The Coffinmaker's Garden - Stuart MacBride

Description

A village on the edge…
As a massive storm batters the Scottish coast, Gordon Smith’s home is falling into the North Sea. But the crumbling headland has revealed what he’s got buried in his garden: human remains.

A house full of secrets…
With the storm still raging, it’s too dangerous to retrieve the bodies and waves are devouring the evidence. Which means no one knows how many people Smith’s already killed and how many more he’ll kill if he can’t be found and stopped.

An investigator with nothing to lose…
The media are baying for blood, the top brass are after a scapegoat, and ex-Detective Inspector Ash Henderson is done playing nice. He’s got a killer to catch, and God help anyone who gets in his way.

Review

I'm going to start with a bit of a disclaimer as this is not something I would normally read, but I thought as it was on Pigeonhole I would give it a go. It really wasn't to my personal taste.

I found it hard going as there were references to events from previous books I had not read. Luckily other readers were able to shed light on this for me. Ash Henderson is an ex-DI and now works for a consultancy firm supporting Police Scotland. This obviously gives him a little more room to "do his own thing" than if he worked for the Police, but towards the end of the book it became a little too far fetched for me.

There were some wonderful Scottish words which I had to look up, but they certainly brought a colour to the story. I also liked the humour Ash brought to the book. It was that which balanced out the gruesome violence and kept me going through the book. It wasn't as bad as some books with violence which I have attempted to read had to stop before finishing. I did make it to the end of this book.

It was certainly a unique plot with the house where the murderer had buried his victims falling into the sea and so his crimes were revealed after a 56 year stretch. At the same time Ash and his colleague are investigating a child murder who is on the loose. I rather liked the actual police work, it was the descriptions of the crimes that I wasn't comfortable with reading about. 

I'm giving this book 3 out of 5 stars. My thanks to Pigeonhole for the staves to read.

Patch Work - Claire Wilcox

 

Description

Claire Wilcox has been a curator of fashion at the Victoria and Albert Museum for most of her working life. In Patch Work, she steps into the archive of memory, deftly stitching together her dedicated study of fashion with the story of her own life lived in and through clothes. From her mother's black wedding suit to the swirling patterns of her own silk kimono, her memoir unfolds in spare, luminous prose the spellbinding power of the things we wear.

In a series of intimate and compelling close-ups, Wilcox tugs on the threads that make up the fabric of our lives: a cardigan worn by a child, a mother's button box, the draping of a curtain, a pair of cycling shorts, a roll of lace, a pin hidden in a seam. Through the eye of a curator, we see how the stories and the secrets of clothes measure out the passage of time, our gains and losses, and the way we use them to unravel and write our histories.

Review

I love fashion, sewing and the V&A - so I was delighted to read this book. What I wasn't expecting from the author was the exceptionally beautiful writing. I do hope Claire goes onto write more as she is very talented.

The book begins with a personal recollection of life behind the scenes at the V&A and I was hooked straight in. Not all the chapters relate to the V&A. Some are snapshots of the authors life from early on to present day. Interspersed with photographs, some of items and others are personal ones. The recollections are in no particular order, and because of this you can easily dip in and out as you wish.

I just loved being able to read about how they did the audit at the V&A.  Coming across items labelled '99 for the year 1899, with no thought for future years bearing the date '99!. Reading about the thought process behind organising an exhibition, and that you may pass curators in the corridors transporting precious items, as there are no private tunnels. The day they were sent home while a specialist in a white boiler suit and mask had to be called in to isolate a box of medieval leather shoes, in case they were from a plague pit. Just fascinating.

Even if you don't care for sewing or the V&A this book is a great recollection of times gone by, particularly the early 1960s. Although it predates me some of the lines rang so true for me, such as her drinking from a green cup and saucer in the staff canteen - I remember that crockery so well.

This book is a keeper and one to be read again and again. As to sink into it's pages and be delighted by the author's poetic use of words for the precious but evenly the everyday, is just fabulous. 

My thanks to Pigeonhole for sending the daily staves to enable me to read this book.

Afraid of the Christmas Lights - An Anthology of Crime Stories

 

All profits from the sale of this anthology will be donated to frontline domestic abuse charities

DESCRIPTION

IT WOULDN’T BE CHRISTMAS WITHOUT A LITTLE CRIME…

A Christmas dinner takes a murderous turn, a friendship group loses the festive spirit, and a young girl goes to extreme measures to keep a beloved dog.

Afraid Of The Christmas Lights is a collection of gripping, sometimes funny, and always festive short stories from a group of bestselling crime writers.

From the hilarious to the macabre, there’s something for everyone – whether you’re a Christmas convert or a bit of a Grinch. From a detective tracking down missing Christmas geese, to a cat lady who goes on a date in order to keep Santa Paws well fed, this anthology is the perfect gift to cosy up with this year.

REVIEW

I read this anthology of short crime stories all with a Christmas theme courtesy of Pigeonhole. All the profits from the sale go to frontline domestic abuse charities, so well worth buying.

Some of the authors I had read before, but many I had not read and this was a nice introduction to some new writers. I hope to check out their other work later. The stories are a real mix of genres, with some very dark humour and some fun. They are all have some sort of a Christmas connection and you may never see Christmas in quite the same way again after reading these stories.

Some of the stories are very current with references to face masks being warn and the pandemic evident. Not all of them were to my taste, but I did enjoy them all. 

I'm giving this book 4 out of 5 stars.

Outraged - Ashley 'Dotty' Charles

Description

Ours is a society where many exploit the outrage of others in order to gain power - and we all too quickly take the bait. But by shouting about everything, we are in fact creating a world where outrage is without consequence.

There is still much to be outraged by in our final frontier, but in order to enact change and become more effective online, we must learn to channel our responses.

This is the essential guide to living through the age of outrage.

Review

I don't think I was really the target audience for this book. My idea of outrage is more along the Victor Meldrew vein, and I never engage in outrage on Twitter. However, I did like the style of writing, certainly humorous whilst getting the point across. 

Mainly set around outrage on Twitter the book looks at people such as Katie Hopkins and Piers Morgan who often incite outrage and holds a telephone interview with Katie. She also looks at some past news stories and debates whether people are right to be outraged or not.

Only 176 pages so not an overlong read, although at times the same ground did seem to be covered more than once. At times thought provoking and definitely interesting to read the real life experiences of the author herself. 

I'm giving this book 3 out of 5 stars. My thanks to Pigeonhole for the daily staves to read and review.

The Last Wife - Karen Hamilton

Description

Two women. A dying wish. And a web of lies that will bring their world crashing down.

Nina and Marie were best friends-until Nina was diagnosed with a terminal illness. Before she died, Nina asked Marie to fulfill her final wishes.

But her mistake was in thinking Marie was someone she could trust.

What Nina didn't know was that Marie always wanted her beautiful life, and that Marie has an agenda of her own. She'll do anything to get what she wants.

Marie thinks she can keep her promise to her friend's family on her own terms. But what she doesn't know is that Nina was hiding explosive secrets of her own.

Review

This was a book with so many twists and turns. I changed my mind several times throughout reading the book about what was happening and who was doing what. 

Initially I had very little sympathy for Marie, could you trust anything she told you as she was the narrator of the story and a self confessed liar. It was quite scary the way Marie had decided that she wanted Nina's old life and the means she used to get it.

As the story progressed and other lies were revealed (or were they lies, if Marie was lying...) it began to get really intriguing and a real puzzle. Soon it becomes apparent that Marie may be not the only liar. Will Marie regret wanting what she thought was a perfect life? 

The writing was well paced and whilst you may not like the characters this is certainly a slice of life that I will remember. I'm giving this book 5 out of 5 stars.

My thanks to Pigeonhole for the daily staves and the chance to read along with Karen.

The Perfect Life - Valerie Keogh

Description

How far would you go to maintain the illusion of The Perfect Life?

Appearances can be deceptive…

Molly Chatwell has a beautiful house, a handsome husband, two children and a job she likes. It all seems so perfect but when her two children leave for university, she realises her life has become dull and empty. When her husband refuses to go away with her, Molly decides to go alone. 

But what should have been a relaxing break turns into a nightmare. 

Back at home in London, Molly tries to put it all behind her but when the police arrive at her door and tell her that a body has been found with connections to her, Molly realises that her perfect life is under threat… 

Review

What I liked most about this book was the dialogue - it really felt true to life and so did the day to day activities of the characters. I got a real feel of understanding for all the characters but most of all for Molly.

The book begins with Molly having to economise in the home, letting her housekeeper go and then the cleaner also. I did find it amusing that her husband felt they could cope now the children had left home, yet he continued to do nothing to help on the housekeeping front, not even a mug in the dishwasher!

Molly then goes away alone for a weekend with a friend and her husband. Things aren't looking good for Molly and her husband and she is constantly second guessing what he could be up to and with whom. Maybe that's what leads her to have a little "moment" of her own with a complete stranger. It's this that leads to her perfect life being under threat, as the stranger is found murdered. 

Who was the stranger?, what did Molly do that's now threatens her perfect life? These and more questions are at the root of this clever book together with a lot more too. I was on the edge of my seat for the second half of the book - I couldn't put it down.

I'm giving this book 4 out of 5 stars. My thanks to Bloodhound books for the ARC to review.

My Lies, Your Lies - Susan Lewis

Description

His life was destroyed by a lie.

Her life will be ruined by the truth.

Joely tells other people’s secrets for a living. As a ghost writer, she’s used to scandal – but this just might be her strangest assignment yet.

Freda has never told her story to anyone before. But now she’s ready to set the record straight and to right a wrong that’s haunted her for forty years.

Freda’s memoir begins with a 15-year-old girl falling madly in love with her teacher. It ends in a way Joely could never possibly have imagined.

As the story unravels, Joely is spun deeper into a world of secrets and lies. Delving further into Freda’s past, Joely’s sure she can uncover the truth… But does she want to?

Review

The book begins with a flashback to a 15 year old girl at school, who along with all the girls at her school, has a crush on the music teacher.

The next part of the book introduces Joely who is a ghostwriter. She has just found out her husband is leaving her for her best friend. When a job comes up to write a memoir for Freda based at her home in Devon, it seems like the perfect escape from her unravelling life in London. 

What happens next is we find out the beginning of the book is part of the memoir that Joely has been asked to ghostwrite. Freda is a little strange and has a cook reminiscent of a character from Marnie and the whole thing turns into a page turner with some spooky goings on.

At the centre of this book is the affair between the music teacher and a fifteen year old girl. You may not find that part of the book a comfortable read.  As the book progresses we find out more about the lies different characters in the book have told and the repercussions of those lies.

One of the more light hearted characters in the book is Joely's daughter Holly, who is a breath of fresh air. After trying to second guess where the book was going and work out who told what lies she was a bit of a tonic.

Personally I thought the book could have ended slightly sooner than it did, with the last part of the book wrapping everything up a little too neatly for me; but maybe leaving the possibility of a sequel on the table?

I'm giving this book 4 out of 5 stars. My thanks to Pigeonhole for the daily staves and the chance to join the author and comment.