Angel

Execution Dock was an excellent read. I love the murky world of Victorian Britain - who would have believed that pornography started as soon as the camera was invented. Much of the book's topic left me feeling quite shocked and disgusted but Perry deals withthe subject so well Now reading Rory Clements -Prince John Shakespeare has his most challenging investigation. It’s the spring of 1595, and plague stalks the land, along with massive political unrest. Bomb attacks on the Dutch immigrant community will have a seismic effect on John’s turbulent life. England is a powder keg of rumour and fear and once again John Shakespear investigations take him from the Royal horse races to the opulent chambers of Black Luce`s brothel.The in-depth research and passion for the period takes the reader from the theatrical underworld of Marlowe and Kyd to the pain-wracked torture cells of priest-hunter Richard Topcliffe and into a explosive encounter at sea

Now reading Ann Perry - Execution Dock It's 1864, and after a game of cat and mouse, Monk has captured Jericho Phillips, the man he suspects of brutally killing a young mudlark and running an evil child prostitution ring. In bringing Phillips to justice, Monk hopes to close down the ring and avenge the memory of Durban, his old commander, who was determined to capture Philips. However at trial justice does not prevail. Oliver Rathbone, Monk’s friend, is hired anonymously to represent the accused and when he proves that vital evidence is missing, Phillips is freed. As Monk begins the investigation again, venturing deeper into London’s murky underworld, he realises that Durban may have had his own reasons for pursuing Phillips, and shockingly, that secret support for Phillips may reach further into civilised society than anyone could ever have imagined...

The Glovemaker was okay - not the best of reads. It just didn't seem to be that well written Polly Williams - How to be Married Sadie Drew thinks she must be the world’s worst wife. She only needs to walk into a room to make it untidy. She wears flannel pyjamas in bed. Furry things breed in her fridge. But she’s a busy working mother not a wifebot and husband Tom loves her as she is. Until he gets a hot new job and things change. There are alpha-wives to entertain. Nuclear rows. Unsettling secrets. And the smell of another woman’s perfume on his suit. Sadie risks losing everything if she can’t transform herself into the perfect wife...

Lady of Butterflies was a great read- very ubual ideafor a novel but based on real life. Now reading Stacia Brown - The Glovemaker The Glovemaker of the title is Rachel Lockyer, a bright and resourceful woman who is forced to live a restricted life under Cromewell's Puritan regime. It was a turbulent time, with the bright hopes of those who fought for Cromwell in the Civil War being dashed by his draconian policies, resulting in breakaway factions and underground rebellion. Rachel becomes involved with the Levellers, a political group which espoused equality and religious tolerance, and in particular one of their key members, William Walwyn, a married father of 14. Walwyn's marriage is cold and stale (his wife refers to their children by number rather than name) and inevitably the two like minds find solace and more in each other's company. Though they try to keep their affair a secret they become the subject of gossip and speculation, so when the body of a stillborn baby is found, Rachel becomes the prime suspect.

Don't Look Now was classic Richard Montanari - plenty of murder and horror. Quite an enjoyable read Now reading Fiona Mountain - Lady of the Butterflies On the ancient marshlands of Somerset - a place of mists and magic - a girl grows up in the shadow of the English Civil War, knowing that one day she will inherit the rich estate which belonged to her late mother. Her father, a stern but loving Puritan, once a distinguished soldier in Cromwell's army, fears for his daughter in the poisonous aftermath of the war,and for her vulnerability as an heiress. But above all he fears and misunderstands her scientific passion for butterflies. Eleanor Glanville was in fact destined to become one of the most famous entomologists in history, bequeathing her name to the rare butterfly which she discovered, the Glanville Fritillary. But not before she had endured a life of quite extraordinary vicissitude. Two marriages and an all-consuming love, which proved her undoing, a deep friendship with one of the great scientists of the day and finally, a trial for lunacy (on the grounds that no sane person would pursue butterflies) are all played out against the violent events of the Monmouth Rebellion and the vicious controversy over whether or not to drain the Somerset marshes. Now, if you drive down the M5, you will cross Kings Sedgemoor Drain - one of the first great ditches which reclaimed the land for farming and destroyed the precious habitat of the Glanville Fritillary

Frankie - I think that is one crime none of us will ever forget - it was just so horrific and upsetting Plague Child was a great read and sets the foundation for the next 2 books in the trilogy Now read Richard Montanari - Don't Look Now Andrea Heller has been married for seven years, but still likes to pretend she's single. She enjoys sitting on her own in bars, and watching what happens. But there's another couple watching too. They call themselves Saila and Pharaoh, but only after sundown. And it is after sundown that some terrible things are happening in the singles clubs in Cleveland. In six months, three women in their twenties have been brutally murdered. And each step that Homicide Detective Jack Paris takes to find their killer draws him closer to the heart of his own forbidden impulses. As the stakes become increasingly personal, Jack knows only one thing for certain. To enter the minds of Saila and Pharaoh is to enter a world from which no one ever fully returns...

I'm almost half way through and I love it! It certainly promises to develop for further books. I like the time of the English Civil War

I really could not get into The Gallows Curse. So,in a move totally out of character - I abandoned it! Now reading The first instalment of a captivating trilogy set against the backdrop of the English Civil War. September 1625: Plague cart driver, Matthew Kneave, is sent to pick up the corpse of a baby. Yet, on the way to the plague pit, he hears a cry – the baby is alive. A plague child himself, and now immune from the disease, Matthew decides to raise it as his own. Fifteen years on, Matthew’s son Tom is apprenticed to a printer in the City. Somebody is interested in him and is keen to turn him into a gentleman. He is even given an education. But Tom is unaware that he has a benefactor and soon he discovers that someone else is determined to kill him. The civil war divides families, yet Tom is divided in himself. Devil or saint? Royalist or radicalist? He is at the bottom of the social ladder, yet soon finds himself within reach of a great estate – one which he must give up to be with the girl he loves. Set against the fervent political climate of the period, 'Plague Child' is a remarkable story of discovery, identity and an England of the past..

I'm glad you enjoyed this book. Like you I found many parts disturbing but thought provoking

Death Comes to Pemberley was a pleasant read. I didn't know what I would think of it as I said in my previous post. However it is obvious that PD James has given it great deal of thought about how she would tackle it. I like the way she developed the role of the dastardly Wickham in the same vein that Jane Austen introduced him in her novel. There was the twist at the end but Wickham is still the bad boy and I'm glad he stayed that way. I think that PD James did a commendable job in tying the two novels together and stayed faithfully to the original plot to develop hers. However, I seriously hope that other authors do not try the same as in my humble opinion she is the only one who is capable of doing so. Yes the plot was predictable but I think it lent itself to it Moving onto Karen Maitland - The Gallows Curse 1210 and a black force is sweeping England. For a vengeful King John has seized control of the Church, leaving corpses to lie in unconsecrated ground, babies unbaptized in their cradles and the people terrified of dying in sin. And in the village of Gastmere, the consequences grow darker still when Elena, a servant girl, is dragged into a conspiracy to absolve the sins of the lord of the manor. As the terrors that soon begin to plague Elena's sleep grow darker, in desperation she visits the cunning woman, who has been waiting for just such an opportunity to fulfil an ancient curse conjured at the gallows. Elena, haunted by this curse and threatened with death for a crime she didn't commit, flees the village ... only to find her nightmare has barely begun. For treachery lurks in every shadow as King John's brutal reign makes enemies of brothers, murderers of virgins and sinners of us all.

Clair - I was very hesitant about trying Death Comes to Pemberley on 2 accounts. First Pride and Prejudice is one of my all time favourites and I didn't want that image spoiled. Secondly, I couldn't get the thought out of my head is that PD James is such a well respected crime writer. I know this sound weird but I couldn't imagine the two together for it to work. I have only read 2 chapters so far and PD James and so ar so good- she has tried to write in the same style as Jane Austen. Will let you know my thoughts

I had forgotten just how good Elizabeth Chadwick is! To Defy a King was a very good read PD James - Death Comes to Pemberley

You won't be disappointed - one of her better one IMHO The Child Who was very thought provoking - I guess I had never considered the legal team who defended the 2 kids in the Jamie Bulger situation. (One good reason not to become a solicitor having to defend murderers.) However whilst reading this book, I found myself feeling slightly sorry for the kid who committed the murder as every one in his very short life let him down. A very good book which I would recommend Chrissy Now reading Elizabeth Chadwick - to Defy a King

When Daniel, a quiet 12-year-old boy, is found to have murdered his classmate, the job of defending him falls to provincial solicitor Leo Curtice. Curtice is open enough to understand that abused, neglected Daniel is a victim too. But he has a couple of fatal flaws: unfocused ambition and a naivety so chronic that he simply cannot foresee the impact of his actions on his wife and, especially, his teenage daughter, who suffers terrible bullying at school

Lone Wolf is the story of a family brought back together through a terrible accident. When Luke Warren is bringing his teenage daughter, Cara, home from a party, the two of them crash, leaving Cara with a broken shoulder and Luke in a coma. Luke's ex-wife, who has remarried and has a new young family, calls their eldest child, son Edward who has been abroad and estranged for six years and he returns home. An absolute fantastic read - I loved every page on this one - as good as my Sister's Keeper, so one of my favourites Also on holiday I read YTracey Chavalier - Falling Angels (turned out to be a reread!!) and Gabrielle Kimm - The Courtesan's Lover Now I am reading a new book also just released - Cathy Kelly - The House on Willow Street

Has anyone read her new book Lone Wolf? I read it last week and I think it's one of her best! Right up there with My Sister's Keeper. It's such a fantastic read and quite a tearjerker

When Eva's film star sister Katrina dies, she leaves California and returns to Cornwall, where they spent their childhood summers, to scatter Katrina's ashes and in doing so return her to the place where she belongs. But Eva must also confront the ghosts from her own past, as well as those from a time long before her own. For the house where she so often stayed as a child is home not only to her old friends the Halletts, but also to the people who had lived there in the eighteenth century. When Eva finally accepts that she is able to slip between centuries and see and talk to the inhabitants from hundreds of years ago, she soon finds herself falling for Daniel Butler, a man who lived -- and died -- long before she herself was born. Eva begins to question her place in the present, and in laying her sister to rest, comes to realise that she too must decide where she really belongs, choosing between the life she knows and the past she feels so drawn towards.

That's the only one of her's that I haven't read - I have just ordered it from the library

I absolutely loved Remarkable Creatures - although written as a fictional story the book has been well researched. I could absolutely believe just how badly the scientists treated Mary Anning but in the end justice prevailed. Who would have thought that a young girl would have contributed so much to the science of paeleontology. A thoroughly enjoyable read

Laura - you will love it ! Now reading Karin Slaughter - Kisscut Kisscut begins with a particularly explosive opening. In the car park of a skating rink in the small southern town of Heartsdale, chief of police Jeffrey Tolliver witnesses a teenage girl pointing a gun at a man. But the detective, there for a date with his ex-wife Sara (the town's medical examiner and paediatrician), is obliged to shoot the girl to save the boy's life. The subsequent autopsy brings to light a gallery of horrors, and as Tolliver and Sara undertake a particularly difficult investigation, they are met with a wall of silence.

Wendy Holden never ever fails to give a good light hearted read and I would this one to anyone who loves her books Richard Montanari - The Devil's Garden Michael Roman is finally living the life he always dreamed of - he has a successful career, a beautiful wife and adorable twin daughters. But his idyllic life is about to come crashing down around him - because Michael is a man with a past. A rising star in the New York District Attorney's office and on the cusp of enormous success, Michael's perfect life begins to unravel when he finds himself the target of a depraved madman, a man who covets everything Michael has and will stop at nothing to take it all away. In a desperate fight to survive, Michael is forced to confront the dark secrets of his past in order to save his family. He must hunt down the psychopath who is targeting his family and, before it is too late, face the devil himself . . .

I love reading the classics and have read alot. They are most often historical in nature, reflecting life across the whole cross section of society. I think people enjoy them as they catch a way of life that was simpler ie not like our mad crazy lives where everything has to happen instantly at the touch of a button, 24 hrs a day. Many authors were contenscious challenging many aspects of society - Elizabeth Gaskill, Thomas Hardy and obviously Charles Dickens. These novels are just as relevant in today's society - poverty, justice and social inequality for example. In addition, classics so very often demonstrate the craft of writing so that that many genres have laid the foundations for our modern genres - Jane Austin -romance, Wilkie Colins - crime and murder, to name a couple. However having said all that, I read them for the pure pleasure of them

Great review - I have this waiting on my shelf to be read. Think I will move it up that very long list

I'm sure you'll enjoy it Ben iI really enjoyed it as well but I'm not sure about the ending though. Although inevitable I just think that compared with the rest of the book it appeared rushed. After the week I've had at work I need a serious cheering up so some light entertainment She stopped at nothing. To get everything. Scheming social climber Alexa may be humbly born. But she's a class-hopping cruise missile aimed at the very top of the gold-digging tree. Only a title, mansion and family tiara will do. Befriending feckless aristo Florrie (three surnames plus black hole where her brain should be) means the grandest doors swing open and the prince of her dreams is in sight. But has Florrie's mother, the formidable Lady Annabel, rumbled what Alexa is up to? Beautiful but penniless student Polly, meanwhile, is in love. Is Max, the handsome young vet she's found in a country lane, quite as ordinary as he seems, however? Passionate love, eye-widening snobbery and more than naked ambition abound in this contemporary Cinderella tale - a deliciously satirical novel of the upwardly mobile

The Roots of Betrayal was a great read. It has everything set in Elizabethan England - murder, betrayal, piracy, swash buckling scenes and a plot against the queen. Moving onto Stephen King - The Dead Zone