Well here we are. The end of May. Five months of the year gone. Done. Dusted. We’ve had a lovely Bank Holiday weekend (for a change) and all being well, as you read this (assuming anyone does) I’ll be walking around Ironbridge of stopping and indulging in a coffee and maybe a piece of cake. You never know. It’s been a funny old week but then they all are these days. Only in work for two and half days this week and then its time for some me time. Over indulgence, relaxation and, you never know, maybe a spot of reading …
Been a good week book wise. I’ve had a couple of pieces of book post – The Pact by Sharon Bolton #gifted by Trapeze; Unbury Our Dead With Song by Mūkoma Wa Ngūgī #gifted by Cassava Republic and All For You by Louise Jensen from the author herself. Some pretty tidy books there. From Netgalley I’ve had copies of Knock Knock by Anders Roslund; Chasing the Boogeyman by Richard Chizmar; Rabbit Hole by Mark Billingham and Broken Girls by Joy Kluver. Another good batch there I think you’d agree. Two bookish preorders in as well – The Cove by LJ Ross, part of a brand new Cornwall set series and Survivor’s Guilt by Michael Wood, the next Mathilda Darke novel that I am dying to read.
Books I have read
Set over three explosive days, this is compulsive, heart-pounding storytelling that will keep you on the edge of your seat.
He thought she was safe. Then the past came knocking.
Seventeen years ago, Inspector Ewert Grens was called to the scene of a brutal crime. A family had been murdered, with only their five-year-old daughter left behind. The girl was moved out and placed under witness protection, but while the case went cold, Grens is still haunted by the memory. When he learns that the apartment where the crime took place is now the scene of a mysterious break-in, Grens fears that someone is intent on silencing the only witness. He must race to find her…before they do.
Perfect for fans of Jo Nesbo, Steig Larsson and Samuel Bjork – don’t miss out on the latest Scandi-crime sensation.
The Rat Stone Serenade by Denzil Meyrick
It’s December, and the Shannon family are returning home to their clifftop mansion near Kinloch for their annual AGM. Shannon International is one of the world’s biggest private companies, with tendrils reaching around the globe in computing, banking and mineral resourcing, and it has brought untold wealth and privilege to the family. However, a century ago Archibald Shannon stole the land upon which he built their home – and his descendants have been cursed ever since.
When heavy snow cuts off Kintyre, DCI Jim Daley and DS Brian Scott are assigned to protect their illustrious visitors. As an ancient society emerges from the blizzards, and its creation, the Rat Stone, reveals grisly secrets, ghosts of the past come to haunt the Shannons. As the curse decrees, death is coming – but for whom and from what?
Unbury Our Dead With Song by Mukoma Wa Ngugi
In the heart of Nairobi, four musicians – The Diva, The Taliban Man, The Corporal and 70-year-old bartender Miriam – gather for a once in a lifetime competition, to see who can perform the best Tizita. In the audience is tabloid journalist John Thandi Manfredi, who is enthralled by their renditions of the Ethiopian blues.
Desperate to learn more, he follows the musicians back to Ethiopia, hoping to uncover the secret to this haunting music. Manfredi’s search takes him from the idyllic Ethiopian countryside to vibrant juke joints and raucous parties in Addis Ababa, set to a soundtrack of stirring Tizita performances.
From the humble domesticity behind the Diva’s glamorous façade, to the troubling question of the Corporal’s military service past, Manfredi discovers that the many layers to this musical genre are reflected in the lives and secrets of its performers.
A love letter to beauty, music and the imagination, Unbury Our Dead with Song captures how it feels have an encounter with the sublime.
Private Rogue by James Patterson and Adam Hamdy
We will take on any case, solve any crime, uncover any secret.
We are Private. And we’re the best.
In Afghanistan, an experienced pilot is shot down during a covert mission. The man survives the crash, but is pursued into the mountains by Russian operatives.
In New York, a wealthy businessman hires Jack Morgan to track down his daughter, who has gone missing along with her two children. But it is more than a missing persons case, the daughter has been linked to the murder of two men.
Jack finds the missing daughter and discovers that she is being pursed, and killed two of her pursers in her escape. Jack takes the woman and her children into his protection, but now he is harbouring a wanted murderer.
As Jack discovers more of the backstory of this woman and her children, he realises the only way to clear her name is for him to head to Afghanistan, and face the traumatic memories of his own time there serving as a US Marine many years ago.
Bloody Foreigners by Neil Humprheys
London is angry, divided, and obsessed with foreigners. A murdered Asian and some racist graffiti in Chinatown threaten to trigger the race war that the white supremacists of Make England Great Again have been hoping for. They just need a tipping point.
He arrives in the shape of Detective Inspector Stanley Low. Brilliant and bipolar. He hates everyone almost as much as he hates himself. Singapore doesn’t want him, and he doesn’t want to be in London. There are too many bad memories. Low is plunged into a polarised city, where xenophobia and intolerance feed screaming echo chambers.
His desperate race to find a far-right serial killer will lead him to charismatic Neo-Nazi leaders, incendiary radio hosts and Met Police officers who don’t appreciate the foreigner’s interference. As Low confronts the darkest corners of a racist soul, the Chinese detective is the the wrong face in the wrong place. But he’s the right copper for the job. London is about to meet the bloody foreigner who won’t walk away.
So there we have it. Another five books and this week only one of them was an audiobook! Can’t complain at that and they were all brilliant reads. Busy week on the blog this past week – more so than I realised. Recap below:
#Review – Cold Hearts – Gunnar Staalesen
#Review – The Assistant – Kjell Ola Dahl – Jen’s Thoughts
#Review – The Assistant – Kjell Ola Dahl – Mandie’s Thoughts
#Review – The Serial Killer’s Wife – Alice Hunter
#Review – The Seven Doors – Agnes Ravatn
#Review – Quick Reads 15th Anniversary – The Baby Is Mine – Oyinkan Braithwaite
#Review – A Modern Family – Helga Flatland
#Review – The Pact – Sharon Bolton
Phew. No wonder I’ve been shattered all week. 😉 The week ahead is a little more sedate – winding down for some me time don’t you know. Not that sedate though as we have a full week of reviews, including blog tour posts today for Don’t Let Him In by Howard Linskey and tomorrow for Sword of Bone by Anthony Rhodes.
So that’s it for this week. Not too bad in book terms. Not too bad in all terms to be fair.
Hope you all have a lovely week and that those of you who can are enjoying the Bank Holiday. Happy reading everyone
Jen x
Jen Med's Book Reviews 