Isobel's bookshelf: all en-US Fri, 25 Apr 2025 02:08:26 -0700 60 Isobel's bookshelf: all 144 41 /images/layout/goodreads_logo_144.jpg <![CDATA[The Deadly Fun Run (Abigail Summers Cozy Mysteries Book 4)]]> 221977485
When Abigail learns that another murder is planned for the day of the 10K fun run, she teams up with psychic medium Hayley Moon and the other spirits to investigate the case.

After they meet the spirit of a boy buried twelve years ago in the five-star Courtridge Hotel & Spa, they have to work out if the cases are connected. And was a man imprisoned for a murder that he didn’t commit? With the help of PC Tom Bennett, they will do their best to clear his name.

The fourth book in Ann Parker's Abigail Summers Cozy Mysteries Series, THE DEADLY FUN RUN weaves together suspense, humour and a touch of the paranormal.]]> 232 Ann Parker Isobel 5 4.67 The Deadly Fun Run (Abigail Summers Cozy Mysteries Book 4)
author: Ann Parker
name: Isobel
average rating: 4.67
book published:
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2025/04/25
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review:
A fun and unusual read involving a group of sleuthing ghosts who set about solving their next case, that of the untimely and seemingly accidental death of the woman in charge of organising the upcoming village fun run. Falling off a ladder in an effort to fetch her cat from the roof of her house doesn't convince this suspicious troupe who use the fact of their ghostliness to listen in on conversations and be anywhere and everywhere at once. The author fleshes out the main plot with subplots that contribute beautifully to the whole. Light-hearted, witty, at deep at times, this novel and this series is certainly a pleaser.
]]> <![CDATA[An Education For Emma: A Comical Christmas Romance]]> 203569396
To make matters worse, the headmistress throws her together with the new P.E. teacher, Phil, who has a secret crush on her. They have to organise the school Christmas concert together, with hordes of six-year-olds and pushy parents, which only adds to her troubles.

Determined to find out what Dominic is hiding, Emma coerces her best friend Sue, and the P.E. teacher to help her discover the truth, with a series of comical results.

All comes to a head at the school Christmas concert when the three men come face to face and give a whole new meaning to Christmas Punch! But who will win her heart? And who will ruin Christmas?

Emma may be the teacher, but she’s the one who receives an education� in love, deceit and infatuation.
]]> 284 Michele E. Northwood Isobel 5 4.67 An Education For Emma: A Comical Christmas Romance
author: Michele E. Northwood
name: Isobel
average rating: 4.67
book published:
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2025/04/17
shelves:
review:
What a comical story this is! When Emma Graham arrives at St Judes Primary School as a substitute teacher and a novice to boot, she is convinced her luck has changed. Only, she gets off to a bad start as all new teachers do, and as she deals with the trial by fire that is a primary school classroom, her personal life suddenly gets complicated. As she's grappling with helping to arrange the school nativity, she has to contend with three potential suitors all vying for her heart. And as if that were not enough, she is kept busy solving a mystery. Northwood has penned another engaging and entertaining read that is perfect for any time of year.
]]> <![CDATA[A Liverpool Lullaby: He Loves Them To Death (Mersey Murder Mysteries Book 8)]]> 54648492
But this time, they face a criminal mastermind unlike any they have before, who soon becomes known as The Doctor. All evidence points to romantic connections between the killer and his prey, with an eerie lullaby left playing on an old tape recorder next to the victims.

As one body after another is found, Andy Ross and his team race against time to identify the killer. But The Doctor is already courting his next victim...]]> 472 Brian L. Porter Isobel 5 4.34 A Liverpool Lullaby: He Loves Them To Death (Mersey Murder Mysteries Book 8)
author: Brian L. Porter
name: Isobel
average rating: 4.34
book published:
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2025/03/06
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review:
Liverpool Lullaby, the eighth in Brian L. Porter’s murder mystery series, is as much a thriller as a police procedural. Although the absence of gory detail along with the usual camaraderie and tension among the Merseyside Police Special Murder Team position the story comfortably inside the genre. From the opening scenes when the latest victim wakes up to find herself bound and drugged through to the final scenes when at last the culprit is discovered, Liverpool Lullaby does not miss a beat. Fast-paced, with strong writing and a cracking plot, Liverpool Lullaby is a story to lose yourself in. An easy 5 stars from me.
]]> <![CDATA[Norteño Nights: A Sexy Enemies-to-Lovers Romance]]> 217093357
Though the culture shock is intense, the new community seems promising—or it would if not for Javier Mercado, her boss’s nephew. For some reason, he’s decided Janelle is bad news and will stop at nothing to drive her away.

But when Javi’s sister needs legal assistance, he's forced to squash his animosity for his family’s sake. Javier begins to realize he badly misunderstood Janelle, and the woman he tried so hard to hate is actually intelligent, kind... and sexy.

Anger gives way to attraction, and then to passion, but the demons that torment Javier’s and Janelle’s history interfere. Can the Norteño musician and the güera he’s coming to love ever trust each other enough to find their hearts� desire?

In addition to the main novel, this book contains two bonus "The Bridezilla's Best Friend" and "Verano Estupido."

this sexy romance contains multiple triggers, including emotional abuse, stalking, pregnancy loss, and references to cheating. Reader discretion is advised.]]> 286 Simone Beaudelaire Isobel 5
Southern Texas is nothing like where Janelle came from. Not only is the landscape different, the people and the culture are too. She might as well be in another country. It’s an area Javier knows all too well. And the last thing he has time for is this newcomer. As the plot unfolds and Javier and Janelle are drawn together, both begin to change their minds.

Dialogue driven and written in clear prose with close attention to interpersonal dynamics and lots of steam, Norteño Nights makes for an engaging read that definitely lives up to its subtitle.
]]> 5.00 Norteño Nights: A Sexy Enemies-to-Lovers Romance
author: Simone Beaudelaire
name: Isobel
average rating: 5.00
book published:
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2025/02/20
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review:
Set in the far south of Texas where Mexican influences are strong, Norteño Nights opens with Minnesota attorney Janelle Richards chewing a corn chip at a party she has no interest in being at. It’s Cinco de Mayo, and the nephew of the party’s host and local musician Javier Mercado saunters over filled with teasing remarks. He has no time for this güera. The friction between the pair if not outright animosity is apparent from this opening scene, presaging what’s to come.

Southern Texas is nothing like where Janelle came from. Not only is the landscape different, the people and the culture are too. She might as well be in another country. It’s an area Javier knows all too well. And the last thing he has time for is this newcomer. As the plot unfolds and Javier and Janelle are drawn together, both begin to change their minds.

Dialogue driven and written in clear prose with close attention to interpersonal dynamics and lots of steam, Norteño Nights makes for an engaging read that definitely lives up to its subtitle.

]]> And the Stones Cry Out 219104752 "True in the way only great fiction can be . . . Every word matters. Read it" CLARE OSHETSKY

"Clara's sentences are tender and illuminating, they carefully guided me along a complex family story, like stones skimming on water . . . I'm so thankful this book exists" SZILVIA MOLNAR

This is the story of a child with black eyes that float in and out of focus, a child soft and round, with translucent, blue-veined legs unable to hold his weight. This is the story of his place in the Cévennes house where he was born, overlooked by swaying trees and craggy mountains.

This is the story of his the eldest who spends his days cheek-to-cheek with his baby brother, attuned to the rushing, buzzing, whistling sounds that connect him to the outside world; the sister who rejects him and resents him for consuming the attention of her parents and brother, for turning her family upside down; and the youngest, whose life unfolds in the shadow of what his brother's might have been.

This is the story of the ancient stones embedded in the courtyard walls, devoted witnesses to the children's lives, who watch over them and tell their tale.

A fable for our time, And the Stones Cry Out delicately paints the portrait of a family adapting to their circumstances, to each other, and to a world not built for difference.


Translated from the French by Ben Faccini]]> 129 Clara Dupont-Monod Isobel 5
The stones mostly ignore the rather helpless and despairing parents who exist in a state of perpetual anguish and do nothing much to assist the various responses each child makes to the situation they find themselves in. The stones are concerned with the siblings.

There’s the first born, a rather cocky boy who changes dramatically when he embraces a caring role for the boy, a role that eventually results in his own isolation from others and from his own feelings. Then there’s the second born, a girl who, after accidentally nearly snapping the neck of the boy, rages against the situation she finds herself in. She rebels, gets into trouble, and then suddenly becomes exacting and controlling. Both the first and the second born carry their somewhat broken psychology into adulthood. And then there’s the new born child who arrives long after the boy dies. The new born is special in his own way, he has the gift of empathy, and because of it he is tortured by the boy’s absence and his own incomprehension, as though he is living in a shadow cast by the boy, a shadow that results in him inventing an imaginary version that he can talk to. It is through the last born that the family is made whole.

Ultimately, And the Stones Cry Out is a story of trauma, healing and hope. It is an exploration of the many and varied kinds of emotional responses and thoughts a child would experience in the same situation. It is not a novel with a drama-filled plot that will keep a reader turning the pages. The story is an emotional one, and it is made compelling thanks to detachment provided by the narration.

Nature is ever present in this novel. The portrayal of the mountainous region of France is simply sublime and, in some ways also a little claustrophobic, as what is being narrated by the stones is somehow trapped by the mountains themselves, cut off from the rest of the world. What could easily be deemed too disturbing and harrowing to bother with is anything but. And the Stones Cry Out makes for a refreshing change, one that is well worth dipping into. (reviewed for Trip Fiction)]]> 3.67 2021 And the Stones Cry Out
author: Clara Dupont-Monod
name: Isobel
average rating: 3.67
book published: 2021
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2025/01/20
shelves:
review:
This novel is a deep and thought-provoking portrayal of the psychological impacts of growing up with a profoundly disabled sibling destined to live a very short life. The child is known by the stones narrating the tale simply as “the boy�. Most observant stones they are, too. Wise stones belonging to the mountain, timeless stones that do not judge.

The stones mostly ignore the rather helpless and despairing parents who exist in a state of perpetual anguish and do nothing much to assist the various responses each child makes to the situation they find themselves in. The stones are concerned with the siblings.

There’s the first born, a rather cocky boy who changes dramatically when he embraces a caring role for the boy, a role that eventually results in his own isolation from others and from his own feelings. Then there’s the second born, a girl who, after accidentally nearly snapping the neck of the boy, rages against the situation she finds herself in. She rebels, gets into trouble, and then suddenly becomes exacting and controlling. Both the first and the second born carry their somewhat broken psychology into adulthood. And then there’s the new born child who arrives long after the boy dies. The new born is special in his own way, he has the gift of empathy, and because of it he is tortured by the boy’s absence and his own incomprehension, as though he is living in a shadow cast by the boy, a shadow that results in him inventing an imaginary version that he can talk to. It is through the last born that the family is made whole.

Ultimately, And the Stones Cry Out is a story of trauma, healing and hope. It is an exploration of the many and varied kinds of emotional responses and thoughts a child would experience in the same situation. It is not a novel with a drama-filled plot that will keep a reader turning the pages. The story is an emotional one, and it is made compelling thanks to detachment provided by the narration.

Nature is ever present in this novel. The portrayal of the mountainous region of France is simply sublime and, in some ways also a little claustrophobic, as what is being narrated by the stones is somehow trapped by the mountains themselves, cut off from the rest of the world. What could easily be deemed too disturbing and harrowing to bother with is anything but. And the Stones Cry Out makes for a refreshing change, one that is well worth dipping into. (reviewed for Trip Fiction)
]]> <![CDATA[The Lakewood Legacy: Encrypted Secrets]]> 218596422
When Elaine's husband Brian is mysteriously murdered, she loses not just her marriage but a brilliant technological partnership. As she grapples with grief, a body surfaces in Lake Placid, dragging up a dark secret from their past at Lakewood Prep. Now, trapped between a psychopathic neighbor's escalating torment and corporate conspiracies, Elaine must decode her late husband's encrypted clues before she becomes the next victim.

In this pulse-pounding psychological thriller, buried truths and childhood trauma collide as Elaine races to expose a killer—before her past claims its final revenge.

Perfect for fans of Gillian Flynn and Paula Hawkins.]]> 292 E. Denise Billups Isobel 5
At college, Elaine suffers a nemesis in the form of her roommate Amber, a seethingly jealous girl who attacks her in the boathouse on Lake Placid one fateful night. But it is Amber who loses the fight.

Ten years later, just when success is poised to bless Elaine and Brian thanks to their AI inventions, he's shot in the street and dies in her arms.

Who killed Brian? And what is it with the horrible girl in the flat upstairs and her incessant nocturnal stomping about?

As Elaine attempts to uncover the truth about Brian's death, she wrestles with her own inner turmoil and pent up rage and fear. Her world soon grows claustrophobic as past and present collide. It's a carefully plotted tale, and I didn't predict the twists towards the end.

Intense, emotionally charged and gripping, The Lakewood Legacy: Encrypted Secrets is a thriller that is at once a meditation on the intergenerational nature of rage, violence and malevolence, and the psychological and physical damage they cause.

Evocative, clever and never misses a beat, I found this novel hard to put down.]]> 4.40 2024 The Lakewood Legacy: Encrypted Secrets
author: E. Denise Billups
name: Isobel
average rating: 4.40
book published: 2024
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2024/12/20
shelves:
review:
At age twelve, Elaine goes to live with her grandparents in their lakeside home after a family violence turns into tragedy, and the boys next door become life long friends, especially Brian, her sweetheart, the man she eventually marries.

At college, Elaine suffers a nemesis in the form of her roommate Amber, a seethingly jealous girl who attacks her in the boathouse on Lake Placid one fateful night. But it is Amber who loses the fight.

Ten years later, just when success is poised to bless Elaine and Brian thanks to their AI inventions, he's shot in the street and dies in her arms.

Who killed Brian? And what is it with the horrible girl in the flat upstairs and her incessant nocturnal stomping about?

As Elaine attempts to uncover the truth about Brian's death, she wrestles with her own inner turmoil and pent up rage and fear. Her world soon grows claustrophobic as past and present collide. It's a carefully plotted tale, and I didn't predict the twists towards the end.

Intense, emotionally charged and gripping, The Lakewood Legacy: Encrypted Secrets is a thriller that is at once a meditation on the intergenerational nature of rage, violence and malevolence, and the psychological and physical damage they cause.

Evocative, clever and never misses a beat, I found this novel hard to put down.
]]> <![CDATA[High Risk: Escaping Maximum Security In Mississippi]]> 219548986
When the oppressive heat and relentless mosquitoes of Parchman's Unit 32 became a distant memory, East Mississippi Correctional Facility seemed like an unlikely place for an audacious escape. Within its walls, breaking out wasn't something that could be done in a day. There was a process to get there. And there was survival—facing new dangers and forming alliances with fellow inmates—a long and often deadly road that had to be traveled.

In July 2003, Chris Roy found himself amidst the rough zones of EMCF, where gang leaders ruled, and every inmate carried a shank for protection. As he navigated the treacherous environment, a plan began to form. With the help of his friends Hippy, Ant, Smokey, and Phoenix, they plotted an escape that would defy the upgraded security measures.

Hippy's insider access to security systems became their ticket to freedom, leading to a meticulously planned breakout. From disabling electromagnetic locks to outsmarting guards, their escape was a thrilling game of cat and mouse. But freedom came at a high price.]]> 22 Chris Roy Isobel 5
Only 22 pages long but there's enough here in High Risk to base a movie on. The resourcefulness, the tenacity, the sheer courage and determination of the escapee, and then the defeat and the unspoken realisation that he won't be doing that again, ever.

What would have become of Roy, had he got away?]]> 4.40 High Risk: Escaping Maximum Security In Mississippi
author: Chris Roy
name: Isobel
average rating: 4.40
book published:
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2024/10/13
shelves:
review:
High Risk tells the true story of two back to back escape attempts from a notorious prison in Mississippi. Two brilliant plans that very quickly go wrong through no fault of his own. You can't help but feel sorry for the guy.

Only 22 pages long but there's enough here in High Risk to base a movie on. The resourcefulness, the tenacity, the sheer courage and determination of the escapee, and then the defeat and the unspoken realisation that he won't be doing that again, ever.

What would have become of Roy, had he got away?
]]> <![CDATA[Scars of the Heart: Short Stories]]> 213974091
Through ten stories set in different countries and eras, Van Laerhoven takes us through the destructive consequences of our passions as a common thread, from contemporary Syria to Algeria in the 1950s, and the civil war in Liberia to the uprising in Belgian Congo in the 1960s.

The ten stories in SCARS OF THE HEART highlight the dark side of love, which fuels our violence, inner loneliness, and greedy egos.]]> 245 Bob Van Laerhoven Isobel 5 4.70 Scars of the Heart: Short Stories
author: Bob Van Laerhoven
name: Isobel
average rating: 4.70
book published:
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2024/10/03
shelves:
review:
This memorable collection of short stories is exceptionally dark, with a wide range of themes, but pain, grief, betrayal, loneliness are always there. It is set in various locations around the modern world. The stories primarily focus on war and betrayal, highlighting the harsh realities of these experiences and the bleak psychological damage that they do. One standout story revolves around a gypsy woman in a German WW2 prison camp and her encounters with a needy and unattractive little German girl; another explores the relationship between a man and his adopted brother, uncovering a dark history of racism cruelty colonialism and bitter family secrets. Additionally, there is a poignant tale featuring a damaged young girl who has been a child soldier. These stories challenge the notion of innocence. The writing of all the stories, even though sometimes complicated by some unfelicitous translation, is truly remarkable in its narrative force and its depiction of the dark underbelly of human psychology.
]]> A Cat's Cradle 215724196
Perhaps, in the darkness, Ralph thinks of the other child, the child whom he killed all those years ago. But he will not say he has served his time. After all, he was little more than a child himself when he went to prison for it. He is older now and the world has moved on.

Only his ailing mother � who wishes he had been hanged � knows that he is out. She will not speak of him. Nobody wants him.

Nobody except Mary, a little girl from outside the village, who meets him one afternoon after chasing his mother's cat. Perhaps he thinks of the other child then, but there is really no connection. The other child had been beautiful, which Mary wasn't. The other child wanted everything, but Mary wants nothing except his friendship.

Everyone needs a friend. What could be the harm in that?]]> 263 Carly Rheilan Isobel 5
Seven-year-old Mary follows a wounded cat to an old house outside her village and encounters Ralph, a strange young man who is visiting his ageing and ill mother. They form and unlikely friendship, both of them loners seeking some form of happiness.

With every chapter that passes, Mary is led or lured ever more into the web woven from her by ex-con and child abuser and murderer Ralph, a man who appears not to know any other way of being, The up-close domestic feel that pervades the narrative contributes to the foreboding atmosphere as what may be passed over or hurried thorough in other novels is put under the microscope for detailed examination.

Ralph slowly erodes Mary’s boundaries by creating a fantasy world for them both to inhabit. It is their secret. He does wrestle with his conscience, he is in a perpetual state of crisis, and yet he is driven by compulsions he seems unable to understand, let alone transcend. And so it must be Mary’s fault, mustn’t it.
Meanwhile, everyone has a part to play in the village community of Heckleford. A harried and thoroughly disempowered mother abandoned by her husband and left poor and desperate, too proud and filled with shame and humiliation to seek help. Mary’s two older brothers who really can’t be bothered keeping an eye on their little sister. The harsh and judgmental grandmother. Mary’s ex-friend, Rita. What unfolds is a conspiracy of circumstances with an unexpected and dramatic ending. I commend the author for taking on such a difficult subject and doing so with such aplomb that the unfolding story holds the attention regardless.


]]> 4.62 A Cat's Cradle
author: Carly Rheilan
name: Isobel
average rating: 4.62
book published:
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2024/09/23
shelves:
review:
A superbly narrated psychological thriller set in 1962, A Cat’s Cradle will chill readers to the bone with its artfully deceptive narration. If you were to skip the first two pages, the novel reads as innocent as an Enid Blyton tale. A Cat’s Cradle is anything but. The depths of insight into childhood naivety, and the motivations, prejudices and self-justifications of adults is profound.

Seven-year-old Mary follows a wounded cat to an old house outside her village and encounters Ralph, a strange young man who is visiting his ageing and ill mother. They form and unlikely friendship, both of them loners seeking some form of happiness.

With every chapter that passes, Mary is led or lured ever more into the web woven from her by ex-con and child abuser and murderer Ralph, a man who appears not to know any other way of being, The up-close domestic feel that pervades the narrative contributes to the foreboding atmosphere as what may be passed over or hurried thorough in other novels is put under the microscope for detailed examination.

Ralph slowly erodes Mary’s boundaries by creating a fantasy world for them both to inhabit. It is their secret. He does wrestle with his conscience, he is in a perpetual state of crisis, and yet he is driven by compulsions he seems unable to understand, let alone transcend. And so it must be Mary’s fault, mustn’t it.
Meanwhile, everyone has a part to play in the village community of Heckleford. A harried and thoroughly disempowered mother abandoned by her husband and left poor and desperate, too proud and filled with shame and humiliation to seek help. Mary’s two older brothers who really can’t be bothered keeping an eye on their little sister. The harsh and judgmental grandmother. Mary’s ex-friend, Rita. What unfolds is a conspiracy of circumstances with an unexpected and dramatic ending. I commend the author for taking on such a difficult subject and doing so with such aplomb that the unfolding story holds the attention regardless.



]]> <![CDATA[Murder in Myrtle Bay (Ruth Finlay Mysteries, #1)]]> 62210711
After Ruth's old tennis coach is found dead, they discover that there's no lack of people who harbor a grudge against the victim, and a tangled web of family ties and lies begins to unravel. But can Ruth and Doris find the killer in time to avert a second murder?

A quirky feel-good mystery laced with intrigue, Murder in Myrtle Bay is the first book in Isobel Blackthorn's 'Ruth Finlay Mysteries' series. Set in small town Australia, it is a sure pick for any fan of classic whodunits and cozy mysteries!]]> 286 Isobel Blackthorn Isobel 0 currently-reading 3.76 Murder in Myrtle Bay (Ruth Finlay Mysteries, #1)
author: Isobel Blackthorn
name: Isobel
average rating: 3.76
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/08/19
shelves: currently-reading
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Fishnets and Fleeting Contracts: (A True Story)]]> 215151469
The girls change with each contract, and different dodgy agents hover in the background. The only constant is Michele, the author, who, tongue in cheek, tells her unbelievable stories with candour and humour.

Her first contract is to dance in the former Yugoslavia. The five-girl group stays in a five-star luxury hotel, which isn’t all that it seems. During the day, they take in the sights, and at night, they dance in the hotel’s club, but when one girl is forced to leave, things take an unexpected turn for the worst. Abandoned by their agent, they must resort to desperate measures to get home.

Later, on a contract in Greece, the dubious agent appears more interested in his gymnasium clients than in finding the dancing trio decent work.

Locked in an attic and sent to work in a seedy strip club, they plot their escape. Only luck and tenacity will determine if they succeed.

“Sometimes shocking but always entertaining, Michele’s humour always shines through.� Amazon Reviewer.]]> 208 Michele E. Northwood Isobel 5
What unfolds alongside the ensuing antics and escapades, and a mad scramble to exit Yugoslavia, is a brief but fascinating window on the history and beauty of Croatia, followed by more adventures in neighbouring Greece as this group of tenacious young women deal with a seemingly never-ending cast of sleazy no-good men.

A lighthearted and fun read. ]]> 5.00 Fishnets and Fleeting Contracts: (A True Story)
author: Michele E. Northwood
name: Isobel
average rating: 5.00
book published:
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2024/08/15
shelves:
review:
I've read and enjoyed all three in this entertaining memoir series that gives valuable insights into the behind the scenes lives of a dance troupe in the 1980s. This time we're transported to former Yugoslavia, where the dancers are installed in a hotel in Zagreb. The hotel is luxurious but the dancers aren't allowed any of that luxury. The food they get to eat is vile. Boredom reigns, and the dancers figure out ways to cope with their offstage life, including sneaking an illicit swim in the hotel pool. Michele is determined to discover Zagreb and seeks out sightseeing opportunities. Disaster strikes when one of the troupe leaves and the troupe's agent then ends their contract.

What unfolds alongside the ensuing antics and escapades, and a mad scramble to exit Yugoslavia, is a brief but fascinating window on the history and beauty of Croatia, followed by more adventures in neighbouring Greece as this group of tenacious young women deal with a seemingly never-ending cast of sleazy no-good men.

A lighthearted and fun read.
]]> Mansfield Park 45032 488 Jane Austen Isobel 5 3.86 1814 Mansfield Park
author: Jane Austen
name: Isobel
average rating: 3.86
book published: 1814
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2024/08/07
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Heidi - A Puppy's Progress (Family Of Rescue Dogs Book 11)]]> 214020901
She had been the runt of a litter and barely survived her first day of life. Only the love and devotion of the lady who bred her managed to literally breathe life into her lungs, and proceeded to hand-rear her for the first two crucial weeks of her life. Having recently lost their beloved Muttley, the Porters decided to give this beautiful puppy a home.

This book chronicles Heidi’s first year with the family and how she was accepted immediately by the rest of the dogs, despite some initial worries by Brian and Juliet. Anyone who’s ever raised a puppy will recognise many of the trials they went through in those early the laughs, the utter mayhem and the satisfaction that comes from seeing an undersized, weak and vulnerable puppy dog grow and learn to love life.]]> 385 Brian L. Porter Isobel 5
There have been quite a few losses in the family of dogs at the Porter residence as various members of the doted on canines have aged. Beloved Muttley’s passing has hit Porter especially hard. And so his wife Juliet gets him a puppy. Not just any puppy. A Dachsie. And so begins a healing journey for the author as Heidi settles into family life with all of her new canine companions. Friendships are forged, lessons are learned. And eventually Heidi turns one.

Porter has poured so much love and dedication into each of the books in this series and Heidi - A Puppy’s Progress is no exception. To me, the Porters represent the sorts of people who should own dogs. ]]> 4.80 Heidi - A Puppy's Progress (Family Of Rescue Dogs Book 11)
author: Brian L. Porter
name: Isobel
average rating: 4.80
book published:
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2024/06/07
shelves:
review:
What’s not to love about a Dachshund! I have to admit that I’m a softie when it comes to the breed which is why I enjoyed reading this book.

There have been quite a few losses in the family of dogs at the Porter residence as various members of the doted on canines have aged. Beloved Muttley’s passing has hit Porter especially hard. And so his wife Juliet gets him a puppy. Not just any puppy. A Dachsie. And so begins a healing journey for the author as Heidi settles into family life with all of her new canine companions. Friendships are forged, lessons are learned. And eventually Heidi turns one.

Porter has poured so much love and dedication into each of the books in this series and Heidi - A Puppy’s Progress is no exception. To me, the Porters represent the sorts of people who should own dogs.
]]> <![CDATA[Summer Season at Sandy Coves: Book 2 Murder at the Manor]]> 210587710
Apart from the extra employees in the restaurant, there are builders in the Manor House. The twins, Ana and Amy, have a new boss, Mr Chuckles, who dresses as a clown 24/7. A handsome comedian and a teenager girl, there for work experience also join the entertainments team.

The overburdened coven members want to leave the detective work to the police, especially Julia whose love life is suffering because of Heaven’s late-night meetings and quirky plans.

The outcome of this cosy mystery sees the Sandy Coves staff racing to London to catch a killer and save a member of their team. Can Heaven’s spooky Ouija board sessions, seances and dodgy potions stop the murderer? Only Heaven’s spirit guide can answer that... and you, the reader of course!

]]> 302 Michele E. Northwood Isobel 5
Readers can’t help but be swept along for the ride, entertained by a cast of whacky and comical characters. Brimming with romance and mystery, Murder at the Manor is an entertaining page-turner.]]> 5.00 Summer Season at Sandy Coves: Book 2 Murder at the Manor
author: Michele E. Northwood
name: Isobel
average rating: 5.00
book published:
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2024/05/22
shelves:
review:
Murder at the Manor is a delightful murder mystery set at Sandy Coves resort. This time, protagonist waitress Julia finds herself having to solve two murders and suspects are many. And she’s not so pleased with the antics of her roommate and sidekick Heaven. The resort itself is almost another character in the story, brought to life in the restaurant, in the kitchen, and, above all, on the stage.

Readers can’t help but be swept along for the ride, entertained by a cast of whacky and comical characters. Brimming with romance and mystery, Murder at the Manor is an entertaining page-turner.
]]> <![CDATA[What the River Knows (Secrets of the Nile, #1)]]> 65213381
When she receives word of their tragic deaths, Inez inherits their massive fortune and a mysterious guardian, an archeologist in partnership with his Egyptian brother-in-law. Yearning for answers, Inez sails to Cairo, bringing her sketch pads and an ancient golden ring her father sent to her for safekeeping before he died. But upon her arrival, the old world magic tethered to the ring pulls her down a path where she soon discovers there’s more to her parent’s disappearance than what her guardian led her to believe.

With her guardian’s infuriatingly handsome assistant thwarting her at every turn, Inez must rely on ancient magic to uncover the truth about her parent’s disappearance—or risk becoming a pawn in a larger game that will kill her.

The Mummy meets Death on the Nile in this lush, immersive historical fantasy set in Egypt filled with adventure, a rivals-to-lovers romance, and a dangerous race.]]> 416 Isabel Ibañez 1250803373 Isobel 4
What begins as a search for answers soon turns into a fantasy quest due to a magic ring. Thanks to the ring, much of the book involves Inez exploring the mysteries of ancient Egypt, and for some, the factual history side of this novel might be a little too much. I think the author has taken a lot of trouble to balance all the historical content with action, and besides, there are plenty of readers enchanted by the very idea of ancient Egypt. Crafting the story around a strong female lead will also attract many contemporary readers.

What the Rivers Knows is undoubtedly Young Adult. The plot is filled with a pleasing blend of intrigue and action, and has the usual twists and turns. The story is well-researched, too, and satisfyingly multilayered. However, the characterization isn’t the strongest and neither, at times, is the writing, at least for this reader. I did enjoy the use the author makes of the Spanish language. Overall, What the River Knows would appeal to mostly YA readers fascinated by both late-nineteenth colonial and ancient Egypt.
]]> 3.82 2023 What the River Knows (Secrets of the Nile, #1)
author: Isabel Ibañez
name: Isobel
average rating: 3.82
book published: 2023
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2024/05/13
shelves:
review:
The Prologue in What the River Knows could almost be the first chapter, setting the stage for what follows once young Inez discovers that her parents are missing and presumed dead. We meet Inez as she’s about to turn nineteen. She’s hiding out in a rickety old shed at the back of her aunt’s garden in Buenos Aires as she waits for a letter from her parents. She isn’t happy and she misses them terribly and resents being left behind every time they go off on their travels, something that occurs frequently. When she learns the tragic news of her parents, she decides to go to Egypt to try to discover what really happened to them. Money is no object thanks to a whopping inheritance, but all is far from plain sailing.

What begins as a search for answers soon turns into a fantasy quest due to a magic ring. Thanks to the ring, much of the book involves Inez exploring the mysteries of ancient Egypt, and for some, the factual history side of this novel might be a little too much. I think the author has taken a lot of trouble to balance all the historical content with action, and besides, there are plenty of readers enchanted by the very idea of ancient Egypt. Crafting the story around a strong female lead will also attract many contemporary readers.

What the Rivers Knows is undoubtedly Young Adult. The plot is filled with a pleasing blend of intrigue and action, and has the usual twists and turns. The story is well-researched, too, and satisfyingly multilayered. However, the characterization isn’t the strongest and neither, at times, is the writing, at least for this reader. I did enjoy the use the author makes of the Spanish language. Overall, What the River Knows would appeal to mostly YA readers fascinated by both late-nineteenth colonial and ancient Egypt.

]]> <![CDATA[Sophie and Candy - A Tale of Two Dachshunds (Family Of Rescue Dogs Book 10)]]> 201646164
This is their story. SOPHIE AND CANDY - A TALE OF TWO DACHSHUNDS tells how their lives had such an impact on the author that he discovered how the love of dogs can teach us, as human beings, to love and be loved, unconditionally.

There’s laughter and tears, love and loss in this story. Taking the reader back in time almost thirty years to a previous period in Brian’s life, it’s a fascinating and beautifully illustrated insight into the beginning of a life devoted to the love of dogs. Sophie and Candy were two very special dachshunds who left Brian with a lasting legacy of love.]]> 181 Brian L. Porter Isobel 5 4.87 Sophie and Candy - A Tale of Two Dachshunds (Family Of Rescue Dogs Book 10)
author: Brian L. Porter
name: Isobel
average rating: 4.87
book published:
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2024/05/12
shelves:
review:
Sophie and Candy is the tenth book in the Family of Rescue Dogs series, and I have to admit it is one of my favourites. I have a soft spot for Dachshunds. And I also know what it's like to have a family breakdown. Porter describes the ins and outs of his own family life, how he came into possession of a pair of Daschies, and the place they hold in his heart. There's love and cuddles, and accidents and health issues along the way. And, a great sadness. This is a beautiful and moving memoir. Photos are peppered throughout.Written with Porter's usual honesty, flare, and attention to detail, this story will charm your socks off.
]]> <![CDATA[Summer Season at Sandy Coves: Book 1: Kitchen Thefts & the Vengeance Club]]> 209289650 283 Michele E. Northwood Isobel 5 5.00 Summer Season at Sandy Coves: Book 1: Kitchen Thefts & the Vengeance Club
author: Michele E. Northwood
name: Isobel
average rating: 5.00
book published:
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2024/03/16
shelves:
review:
The crime in Kitchen Thefts and the Vengeance Club is a theft. The amateur sleuth Julia is a waitress with an aching heart. This lighthearted cosy mystery is brimming with quirky and flakey characters, all vividly portrayed. One of the book's strengths is an almost delicious, behind-the-scenes window on tourism, focussing on the kitchen and waitstaff, and on the entertainment. Engaging prose, a plot riddled with twists and turns, and a dollop of fortune telling will keep cosy mystery lovers turning the pages.
]]> <![CDATA[Shed Girl (A Juliet French Mystery)]]> 200215811 258 Milana Marsenich 168513355X Isobel 4 The heroine, Juliet, who has grown up as a runaway, feels authentic and is gloriously hard-wired for likeability. She’s kind, practical, intuitive, brave and feisty � with a depth and history swirling below the surface. One can’t help engaging with her and wanting to know more - so readers will be happy that this is the first of a series and they can meet her again. The hint of magic is supplied by her command of the Tarot pack. These are central to her identity, her history, the working of the plot, but the magic is cleverly ambiguous: perhaps it is no more than a learnt ability to listen, to pick up clues in silence, to dredge to consciousness the present things that the conscious mind has not captured.
The writing is beautiful � rich, atmospheric, and quietly brimming with sensory references � the smell of expensive furniture, the bright shimmering of light on a metallic building, the haunting sounds of an old ship. From an adult perspective, the plot sometimes lacks plausibility but this wouldn’t trouble an adolescent, and even from an adult perspective the writing is so intense and immersive that one is happy to be lulled into credulity.
All in all an enjoyable read.]]> 4.36 Shed Girl (A Juliet French Mystery)
author: Milana Marsenich
name: Isobel
average rating: 4.36
book published:
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2024/03/16
shelves:
review:
A young heroine bereft of family; children ill used by adults; an adult world that looks away, youngsters left to band together to address the evil, a hint of magic, a breath of innocent romance, a series of narrow escapes. These are all familiar fare of young adult fiction but Milana Marsenich makes something new and fresh of them.
The heroine, Juliet, who has grown up as a runaway, feels authentic and is gloriously hard-wired for likeability. She’s kind, practical, intuitive, brave and feisty � with a depth and history swirling below the surface. One can’t help engaging with her and wanting to know more - so readers will be happy that this is the first of a series and they can meet her again. The hint of magic is supplied by her command of the Tarot pack. These are central to her identity, her history, the working of the plot, but the magic is cleverly ambiguous: perhaps it is no more than a learnt ability to listen, to pick up clues in silence, to dredge to consciousness the present things that the conscious mind has not captured.
The writing is beautiful � rich, atmospheric, and quietly brimming with sensory references � the smell of expensive furniture, the bright shimmering of light on a metallic building, the haunting sounds of an old ship. From an adult perspective, the plot sometimes lacks plausibility but this wouldn’t trouble an adolescent, and even from an adult perspective the writing is so intense and immersive that one is happy to be lulled into credulity.
All in all an enjoyable read.
]]> The Colour Line 197755024 Weaving together these two vibrant voices, Igiaba Scego has written a powerful exploration of what it means to be "other", to be a woman, and particularly a Black woman, in a foreign country, yesterday and today]]> 400 Igiaba Scego 1913109291 Isobel 5
Lafanu goes back to her childhood in a Native American settlement, how she was born to a Chippewa mother and a Haitian father, and then adopted by the do-gooding Bathsheba McKensie and taken to Salenius, Massachusetts. The struggles Lafanu faces, the horrors that confront her at an exclusive private school, the prejudices and racism � both overt and casual � and the kindnesses that see her eventual relocation to Rome to pursue her art are all depicted in fine, evocative detail. Many luscious paragraphs of Italy and Rome pepper this narrative along with the unfolding historical backdrop of the times.

Lafanu’s story is interspersed with a present-day narrative of an Italian art curator of Somali origin seeking to hold an exhibition of Lafanu Brown’s work. This narrative serves as a valuable juxtaposition while adding details to Lafanu’s story that would otherwise have been absent. The harrowing story of Leila’s cousin Binti who attempts to escape Somalia via the modern-day smuggler migration routes is an important reminder that humanity might have progressed along some lines but it has regressed along others.

I hesitate to describe The Colour Line as historical fiction when it is really a literary tour de force. The motif of slavery is explored throughout like a stone turned over and over in the author’s palm. Situating the United States� story in the fictitious town of Salenius is a hat tip to scholar Sirpa Salenius and her research on American women artists who moved to Rome to find freedom and expression. Scego shifts the focus to black women and their unique struggle against both racism and sexism in a period of immense upheaval and change. Written with tremendous poise, The Colour Line is both a gripping and ultimately uplifting read, and a valuable contribution to the discourse of injustice, championing those who fight against it. (Reviewed for Trip Fiction)]]> 3.86 2020 The Colour Line
author: Igiaba Scego
name: Isobel
average rating: 3.86
book published: 2020
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2024/03/05
shelves:
review:
The Colour Line is an imaginative depiction of the real history of black women artists in mid to late nineteenth century America. The year is 1887 and Lafanu Brown is living in Rome when a kind stranger saves her from death by those protesting the massacre of Italian soldiers by their Ethiopian counterparts. Being part African, at that protest she was instantly viewed as the enemy. Lafanu and the stranger fall in love. When he proposes marriage, she decides first to give him a detailed account of her life.

Lafanu goes back to her childhood in a Native American settlement, how she was born to a Chippewa mother and a Haitian father, and then adopted by the do-gooding Bathsheba McKensie and taken to Salenius, Massachusetts. The struggles Lafanu faces, the horrors that confront her at an exclusive private school, the prejudices and racism � both overt and casual � and the kindnesses that see her eventual relocation to Rome to pursue her art are all depicted in fine, evocative detail. Many luscious paragraphs of Italy and Rome pepper this narrative along with the unfolding historical backdrop of the times.

Lafanu’s story is interspersed with a present-day narrative of an Italian art curator of Somali origin seeking to hold an exhibition of Lafanu Brown’s work. This narrative serves as a valuable juxtaposition while adding details to Lafanu’s story that would otherwise have been absent. The harrowing story of Leila’s cousin Binti who attempts to escape Somalia via the modern-day smuggler migration routes is an important reminder that humanity might have progressed along some lines but it has regressed along others.

I hesitate to describe The Colour Line as historical fiction when it is really a literary tour de force. The motif of slavery is explored throughout like a stone turned over and over in the author’s palm. Situating the United States� story in the fictitious town of Salenius is a hat tip to scholar Sirpa Salenius and her research on American women artists who moved to Rome to find freedom and expression. Scego shifts the focus to black women and their unique struggle against both racism and sexism in a period of immense upheaval and change. Written with tremendous poise, The Colour Line is both a gripping and ultimately uplifting read, and a valuable contribution to the discourse of injustice, championing those who fight against it. (Reviewed for Trip Fiction)
]]> Try the Leopard's Mouth 193277925 "Moberly has made Tom’s narrative flow so smoothly that it feels as though the reader is listening to an interview of a lifetime. On the edge of their seat, crying with him, laughing at times, but angry at others with a raised fist and a sense of disapproval. Only a well practiced writer could elicit such a response, and Moberly has shown his hand with this novel."

"It creates an air of mystery that’s enjoyable and leaves the reader holding their breath while they wait for the big reveals. And of those there are many."

Highly Recommended, Historical Fiction Company. Reader Award, Chill with a Book


AFRICA 1970
Briony and Tom, both in their twenties, are very different characters. But opposites attract. In business, as in love, they complement each other.
They buy a farm and discover a rare drug. Tom grows it and Briony markets it. At first, they are oblivious of their responsibilities to the land and its people. But gradually they realise that they have been supporting a racist and colonialist regime.
The onset of the Rhodesian � Zimbabwean War of Independence tears at the couple’s relationship. Misunderstandings arise from their conflicting personalities and from external pressures. Events pull them apart, but also bind them together.
Try the Leopard’s Mouth is a romantic thriller set in Africa. It is also a historical novel, grounded in real events in the period 1970-80.]]> 436 Charles Moberly 1739880056 Isobel 5 4.75 Try the Leopard's Mouth
author: Charles Moberly
name: Isobel
average rating: 4.75
book published:
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2024/03/02
shelves:
review:
This is a stunning novel that weaves together components of political thriller, love story, and historical commentary. Set in Rhodesia before it became Zimbabwe it charts the experience of a white expatriate farmer, and his complex love for a country that can never be his own, for a restless woman he can never fully understand, and for friends, both black and white, whom he cannot protect. Meticulously researched and beautifully written, it is uncompromising in its depiction of the conflicts of its time, but also a memorable study of human loyalty, betrayal and frailty. A really worthwhile and rewarding read.
]]> What Happened at the Abbey 199234701
Who haunts Strathbairn? Why are the adult McCleod children at each other’s throats? And why does the youngest sneak off at night? As Ingrid searches for answers, she grows ever more fearful that her husband will track her down.

Set in late 19th century Scottish Highlands, WHAT HAPPENED AT THE ABBEY is a gothic mystery brimming with intrigue, ghostly drama, and family secrets.]]> 326 Isobel Blackthorn Isobel 0 currently-reading 4.17 What Happened at the Abbey
author: Isobel Blackthorn
name: Isobel
average rating: 4.17
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/02/05
shelves: currently-reading
review:

]]> Third Wheel 197166593
Brady Wilks thought he would find a new home in Las Vegas, but struggles with his identity and finding a place where he belongs, even at home. Eventually, he forges a brotherly bond with an older teenage neighbor, Mick. But when Mick invites a low-level drug dealer into their pack, Brady soon discovers that choices have consequences and threaten the lives of those he cares about.

Desolate and gritty, Third Wheel is a triumphant debut novel by Richard R. Becker, and Brady Wilks is a remarkable protagonist. The novel follows his transformation from a naive newcomer into a root-worthy underdog in a story that explores the complexities of belonging, betrayal, and self-discovery.

Third Wheel has received six literary awards as both a thriller and a coming-of-age novel, including second place in The BookFest Awards, 2023. This is the author's first novel and third book.]]> 325 Richard R. Becker Isobel 5 There are moments of lightness � a first love, some boyish escapades, a few fist fights won � but behind it all the reader can see dangers that Brady does not see, and a slow build up of small betrayals that gather like clouds on a far horizon. The reader knows that the storm is coming but cannot predict how it will strike. It is a gripping book, and its denouement is powerful.

Becker writes compellingly. He captures the detail of the place and the time with quiet confidence � a suburb of Las Vegas in the 1980s, before its commercialisation � and the deftness of the writing makes everything sharp, clear, defined in a moment of history. But the story he tells is a universal one. An impressive, uncomfortable book.]]> 4.53 2023 Third Wheel
author: Richard R. Becker
name: Isobel
average rating: 4.53
book published: 2023
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2023/11/19
shelves:
review:
This gritty coming-of-age story is set in that no-man’s-land between childhood and adulthood, when the adult world and its possibilities are opening up, and the child stands at the cusp, with a foot in each world. Brady is a newcomer to Nevada and newly transplanted back into an unhappy family that has previously rejected him. It is a family world without comfort or protection and he has every motivation to move on. He is ill prepared for adulthood, has no real anchor for his identity, but he is desperate to belong somewhere, anywhere, whatever it costs� Friendship with an older boy, Mickey, gives him an entry into some version of belonging, a group of almost equally rudderless teenagers slightly older than himself. and he finds himself drawn into their world of drug dealing, and shady contacts with the local mob. At first it is like a game � a thrilling extension of Brady’s fantasy world of computer games, where nobody really dies and one can always start again. But the real world that opens up before him is a terrifying one where a bad decision may have fatal consequences - and there are plenty of bad decisions in this book.
There are moments of lightness � a first love, some boyish escapades, a few fist fights won � but behind it all the reader can see dangers that Brady does not see, and a slow build up of small betrayals that gather like clouds on a far horizon. The reader knows that the storm is coming but cannot predict how it will strike. It is a gripping book, and its denouement is powerful.

Becker writes compellingly. He captures the detail of the place and the time with quiet confidence � a suburb of Las Vegas in the 1980s, before its commercialisation � and the deftness of the writing makes everything sharp, clear, defined in a moment of history. But the story he tells is a universal one. An impressive, uncomfortable book.
]]> <![CDATA[Ravens' Retreat: A paranormal horror story]]> 198834819
Adam and Becky Hargreaves stumble upon a foreboding gothic-style property in the secluded Spanish countryside, and believe they’ve found the ideal business opportunity. But shortly after moving in with Nerea, their truculent teenager, Melissa, their baby daughter, and Rose, Becky’s infirm mother, a series
of disturbing events shatter their dreams of success.

When ghostly orbs and manifestations of the dead roam the corridors threatening their business and their lives, steadfast Adam refuses to believe their home is possessed. As he withdraws from his family, Becky and her sparring stepdaughter Nerea must learn to work together to solve the ulcerating secret
lying in the dark heart of the house before history repeats itself.

What happened all those years ago during Franco’s regime? Why are so many spirits of young children still wandering the halls of the retreat? And who or what evil being is keeping them there?

As rivers of blood run deep within the bowels of the property, the family finds themselves entangled in an age-old promise with the devil. Who can they trust? How can they discover what happened in the blood-chilling past before time runs out?

Only one family member will make it out alive. Who can outwit the black soul and his disciples lying in wait inside the walls of Raven’s Retreat?

Dare you venture inside?
Trigger Warnings: death, child sacrifice, rape, abduction, torture blood, sex.]]> 322 Michele E. Northwood Isobel 5
In a short prologue, Becky Hargreaves find herself trying to convince Police Sergeant Miguel Perez of a series of bizarre events that began with the disappearance of her mother Rose, a seventy-year-old woman with Alzheimer’s who wandered off during a failed house-hunting expedition.

Becky and her husband Adam mount a search, Adam carrying their daughter baby Melissa, with belligerent teenager Nerea, Adam’s daughter by another marriage, dragging her heels behind them. They believe all is going to end well after they knock on the door of a Dutch couple nearby and discover Rose sitting in the kitchen and the house itself for sale. They buy the house hoping to run a bed and breakfast for artists.

It is Nerea who first senses that something isn’t right with that large and peculiar house. It isn’t long before she realises the house is haunted. Not only haunted by downright dangerous. Much to Nerea’s frustration, it’s something Becky and Adam do not want to face. Tensions within the family abound, and I was very quickly left feeling that Nerea was the only intelligent person in the room.

Slowly and steadily the sinister mystery of the house is revealed, twist after twist keeping the reader on their toes as the plot darkens, the story of the house descending into madness and the evil. Who is nurse Roberta who turns up to care for Rose? What of Alfonso the gardener? Can any of those who cross the threshold of Raven’s Retreat be trusted. Add a gaggle of inquisitive teenagers from Nerea’s school into the mix and tensions are bound to run high.

One of the novel’s strengths is the portrayal of the slow deterioration of Rose as bit-by-bit dementia robs her of her faculties. I also liked the way Northwood introduces some of the history of the Franco era in Nerea’s class at school. These touches add originality and flavour, and it is very clear that the author knows her setting.

In all, a complex and tightly woven ghost story that is very hard to put down.
]]> 4.79 Ravens' Retreat: A paranormal horror story
author: Michele E. Northwood
name: Isobel
average rating: 4.79
book published:
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2023/10/27
shelves:
review:
Raven’s Retreat is a fast-paced and setting rich tale set in southern Spain.

In a short prologue, Becky Hargreaves find herself trying to convince Police Sergeant Miguel Perez of a series of bizarre events that began with the disappearance of her mother Rose, a seventy-year-old woman with Alzheimer’s who wandered off during a failed house-hunting expedition.

Becky and her husband Adam mount a search, Adam carrying their daughter baby Melissa, with belligerent teenager Nerea, Adam’s daughter by another marriage, dragging her heels behind them. They believe all is going to end well after they knock on the door of a Dutch couple nearby and discover Rose sitting in the kitchen and the house itself for sale. They buy the house hoping to run a bed and breakfast for artists.

It is Nerea who first senses that something isn’t right with that large and peculiar house. It isn’t long before she realises the house is haunted. Not only haunted by downright dangerous. Much to Nerea’s frustration, it’s something Becky and Adam do not want to face. Tensions within the family abound, and I was very quickly left feeling that Nerea was the only intelligent person in the room.

Slowly and steadily the sinister mystery of the house is revealed, twist after twist keeping the reader on their toes as the plot darkens, the story of the house descending into madness and the evil. Who is nurse Roberta who turns up to care for Rose? What of Alfonso the gardener? Can any of those who cross the threshold of Raven’s Retreat be trusted. Add a gaggle of inquisitive teenagers from Nerea’s school into the mix and tensions are bound to run high.

One of the novel’s strengths is the portrayal of the slow deterioration of Rose as bit-by-bit dementia robs her of her faculties. I also liked the way Northwood introduces some of the history of the Franco era in Nerea’s class at school. These touches add originality and flavour, and it is very clear that the author knows her setting.

In all, a complex and tightly woven ghost story that is very hard to put down.

]]> <![CDATA[Honey Unleashed (Family Of Rescue Dogs Book 9)]]> 198575930
In no time at all, this very special little dog becomes an integral part of the Porter’s Family of Rescue Dogs, rapidly becoming a best friend to all the family’s dogs. From chasing rabbits and squirrels through the woods, to enjoying cuddles on the sofa in the evenings, Honey’s constantly wagging tail is her gateway to love and enjoyment.

Full of life and vitality, a real doggy dynamo, Honey brings love, laughter, fun and smiles galore to everyone she meets. Her compelling story is the ninth book in Brian Porter’s Family Of Rescue Dogs series.]]> 189 Brian L. Porter Isobel 5
This is such a heartwarming tale. Porter has a very relaxed and genial way of storytelling that is perfect for doggie memoirs. He has a big heart and enormous compassion for animals which shine through every page. The memoir is also peppered with delightful photos.

There’s a lot of wisdom in Honey Unleashed, the story is packed with episodes that other pet owners could relate to and even learn from. Above all, what pours from these pages is love and the world could sure do with a lot more of it.]]> 4.58 Honey Unleashed (Family Of Rescue Dogs Book 9)
author: Brian L. Porter
name: Isobel
average rating: 4.58
book published:
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2023/10/11
shelves:
review:
Honey Unleashed tells the story of an amiable young Staffordshire bull terrier gifted to the author Brian and his wife Juliet for Christmas 2017. The couple face a challenge introducing Honey to their existing pets. Will they all get along? That turns out not to be the issue. Instead, this is a memoir about loss.

This is such a heartwarming tale. Porter has a very relaxed and genial way of storytelling that is perfect for doggie memoirs. He has a big heart and enormous compassion for animals which shine through every page. The memoir is also peppered with delightful photos.

There’s a lot of wisdom in Honey Unleashed, the story is packed with episodes that other pet owners could relate to and even learn from. Above all, what pours from these pages is love and the world could sure do with a lot more of it.
]]> Recycled Prisoners 34272779 24 Liz Meegan 0992486866 Isobel 5
I enjoyed this story very much. The writing style is relaxed and realistic; presented in the form of journal entries. In all, Liz Meegan has penned a provocative and unusual novelette tackling a controversial topic in a fresh and interesting way. I would like to see this developed into a novel-length work. ]]> 4.08 Recycled Prisoners
author: Liz Meegan
name: Isobel
average rating: 4.08
book published:
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2023/05/03
shelves:
review:
What happens when the vivid nightmares that dog your sleep turn out to be memories of a previous life? This is what Stacy and Robin confront after Free from the Wolf Moon housing co-op sees their past lives in a visionary way. There’s the initial disbelief, then the coming to terms and finally the dealing with these ‘nightmares� through a form of transpersonal therapy.

I enjoyed this story very much. The writing style is relaxed and realistic; presented in the form of journal entries. In all, Liz Meegan has penned a provocative and unusual novelette tackling a controversial topic in a fresh and interesting way. I would like to see this developed into a novel-length work.
]]> <![CDATA[Profits of Doom: How Vulture Capitalism is Swallowing the World]]> 18220491
Best-selling journalist Antony Loewenstein travels to Afghanistan, Pakistan, Haiti, Papua New Guinea and across Australia to witness the reality of this largely hidden world of privatised detention centres, outsourced aid, destructive resource wars and militarized private security. Who is involved and why? Can it be stopped? What are the alternatives in a globalised world? Profits of Doom challenges the fundamentals of our unsustainable way of life and the money-making imperatives driving it.]]> 261 Antony Loewenstein 0522858821 Isobel 5 current-affairs 3.71 Profits of Doom: How Vulture Capitalism is Swallowing the World
author: Antony Loewenstein
name: Isobel
average rating: 3.71
book published:
rating: 5
read at: 2013/09/30
date added: 2023/04/30
shelves: current-affairs
review:

]]> Resurrection 52727294
A new leader rises in a religious cult/ militia that have waged war against a foreign enemy. Is this the same man?]]> 400 Rob Lockett Isobel 5
Adam soon proves himself to be a conflicted and possibly obnoxious human being and he is spiralling downwards. After he brutally murders a dog and his owner lands him in hospital, it seems nothing will prevent Adam from taking a positive turn. Where there might have been hope of something good, some sort of resurrection, instead there is evil, in the form of Abraham, a demon who takes possession of Adam. From here, the demon takes Adam on a killing frenzy, first in the UK, and then in the US and the appearance of a new religious cult leader. Is there anything redeemable about Adam?

A well-crafted tale of good and evil that is imaginative, compelling and very, very dark.
]]> 4.29 Resurrection
author: Rob Lockett
name: Isobel
average rating: 4.29
book published:
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2023/04/11
shelves:
review:
Diving into the first paragraphs of Resurrection, I found I adored the twisted humour in the writing. The story opens with Aussie backpacker Adam, a disaffected and bored young man working in a bar in the south of England. He’s on a particularly tedious shift, fantasising over murdering his most annoying patrons. But these fantasies have a power of their own and before too many pages have gone by, Adam is putting his fantasies into practice. It’s easily any hospitality worker’s inner monologue.

Adam soon proves himself to be a conflicted and possibly obnoxious human being and he is spiralling downwards. After he brutally murders a dog and his owner lands him in hospital, it seems nothing will prevent Adam from taking a positive turn. Where there might have been hope of something good, some sort of resurrection, instead there is evil, in the form of Abraham, a demon who takes possession of Adam. From here, the demon takes Adam on a killing frenzy, first in the UK, and then in the US and the appearance of a new religious cult leader. Is there anything redeemable about Adam?

A well-crafted tale of good and evil that is imaginative, compelling and very, very dark.

]]> <![CDATA[Fractured Tears: A Struggle for Justice 2022 Expanded Version]]> 62996818
Read how Anna struggles to fight for justice, and deal with her personal issues from having been betrayed and abused by her husband of 13 years.

This is a fictionalized version of the real-life events of the Author.


Warning: This book contains scenes of domestic violence and may trigger PTSD or not be for some readers.

This is an expanded version and Fourth Edition. (The regular third edition is sold separately).

After releasing the Special Edition, I realized that the stories still need to be shared. So I’ve updated the Special Edition (which was available in November 2021 only) and only three print copies were made. I have added new information about my entire ordeal.

Names have been deleted or changed for privacy reasons.

This is both a fiction book based on real-life events and a nonfiction book that tells my story.]]> 183 Amy Shannon 1387576534 Isobel 4 4.50 Fractured Tears: A Struggle for Justice 2022 Expanded Version
author: Amy Shannon
name: Isobel
average rating: 4.50
book published:
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2023/02/04
shelves:
review:
Amy Shannon tells a compelling true story, primarily through a fictionalised account, but with a long post script that makes clear how closely the appalling fiction mirrors the even more appalling reality. Her character � or Amy herself - is victim of terrible domestic abuse, which continues over years with multiple injuries until a devastating attack in which she is only moments away from death. Mercifully, she escapes, and that final attack becomes the turning point on which her subsequent life pivots. First she needs safety � and the justice system does not do well at providing her with that. Then she seeks justice � and the system seems even less good at providing that. She is pushed from pillar to post, and those who run the justice system are as ready as much of society to place blame on the victim and minimise the culpability of the man who abuses a woman. At one chilling point � confirmed in the real version � prosecutors attempt to reclassify the crime as a “misdemeanor�. A misdemeanor? A sustained and deliberate attempted murder, which leaves a woman with multiple fractures, brain injury and permanent disability, is merely a� minor wrongdoing�? Amy fights the system and ultimately wins her case � her abuser is imprisoned and Amy goes on to rebuild her life, to help other survivors of abuse, and to build a successful literary life. But as the latter part of the book makes clear, no legal victory can bring back what she has lost. She must carry the burden of that attack for all the rest of her life. It is inspiring that this burden cannot break her spirit.
]]> Cloud Cover 56811092
"★★★★� Fascinating - an excellent read ... I definitely couldn't put it down ... the book delves so much into the human experience in one fiction novel, so much that I could not believe this was Sotto's first book." -Literary Titan

"An honest look at the struggles of mental health ...You'll be flying through this book and finishing it while feeling inspired to keep on trying." - The Independent Book Review

"Compelling, emotional and well worth the read." -Jeff and Will's Big Gay Fiction Podcast

~~~

“Memory is my enemy. It never fails me, although I often wish it did.� Working at a less-than-inspiring office job, Tony, a gay man struggling with grief and mental health issues centered around his body image, is about to turn 35. As this “cubicle daydreamer� takes steps to improve his situation, his life is turned upside down when he is drawn to a younger, flamboyant and free-spirited artist named Antonio.

Will Tony successfully make a meaningful connection with Antonio despite their many differences? And how long can he hide the secret devastating to himself and to their relationship?

Part romance, part drama, part comedy and a raw portrait of disorder, Cloud Cover captures the experience of love and loss—of others and of oneself—amidst past trauma, modern expectations and resulting inner turmoil.

If you enjoyed the romance of Call Me by Your Name, the honesty of Chelsea Handler’s Life will be the Death of Me and the campy humour of RuPaul’s Drag Race, then pick up Cloud Cover today!]]> Jeffrey Sotto 1999241819 Isobel 5
There’s no cheap and easy “feel good� in this novel but it remains a life affirming, love affirming read. It is thoroughly engrossing, enjoyable, and occasionally overwhelming book, and a worthy winner of its impressive prizes.]]> 4.45 2019 Cloud Cover
author: Jeffrey Sotto
name: Isobel
average rating: 4.45
book published: 2019
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2023/01/07
shelves:
review:
This is a clear-sighted and moving novel that throws the reader into the life of a young � but not so young - gay Filipino, in the Toronto gay scene. He is holding down two jobs, and after a painful rejection, and an even more painful bereavement, he’s looking for love. But between himself and finding love there is a desperate shameful secret � something that at best complicates his relationships and at worst sours them. He needs help. Fortunately, he’s brave enough to seek it, but life is never that easy� As we follow this journey, Sotto takes our hand through a huge range of emotions with both delicacy and intensity.

There’s no cheap and easy “feel good� in this novel but it remains a life affirming, love affirming read. It is thoroughly engrossing, enjoyable, and occasionally overwhelming book, and a worthy winner of its impressive prizes.
]]> <![CDATA[Muttley's Tale (Family Of Rescue Dogs Book 8)]]> 62569195
They named him Muttley and he was soon assimilated into their canine family. They were't aware at the time, but poor Muttley had not one, but two unusual psychological problems that would lead to this little boy needing special treatment for the rest of his life. Most importantly, they had to learn to cope with an agoraphobic dog. This beautiful dog was quite simply afraid of wide open spaces!

Can you imagine owning a dog that's afraid to go out for walks, or to enjoy running and playing with his packmates? How they learned to cope with Muttley's problem and his secondary issue of being afraid of other dogs is here in his story.

Muttley's Tale is a story of love, understanding and patience, as Brian and Juliet gradually learned ways to bring happiness into Muttley's life, at times seemingly against the odds. Muttley is a real character who, despite his problems, has brought fun and laughter to the family.]]> 185 Brian L. Porter Isobel 5 4.62 Muttley's Tale (Family Of Rescue Dogs Book 8)
author: Brian L. Porter
name: Isobel
average rating: 4.62
book published:
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2022/12/13
shelves:
review:
Brian Porter is a man with a big heart. His memoirs of his rescue dogs tug at the heart strings and Muttley's Tale is no exception. Muttley, like all of Porter's dogs, is a Staffordshire Bull Terrier, a much maligned breed, and the author and his wife do a service in showing how wonderful these dogs can be, while demonstrating their tireless love and devotion to care for the sick and injured and abandoned. Imagine a dog with agoraphobia! I found this memoir a pleasure to read and appreciated the inclusion of photographs at the end.
]]> <![CDATA[Ebony Makepeace is Dead (Brad Culley Mysteries #1)]]> 60771611
After an encounter with the Café Man, Ebony’s life as she knew it no longer exists. Everyone around her think she's dead. Moving Ebony into his house overlooking Port Phillip Bay, he introduces himself as Bradley, claiming to have saved her life.

Although Ebony feels like a prisoner, the man does not treat her as one, and the more time she spends in his house, the more comfortable she feels with him. Meanwhile, Brad’s best friend, police detective Ryan Sanderson helps facilitate Ebony’s "murder" and burial, and tries to keep his partner off Brad’s trail.

As the net around them tightens, Brad and Ebony work tirelessly to find out who wanted her dead. But can she cheat death a second time?]]> 166 Janeen Ann O'Connell Isobel 5 5.00 Ebony Makepeace is Dead (Brad Culley Mysteries #1)
author: Janeen Ann O'Connell
name: Isobel
average rating: 5.00
book published:
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2022/09/13
shelves:
review:
I found Ebony Makepeace is Dead a fast-paced and compelling read. I was hooked from the opening scene. A hired assassin faking the murder of his latest victim to save her life makes for an interesting plot, especially when said victim is a young female novelist with attitude. As the story unravels along tightly defined lines, there are plenty of surprising twists to hold the attention. A soft Australian voice adds much charm to the narrative. O’Connell has penned an unusual and intriguing crime novel with well-crafted characters. I’m keen to read the next in this series.
]]> <![CDATA[Fox: A Paranormal Thriller Set In The Vietnam War]]> 60211250
Located at the DMZ bordering North Vietnam, the camp is under constant attack by the Viet Cong, the North Vietnamese Army, assorted rebel groups and smuggling gangs. The culture clash with indigenous tribes amidst mountainous terrain cloaked by feral jungles creates a high-tension atmosphere, where only the strong survive.

Soon, the brutal military conflict mixes with drug-fueled episodes, supernatural events and powers beyond human comprehensions, as the tale of McCain and the Green Berets takes the reader on an unforgettable journey of epic proportions.]]> 125 John Reinhard Dizon Isobel 5 I enjoyed the larger than life characters, the jargon of the times, and the way the book held my attention throughout.

Fox can be read in one sitting, although there is food for thought here and moments to savour, not least the brutality and the background story of Vietnam itself during those times. Definitely a must read for all thriller fans after substance as well as gripping action. ]]> 4.80 Fox: A Paranormal Thriller Set In The Vietnam War
author: John Reinhard Dizon
name: Isobel
average rating: 4.80
book published:
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2022/08/07
shelves:
review:
Fox is a fast-paced high-octane thriller that surely ticks a lot of boxes, the Vietnam War setting, thriller plot and paranormal theme blending perfectly well. Dizon appears to be drawing on a wealth of knowledge and experience too. He brings the reader up close to the action. There’s a matter-of-factness to the writing style totally in keeping with the genre.
I enjoyed the larger than life characters, the jargon of the times, and the way the book held my attention throughout.

Fox can be read in one sitting, although there is food for thought here and moments to savour, not least the brutality and the background story of Vietnam itself during those times. Definitely a must read for all thriller fans after substance as well as gripping action.
]]> <![CDATA[Alice A. Bailey - Life and Legacy]]> 58794033 From tragic beginnings as an aristocratic orphan to becoming the mother of the New Age spiritual movement, Alice A. Bailey is one of the modern era's most misunderstood occult figures.
Bailey's journey is a story of faith, from orthodox Christian beginnings, through a protracted spiritual crisis, to a newfound belief in Theosophy. A mystic and a seeker, a founder of global spiritual organizations, and a surmounter of adversity, Bailey's past is rife with injustices, myths, and misconceptions - including that she was an anti-Semite and a racist with a dark agenda.
With scandals and controversies laid bare, Bailey's extraordinary life is revealed as a powerful, remarkable legacy.]]> 476 Isobel Blackthorn 4867453692 Isobel 0 currently-reading 3.50 2020 Alice A. Bailey - Life and Legacy
author: Isobel Blackthorn
name: Isobel
average rating: 3.50
book published: 2020
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2022/07/25
shelves: currently-reading
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Black Rose: A Midsummer Night's Chutzpah (Larkin's Barkin Book 1)]]> 56946152
A continually bullied runt of a youngster, Chas Larkin discovers his chutzpah and decides to take on the London gangs.

In the sleazy and violent East End of 1966 London, he is unwittingly assisted by Scotland Yard and MI5, who use the boy to delay an IRA campaign in the city. Together with the mysterious DCI Casey, an enigma amongst the bomb-damaged slums, they stir the pot of fermenting disquiet.

But can Chas achieve his midsummer night's dream of total revenge?

Black Rose is a story of matriarchal might, of superstition, of a lucky charm tainted with malevolent juju, and of a young man's smoldering anger and thirst for retribution.]]> 356 Pete Adams Isobel 5
I cannot help but be reminded of Peaky Blinders in the gangster grit of the tale and the theme of the IRA. Adams likes to get right inside a story, likes to position the reader up close and personal. You can’t help but feel sorry for poor Chas Larkin, bullied ruthlessly by the overbearing Mickey Junior. The story grows ever more intriguing and exciting once Chas seeks vengeance on his oppressors while the police, in the from of DI Casey, seeks to tackle the violent tactics of the IRA. A riveting read brimming with Adam’s unique combination of comedy and gravitas, political insight and a genuine affection for his characters. ]]> 4.28 Black Rose: A Midsummer Night's Chutzpah (Larkin's Barkin Book 1)
author: Pete Adams
name: Isobel
average rating: 4.28
book published:
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2022/07/21
shelves:
review:
Yet again Pete Adams delivers an entertaining yarn packed with action and thrills, along with larger than life characters and witty asides. It’s the summer of 1966 in London’s East End, and two rival gangs, the Larkins and the Saints, rule the docklands. Their watering holes, two pubs that sit side by side in Stepney, form the backbone of the gangs� escapades, not least due to a certain burnt crumpet.

I cannot help but be reminded of Peaky Blinders in the gangster grit of the tale and the theme of the IRA. Adams likes to get right inside a story, likes to position the reader up close and personal. You can’t help but feel sorry for poor Chas Larkin, bullied ruthlessly by the overbearing Mickey Junior. The story grows ever more intriguing and exciting once Chas seeks vengeance on his oppressors while the police, in the from of DI Casey, seeks to tackle the violent tactics of the IRA. A riveting read brimming with Adam’s unique combination of comedy and gravitas, political insight and a genuine affection for his characters.
]]> The Beached Ones 59576892
Daniel and his younger brother grew up in an abusive home. Daniel escaped. Now an established stunt rider, he intends to go back to rescue his brother. But then one jump goes horribly wrong . . .

He recovers to find himself in Iowa, unscathed, yet his life has drastically changed. His best friend won’t answer his calls. Even his girlfriend is hiding something. Increasingly terrified, he clings to the one thing he knows: He must pick up his brother in San Francisco. In five days.

From the isolating fields of Iowa to the crowded streets of San Francisco, Daniel must fight his way through a fog of disjointed memories and supernatural encounters to face the truth and pay a debt he didn’t know he owed.]]> 336 Colleen M. Story 0744305349 Isobel 5
Much of the book is a dreamlike journey towards that end, full of disconnected incident, obstacles, frustrations and yearning. Interspersed are flashbacks of memory, through which the terrible truth of Daniel’s story is not only revealed to the reader but confronted by Daniel himself. In counterpoint to this, there is deepening but troubled relationship with an ex-girlfriend, one of the few people who can see him in his ghostly state. Supernatural components are important but not overdone. There are themes of suicide and the book may be an unwise choice for vulnerable readers, but it is ultimately a brave, redemptive and life-affirming story, both haunting and memorable.]]> 4.17 2022 The Beached Ones
author: Colleen M. Story
name: Isobel
average rating: 4.17
book published: 2022
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2022/07/10
shelves:
review:
The Beached Ones is a remarkable and beautifully written exploration of love and loss, friendship, family, damnation, redemption. Daniel, who has died whilst taking part in a motorbike stunt show, wakes up in a world that is familiar and yet different. He does not know that he is dead, cannot understand why most people ignore him. He is driven by a burning imperative: in a couple of days time, he has to pick up his little brother from a summer camp in San Francisco.

Much of the book is a dreamlike journey towards that end, full of disconnected incident, obstacles, frustrations and yearning. Interspersed are flashbacks of memory, through which the terrible truth of Daniel’s story is not only revealed to the reader but confronted by Daniel himself. In counterpoint to this, there is deepening but troubled relationship with an ex-girlfriend, one of the few people who can see him in his ghostly state. Supernatural components are important but not overdone. There are themes of suicide and the book may be an unwise choice for vulnerable readers, but it is ultimately a brave, redemptive and life-affirming story, both haunting and memorable.
]]> The Portable Nine 56803894
Davenport. Abel Hazard. Miranda Gissing. Dr. Joseph Intaglio. Mr. Bonnet. Twitch Markham. The Butcher. Lovinia Dulcet. Robin Varnesse. These are the Portable Nine. They operate outside the law, but they are not without a code of ethics. Outcasts all, they are heroes to the underdog and enemies of the ruthless. Intelligent and fearless, they will stop at nothing to see that their brand of justice is meted out.]]> 260 Pete Mesling Isobel 5
I did not like any of the characters but I certainly remember them. Nothing that they did was particularly endearing � a certain amount of looking out for each other is the best that I saw � but in some curious way I did engage with their project and wanted them to succeed. The gripping writing carried me on, and afterwards I thought a lot about the characters. The book opens a series that could move off in various directions. I hope they go on asking interesting questions, as this book does.]]> 4.40 The Portable Nine
author: Pete Mesling
name: Isobel
average rating: 4.40
book published:
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2022/07/08
shelves:
review:
I’m glad I read the preface to this novel. One often doesn’t but this is a curious book and the narrative framing of the preface gives it a depth and a context that might otherwise have passed me by. It’s a book, as it seemed by the end, about loyalty and betrayal, and about what morality is. Take nine of the worst, most amoral characters you can imagine, who live by ruthlessly murdering others. Are they friends? Yes and no. Can such people have friends? Yes and no. Is there honour amongst them? Yes and no. Are they any better than the people they murder? Well� Yes and no. It’s a book, in short about ambiguity.

I did not like any of the characters but I certainly remember them. Nothing that they did was particularly endearing � a certain amount of looking out for each other is the best that I saw � but in some curious way I did engage with their project and wanted them to succeed. The gripping writing carried me on, and afterwards I thought a lot about the characters. The book opens a series that could move off in various directions. I hope they go on asking interesting questions, as this book does.
]]> <![CDATA[Hag of the Hills (The Bronze Sword Cycles, #1)]]> 60231302
Brennus is destined from birth to become a warrior, despite his farmer’s life. But when the Hillmen kill his family and annihilate his clan, he now has the opportunity to avenge those who he loved.

Brennus must survive endless hordes of invading Hillmen and magic-wielding sidhe, aided by only a band of shifty mercenaries, and an ancient bronze sword.

Failure means his family and clan go unavenged. Victory will bring glory to Brennus and his ancestors.

Hag of the Hills is a heroic fantasy novel set in 200 B.C. on the Isle of Skye, steeped in Celtic mythology and culture.]]> J.T.T. Ryder Isobel 5
There are supernatural elements : the story is being recounted by the main character to a bard, and the supernatural components make sense of his story for himself and his listener. At the heart of the story are two promises � a supernatural promise to the main character that he will achieve greatness, albeit at great cost, and a human promise by the main character that he will protect a young druid woman. The working out of these two promises comes with much action, less romance than one might expect, and a great deal of learning. A really satisfying read.]]> 4.03 Hag of the Hills (The Bronze Sword Cycles, #1)
author: J.T.T. Ryder
name: Isobel
average rating: 4.03
book published:
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2022/07/05
shelves:
review:
Hag of the Hills is a rare achievement: a novel that makes real people with living minds out of slivers of historical evidence from a time before written records. The author is an archaeologist, and his knowledge of that hard evidence is clear throughout the book, but he has also dived in imaginatively to fill in the gaps in our knowledge and create a plausible social world. It is a world where people not only lived and died very differently � the two being permanently intertwined � but also thought very differently, interpreted the world very differently.

There are supernatural elements : the story is being recounted by the main character to a bard, and the supernatural components make sense of his story for himself and his listener. At the heart of the story are two promises � a supernatural promise to the main character that he will achieve greatness, albeit at great cost, and a human promise by the main character that he will protect a young druid woman. The working out of these two promises comes with much action, less romance than one might expect, and a great deal of learning. A really satisfying read.
]]> Spiritual Changemakers 61249341
Written in the style of memoir, this documentary of a book takes the reader on an experiential journey, exploring sophisticated light-work, and detailing highly structured white magic rituals designed to pour light and love into humanity.

Intimate and informative, complete with personal accounts of those involved, Spiritual Changemakers offers insights into esoteric best practice.]]> Isobel Blackthorn Isobel 0 5.00 Spiritual Changemakers
author: Isobel Blackthorn
name: Isobel
average rating: 5.00
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2022/06/16
shelves: currently-reading, spirituality, psychology, current-affairs, meditation
review:

]]> Riebeckite (Bruised Moon, #1) 60256603
After an asteroid strike on the moon, a strange blue dust began to flow down through Earth’s atmosphere. It’s harmful to breathe, but at least the microscopic creatures within the dust are dormant. Or so we thought.

Tahira made a childhood promise to a friend that the crisis would bring their people together� before a violent riot tore their lives apart. Now, as an adult, Tahira works as a biologist for a corporation constructing experimental towers to force the spores—known as riebeckites—to germinate into harmless colonies.

Except they’re about to learn everything they think they know about the dust is wrong. The real threat isn’t the asteroid that struck the moon and by the time humanity figures it out, it might be too late.

Riebeckite combines suspense and conspiracy with heart-in-mouth action sequences and nightmarish encounters, all in an immersive near-future setting and, at its core, a heartwarming story of friendship against the odds.]]> O.R. Lea Isobel 5
This is sci-fi for readers who are ready to grapple with our own world as well as escape into fiction. It is billed as the first of a three part series, and it will doubtless be worth reading the sequels. At the same time, however, it works perfectly well as a standalone. All in all, a terrific achievement!]]> 4.39 Riebeckite (Bruised Moon, #1)
author: O.R. Lea
name: Isobel
average rating: 4.39
book published:
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2022/06/08
shelves:
review:
On the surface, this sci-fi novel is a remake of a familiar story � think Ridley Scott’s Alien. There is a strange off-earth creature with a curious life-cycle. It is potentially terribly dangerous to life on earth. Dark military powers are secretly working to weaponise it. They are playing with fire. So far so familiar. But this compellingly written drama offers a refreshing reboot of the genre. It is firmly based on earth, and built around a realistic understanding of geo-politics. It explores the likely response to a global ecological threat, in a way that has a poignant resonance in a world that faces several of these. Its central characters are intelligent, competent, principled middle-eastern women. All of the characters are three dimensional.

This is sci-fi for readers who are ready to grapple with our own world as well as escape into fiction. It is billed as the first of a three part series, and it will doubtless be worth reading the sequels. At the same time, however, it works perfectly well as a standalone. All in all, a terrific achievement!
]]> <![CDATA[Empire's Heir (Empire's Legacy #7)]]> 55014228
Some games are played for mortal stakes.

Gwenna, heir to Ésparias, is summoned by the Empress of Casil to compete for the hand of her son. Offered power and influence far beyond what her own small land can give her, Gwenna’s strategy seems clear � except she loves someone else.

Nineteen years earlier, the Empress outplayed Cillian in diplomacy and intrigue. Alone, his only living daughter has little chance to counter the Empress's experience and skill. Aging and torn by grief and worry, Cillian insists on accompanying Gwenna to Casil.

Risking a charge of treason, faced with a choice he does not want to make, Cillian must convince Gwenna her future is more important than his � while Gwenna plans her moves to keep her father safe. Both are playing a dangerous game. Which one will concede � or sacrifice?]]> 444 Marian L. Thorpe 1777178371 Isobel 4
Gwenna, a princess and heir to a royal domain, is called upon to find a suitable partner to carry on the lineage and protect her family from political pressure. Never mind that her heart is elsewhere, with her female bodyguard. Both of her parents were called upon to make similar decisions, and they did. It turned out more or less well for them, so why not for her? The alternative lives which they might have lived, with lovers they freely chose � those are dreams, nothing, forgotten. Can Gwenna not do the same, to protect her safety, to protect her family, to protect her little kingdom?

We are thrown into the middle of the story � this is the sixth book of a series � but the author is at pains to clarify the back story and to paint a picture of the kingdom (cultured, liberal, artistic, diverse, within a wider empire that is very different). She wants the reader to know that Gwenna’s safety, her family and her kingdom are all “good things� and worth protecting. Under the solemn and slow moving narrative, the book is full of urgent questions for our time.]]> 4.70 Empire's Heir (Empire's Legacy #7)
author: Marian L. Thorpe
name: Isobel
average rating: 4.70
book published:
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2022/05/23
shelves:
review:
This literary and thoughtful work explores how conflicting loyalties, duties and desires can fracture lives. Everyone in the book has made decisions � or must make them � which cut across their own self-interest and limit their freedoms. Do they regret this? The book does not answer the question, but it is clear throughout the narrative that this is a world where the individual is less important than the family, and immediate personal wishes are to be subsumed to the long term future of the family and the state.

Gwenna, a princess and heir to a royal domain, is called upon to find a suitable partner to carry on the lineage and protect her family from political pressure. Never mind that her heart is elsewhere, with her female bodyguard. Both of her parents were called upon to make similar decisions, and they did. It turned out more or less well for them, so why not for her? The alternative lives which they might have lived, with lovers they freely chose � those are dreams, nothing, forgotten. Can Gwenna not do the same, to protect her safety, to protect her family, to protect her little kingdom?

We are thrown into the middle of the story � this is the sixth book of a series � but the author is at pains to clarify the back story and to paint a picture of the kingdom (cultured, liberal, artistic, diverse, within a wider empire that is very different). She wants the reader to know that Gwenna’s safety, her family and her kingdom are all “good things� and worth protecting. Under the solemn and slow moving narrative, the book is full of urgent questions for our time.
]]> Thunder Road 58891315 In this gamble, more than a few poker chips are at stake.

When an Army Air Force Major vanishes from his Top Secret job at the Fort Worth airbase in the summer of 1947, down-on-his-luck former Ranger Jefferson Sharp is hired to find him, because the Major owes a sizable gambling debt to a local mobster. The search takes Sharp from the hideaway poker rooms of Fort Worth's Thunder Road, to the barren ranch lands of New Mexico, to secret facilities under construction in the Nevada desert.

Lethal operatives and an opaque military bureaucracy stand in his way, but when he finds an otherworldly clue and learns President Truman is creating a new Central Intelligence Agency and splitting the Air Force from the Army, Sharp begins to connect dots. And those dots draw a straight line to a conspiracy aiming to cover up a secret that is out of this world⎯literally so.]]> 384 Colin Holmes 0744304970 Isobel 5 4.32 2022 Thunder Road
author: Colin Holmes
name: Isobel
average rating: 4.32
book published: 2022
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2022/04/17
shelves:
review:
This is an immensely stylish novel, capturing the tone, the voice, the mise en scene of a 1940s film noir, and turning it into an atmospheric modern mystery that will leave you with a wry smile on your face and a spring in your step. Beautiful dialogue, perfectly judged for the time. Nice little nods to various real and fictitious characters familiar from the period. Not to mention (though I have to) certain popular preoccupations of the time that drove, much later, a conspiracy theorist’s biggest daydream. It was a time when flying-saucer mania hit the popular psyche with a big thump, and perhaps this is the excuse for the extraordinary film-noir/sci-fi mash-up that the novel turns into. An unusual but fun read.
]]> <![CDATA[A Mersey Killing (Mersey Murder Mysteries #1)]]> 25875139 A skeleton and a missing woman. A doomed romance. A mystery spanning two generations.

Liverpool, 1961. A group of young men come together seeking fame and fortune, as the fledgling sounds of the Swinging Sixties take root in the city. Soon, Liverpool becomes synonymous with the music that shapes a generation.

Liverpool, 1999. Skeletal remains found in the docklands lead Detective Inspector Andy Ross and Sergeant Izzie Drake into a journey through time, as the investigation takes them back to early days of the Mersey Beat.

Whose bones laid beneath the mud of the River Mersey for over thirty years, and what links them to a young woman, missing for the entire time?

Winner - Preditors & Editors Best Book Award. ]]> 369 Brian L. Porter Isobel 5
As the murder squad methodically hunt for and examine the clues, the reader is given a window into the backstory of this crime and can speculate on the likely perpetrator. The ending is terrific as the two timelines come together.

Porter majors in creating plausible and memorable characters and developing the relationships between them. The story is told from the perspective of the two time periods in alternating chapters. Written in an easy style with excellent use of Liverpudlian vernacular in the dialogue, A Mersey Killing is a suspenseful read that will appeal to fans of the genre. ]]> 4.21 2015 A Mersey Killing (Mersey Murder Mysteries #1)
author: Brian L. Porter
name: Isobel
average rating: 4.21
book published: 2015
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2022/01/30
shelves:
review:
Another cracking police procedural from Brian L. Porter. This time, it’s 1999 and DI Andy Ross and his team are faced with a mysterious crime after the discovery of human remains dating back to the 1960s. This is Liverpool, and back then saw the birth of the Mersey beat that launched The Beatles.

As the murder squad methodically hunt for and examine the clues, the reader is given a window into the backstory of this crime and can speculate on the likely perpetrator. The ending is terrific as the two timelines come together.

Porter majors in creating plausible and memorable characters and developing the relationships between them. The story is told from the perspective of the two time periods in alternating chapters. Written in an easy style with excellent use of Liverpudlian vernacular in the dialogue, A Mersey Killing is a suspenseful read that will appeal to fans of the genre.
]]> Blue Skinned Gods 56080525 From the award-winning author of Marriage of a Thousand Lies comes a brilliantly written, globe-spanning novel about identity, faith, family, and sexuality.

In Tamil Nadu, India, a boy is born with blue skin. His father sets up an ashram, and the family makes a living off of the pilgrims who seek the child’s blessings and miracles, believing young Kalki to be the tenth human incarnation of the Hindu god Vishnu. In Kalki’s tenth year, he is confronted with three trials that will test his power and prove his divine status and, his father tells him, spread his fame worldwide. While he seems to pass them, Kalki begins to question his divinity.

Over the next decade, his family unravels, and every relationship he relied on—father, mother, aunt, uncle, cousin—starts falling apart. Traveling from India to the underground rock scene of New York City, Blue-Skinned Gods explores ethnic, gender, and sexual identities, and spans continents and faiths, in an expansive and heartfelt look at the need for belief in our globally interconnected world.]]> 330 S.J. Sindu 1641292423 Isobel 4
One of the tests involves the healing of Roopa, a gravely ill child left at the ashram by her parents. Kalki performs his healing ritual while Ayya slips Roopa medicine to make her better. Another test is the miraculous appearance of white horses. They do appear, but then Kalki sees the tyre tracks of a truck.

The father Ayya is a medical doctor, a domineering figure in Kalki’s life who rules the ashram and all within it with an iron fist. I do not know of other young boys who might be groomed in the way that Ayya grooms his son, but I cannot help but be reminded of Jiddhu Krishnamurti, raised by his adoptive Charles Webster Leadbeater, along with then head of the Theosophical Society Annie Besant, to be the new World Teacher. Like Kalki, Krishnamurti eventually renounced the role imposed on him.

Doubt, puzzlement and disbelief pervade the narrative as tragedy upon tragedy befall the family, all caused by Ayya’s dictatorial ways. Kalki’s inner monologue as he witnesses the struggles of those around him, and endures struggles and heartache of his own, is very well handled. Ultimately it is the way that he comes to terms with his own identity as a mere mortal that makes this novel special.

As in all coming of age stories, Kalki must become a man and find his place in the world. When he eventually goes on a world tour with his father, he discovers things about himself that change him forever. His inner questioning intensifies after he arrives in New York, helped along by his childhood friend Lakshman who had moved to the United States as a child.

Right from the start the author evokes a powerful sense of place, as luscious as the syrupy jack fruit Kalki eats at midnight on his tenth birthday. Sindu conjures the magic of India, the lush landscape of the south, the aromatic spices, along with the religious beliefs and rituals of Hinduism that underpin to a large degree traditional Indian culture. A sensitive, considered and expansive read. (reviewed for Trip Fiction)]]> 3.88 2021 Blue Skinned Gods
author: S.J. Sindu
name: Isobel
average rating: 3.88
book published: 2021
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2022/01/20
shelves:
review:
Here is a story that brims with imagination and vibrancy. As protagonist Kalki’s tenth birthday approaches, he’s wracked with guilt-laced misgivings about himself and his capabilities. After all, the blue-skinned boy knows himself as the latest and last reincarnation of Hindu god Vishnu and that is rather a lot to live up to. Not least, on or near his birthday he must pass three vital tests that will prove to his father Ayya and all who come to the ashram that he is a real god.

One of the tests involves the healing of Roopa, a gravely ill child left at the ashram by her parents. Kalki performs his healing ritual while Ayya slips Roopa medicine to make her better. Another test is the miraculous appearance of white horses. They do appear, but then Kalki sees the tyre tracks of a truck.

The father Ayya is a medical doctor, a domineering figure in Kalki’s life who rules the ashram and all within it with an iron fist. I do not know of other young boys who might be groomed in the way that Ayya grooms his son, but I cannot help but be reminded of Jiddhu Krishnamurti, raised by his adoptive Charles Webster Leadbeater, along with then head of the Theosophical Society Annie Besant, to be the new World Teacher. Like Kalki, Krishnamurti eventually renounced the role imposed on him.

Doubt, puzzlement and disbelief pervade the narrative as tragedy upon tragedy befall the family, all caused by Ayya’s dictatorial ways. Kalki’s inner monologue as he witnesses the struggles of those around him, and endures struggles and heartache of his own, is very well handled. Ultimately it is the way that he comes to terms with his own identity as a mere mortal that makes this novel special.

As in all coming of age stories, Kalki must become a man and find his place in the world. When he eventually goes on a world tour with his father, he discovers things about himself that change him forever. His inner questioning intensifies after he arrives in New York, helped along by his childhood friend Lakshman who had moved to the United States as a child.

Right from the start the author evokes a powerful sense of place, as luscious as the syrupy jack fruit Kalki eats at midnight on his tenth birthday. Sindu conjures the magic of India, the lush landscape of the south, the aromatic spices, along with the religious beliefs and rituals of Hinduism that underpin to a large degree traditional Indian culture. A sensitive, considered and expansive read. (reviewed for Trip Fiction)
]]> Dead To Life 53486162 Mary Deal Isobel 5
As this is the third in the trilogy, there’s some catching up to be done, and the reader would be advised to start with Book One, although I did find this book functions well as a standalone. Deal makes deft references to the previous books in this series without dragging heavily on the narrative. The story unfolds quickly once the stage is set, and is written with much sensitivity and care, along with plenty of twists and turns along the way. About a third in Deal takes her readers to Hawaii, where Sara and Huxley continue their quest to track down Emma. It’s a setting the author portrays vividly and unflinchingly.

This is a thoroughly entertaining and at times poignant story that deals with the difficulties those left behind face when missing loved ones and lacking answers. I found Dead to Life a highly absorbing read. ]]> 5.00 Dead To Life
author: Mary Deal
name: Isobel
average rating: 5.00
book published:
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2021/12/22
shelves:
review:
From the get go, Deal pulls the reader into the setting of the Sacramento River Delta in a hot and sticky July, the area filled with crop pickers and holidaymakers. Private detective Sara Mason is home alone in her great big Victorian house when her partner and Veteran Huxley Keane arrives back from Oregon. He’s arrived with a box of letters from his mum which he hopes will reveal insights into the whereabouts of his brother Rocky who went missing during the Vietnam War. And they decide to track down his fiancée Emma, who gave Rocky a key which was later found in the Vietnam jungle. The plot is driven by this twin quest.

As this is the third in the trilogy, there’s some catching up to be done, and the reader would be advised to start with Book One, although I did find this book functions well as a standalone. Deal makes deft references to the previous books in this series without dragging heavily on the narrative. The story unfolds quickly once the stage is set, and is written with much sensitivity and care, along with plenty of twists and turns along the way. About a third in Deal takes her readers to Hawaii, where Sara and Huxley continue their quest to track down Emma. It’s a setting the author portrays vividly and unflinchingly.

This is a thoroughly entertaining and at times poignant story that deals with the difficulties those left behind face when missing loved ones and lacking answers. I found Dead to Life a highly absorbing read.
]]> <![CDATA[Merde And Mandarins (Kind Hearts And Martinets #5)]]> 49408672 A Defense Secretary shooting. The collapse of the Home Office Secretary. London’s high-ranking civil servants are being targeted, and DCI Jack Austin is drawn out of retirement.

When his wife is kidnapped, inept savant DCI Austin leads the rescue mission while trying to solve the recent mystery, and discover the motives of the master conspirator.

Racing towards the chaotic conclusion, can he find solace in a welcome retirement, and uncover the supreme Machiavellian plot?

]]> 0 Pete Adams Isobel 5
Great pacing, plenty of twists and turns and a terrific ending always make for the perfect crime novel, but add to all that really good writing, and here's a book to savour.

Merde and Mandarins is Book 5 in Kind Hearts and Martinets Series. I've read the whole series now and enjoyed it immensely. Pete Adams has a distinctive style, a combination of feel-good warmth and good old-fashioned British wit. The author manages to blend romance and comedy into a hard-edged political thriller and not curdle the custard. Adams also majors in themes of social justice and Merde and Mandarins is no exception. The book can be read as a standalone but I would urge the reader to start at the beginning of this corker of a series. This novel also segues to his next series, the DaDa Detective Agency run by Jack and Amanda.]]> 4.75 Merde And Mandarins (Kind Hearts And Martinets #5)
author: Pete Adams
name: Isobel
average rating: 4.75
book published:
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2021/12/17
shelves:
review:
Retired DCI Jack (Jane) Austin returns to the force to deal with a spate of incidents targeting top-ranking civil servants (Mandarins). Then his wife Amanda (JoJums) is kidnapped and he's on a quest to rescue her. How will he cope?

Great pacing, plenty of twists and turns and a terrific ending always make for the perfect crime novel, but add to all that really good writing, and here's a book to savour.

Merde and Mandarins is Book 5 in Kind Hearts and Martinets Series. I've read the whole series now and enjoyed it immensely. Pete Adams has a distinctive style, a combination of feel-good warmth and good old-fashioned British wit. The author manages to blend romance and comedy into a hard-edged political thriller and not curdle the custard. Adams also majors in themes of social justice and Merde and Mandarins is no exception. The book can be read as a standalone but I would urge the reader to start at the beginning of this corker of a series. This novel also segues to his next series, the DaDa Detective Agency run by Jack and Amanda.
]]> <![CDATA[Tapestry Of My Mother’s Life: Stories, Fragments, And Silences]]> 59603154
Born at her grandfather's house in Farther Pomerania, 1923, Christa von Hassell had to contend with the increasing and pervasive impact of the Nazi regime. As the child of a German army officer, she moved with her parents often. Through boarding school, university, marriage, the Second World War, life under Soviet occupation, and a new beginning in the West that eventually took her to America, the biography is an emotional journey of childhood, survival, and relationships.

The portrayal of Christa’s life also focuses on the role of memory: shaped, distorted, and realigned in the continual process of telling stories of the past in conjunction with silence about many aspects. Children of women who shared similar experiences and life trajectories struggled with the challenge of learning about their parents� lives during extraordinary times, confounded by a wealth of stories on the one hand and a seemingly impenetrable veil of silence on the other.

Working through such memorabilia, as well as the tales of the past, can offer ways in which one can come to terms with the inherited detritus of thoughts and memories. As such, this account of the life of a unique and complex individual has also wider relevance in that it addresses age-old questions of the relationship between one generation and the next.]]> 248 Malve von Hassell Isobel 5
The house the author must deal with is old and jam-packed with memories and possessions. And this is no ordinary family. Hassell’s paternal grandfather had been part of a plot to assassinate Hitler. Her father became a diplomat and the family eventually settled in the United States. Her mother Christa was from a landed estate in Pomerania and had led a colourful and at once mysterious life.

There are many ways this book could have been written. In this instance, the author inserts herself into the imaginative re-telling of her mother’s life, including her own recollections and reactions and depicting the processes of discovery, the possessions that serve as little reminders.

There’s plenty to entertain the reader, plenty to find out, including the ghost of Zickelbart, the mysterious Heinrich, the endless half-told stories of her mother's childhood begging endings. Before long, the narrative darkens as the author explores the reality of living in Germany during the 1930s.

This is a memoir that not only leaves a deep impression of the author’s mother, the anguish of loss, the undertow of bittersweet remembering, and the practicalities of coping, but intertwines these personal aspects with an examination of history and truth in what amounts to an impressive read.]]> 4.56 Tapestry Of My Mother’s Life: Stories, Fragments, And Silences
author: Malve von Hassell
name: Isobel
average rating: 4.56
book published:
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2021/12/15
shelves:
review:
Tapestry of my Mother’s Life: Stories, Fragments, and Silences is a richly descriptive read, the story highly engaging from the first as we are first led into an aftermath scenario of losing the remaining parent and dealing with the estate.

The house the author must deal with is old and jam-packed with memories and possessions. And this is no ordinary family. Hassell’s paternal grandfather had been part of a plot to assassinate Hitler. Her father became a diplomat and the family eventually settled in the United States. Her mother Christa was from a landed estate in Pomerania and had led a colourful and at once mysterious life.

There are many ways this book could have been written. In this instance, the author inserts herself into the imaginative re-telling of her mother’s life, including her own recollections and reactions and depicting the processes of discovery, the possessions that serve as little reminders.

There’s plenty to entertain the reader, plenty to find out, including the ghost of Zickelbart, the mysterious Heinrich, the endless half-told stories of her mother's childhood begging endings. Before long, the narrative darkens as the author explores the reality of living in Germany during the 1930s.

This is a memoir that not only leaves a deep impression of the author’s mother, the anguish of loss, the undertow of bittersweet remembering, and the practicalities of coping, but intertwines these personal aspects with an examination of history and truth in what amounts to an impressive read.
]]> <![CDATA[Muffin, Digby And Petal: Together Forever (Family Of Rescue Dogs Book 7)]]> 58823035 𲹻ڰ.]]> 193 Brian L. Porter Isobel 5
The memoir captures all the cute things these pups do, along with their health issues and escapades, and their distinct personalities. There are updates on the other dogs in the family, for those familiar with this lovely rescue dog series. The trio are inseparable.

There are plenty of photos to enjoy, too, in what amounts to a feel-good read many dog lovers will relate to. ]]> 4.60 Muffin, Digby And Petal: Together Forever (Family Of Rescue Dogs Book 7)
author: Brian L. Porter
name: Isobel
average rating: 4.60
book published:
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2021/12/12
shelves:
review:
What an endearing and heartfelt memoir this is! Packed with photos, it tells the story of three puppies from the same litter taken into the care of the author and his wife to replace the painful loss of another dog.

The memoir captures all the cute things these pups do, along with their health issues and escapades, and their distinct personalities. There are updates on the other dogs in the family, for those familiar with this lovely rescue dog series. The trio are inseparable.

There are plenty of photos to enjoy, too, in what amounts to a feel-good read many dog lovers will relate to.
]]> Windrush (Jack Windrush, #1) 29596734 Burmese War, 1852. Unable to join the famous Royal Malverns, Jack Windrush is commissioned into the despised 113th Foot.

Determined to rise in the ranks and make a name for himself, he is sent with the 113th to join the British expedition. But when they get involved in the attack of Rangoon, Jack realizes that war on the fringes of the Empire is not as honorable and glorious as he expected.

After a chance meeting with a renegade British soldier, Jack witnesses the true terrors of war, and begins to question the whole framework in which he has grown up.

Praise from

★★★★� - "A well-crafted historical novel."

★★★★� - "Highly recommended to anyone who enjoys military fiction."

★★★★� - "Archibald delivers one heck of a story."

★★★★� - "Impossible to put down."]]> 275 Malcolm Archibald Isobel 5 Windrush is the first in this historical war series. The novel is set mostly in Burma during the Anglo-Burmese war and packs a punch from the get-go.

Upon the death of his father, Jack’s mother informs him that he will not be serving in the prestigious Royals, but must instead join a different and lowly regiment of the British Army, as fitting the shocking revelation withheld from him until this moment, when he discovers he is the result of his father’s indiscretion with a kitchen maid. The 113th Foot. With that devastating news, Jack sets off with much to learn and much to prove.

Archibald captures the mood of the times and clearly knows his history. The writing is taut and smooth, and the plot well-paced in what amounts to a gripping read. The battle scenes are very well handled. I’m looking forward to continuing with this series.

]]> 4.14 Windrush (Jack Windrush, #1)
author: Malcolm Archibald
name: Isobel
average rating: 4.14
book published:
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2021/12/08
shelves:
review:

Windrush is the first in this historical war series. The novel is set mostly in Burma during the Anglo-Burmese war and packs a punch from the get-go.

Upon the death of his father, Jack’s mother informs him that he will not be serving in the prestigious Royals, but must instead join a different and lowly regiment of the British Army, as fitting the shocking revelation withheld from him until this moment, when he discovers he is the result of his father’s indiscretion with a kitchen maid. The 113th Foot. With that devastating news, Jack sets off with much to learn and much to prove.

Archibald captures the mood of the times and clearly knows his history. The writing is taut and smooth, and the plot well-paced in what amounts to a gripping read. The battle scenes are very well handled. I’m looking forward to continuing with this series.


]]> Sabine (Mallery & Hobbs #3) 55447418
With an attractive waitress linking the two cases, Mallery relies heavily upon his colleague, Englishman Jack Hobbs, to join the dots on their most challenging work yet. But, with pressure in both of their personal lives, can Mallery and Hobbs catch the killer?]]> 247 A.J. Griffiths-Jones Isobel 5
I love the way the author brings the setting to life and celebrates the rich food and wine culture of regional France. Griffiths-Jones provides that perfect combination of a well-developed murder mystery in a captivating and prized setting, very much a holiday destination or the object of wanderlust for many of us.

Aside from a cracking plot, the other strength in this series is the unfolding relationship of the protagonists, and the trials and tribulations of Mallery. Well written in the author’s distinct and engaging style, Sabine is for those after a charming quality read. ]]> 4.81 2020 Sabine (Mallery & Hobbs #3)
author: A.J. Griffiths-Jones
name: Isobel
average rating: 4.81
book published: 2020
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2021/12/05
shelves:
review:
I’ve read the first two in this series, and I enjoy the developing relationship of Max Mallery and Jack Hobbs as they set about solving another crime in rural France. This time, there’s a body in a wine cellar, the supposed suicide of an engineer, and the only link a waitress, Sabine. It’s not much to go on and it’s certainly no way to start the New Year! What unfolds is an intriguing a complex mystery with a satisfying ending.

I love the way the author brings the setting to life and celebrates the rich food and wine culture of regional France. Griffiths-Jones provides that perfect combination of a well-developed murder mystery in a captivating and prized setting, very much a holiday destination or the object of wanderlust for many of us.

Aside from a cracking plot, the other strength in this series is the unfolding relationship of the protagonists, and the trials and tribulations of Mallery. Well written in the author’s distinct and engaging style, Sabine is for those after a charming quality read.
]]> Alejandro’s Lie 58865000
Terreno, 1983, Latin America. After a dictatorship of ten years, the brutal junta, led by general Pelarón, seems to waver.

Alejandro Juron, guitarist of the famous poet and folk singer Victor Pérez who's been executed by the junta, is released from the infamous prison “The Last Supper.� The underground resistance wants Alejandro to participate in its fight again. But Alejandro has changed.

Consumed with guilt by the death of his friend Victor, whom he betrayed to his tormentors, Alejandro becomes the unintended center of a web of intrigue that culminates in a catastrophic insurrection, and has to choose between love and escape.

A love story, a thriller and an analysis of the mechanisms that govern a dictatorship, Alejandro’s Lie is a gripping novel about violence, betrayal, resistance, corruption, guilt and love.]]> 292 Bob Van Laerhoven 4867528897 Isobel 5
At home in Terreno's infamous slum the Pigsty, Alejandro remembers the old days in Victor Perez's folk-band Aconcagua, and Victor's wife Lucia. He remembers the night he lost them both after various leftist groups were rounded up into a football stadium on a pretext and then either murdered on the spot or tortured and jailed, and the part he played in their demise.

The story opens on Alejandro caught up in a street protest in the city, on his observations, recollections and his anguish, and his brief encounter with university secretary and Lucia lookalike Beatriz Candalti. On the same night of the protest, the nefarious paramilitary police raid the pigsty on the pretext of a hunt for communist infiltrators. Killing is casual, the brutality of the regime made plain.

Alejandro sets about reconnecting with whoever is left that is willing to help him leave Terreno, a quest that takes him straight back to Beatriz, precariously divorced and desperate to escape her father and ex-husband’s clutches. Through the lens of Beatriz, Bob van Laerhoven captures the essence of Latin machismo, the way that cultural habit underpins governance at every level and oppresses the powerless at every turn.

The stage is set for a complex political thriller brimming with vile and corrupt characters in a regime majoring in oppression, secrecy and arbitrary curfews as Beatriz risks her life to help Alejandro flee the country. The narrative is sprinkled with excerpts of poetry and song lyrics that capture the mood of the times, the aching for a return to peace and freedom, and capture the inner workings of Alejandro’s tormented soul.

Skilfully told in short, sharp chapters, Alejandro's Lie is a taut, well-developed and intelligent read. Clean prose, an astute attention to detail, great characterisation and artfully constructed action scenes altogether make for an exemplary thriller. The novel has a cinematic quality to it, all dark streets and gunshots, casual violence and simmering passion. I'm a reader who is easily bored. When I remark that I found Alejandro's Lie very hard to put down, that's high praise and sincerely meant.


]]> 4.64 2013 Alejandro’s Lie
author: Bob Van Laerhoven
name: Isobel
average rating: 4.64
book published: 2013
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2021/12/02
shelves:
review:
Guitarist and songwriter Alejandro Juron is released from prison after ten years and faces a city alien to him. The slums, the political complexities of a crumbling dictatorship in the fictitious nation of Terreno (resonant of Chile), not even the music makes sense, the thriving local scene he was a part of having given way to American disco.

At home in Terreno's infamous slum the Pigsty, Alejandro remembers the old days in Victor Perez's folk-band Aconcagua, and Victor's wife Lucia. He remembers the night he lost them both after various leftist groups were rounded up into a football stadium on a pretext and then either murdered on the spot or tortured and jailed, and the part he played in their demise.

The story opens on Alejandro caught up in a street protest in the city, on his observations, recollections and his anguish, and his brief encounter with university secretary and Lucia lookalike Beatriz Candalti. On the same night of the protest, the nefarious paramilitary police raid the pigsty on the pretext of a hunt for communist infiltrators. Killing is casual, the brutality of the regime made plain.

Alejandro sets about reconnecting with whoever is left that is willing to help him leave Terreno, a quest that takes him straight back to Beatriz, precariously divorced and desperate to escape her father and ex-husband’s clutches. Through the lens of Beatriz, Bob van Laerhoven captures the essence of Latin machismo, the way that cultural habit underpins governance at every level and oppresses the powerless at every turn.

The stage is set for a complex political thriller brimming with vile and corrupt characters in a regime majoring in oppression, secrecy and arbitrary curfews as Beatriz risks her life to help Alejandro flee the country. The narrative is sprinkled with excerpts of poetry and song lyrics that capture the mood of the times, the aching for a return to peace and freedom, and capture the inner workings of Alejandro’s tormented soul.

Skilfully told in short, sharp chapters, Alejandro's Lie is a taut, well-developed and intelligent read. Clean prose, an astute attention to detail, great characterisation and artfully constructed action scenes altogether make for an exemplary thriller. The novel has a cinematic quality to it, all dark streets and gunshots, casual violence and simmering passion. I'm a reader who is easily bored. When I remark that I found Alejandro's Lie very hard to put down, that's high praise and sincerely meant.



]]> The Black Wall (Tides, #2) 54004850
With the help of Ves, pirate-turned-smuggler, they pursue Mann across the continent. However, growing tensions between factions within the Church of N’narad make the trip more perilous than they counted on.

Can Syrina find the key to herself and the voice in her head, and find revenge against her master? And what price will she be willing to pay?]]> 348 R.A. Fisher Isobel 5
A short prologue finds General Albertus Mann condemned to death for sedition and treason, and for the killing of Cardinal Prast Vimr. The first chapter begins six months earlier, on the battlefield near the Black Wall in the fictional land of Eris, reminiscent of Norway. This part of story is narrated by Mann as he is forced to comply with Vimr’s orders even as he is losing his men in battle in droves. The situation for the general is grim. He’s forced to battle on with a much diminished and flagging and disgruntled army reader to challenge Mann’s authority. You could almost feel sorry for him.

But then the reader is introduced to Pasha and Anna who witness the slaying of the Cardinal and manage to escape the military assault. The siblings are guardians of the door in the Wall and when Syrina encounters them, they set out in pursuit of Mann in what turns out to be a well-told quest packed with danger and adventure.

Written with imagination and flair, and convincing world building, The Dark Wall is moody, apocalyptic, dystopian, and infused at times with an air of fatalism and doom. A great story for lovers of steampunk and epic fantasy alike. ]]> 3.50 The Black Wall (Tides, #2)
author: R.A. Fisher
name: Isobel
average rating: 3.50
book published:
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2021/11/29
shelves:
review:
I would not call The Black Wall a standalone novel and highly recommend its predecessor The Kalis Experiments.

A short prologue finds General Albertus Mann condemned to death for sedition and treason, and for the killing of Cardinal Prast Vimr. The first chapter begins six months earlier, on the battlefield near the Black Wall in the fictional land of Eris, reminiscent of Norway. This part of story is narrated by Mann as he is forced to comply with Vimr’s orders even as he is losing his men in battle in droves. The situation for the general is grim. He’s forced to battle on with a much diminished and flagging and disgruntled army reader to challenge Mann’s authority. You could almost feel sorry for him.

But then the reader is introduced to Pasha and Anna who witness the slaying of the Cardinal and manage to escape the military assault. The siblings are guardians of the door in the Wall and when Syrina encounters them, they set out in pursuit of Mann in what turns out to be a well-told quest packed with danger and adventure.

Written with imagination and flair, and convincing world building, The Dark Wall is moody, apocalyptic, dystopian, and infused at times with an air of fatalism and doom. A great story for lovers of steampunk and epic fantasy alike.
]]> Choice Cruise Lines 36513524 288 Jack Kregas Isobel 4
To smooth over the legal and practical issues, there is the premise that a group of likeable professionals are setting up a commercial cruise line in which assisted dying would be one of the services on offer. This business venture progresses a little too smoothly for plausibility � but this is a novel and not really about the challenges of maritime law or international finance or business regulation. Instead, the cruise motif simply sets up a sunny backdrop against which the issues can be considered. At the same time it provides a leavening story arc about people who are not on the verge of death.

The other narrative threads introduce various families all touched by the challenge of terminal illness, in each of which the dying person is considering assisted dying. These stories are diverse and individually compelling. Each of them quite correctly places the coming death in a context of choices about other things � death is never the only subject on the agenda, even in families where someone’s death is imminent. These aren’t just ‘dying people�, they are people living in the midst of things that matter to them. Their decisions about death are also decisions about their lives and the lives of those dear to them.

The stories at first seem entirely separate, but of course they converge at the end. It is clear where the author stands on this issue, but the narrative is nicely done, and the ending is well managed, leaving plenty of space for the reader to go on thinking.]]> 4.44 Choice Cruise Lines
author: Jack Kregas
name: Isobel
average rating: 4.44
book published:
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2021/11/26
shelves:
review:
Coming from the USA, where most States still make assisted dying a crime (unlike most of Australia and parts of Europe) this is a brave book. It explores the right of terminally ill people to make choices about how to die. It presents this very much as a personal, human question, not a legal or even a practical one.

To smooth over the legal and practical issues, there is the premise that a group of likeable professionals are setting up a commercial cruise line in which assisted dying would be one of the services on offer. This business venture progresses a little too smoothly for plausibility � but this is a novel and not really about the challenges of maritime law or international finance or business regulation. Instead, the cruise motif simply sets up a sunny backdrop against which the issues can be considered. At the same time it provides a leavening story arc about people who are not on the verge of death.

The other narrative threads introduce various families all touched by the challenge of terminal illness, in each of which the dying person is considering assisted dying. These stories are diverse and individually compelling. Each of them quite correctly places the coming death in a context of choices about other things � death is never the only subject on the agenda, even in families where someone’s death is imminent. These aren’t just ‘dying people�, they are people living in the midst of things that matter to them. Their decisions about death are also decisions about their lives and the lives of those dear to them.

The stories at first seem entirely separate, but of course they converge at the end. It is clear where the author stands on this issue, but the narrative is nicely done, and the ending is well managed, leaving plenty of space for the reader to go on thinking.
]]> Kolkata Noir 58598647
On the way, they take on deluded would-be messiahs in search of Mother Teresa’s stolen millions, encounter fanatics, circus freaks and cannibals, fall in and out of love and pay homage to one of the world’s most beautiful and toughest cities.

Amidst passion, murder and mayhem, is there room for two lovers driven by justice and compassion?

Tom Vater's 'Kolkata Noir' is a riveting crime fiction cycle of three novellas set in the past, the present and the future.]]> 208 Tom Vater Isobel 5
At first the narrative bounces along almost light-heartedly, in keeping with the murder mystery genre, and is laced with a sardonic wit. Then the plot takes a sinister turn, the complications begin, and Vater comes into his own with vivid descriptions laced with menace that leave you gasping. The author has an observant eye and a poetic turn of phrase. “The air was warm and dirty, ready to be chopped into spongy blocks of unpleasant solidity.� It’s sentences like this that satisfy the critic, for here is a story well told.

The novella - one of a trilogy - captures Calcutta (Kolkata) and surrounds, the contrasts, the extremes, the diversity, the values and the prejudices. A magnificent read.]]> 3.96 Kolkata Noir
author: Tom Vater
name: Isobel
average rating: 3.96
book published:
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2021/11/20
shelves:
review:
It’s 1999. India is thriving, Kolkata pulsing and heaving with vibrancy, where opulence and destitution live side-by-side. From the opening scenes of wealthy Paulami Roychowdhury admiring her white Western lover Richard Dunlop and reflecting on the injustices of her marriage to the salacious Abir, and of Inspector Madhurima Mitra sent to the hotel to investigate the lovers� disappearance, there’s a smooth atmospheric vibe, engaging, holding the attention. Madhurima teams up with English photographer Becker to find the lovers and solve Abir’s murder in what proves to be an engaging and fast read.

At first the narrative bounces along almost light-heartedly, in keeping with the murder mystery genre, and is laced with a sardonic wit. Then the plot takes a sinister turn, the complications begin, and Vater comes into his own with vivid descriptions laced with menace that leave you gasping. The author has an observant eye and a poetic turn of phrase. “The air was warm and dirty, ready to be chopped into spongy blocks of unpleasant solidity.� It’s sentences like this that satisfy the critic, for here is a story well told.

The novella - one of a trilogy - captures Calcutta (Kolkata) and surrounds, the contrasts, the extremes, the diversity, the values and the prejudices. A magnificent read.
]]> <![CDATA[Bloodstone (The Curse of Time, #1)]]> 58417468
Fifteen-year-old Amelina Scott lives in Cambridge with her dysfunctional family, a mysterious black cat, and an unusual girl who is imprisoned within the mirrors located in her house.

When an unexpected message arrives inviting her to visit the Crystal Cottage, she sets off on a forbidden path where she encounters Ryder: a charismatic, perplexing stranger.

With the help of a magical paint set and some crystal wizard stones, can Amelina discover the truth about her family?

A unique, imaginative mystery full of magic-wielding and dark elements, Bloodstone is a riveting adventure for anyone interested in fantasy, mythology or the world of the paranormal.

TRIGGER WARNING: this book contains mention of self-harm, mental health issues and alludes to the potential dangers of sexual attraction, which may trigger younger/sensitive readers.]]> 384 M.J. Mallon Isobel 5
Fed up with her dysfunctional family after her father disappeared and then returned a changed man, Amelina is lured by an invitation that refuses to be ripped up into taking the river path to visit the Crystal Cottage. On the way she encounters two lads filled with menace and is saved by a strange young man she comes to know as Ryder. What unfolds is a story filled with colourful characters and plenty of action.

The inclusion of short poems at the start of each chapter works well. The paranormal elements intertwine well with, and to a large degree drive the plot. I liked the crafting of the mysterious Ryder and found old school friend Esme intriguing, especially as she is trapped behind mirrors. It is brave to deal with self harm in a novel and through Esme, Mallon handles this theme well. I found the premise of this book original and refreshing. Bloodstone is told with flair and imagination and will appeal to young adult readers.]]> 3.76 2017 Bloodstone (The Curse of Time, #1)
author: M.J. Mallon
name: Isobel
average rating: 3.76
book published: 2017
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2021/11/15
shelves:
review:
A charming and magical tale for teens and young adults that has that essential quality of a thoroughly loveable and complex main character in fifteen-year-old Amelina Scott. I fell in with the flow of the storytelling in the first couple of pages, confident I was going to be swept up and held as I read.

Fed up with her dysfunctional family after her father disappeared and then returned a changed man, Amelina is lured by an invitation that refuses to be ripped up into taking the river path to visit the Crystal Cottage. On the way she encounters two lads filled with menace and is saved by a strange young man she comes to know as Ryder. What unfolds is a story filled with colourful characters and plenty of action.

The inclusion of short poems at the start of each chapter works well. The paranormal elements intertwine well with, and to a large degree drive the plot. I liked the crafting of the mysterious Ryder and found old school friend Esme intriguing, especially as she is trapped behind mirrors. It is brave to deal with self harm in a novel and through Esme, Mallon handles this theme well. I found the premise of this book original and refreshing. Bloodstone is told with flair and imagination and will appeal to young adult readers.
]]> Sing Like a Canary 59496105
Present and past soon collide when gangsters Eric and Mick Maloney turn up on the island with revenge in their veins, and Marjorie has to race against the clock to get to Billy before the brothers.

But who is complicit and who can be trusted... and who really betrayed Marjorie all those years ago?

A multi-layered mystery packed with suspense, Sing Like A Canary is the fifth book in Isobel Blackthorn's Canary Islands Mysteries Series, and can be enjoyed as a standalone even if you haven't read other books in the series.]]> 310 Isobel Blackthorn Isobel 0 currently-reading 4.43 2021 Sing Like a Canary
author: Isobel Blackthorn
name: Isobel
average rating: 4.43
book published: 2021
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2021/10/31
shelves: currently-reading
review:

]]> Petrichor 58147152
Drought has turned the paddocks of Paddle Creek Station to dust. Now the death of Clayton’s older brother has shaken his family to its core and left a gaping hole in Clayton’s memory. A hole his parents won’t even discuss.

When Waringa, in the shape of a fox-spirit, tells Clayton it’s up to him to save his family and to free the rain spirits held prisoner by the demonic Red King, Clayton must find a strength within himself he never knew he possessed.

But as Waringa guides Clayton towards his ultimate battle with the Red King, his quest brings his whole family closer to the abandoned homestead where his brother died. And as it does Clayton’s actions uncover raw wounds, forcing hidden memories to surface.]]> 160 Melanie Rees 0648834611 Isobel 5
Although Clayton is the main character in the book, he is not the main character in his own life. That space is reserved for his dead brother � the older, more competent, successful brother whom his parents favoured. With his brother gone, Clayton feels devoid of identity: his sense of alienation is reinforced by his parents� response to grief: they cannot speak to him, they cannot share their grief, he knows that every breath he takes is a breath that his brother is not taking, and he senses that his parents cannot forgive him for that. He desperately wants to fill the space left by his brother, and to save the farm, save the family, but he cannot. The whole family stands at the edge of an emotional black hole that threatens to swallow them.

This is an unusual book, unconcerned about the rules. It declares itself a young adult book and the profound unease and alienation which run through its narrative will resonate with the experience of many young adults. However, it is nothing like the books that are usually written for them. On one hand, it covers issues that are almost too painful for readers of any age to explore. On the other hand, it includes elements that seem appropriate for younger readers � fantasy spirits, talking animals, a deceptively simple narrative style.

Do not be deceived. The fantasy components that run through the book and leaven its dark themes are no more “childish� than deep truths that they symbolise, truths that gradually emerge as the story unfolds. They make it possible for Clayton to confront repressed feelings, conflicts, memories. They make it possible for him to stand back from the black hole and find a way to move on. Ultimately, the message of the book is redemptive.

Melanie Rees writes delicately but with razor-sharp observation of adolescent psychology and family dynamics. The character development which takes place in the span of this short novel is beautiful to follow. The landscape is utterly immersive. It is a gem of a book that should become a classic.]]> 3.89 Petrichor
author: Melanie Rees
name: Isobel
average rating: 3.89
book published:
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2021/10/17
shelves:
review:
Petrichor is set on a remote Australian farm in the midst of a drought which is destroying whole communities. Clayton, the teenage main character of this book, looks on as his parents� farm shrivels. Adjacent is the abandoned land that his adult brother farmed, with its empty farmhouse. His brother is dead.

Although Clayton is the main character in the book, he is not the main character in his own life. That space is reserved for his dead brother � the older, more competent, successful brother whom his parents favoured. With his brother gone, Clayton feels devoid of identity: his sense of alienation is reinforced by his parents� response to grief: they cannot speak to him, they cannot share their grief, he knows that every breath he takes is a breath that his brother is not taking, and he senses that his parents cannot forgive him for that. He desperately wants to fill the space left by his brother, and to save the farm, save the family, but he cannot. The whole family stands at the edge of an emotional black hole that threatens to swallow them.

This is an unusual book, unconcerned about the rules. It declares itself a young adult book and the profound unease and alienation which run through its narrative will resonate with the experience of many young adults. However, it is nothing like the books that are usually written for them. On one hand, it covers issues that are almost too painful for readers of any age to explore. On the other hand, it includes elements that seem appropriate for younger readers � fantasy spirits, talking animals, a deceptively simple narrative style.

Do not be deceived. The fantasy components that run through the book and leaven its dark themes are no more “childish� than deep truths that they symbolise, truths that gradually emerge as the story unfolds. They make it possible for Clayton to confront repressed feelings, conflicts, memories. They make it possible for him to stand back from the black hole and find a way to move on. Ultimately, the message of the book is redemptive.

Melanie Rees writes delicately but with razor-sharp observation of adolescent psychology and family dynamics. The character development which takes place in the span of this short novel is beautiful to follow. The landscape is utterly immersive. It is a gem of a book that should become a classic.
]]> <![CDATA[Voltaire's Garden: A memoir of Cobargo]]> 53298873
Award-winning author Isobel Blackthorn introduces readers to the wondrous countryside of Cobargo Valley, where in 2005 she bought a parcel of land with spectacular views and built a large villa called Voltaire’s Garden, and surrounded it with swathes of luscious gardens.

With glorious descriptions of gardening, cooking and an exquisite Australian landscape, Voltaire’s Garden will inspire you to reflect on the values formed through a deep connection with the land. Composed in evocative prose, Blackthorn lays bare the hardships, the resilience, and many a hilarious moment in what is a feel-good and at times poignant read.]]> 258 Isobel Blackthorn Isobel 0 currently-reading 4.33 Voltaire's Garden: A memoir of Cobargo
author: Isobel Blackthorn
name: Isobel
average rating: 4.33
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2021/10/08
shelves: currently-reading
review:

]]> Emma's Tapestry 57612540
As the story of Wilde unravels, so does Emma’s past. What really happened to her husband?

She’s taken back to her days in Singapore on the eve of World War One. To her disappointing marriage to a British export agent, her struggle to fit into colonial life and the need to hide her true identity.

Emma is caught up in history, the highs, the lows, the adventures. A deadly mutiny, terrifying rice riots and a confrontation with the Ku Klux Klan bring home, for all migrants, the fragility of belonging.Emma's Tapestry is an imaginative retelling of the remarkable life of the author's great-grandmother.]]> 334 Isobel Blackthorn Isobel 0 currently-reading 4.01 Emma's Tapestry
author: Isobel Blackthorn
name: Isobel
average rating: 4.01
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2021/10/08
shelves: currently-reading
review:

]]> <![CDATA[All Because Of You: Fifteen Tales Of Sacrifice And Hope]]> 51296603 Infused with gentle optimism, these fifteen uncompromising stories explore themes of sacrifice and hope in domestic relationships.

Mum and Nan struggle to contrive a sense of normal family life in the emotionally charged environment of a women’s shelter. A visual artist faces the return of her wayward daughter, who brings home her new boyfriend, the lumbering behemoth, Zol. A bereaved woman lies restless and alone in bed, her thoughts troubled by the cries of the dog locked in next door’s laundry.

At once dark, poignant and witty, All Because of You depicts intimately and honestly the travails and heroic responses of women and men confronting the pith of their lives.

]]> 260 Isobel Blackthorn Isobel 5 currently-reading 4.43 All Because Of You: Fifteen Tales Of Sacrifice And Hope
author: Isobel Blackthorn
name: Isobel
average rating: 4.43
book published:
rating: 5
read at: 2012/07/08
date added: 2021/10/08
shelves: currently-reading
review:

]]> A Perfect Square 51721274 Across two continents, two sets of mothers and daughters are bound by a dark mystery.

On a winter’s day in the Dandenong Ranges, Australia, pianist Ginny returns home to her eccentric mother, Harriet. Ginny tries to prise the truth of her father’s disappearance. In an effort to distract her daughter’s interrogations, Harriet proposes they collaborate on an exhibition of paintings and songs.

Meanwhile, on the edge of Dartmoor, artist Judith paints landscapes of the Australian Outback to soothe her troubled heart, as her wayward daughter Madeleine returns and fills the house with darkness.

“A Perfect Square is a fine novel about the power of art to heal, and to disturb.� - David Whish Wilson, Zero at the Bone

"Similar to Kandinsky’s brush that flawlessly moves from concrete to abstract, and from material to spiritual, the novel delicately blends family romance, art history, esoteric theories, and human drama as it traces the main protagonist’s search for her father that imperceptibly becomes the search for wisdom and transcendence." - Vladimir Golstein, Professor of Russian literature, Browns University, NY

]]> 306 Isobel Blackthorn Isobel 5 currently-reading 3.50 A Perfect Square
author: Isobel Blackthorn
name: Isobel
average rating: 3.50
book published:
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2021/10/08
shelves: currently-reading
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Cabin Sessions (A Dark Thrillogy Book 3)]]> 53501447
Fear stirs when he opens the door on The Cabin’s incense-choked air. Local plumber Philip Stone is already there, brooding.

Meanwhile, Philip’s sister Eva prepares to take a bath. Memories begin to surface concerning one fateful day by the river, and the innocence of her beloved brother.]]> 386 Isobel Blackthorn Isobel 0 currently-reading 4.25 2017 The Cabin Sessions (A Dark Thrillogy Book 3)
author: Isobel Blackthorn
name: Isobel
average rating: 4.25
book published: 2017
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2021/10/08
shelves: currently-reading
review:

]]> Twerk 42268431 265 Isobel Blackthorn Isobel 5 currently-reading 4.06 Twerk
author: Isobel Blackthorn
name: Isobel
average rating: 4.06
book published:
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2021/10/08
shelves: currently-reading
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Ghost Of Villa Winter (Canary Islands Mysteries #4)]]> 56377743
Instead, she discovers a body in a chest and finds herself teamed up with hapless crime writer Richard Parry. What unfolds is an edge of seat mystery brimming with intrigue, as they try to unravel the clues together, and find the killer.

Setting rich with a colorful cast of characters, The Ghost of Villa Winter is a delightfully gripping read with plenty of twists and turns that will appeal to all good mystery lovers.]]> 269 Isobel Blackthorn Isobel 5 currently-reading 3.74 The Ghost Of Villa Winter (Canary Islands Mysteries #4)
author: Isobel Blackthorn
name: Isobel
average rating: 3.74
book published:
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2021/10/08
shelves: currently-reading
review:

]]> <![CDATA[A Prison in the Sun (Canary Islands Mysteries #3)]]> 48895033
Instead, he discovers a rucksack filled with cash. Who does it belong to - and should he hand it in... or keep it?

Struggling to make up his mind, Trevor unravels the harrowing true story of a little-known concentration camp that incarcerated gay men in the 1950s and 60s.]]> 256 Isobel Blackthorn 1700177427 Isobel 5 currently-reading 3.96 A Prison in the Sun (Canary Islands Mysteries #3)
author: Isobel Blackthorn
name: Isobel
average rating: 3.96
book published:
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2021/10/08
shelves: currently-reading
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Legacy Of Old Gran Parks (A Dark Thrillogy Book 1)]]> 53519724
It’s a warm evening in the autumn of 1983 when Miriam Forster rolls into town in her broken down car.
Frankie the deer hunter, is up in the forested hinterland with her gun. Old Pearl the fisherwoman sits on her front deck down by the lagoon with her whisky and her dog. And Emily, the English backpacker, scrubs out the pie-encrusted kitchen at the roadhouse.

All is not well. There’s a hoon doing donuts at the crossroads and screaming down the fire trails in the woods; a suspicious-looking city-slicker with two small children, squatting in Fred’s shack down by the lake; a beanie-headed gaunt guy convalescing at the lighthouse; and an acne festooned creature in the hotel room next to Miriam, thrashing about in the night.

Gran Parks is stirring. Who will survive? Who will get away? Who will stay?
]]> 406 Isobel Blackthorn Isobel 0 currently-reading 3.75 The Legacy Of Old Gran Parks (A Dark Thrillogy Book 1)
author: Isobel Blackthorn
name: Isobel
average rating: 3.75
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2021/10/08
shelves: currently-reading
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Unlikely Occultist: A Biographical Novel of Alice A. Bailey]]> 42946199
Back in 1931, Alice is preparing to give a speech at a Swiss summer school. Soon after, she is put on Hitler's blacklist. What Alice doesn't realize is the enormity of her influence to the world, and the real enemies who are much closer than she thinks.

A dynamic and complex figure, Alice Bailey’s reach was huge. She was influential among people and organizations of global power, including the United Nations. Yet today she is maligned by fundamentalist Christians, Theosophists, Jews, academics and above all, by conspiracy theorists.

Are any of these groups justified in rejecting the unlikely occultist?



“Blackthorn’s exploration of Alice Bailey’s life and work provides a unique and intimate insight into Bailey’s life and the times in which she lived. For anyone seeking to explore the roots of Bailey’s influence on the New Age movement as well as her unsought role as the bête noire of the conspiracy scene, there’s no better place to begin.� - Aaron John Gulyas, associate professor and author ofConspiracy Theories]]> 321 Isobel Blackthorn Isobel 0 currently-reading 4.00 The Unlikely Occultist: A Biographical Novel of Alice A. Bailey
author: Isobel Blackthorn
name: Isobel
average rating: 4.00
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2021/10/08
shelves: currently-reading
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Clarissa's Warning (Canary Islands Mysteries Book 2)]]> 42848228
Bank teller Claire Bennett’s life changes when she wins the lottery, and buys an ancient fixer-upper on the idyllic island of Fuerteventura.

After moving to the island’s sleepy inland village, Claire is confronted with a dark mystery. Her new home, known to the locals as the Casa Baraso, is shrouded in otherworldly superstition.

Her mystic aunt Clarissa has warned her of danger, but Claire pays no heed. Can she uncover the secret of Casa Baraso?



★★★★� - "I highly recommend this book to anyone who loves reading mystery books."

★★★★� -"An entertaining read."

★★★★� - "If you love a good mystery, especially one that takes place in a haunted house and exotic locale, check out Clarissa’s Warning."

★★★★� -"Normally, I don't read anything having to do with the supernatural, but this book pleasantly surprised me. A very entertaining, suspenseful and humorous read."]]> 258 Isobel Blackthorn Isobel 5 currently-reading 3.94 Clarissa's Warning (Canary Islands Mysteries Book 2)
author: Isobel Blackthorn
name: Isobel
average rating: 3.94
book published:
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2021/10/08
shelves: currently-reading
review:

]]> The Drago Tree 53656069
Haunted by demons past and present, geologist Ann Salter seeks sanctuary on the exotic island of Lanzarote. There, she meets charismatic author Richard Parry and indigenous potter Domingo, and together they explore the island.

Ann’s encounters with the island’s hidden treasures becomes a journey deep inside herself, as she struggles to understand who she was, who she is, and who she wants to be.

Set against a panoramic backdrop of dramatic island landscapes and Spanish colonial history, The Drago Tree is an intriguing tale of betrayal, conquest and love.

“This beautifully constructed novel reveals the complexity we invite into our lives when we open our hearts to passion� � Robert Hillman, The Honey Thief]]> 372 Isobel Blackthorn Isobel 0 currently-reading 3.43 2015 The Drago Tree
author: Isobel Blackthorn
name: Isobel
average rating: 3.43
book published: 2015
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2021/10/08
shelves: currently-reading
review:

]]> <![CDATA[A Matter of Latitude (Canary Islands Mysteries Book 1)]]> 43203365 From the acclaimed author of The Drago Tree comes a riveting thriller about survival, revenge and long-hidden secrets.

When Lanzarote anti-corruption activist Celestino is T-boned on a lonely road, he knows the collision was no accident. Wounded and fearing for his life, he hides in an abandoned fishing village, waiting for a chance to make it home.

Meanwhile, his wife Paula is distraught and sets out to look for him. Paula's search for her husband quickly descends into mayhem, danger and intrigue. Before long, she realizes she’s being followed. She needs answers, and fast.

But where is Celestino, and will he ever make it back alive?

"A Matter of Latitude simmers with danger, betrayal and treachery, drawing the reader into the island’s history of shady dealings and uneasy relationships between natives, tourists and expats... Isobel Blackthorn has crafted an atmospheric and setting-rich novel with alluring lyrical style." � Sandi Wallace, award-winning crime fiction author



Praise from

★★★★� - "If you enjoy international stories full of drama and culture, this is definitely one to put on your list."

★★★★� - "The author was brilliant in her descriptions and really brought some scenes alive for me. I would recommend this book to anyone who likes suspense and interesting characters."]]> 291 Isobel Blackthorn Isobel 5 currently-reading 3.43 2018 A Matter of Latitude (Canary Islands Mysteries Book 1)
author: Isobel Blackthorn
name: Isobel
average rating: 3.43
book published: 2018
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2021/10/08
shelves: currently-reading
review:

]]> The Circus Affair 54767742
Melissa is a hopeless romantic, but can she trust the dashing Ringmaster and his secretive ways, or does he have plans of his own?

Sarah's goal is to remain at the circus, whatever the cost. But why?

Lisa, the youngest in the group, is as naive about the job as she is about life. She is looking for romance, but can she tell the difference between lust and true love?

Wendy's only wish is for a quiet life, but will her disturbing past catch up with her?

Finding themselves outsiders in a Latin American world of female rivalry, magic tricks and murder, they walk a thin tightrope of discovery and learn how to live the nomadic life of circus performers.Amid the trapeze, treachery, and torrid affairs that constitute life in the sawdust strewn ring, a crime has been committed. Can the girls solve it in time and make it out alive?

If you've ever dreamed of running away with the circus, or are wondering what happens behind the scenes, this book is for you. Find out what really goes on when the curtains close, and what true circus life is all about.]]> 264 Michele E. Northwood Isobel 5
Lisa’s the newbie, naive and starry-eyed. Melissa and Sarah are old hands, having been on the road for a decade. Melissa is after true love. Will she find what she’s hoping for? Wendy couldn’t care less. She’s escaping a bad marriage.

Wendy sets up the plot when she decides the best way to deal with the cramped conditions of their caravan is if they each - except her - found a boyfriend, one with better accommodation. Meanwhile, things in the circus are not at all rosy. The local dancers resent the British troupe. The circus owner is a sleaze and his wife is openly hostile. How will the dancers survive a whole six months?

The story is colourful and entertaining, and filled with Latin passion and romance and excitement. And as the story progresses, also danger. The Circus Affair ends on a positive note, and I liked the way the author wrapped up the story. A perfect, feel-good read.]]> 4.11 The Circus Affair
author: Michele E. Northwood
name: Isobel
average rating: 4.11
book published:
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2021/10/07
shelves:
review:
Having read the memoirs by this author, I entered the world of The Circus Affair with much curiosity. Authors often or perhaps always cannibalise their own lives, and why ever not when there’s rich pickings. In the case of Michele E. Northwood, the pickings are rich indeed. And spicy! This time, Northwood gives us her fiction and we’re off to Brazil to join the circus! What could possibly go wrong? Well, possibly everything. Especially as the dance troupe all have different backgrounds and don’t entirely get along. And the set up is anything but glamorous.

Lisa’s the newbie, naive and starry-eyed. Melissa and Sarah are old hands, having been on the road for a decade. Melissa is after true love. Will she find what she’s hoping for? Wendy couldn’t care less. She’s escaping a bad marriage.

Wendy sets up the plot when she decides the best way to deal with the cramped conditions of their caravan is if they each - except her - found a boyfriend, one with better accommodation. Meanwhile, things in the circus are not at all rosy. The local dancers resent the British troupe. The circus owner is a sleaze and his wife is openly hostile. How will the dancers survive a whole six months?

The story is colourful and entertaining, and filled with Latin passion and romance and excitement. And as the story progresses, also danger. The Circus Affair ends on a positive note, and I liked the way the author wrapped up the story. A perfect, feel-good read.
]]> <![CDATA[The Crossing (The Chronicles Of Micki O'Sullivan #1)]]> 49674712
Trusting the wrong friends, Micki encounters a vampire, and her life begins to spiral out of control. Somewhere between, she finds love and friendship: her BFF, Candy, and the rebellious half-vampire biker Valentine, who are willing to risk their own life to help Micki prevent the inevitable future - The Crossing.

With time ticking away, can they pull off the impossible and destroy the most malevolent and primordial vampire of all time?]]> 342 Jo Wilde Isobel 5
The author has a pleasing style, good descriptive skills and builds the atmosphere. The protagonist is well-developed and real with all of her foibles. And her friend Candy is great! There’s romance, humour, a great set of weird and wonderful characters, and an evil vampire to fight off. Good ending, too. Recommended.]]> 4.19 2019 The Crossing (The Chronicles Of Micki O'Sullivan #1)
author: Jo Wilde
name: Isobel
average rating: 4.19
book published: 2019
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2021/10/05
shelves:
review:
I should say upfront that I almost never read young adult books and have no appetite for vampires, but Jo Wilde’s offering caught my eye and it never hurts to dump your prejudices now and then. The Crossing is a good read. The story takes a little while to get going as the main character Micki brings the reader up to date on her family situation - there’s a need for the set-up; placed anywhere else and it would drag on the pace - but once that brake is off, what evolves is a gripping thriller. Micki is an outsider, too pretty to have girlfriends, but when she moves in with her dad and attends a new school, things turn out to be very different from her old life back in New York.

The author has a pleasing style, good descriptive skills and builds the atmosphere. The protagonist is well-developed and real with all of her foibles. And her friend Candy is great! There’s romance, humour, a great set of weird and wonderful characters, and an evil vampire to fight off. Good ending, too. Recommended.
]]> <![CDATA[Road Kill: The Duchess of Frisian Tun (DaDa Detective Agency, #1)]]> 54870437
But what were the circumstances that contributed to this violent clash involving a Sherman tank and a bazooka? The strange occurrence is Investigated by Lord Everard Pimple, a naive, upper class twit who not only inadvertently opens a can of worms, but has an introduction into the world of womanly wiles.

Everard's life is about to blow up like an atom bomb... he just doesn't know it yet. But after the dust settles, will he still be standing?]]> 340 Pete Adams Isobel 5
The DaDa series follows on from the five books of Kind Hearts and Martinets, drawing on the main characters, former detectives Jack Austin and his wife Amanda, now running a detective agency, and a cohort of bumbling baddies who get their just desserts somewhere between the prologue and the first chapter. But who did it?

Enough said on that point!

I enjoyed the introjections of the narrator, which forms a witty meta-narrative, filling the reader in on backstory and making some astute and often funny observations. And I loved the way the story unfolds because of and in spite of the foibles and ineptitudes of those involved.

It’s obvious that Adams thoroughly enjoys creating his larger-than-life characters as he does telling a tale. And his readers cannot help but enjoy his colourful cast with names like Everard Pimple and Lord Teapot and all of their absurd goings on. Adams has veered further into the cosy mystery genre with this new series, although his sleuths are anything but amateur. Adams offers a refreshing read for those after something a bit different.]]> 4.32 Road Kill: The Duchess of Frisian Tun (DaDa Detective Agency, #1)
author: Pete Adams
name: Isobel
average rating: 4.32
book published:
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2021/10/04
shelves:
review:
Pete Adams has a definite style. Sometimes he tones it down a bit, but it’s always there. It’s a highly comedic amped-up old-school Londoner vibe filled with expressions and malapropisms and terms of endearment. And a punchy beat. In he DaDa Detective Agency the dial is turned up. From the get go in Road Kill, I felt I needed to hitch up my skirts and run along with the narrative, spluttering with laughter and gasping for breath as I kept up.

The DaDa series follows on from the five books of Kind Hearts and Martinets, drawing on the main characters, former detectives Jack Austin and his wife Amanda, now running a detective agency, and a cohort of bumbling baddies who get their just desserts somewhere between the prologue and the first chapter. But who did it?

Enough said on that point!

I enjoyed the introjections of the narrator, which forms a witty meta-narrative, filling the reader in on backstory and making some astute and often funny observations. And I loved the way the story unfolds because of and in spite of the foibles and ineptitudes of those involved.

It’s obvious that Adams thoroughly enjoys creating his larger-than-life characters as he does telling a tale. And his readers cannot help but enjoy his colourful cast with names like Everard Pimple and Lord Teapot and all of their absurd goings on. Adams has veered further into the cosy mystery genre with this new series, although his sleuths are anything but amateur. Adams offers a refreshing read for those after something a bit different.
]]> <![CDATA[Dead No More (Rhubarb Papers #1)]]> 57169777 296 Pete Adams 1034490842 Isobel 5
One of the things that makes this book special is Adams� portrayal of the consequences of brain damage and facial scarring, the results of blunt force trauma, consequences often cruel. The author gets right inside the difficulties and coping mechanisms with sensitivity and insight.]]> 4.50 Dead No More (Rhubarb Papers #1)
author: Pete Adams
name: Isobel
average rating: 4.50
book published:
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2021/10/01
shelves:
review:
Dead No More: Rhubarb In The Mammon (Rhubarb Papers Book 1) opens with an intriguing letter from Juliet to her Gerdad (granddad), a letter filled with remorse, followed by a short observation from Gerdad, Kerr Nakka, and his ‘suitcase of hurt�. From there, the set up unfolds for a while in short, sharp chapters, the economy - no padding - making for a ‘straight into the deep end� full immersion experience for the reader. But from there, as Adams� introduces some of his delightfully eccentric characters - Juliet’s great aunt Lisa and grandfather Nakka - he soon slows the pace with luscious descriptions and witty and observant reflections, setting the mood for what turns out to be a thoroughly entertaining read.

One of the things that makes this book special is Adams� portrayal of the consequences of brain damage and facial scarring, the results of blunt force trauma, consequences often cruel. The author gets right inside the difficulties and coping mechanisms with sensitivity and insight.
]]> <![CDATA[Criminals: A Martial Arts Thriller (Razor Book 3)]]> 54380605
Gangsters raided his domain. Professional mercenaries murdered his allies in the Dragon Family, and kidnapped his woman’s parents.

His team barely survived, but the battle with the Tiger Society has just begun. And now, the authorities are also involved.

Razor’s ingenuity and his team's rare abilities are hard pressed in a war of wits, tech, and physical mayhem, as the final confrontation draws near.]]> 206 Henry Roi Isobel 5 to-read
I love all the fine details especially when it comes to boxing. And I love the way Roi writes: “Boxing is an unlikely joining of raw power and artistic precision. Of naked fear and unrestrained courage.� - which sums up this book and this series perfectly. And there’s a really great ending to the series, too, that I didn’t see coming. Highly recommended. Start from Book 1.]]> 4.50 2020 Criminals: A Martial Arts Thriller (Razor Book 3)
author: Henry Roi
name: Isobel
average rating: 4.50
book published: 2020
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2021/09/29
shelves: to-read
review:
Criminals (Razor Book 3) opens with Roi’s usual flare, sparse style and casual wit. The story follows on from the previous instalment, and unless you’ve read it, you’d likely get a bit lost, but not for long. The action draws you in and there’s plenty of it. Roi manages to plant a strong image of all the characters with the fewest words. After all, we’ve met these types before, seen then on TV, on Netflix, gritty badasses up to no good, out for vengeance, yet also, somehow, loveable. And they tell us who they are through what they say. The narrator, Razor, is especially well-developed. Roi gets his introspection just right.

I love all the fine details especially when it comes to boxing. And I love the way Roi writes: “Boxing is an unlikely joining of raw power and artistic precision. Of naked fear and unrestrained courage.� - which sums up this book and this series perfectly. And there’s a really great ending to the series, too, that I didn’t see coming. Highly recommended. Start from Book 1.
]]> <![CDATA[Ronin Cleans His Room Like a Ninja]]> 58990690
His Uncle Max is cool, so Ronin was comfortable talking about ninja stuff with him. While Ronin's parents are away on vacation, Uncle Max shows him what it takes to become a ninja. Combining play with a lesson in discipline, the story and illustrations show kids a different way to think about cleaning their room.]]> 50 Chris Roy Isobel 5 4.50 2021 Ronin Cleans His Room Like a Ninja
author: Chris Roy
name: Isobel
average rating: 4.50
book published: 2021
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2021/09/20
shelves:
review:
I really enjoyed this picture book. Ronin is your typical kid who won't clean their room and hates being told what to do. Then along comes wise old Uncle Max. The narrative was pitched just right and goes really well with the illustrations. A terrific feel-good tale with a great message. Perfect for young boys.
]]> <![CDATA[Playing in the Rain (Escape, #1)]]> 45323207
As the days slip by, April realizes there is more to life than existing when she is introduced to an occupant who does just that—her sister. The more she learns about her environment the more she wants to escape.

Will April remember her past, her sister? Will she have the courage to leave? And if she does, where will she go?

Experience through April’s eyes her struggle to remember and her determination to escape in this sci-fi, post-apocalyptic, suspense story.]]> 455 Sandra J. Jackson 1980529353 Isobel 5
The language is economical and action-driven. The plot unravels slowly in carefully measured steps. The mood is intense and that intensity is unrelenting. The use of deep point of view works really well and is sustained throughout. I don’t generally read post-apocalyptic or sci-fi, but I found that it was very hard to stop reading this book.]]> 3.75 2017 Playing in the Rain (Escape, #1)
author: Sandra J. Jackson
name: Isobel
average rating: 3.75
book published: 2017
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2021/08/30
shelves:
review:
I really enjoyed Playing in the Rain (Escape Series Book 1) by Sandra J. Jackson. The story draws you right in, the mundane routine of waking up and eating breakfast and brushing teeth has a surreal vibe. The character - April - has no idea who she is and neither does the reader unless they read the cover blurb. But her awareness is returning. Her senses come back. She becomes responsive. And she starts to think through her situation. Question where she is and why she’s there. What she does know is there’s danger - although isn’t sure what that danger is, at first - and she’s trapped.

The language is economical and action-driven. The plot unravels slowly in carefully measured steps. The mood is intense and that intensity is unrelenting. The use of deep point of view works really well and is sustained throughout. I don’t generally read post-apocalyptic or sci-fi, but I found that it was very hard to stop reading this book.
]]> The Devil's Road To Kathmandu 58167601
After a drug deal goes wrong, the boys barely escape with their lives. Thousands of kilometers, numerous acid trips, accidents, nightclubs and a pair of beautiful Siamese twins later, they finally reach the counter-culture capital of the world, Kathmandu, and Fred disappears with the drug money.

A quarter-century later, mysterious emails invite the other three to pick up their share of the money, and they decide to reunite in Kathmandu. Soon, a trail of kidnapping and murder leads them across the Roof of the World.

With the help of Dan’s backpacking son, a tattooed lady and a Buddhist angel, the ageing hippies try to solve a 25-year old mystery that takes them amongst Himalayan peaks, and towards the inevitable showdown with their past.]]> 314 Tom Vater Isobel 5
Before long, The Devil’s Road to Kathmandu jumps to Nepal and the year 2000, when Dan’s son Robbie takes up the story for a while before it’s back to 1975 and the Bedford Bus. The juxtaposition of the two storylines provides interesting insights into twenty-five years of tourism-driven development, the types of people it attracts and the corruption that goes with it. Vater conjures a strong sense of place with his evocative descriptions that could only have been composed from intimate knowledge. Deliciously exotic, The Devil’s Road to Kathmandu offers a window on a region splayed to the tourist dollar.]]> 3.70 2006 The Devil's Road To Kathmandu
author: Tom Vater
name: Isobel
average rating: 3.70
book published: 2006
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2021/08/28
shelves:
review:
The Devil’s Road to Kathmandu is as much an atmospheric and absorbing read as it is fast-paced entertainment. It’s 1975, and four young men in an old Bedford van pull up in the Hindu Kush on the Peshawar-Kabul road to follow through on a drug deal. They’re feckless, naive and stupidly trusting. Their first encounter with the earthy hardened meanness of a local dealer doesn’t deter them. What could go wrong? Everything. You’d be forgiven for thinking of Cheech and Chong when reading these parts of the narrative.

Before long, The Devil’s Road to Kathmandu jumps to Nepal and the year 2000, when Dan’s son Robbie takes up the story for a while before it’s back to 1975 and the Bedford Bus. The juxtaposition of the two storylines provides interesting insights into twenty-five years of tourism-driven development, the types of people it attracts and the corruption that goes with it. Vater conjures a strong sense of place with his evocative descriptions that could only have been composed from intimate knowledge. Deliciously exotic, The Devil’s Road to Kathmandu offers a window on a region splayed to the tourist dollar.
]]> <![CDATA[The Fireraisers (Detective Watters Mysteries Book 1)]]> 44592652 Dundee, Scotland, 1862. After the mill of businessman Matthew Beaumont burns to the ground, Detective Sergeant George Watters is sent to investigate.

Soon, George discovers that this is not the first property that has been targeted. When a man is found dead in the hold of a trade ship, George discovers a shocking connection between Beaumont and foreign powers threatening the very country.

George tries to get to the bottom of the mystery, but clues are few and far between. What connects the enigmatic Beaumont to the murder and strange events taking place in the Dundee shipyard?

]]> 320 Malcolm Archibald Isobel 5 4.16 The Fireraisers (Detective Watters Mysteries Book 1)
author: Malcolm Archibald
name: Isobel
average rating: 4.16
book published:
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2021/08/24
shelves:
review:
The Fireraisers (Detective Watters Mysteries Book 1) opens in Dundee in 1862. An upbeat, punchy and well-written police procedural, The Fireraisers opens with a small fire at the cotton mill followed closely by a murder on the Lady of Blackness. The sleuth Sergeant Watters is an authoritative character, commanding and tenacious. And then there’s his passion for golf. Watters and his team are taken on a wild ride full of surprises and there’s a satisfying twist at the end. Archibald knows his town and his history. Packed with intrigue and tied to the history of the American Civil War, the cotton trade from America’s South, and the involvement of the Union’s secret service. A highly entertaining page turner.
]]> The Ash Museum 56403599 Through ten decades and across three continents, The Ash Museum is an intergenerational story of loss, migration and the search for somewhere to feel at home.

1944 The Battle of Kohima. James Ash dies leaving behind two families: his ‘wife� Josmi and two children, Jay and Molly, and his parents and sister in England who know nothing about his Indian family.

2012 Emmie is raising her own daughter, Jasmine, in a world she wants to be very different from the racist England of her childhood. Her father, Jay, doesn’t even have a photograph of the mother he lost and still refuses to discuss his life in India. Emmie finds comfort in the local museum � a treasure trove of another family’s stories and artefacts.

Little does Emmie know that with each generation, her own story holds secrets and fascinations that she could only dream of.]]> 339 Rebecca Smith 1789559022 Isobel 4
Jay was an orphan born to Indian parents in World War Two, reared by an English family and then packed off to boarding school. He has no recollection of his birth parents and no interest in revisiting his past. He is more concerned with dealing with the everyday matters he is faced with. The narrative is soon taken up by his daughter Emmie as she longs to find out the truth about her paternal grandparents. Her quest is diverted when she makes some fascinating discoveries in the local museum.

From there the story is taken up by various characters and flits about through time; numerous short chapters are interspersed with letters, lists and newspaper cuttings in what amounts to a pot-pourri of engaging vignettes. And as the story unfolds, the chapters themselves relate to artefacts in the fictitious Ash Museum. A clever device, and one that works well in the context. The result is an entertaining and fascinating read.

I found the story of Jay the most compelling of the storylines as it is here that we get a partial view of British India in the 1930s. The Ash Museum is infused with a sense of place that tends to sit more in the background as the author is more concerned with social history, yet the atmosphere of India is inescapable. Smith has a knack for getting inside the thoughts, emotions and quirks of the casual and the every day. It is in this respect that The Ash Museum shines.

The Ash Museum is an endearing coming-of age-tale, and the simplicity of the writing lends the novel a definite YA feel. Suitable for adult readers who enjoy a light and easy read. (Reviewed for Trip Fiction and the Legend Press Book Tour)]]> 3.83 The Ash Museum
author: Rebecca Smith
name: Isobel
average rating: 3.83
book published:
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2021/05/27
shelves:
review:
Beautifully conceived and plainly told in a soft and gentle style, The Ash Museum tells the story of nine-year-old Emmie’s quest to discover what happened to her father and his birth parents in India. The opening chapters are set in the 1970s somewhere in Sussex, and depict the casual prejudices and embarrassing ignorance of the times with gentle irony as young Emmie’s father Jay Ash is roped into helping organise the local fête.

Jay was an orphan born to Indian parents in World War Two, reared by an English family and then packed off to boarding school. He has no recollection of his birth parents and no interest in revisiting his past. He is more concerned with dealing with the everyday matters he is faced with. The narrative is soon taken up by his daughter Emmie as she longs to find out the truth about her paternal grandparents. Her quest is diverted when she makes some fascinating discoveries in the local museum.

From there the story is taken up by various characters and flits about through time; numerous short chapters are interspersed with letters, lists and newspaper cuttings in what amounts to a pot-pourri of engaging vignettes. And as the story unfolds, the chapters themselves relate to artefacts in the fictitious Ash Museum. A clever device, and one that works well in the context. The result is an entertaining and fascinating read.

I found the story of Jay the most compelling of the storylines as it is here that we get a partial view of British India in the 1930s. The Ash Museum is infused with a sense of place that tends to sit more in the background as the author is more concerned with social history, yet the atmosphere of India is inescapable. Smith has a knack for getting inside the thoughts, emotions and quirks of the casual and the every day. It is in this respect that The Ash Museum shines.

The Ash Museum is an endearing coming-of age-tale, and the simplicity of the writing lends the novel a definite YA feel. Suitable for adult readers who enjoy a light and easy read. (Reviewed for Trip Fiction and the Legend Press Book Tour)
]]> <![CDATA[The Kalis Experiments (Tides, #1)]]> 52734532 Syrina is a Kalis: a master of disguise, assassin, and spy. Her kind has served the High Merchants' Syndicate for a thousand generations.

She receives a surprising gift from her master, and she realizes something isn't right. The High Merchants don't do anything without a reason.

When things don't add up in an otherwise normal investigation,she follows the trail to the steam-powered city of Fom. There, she learns of a machine that could end civilization a second time.

Will Syrina stave off disaster, or seek revenge?

]]> 430 R.A. Fisher Isobel 5
It’s always a delight to encounter something highly engaging and readable in the fantasy genre, a plot that grabs you from the first with good prose, well-crafted and memorable characters, and terrific world building. Mastery over action scenes is a must in this sort of novel and Fisher demonstrates the necessary finesse.

To my mind The Kalis Experiments is The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo meets a futuristic Game of Thrones. For fantasy and steam punk fans alike and not to be missed.]]> 3.82 The Kalis Experiments (Tides, #1)
author: R.A. Fisher
name: Isobel
average rating: 3.82
book published:
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2021/05/12
shelves:
review:
The Kalis Experiments (Tides Book 1) is an atmospheric read, moody, dark, intriguing and packed with evocative descriptions. There’s a gritty noir/steam punk vibe which I find appealing in a fantasy novel. It’s the sort of vibe found in good science fiction, too. And there’s a definite Nordic flavour which adds colour to the mix. Add in a strong female lead and this novel, and series, is off to a kicking start.

It’s always a delight to encounter something highly engaging and readable in the fantasy genre, a plot that grabs you from the first with good prose, well-crafted and memorable characters, and terrific world building. Mastery over action scenes is a must in this sort of novel and Fisher demonstrates the necessary finesse.

To my mind The Kalis Experiments is The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo meets a futuristic Game of Thrones. For fantasy and steam punk fans alike and not to be missed.
]]> Noel (Mallery & Hobbs #2) 53505899 Emotions run deep and it seems that every suspect is hiding their own secret, causing the team to get more and more confused at every turn. With a second death and a centuries old mystery, can Mallery and Hobbs fit together the pieces of the puzzle?]]> 233 A.J. Griffiths-Jones Isobel 5
Meanwhile English-expatriate detective Jack Hobbs deals with a domestic, and his boss Inspector Max Mallery enjoys a night with his lover, the commissioner’s wife. But that’s a side issue. When the domestic turns out to be the jealous wife of the man who drove the stranger to the door of the monastery, the plot set-up for a great mystery is laid out.

The two plot lines progress in parallel and slowly converge after Hobbs and Mallery visit the hitchhiker. The author makes full use of the monastery setting in what is a delightful and intriguing read packed with unexpected twists and turns and a satisfying helping of French pastries. ]]> 4.58 2020 Noel (Mallery & Hobbs #2)
author: A.J. Griffiths-Jones
name: Isobel
average rating: 4.58
book published: 2020
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2021/05/09
shelves:
review:
Noel, Mallery & Hobbs Murder Case Book 2, opens with a haunting scene of a stranger, a young Dutch backpacker, arriving at an old monastery in France on a cold and rainy night. Griffiths-Jones knows how to build an atmosphere from the get-go, the reader drawn into the mystery with much anticipation. Nothing can be more tempting for the mystery lover than these elements. Abbot Arnaud is harbouring a dark secret.

Meanwhile English-expatriate detective Jack Hobbs deals with a domestic, and his boss Inspector Max Mallery enjoys a night with his lover, the commissioner’s wife. But that’s a side issue. When the domestic turns out to be the jealous wife of the man who drove the stranger to the door of the monastery, the plot set-up for a great mystery is laid out.

The two plot lines progress in parallel and slowly converge after Hobbs and Mallery visit the hitchhiker. The author makes full use of the monastery setting in what is a delightful and intriguing read packed with unexpected twists and turns and a satisfying helping of French pastries.
]]> <![CDATA[A Rainforest Adventure (Jasper - Amazon Parrot Book 1)]]> 50022920 Jasper is no ordinary parrot. He lives in the rainforest, which secrets he’s eager to explore. Jasper loves his home and his family, and he's also in charge of his younger brother Willie - a responsibility Jasper takes very seriously.

When he meets Charlie - a spider monkey with a penchant for food and a laid back attitude - he realizes he’s in for an adventure he never thought possible. Even if this means getting into danger and worrying his mother to no end.

Exploring the boundaries of the forest, Jasper understands that there is more to the world around him. Who are the strange new creatures that have come there? With Willie and Charlie by his side, he will soon find out.

]]> 56 Sharon C. Williams Isobel 5
Sharon Williams has penned a story perfect for story time with Mum or Dad or Teacher. A Rainforest Adventure is also terrific for early readers after a story they can relate to. ]]> 4.40 2013 A Rainforest Adventure (Jasper - Amazon Parrot Book 1)
author: Sharon C. Williams
name: Isobel
average rating: 4.40
book published: 2013
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2021/05/06
shelves:
review:
A Rainforest Adventure is a delightful tale narrated by Jasper, a Yellow Cheek Amazonian parrot.The personification is endearing. From being hatched, attempting to fly, how to be a good sibling, keeping out of danger, and discovering the world around him, as Jasper has his adventures, there’s a moral backdrop, there for the adult reader to use to get children talking and thinking.

Sharon Williams has penned a story perfect for story time with Mum or Dad or Teacher. A Rainforest Adventure is also terrific for early readers after a story they can relate to.
]]> Ring Fenced 27973010
He is Bennie, a loving husband and father; Benjie, a beloved son. He climbs the ladder as Ben, a corporate banker, and rakes in money as a bestselling author. And when he wants to escape it all, Benjamin styles himself as Jamie � the lover of a beautiful musician. His life, in a word, is perfect.

But after years of keeping his separate personae a secret, cracks begin to appear in the façade. When an unexpected series of events topples Benjamin’s carefully crafted world, his separate lives collide with dire consequences.]]> 219 Zach Abrams Isobel 5 3.71 2011 Ring Fenced
author: Zach Abrams
name: Isobel
average rating: 3.71
book published: 2011
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2021/04/20
shelves:
review:
Ring Fenced is one of those intense, hard to put down novels and it’s always a thrill to come across original and complex storylines. Meet narcissistic protagonist Benjamin Short aka Benjie, Ben, Bennie, Jamie, who inhabits his five compartmentalised lives, boasting three careers, a marriage, children and an affair. He has his various selves balanced and in a sort of precarious harmony of his own making until things all start to unravel and his various lives collide. A good taut plot, punchy writing and great characterisation make for a satisfying read.
]]> <![CDATA[Ghost and Ragman Roll (Kind Hearts and Martinets #4)]]> 35603714
DCI Jack Austin is trying to enjoy his honeymoon with Detective Superintendent Amanda Bruce. But it soon becomes a busman's holiday (or the crime busting equivalent) with news of a turf war in Portsmouth, a missing obese gangster who turns up skinny, and the seemingly unconnected murder of a banker in Paris.

When an ambitious new detective arrives on Jack's patch and starts making waves, he knows the time has come to get back to Southsea and protect not just his rather tarnished reputation, but those who truly matter to him.

Ghost and Ragman Roll is another criminally funny romp with the world's greatest - or is that worst? - police detective, DCI Jack (Jane) Austin.]]> 275 Pete Adams Isobel 5
I appreciate the careful handling of Austin’s PTSD, and the shifting of perspective between him and Mandy allowing for a more nuanced portrayal of the man and his mental health.

This series goes from strength to strength. Adams has a penchant for showcasing the politics and social issues of the day and juxtaposes the gravitas with whacky mayhem and buffoonery. The banter amongst the officers is relentless and highly entertaining. Yet it is the solving of the case that matters in any crime series and all the suspense that comes with both, and Adams handles the balance with aplomb.

Adams has a unique voice in the genre and provides his readers with refreshingly upbeat and innovative tales. Highly recommended.]]> 4.83 Ghost and Ragman Roll (Kind Hearts and Martinets #4)
author: Pete Adams
name: Isobel
average rating: 4.83
book published:
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2021/04/15
shelves:
review:
Ghost and Ragman Roll is the fourth in the Kind Hearts and Martinets Series and this time our sleuth DCI Jack Austin and Superintendent Amanda Bruce are on their honeymoon when he is called back to Portsmouth to deal with a disappearance and a murder. What unfolds kept me by turns drawn into the humour and intimacy, and on the edge of my seat in this impossibly addictive tale.

I appreciate the careful handling of Austin’s PTSD, and the shifting of perspective between him and Mandy allowing for a more nuanced portrayal of the man and his mental health.

This series goes from strength to strength. Adams has a penchant for showcasing the politics and social issues of the day and juxtaposes the gravitas with whacky mayhem and buffoonery. The banter amongst the officers is relentless and highly entertaining. Yet it is the solving of the case that matters in any crime series and all the suspense that comes with both, and Adams handles the balance with aplomb.

Adams has a unique voice in the genre and provides his readers with refreshingly upbeat and innovative tales. Highly recommended.
]]> <![CDATA[A Study In Red: The Secret Journal Of Jack The Ripper (The Study In Red Trilogy Book 1)]]> 55283510 330 Brian L. Porter Isobel 5
What unfolds as Robert reads through the papers that had been passed down through the generations is an edge-of-seat psychological thriller. Porter lays bare in vivid and gory detail the heinous murders, and the bloodlust and the madness that lay behind them. It is clear that Porter has dug deep in researching his themes and he doesn’t hold back in the telling. A Study in Red will chill you to your bones. ]]> 3.81 2008 A Study In Red: The Secret Journal Of Jack The Ripper (The Study In Red Trilogy Book 1)
author: Brian L. Porter
name: Isobel
average rating: 3.81
book published: 2008
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2021/04/06
shelves:
review:
There are numerous books, both fiction and non fiction, that explore Jack the Ripper, a serial killer who committed a string of murders of prostitutes in the London suburb of Whitechapel in the late 1800s. The murky streets, the depravity, the underbelly of Victorian England are the stuff of thrillers and contribute to Ripper mythology as much as the question mark over the identity of the killer. Following in this vein, A Study in Red opens with a sinister, almost poetic journal entry composed by Jack the Ripper, followed by a letter from the ripper to his nephew. The stage is set, the reader made aware they are in for a confronting ride. From there, the story is told in first person from the point of view of the supposed Ripper’s great-grandson Robert, a psychiatrist who inherited them from his father.

What unfolds as Robert reads through the papers that had been passed down through the generations is an edge-of-seat psychological thriller. Porter lays bare in vivid and gory detail the heinous murders, and the bloodlust and the madness that lay behind them. It is clear that Porter has dug deep in researching his themes and he doesn’t hold back in the telling. A Study in Red will chill you to your bones.
]]> Time Tells All 44178110 But life in the new colony is dogged by the same dramas that hounded William in Van Diemen’s Land. A new start is not as easy as it seemed.

Making the heartbreaking decision to have her husband admitted to the insane asylum, Margaret Blay finds a way to feed her children and pay the rent. But at what cost?
Can William Blay’s children move on from the stain of their father’s insanity, and succeed where he failed?]]> 263 Janeen Ann O'Connell Isobel 5
The narrative skips quickly to his wife Margaret Blay nee Tedder in charge of their three daughters Sarah, Maggie and Caroline. The shift of point of view marks an important contrast to William’s storytelling. Although William opens the storytelling, it is the women who dominate the narrative. Which is, to my mind, what makes this series so compelling.

We soon meet Margaret’s mother Catherine, about to re-unite with her husband and William’s older brother James Blay Jr, now a shoemaker living in South Australia, and the antagonist of Book 2. And then on to Catherine’s younger sister Betsy, en route to Port Phillip while Catherine’s other daughter Sadie back in New Norfolk learns the news of her mother Catherine’s relocation. Betsy is justifiably worried for Catherine’s welfare. Anyone following this series will know James Blay Jr is a tyrant. Although in this book, it isn’t James we worry about. It’s William.

As the two Blay families settle into life in Port Phillip, Catherine returns to Hobart Town without her husband James to start again. Her daughter Susanna takes after her father and proves difficult.

The stage is set for a heartrending drama. O’Connell focusses on domestic life and how the conditions of the times affected women and the children they reared. The struggles these families faced all the way through to the Great Depression are unrelenting.

What impresses me is the deep passion and connectedness to family permeating this narrative. I can’t help identifying with the hardship experienced by the women telling their story, the story of the early colonisation of Australia. Which was a harsh, at times brutal life, one that was very much a male-dominated reality. What also impresses me is the amount of research that has gone into this imaginative re-telling. Highly recommended. ]]> 3.57 Time Tells All
author: Janeen Ann O'Connell
name: Isobel
average rating: 3.57
book published:
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2021/04/03
shelves:
review:
Time Tells All is Book 3 in the Cullen - Bartlett Dynasty, and opens in 1839 on the eve of economic depression and in the midst of drought, with a very downhearted William Blay missing all of his relatives who had either passed away or moved interstate.

The narrative skips quickly to his wife Margaret Blay nee Tedder in charge of their three daughters Sarah, Maggie and Caroline. The shift of point of view marks an important contrast to William’s storytelling. Although William opens the storytelling, it is the women who dominate the narrative. Which is, to my mind, what makes this series so compelling.

We soon meet Margaret’s mother Catherine, about to re-unite with her husband and William’s older brother James Blay Jr, now a shoemaker living in South Australia, and the antagonist of Book 2. And then on to Catherine’s younger sister Betsy, en route to Port Phillip while Catherine’s other daughter Sadie back in New Norfolk learns the news of her mother Catherine’s relocation. Betsy is justifiably worried for Catherine’s welfare. Anyone following this series will know James Blay Jr is a tyrant. Although in this book, it isn’t James we worry about. It’s William.

As the two Blay families settle into life in Port Phillip, Catherine returns to Hobart Town without her husband James to start again. Her daughter Susanna takes after her father and proves difficult.

The stage is set for a heartrending drama. O’Connell focusses on domestic life and how the conditions of the times affected women and the children they reared. The struggles these families faced all the way through to the Great Depression are unrelenting.

What impresses me is the deep passion and connectedness to family permeating this narrative. I can’t help identifying with the hardship experienced by the women telling their story, the story of the early colonisation of Australia. Which was a harsh, at times brutal life, one that was very much a male-dominated reality. What also impresses me is the amount of research that has gone into this imaginative re-telling. Highly recommended.
]]> <![CDATA[A Long Ride: A Martial Arts Thriller (Razor Book 2)]]> 50646597
Their message was heard loud and clear by the man at the top of the Tiger Society. The street gangs stopped extorting local businesses... and went after Razor with full force.

But now, his team of extraordinary talents, tested like a sword in a forge, goes after them.

“The key to a satisfying life is to do things full of risk. Things the opposite of comfortable. Things just flat out bad.� - Razor]]> 158 Henry Roi Isobel 5 4.50 A Long Ride: A Martial Arts Thriller (Razor Book 2)
author: Henry Roi
name: Isobel
average rating: 4.50
book published:
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2021/03/18
shelves:
review:
A Long Ride is a short read, raw as I’ve come to expect from this author, and I enjoy the economy of style, the grit. The catch-up from Razor I is slick, no fuss. Sharp editing, an attention for detail, build the perfect thriller atmosphere. Filled with earthy barbs and bucket loads of action, along with an impressive storehouse of knowledge when it comes to fitness, boxing and fast cars and motorbikes, this is a thoroughly entertaining read. The women in this tale are tough, dominant, pull no punches. I’m looking ahead to the third in this series knowing I won’t be disappointed.
]]> Crocodile Tears 55282322 248 Mercedes Rosende 1913394433 Isobel 5
There is no greater joy for the booklover than sinking fast into the story-world of a commanding narrator. Rosende uses language simply and with finesse, providing a terse, steady beat that is instantly engaging. Delivered with microscopic intensity, Rosende treads a fine line between exaggeration, labouring a point and making an impact, and succeeds.
There’s an earthiness in the narrative, immediate, apparent in the first paragraphs and especially vivid in an early chapter in which protagonist Ursula López steals food from the fridge of her childhood home.

To begin with, the men own the stage, the spotlight on delinquent prisoner Diego and murderous psychopath Ricardo Prieto or the Hobo. As the plot unravels, it is Ursula López who moves to stage centre. She really starts to blossom about halfway into the story and it is then that this thriller becomes very, very compelling.

In Crocodile Tears, acid irony is delivered in measured steps. It helps to be aware of the hypocrisy among some Hispanic Catholic churchgoers, as exemplified in lawyer Antinucci’s absurd conscienceless devotion, suggestive perhaps of the collusion of religion and the state that has long been central to the history of Hispanic nations.

Some may find the self-conscious aspects of the narration distracting, bouncing the reader out of the story a little, but this technique does lend a necessary note of irony and comedy. The technique works, I think, because this additional perspective, one of intelligent omniscience, offers additional insight and judgement and holds a position between the reader and the characters. Above all, the cast of characters that are so intensely under the spotlight are sharply defined and comically depicted with their absurd irrational anxieties. Little wonder Crocodile Tears has been likened to Fargo.

The ending leaves much to the imagination and won’t satisfy those who want their shoe laces tied for them, twice, but I rather liked the denouement; it was economical and suggestive. And when you get to the end, it’s worth reflecting on the novel’s title.

There is no glossy travel brochure here. The sense of place Rosende provides is as much psychological as geographical. And the author pulls no punches when it comes to describing what you won’t find in a travel brochure. In all, Crocodile Tears is a terrific addition to the stable of top-notch thrillers worldwide. Anyone addicted to La Casa de Papel (Money Heist) will especially love this book. A highly entertaining read. (reviewed for Trip Fiction)
]]> 3.47 2016 Crocodile Tears
author: Mercedes Rosende
name: Isobel
average rating: 3.47
book published: 2016
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2021/03/17
shelves:
review:
I read an article recently that presented Uruguay as a terrific South American nation that has come a long way since its colonial days under Portuguese rule and well worth a visit, a country that ranks thirty-fifth out of 135 countries listed in the Global Peace Index. Not that you would think so reading Crocodile Tears, but then, this fast-paced read is a gritty thriller with a deliciously comedic overtone and an acute eye on the murk that lies at the centre of power and control. Rosende presents Montevideo’s underbelly, and its corrupt institutions and how they collude.

There is no greater joy for the booklover than sinking fast into the story-world of a commanding narrator. Rosende uses language simply and with finesse, providing a terse, steady beat that is instantly engaging. Delivered with microscopic intensity, Rosende treads a fine line between exaggeration, labouring a point and making an impact, and succeeds.
There’s an earthiness in the narrative, immediate, apparent in the first paragraphs and especially vivid in an early chapter in which protagonist Ursula López steals food from the fridge of her childhood home.

To begin with, the men own the stage, the spotlight on delinquent prisoner Diego and murderous psychopath Ricardo Prieto or the Hobo. As the plot unravels, it is Ursula López who moves to stage centre. She really starts to blossom about halfway into the story and it is then that this thriller becomes very, very compelling.

In Crocodile Tears, acid irony is delivered in measured steps. It helps to be aware of the hypocrisy among some Hispanic Catholic churchgoers, as exemplified in lawyer Antinucci’s absurd conscienceless devotion, suggestive perhaps of the collusion of religion and the state that has long been central to the history of Hispanic nations.

Some may find the self-conscious aspects of the narration distracting, bouncing the reader out of the story a little, but this technique does lend a necessary note of irony and comedy. The technique works, I think, because this additional perspective, one of intelligent omniscience, offers additional insight and judgement and holds a position between the reader and the characters. Above all, the cast of characters that are so intensely under the spotlight are sharply defined and comically depicted with their absurd irrational anxieties. Little wonder Crocodile Tears has been likened to Fargo.

The ending leaves much to the imagination and won’t satisfy those who want their shoe laces tied for them, twice, but I rather liked the denouement; it was economical and suggestive. And when you get to the end, it’s worth reflecting on the novel’s title.

There is no glossy travel brochure here. The sense of place Rosende provides is as much psychological as geographical. And the author pulls no punches when it comes to describing what you won’t find in a travel brochure. In all, Crocodile Tears is a terrific addition to the stable of top-notch thrillers worldwide. Anyone addicted to La Casa de Papel (Money Heist) will especially love this book. A highly entertaining read. (reviewed for Trip Fiction)

]]> With Her Fists: A Thriller 48980684
In an instant, everything she has worked for is shattered, when the police find a shipment of drugs in their shop, and wrongfully send Clarice and her husband to prison.Incarcerated and desperate after court appeals are denied, Clarice must become the Shocker once more, challenging rival convicts in a deadly prison fight ring to finance her escape.

Battling alongside her, armed with his brilliant electronics wizardry, Clarice's husband Ace manipulates the court system to arrange a daring prison break. When their abilities are put to the ultimate test, will they be able to exact their revenge - and regain freedom?]]> 639 Henry Roi Isobel 5 4.03 With Her Fists: A Thriller
author: Henry Roi
name: Isobel
average rating: 4.03
book published:
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2021/02/08
shelves:
review:
With her Fists is a gritty, action-packed thriller featuring a strong female lead. The author clearly knows his stuff when it comes to boxing. Themes of police corruption, sadistic prison guards, drug cartels and one female boxing champ determined to take on whatever she's dealt and exact revenge are woven into a narrative laced with violence and a healthy dose of wit. Puts prison fiction into a class of its own.
]]> Sinner's Cross 48591252 284 Miles Watson Isobel 5 Miles Watson invests his characters with flesh and blood (easily damaged) and feelings and aspirations and flaws and backstories. It’s hard to remember that this is fiction. The people are so real. Yes, people. People first, soldiers as well. He captures beautifully the different perspectives of these men of different backgrounds, including the German ones with their subtly different culture of war and honour. He shows the development of men being forged through terrible circumstances. And he makes you root for them, on both sides somehow � ironically, you want all of them to win, though the book makes painfully clear that in war there are only losers.
The writing is crisp, deft, subtle. The descriptions vivid. The story is heartbreaking.
It’s a tour de force of war writing. (Reviewed for Blackthorn Book Tours)]]> 4.40 Sinner's Cross
author: Miles Watson
name: Isobel
average rating: 4.40
book published:
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2021/02/05
shelves:
review:
This is a serious book about war. War in general, really, but the writer is clearly a historian as well as a novelist, so the harsh and generic message of his book is told with what feels like forensic attention to detail through the precise events of an actual battle, fought over a pointless bit of land in the second world war in Europe.
Miles Watson invests his characters with flesh and blood (easily damaged) and feelings and aspirations and flaws and backstories. It’s hard to remember that this is fiction. The people are so real. Yes, people. People first, soldiers as well. He captures beautifully the different perspectives of these men of different backgrounds, including the German ones with their subtly different culture of war and honour. He shows the development of men being forged through terrible circumstances. And he makes you root for them, on both sides somehow � ironically, you want all of them to win, though the book makes painfully clear that in war there are only losers.
The writing is crisp, deft, subtle. The descriptions vivid. The story is heartbreaking.
It’s a tour de force of war writing. (Reviewed for Blackthorn Book Tours)
]]> Love, Lies, and Legacies 44178068
Accepting the proposal of James Blay Jr. sees her trapped in a marriage of convenience - for him.
Struggling with the vagaries of her wayward husband, Catherine and the girls are forced to adapt to his tyranny.

After spending time in prison, James Blay Jr. appears to be a changed man: attentive, caring, supportive. But a tragedy changes everything.]]> 308 Janeen Ann O'Connell Isobel 5
O’Connell brings the domesticity of the period to life, the story propelled along by the womanly wiles of both Catherine and her mother-in-law pitted against an irascible, bitter and resentful James Blay Jr. who never wanted to migrate to Australia.

O’Connell delivers a delightful and uplifting read filled with small observances while also tackling some major issues of the period, not least the education of girls. Impeccable research lies behind the narrative. Love, Lies and Legacies provides the best educational experience there is, a darn good family history story. I’m looking forward to Book 3!]]> 3.93 Love, Lies, and Legacies
author: Janeen Ann O'Connell
name: Isobel
average rating: 3.93
book published:
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2020/12/27
shelves:
review:
I read No Room for Regret (Cullen - Bartlett Dynasty Book 1) last year and found it an absorbing read. Book 2, Love, Lies and Legacies spans sixteen years from 1823-1839 and follows the story of Catherine Blay as she struggles to come to terms with her life after the death of her first husband, and brings up their two daughters, Margaret and Sadie. Now she has married again and the marriage to James Blay junior is not a happy one.

O’Connell brings the domesticity of the period to life, the story propelled along by the womanly wiles of both Catherine and her mother-in-law pitted against an irascible, bitter and resentful James Blay Jr. who never wanted to migrate to Australia.

O’Connell delivers a delightful and uplifting read filled with small observances while also tackling some major issues of the period, not least the education of girls. Impeccable research lies behind the narrative. Love, Lies and Legacies provides the best educational experience there is, a darn good family history story. I’m looking forward to Book 3!
]]> The Soldier's Home 38372439 400 George Costigan 1911331051 Isobel 5
Through Simone’s letters, the reader is impressed with all of the heartache and tragedy that took place in St Cirgues and Puech through the Second World War. America is changing, New York is changing, and Simone finds herself increasingly identifying with those changes, with modernity. The letters are filled with an acute awareness of her separation from and longing for Jacques, and her slow attempt at saving enough for a trip to France to visit him and introduce him to Jack. Seven years pass.

The second portion of the tale is utterly moving in fatalistic fashion, as longing vies with practical common sense. It would spoil the novel to say more. I found this part of Costigan’s book breath-taking, the author writing with exquisite sensitivity and restraint.

About two thirds in, the story shifts to Pendlebury, England, in 1988, where high school teacher, author and spinster Enid Makin struggles to come to terms with her past, her parents and their respective deaths. Enid has led a sheltered working-class life at a time when British working-class identity was strong, yet it was a life overshadowed by her father who was traumatised by the war and their uneasy relationship as she broke ranks to attend university. It isn’t until she is well into her fifties that Enid musters the courage to step out of her comfort zone and the humdrum life she has been leading. This courage, this whim is what leads her across The Channel to France.

Setting in the novel is strong, New York and England brought to life not so much as physical places, more in the context of the social, cultural and political upheaval of post-war modernity that form a backdrop to this tale and drive the plot, for it is the result of these upheavals that both Simone and Enid made the decisions they did. And as for rural France, it stands as the romantic juxtaposition, its traditional values upheld, and until it, too, undergoes a deep transformation, a gain at once a loss.

Costigan has penned a book to devour, by turns evocative, sentimental and observant. Although it might be possible to read as a standalone, the reader will be cheated out of the very moving and rich story of The Single Soldier, and the welling of passion in the hearts of Simone and Jacques won’t be adequately understood. If you arrive now at The Soldier’s Home do acquire both books and read The Single Soldier first. Highly recommended.]]> 3.80 The Soldier's Home
author: George Costigan
name: Isobel
average rating: 3.80
book published:
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2020/12/22
shelves:
review:
Set in New York, England and southern France, The Soldier’s Home takes up the story of reclusive farmer Jacques Vermande and mother of his son and war refugee Simone who escapes to New York in the 1940s. The story is told in three parts, the first, comprising a third of the novel, a series of letters from Simone to Jacques depicting her life, its trials and joys, along with those of their boy Jack. All the while Jacques is occupied relocating his cottage, stone-by-stone, from his former family farm to a plot of land on the far side of another village.

Through Simone’s letters, the reader is impressed with all of the heartache and tragedy that took place in St Cirgues and Puech through the Second World War. America is changing, New York is changing, and Simone finds herself increasingly identifying with those changes, with modernity. The letters are filled with an acute awareness of her separation from and longing for Jacques, and her slow attempt at saving enough for a trip to France to visit him and introduce him to Jack. Seven years pass.

The second portion of the tale is utterly moving in fatalistic fashion, as longing vies with practical common sense. It would spoil the novel to say more. I found this part of Costigan’s book breath-taking, the author writing with exquisite sensitivity and restraint.

About two thirds in, the story shifts to Pendlebury, England, in 1988, where high school teacher, author and spinster Enid Makin struggles to come to terms with her past, her parents and their respective deaths. Enid has led a sheltered working-class life at a time when British working-class identity was strong, yet it was a life overshadowed by her father who was traumatised by the war and their uneasy relationship as she broke ranks to attend university. It isn’t until she is well into her fifties that Enid musters the courage to step out of her comfort zone and the humdrum life she has been leading. This courage, this whim is what leads her across The Channel to France.

Setting in the novel is strong, New York and England brought to life not so much as physical places, more in the context of the social, cultural and political upheaval of post-war modernity that form a backdrop to this tale and drive the plot, for it is the result of these upheavals that both Simone and Enid made the decisions they did. And as for rural France, it stands as the romantic juxtaposition, its traditional values upheld, and until it, too, undergoes a deep transformation, a gain at once a loss.

Costigan has penned a book to devour, by turns evocative, sentimental and observant. Although it might be possible to read as a standalone, the reader will be cheated out of the very moving and rich story of The Single Soldier, and the welling of passion in the hearts of Simone and Jacques won’t be adequately understood. If you arrive now at The Soldier’s Home do acquire both books and read The Single Soldier first. Highly recommended.
]]> Fishnets and Fire-eating 55745073 dancers who travel to the island of Hokkaido, an area steeped in
mystery, myths and legendary beasts. When the quartet
discovers that they are living next door to an ancient Japanese
Indian tribe, they drunkenly decide to conduct a Ouija board
session and, from that night onwards, things never seem
quite the same again.
Not knowing, understanding or really appreciating the ancient
Japanese traditions, culture or etiquette, the quartet finds
themselves in some hilarious situations as well as living through
some shocking real-life experiences. They stumble
their way around massage parlours and maternity hospitals,
museums and temples, learning the intricacies of the hot baths
and the Japanese green tea ritual.
The girls are plunged into a world of secrets and mysteries
where nothing appears to be what it seems. People vanish
without a trace, and there is the strange disappearance of
a large amount of money. What is the big secret on the island?
Who is in control? Will the girls manage to keep themselves
safe? And will they ever uncover the truth behind these
mysteries that seem to enshroud them all?]]> 246 Michele E. Northwood Isobel 5
Like its predecessor, Fishnets and Fire-eating is peppered with delightful vignettes. Hot-tempered booking agent Marion serves as the initial antagonist and there are plenty of scoundrels to match her along the way. The memoir is vividly described through the eye of a young, naive and daring woman dealing with the new, the novel, and the confronting, as she is forever forced to cope with whatever is thrown at her.

Entertaining, funny and uplifting from the first, Northwood has a knack for grabbing you and pulling you into the story, a no holds barred imaginative re-telling of the highs and lows of cabaret-style dancing.

An absolute page-turner of a read.]]> 4.88 Fishnets and Fire-eating
author: Michele E. Northwood
name: Isobel
average rating: 4.88
book published:
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2020/12/06
shelves:
review:
In Fishnets and Fire-eating, Part Two of Of Michele E. Northwood’s thrilling memoir, adventuresome Michele forms part of a dance quartet, cobbles together a fire-eating act and heads off to Japan. It’s 1990, and the usual tribulations face the troupe, including suffering ridiculously low pay and onerous conditions, and getting themselves into all sorts of scrapes.

Like its predecessor, Fishnets and Fire-eating is peppered with delightful vignettes. Hot-tempered booking agent Marion serves as the initial antagonist and there are plenty of scoundrels to match her along the way. The memoir is vividly described through the eye of a young, naive and daring woman dealing with the new, the novel, and the confronting, as she is forever forced to cope with whatever is thrown at her.

Entertaining, funny and uplifting from the first, Northwood has a knack for grabbing you and pulling you into the story, a no holds barred imaginative re-telling of the highs and lows of cabaret-style dancing.

An absolute page-turner of a read.
]]> The Plot Against Heaven 55118831 80 Mark Kirkbride 1949054292 Isobel 4 3.95 The Plot Against Heaven
author: Mark Kirkbride
name: Isobel
average rating: 3.95
book published:
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2020/12/05
shelves:
review:
This is an intriguing little book � just a few hours read � that takes you across unexpected vistas of the afterlife - God in his police state, the Devil in his Casino, both too self-absorbed to give much time to our heartbroken hero, who is only there because he wants to find his wife, and who never meant to get caught up like this� The working out of it nicely captures the paradox of the idea of a war between heaven and hell: what could it look like, such a war? Kirkbride forces it to absurdity, giving both sides a panoply of military equipment and personnel, not to mention the PR men, spinning their propaganda � this is no different from all the other wars, in our own worlds, all of them billed from both sides as battles between good and evil, with the accident of where one happens to live determining one’s allegiance. Kirkbride doesn’t appear to take sides � the Devil, as always, gets the better lines and the more attractive characters, but there is a redemptive moment at the end, reminiscent of the strange scene at the end of Kubrick’s 2001 Space Odyssey, where God gets a better look-in. It’s not a tract: the theological issues take second fiddle, in the end, to a touching love story � and a twist to die for.
]]> The Bird in the Window 53294370 77 Wendy Dalrymple Isobel 4 3.15 The Bird in the Window
author: Wendy Dalrymple
name: Isobel
average rating: 3.15
book published:
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2020/12/05
shelves:
review:

]]> Cancer Daily Life 55263788 28 Carola Schmidt Isobel 5
The issues it glances at will be familiar to anyone who has suffered cancer treatment � the waiting, the difficult reactions of friends and family, the side effects. It will speak to teenagers who will assume it’s for little kids but read it anyway and find it is also for them. It will speak to the little ones who will find different things in it. It will speak to their parents and family and friends of all ages � and perhaps flag up a few paths not to go down.

I was given access to this little book by Blackthorn Book Tours who are giving copies to clinics around the world where children with cancer are treated without charge. A welcome addition to all their waiting rooms.]]> 4.78 Cancer Daily Life
author: Carola Schmidt
name: Isobel
average rating: 4.78
book published:
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2020/12/05
shelves:
review:
A child with cancer: for most of us, our children blessed with health, the idea is too shocking: one would rather not think about it. But of course, for the children concerned, cancer becomes ordinary, their daily life. This little picture book depicts a series of critical points in that daily life, that hurt, have to be tolerated, become ordinary � but does so in a way that remains warm and tender and upbeat. It is a book of charming pictures � just a few words.

The issues it glances at will be familiar to anyone who has suffered cancer treatment � the waiting, the difficult reactions of friends and family, the side effects. It will speak to teenagers who will assume it’s for little kids but read it anyway and find it is also for them. It will speak to the little ones who will find different things in it. It will speak to their parents and family and friends of all ages � and perhaps flag up a few paths not to go down.

I was given access to this little book by Blackthorn Book Tours who are giving copies to clinics around the world where children with cancer are treated without charge. A welcome addition to all their waiting rooms.
]]> <![CDATA[Flower Power Trip (Braxton Campus Mysteries #3)]]> 44047072 At a masquerade ball to raise money for renovations to Memorial Library, Kellan finds a dead body dressed in a Dr. Evil costume.

Did one of Maggie’s sisters kill the annoying guest who’d been staying at the Roarke and Daughters Inn, or does the victim have a closer connection to someone else at Braxton College?

As Kellan helps school president Ursula bury a secret from her past and discover the identity of her stalker, he unexpectedly encounters a missing member of his family. Everything seems to trace back to the Stoddards: a new family who recently moved in.

Between the murder, a special flower exhibit and strange postcards arriving each week, Kellan can’t decide which mystery in his life should take priority. But unfortunately, the biggest one of all has yet to be exposed - and when it is, Kellan won’t know what hit him.

]]> 250 James J. Cudney 109081237X Isobel 5
Written in a pleasing first-person style, Cudney offers a quick catch-up to bring the reader up to speed on the complications in Kellon’s personal life and the various professional frictions on campus. There are the usual departmental rivalries and all the shenanigans that go with them. This time, President of Braxton Ursula Power is in mortal danger.

Cudney draws you into his story world and brings you up close to an array of quirky and relatable characters with all of their foibles, interweaving thick descriptions with a large dose of intrigue. Cudney makes sure to tick all the cosy mystery boxes, and all the loose threads are tied up at the end of this satisfying and thoroughly enjoyable read. ]]> 4.60 2019 Flower Power Trip (Braxton Campus Mysteries #3)
author: James J. Cudney
name: Isobel
average rating: 4.60
book published: 2019
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2020/12/03
shelves:
review:
lower Power Trip is the third in this charming cosy mystery series set on Braxton university campus and featuring the likeable amateur sleuth Professor Kellon Arywick, along with a colourful and memorable cast of characters - I’m rather fond of Nana D.

Written in a pleasing first-person style, Cudney offers a quick catch-up to bring the reader up to speed on the complications in Kellon’s personal life and the various professional frictions on campus. There are the usual departmental rivalries and all the shenanigans that go with them. This time, President of Braxton Ursula Power is in mortal danger.

Cudney draws you into his story world and brings you up close to an array of quirky and relatable characters with all of their foibles, interweaving thick descriptions with a large dose of intrigue. Cudney makes sure to tick all the cosy mystery boxes, and all the loose threads are tied up at the end of this satisfying and thoroughly enjoyable read.
]]> Prisoner 4374 35638740 Jack the Ripper Book of the Year 2016.

For more than a century, Dr. Thomas Neill Cream has been listed as a potential 'Jack the Ripper' suspect. He was a sinister character, preying on the unfortunate souls who were forced to make a living as streetwalkers in Victorian London, and ultimately led those poor women to an untimely and torturous death. These crimes eventually branded him the 'Lambeth Poisoner'.

However, during the time of the heinous Ripper murders, Dr. Cream was incarcerated in Joliet Prison, Illinois. Over the decades, this fact alone has caused debate as to whether or not he deserves to be under suspicion of being the Whitechapel fiend. Was it possible that Dr. Cream bribed his way out of jail, perhaps using a doppelganger to take his place while secretly finding a passage to England with murder in mind?

This fascinating book, told from the standpoint of Cream himself, explains the twisted logic behind his actions. The author has done considerable and meticulous research, tracing Cream's life from his adolescent years in Canada to his last moments on the gallows at Newgate.]]> 193 A.J. Griffiths-Jones Isobel 5
Action-packed with excellent characterisation of protagonist Cream, this is a fast-paced and impactful read. The story is very well-crafted, and Griffiths-Jones slots in her factual details with aplomb. Impeccably researched, Prisoner 4374 is a terrific imaginative re-telling that makes a delightfully entertaining contribution to the Ripper swag. ]]> 3.99 2015 Prisoner 4374
author: A.J. Griffiths-Jones
name: Isobel
average rating: 3.99
book published: 2015
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2020/11/30
shelves:
review:
Prisoner 4374 tells the story of Jack the Ripper suspect Dr. Thomas Neill Cream. A strong first person narrative brings Cream to life as a cocky and audacious hater of prostitutes. Griffiths-Jones takes the reader back to Cream’s university days in Canada, and his appetite for debauchery and excess and all the self-justifications that go with it. His salaciousness results in syphilis. From there, the story moves to Chicago and on to London where he is convicted for murder. Could he be the Ripper? How, when he was serving time during the Ripper murders?

Action-packed with excellent characterisation of protagonist Cream, this is a fast-paced and impactful read. The story is very well-crafted, and Griffiths-Jones slots in her factual details with aplomb. Impeccably researched, Prisoner 4374 is a terrific imaginative re-telling that makes a delightfully entertaining contribution to the Ripper swag.
]]> <![CDATA[The Last Straw (Pigeon-Blood Red Book 2)]]> 36671089
After they find out that the crime boss is the father of the black teenage carjacker, Paul Elliott - lawyer and close friend of the witness’s family - begins counseling them.

As the long-simmering feud between Rico and John D'Angelo reaches boiling point, bodies start to pile up in rapid succession... and old scores will be settled.]]> 243 Ed Duncan Isobel 5
The story gets off to a hard-hitting start when prostitute Jean is attacked by her punter. Then Paul Elliot is caught up in a tragic shooting of his neighbour whose daughter witnessed a hit and run.

Action-packed, suspenseful with lots of twists and turns, Duncan keeps his readers guessing as to how the two storylines intersect. The threads of the first novel are deftly woven into the narrative. The writing style is no-fuss, no-frills, with a straight ahead drive very much in keeping with the thriller genre. And it is clear Duncan has done his research, peppering his narrative with insightful observations, particularly concerning the workings of the law. Gritty, fast moving and thoroughly entertaining.]]> 3.99 The Last Straw (Pigeon-Blood Red Book 2)
author: Ed Duncan
name: Isobel
average rating: 3.99
book published:
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2020/11/29
shelves:
review:
This is the second in the Pigeon-Blood Red series, featuring the impossibly likeable assassin Rico, and Paul Elliot, the lawyer who saved his life. I've read the first, and found it a ripper of a read.

The story gets off to a hard-hitting start when prostitute Jean is attacked by her punter. Then Paul Elliot is caught up in a tragic shooting of his neighbour whose daughter witnessed a hit and run.

Action-packed, suspenseful with lots of twists and turns, Duncan keeps his readers guessing as to how the two storylines intersect. The threads of the first novel are deftly woven into the narrative. The writing style is no-fuss, no-frills, with a straight ahead drive very much in keeping with the thriller genre. And it is clear Duncan has done his research, peppering his narrative with insightful observations, particularly concerning the workings of the law. Gritty, fast moving and thoroughly entertaining.
]]> The Untameable 43435414
Yukon, Canada's far north. A young man tracks a wolf through the wilderness.
The one his grandfather warned him about:
"Of all the wolves you will see in your life, one alone will be your master."

In Mexico City, Juan Guillermo has pledged vengeance.
For his murdered brother, Carlos.
For his parents, sentenced to death by their grief.

But in 1960s Mexico justice is sold to the highest bidder,
and the Catholic fanatics who killed Carlos are allied to Zunita,
a corrupt and influential police commander.

If he is to quench his thirst for revenge
Juan Guillermo will have to answer his inner call of the wild
and discover what links his destiny to a hunter on the other side of America.

An epic novel of revenge and retribution, in which the story of a teenage boy seeking vengeance for the murder of his brother by a sinister cabal is interwoven with that of an Inuit wolf hunter and his prey, The Untameable is a story of pure adventure, unfolding in the fragmented, non-linear fashion that Arriaga is famous for, and set against a backdrop of repression, police brutality and Church intrigue.]]> 512 Guillermo Arriaga 0857058193 Isobel 5 4.18 2016 The Untameable
author: Guillermo Arriaga
name: Isobel
average rating: 4.18
book published: 2016
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2020/11/26
shelves:
review:

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