Another week flies by and I have no idea what happened. Well I do, to a point. The general ache in my legs and feet tells me that this is the week I upped the ante on my walking and exercise, dragging my considerable backside out of bed at 05:30 to go for a walk before work. I also joined Mandie for an after work walk and a weekend walk or two, the second of the weekend jaunts turning out to be considerably further than either of us has initially expected. Only ten miles … Still, the scenery was lovely and I feel very blessed to live in the countryside. Sort of.
I’ve struggled with reading again this week. Not the books – I’ve thoroughly enjoyed them. I’ve just been tired. Blame the walking lol. I also had internet issues mid week which threw all my plans out of the window. Spent some time covid-proofing the house (i.e. wiping down any likely touch points, vacuuming and dusting etc) so that the cable guy could come in. For all of two minutes. Tested the cable to the modem. Weak signal. Tested the box on the wall. Weak signal. Tested the box outside. Still a weak signal. Tested the main bloody hub up the road which I had specifically asked if it was the problem before agreeing to let a stranger into my house … Oh yeah, Still weak here. We’ll get the Network engineer on to it. Grrrrr … I knew the problem wasn’t in the house as the TV was working fine and when I tried the TV cable in the WiFi box it made not a jot of difference. But you know how it goes. You need a guy with a box to attach to the cable that you know works perfectly well to tell you it’s not that before we can all move on. It’s why we pay the fees, and it keeps the Engineers in employment … So with all of that disruption and the added ‘fear’ of having an unknown entity in my living room, I just haven’t been feeling it. Yes – everything was very safe, masks on, social distancing etc, but it’s still those little things we used to take for granted, the mixing with strangers in a more enclosed setting, that now instill a little bit of fear and make you stop and realise just how much things have changed.
Then you watch Saturday’s London protests progressing via Twitface and realise that it doesn’t matter what precautions you take personally – the world is basically doomed. 😡
#travelwithoutmoving
So – busy enough week book wise. I’ve been so distracted, I haven’t even managed to take my book post up to the office yet. I have three new books this week. First up is the copy of When I Was Ten by Fiona Cummins that I ordered. I also received a #gifted proof copy of The Maidens by Alex Michaelides courtesy of Weidenfeld and Nicolson. Finally I received a copy of The Final Round by Bernard O’Keeffe #gifted by Muswell Press. No new Netgalley books – just as well really – but I did buy and preorder a few* books.
* Lots. I ordered lots …
First up was Save Her by Abigail Osborne, her upcoming new thriller out 5th May. Also I pre-ordered The Devil’s Advocate by Steve Cavanagh, out 5th August; Devil’s Table by Kate Rhodes, out 14th October; The Heron’s Cry by Ann Cleeves, out 2nd September; For Any Other Truth by Denzil Meyrick, out 3rd June; The Man Who Died Twice by Richard Osman, out 16th September; Primrose Park by Christie Barlow, out 30th April; and 1979 by Val McDermid out on 19th August. I also bought a copy of Colter Shaw short story, Forgotten by Jeffery Deaver.
Books I have read
The Final Twist by Jeffery Deaver
Twist left.
Unique Investigator Colter Shaw is searching for the answer to his father’s final, posthumous riddle. It will lead him to evidence that will topple the secretive espionage company, BlackBridge.
Twist right.
He believes BlackBridge to be responsible for his father’s murder and brother’s disappearance. They can outmanoeuvre anyone, as the long trail of bodies behind them can confirm.
But they haven’t yet met Colter Shaw.
Don’t slip up.
This time the stakes are huge – the fate of a nation is in Colter’s hands. He must find the solution as to why his father died – but to do that he needs to stay alive…
Signs Of Murder by David Wilson
The new book from the UK’s leading criminologist, David Wilson
Before David Wilson became the UK’s pre-eminent criminologist, he was just a young boy growing up in the Scottish town of Carluke. As a child, the brutal murder of a young woman rocked this small community, but very quickly a man was arrested for the crime, convicted and put behind bars. For most, life slowly carried on – case closed.
But there were whispers in the town, that the wrong man was imprisoned. Over the years, these whispers grew louder, to the point that any time David would visit, friends and acquaintances would ask in hushed tones: ‘But what are you going to do about the Carluke Case?’
Carluke believed that a young man had been wrongly convicted. A murderer was still on the loose.
Forty years later, it’s time for David to return home, and find out the truth.
Forgotten by Jeffery Deaver
A gripping ebook short story from international bestseller Jeffery Deaver, featuring unique investigator Colter Shaw.
A drug dealer shot dead
A body is found shot in the back of the head – hidden in a local quarry near the small, remote town of Hanson Valley, Ohio.
The case is closed
The police, the defense lawyer and the rest of the town think it’s an open-and-shut case: Jude Sterling’s a psycho. Of course he would kill a man. For Jude’s family, Private investigator Colter Shaw is their last hope.
But someone is hiding a secret
If Jude is innocent, that means the real murderer has walked free. And Shaw soon finds that not every resident of Hanson Valley wants this case reopened…
DO YOU WANT TO PLAY THE GAME?
A crimewave sweeps through the city and no-one is safe. An arson at the docks. A carjacking gone wrong. A murder in a country park. What connects all these crimes without causes, which leave no clues?
Detective Inspector Helen Grace faces the rising tide of cases which threatens to drown the city. But each crime is just a piece of a puzzle which is falling into place.
And when it becomes clear just how twisted and ingenious this web of crime is, D.I. Grace will realise that it may be impossible to stop it . . .
THE BEST BOOK YET FROM THE MASTER OF THE KILLER THRILLER.
I know – three books and a short story is not bad going all things considered, but it’s a far cry from what I read last month. Told you I’d never keep it up. Busy enough week on the blog though – recap below:
#Review – The Hard Way – Duncan Brockwell
#Review – Facets of Death – Michael Stanley
#Review – 21st Birthday – James Patterson and Maxine Paetro
#Review – The Coral Bride – Roxanne Bouchard , translated by David Warriner
#Review – Casino Chiseler – Leopold Borstinksi
#Review – The Lynmouth Stories – LV Hay
The week ahead is a mixture of reviews with only one blog tour post – today’s review of Cuban Heel by Leopold Borstinski.
I hope you all have a fab week and are able to enjoy our pockets of sunshine, wherever you may be. I am hoping to keep up with the walking but also get my head down and actually read some books. I’m starting a new sideline in alerting the Twittersphere to all the lovely different chocolates I find but shouldn’t eat. Jen Med’s Choc Reviews are far easier to write than book ones. They basically go either Yum or Yack … Here are this week’s entries. Have you tried any of them yet?
See you next week – assuming I survive the walking …
Jen x
Jen Med's Book Reviews 