Review: The Reader's Room by Antoine Laurain

Synopsis: When the manuscript of a debut crime novel arrives at a Parisian publishing house, everyone in the readers’ room is convinced it’s something special. And the committee for France’s highest literary honour, the Prix Goncourt, agrees.

But when the shortlist is announced, there’s a problem for editor Violaine Lepage: she has no idea of the author’s identity. As the police begin to investigate a series of murders strangely reminiscent of those recounted in the book, Violaine is not the only one looking for answers. And, suffering memory blanks following an aeroplane accident, she’s beginning to wonder what role she might play in the story …

~ ~ ~

Laurain is fast becoming one of my favorite authors of fiction.

We are introduced to Violaine shortly after her hospitalisation following her accident.  As she recovers, she is alarmed to discover that her memory is not what it was ... little things are unfamiliar to her - she notes that her brain has forgotten her vices and sins.

But return to work Violaine does as a newly discovered crime novel and its mysterious author are about to make history, and possibly for all the wrong reasons.

Both the police and Violaine are in a race to discover the identity of the author - the police, to solve the crimes being perpetrated in a manner outlined in the novel, and Violaine, so she can present the author at a notable literary event!

Soon the indirect narrative style merges to become one and the mystery surrounding both the novel and the crimes is revealed.

If you have read Laurain's "French Windows", you will love this one. Laurain's books are not so much crime thrillers but gently unraveling mysteries that don't let you go - even after you have finished them. I have read a number now and cannot but recommend Laurain - take the plunge and explore this French author for yourselves.

Benjamin Wallace - Duck & Cover Series

Even a mushroom cloud has a silver lining.

Join the Librarian and his mastiff as he does his best to make the post-apocalyptic world a better place by protecting the weak,fighting injustice, squaring off against a group of former renaissance fair workers who have established a kingdom in the Rocky Mountains, and so on. 

Can one man make a difference in the face of such murderous cannibals and super smart bears? Probably not.

Visit Benjamin's website for more on this series.

Dirk Cussler - reflections 50 years on

From an article posted in CrimeReads:

In 1973, a paperback thriller was published by Pyramid Press, written by an aspiring writer from Southern California. The book opened with an antiquated World War I German Albatross biplane strafing Brady Air Force Base on the Greek island of Thásos, destroying its fleet of F-105 jet fighters. The attack is disrupted by the arrival of a lumbering PBY Catalina flying boat, whose pilot engages in an unlikely dogfight with the Albatross and somehow prevails. The Mediterranean Caper was the debut novel by my father Clive Cussler, and introduced the indomitable character of Dirk Pitt at the controls of the Catalina, along with his fictional employer, the National Underwater and Marine Agency (NUMA).

Read full article here @ CrimeReads

My first introduction to both Clive Cussler and Dirk Pitt was through his third novel, "Raise The Titanic". I needed to do a book report for school, and was definitely not into romance, having been raised with a healthy dose of murder and action adventure. This book still occupies a small corner of my mind even to this day.

Raise The Titanic: The President's secret task force develops the ultimate defensive weapon. At its core: byzanium, a radioactive element so rare sufficient quantities have never been found. But a frozen American corpse on a desolate Soviet mountainside, a bizarre mining accident in Colorado, and a madman's dying message lead DlRK PITT~ to a secret cache of byzanium. Now he begins his most thrilling, daunting mission -- to raise from its watery grave the shipwreck of the century!

Review: Karla's Choice by Nick Harkaway

Synopsis: It is spring in 1963 and George Smiley has left the Circus.

With the wreckage of the West's spy war with the Soviets strewn across Europe, he has eyes only on a more peaceful life. And indeed, with his marriage more secure than ever, there is a rumour in Whitehall – unconfirmed and a little scandalous – that George Smiley might almost be happy.

But Control has other plans. A Russian agent has defected in the most unusual of circumstances, and the man he was sent to kill in London is nowhere to be found. Smiley reluctantly agrees to one last simple task: interview Susanna, a Hungarian émigré and employee of the missing man, and sniff out a lead.

But in his absence the shadows of Moscow have lengthened. Smiley will soon find himself entangled in a perilous mystery that will define the battles to come, and strike at the heart of his greatest enemy…

Set in the missing decade between two iconic novels starring George Smiley, The Spy Who Came in from the Cold and Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, this is an extraordinary, thrilling return to the world of spymaster John le Carré, written by the author’s son and acclaimed novelist, Nick Harkaway.

~ ~ ~

It is a very well written homage to the author's father (John le Carre) and most his famous character (George Smiley). Adopting Le Carre's own style of writing, Harkaway posits Smiley into the intervening decade between two iconic novels, to flesh out Smiley's nemesis, the elusive Karla, and provide the foundations of their long rivalry. 

The narrative is not driven by relentless action (aka: Bourne or Bond), but by the subtle cat and mouse game of the intellectually driven pursuit, of investigation and analysis, of characters and events.

I was a little hesitant at first, especially when another author takes on a well known character / series as they are never in the mindset of the original author, regardless of familial relationships. However, I was not disappointed. For me, Karla's Choice, has a firm place on my bookshelves amid my own collection of Le Carre novels.

The White Ship by Nicholas Salaman

Based on a true story, this tale of passion and revenge brings the past to life. Normandy in 1118 is a hotbed of malcontent barons kept in fragile order by Henry I, King of England and Duke of Normandy. Fresh from early years in a monastery, Berthold - the bastard son of one of these barons - meets Juliana, a countess and daughter of the King. He falls in love, or lust (he isn’t sure), but sees that his chance could come with work in her small court. Soon, though, he finds himself caught up in a ruthless feud between Juliana and her father. Juliana's daughters are offered as hostages for a strategic castle, and even love is not enough to allay a tragedy that will change the course of history.

For all fans of historical fiction and especially readers of Ken Follett's The Pillars of the Earth 

30 Essential Crime Reads Written by Women in the Last 100 Years

A post by Emily Temple for CrimeReads:

Undisputed Queen of Crime Agatha Christie died on this day [12th Jan] in 1976. Crime fiction is a genre that has traditionally been dominated by men — but on the other hand, Christie is the best-selling author of all time, so that should tell you something. In honor of her life (and her prolific publishing career) I’ve picked out a few great crime novels written by women from each of the last ten decades. Now, of course, there are more than three crime novels from each decade that you should read (and probably more than three novels in every genre that you should read), but one has to stop somewhere, so add your own recommendations with abandon. 

NB: This is not a definitive list by any means; genre is necessarily a bit fluid here, privilege has gone to important, groundbreaking or otherwise historically notable works where I’ve noted them, but taste has, as ever, played a factor.

read the list of books here @ CrimeReads

Female Spanish thriller writer Carmen Mola revealed to be three men

From The Guardian:

A million euro literary prize has lured three Spanish men out of anonymity, to reveal that they are behind ultra-violent Spanish crime thrillers marketed as the work of “Spain’s Elena Ferrante”

The men had published under the pseudonym Carmen Mola, which roughly translates as “Carmen’s cool”.

When one of their books won the lucrative Planeta prize, the trio went public to pick up the cheque at a glitzy ceremony attended by the Spanish king.

Agustín Martínez, Jorge Díaz and Antonio Mercero had published novels and worked as scriptwriters under their real names before coming together to write as Mola. Credits include work on TV series “Central Hospital” and “Blind Date”.

Their lead character in the Carmen Mola novels is detective Elena Blanco, a “peculiar and solitary woman, who loves grappa, karaoke, classic cars and sex in SUVs”, according to publisher Penguin Random House.

The men, all in their 40s and 50s, denied choosing a female pseudonym to help sell the books. “We didn’t hide behind a woman, we hid behind a name,” Antonio Mercero told Spanish newspaper El País. “I don’t know if a female pseudonym would sell more than a male one, I don’t have the faintest idea, but I doubt it.”

read more here @ The Guardian

Review: Echoes of War by Tania Blanchard

Synsopsis: Set in Mussolini’s Italy amid great upheaval, this is the story of one woman’s determination to find her place in a world that men are threatening to tear apart. Another heart-rending novel inspired by a true story from Australia's bestselling author of The Girl from Munich.

Calabria, Italy, 1936 - In a remote farming village nestled in the mountains that descend into the sparkling Ionian Sea, young and spirited Giulia Tallariti longs for something more. While she loves her home and her lively family, she would much rather follow in her nonna’s footsteps and pursue her dream of becoming a healer.

But as Mussolini’s focus shifts to the war in Europe, civil unrest looms. Whispers of war are at every corner and her beloved village, once safe from the fascist agenda of the North, is now in very real danger.

Caught between her desire to forge her own path and her duty to her family, Giulia must draw on the passion in her heart and the strength of her conviction.

Can she find a way to fulfill her dreams or will the echoes of war drown out her voice?

Unfortunately not for me.

The main character grated on me - she was way to modern for the period. The narrative dragged on without really much happening then jumped about ten years in the very last part.

In the end I could sum up the whole book in one famous sentence by French writer Jean-Baptiste Alphonse Karr, who wrote “plus ça change, plus c'est la même chose “ – the more things change, the more they stay the same - which was also the theme of The Leopard.

As a side note, I noticed the same theme running through all her other books - is this a good or bad thing, or just complacency?

Review: Melting in the Middle by Andy Howden

Synopsis: Long-listed for the Exeter Novel Prize, Melting in the Middle is a literary comedy about redemption and second chances, played out amid the madness of modern life.

Set against the backdrop of a modern day "David and Goliath" story, a middle management, middle aged man must come to terms with changes not only in his business life but in his personal life. Will he succeed - only time - and his persistence - will tell, especially when a spanner, in the form of an enigmatic and contradictory young woman, is thrown in for good measure.

This slow moving tale of one man's attempts to keep his life and career afloat makes for interesting read. At times, it almost seemed as though the workplace was being used a metaphor for some sort of dystopian society where it was a case of survival of the fittest (maybe I am reading too much into something that is not there).

Our hero, for want of a better word, a big fish in a little pond, finds himself merely one of a school in a large pond. To keep his head above water, he must fall in line with the new management protocols or else find himself on the scrap heap. But Stephen Carracas is a survivor, he goes from being "axeman" and "lackey" to back to the top of his game, and along the way comes to terms with events in his personal life.

I would not have normally picked this up but was offered a complimentary review copy, and I did enjoy reading it.

The great era for spy novels ends with the death of John le Carre

From The Sydney Morning Herald:

‘‘When you enter the secret world and you are engaged in the intensive examination of your enemy, your opponent, you in a sense begin to know him and think about him not just as an opponent but some kind of secret sharer.’’

That was John le Carre, who has died at the age of 89, talking to The Age in 2001 about his own experiences with the British secret service before he embarked on his long and more successful career as a spy novelist and fierce critic of the hypocrisy and moral and political decline of his country – and, indeed, the west. He died of pneumonia on Sunday morning (Australian time) just as the British government was stumbling towards the final deadline for Brexit, a development he loathed.

In a sense how he defined his experience running agents in East Germany for MI6 determined the nature of his novels and particularly the three great Cold War novels featuring his best-known protagonist, George Smiley: there was a lot of talk, a lot of thought and a lot of smart people trying to get a handle on what the Soviet Union and its spymaster, Karla, were up to, and then outwit them. And, of course, they were frequently hindered by a traitor - a mole - in their midst.

read more here from The Sydney Morning Herald and John le Carre

The Poison Pen Letter: The Early 20th Century's Strangest Crime Wave

Curtis Evens for CrimeReads: 

Across the transatlantic world in the early decades of the twentieth century a terrible wave of poison attacks took place, cruelly claiming hordes of human victims. In contrast with the toxic chlorine, phosgene and mustard gases which armies put to such ghastly and inhuman use during the First World War, however, these particular poisons were not delivered via canisters and shells. 

Rather, the instrument through which these poisons inflicted their damage was the pen—the so-called “poison pen” (a term which encompassed as well that click-clacking symbol of modern business efficiency, the typewriter). For these poisons were words—words which, like weapons of war, could not only hurt but in some cases kill.

Read more from Curtis Evans about this early 20th century phenomenom and how it was adapted by crime writers of the era @ CrimeReads.  And for those interest, there is a lovely list of novels featuring the poison pen!

January Book Bargains - Part II

So another book sale just happened to be on this weekend, so I did a drive by and stopped in.

Managed to pick up these offerings:

I also managed to pick up a 1944 paperback copy of Graham Greene's "A Gun For Sale" - it was in okay condition - a little bit of damage to the cover but otherwise in good nick for its age - I couldn't resist anyway - my cover looks like this one below - and had a price tag of 1'6.

Laura Purcell - The Silent Companions

Review by Jodie Sloan for Arts on the AU:

At its core, The Silent Companions is a wonderful and atmospheric Gothic horror. A creaking Victorian mansion, shifty and secretive servants, paintings that follow you with their eyes, it’s all here and it’s gleefully exploited by author Laura Purcell. The unfolding story is aided by a 17th century diary, an expanding cast of silent companions, and time spent with an incarcerated Elsie after the novel’s events, and the need to keep turning the pages and solve the mystery is tempered by the knowledge that something scary might be lurking in the following chapter.

Some doors are locked for a reason...

'The Poppy War' : A magical, brutal coming-of-age tale in a medieval Asian fantasy world

From NY Daily News:

"The Poppy War" brings to life a war orphan named Fang Runin or Rin for short, who barely makes a life in a deeply divided empire of magic, martial arts and angry gods. Author R.F. Kuang constructs a magical world reminiscent of medieval China, rather than the standard European tropes common to the genre, where monsters, both human and not, can wreak unspeakable havoc.

Kuang ambitiously begins a trilogy that doesn't shy away from the darkest sides of her characters, wrapped in a confectionery of high-fantasy pulp. Where the children's "Avatar" animated-series ultimately is about optimism in the face of unending warfare, "The Poppy War" delivers a tale more fatalistic, but still relatable. Frankly, it's also just wonderful to have more genre stories told through an Asian cultural tableau. The future of Rin in this world may appear quite dark, but that of the series seems bright indeed.

Book two is titled The Dragon Republic whilst the third is yet untitled.

read more here also @ Barnes & Noble

Alyss Morgan Gives Romance and Adventure a Medieval Twist in Her New Book

From WebWire:

Mystery, romance, and adventure come together in the masterfully written story by Alyss Morgan, “Blackwater Castle.” Set in the medieval period, where kings, knights, and castles flourished, readers will get to experience that golden age in human history once again. Alyss craftily revives the interest in castles, knights, and damsels who may be in distress for the millennial readers.

“Blackwater Castle” is a good book for readers seeking new twists to romance, adventure, and mystery stories. Alyss deftly incorporates historical settings, authentic descriptions of medieval towns, people and way of life. Readers will get to enjoy following the story from start to finish in the hopes of wanting to know what will happen with the adventure that Sir Guy is embarking on in “Blackwater Castle.” Readers will get to know that there is more story about a place than meets the eye. To unravel that mystery, Sir Guy must dig deeper into the facts and details that transpired in the castle that sits on his new land – Blackwater Castle. The characters and the settings are delightfully interesting adding to the appeal of the story.

The Baker’s Alchemy by John Stephenson

Review by Robert Jones for the Blue Mountains Gazette:

Stephenson’s first opus, The Optimist, is based on the early years of the iconic Australian poet, Christopher Brennan.

The new novel, The Baker’s Alchemy, also has at its core the central themes of romance and difficult liaisons except, and with painstaking authentic detail, this book is set in Poland and weaves a dense story of magic laced with ancient European ‒ and specifically ‒ Polish beliefs and traditions.

This is a truly hilarious book, very well written and most enjoyable. I found myself reading aloud to my partner great slabs of Stephenson’s glorious prose, ripe with clever wit and marvellous word-play. Be warned, if you pick it up to read you honestly won’t be able to put it down. Like one of the baker’s piquant gingerbread men, it is a pure delight! 

Tin by Padraig Kenny

A science fiction fairy tale, set in a astonishingly realised mechanical world, Tin is a heart-stopping adventure about friendship, courage and finding your identity.

Imagine: the world you know is gone, in its place, a machinarium of Mechanicals, intelligent machines created with the sole purpose of serving mankind. The laws governing their creation are strict and above all the merging of human and mechanical is strictly forbidden.

Christopher is 'Proper': a real boy with a real soul, orphaned in a fire, he can remember nothing of his old life but vague images of his mother and father, cloaked in smoke and ash.

Now he works for an peculiar engineer, a maker of the eccentric, loyal and totally individual mechanicals who are Christopher's best friends; his only friends.

But after a devastating accident, a secret is revealed and Christopher's world is changed for ever...

What follows is a remarkable adventure, as Christopher discovers who he really is, and what it might mean to truly be human.

The Sealwoman’s Gift, by Sally Magnusson

From The Scotsman:

Sally Magnusson’s wonderfully accomplished first novel is an enthralling mixture of recovered history and the imagining of lost lives. It’s a delightful piece of storytelling which is also a story about telling stories.

In 1627 pirates from Algiers raided the coast of Iceland and carried off 400 people – men, women and children – two-thirds of them from a small island. The captives included the island’s Lutheran minister, Olafur, his pregnant wife Asta and their two small children. All were destined for the slave market in Algiers.

In short, this is the best sort of historical novel. It respects the past and brings it alive. It is alert to ethical and cultural differences. It shows that people in the past often thought differently from us and held to different beliefs, while at the same time it reminds us that they experienced the same emotions.

see also

@ The Guardian

@ The Herald Scotland

All This By Chance by Vincent O'Sullivan

Review by Nicholas Reid at Stuff (NZ):

On the simplest level this novel is, as the cover blurb says, a "multigenerational family saga", moving from parents to their adult children to their adult grandchildren.

In part All This By Chance tells us much about how different generations of young New Zealanders have interpreted the big world called Overseas. Stephen in the 1940s, Lisa in the 1960s and a granddaughter in the 2000s react to Europe in very different ways.

More essential, though, is what the novel says about the hold that the past has over us, how the past shapes us whether we like it or not, and how lethal it can be to pretend uncomfortable parts of the past never happened. This novel is about time, remembrance and the persistence of family traits, even when they have been ignored.

The Hopkins Conundrum by Simon Edge

Book Review by Emily Beament - Press and Journal:

Tim Cleverley has inherited a struggling pub in North Wales, near the Jesuit seminary where Victorian poet Gerard Manley Hopkins wrote the poem The Wreck of the Deutschland.

Inspired by a terrible holiday with his ex on the trail of blockbuster Holy Grail novel The Poussin Conundrum, Tim hits on a plan to drum up more trade. He invents a mystery around Hopkin’s obscure religious poem and the local area, and entices the Conundrum’s author to come and write about it.

What follows is a witty satire in which Edge cleverly weaves together Hopkins’ struggles as he writes the poem, those of a group of nuns on the doomed Deutschland and Tim’s bid to turn his corner of the world into the next Grail hunting hotspot.

By turns gripping and laugh-out-loud funny, this is a great read for anyone who has ever reached the end of a Vatican thriller with an eyebrow raised.