Smoke and Murders - J L Blackhurst

 

Description

COMING SOON – PRE-ORDER NOW The follow-up to Three Card Murder and the second book in a gripping new mystery series introducing Detective Tess Fox and her con-artist sister Sarah Jacobs.

Members of the Lewes Bonfire Society would say afterwards that the event would have been a huge success that year, if it hadn’t been for the dead body…

When the charred remains of MP Rupert Millington are found inside a burning effigy, no one knows how they got there, but there are plenty of rumours about whodunnit.

The lead suspect wants Detective Tess Fox and her con-artist sister Sarah Jacobs to help clear her name. She says she's being framed, but surely there is no smoke without fire.

The heat is on when a second victim is killed in a locked room while Tess and Sarah are in the building. Can the duo solve this puzzling mystery and find the real killer before they strike again?

Review

We are back with the two sisters Tess (police officer) and Sarah (con artist) from the previous book. I don't think you will get much out of this book if you don't read the previous book first. There are so many references which you won't understand otherwise.

Whilst I thoroughly enjoyed the first book, even though a lot of it was far fetched, I found this one a little harder to get into. I also found it too incredible how much time Sarah spent with her sister Tess whilst she was investigating an official police matter. There was the humour which was good and the banter between the sisters was also great fun. Some of the other characters read like they were caricatures and I got Midsomer Murder vibes more than once.

It was quite the tangled web that was woven between the characters in the village and more than once I got confused who was who, but then that seemed to be the order of the day with this story. It was this that made me decide whilst reading this book that I would not read a follow on, if there was to be one. Then I got to the last page and that all changed. What a cliff hanger is all I am going to say... I need book 3!

I'm giving this book 3 out of stars. My thanks to netgalley for the ARC and HQStories for the invite to read this book. It will be published on 12 September 2024.

The Lantern of Lost Memories - Sanaka Hiiragi

 

Description

One photograph, one treasured memory, one chance to go back . . .

In a cosy photography studio in the mountains between this world and the next, someone is waking up as if from a dream. A kind man will hand them a hot cup of tea and gently explain that, having reached the end of their life, they have one final task.

There is a stack of photos on their lap, one for every day of their life, and now they must choose the pictures that capture their most treasured memories, which will be placed in a beautiful lantern. Once completed, it will be set spinning, and their cherished moments will flash before their eyes, guiding them to another world.

But, like our most thumbed-over photographs, our favourite memories become faded with age, so each visitor to the studio has the chance to choose one day to return to and photograph afresh. Each has a treasured story to tell, from the old woman rebuilding a community in Tokyo after a disaster, to the flawed Yakuza man who remembers a time when he was kind, and a strong child who is fighting to survive.

Extraordinarily moving and wise, The Lantern of Lost Memories is a beautiful Japanese tale about the people that make us and the moments that change us.

Review

A beautifully written book. 

You know they say your life flashes before you when you die? Well in this book the concept is taken to mean a lantern which shows a photograph for every year of your life. The choosing of which photographs are in the lantern is down to the deceased. They meet with a special man in a photography studio while they pass between this world and the next. It is he who helps them navigate the selection of their photographs from a stack of photos, each one a day in their life.

Sometimes the memory they favour the most is not very vivid because it has been replayed by the deceased many times. The photography studio has an answer for this. They let you select a camera and take you back to the day of the memory to retake the photograph. We also get to go back with them, and this is how we learn about the life they have lived.

As you can imagine this is a story for those who like a little fantasy and are not hung up on facts. We meet three people in the book as they decide on their photographs for their lantern. Although this sounds very cosy it does also deal with some very real abuse issues. However they are dealt with sensitively and not too graphically.

There is a little twist toward the end of the book which I just loved. Maybe there will be a follow on book? Which would be very nice to have.

I'm giving this book 5 out of 5 stars. My thanks to netgalley for the ARC to review. The book is published on 22 August 2024.

Mina's Matchbox - Yoko Ogawa

 

Description

On sleepless nights, I open the matchbox and reread the story of the girl who gathered shooting stars.

After the death of her father, twelve-year-old Tomoko is sent to live for a year with her uncle in the coastal town of Ashiya. It is a year which will change her life.

The 1970s are bringing changes to Japan and her uncle's magnificent colonial mansion opens up a new and unfamiliar world for Tomoko; its sprawling gardens are even home to a pygmy hippo the family keeps as a pet. Tomoko finds her relatives equally exotic and beguiling and her growing friendship with her cousin Mina draws her into an intoxicating world full of secret crushes and elaborate storytelling.

Rich with the magic and mystery of youth, Mina’s Matchbox is an evocative snapshot of a moment frozen in time, and a striking depiction of a family on the edge of collapse.

Review

This was an intriguing read, although not much really happens.

As I reflect back over this book I realise that it was the beautiful writing kept me reading. There are some wonderful enchanting moments which made me gasp. You really need to be in the mindset of this being set in Japan and not the Western world.

Tomoko goes to live with her affluent family in Ashiva for a year in 1972. Apart from the obvious benefits of the lifestyle there are some quirky things that happen. Such as her cousin Mina riding a baby hippo to school each day. Mina is also asthmatic and this results in some time in hospital at various points in the book and how Tomoko finds her own way in the family without her presence.

The relationship Tomoko forms with Mina is charming and sweet. The book also charts the new found maturity that Tomoko experiences. There are a few loose ends that I wish had been explored more. I guess as it is being told from the perspective of an adult looking back on their childhood, this relfects their lack of understanding of what was happening.

I'm giving this book 3 out of 5 stars. My thanks to netgalley for the ARC to review. The book is published on 15 August 2024.

Scandalous Women - Gill Paul

 

Description

Mad Men meets the world of publishing in million-copy bestselling author Gill Paul’s new novel about Jackie Collins and Jacqueline Susann

1966:In London, Jackie Collins's racy The World is Full of Married Men hits bookshops and launches her career. In New York, Jacqueline Susann's debut novel Valley of the Dolls is published, and she's desperate for it to be a bestseller. But both are about to discover the price they will pay for being women who dare to write about sex.

Meanwhile, college graduate Nancy White is excited to take up her dream job at a Manhattan publishing house. But Nancy could never be prepared for the rampant sexism she is about to encounter.

When Nancy introduces the two Jackies, she fears they will become rivals in their race to top the charts. As she strives to achieve her ambition of becoming an editor, can all three women succeed despite the men determined to hold them back?

Praise for Scandalous Women:

'Scrumptious' Eve Chase

'Sensational' Tracy Rees

'Perfect' Elizabeth Freemantle

'A triumph' Alex Brown

Review

I could not put this book down!

A story of Jackie Collins and Jacqueline Susann and not only their rise to fame with their respective books, but the sexism and trials and tribulations they encountered along the way. Whilst the account is fictious it was so much fun to read, Gill really brought the two authors alive.

My favourite character was Nancy the fictious book intern and her navigation of New York in the 1960s. Even though the blatant sexism she encountered at work was hard to read I was routing for her throughout. From arriving to find she had no place to stay, to her friendship with Jacqueline Susann and later Jackie Collins, it was just a delight to read. The character was a brilliant bridge between the two author stories.

Gill wove factual detail into her story so well, that when I had finished reading I was grateful for her notes on what did and didn't actually happen. Also how she had entwined certain facts and fiction to make for a gripping read.

I'm giving this book 5 out of 5 stars. My thanks to Avon Books UK and netgalley for the ARC to review. This book is published on 13 August 2024.

The Clique - Rhiannon Barnsley

 

Description

There’s only one way to join their society. If someone leaves, or dies…

High-flying lawyer Sara O’Neil had it all; the career, the money, the prestige.

And then she jumped to her death.

Cassandra Harlow never expected to see her friend fall from their office rooftop. Someone knows what really happened. But the only people who might know the truth are a secret women-only society, Inside, whose promise is to fast-track your career.

But if Sara was part of it and they helped facilitate her rise to the top, could they also be the reason she came crashing down to earth?

Review

The author is a corporate lawyer, so it's obviously going to be based in reality, but at times it was stretched a little too far for me.

Cass is a lawyer about to hopefully make partner, when her mentor Sara, falls to her death at the office. Cass feels a bit at sea without her guidance and suggestions on how to deal with office politics. Only it might be that Sara herself wasn't who Cass thought she was, someone with all her ducks in a row. Maybe the secret society "Inside" have some of the answers but first Cass needs to gain membership to find out. With limited membership slots it's not going to be easy.

What ensues is towards the end of the book a page turning thriller. Cass certainly has lots of guts which made for edge of the seat reading. I did wonder what Cass was going to do as her avenues became closed and her allies lessening.  I thought that in places the writing was overly descriptive and explanatory. Don't get me wrong it's a great story and I enjoyed the read, but the writing shows it as a debut novel for me.

I'm giving this book 3 out of 5 stars. My thanks to One More Chapter for the invite to read this book and to netgalley for the ARC to review. The book is published on 1 August 2024.

The Cracked Mirror - Chris Brookmyre

  

Description

FORGET WHAT YOU THINK YOU KNOW
THIS IS NOT THAT CRIME NOVEL

You know Penny Coyne. The little old lady who has solved multiple murders in her otherwise sleepy village, despite bumbling local police. A razor-sharp mind in a twinset and tweed.

You know Johnny Hawke. Hard-bitten LAPD homicide detective. Always in trouble with his captain, always losing partners, but always battling for the truth, whatever it takes.

Against all the odds, against the usual story, their worlds are about to collide. It starts with a dead writer and a mysterious wedding invitation. It will end with a rabbit hole that goes so deep, Johnny and Penny might come to question not just whodunnit, but whether they want to know the answer.

A cross-genre hybrid of Agatha Christie and Michael Connelly, The Cracked Mirror is the most imaginative and entertaining crime novel of the year, a genre-splicing rollercoaster with a poignantly emotional heart.

Review

This is my first read by this author, so I wasn't sure what to expect, being drawn in by the sideways reference to Agatha Christie in the title.

I felt like the book started in traditional Agatha Christie territory in an English village and a little old lady who solved murders. Just settling into that when we are transported to Los Angeles and a homicide detective called Johnny Hawke who has trouble keeping his partners alive.

The story then switched between these two places and it was as if I was reading two totally separate books. What was happening here? How are these two opposite people going to end up being involved in the same story. Slowly it began to come together when suddenly a new person was introduced with their own agenda and story. I was now totally flummoxed with three threads and a shed load of characters, but I read on, hoping it was all going to become clear.

Without totally ruining the book there isn't much else I can say, other than I have never read anything like it before. So very clever, at times maybe too clever for the reader who is having to grasp all the information wondering when it will be needed.  

I'm giving this book 5 out of 5 stars. My thanks to Little Brown Book group and netgalley for the ARC to review.

This Motherless Land - Nikki May

 

Description

From the prize-winning author of WAHALA, a powerful de-colonial retelling of MANSFIELD PARK, exploring identity, culture, race and love

'A spirited exploration of culture and kinship' BONNIE GARMUS
'Deeply emotional and entertaining' EMMA STONEX, author of The Lamplighters
'Tugs at the heartstrings' DAMILARE KUKU, author of Nearly all the Men in Lagos are Mad
'______________
When Funke’s mother dies in an accident in Lagos, she’s sent to live with her maternal family in England. Against a backdrop of condescension and mild neglect, sensible Funke strives to fit in, determined to become one of them.

Free-spirited Liv has always wanted to break free of her joyless family, to be nothing like them. Fiercely protective of Funke, she at last has an ally. The two cousins give each other what they need most: love.

But the past casts long shadows and the choices made by their mothers haunt them, shaping the trajectory of their adult lives. Can they escape their legacy?

Review

Wow! I loved this book so much.

The story begins in 1978 set in Nigeria. When Funke's mother and brother dies her Father grieves his wife and his heir. Funke is sent to England to live with her estranged family. The estrangement came about due to her parents having an interracial marriage. This sets the tone for Funke's life in England albeit her cousin Liv who becomes her best friend.

The years pass and Liv is not a happy young woman. She drinks to excess as well as a lot of other things. When Funke gets unwittingly caught up in Liv's wrong doings it's hard not to cry for her. You could see the shortcomings approaching and reading on only confirmed my worst fears for Funke.

The book ends with the two girls now in adulthood. I was racing through those last chapters needing closure. I leave you to find out for yourself if I got it.

So many brilliantly drawn characters in this book. I felt totally immersed in the world of Funke and Liv.

It's been a while since I really wanted to pick up a book and just read and read it. I loved Wahala and wondered if this book would live up to it. I would say it is a totally different read, apart from covering the cultural differences between British/Nigerian cultures. 

I can't wait to read her next book. I'm giving this book 5 out of 5 stars. My thanks for the invite from Randomhouse to read the ARC on netgalley. The book is published on 18 July 2024.