Nine Lives by Catherine Steadman

 

Just give me a minute until my goose bumps settle down. Reading Nine Lives was an experience not to be undertaken by those particularly faint of heart. This is a brilliantly written suspense novel; and cleverly, without being cute or twee, the biggest hero, and there were several ultimately, is a cat!

Frankie has moved into her beautiful new house in an exclusive London suburb with her cat, Blue, following her divorce. I worried at first for Blue because Frankie lets him out every morning to explore the new neighbourhood, wearing a collar with a little camera attached. But Blue comes home safe every night and Frankie looks at his daily wanderings on her laptop.

That is the basis of this story in the Rear Window mould. (Rear Window was an Alfred Hitchcock movie in which James Stewart whose character was laid up with a broken leg could see through the rear window of an apartment in the block opposite his, what appeared to be a crime being committed.)  But even Alfred Hitchcock was no match for Catherine Steadman in building heart rate soaring suspense.

I read an awful lot of books but I only talk about the ones I would recommend to others, and I’ve got to say Nine Lives is nothing short of a masterpiece in the thriller genre. Looks like I’ve found myself a new binge worthy writer in Catherine Steadman!

Published by Quercus

The Dying Light by Ann Cleeves

 

The Dying Light is the latest book in Ann Cleeves’ Matthew Venn series. The story is set in the picturesque area of Barnstaple in North Devon (there is a map at the beginning of the book).

Two young women, Hannah and Lottie, are found dead at the stunning holiday home owned by Hannah’s parents. Hannah’s father, Paul, is a politician who attracts a lot of media attention and the question hangs in the air of whether Hannah was targeted by someone wanting to harm Paul. That is, of course, just one thought to keep in mind for Detective Matthew Venn and his team, as they begin their investigation into the apparent murders.

Ann Cleeves with her brilliant storytelling had me right there  along with Matthew, Jen and Ross as they interviewed suspects and built up a picture of the teenagers’ last day, while also following Matthew’s story of his home life with Jonathan. Meanwhile, Jonathan has made an important discovery of his own and he is anxious for Matthew to take the time to share it with him.

As usual Ann Cleeves has come up with an immersive story. I like the way she describes her characters with just enough detail for me to build up my own pictures of them. This is Ann’s fortieth year as a published author, and what a brilliant career it has been so far!

Published by Pan MacMillan 

Eyes on You by Adele Parks

 

I had pre-ordered Eyes on You, and it was definitely worth the wait before it landed on my Kindle. I’ve always enjoyed Adele Parks’ books, but this one is her absolute best!

Eyes on You is a deep, dark, psychological thriller. Since she was fifteen Amy has had to live with the horror of being the daughter of a murderer. This is the story of how she navigates her way through the murky waters of the life she feels she has been thrown into.

This book is a page turner extraordinaire, shifting in time between seventeen years ago to a week ago, to yesterday to today, which, rather than making the story seem disjointed, keeps building the suspense because it is following a circle back to the opening chapters.

It is impossible to comment further on the story without ruining the absolutely brilliant effect of becoming absorbed into Amy’s relentless attempts to right the wrongs of the past. I wish I could have taken longer to read it but that would have been like trying to find the brake on a roller coaster! 

Published by HQ for Harper Collins

Shooting Reality by Rozzi Bazzani

 

Shooting Reality is the third book in the DS Bec Harpin series.  Bec is hoping to rid herself of the word ‘acting’ before her position’s title as she takes on the investigation of the murder of Shelley Goodwin, a high-profile producer of a popular reality television cooking show.

While Bec and her team are hard at work looking into all of Shelley’s known associates, including her husband, Chad Goodwin, pressure is coming from not only Chad Goodwin’s influential friend, the Arts Minister, for Bec to keep away from Goodwin, but also from Bec’s own superiors to prove she is capable of not allowing demands on her personal life to encroach on her work. That last bit is never easy for Bec because it seems there is always a friend asking her, just this once, for help away from her job.

There is nothing simple about this case, even though what appears to be incriminating evidence is found quickly. Shelley’s friends all have stories to tell, and a podcaster is sure she is going to be able to solve the murder with her own investigation. Meanwhile Bec is finding time away from work, whenever she can, with Josh between their mountain home and Josh’s restaurant.

Another death, more suspects, and a nicely complex story emerges, and I think this is Rozzi Bazzani’s best Bec Halpin book so far. 

Published by S & B

Before She Met Me by Julian Barnes

 

Before She Met Me was first published in 1982 by Jonathan Cape but I’ve only just found it.  My problem with Julian Barnes is that I can’t pace myself through his books. He is so clever, so witty, so badly behaved, sometimes, that I plough through them and get to the end long before I meant to. This one was a perfect example of that.

Graham is plodding away as a college lecturer, married not particularly unhappily, with one daughter, when he meets, and falls in love with, Ann. When he eventually leaves his marriage, his embittered wife, Barbara, comes up with a rather ingenious way to scupper Grahame’s happy-ever-after. There follows the story of a man who finds that bits of his brain of which he was previously unaware until he was advised about them by his friend, Jack, have taken over his thinking, and therefore his life.

Brilliant characters, superb writing, and that’s all you need to know. I loved discovering this ‘old’ book although to me 1982 was last week.

Published by Penguin Books Australia 

Three Reasons for Revenge by Dervla McTiernan

 

Dervla McTiernan’s Three Reasons for Revenge is a master class in crime fiction writing. It’s an intriguing story with a main character who is definitely not your average, run-of-the-mill police detective. Judith Lee prefers black jeans and tee shirts, rides a motor bike and is totally committed to her job. When Alexis Turner comes into the police station and asks to see Judith to report a sexual assault, Judith agrees to investigate although she works homicides these days, having left sex crimes eight years ago.

I loved not being able to see the twist in the story until only a few pages before it was revealed. I also love a book which has me yelling (inside my head) for a character to go back and take another look at this or that detail and stop mucking around. This is a good, complicated plot where it’s up to Judith, when she finds she is investigating a murder after all, to stay clear-eyed and objective while at the same time coping with a major, unrelated development in her working life.

Having read this terrific book into the small hours I hope my brain has woken up enough to do it justice. I’ve always liked Dervla McTiernan’s books but I think this one is her best. I would urge lovers of good crime fiction to get hold of it, find a secluded space and settle in for a treat!

Published by Harper Collins

Sophie, Standing There by Meg Mason

 

I read first Meg Mason’s You be Mother, a deep, beautiful story about vulnerability, and optimism against the odds, after which I couldn’t wait to get my hands on Sorrow and Bliss, and then when I did I  thought I had found perfection in a book; but now I’ve found it again in Sophie Standing There!

Sophie is one of the most loveable protagonists I’ve found, ever. Meg Mason takes us, in stages, into Sophie’s background. Sophie’s life  has been shaped by her unusual childhood, her  close relationship with her brother, and her compassionate response to her brother-in-law, in relation to which her ex-husband’s behaviour is almost excusable, in light of their shared experiences, is my reluctant guess.

Sophie pours her love, in her mind, into Lilac, a movie star/turned author. This is a fascinating part of the story and, ultimately, although she doesn’t realise it, Sophie’s survival mechanism. Lilac actually sums Sophie up perfectly with her inscription:

I’ve never met anyone who tried so hard to be happy by being kind.

When I got to the end of  Sophie, Standing There, I felt overwhelmed by my emotions, in exactly the same way as I had been by Sorrow and Bliss. The word that keeps popping into my mind about all three of Meg Mason’s books that I’ve read is: exquisite.

Published by Harper Collins.