Madeleine's Book Log 2024

[Madeleine]

"The Haven" by LJ Ross - this is the 4th in the series of Cornwall set books, called the Summer Suspense series, and whilst it features characters from the earlier books, it's also a stand alone novel, with a new character, Isolde, a Dublin-based newsreader who is suffering from various ailments, such as stress, blackouts, stomach aches, and so is advised to take a break.  She decides to visit her brother in the Cornish village of Tintagel, and almost immediately suffers a life-threatening accident, and is rescued by a handsome hero (of course) called, wait for it, Tristan.  Corny I know, and it gets cornier still, as an awful lot happens over one weekend, with the body of one of the hotel's staff found on the beach, and before long someone else goes missing.  I can't say much more for fear of spoilers,but it all seems to happen in a rush, with another twist  towards the end, which I did see coming and guessed correctly. An OK read for summer, with a lovely setting,but rather two-dimensional characters and everything happening too fast to be really convincing, but it's fiction,and passes the time well enough. 6.5/10

[Madeleine]

Amongst our Weapons by Ben Aaronovitch - the latest in the Peter Grant series of urban fantasy/crime novels, set in London but with magic involved - this time Peter finds himself investigating a murder in London's Silver Vaults, quickly followed by another killing, and both victims have been left with a large hole where their heart once was, but no sign, or any clue, as to what the murder weapon can be.  So begins another madcap adventure, with Peter assisted by his small band of fellow detectives,the re-appearance of an old foe, talking foxes, and meanwhile back at home his partner is about to give birth to their twins!  This was another enjoyable read, with a bit of history involved too, and lots of humour and action.  8/10

[Madeleine]

The Heiress of Linn Hagh - this the first in a series of detective novels set in the Regency era - 1809 in this one- featuring the team of Detective Stephen Lavender and his constable, Woods - who though normally based in London head up to Northumberland to investigate the disappearance of Helen Carnaby, the heiress of the title who vanished from her locked room - she's heir to a fortune, which she will come into when she turns 21, which is in a few weeks' time, and her half-brother and sister (her mother was their father's second wife) are desperate to marry her off and claim her fortune.  Nothing new there, and there are several other familiar tropes here too, but the story rattles along at a good pace, with lots of suspects, creepy woods, surly farmers and a crumbling old manor house, plus rumours of witchcraft from some of the locals. So it's not an easy task for the detectives, especially when a body turns up, and it's soon a race against time to save lives, including possibly their own.  In the meantime, Lavender, who though single isn't  immune to a pretty face, keeps thinking of the lady who helped him fight off some highwaymen on their journey North - a gutsy heroine indeed!  This was an enjoyable, fast paced read, quite well-written and a promising start to a new series (7 books so far), and in the author's note she explains that Lavender really existed, and after being a Bow Street runner rose through the ranks to become Deputy Chief Constable of Manchester until the early 1830s.  And he also investigated one of Northumberland's most notorious robberies, which involved the author's husband's ancestor, which she has written about in another book.  So not exactly the new Frey and McGray, but a decent replacement for when I finish that series (just started the penultimate book). 8/10

[Madeleine]

The Dance of the Serpents by Oscar de Muriel - this is the penultimate, 6th adventure in the Frey and McGray historical crime series, and was my main read for Victober. Our two heroes are summoned by the Prime Minister to be told that Queen Victoria wants them dead,as they have killed the witches who were helping her to contact her beloved Prince Albert.  However, the women's coven is still at large, and as they have some sort of hold over the ruling classes, Frey and McGray are given the task of rounding up the coven and "disposing of them", which might spare their lives.  So they embark on a dangerous, rollicking mission which takes them from one end of the British Isles to the other, literally - from Orkney to the Isle of Wight, whilst trying to outwit the PM's men who are watching their every move, and also trying to stay ahead of a vengeful band of witches.  It's fast-paced, with lots of cliffhangers, action and peril, with help from some familiar faces along the way.  I enjoyed this, it's definitely a rollercoaster ride, very atmospheric with some set pieces taking place in some of England's most famous and iconic buildings, such as York Minster and the Bodleian Library in Oxford.  Great fun, and a twist at the end too.  9/10

[Madeleine]

The Highgate Cemetery Murder by Irina Shapiro - I'd seen a lot of recommendations for this author's books, and having recently done on a tour of Highgate Cemetery I couldn't resist this one, the first in a new series policeman Sebastian Bell, and Gemma Tate, who are brought together when Bell investigates the murder of a young woman, whose body is found spectacularly displayed on a cross in the cemetery. The man who found her body is Victor Tate, Gemma's widowed brother, who'd been visiting his wife's grave, but almost immediately after he has given a statement to the police, he is killed after an accident with an omnibus.  Gemma thinks it wasn't an accident, and eventually her persistence pays off and Sebastian reluctantly agrees to let her conduct a few discreet inquiries of her own, for his job is on the line, and he knows that his boss is looking for an excuse to sack him. He has demons of his own, blaming himself for his wife's death, and spending most of his spare time either drinking or in opium dens, but something about Gemma makes him get his act together, but his superiors are pushing for a quick result in the case of the "Highgate Angel", as she is dubbed by the Press.   This was an enjoyable read, and the autjhor manages to lift Sebastian above the normal cliched, troubled cop character, and I look forward to reading the next book in the series. 7.5/10

[Madeleine]

Catching the Eagle by Karen Charlton - a few weeks ago I read the first book in her Stephen Lavender detective series, this book is a fictionalised account of the story of her husband's ancestor,Jamie Charlton, who was accused of stealing the tenants' rental money from Kirkley Hall Estate in Northumberland - a sum of over £1100, and at the time one of the biggest robberies committed.  As Charlton was working at the house at  the time, and saw the rent money, and almost immediately after the robbery was seen paying off his debts, and generally spending money quite profusely, when previously he and his family had lived a hand to mouth existence, he was an obvious suspect.  What follows is a story of a man who lived by his wits, but whose love of family - wife and several children - drove him on.  There is also a sub plot involving a huge golden eagle, which has a price on it's head as the local try to trap it. Stephen Lavender, a real detective at the time, comes up from London to help with the initial investigation.  This wasn't a bad book, at times it felt a bit like a Catherine Cookson novel, but the author's writing has improved since she wrote it, it does get a bit repetitive, and the amount of printing errors makes me wonder if it's an uncorrected proof copy, although there's no mention of it.  But there were errors everywhere, with words missing and "a" suddenly appearing in the middle of a sentence, and at one point there were two sentences the wrong way round!  She is apparently writing a "what happened next" novel,and has also written an account of her research.  6/10

[Madeleine]

Death at the Chateau Bremont by M L Longworth - this is the first in the crime series set in Aix-en-Provence, featuring Judge Antoine Verlaque and Professor Marine Bonnet.  I've read a few of the later books but thought I'd go back to the beginning with this one, and it starts with Verlaque and Bonnet, whose relationship has broken up, though we don't find out why, thrown together when a young count falls to his death from the window of his chateau.  At first it's thought to be either accident or suicide, but then his brother, Francois, is found dead in the pool, and that is definitely murder.  As Marine grew up with the brothers, Antoine thinks she might be able to assist with the case,and she reluctantly agrees.  I quite enjoyed this, the case was intriguing and the tension between Marine and Antoine comes across well, so it'll be interesting to see how their relationship goes on, until they get to the stage they are at in the later books I've read.  7/10

[Madeleine]

I don't often read short stories but Elly Griffiths has brought out a collection, and a couple are Christmas themed,so here's my review of the Christmas themed stories:

 

Flint's Fireside Tale - A Christmas Story

 

this takes place on Christmas Eve, as Ruth Galloway and her daughter Kate are preparing for a quiet Christmas together, and as Ruth sips a glass of wine with her cat Flint beside her they are interrupted by a visit from a stranger, in this case a young woman who claims to have broken down nearby (which is strange in itself as Ruth, as regular readers of the series know, lives pretty much in the middle of nowhere) and can she come in and wait for the breakdown truck to come and rescue her?  Ruth of course invites her in and the young woman starts to tell an eerie tale for Christmas.  And that's all I can say, except that Flint narrates the story and, being a cat, senses that there is something "off" about the unexpected visitor.  There are references to some of the earlier books, and some nice touches of humour, such as Flint's distaste for Harry Nelson's dog.  Not too creepy but quite clever.  7/10
 

Ruth's First Christmas Tree

 

This takes us back to 2009, and as Ruth's daughter Kate is now a year old and taking a big interest in the world around her, Ruth decides it's time to get a tree. What follows is a slightly farcical tale of Ruth's attempts to buy a tree, and the help she receives from familiar faces.  A nice story, but nothing really eventful.  6/10

[Madeleine]

Murder on Sea by Julie Wassmer - this is the 2nd in the Whitstable Pearl mysteries, and handily is set at Christmas, so it was a perfect time to read it.  Pearl, who has her own restaurant, is way behind with her own Christmas preparation, but is helping with the catering for a Christmas fair, and when a woman collapses at the fair, Pearl is worried she might have got food poisoning from one of her dishes, but after the woman dies in hospital, tests reveal she didn't have food poisoning, and whilst Pearl is exonerated, she's still technically a witness,although half the town was there too so they're all witnesses, including DCI Mike Maguire, Pearl's will they won't they love interest and sparring partner.  Neither is allowed to investigate, but when the dead woman's nephew (and closest relative) asks Pearl to find out what happened, well she can't refuse can she.  Then someone else is found dead, and what with a rising body count and a series of poison pen Xmas cards being sent to members of the community, Pearl has her hands full in trying to solve a mystery before Christmas Day.  This was an enjoyable read, just on the right side of cosy and not too sentimental either. 7/10

[Madeleine]

Christmas at the Island Hotel by Jenny Colgan - just managed to finish my 2nd Christmas read in time for Twelfth Night!  This is part of the Mure series, which has books set in both summer and at Christmas, I've read a few over the years but gave up on the last summer one and after this probably won't read more. It's an OK book, quite a pleasant read,but the author has a habit of writing very long sentences without a pause.  The editing was non-existent, several obvious typos and at one point a character changed gender and then went back again in the same paragraph, in another instance a character was talking to themselves as the typesetter forgot to change the name of the person they were speaking to.  She also used the word "tiny" four times in one paragraph, maybe I'm nit-picking but an experienced author such as her should know better.  Some other reviews I've read say that some characters have a different name to the one they had in earlier books, my copy seemed OK so I wonder if they were reading a different edition, or maybe had a proof which was corrected for the published version?  Anyway the story is about one of the main characters, Flora, trying to get The Rock Hotel on it's feet and open in time for Christmas;it's previous owner, who was married to her brother Fintan, sadly died too young, and the hotel was his dream, and though Flora is officially on maternity leave from her own job at the Seaside Kitchen cafe, she takes over the hotel from Fintan, who is still grieving and has lost all interest.  So we have a disparate team in the kitchen - eccentric chef Gaspard, who can't find anyone who'll work with him, Isla from the cafe who is sent up to work at the hotel (and is rather annoyingly described, to me at least, as a timid scullery maid who won't say boo to a sparrow, let alone a goose), and the mysterious Konstantin, who is recruited by Flora's partner Joel and arrives on the ferry with Gaspard.  All they know about him is that he's from Norway, and has never worked a day in his life - the reader knows his true identity, and surely a quick Google would have solved the mystery, but none of the team seem to think of doing this.  No prizes for guessing how things wok out, and whilst it has a warm feeling about it I wasn't that keen on it. Not a bad read but I've read some of her very early books and they were much better. 6.5/10

[muggle not]

On 10/2/2024 at 6:39 AM, Madeleine said:

Amongst our Weapons by Ben Aaronovitch - the latest in the Peter Grant series of urban fantasy/crime novels, set in London but with magic involved - this time Peter finds himself investigating a murder in London's Silver Vaults, quickly followed by another killing, and both victims have been left with a large hole where their heart once was, but no sign, or any clue, as to what the murder weapon can be.  So begins another madcap adventure, with Peter assisted by his small band of fellow detectives,the re-appearance of an old foe, talking foxes, and meanwhile back at home his partner is about to give birth to their twins!  This was another enjoyable read, with a bit of history involved too, and lots of humour and action.  8/10

I also enjoyed this book. I hope there are more books in the future.

[Madeleine]

I think there's a novella coming out, but no sign of a full length book yet.