There’s a haunting quality to this book. There’s a mix of mystery and romance and yet, I had a feeling that Creake Hall was surrounded by ghosts – but living ones, not yet dead. Gillard creates some superb characters here, complex and damaged in so many different ways and yet all totally believable. I also loved the twists and turns as the plot unravelled, feeling confident for one moment that you knew where the story was headed, only to be disarmed and taken in an opposite direction. It left me with that same disorientation, that although everything had been settled and all questions answered, there was still an element of the unknown left dangling. Spellbinding!
The Red Hill, by David Penny (recommended by John Lynch)
Tom Berrington, surgeon and one-time warrior, is from a north European country (never named but probably England) but has lived in Andalucia for many years and presents his story of murder and intrigue from a point of view steeped in Islam. It is the late fifteenth century and the Islamic hold on Spain is loosening but not yet broken. The task of the writer of historical fiction is to make us believe everything we read, while we’re reading it. David Penny achieves this better than most. This is a novel that you sink into, seeing the sights and hearing the sounds, and Penny moves the story along skilfully so that you never question the people or the motivations. The characters come alive with their fears and hopes and, if none of them is presented in great depth, deep psychological insight isn’t what you look for in a thriller like this. Most notable of all in an independently published book, it’s well edited and the writing is to an exceptionally high standard. A first class read and well worth your time; I recommend it. The Chase, by Lorna Fergusson (Recommended by Alison Morton)
Seeking a new life in the ‘ex-pat paradise’ of the Dordogne, two Brits are soon immersed in the disturbing atmosphere engendered by local characters, the brooding landscape and hidden secrets from their new home’s past. Netty and Gerald are failing to work through their own grief and guilt surrounding a recent loss; their dialogue and characterisation are achingly convincing.
The ‘hunting and hunted’ theme is clever, giving form and structure to the book. Lorna Fergusson drills down through several layers to expose the essence of this finely written and rewarding read which I found it hard to put down.
The Written by Ben Galley
(Recommended by Chele Cooke)I love fantasy books and Ben Galley's 'The Written' is a gritty, honest epic fantasy. Not every hero is kind and good, and not every villain shows themselves that way. It's a great, detailed plot and a great intro into the rest of the series.
The Bet, by Vivienne Tuffnell (Recommended by Philippa Rees)
A compelling book that takes a reader by the collar and leads them into some dark places. Antony Ashurst, the principal character, is a distracted damaged (and emotionally very young) wanderer, who falls down an open manhole and seems lost to view and to reason. ‘The Bet’ was the leaving of that man-trap open and shepherding him towards it. How he will climb again to the light is uncertain, indeed perilous.
Yet that is far from the book’s whole substance, merely the means whereby to examine much larger issues about our world of exploitation, manipulation and acquisition. A unique vision.
One Night at the Jacaranda, by Carol Cooper (Recommended by Alison Morton)
A compelling book that takes a reader by the collar and leads them into some dark places. Antony Ashurst, the principal character, is a distracted damaged (and emotionally very young) wanderer, who falls down an open manhole and seems lost to view and to reason. ‘The Bet’ was the leaving of that man-trap open and shepherding him towards it. How he will climb again to the light is uncertain, indeed perilous.
What looks like an easy read about thirty-somethings soon develops into a touching and deepening story of people threaded together by one speed-dating evening. Ms Cooper draws her characters with insight and sympathy. We all know people in situations like these; sticklebricks, cats, ambitious au pairs, eternal washing, whinging clients, glamorous flats, health scares, but also vulnerabilities, deep, sad secrets, unthinking neglect. The humour is soft, but sometimes laugh out loud.
And clever, clever writing. “This last au pair posting was a huge success. So successful that she had been promoted to stepmother.”
Wholeheartedly recommended.
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