) with maybe Constance leaving ‘messages’ or clues from the grave in the ghillie’s cottage or the painting ripping again every time someone tried to repair it.
Many thanks to The Pigeonhole for giving me the opportunity to read along with my fellow Pigeons.
Nina can never forgive Maggie for what she did. And she can never let her leave.
They say every house has its secrets, and the house that Maggie and Nina have shared for so long is no different. Except that these secrets are not buried in the past. Every other night, Maggie and Nina have dinner together. When they are finished, Nina helps Maggie back to her room in the attic, and into the heavy chain that keeps her there. Because Maggie has done things to Nina that can’t ever be forgiven, and now she is paying the price.
But there are many things about the past that Nina doesn’t know, and Maggie is going to keep it that way — even if it kills her. Because in this house, the truth is more dangerous than lies.
Oh my God what a brilliant book. Ridiculously far-fetched at times – did no-one ever check or investigate or even visit the house – but hey ho, it’s fiction. Two of the most ghastly and wicked protagonists I have ever come across but nail-bitingly good and full of unexpected twists right up to the end.
Some bits will really shock until you say ‘please no more’ but still it goes on. On a number of occasions I had to hide behind the sofa metaphorically speaking and scream to myself – ‘please don’t!’ but then she did or not as the case may be.
By the end I’m not sure which of them is worse – actually I am but I’m not giving that away. At least you’ll never question your relationship with your mum/daughter again. You’ll think thank God we are not like that. Unless of course you keep your mum chained up in the attic….
Many thanks to NetGalley for my ARC in exchange for an honest review.
+ brothers, crime fiction, Detective novel, friends, friendship, murder mystery, police drama, review, writing
The Search Party by Simon Lelic
The entire town thinks Sadie Saunders is dead. Missing now for a week, they say she was murdered. And they think they know who did it. Aware of the suspicion that surrounds them – and one of them in particular – Sadie’s five best friends vow to find out the truth. So they pack their bags and set off for the woods where Sadie was last seen.
But what starts as a search quickly turns into something more sinister. Each of them has a secret, and they all know more about Sadie’s past than they are willing to admit. As the landscape opens up, and the darkness closes in, the reality of their situation begins to dawn on them.
It was never really a search party. It was a witch hunt. And not everyone is going to make it home.
I really tried to enjoy this book but for me it was marred by the POV of the teenagers. A stroppy lot who turn on each other at the drop of a hat in spite of being so-called best friends. It’s a shame because I really liked Detective Inspector Fleet. His relationships with his work partner Nicky, his soon to be ex-wife Holly and his mother. All that was great but the parts told by each of the teenagers in their annoying ‘voices’ (each tells their own side of the story and didn’t they go on and on) kept reminding me of the video footage in the Blair Witch Project – remember that film? I got so annoyed with them that I was hoping they’d all disappear and never come back. Maybe not literally….
And then the ending. I was hoping for something really sinister. Far darker and deeper. Sorry but even though I finished it in record time I am not sure whether I just wanted to get it over with. In reality it’s a very good book. Just not for me I’m afraid.
Thanks to Netgalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Cassandra Tipp is dead…or is she?
After all, the notorious recluse and eccentric bestselling novelist has always been prone to flights of fancy – everyone in town remembers the shocking events leading up to Cassie’s infamous trial (she may have been acquitted, but the insanity defence only stretches so far).
Cassandra Tipp has left behind no body – just her massive fortune, and one final manuscript. Then again, there are enough bodies in her past – her husband Tommy Tipp, whose mysterious disembowelment has never been solved, and a few years later, the shocking murder-suicide of her father and brother.
Cassandra Tipp will tell you a story–but it will come with a terrible price. What really happened, out there in the woods–and who has Cassie been protecting all along? Read on, if you dare…
This was such a confusing read. I don’t even know whether I liked it or not. At times I almost gave up because some of the gruesome details are so distasteful. I can deal with the horrific bits just not the faerie feeding etc. These faeries are not Tinkerbell. They don’t wear pink and have gossamer wings. They are dark and creepy and evil and feed off people in order to sustain life (even though they are dead).
But then the writing is magical and poetic so I felt I had to keep reading. Actually about two-thirds of the way through (when you begin to understand a bit what’s going on) I began to enjoy it more. By the end you ask yourself whether the faeries are in fact real or did Cassie ‘invent’ them as a way of dealing with her childhood abuse. Is she mad or is everyone around her just horrible? At first I thought she was suffering multiple personality disorder but I don’t think that’s the case. I definitely lean towards the abuse definition but … what are those shadows at the end of the garden or hiding in the shrubbery? Are they watching me….?
I certainly think Camilla Bruce is one to watch. Would I read her next novel? Yes definitely.
Many thanks to The Pigeonhole for giving me the opportunity to read along with the other Pigeons and the author.
+ crime fiction, Detective novel, fiction, murder mystery, Psychological fiction, review, serial killer, writing
Rules For Perfect Murders (Eight Perfect Murders) by Peter Swanson
A chilling tale of psychological suspense and an homage to the thriller genre tailor-made for fans: the story of a bookseller who finds himself at the centre of an FBI investigation because a very clever killer has started using his list of fiction’s most ingenious murders.
Years ago, bookseller and mystery aficionado Malcolm Kershaw compiled a list of the genre’s most unsolvable murders, those that are almost impossible to crack—which he titled “Eight Perfect Murders”—chosen from among the best of the best including Agatha Christie’s A. B. C. Murders, Patricia Highsmith’s Strangers on a Train, Ira Levin’s Death Trap, A. A. Milne’s Red House Mystery, Anthony Berkeley Cox’s Malice Aforethought, James M. Cain’s Double Indemnity, John D. Macdonald’s The Drowner, and Donna Tartt’s A Secret History.
But no one is more surprised than Mal, now the owner of the Old Devils Bookshop in Boston, when an FBI agent comes knocking on his door one snowy day in February. She’s looking for information about a series of unsolved murders that look eerily similar to the killings on Mal’s old list. And the FBI agent isn’t the only one interested in this bookseller who spends almost every night at home reading. The killer is out there, watching his every move—a diabolical threat who knows way too much about Mal’s personal history, especially the secrets he’s never told anyone, even his recently deceased wife.
To protect himself, Mal begins looking into possible suspects—and sees a killer in everyone around him. But Mal doesn’t count on the investigation leaving a trail of death in its wake. Suddenly, a series of shocking twists leaves more victims dead—and the noose around Mal’s neck grows so tight he might never escape.
I loved this book so much. I read it in staves with The Pigeonhole and I couldn’t wait for the next one. A very skilled plot that kept everyone guessing right up to the end.
Mal is an unreliable narrator and while that can sometimes be a problem on this occasion it was fun. He isn’t always that likeable but I can’t say much more. Of the other main characters I loved Gwen the FBI Agent who is looking for his help with a number of unsolved murders but I could not relate to his late wife Claire. She’s a victim with a drug problem but I struggled to sympathise. Mal’s staff at Old Devils – Emily and Brandon – are fairly minor but my star of the show so to speak is Nero the cat. No spoilers but for anyone who worries about these things Nero is fine. There I said it.
After spending time with Gwen, Mal suspects everyone. Maybe he is right to do so. And is there only one killer? There are so many red herrings it took me ages to even come near to guessing the truth. Brilliant!
Many thanks to The Pigeonhole for giving me the opportunity to read along with my fellow Pigeons.
Bookchatter@Cookiebiscuit 