Book Bargains - December 2017

Whilst I didn't get any books for Christmas (couldn't rely on delivery during December), I did manage to pick up a couple whilst out and about Christmas shopping:


From Alex Connor (conspiracy thrillers set in the art world):

• The Caravaggio Conspiracy
• The Bosch Deception

These books combine all her passions; art history, painting and thriller writing. All have a fascinating historical back story, combined with a hard hitting contemporary thriller – giving an insider’s glimpse into the art world. Taking some of the most famous names in art – Rembrandt, Hogarth, Goya, Titian etc. – Alex exposes little known facts about their lives and secrets, bringing the Old Masters from the past into the complex and, at times, dangerous world of art dealing in the 21st Century.

From Dr Kathryn Harkup:

• A is for Arsenic: The Poisons of Agatha Christie

Agatha Christie used poison to kill her characters more often than any other crime fiction writer. The poison was a central part of the novel, and her choice of deadly substances was far from random; the chemical and physiological characteristics of each poison provide vital clues to the discovery of the murderer. Christie demonstrated her extensive chemical knowledge (much of it gleaned by working in a pharmacy during both world wars) in many of her novels, but this is rarely appreciated by the reader.

From Alix Christie:

• Guttenberg's Apprentice

"Gutenberg's Apprentice" tells his story: of a young man's hate and grudging love for a man both brilliant and stormy, their struggle to prevail against resistance and betrayal and the power of the Church. It is the story, too, of the last great communications revolution. All the wonder and doubt the digital world provokes today were felt half a millennium ago, in the workshop that produced the world's first printed book.

From Paul Spicer:

• The Temptress

In the spirit of Frances Osborne's The Bolter, this fascinating life of femme fatale and gorgeous Chicago heiress, Alice de Janzé, offers a solution to the decadesold murder of Lord Erroll—the story at the center of James Fox's acclaimed book and movie White Mischief (my review  of The Temptress here @ Goodreads and of The Bolter here also @ Goodreads)

From Robert Lyndon:

• Hawk Quest

The Normans have captured England. The Turks have captured a Norman knight. And in order to free him, a soldier named Vallon must capture four rare hawks. (I have read this and left it unfinished - so when it crossed my path again, I have decided to give this another go)