In Pieces by Sally Field

 

In Pieces is Sally Field’s autobiography. Sally’s mother was in movies as was her stepfather, Jock Mahoney whom I remember from the couple of films in which he played Tarzan. I had read previously about Mahoney’s offences against the child Sally but it is chilling that Sally in her searingly honest way is able to interpret her memories of him as she saw him then.

Hollywood is all illusion, of course, that’s the point of it; but reading how Sally felt about some of her roles still caught me by surprise. I remember re-runs of Gidget delighting my little boys and me and we liked The Flying Nun too. I think now they showed her worth as an actress because she projected brightness and happiness when she wasn’t always feeling that way at all. As well as not liking what she was doing she had to face the supercilious barbs of certain envious individuals. (I see now that I was justified in my assessment of those smarmy little creeps, the actors who played the Monkees). Yes, I know, I used to watch a lot of child-friendly television, just like today’s parents watch Bluey, maybe.

Sally was driven to be taken seriously as an actress and, of course, she has achieved that goal many times. She was a caring daughter to her mother even though they went through some rough patches; she cares for and has stayed close to her siblings, and she is a proud and loving mother to her three sons and their families.

I was looking forward to reading about Burt Reynolds and what kind of man Sally found him to be. I’m not going to elaborate about that in this review except to say it made extremely interesting reading.

This is an honest, no holds barred autobiography. Sally Field has worked hard to be at the top of her profession, just as her brother is a world leader in his field of science. I was totally absorbed in Sally’s story. It’s hard to believe she is 78 years old! How did that happen?

Published by Simon & Schuster

This is What Happened by Mick Herron

 

While waiting for the latest edition in Mick Herron’s Slow Horses series to come out I came upon this standalone.

Maggie is alone and lonely, living in a dingy flat in London and working in the mail room of Quilp House. She has ended a horrible relationship, is estranged from her only sister after an argument at their parents’ funeral two years ago, and can’t even find friends on Facebook or Twitter. It is in this vulnerable state that she is joined at her table in her usual cafe by a rather unattractive man who introduces himself as Harvey Wells.

From this beginning the Master, Mick Herron, weaves a story that is wonderfully creepy, scary and ultimately almost unbearably suspenseful. I was trying to finish reading it this morning when the plumber arrived, ruining the tension-filled moment; but I got back to it as soon as I could and made it to the end without further interruption, whew!!

If you’re a Mick Herron fan impatiently waiting for September and you haven’t read This is What Happened, do yourself a favour (in the words of the great man) and find a copy.

Published by John Murray

The Forsaken by Matt Rogers

 

Well! That got the adrenaline going! Matt Rogers’ writing is so good, so fluid, that I happily devoured pages of extreme violence without batting an eye! Logan Booth is an assassin with a pure heart; this is not an oxymoron as becomes clear in the early pages of The Forsaken. He has been duped into believing his handler for the last ten years, and the consequences for that are the subject of this amazing book.

Logan takes inspiration from philosophers he has read since his days at NYU, although his degrees were in the sciences. He sees corruption in high places, and exploitation of vulnerable people all around him from his one-bedroom apartment in Brownsville, an area of New York “…ravaged by the consequences of the crack epidemic.”

Logan joins up with Alice, a crack-addicted witness he sees as needing his protection, although she has reached the point of self- destruction. Don’t start reading this in bed if you are planning on getting any sleep that night.

Logan Booth is going to be a memorable literary character, and it looks like this book is going to be the first in a series which I will definitely be wanting to follow.

I read The Forsaken in one day. Great book!

Published by Simon & Schuster

One Night by Rozzi Bazzani

 

Detective Sergeant Rebecca Harpin is drawn unwittingly into a compromising situation when a friend calls asking for her help. Rebecca arrives at a crime scene which has been unreported to police by her friend, Carolyn, a prominent Melbourne barrister, and Rebecca (Bec) is left to explain to her superiors what she is doing there.

So begins a story involving theft, fraud, deception and murder.  Bec and her colleagues, fellow detectives Shaun and Wendy, are meticulous in tracking down clues into two suspicious deaths, while at the same time Bec is baffled by Carolyn’s strange behaviour. A beautiful actress and the unfathomable (to me) world of crypto currency become pieces of the puzzle snd Bec, Shaun and Wendy have to work hard to fit it all together.

On the personal side Josh, the man Bec had stopped seeing when she saw him with someone else, reappears. Bec is completely caught up with her investigation and doesn’t know if she can, or if she wants to, make time to let him back into her life.

Good crime stories are distinguished by the strength and individuality of their characters and by the settings in which they are placed. Rozzi Bazzani’s are based in the state of Victoria and this one has the cafe culture of Melbourne, the peace and quite of a mountain getaway and the beautiful beaches of the coast.

Where will Bec Harpin turn up next?

Published by S & B Books

When Nothing Feels Real by Nathan Dun

 

On a cold night in London, Nathan and Maria decide to go for a swim in a pond on Hampstead Heath. After diving in to the cold,  cold water Nathan surfaces and has no idea what is happening to him. He seems to have split into two selves. He is experiencing terrible pain and it feels like a huge hand is pushing him down. This was Nathan’s first episode of what he eventually came to know as depersonalisation, an illness which was to plague him for years to come as he searched for treatment and, most importantly, recognition.

While Nathan is searching for information on his condition he undertakes an exhaustive study into people who are similarly afflicted. Although he writes about how badly he was affected he has a strong, attractive personality; from my reading, after his shocking introduction to depersonalisation he seems to have been able to function well enough to travel, form a strong, valuable friendship and complete his PHD while constantly researching the illness and trying to find someone who could treat it.

Nathan is obviously highly intelligent and very witty. I would like to quote a few lines when he is describing a person he believes did him a great wrong: “The dreams I had for my life were robbed, trampled on, ridiculed, and what’s more, the culprit had terrible eyebrows and a fake accent. But despite his parodic manner and arch douchiness , maybe it wasn’t his fault.”

Nathan includes a lot of data in this book. It is a deeply personal memoir of his investigations into the workings of his own brain and into the subject of depersonalisation which he is generously sharing with those who may not have heard of it, or who may want to know more about it or, indeed, who are suffering from this frightening and at times emotionally crippling condition.

Published by Murdoch Books, an imprint of Allen & Unwin

Nobody’s Fool by Harlan Coben

 

It all began in a nightclub on the Costa Del Sol when 21 year old American college boy Sami Kierce saw a beautiful girl smiling at him. This is a complicated, mysterious story and I found to my delight that I couldn’t predict the outcome of any of its parts.

Sami’s wild encounter with Anna will change the course of his life. I’m assuming there was a book before this which covered the time after the Costa Del Sol up to the present, but not to have read it didn’t detract from my enjoyment of this one.

Sami is now an ex-cop private eye who has known tragedy but he has a wife and baby son he loves very much and is teaching a class of would-be investigators the tricks of the trade, when suddenly one day he thinks he sees Anna, the girl from the long-ago college vacation.

I don’t do spoilers ever but especially so in this case; I would hate to give away any of such a clever plot. I would highly recommend this compulsive page turner to all who admire free flowing, witty, narrative style writing.

Published by Penguin

The Great Hippopotamus Hotel by Alexander McCall Smith

 

Mma Ramotswe has taken on a new case investigating strange goings on at the Great Hippopotamus Hotel; however, she has fallen ill and Mr JLB Matekoni is insisting that she obey doctor’s orders and stay home from work until she feels better. Mma Makutsi is ready and willing to take over the case and she gets to work with all of her usual enthusiasm, especially when she suspects the evil Violet Sephotho could be involved.

So, nothing too radical. It’s just always nice to know that the people of Gaborone are still doing what they do, solving problems (not, hopefully, ‘crimes’); fixing cars, and, in the case of Mma Potokwane, caring for orphans and, of course, baking her superb fruit cake.

There have been some beautiful covers on the No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency books and I think this one takes the prize as the most beautiful of the lot. Unfortunately, I couldn’t get it in paperback and had to put it on my Kindle so I can’t put it on my bookshelf and admire it.

Mma Precious Ramotswe is an endearing, enduring character and Alexander McCall Smith’s books are perfect little companions when you’re looking for a quiet getaway. 

Published by Little, Brown Book Group