BOOK OF THE MONTH
From a broken childhood comes an unbreakable and deadly
bond. In 1985 in a North Texas backwater, two teenage boys made a
chilling pact that would unite them forever in a dark and twisted loyalty.
Now one lies dead. And the man responsible is going to
pay. When a routine investigation comes to a violent and tragic end,
Detective Joe Lucchesi takes leave from the NYPD and moves with his wife and son
to a quiet village on the south east coast of Ireland. They're happy. They're
safe. And they're about to enter a nightmare more terrifying than the one they
left behind. When a young girl goes missing and the village closes
ranks, Detective Lucchesi sets out to find the truth and uncovers a sinister
trail that leads from the other side of the Atlantic and cuts directly to the
very heart of his family. His wife is lying. His son is lying. And a
killer is lying in wait. Review: I've chosen DARKHOUSE as my FICTION Book of the Month because it doesn't let up for an instant. Alex has taken the age-old literary device of flashback (which Stephen King perfected in IT) and adapted it for her own purposes. Darkhouse is a classic whodunnit in every sense of the word, with twists and turns, and reasons, and motives a-plenty, but the final twist was totally unexpected and many of the scenes were blood-chilling in a way I've not encountered for many years. Her characterisation is spot-on, her dialogue natural and believable, especially in the scenes involving young people. Settings, too are flawless and impeccably drawn - you know where you are at any given point in the narrative. This book just flows with talent. Alex tells me there's a second Joe Lucchesi on the way, next year. Without wishing my life away, it can't come soon enough for me. Catch up with Alex on the Harper Collins Crime Tour....
Synopsis: Focusing on how the Romans made Europe work as a homogenous
civilisation and looking at why we are failing to make the EU work in modern
times, this is an authoritative and amusing study from bestselling author Boris
Johnson. In addition to his roles as politician, editor, author and television
presenter, Boris Johnson is a passionate Roman scholar. A new television series,
airing in March 2005, will see him travelling throughout the Roman Empire in
order to uncover the secrets of the governance of the empire, and the reasons
behind why the Romans held such power and prestige for so long. Fiercely
interested in Europe and the current issues facing the European Union, Boris
Johnson will look at the lessons we could learn from the Romans and how we could
apply them to our modern politics. This illustrated book, full of witty
descriptions, insight, politics, and more than a few jokes, will accompany the
television series. Boris Johnson is the editor of the Spectator, MP for Henley,
writes a column for the Daily Telegraph. He lives in London and Oxfordshire with
his wife and their children. Review: There are historians.
There are people who write about history….and make a good fist of it. And then
there is Boris Johnson. Extrovert. Larger than life. Personality. And it turns
out that he's the chap you would most like to be teaching you history – or
Latin. It's no secret that Boris turns up regularly on Have I Got News For You,
and enjoys the leg-pulling at his own expense. He's affable, personable,
likeable, and it's clear from some of those exchanges with Messrs. Hislop and
Merton, that he's an immensely knowledgeable type of bloke who could hold his
own on University Challenge. Now, it seems, he's the man to teach you a thing
or two about Rome and the Romans. Boris is meticulous in his attention to
detail, and throws in plenty to keep you hooked, right from page one. No
putting this one down on the coffee table to impress your friends – this is a
book just crying out to be read – Boris's style is a joy to read and a
revelation. I never doubted his knowledge banks. What I did perhaps doubt was
his ability to hold my attention. It's a shame he's a politician – and I don't
say that because he's a Conservative politician – I say it because he's better
at writing and oratory than he is at playing politics. Boris has a message to
get across in this slim volume – it's done with flair, style, panache and
sheer, utter brilliance and an overwhelming sense of fun. A superlative
treatment of a subject that demands further attention, The Dream of Rome is a
delight, a must-have, must-read. If it weren't for Alex Barclay, this would
have made it to Book of the Month. Oh, how I wish he'd taught me Latin or History.... Harper Press HB £18.99
Hunting down highwaymen was not the usual preserve of a Bow
Street Runner. As the most resourceful of this elite band of investigators,
Matthew Hawkwood was surprised to be assigned the case – even if it did involve
the murder and mutilation of a naval courier. From the squalor of St
Giles Rookery, London's notorious den of thieves and cutthroats, to the palatial
homes of the aristocracy where knights of the realm conduct themselves in a
manner unbecoming to their rank, Hawkwood relentlessly pursues his quarry.
And as the case unfolds, and another body is discovered, the true agenda
behind the robbery begins to emerge: the stolen naval dispatch pouch held
details of a French plot that, if successful, will send the Royal Navy's entire
fleet scurrying to port in terror, leaving Napoleon to rule the waves. With no
way of knowing who can be trusted, Hawkwood must engage in a desperate race
against time to prevent the successful execution of the Emperor's plot. Review: well, James McGee turns in a brilliant romp through Regency England, the time of highwaymen and hangings. It's a real page-turner, with plenty of Dickensian characters to make it interesting, plenty of raunchy sex, handled delicately but with a hint of eroticism, and a plot that rattles along at a good pace. I'd be most surprised if Hawkwood doesn't turn up again really soon in a sequel. Brilliant.
Synopsis: A superb psychological thriller in which present-day murder
has its roots in the eighteenth century and the mutiny on the Bounty. When
torrential summer rains uncover a bizarrely tattooed body on a Lake District
hillside, old wives' tales also come swirling to the surface. For centuries
Lakelanders have whispered that Fletcher Christian staged the massacre on
Pitcairn so that he could return home. And there he told his story to an old
friend and schoolmate, William Wordsworth, who turned it into a long narrative
poem - a poem that remained hidden lest it expose Wordsworth to the gallows for
harbouring a fugitive. Wordsworth specialist Jane Gresham, herself a native of
the Lake District, feels compelled to discover once and for all whether the
manuscript ever existed - and whether it still exists today. But as she pursues
each new lead, death follows hard on her heels. Suddenly Jane is at the heart of
a 200-year-old mystery that still has the power to put lives on the line.
Against the dramatic backdrop of England's Lake District a drama of life and
death plays out, its ultimate prize a bounty worth millions. My review: It's only since I started getting review copies from the publishers that I became familiar with certain authors. To my shame, I haven't ever read a Val McDermid title before, though I did watch Wire in the Blood. THE GRAVE TATTOO is a classic whodunnit, with surprises and twists at every turn - superb characters lead you through a great guessing game, and the time out to study their lives, their problems their relationships whilst the plot unfolds is time well spent. Val writes about real people in a totally believable scenario of corruption and desperation. I wasn't prepared for who the murderer was, and I was totally hooked on the concept of a undiscovered Wordsworth poem on the subject of the Bounty mutiny. This is a great book, worthy of a TV adaptation. Terrific. Harper Collins HB £17.99
Book Description; A gripping psychological thriller, taking the reader
from 21st century Britain to the darkest days of war-torn Eastern Europe. Synopsis: A gripping psychological thriller, taking the reader from
21st century Britain to the darkest days of war-torn Eastern Europe A passion
for history had already cost Helen Kovacs her marriage. Now she's paid with her
life. Helen had told no one of her research into the Nazi occupation of Eastern
Europe. Even her closest friend and colleague, Faith Lange, had no idea - until
she began retracing the dead woman's steps. Though the police have a suspect in
custody, Faith is convinced that the murderer is still at large. And she is
troubled, too, by the presence of Jake Denbigh, a journalist who appears to be
investigating her grandfather, Marek, a refugee from the Eastern front.
Everything hinges on the memories of a 75-year-old whose will to survive
preserved her through the horrors of minsk and the concentration camps, and
enabled her to make a new life in England with her son. Helen's murder and its
consequences will take Jake and faith on terrifying journeys: to Byelorussia
where the mass graves of the kurapaty Forest have their own dreadful tale to
tell; and into the heart of Faith's own family where a tragic secret lies
hidden. Review: There are several books around dealing with aspects of the holocaust - novels that feature old people with sinister pasts from a time we'd all like to forget but must not. The Forest of Souls combines the theme of Nazi collaborator and perpetrator of horrific slaughter of innocent people with a modern day detective novel . When Helen is murdered it's up to her friend, Faith, and journalist Jake to uncover a convoluted and barely believable truth that will affect so many people still living.The style is simple - modern day realism, gritty dialogue and relationships, interspersed with a fariyl-tale-like account of what happened in those dark, dark days of the war - and it works perfectly. There are surprises along the way, and a smattering of clues that will help you - sensitive treatment with all the grisly detail that people seem to crave. An excellently crafted novel that sends shivers down your spine just thinking about what went on.
‘It’s perfectly simple. All you have to do is find the dead
place.’ The anonymous caller who taunts the Police with talk of an
imminent killing could be a hoaxer, his descriptions of death and decomposition
a sick fantasy. But Detective Diane Fry is certain she’s dealing with a
murderer. The voice – so eerily, shiveringly calm – invites the police to meet
the ‘flesh eater’. Fry fears it may already be too late to save the next
victim. DC Ben Cooper, meanwhile, is looking into Derbyshire’s first case
of body snatching. The investigation takes him into the dark, secret world of
those whose lives revolve around the dead and their disposal – from funeral
directors to crematorium staff and a professor whose speciality is the study of
death. Where is the dead place? And what terrible deeds are done
there? Review: You won't rest till you've finished this one- it's as though you're a part of the CID team investigating the chilling threats and evidence that suggest there may be a serial killer on the loose. On a personal note, I loved the characters, particularly Jarvis, the farmer. As a fan of Emmerdale, I couldn't help but picture the character Jarvis, who left recently, speaking the words Booth's character has to say - it made it seem really real. Great story, excellently well told.
Synopsis: Dive into a magical world of star-crossed passions. Born in Seville to a
dishonoured governess, Diego Clemente finds solace from the turmoil of his
early years in the world of books. Presented with the tremendous opportunity to
assist in compiling the first guide to the birds of Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula,
Diego embarks on a journey that will transform his life. Arriving on the eve of
the Mexican Revolution, Diego finds himself in a world of precarious beauty,
where opulent henequen plantations are built on the backs of slave labour, and
where the social order is on the brink of imploding. There, Diego falls in love
with Sofia, the beautiful, independent daughter of a Mexican farmer, a woman
who longs to be as free as the birds she also loves. A mesmerizing tale of
star-crossed passions, a pair of mysterious birds, and a young man's quest to
honour both his mentor and his father, "The Mapmaker's Opera" is by
turns hilarious and poignant, a lyrical, magical novel to treasure. Review: This is a masterpiece of lyrical prose, told with loving care for attention to detail, and in a highly unusual way. I loved it - one not just for intellectuals,but anyone with an ounce of romance in them,and it holds your interest right from the first page.
