A List to Die For - (England)

Thank you to Net Galley and the publisher for giving me the opportunity to read and review this book.

Started: July 24, 2017

Finished: July 30, 2017

Country: England

Publication: July 1, 2017

I enjoy a good detective story. I have read quite a few over the years: Agatha Christie, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Henning Mankell, Robert Galbraith and now I have another author to add to the list! I really enjoyed this book and in part that was due to the central character of Eddie Sutton. Eddie is a former cop who is forced to leave London's Metropolitan Police (Met) after beating up a a drug dealer. Eddie has a think about drug dealers: he hates them because they take advantage of people and weaknesses they have, and then get them hooked on drugs. But like a good former cop, Eddie still has  connection at the Met, and people still have a need for a cop. Though sometimes it can't be through official channels.

In this book Eddie is contacted by Jack; Jack owns a successful gambling casino in London. Jack's son Tony is kidnapped and is being held for ransom. But  instead of money the kidnappers want a book that contains a lot of sensitive information on the gambling habits (and other types of habits) of the well-placed and public figures that frequent the casino. The book was compiled by Jack's former partner, who has died, and it details the many secrets of people who would not want those secrets to see the light of day. Who has Tony and wants the book is unknown - enter Eddie Sutton.

Along the way Eddie meets many characters: Tony's girlfriend Zoe; Collette, a female drug dealer who hates men (a connection of Ronnie's) and the manager of the casino, Margaret. Eddie will have encounters with all these people and more, as he works to find out who kidnapped Tony.

At times it felt like there were many characters - too many, and I almost wished that I had a flow chart to remember who was who, and what their connection was to Tony or Jack or Eddie himself. But I decided that I would just sit back and enjoy the book, and let the story unfold so that I could learn the identity of the kidnapper the way the author intended. And I am so glad I did! I didn't see the twist when the big reveal occurred - never even entered my mind that it could enter the way it did. Which is a good thing! I look forward to reading more from this author, who I would not have ever found if not for Net Galley. Thanks!!

The Night Child (ARC) - (United States)

Started: July 24, 2017

Finished: July 28, 2017

Country: United States

Publication: Jan 30, 2018

Thank you to Net Galley for the opportunity to read and review this book.

I must confess that the title piqued my curiosity and I thought this might be a rather conventional mystery/thriller/suspense novel. Boy, was I wrong!

This book deals with a topic that might be very difficult for some readers, and without spoiling the plot, I will try to provide some detail.

We meet Nora, who lives in Seattle and on the surface has it all - husband, daughter, a job she enjoys as a teacher. But it seems that Nora has a secret, and she really didn't know that she had a secret, or exactly what that secret was, until some strange things start to happen. Images start to form and memories start to emerge that she has kept buried for many, many years. She is diagnosed with PTSD, and thus begins her journey of healing. Nora desperately loves her child Fiona, and Fiona is the anchor that she must tether herself to if she wants to survive and work through the impacts that PTSD has on her and her family.

With help from a therapist, Nora is able to slowly remember certain memories and confront  them, painful though they are. And it is this process that I found most interesting. I have not been diagnosed with PTSD, nor have I been subjected to any of the experiences that Nora had to live through as a child. This book re-enforced for me that there are some experiences that are so horrendous, so heinous, so difficult for our minds to process (especially for young children) that as a natural defense mechanism, our mind attempts to help by burying those experiences and memories into places that allow us to function and have some type of life. Hopefully, with a good support system of medical doctors, therapists, family and friends, a person suffering with PTSD can work through the issues, identify them and have as close to a "normal" life as possible. Nora is lucky to have such a support system (for the most part) but it is Fiona who truly is her anchor; it is for Fiona that Nora perseveres and works toward a better life.

I was not especially convinced with the ending, but I did appreciate the symbolism that the ending reflected. Overall, I did enjoy the book and I would recommend to others.

2017 Man Booker prize longlist released

I was very pleased to learn that the 2017 Man Booker Prize longlist was released. Since about 2010 or so I have enjoyed  learning which books and authors will make the longlist, and then which ones survive the whittling process to make the shortlist of 6 books and vie for the  £50,000.

Of this year's list, I have read two:

Lincoln in the Bardo by George Saunders and The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead

I really, really enjoyed one; the other, not so much. In fact, I barely finished it. I am not going to write a review of either of these books so I will just leave it at that.

Unfortunately, based on a cursory review of the remaining books on the longlist, not one book jumped out at me a screamed "READ ME!" which is odd as usually there are at least 2-3 that pique my curiosity.

It could be me - or me at this time in my life, but because there are sooooo many books that I want to read, and time seems like it is getting shorter, I want to really, really want to read a book. I don't want to read a book because some TV personality gushes over it. I want to read a book because it interests me and I want to read it for me.

So, I will have to take a second look at the books on the longlist and perhaps on review there will be at least one book that calls my name.

But if not, that's OK, as I have quite enough books in my TBR pile to satisfy me.

The Secrets She Keeps - Michael Robotham (England)

Started: July 19, 2017

Finished: July 21, 2017

Country: England

Things aren't always what they seem to be.  On the surface, both Meghan (Meg) and Agatha (Aggy), seem to have a very good life. Meg is married to a TV personality and is pregnant with their third child. She has a good family, nice friends, and seems to have it all. Aggy is also pregnant and her fiance is in the Royal Navy and will be home soon. Both are excited about their pregnancies and look forward to welcoming the latest addition into their lives. Aggy and Meg meet and strike up a casual acquaintance, which turns into a friendship. They have quite a lot in common. Or do they???

I won't go any farther except to say that the relationship between Meg and Aggy gets unfolded in this book, chapter by chapter, like an onion being peeled layer by layer. We soon learn that each of them has secrets. Secrets that neither one wants to be exposed. The book is written so that each chapter is told from the perspective of Meg and Aggy - a literary device I really appreciate, though it may not be everyone's cup of tea.

This is the first book by this author I have read and I will definitely be reading other books he has written! I found this book to be an easy read and recommend it for those long weekends when you just want to curl up on the couch with a cup of coffee or tea and enjoy a good book!