Butter - Asako Yuzuki

 

Description

'Unputdownable, breathtakingly original' ERIN KELLY

'Delicious' i-D Magazine

'Salivatingly well-written' RENA MATSUI

The cult Japanese bestseller about a female gourmet cook and serial killer and the journalist intent on cracking her case, inspired by a true story.

There are two things that I can simply not tolerate: feminists and margarine.

Gourmet cook Manako Kajii sits in Tokyo Detention Centre convicted of the serial murders of lonely businessmen, who she is said to have seduced with her delicious home cooking. The case has captured the nation’s imagination but Kajii refuses to speak with the press, entertaining no visitors. That is, until journalist Rika Machida writes a letter asking for her recipe for beef stew and Kajii can’t resist writing back.

Rika, the only woman in her news office, works late each night, rarely cooking more than ramen. As the visits unfold between her and the steely Kajii, they are closer to a masterclass in food than journalistic research. Rika hopes this gastronomic exchange will help her soften Kajii but it seems that she might be the one changing. With each meal she eats, something is awakening in her body, might she and Kaji have more in common than she once thought?

Inspired by the real case of the convicted con woman and serial killer, "The Konkatsu Killer", Asako Yuzuki’s Butter is a vivid, unsettling exploration of misogyny, obsession, romance and the transgressive pleasures of food in Japan.

Review

Wow! This is an absorbing read, which you need to invest time in to read. 

Rika is a journalist who rarely cooks. Food is just food to her and her boyish figure. She becomes intrigued by Manako Kajii. Kajii is awaiting a retrial for the serial murders of men she befriended and then shortly after cooking for them, they died.

Rika manages to obtain a visit with Kajii in the Denention Centre. She is further intrigued by the prisoner and her recipes, which on Kajii instructions Rika begins to cook. From thereon there is no going back for Rika and we follow her down a rabbit hole of investigative journalism and her foray and obsession into food. She begins to gain weight through the rich foods she is cooking, all with butter.

I can't really do justice to the writing of this book in this review. It's beautifully written, even the long passages on food and the preparation are just mesmerising. This is why it takes time to read, it's not a book to be rushed through.

There are so many other strands to the book besides the main relationship between Rika and Kajii. Rika's friends are also drawn into the obsession and I just read on amazed at the outcomes of the storyline. I also became a little infatuated myself, willing Kajii not to be the serial killer everyone thinks she is.

Having been to Japan the book resonated with me, but it could be a little slow for some Western readers. This would be brilliant on the screen and I hope it makes it there. 

I'm giving this book 4 out of 5 stars. My thanks to netgalley for the ARC to review. The book is out on 29 February 2024.

The Secretary - Zoe Lea

 

Description

The teachers thought they knew her. They were wrong...

'Must read' Bella
'A brilliant thriller' Closer
'Gripping and powerful!' Lauren North
'An addictive page-turner' Samantha Tonge
'School run revenge at its best' Jacqueline Ward
'The end was a triumph, absolutely brilliant!' Rona Halsall

When single mum Ruth has a brief fling with Rob, she's mortified to discover that he lied to her. He lied to her, because he's married. Worse still, he's the husband of Janine, head of the PTA at the primary school where Ruth works as secretary, and when the truth of their fling is discovered, Ruth suddenly has a lot of enemies at the school gates.

Threatening texts begin to arrive, rumours abound and the staff room becomes hostile. But when it also starts to affect her son, a student at the school, Ruth realises you can do anything if you convince yourself it's for the sake of your child.

Even murder.

A page-turning and deeply compulsive psychological thriller about a school secretary and how dangerous it can be to make enemies at the school gates. For fans of Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty and The Rumour by Lesley Kara.

Review

I read this so quickly - a real page turner.

Ruth the School Secretary in the title has a one night stand. Little does she know that despite him saying he was single and had no children, his wife is the head of the PTA and his children go to the school she works at. When a showdown ensues at the school gates life gets very nasty very quickly for Ruth.

Who would have thought so many nasty and murderous things would happen in and around a school and the secretary who works there. From silly niggles to the prospect of losing her job Ruth spends most of the time on the back front in this mystery. When she's told to grab a snake not by its head, she becomes embroiled in something far more serious than petty squabbling when she decides to fight back. She justifies it as protecting her child, but it begins to get out of hand.

Some of the time I couldn't work out whether the incidents were really happening, or if Ruth was making it up. Interspersed with letters from a prison you know something happened, but just what you are yet to find out. A really gripping, page turning story.

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

The Road Trip - Beth O'Leary

Description

The instant Sunday Times Bestseller from the author of The Flatshare

'Read this! Absolutely loved it!' Christina Lauren

'This book is perfect' Rosie Walsh

'Beth is quite rightly earning her title as "Queen of Uplit"' Prima

Addie and her sister are on an epic road trip to a friend's wedding in rural Scotland. But, not long after setting off, a car slams into theirs. The driver is none other than Addie's ex, who she hasn't seen since their traumatic break-up two years earlier.

Dylan and his best mate are heading to the wedding too, so Addie has no choice but to offer them a ride. And with four hundred miles to go, they can't avoid confronting the very messy history of their relationship . . .

Will they make it to the wedding? And, more importantly, is this really the end of the road for Addie and Dylan?

Review

This book was not what I was expecting based on the two previous books I have read by this author. Nearly a DNF.

After a car collision on the way to a friend's wedding with her sister, Addie finds herself face to face with her ex Dylan. They are all on the way to the same wedding in Scotland, so of course with one car out of action they offer Dylan and his best mate Marcus a lift. Not to forget they also have a passenger called Roger that cadged a lift to wedding but none of them knows.

Whilst on the course of the journey there are flashbacks to when Addie and Dylan met and became an item. They are told from the perspective of both Addie and Dylan, and to be honest I was glad when they were over and the book concentrated on the present day. I just couldn't get interested in this story.

At about 40% I began to wonder if I really wanted to invest anymore time in this book. I didn't care for any of the characters and was beginning to skim read. Some comedic moments from the journey and a lorry driver called Kevin did cheer me up a little. Then we find out what actually happened when Addie and Dylan split up, and the whole book changed for me. 

I needed to read on and find out what would happen with Dylan and Addie and why exactly Roger was going to the wedding. I actually warmed to Dylan and Addie by this time and begun to understand the other characters a little more.

I am giving this book 3 out of 5 stars, mainly due to the drawn out first half of the book. My thanks to netgalley for the ARC to review.

The Happiest Ever After - Milly Johnson

 

Description

What if you could write your own perfect storyline...?

The heartwarming, feelgood novel from the much-loved Sunday Times bestselling author, Milly Johnson

Polly Potter is surviving, not thriving. She used to love her job as a business consultant, turning around businesses that were on their uppers – until her mentor died and her new boss decided to make her life hell. She used to love her partner Chris – until he cheated on her, and now she can’t forget. The only place where her life is working is on the pages of the novel she is writing – there she can recreate herself as a feistier, bolder, more successful version of herself – as the fictional Sabrina Anderson.

But what if it was possible to start over again? To leave everything behind, forget all that went before, and live the life you’d always dreamed of?

That’s how Polly finds herself as Sabrina, living at the heart of a noisy Italian family restaurant by the sea. Run by Teddy, the charming son of her new landlady Marielle, it has potential, if only a rival restaurant is stopped from moving in next door. Sabrina can’t remember her life as Polly, but she knows she is living a different life from the one she used to live.

But what if her new life could give her her happiest ever after…?

Review

A wonderful read, the pages just flew by.

Polly Potter is not happy in her home life and she certainly is no longer happy at work. As a business consultant she still has great ideas that work, but all the credit is taken from her, and the new boss loves to ask Polly to put the kettle on too!

With a great plot device of Polly becoming her alter ego Sabrina from a book she is writing, she gets a second chance at life. Although even in her new life things go against her.  I was willing everyone to see through what was happening to Sabrina. Bringing her business acumen to her new life was a great touch and so interesting to read. But will Sabrina win out or will Polly's old life come calling for her?

I loved the characters in this book, getting to know them was wonderful. I should say I loved all the nice characters, certainly not Jeremy and some of the other unsavoury people Sabrina meets. With Milly's humorous touch to the proceedings and interspersed with snippets from the Daily Trumpet this was a joy to read. 

I'm giving this book 5 out of 5 stars. My thanks to netgalley for the ARC to review. This book will be published on 15 February 2024.

Fourteen Days - Margaret Atwood and Douglas Preston

 

Description

A BBC, Financial Times and Cosmopolitan What to Read in 2024 pick

Set in a New York apartment building, Fourteen Days is an irresistibly propulsive novel with an unusual twist: each character in this diverse, eccentric cast of neighbours has been secretly written by a different, major literary voice - from Margaret Atwood and John Grisham to Emma Donoghue and Celeste Ng.

One week into lockdown, the tenants of a run-down apartment building in Manhattan have begun to gather on the rooftop each evening and tell stories. With each passing night, more and more neighbours gather, bringing chairs and milk crates and overturned pails. Gradually the tenants – some of whom have barely spoken to each other before now – become real neighbours.

A dazzling, heartwarming and ultimately surprising narrative, Fourteen Days is an ode to the power of storytelling and human connection.

Includes writing from: Charlie Jane Anders, Margaret Atwood, Jennine Capo Crucet, Pat Cummings, Joseph Cassara, Angie Cruz, Sylvia Day, Emma Donoghue, Dave Eggers, Diana Gabaldon, Tess Gerritsen, John Grisham, Maria Hinojosa, Mira Jacob, Erica Jong, CJ Lyons, Celeste Ng, Tommy Orange, Mary Pope Osborne, Doug Preston, Alice Randall, Caroline Randall, Ishmael Reed, Roxana Robinson, Nelly Rosario, James Shapiro, Hampton Sides, R.L. Stine, Nafissa Thompson-Spires, Monique Truong, Scott Turow, Luis Alberto Urrea, Rachel Vail, Weike Wang, DeShawn Charles Winslow, Meg Wolitzer

Review

I came to read Margaret Atwood, but really I never knew which author I was reading, and I loved it.


This is about a group of New Yorkers during the Covid pandemic of 2020. Each night they meet on the roof top to share stories to pass the time, and begin to really know their neighbours.


This isn't a collection of short stories. There are no chapters as such, just the date of each of the 14 days in the title. Each day those on the roof just begin to share whatever they want to say. Some of them are tales, some are experiences, and they differ in length. Brilliantly written by everyone, I really felt I was there each evening. A few of the voices I loved more than others, but the ones (in the minority) I didn't care for I just scan read. It could have been the subject matter or the character, not everyone was for me.


I thought that was it, nothing more to say. However, unexpectedly at the end there was a twist - which I never saw coming, but it did explain some of my doubts. I read through this like a novel, but you could pick it up as and when you felt like it. There are a lot of characters and sometimes I felt like they had a slightly different voice, but I just went with it. I didn't get too hung up on which author wrote what. At the end of the book there are credits to each of the authors, explaining which of them wrote which tale.


I'm giving this book 5 out of 5 stars. My thanks to netgalley for the ARC to review. This book is published on 6 February 2024.

The Mystery Guest - Nita Prose

 

Description

*The sparkling new novel from the award-winning, million-copy bestselling author of The Maid*

‘Witty, joyful and utterly unique’ A J FINN
‘Captivates from page one’ JANICE HALLETT
‘A flawless and brilliant read’ LIZ NUGENT
_________________________________________________________________

A new mess.
A new mystery.
Molly the maid returns . . .

Molly Gray wears her Head Maid badge proudly for every shift at the Regency Grand Hotel, plumping pillows, sweeping up the guests’ secrets, silently restoring rooms to a state of perfection.

But when a renowned guest – a famous mystery writer – drops very dead in the grand tea room, Molly has an unusual clean-up on her hands.

As rumours and suspicion swirl in the hotel corridors, it’s clear there’s grime lurking beneath the gilt. And Molly knows that she alone holds the key to the mystery. But unlocking it means thinking about the past, about Gran, and everything else she’s kept tidied away in her memory for so long.

Because Molly knew the dead guest once upon a time – and he knew her . . .

Review

When I read The Maid by the same author, the ending was so neatly tied up that I never expected to see a sequel. It's been a delight to read about Molly the maid once more.

It seems Molly has matured a lot since the last book, and whilst she still is a little unworldly wise, her reasoning seems spot on. She's even hiring a new maid, but will her character assessment of the new maid be found to be lacking?

I was intrigued to know how Molly knew the famous mystery writer who has since died in her hotel. An unfortunate coincidence based on the death in the last book, and one which the police are keen to pick up on. I fear for Molly but she took it all in her stride and even became a sleuth herself. The book goes to "before" to show us Molly's early life, which is when she met the writer. What a great insight it was, not only into her character but that of her beloved and wise Gran. 

It's always a worry that a sequel will not do justice to the original, but this is even better in my opinion.

I just loved reading this book. If you enjoyed the first book, then I think you will also enjoy this one too. 

I'm giving this book 5 out of 5 stars. The book is published on 18 January 2024. My thanks to netgalley for the ARC to review.

The Secrets Between Us - Laura Madeleine

 

Description

A gripping mystery with a heart-breaking revelation, The Secrets Between Us is a sublimely satisfying story of lost love, betrayal and the dangers of war.

‘Sublimely satisfying’ Veronica Henry, author of The Forever House

High in the mountains in the South of France, eighteen-year-old Ceci Corvin is trying hard to carry on as normal. But in 1943, there is no such thing as normal; especially not for a young woman in love with the wrong person. Scandal, it would seem, can be more dangerous than war.

Fifty years later, Annie is looking for her long-lost grandmother. Armed with nothing more than a sheaf of papers, she travels from England to Paris in pursuit of the truth. But as she traces her grandmother’s story, Annie uncovers something she wasn’t expecting, something that changes everything she knew about her family – and everything she thought she knew about herself…

Perfect for fans of Kate Morton's The Lake House and Dinah Jeffries' Before the Rains.

Review

This is a dual timeline novel set in 1943 and 1993. I found that I was getting into the story in 1943 and then pulled to 1993, where not so much seemed to be happening. The character Annie in the 90s was a little boring to me. There was so much more action and vigour in the 1943 characters.

The second world war timeline was different than anything I have read about this period before. It certainly opened my eyes to a world in a small village in France I was not aware of. Although not totally historic the author did base the writing on a real village.

I thought that the first half of this book dragged a little. But once the two timelines met I found it much more intriguing and couldn't put it down. This resulted in a satisfying ending which has had me replaying parts of the book to make sense of it all.

I'm giving this book 3 out of 5 stars. My thanks to netgalley for the review copy.