Do Butlers Burgle Banks?: PG Wodehouse - 1968 ***

 

 

"Mr. Wodehouse's idyllic world can never stale. He will continue to release future generations from captivity that may be more irksome than our own. He has made a world for us to live in and delight in". I think Evelyn Waugh's quote best sums up PG Wodehouse's work in all senses. His stories do delight us still, and there is nothing that cannot be solved after reading a few pages of one of his books. In this relatively overlooked little treasure, butlers and burglers are getting mixed up, robbing banks without intending to, taking jobs they aren't entitled to, proposing to girls they really shouldn't, and generally making a pig's ear out of every possible step they make. The strength of Wodehouse in my opinion isn't just the laughs you get from reading him, but also it's the marvel of how he manages to weave so many characters into his work, and then remembers to mix them all up in a controlled way, only to mix them all up again (and the names he comes up with for his characters are sheer bliss). I think his books are pure magic and always will be.

The Enchanted April: Elizabeth von Arnim - 1922 *****

 

  'The Enchanted April' is one of those rare and lovely treats, a book you delight in picking up whenever possible, where each words is like music to your ears, and you forget that you are reading a book and 'beome' the story instead. The vivid descriptions of Italy just leave you floating on a cloud. A real hidden gem, this charming book centres around 4 very different women, all lacking excitement in their lives, and their shared goal of spending a month in April in Italy renting out a castle after spotting an advertisment in a newspaper. The story is warm, innocent and at times highly amusing, and the 4 main characters are shaped exquisitely. Watching the interaction between each woman, the highs and lows, and the inevitable sparks that fly was sublime. I thoroughly enjoyed the book, and Elizabeth von Arnim is now on my TBR list.

Departure Lounge: Chad Taylor - 2006 ** 1/2

 

Departure Lounge is one of those very odd books that tries far too hard to be something it's not. I am all for Hard Boiled Crime, or Pulp Fiction, but this was just trying to be arty and as a result it made virtually no impact on me whatsoever. Added to which, the characters were jumping all over the place, the chapters were scattered backwards and forwards, and none of the people in the book were ironed out sufficiently. I read it until the end, begrudgingly picking it up because I felt I had to, and almost immediately I had blanked out the experience of reading it. None of the dirty, gritty and sweaty emotional rollarcoaster of a Hard boiled Lawrence Block novel was present, and that was exactly what the book was lacking.

A Month in the Country: J.L. Carr - 1980 *****

 

Could there be a more beautiful and sumptuous story about rural life than 'A Month in the Country'?
For such a short book, this packs a fair punch almost from the start, and by the end you are left mournful and despressed that this magical and ethereal time could not last forever. It's all so real that you can almost feel the heat of the long summer days, taste the humid air and hear the laughter of a village unspoiled and unbroken by the horror of war. The fact it was written in 1980 seems almost unbelieveable because of it's vivid portrayal. It's even more poignant that the main character, having recently fought in WW1 and praying to heal from this atrocity finally believes he has found some tranquility and peace in this little village, little knowing that another war will rage upon him in just over a decade. I think having such idyllic peace shattered is just heartbreaking, and in many ways, we can all probably relate to this innocent and pure period of time in our lives where we could finally exhale after a horrible event has happened, without realising we will soon be privy to another bad, if not worse moment. I think in all sincerity that I have very rarely found a book that has touched and moved me so, and I think a part of it will stay with me forever.

Daisy Miller & The Turn of the Screw - Henry James: 1898 ***

Daisy Miller is an amusing, funny social commentary of what happens when a holidaymaker meets a young, beautifully tempestuous flirt. Whilst in Switzerland, a gentleman named Winterbourne becomes entranced by Daisy Miller, an all American girl who is holidaying with her mother and son. His obsession with her continues to Geneva despite the annoyance and disapproval of his aunt who thinks the whole thing is shameful. I really enjoyed this novella, and was well on the way to becoming a big fan of Henry James. Unfortunately, despite the worldwide acclaim of the second novella, I was thoroughly disinterested in it. 'Turn of the Screw' translates excellently onto the screen, but in my personal opinion wasn't as good a book as I had expected. It was slow and labourious and the 'shocks' were delivered weakly. Although I know the story nothing seemed to be happening. I feel I should be apologising to Henry James because I expect I'm in the minority of dislikers, but I have immensely enjoyed Daisy Miller and Washington Square.    

Sleeping with the Enemy - Nancy Price: 1986 **

I very rarely say this, but I found the book version of 'Sleeping with the Enemy' vastly inferior to the film. The film is really great, really exciting, but the book didn't appear to be in any way as heart-pounding, tearful or plain emotional. This was a shame because I did have high hopes for this, and was hoping the book would explain Sara's (Laura in the film) character in more depth. I just found myself increasingly frustrated with Sara, and didn't feel any sort of rapport with her at all. Whereas the film had a huge impact on me mentally and emotionally. I was glad to finish.

The Ballad of Peckham Rye: 1960 **

Such a shame to start on Muriel Spark with such a poorly written book. Peckham is the location of Dougal Douglas, a ruffian intent on causing havoc from every man and woman he meets. He explodes onto the scene, charming, insulting, fighting and ruining lives as he goes, all with a smile on his face. I was seriously bored by this book, but I might try another Muriel Spark to see if she improves.

Wake Up, Sir - Jonathan Ames: 2004 ****

 

'Wake Up, Sir' is an extemely odd book. I spied it in the library and thought how interesting it looked. What a good choice it was!!

Although it compares vastly with PG Wodehouse, it is also incredibly different. For one thing it's set in the 90s, for another it's a lot deeper than any Jeeves and Wooster stuff. It involves the main character Alan is a delusional, selfish but rather charming alcoholic who decides to drag his faithful manservant (coincidentally named Jeeves) to a wellness spa to cure his love of liquor, and then on to an artist's retreat after having severe writer's block that is affecting all areas of his life. The adventures he and Jeeves have along the way really are funny though, and it's been said he's like a 90s Woody Allen character who is trying his best but always ends up messing up badly. As someone who loves Woody Allen I find this rather a touching 'insult.' Alan is very much like this, whether it's being kicked out by his aunt and uncle for drunken behaviour, having his nose broken in a fight at a bar, or being accused of stealing a demented artist's slippers he somehow manages to always come off worse. But it's bloody funny to go along for the ride.

The Clocks - Agatha Christie: 1963 **

 

'The Clocks' is one of those Agatha Christie books that has so much potential. I started reading and KNEW it was going to be good, knew that Christie would have this almost impossible plot nailed and knew that I would be captivated throughout. Well this didn't happen. It was a rather excellent book right up until the end, when things came out, secrets were told and I was thoroughly disappointed. To make matters worse, Poirot doesn't appear until half way through the book, and was barely present until near the end. Considering this was a Poirot book, this was a bit of a mistake from Christie, who was obviously thoroughly sick of Poirot by now and probably would've happily got away with keeping him absent the whole way through. To be honest he didn't really lend anything to the story in particular, and it seemed he was a bit wasted here.
The plot is intriguing to say the least - a young typist named Sheila is called for personally to go to a house to do some work for a woman, but when she arrives it is to find a dead body on the floor. Added to which, the owner of the house is blind, was not present at the time, and there are 4 clocks on the mantlepiece that don't belong to her. What a fabulous, yet eerie start! It continues in this creepy, strange way, full of gossip and intrigue and then falls flat on it's face. Disappointed.

The Perks of Being a Wallflower: Stephen Chbosky - 1999 **

Another book I found immensely worse than it's film. 'Perks of Being a Wallflower' is effectively an anthem for troubled youth, a story about a socially awkward, introverted teen named Charlie who is never involved in anything, always spending his life on the sidelines, a wallflower who observes but never participates. Things change drastically however when he meets wild child Sam, and her stepbrother, quirky and flamboyant Patrick. Charlie, being neither popular nor nerdy is suddenly given the chance to live. I found the book frustrating, Charlie is infuriating and displays almost moronic characteristics throughout, and I didn't find him particularly likeable. He puts everyone else first to the point of lunacy, whilst in the film he is just a good friend and learns when to say no. Book was written in an absurdly childish way as well which doesn't quite mesh with Charlie's high intellect for his age. It's a no from me.

Borderline: Lawrence Block - 1965 ****

I've never read any pulp fiction before, so this was a thrilling first read. Like a really sleazy film noir, I loved it, loved most of the characters and was surprised by the ending. I wish it had been longer. Five characters are all connected by a series of events that end up having fatal results. Marty, a gambler who bumps into a beautiful divorcee named Meg, who wants excitement and finds it with Lily, a hitch-hiker who becomes the obsession of Cassie a lesbian prostitute, and Weaver, a crazy killer on the run from the law who is dangerous and out of control. I found each character well fleshed out and surprisingly likeable, despite their various illegalities. Lawrence Block is incredibly descriptive and I found myself really transported to sweaty, sleazy Mexico.

Until You're Mine: Samantha Hayes - 2013 *****

Claudia appears to have it all. She's expecting a much wanted baby, she has a wonderful husband, a lovely home and she's just hired a lovely nanny named Zoe to help her out with her 2 step-sons. Zoe seems almost too good to be true, she's fun and easy going, she's helpful and great with the kids. She could almost be the perfect woman, but why is she secretive about her personal life to the point of tears, why is she so obsessed with Claudia's baby to be and why does Claudia catch her going through her personal possessions in a locked room? However, just when you think you have it all worked out in your head the book takes on a completely different twist that will seriously leave you speechless. I haven't felt that amazed and impressed over a book for a long time. It's clever, so incredibly clever and you will NOT see the twist coming, I promise you. It's also told from both Claudia and Zoe's points of view which makes it even more chilling. Just a really excellent display of mystery and suspense writing from Samantha Hayes that should be savoured like a tasty dish. I will be reading more of her.

Hercule Poirot and the Greenshore Folly: Agatha Christie - 1954 ****

Adorable, and as always Poirot always reconstructs the crime perfectly in his head before you've even had time to familiarise yourself with the suspects then helpfully describes it to his fascinated readers. Lovely little story that has never before been published, and all Christie's proceeds went to repairing a stained glass window in her local church!
Poirot is summoned out of the blue to Greenshore Folly in Devon by his old friend Ariadne Oliver to help take part in a 'Murder Hunt' (similar to a treasure hunt but more gruesome!) However when the murder hunt takes place there is a real murder, and Poirot must use his little grey cells once more to figure out 'whodunit'. Poirot is just wonderful.

Death of An Avid Reader : Frances Brody - 2014 ****

Kate Shackleton is a great character. Headstrong and intelligent, yet charming and funny, I'm glad that Frances Brody came up with such an interesting creation for her 'Death of A' series.
A lost daughter, a ghost in an old library and a basement with a mysterious secret are all topics that Miss Shackleton will have to address in this quirky detective novel set in 1920s.
Kate is great heroine, I loved her warmth and intellect. In this novel she is invited to visit Lady Coulton who is searching for her long lost daughter, given up to avoid her husband finding out the truth about her affair. At the same time, stories are becoming abundant about the local library, and the ghost of a dead librarian who haunted the location 40 years ago, and who is the body in the basement under a fallen bookcase? Great read, I finished it in just over a day.

The Island of Dr Moreau:HG Wells - 1896 **

I wanted so much to love this, I found the film immensely terrifying (The Island of Lost Souls) but the book didn't do it for me.
The novel is the story of Edward Prendick who is rescued by a passing boat after being shipwrecked and taken to an island owned by Dr Moreau, a scientist who experiments on animals and makes human hybrids out of them. The idea is horrific, and in some ways not utterly unbelievable, but I didn't much care for the narrative of writing.

You Sent Me a Letter: Lucy Dawson- 2016 ****1/2

'You sent me a letter' has a great pace. One of those books you cannot stop reading even if it's early in the morning and you should really be getting to sleep. The only thing I found that let the book down was the middle, but the beginning and end were well worth the read.
Sophie is awoken in the middle of the night by a masked figure looming over her bed. She is handed a  letter and told to open it later that night, her 40th birthday. She must open it in front of her family and friends, and read the contents out loud. She must not go to the police or ask for help from anybody because otherwise her nearest and dearest will be in grave danger. And so it begins. The whole book is basically that one day.It's  brilliant, and although I guessed who the culprit was it was still immensely enjoyable. Lucy Dawson has a great way of writing, and has come up with a subject that terrifies each and everyone of us - How far do you go to protect the ones you love? And how well do you really know your friends and family?

Ava Gardner-The Secret Conversations: Peter Evans - 2013 ****

In the late 1980s, Peter Evans was approached by none other than beautiful star Ava Gardner in order that he would ghost write her autobiography. Ava proved almost impossible to work with, changing her mind at every possible opportunity, arguing over areas of the book that had previously been agreed to and ringing Peter at all hours of the night when she couldn't sleep and was drunk. Almost resigned to the possibility that the book might not ever get published Peter comes up with a plan - he will record the conversations he has with Ava when she is most open and candid, her calls in the early hours of the morning when she can't sleep. By doing so, he crafts an amazing books of memories told in a wonderfully honest and refreshing manner. Ava is troubled, painfully honest and humorously scandalous about her former life as a Hollywood star. 

Black Sheep: Susan Hill - 2013 ***

Susan Hill's 'Black Sheep' was overall very disappointing. Hill is usually such an expect at writing short stories and comprising so much into so little. Here I felt that she wasn't on top form. The story is centred around the mining community in a village called Mount of Zeal and what happens to he individuals who live there. The pacing was slow, maybe too slow in my opinion and when the tragic event happened near the end I literally pounced on it. I think if the novel had been longer I would've given up, but as it stands I dragged myself through it. I feel that Susan Hill only really works writing at this slow pace with her horror/ghost works.

Carol (The Price of Salt): Patricia Highsmith - 1952 **

'Carol', otherwise known as 'The Price of Salt' was overall very disappointing as a book. Having watched the beautifully made film not too long ago, I found myself putting the book down in boredom more than once. I have come to believe that I am not much of a fan of Highsmith's writing style, which is rare for me considering books are usually highly superior to their films. 

Therese, a young impressionable girl and aspiring set designer is working the Christmas shift at a large department store to help her save money. It is in this store that she meets Carol, a beautiful, elegant and entirely independent mother of one. Therese sees something inside Carol that she relates to, and immediately becomes besotted by her. They start to regularly meet, much to the annoyance of Therese's boyfriend and Carol's estranged husband and even take a trip around America. The story follows their volatile relationship, Therese's doubts, Carol's selfishness and how their feelings affect those closest to them ending in a climactic decision that changes their lives for ever. I think it was a brave novel to write in 1952, and I understand the need to show that a lesbian relationship over 50 years ago was just as acceptable as it is now, but I just found myself despising both main characters and wishing they would stop being so utterly wrapped up in themselves. I feel that the film did a better job at showing Carol and Therese's reasoning and emotional states than the novel and delved more into why they both made the decisions they ultimately do. 

Something Borrowed, Someone Dead: M.C. Beaton 2014 ****

My first Agatha Raisin was great fun. I've read one Hamish MacBeth so was great to see two completely different characters that were equally likeable. This is how a 'cosy mystery' should be done. Gentle, sweet, funny with a great plot to top it off. Agatha Raisin is entirely lovable, despite her irritating habits and obsession with her ex-husband, and you can't help but highly relate to her well written character. 

Agatha is hired by a Parish counsellor to visit the small village of Piddlebury (how can you not love that name!) after a newcomer named Gloria is found poisoned. Gloria was intensely disliked by the majority of the village, mostly for her tendencies to take other people's possessions and not give them back. Therefore you would imagine that she has plenty of enemies who would be only too glad to 'do her in.' But the village is very strange, as no one wants to either talk about Gloria or find out who killed her. Agatha has her work cut out here!

I loved this, easy to read, amusing and highly likeable. 

Mrs Jeffries Dusts For Clues: Emily Brightwell 2013 **

I appear to be in the minority here, but I didn't find this book to be entertaining in the slightest. Mrs Jeffries, the housekeeper of  a Scotland Yard Inspector solves crimes when she's not dusting the tables and cleaning the windows without her employer knowing. What a charming idea. Well yes, but the execution of the story just didn't work. Within the first page you are plunged into the latest mystery without any warm up or introduction. The characters 

(of which there were far too many to keep track of) go out searching for clues by day (I have no idea when any of them do their actual jobs) and come back to the kitchen in the evening and tell each other what they have found. After a while this became a tad boring, and nothing was really happening in any aspect of the novel. Just when it seemed that the story was getting better, suddenly an ending comes out of the blue that is hastily summarised within 10 or so pages. I didn't really enjoy it overall and found it dragging by the half way point. Maybe it would help to read another in the series, but I think I will be leaving Emily Brightwell's books for the time being.

The Norfolk Nightmare: David Thurlow - 1991 **

I bought this primarily because it covered some cases from Norfolk that I had never heard from. From that respect this was a good book, it was interesting, insightful and widened my knowledge of Norfolk cases in locations I am very familiar with. In all other areas this was an awful book. It was badly written, full of consistent repetition and grammatical errors. I think I would've done a better job of editing this book myself. I persevered due to an interest in the murders, but it was almost impossible not to get frustrated page by page with the author's awful style of cataloguing the crimes. The way he writes seems to suggest we are chatting over a pint in the pub instead of dealing with a sensitive subject, and he crosses many boundaries when it comes to what writers shouldn't do, especially in true crime such as siding with a particular person early on, stereotyping people without proof, guessing what the victim 'must feel' (and telling us how we must feel at the same time) and creating a biased impression of the case before we know anything about it. It becomes a very amateur attempt to write and his casual attitude does not work properly in a genre where we need maturity and unbiased facts.

I have also struggled through another of this author's books about East Anglia with the same impression. The only reason I have stuck by either of the books is because there are no other books written about the same cases that I can find. I will seriously reconsider reading anything by him again however. Only read this if you desperately want to know about the crimes.

Washington Square: Henry James - 1881 ****1/2

I'm a fairly latecomer to Henry James, being initially put off him because it appears he is no longer deemed popular in literary circles. I also tried to briefly to read 'The Aspern Papers' and gave up almost immediately.
'Washington Square' was something else entirely. Initially it was rather difficult to get into, but quite soon after I found myself falling in love with the style, the prose and the story. James seems so in tune with the moral and social conventions of his time, and I found myself amazed by the way women were expected to behave both in society and in private. Also, the idea that women are such timid, 'simple' creatures who only exist to marry rich and intelligent men was a theme that grated on me. Of course these ideals are not new to me, especially in literature of this period, but  I found it especially obvious in this story which spurred me on to read more and more.
The story revolves around only 4 principle characters. Dr Sloper, an imminent doctor, his sister Lavinia, his daughter Catherine and her suitor Mr Townsend. Henry James has managed to create a whole world in this tiny cocoon that barely ventures outside.
Catherine is an intelligent and headstrong girl, who falls for the charming and handsome Mr Morris Townsend at a social function. Although a seemingly decent man, Morris is poor and Catherine's father Dr Sloper does not believe that his intentions are purely honourable. Catherine has a rather comfortable fortune left by her deceased mother, and will stand to inherit even more from her father on his death. Catherine becomes infatuated quickly with Morris, and there is talk of marriage in the future. Her father however will not stand for the relationship, and does everything in his power to convince Catherine to break it off. Meanwhile, Catherine's aunt Lavinia is in the background, whispering words of encouragement to her, telling her to defy her father and marry Morris immediately. Dr Sloper decides to teach Catherine a lesson, and tells her that if she persists with her courtship, she will not inherit a single penny of his money and will probably lose Morris in the process anyway.
Wonderful story, intelligently written and captivating prose from a man who has risen quickly to the top of my favourite author list.

Play Misty For Me: Paul J. Gillette - 1971 ****

Being rather obsessed with this film I felt it only right to read the book immediately to compare my viewpoints. I hurtled through the novel in one sitting, partly because I knew exactly what was going to happen, and partly because I hoped some morsel would be left out of the film and I would discover it in the text.

As we know by now, the story follows a DJ named David who becomes the object of desire for a twisted, psychotic fan named Evelyn Draper. After a night of passion with Evelyn, David is less than keen to see her again, seeing her as too clingy and too intense. Added to which, he is starting to fall heavily for his on/off girlfriend Tobie and doesn't want a nutty one night stand to mess things up. Despite this, he can't help taking pity on Evelyn when she reacts badly to his decision and letting her back into his bed. He feels the nicer he is, the easier it will be for her to get over him which of course from a woman's perspective is the opposite approach to take. Evelyn does not understand the word "no", especially when it comes to losing someone she has become seriously obsessed with. She will go to any lengths to keep David near, even if it means hurting him in the process.

Although there are some areas of the film that were not from the book, the general feeling I got was that the novel casts more light on David's character, his background with Tobie and his general life which has now contributed greatly after another viewing of the film. I now understand David more, and whilst I don't agree with his actions and feel he wasn't clear enough about his boundaries, he is rather more the victim than I first imagined. Very well written.

The Rock Pool: Cyril Connolly - 1934 *

 

'The Rock Pool' is a heavy going satire about a man with high expectations which are slowly shattered as he drifts through Cannes and Nice, meeting the locals and being swindled by them almost as quickly. Connolly's writing does not excite me or interest me, I have no emotional connection to any of his characters and found the prose was too dreamlike to appreciate. I do not understand writers who start off a paragraph normally, then suddenly descend into poetic madness without warning. We as readers are supposed to view this as 'clever'. This unfortunately is how Connolly's mind works. No doubt I am missing some fascinating insight into this well known critic/writer's psyche, but this doesn't mean I have to agree with the text in front of me. And I don't. This novel tries too hard to be something deeper than it is, and it shows.

My Mother's Keeper: B.D. Hyman - 1985 ****

 

As a huge fan of Bette Davis, it was a toss up whether I wanted to read this harrowing account of her life, told from the viewpoint of her daughter Barbara 'B.D.'

As it stands, I found the book interesting in itself, but I can't say I believe every single aspect of it. There are times I found myself gasping in horror at how horrendous Davis is portrayed by her daughter, especially when it seems she is either drunk out of her head, suicidal, verbally abusive to her husband or psychotically manipulative and vile to B.D's children without rhyme or reason. If it's true, I think Barbara had the patience of a saint to put up with her, and how she didn't disown her a long time before that is a miracle. I suppose one aspect that makes it more realistic is that it was published when Davis was still alive and had a chance to respond, whereas Christina Crawford's similar memoir of her mother Joan Crawford was not released until her death. Definitely worth a read whether you believe it or not, and I'm glad to say that it hasn't really affected how much of a Davis fan I am.

The Miniaturist : Jessie Burton - 2014 *****

What a breathtaking book. 'The Miniaturist' conjures up all sorts of images. Haunting, melancholy, powerful and beautiful, whilst also creating an amazing, realistic world of 17th Century Amsterdam. It's so real in fact that you can almost taste it. I don't believe there will ever be another piece of literature like it.

Nella is an 18 year old girl who is set to begin her new life in Amsterdam as the wife of a wealthy merchant trader named Johannes. Although the house is grand and she wants for nothing, Nella feels increasingly alienated, not just by her husband who will not pay her any attention, but by his sister Marin and the servants. One day however, Johannes gifts Nella with a sumptuous miniature dollhouse, a replica of their own home which she falls in love with. But what of the mysterious miniaturist who has started sending Nella gifts for the dollhouse without request? Why is her sister in law so against her and so obsessed with her brother, and what part does Nella have to play in it? 

The answers will become clear, but will surprise you and thrill you along the way. 

Jessie Burton is fantastic.

Valley of the Dolls: Jacqueline Susann - 1966 *****

'Valley of the Dolls' is a really spellbinding novel. Having seen the film many times and loved it (mainly because of my love for beautiful Sharon) I was keen to see how the film would have been transferred from the book.

From start to finish I began a rollercoaster of emotions. At first I was angry, then sad, then jealous, then devastated. 

The novel follows three women on the verge of making it big. Neely is a headstrong, talented and immature performer who is desperate to be on the stage, even if it means popping a few pills to keep her going. Anne, a stunning, intelligent and wary secretary who just wants to find happiness with a man and have her fairy-tale wedding and baby. And Jennifer, the ethereal, beautiful and lonely actress who is only known for her body, and simply wants to be loved for herself. As the years roll by, we see them at their best and worst, we see Anne be used by the men in her life, Neely losing her friends in the process of becoming a star, and Jennifer tipped over the edge by her husband's obsessive sister. Regardless of what happens in their lives, the 'dolls' are always there, waiting to be taken to raise them up, bring them down, and finally destroy their lives forever. 

One of the toughest books I have read, a book that frustrated me and made me wish it was over. Yet when I turned the last page I realised that the thing I was most sad about was that it was over and I would never experience it from the beginning again.

.

Parker Pyne Investigates - Agatha Christie 1934 *****

Another hidden gem from the true Queen of crime, this time centring around an unassuming and rather meek man named Parker Pyne who's bald head and rotund belly appear to get in the way of anything important. Pyne seems to be a bit like an English Poirot, although not so sarcastic or eager to get himself into awkward situations.

Instead of solving murder, Parker Pyne tries to solve problems of the heart, including marriage break ups, disappearing jewellery and kidnap plots, and he does all this with a gentle and personable manner. He really is a very interesting character, and I find it such a shame that Agatha Christie omitted to flesh out his character even more in another novel. Each story is cleverly plotted (I almost never guessed what would happen), fast-paced with a good dash of humour and interesting characters. An extremely easy read as well.

The Good Girl - Mary Kubica 2015 ****

 

I was recommended this thriller and found myself almost immediately becoming besotted with the writing and style. I took the book everywhere with me, and so it's not much of a surprise that I finished it within days. The pacing is exceedingly good, and apart from several dozen pages towards the end where the prose seemed to waffle on about I found it in general to be a pleasure to read.

The story is told from three points of view, and at times this can be confusing, but the more you read the more you fall into the rhythm of each character, getting used to their mannerisms and their points of view.

One evening, young and vivacious Mia goes out to a nightclub, there she meets a man named Colin and goes back to his place for a one night stand. From then on Mia is missing, and neither her family nor the police officer dealing with her case has a clue what has happened to her. But we find out, because very close to the beginning of the book Mia resurfaces, but the trouble is she has amnesia to the extent where she herself has no idea where she has been and who she has been with. The story goes from there.

Excellent, easy reading and I will be on the lookout for the next book by Mary Kubica.