From a Low and Quiet Sea by Donal Ryan

 

From a low and Quiet Sea tells us the stories of three men. Farouk is an immigrant who has risked everything and suffered a lot to escape from Syria and make a life for himself in Ireland. Lampy is a heartbroken young man still living at home with his mother and grandfather and finally we meet John. He was greatly affected by the death of his brother when he was still a child but has gone on the be very successful, we are also told about an affair he had. They are  given a section of the novel each rather than their stories being interwoven throughout. However in the fourth and final part of the novel we learn what links them together. 

 

What I love about Donal Ryan's work is his ability to tell us so much about his characters in very few pages, they are well developed and convincingly brought to life, not a word is wasted. Having said this I did struggle to connect with John a lot more than the others although this may well be down to me as I've been in a reading lull of late.

 

From a Low and Quiet Sea is definitely worth a read if you enjoy well written, intelligent fiction. If you haven't tried any of the authors previous work then perhaps read one of his first two novels before giving this a go, links to my reviews of those are below:

The Spinning Heart

The Thing About December

 

Thanks to Netgalley and Transworld for a review copy.

 

Rating: 3.5 out of 5

Into the Water by Paula Hawkins

 

Into the Water is the second novel by Paula Hawkins following her hugely successful debut The Girl on the Train. This new book is different in that it doesn't focus on one main character but on several who all live in the same small town.

 

Nel Abbott is found dead in the river but she isn't the first; it wasn't long ago that her teenage daughter's best friend also lost her life in the area known locally as 'The Drowning Pool' and there have been others. Some victims go as far back as the Witchfinder Trials and Nel was obsessed by them all, so much so that she was writing a book on the subject. Nel is thought to have jumped to her death but her estranged sister Jules, who has returned to her home town to look after her niece, doesn't believe this is the case.

 

Secrets and mysteries abound among the residents of the town which made the story compelling.  I've read in some other reviews that there are too many characters that made the story confusing. This almost put me off from reading it but I'm glad I did. I didn't find this to be an issue at all, each chapter is told from the point of view of one of the characters and it soon became clear to me who was who and I was gripped from the start. Definitely worth a read, just don't go into it expecting The Girl on the Train 2 as this is a different style of novel, I'm already eagerly awaiting her third.

Rating: 4 out of 5

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This Is How It Always Is by Laurie Frankel

Book Description

Rosie and Penn always wanted a daughter. Four sons later, they decide to try one last time - and their beautiful little boy Claude is born. Life continues happily for this big, loving family until the day when Claude says that, when he grows up, he wants to be a girl.

As far as Rosie and Penn are concerned, bright, funny and wonderful Claude can be whoever he or she wants. But as problems begin at school and in the community, the family faces a seemingly impossible dilemma: should Claude change, or should they and Claude try to change the world?

 

 

My Thoughts

I've been hearing about this book for a while and there has been a lot of hype online, I was surprised at first as it took me a little while to get into. I think it was simply because I found all the characters and family members that were introduced early on confusing, once they'd all clicked with me though I was enthralled.

 

The family are all wonderful and Claude wanting to be Poppy is never an issue for them. It felt like it would be a great household to grow up in, a home full of love and compassion. I couldn't help but root for Poppy throughout the story, hoping that everything would work out alright for her in the end.

This is a novel with a powerful message, one with some heartbreaking moments but overall one that is warm and sometimes funny.

Rating: 4 out of 5

 

Thanks to Headline and Netgalley for a copy in return for an honest review.

 

 

 

 

Swimming Lessons by Claire Fuller

Ingrid went missing from a Dorset beach twelve years ago and is presumed to have drowned. She left behind her husband Gil, who is an author with one famous novel to his name, and their daughters Nan and Flora. Flora was only ten years old when her mother disappeared and has always believed that she's alive.

 

Gil thinks he sees Ingrid but then has an accident causing both daughters to return to the family home to look after him, his possible sighting is put down to old age and ill health.

 

The story is beautifully told, both in the present day and the past. The latter in the form of letters that Ingrid wrote to her husband and left hidden in the many books inside their house by the sea. Truths, infidelities and tragedies are gradually revealed and I was gripped. This was a clever way of letting us learn about the characters and their marriage and it worked extremely well.

 

I enjoyed the author's first novel, Our Endless Numbered Days and Swimming Lessons is even better.

 

 

Rating: 5 out of 5

 

 

Thanks to Netgalley and Penguin Books (UK) for my review copy.

 

Publication date: 26th January 2017 

 

 

The Dry by Jane Harper

The Dry is set in the small country Australian town of Kiewarra. It hasn't rained there for two years, the severe drought leaving tensions high for the community. This has been made worse by the murders of the Hadler family, thought by local police to have been carried out by the husband/father of the victims who then committed suicide.

Policeman Aaron Falk has returned to his childhood town for the funeral of his best friend Luke. Luke's parents don't believe that he was capable of such a brutal crime and Aaron stays to look into what happened. This isn't the only mystery, years ago their friend Ellie drowned and her father has always blamed Aaron.

 

The two story threads and secrets from the present and past made this novel a compelling read. It grabbed my interest from the off and held it all the way through to the very end. The Dry is well written and heartbreaking in parts, if you enjoy crime fiction you won't be disappointed. 

 

Rating: 4 out of 5 

 

Publication date: 12th January 2017

Thanks to Little Brown and Netgalley for a copy in return for an honest review.

All We Shall Know by Donal Ryan

 

Melody Shee is pregnant and now alone, her husband left when she told him the child she was carrying wasn't his. The father is a seventeen year old traveller called Martin Toppy that Melody has been teaching to read. When Melody goes to the site Martin was living on she meets Mary Crothery and the two women become friends.

 

Donal Ryan's novels may be short but he manages to pack so much into them and creates believable characters. All We Shall Know is no exception to this, Melody isn't a likeable person but I loved her Dad and found the story about Breedie, Melody's friend at school, particularly heartbreaking.

 

Rating: 4 out of 5

 

Thanks to Transworld Publishers and Netgalley for a copy in return for an honest review.

 

You can read my reviews of Donal Ryan's previous two novels here:

The Spinning Heart 

The Thing About December

 

 

Hex by Thomas Olde Heuvelt

 

Hex was originally published in The Netherlands in 2013 but has just been released in the UK and US. It is set in a small, fictional place called Black Spring, but this is no normal American town. It is haunted by a woman from the seventeenth century whose eyes and mouth are sewn shut, she wanders the streets and can enter any home she chooses. Known to the residents as the Black Rock Witch they believe that if her stitches are cut open the entire population of Black Spring will die but a curse prevents any of them from leaving for more than a few days. Surveillance cameras are everywhere and the town is practically under quarantine.

 

At the beginning it was amusing to see how people dealt with her, she was hidden from outsiders by being disguised or covered up so the secret wouldn't get out. The story was far from light-hearted though and it was creepy when the witch (Katherine) was first introduced. The idea that she can suddenly appear in the corner of a room while you're doing normal, everyday things or by your bed while you're sleeping is quite frankly terrifying. Hex didn't scare me all the way through but is original and different to anything other novel I've read before. Something that often disappoints me with horror fiction is how authors end a story, this wasn't the case with Hex though, I loved it. 

 

Rating: 4 out of 5

 

Thanks to Bookbridgr and Hodder & Stoughton for my copy in return for an honest review.

 

The Woman in Cabin 10 by Ruth Ware

Laura (Lo) Blacklock is a travel journalist given a chance to go on the maiden voyage of a luxury cruise ship. She's hoping the trip will do her good and help her recover from a break in at her flat where she came face to face with the burglar. 

 

One night she's woken by noises coming from the cabin next door and is convinced she heard a body being dumped into the sea. Everyone tells her this isn't possible as no one is missing and the cabin has been empty, but if that's the case who was the woman who answered it's door to Lo and lent her a mascara?

The story started well and when the characters on the ship were introduced I was immediately trying to work out who could and couldn't be trusted. This has been compared in other reviews to Agatha Christie and I can see why. Unfortunately I began to lose interest towards the last part of the story, it felt rushed, as though the author had run out of ideas and wasn't sure how to finish and tie everything up. Lo was also making some annoying and at times perplexing decisions. You need to suspend belief for most crime thrillers to work but this went too far and I'm also not entirely sure what the very end was supposed to mean. Plenty will enjoy this quick and easy read though.

Thanks to Netgalley for a copy in return for an honest review.

Rating: 2.5 out of 5

 

Publication date: 30th June

When She Was Bad by Tammy Cohen

This psychological thriller kept me guessing until the end. The story has two threads; one is in America and about a particularly horrific case child psychologist Anne Cater dealt with years ago. The other is in England, set in an office at a recruitment agency where manager Gill has been let go. Much to the rest of the staff's dismay she's been replaced by the much stricter Rachel Masters. Gone is the friendly office atmosphere and everyone is on edge, wondering if they will be the next one shown the door and suddenly becoming suspicious of each other. Anyone who has worked in a similar environment will recognise the office politics involved and the team bonding weekend away was my idea of hell.

The two storylines are obviously linked but as the tension gradually increased during the book, I didn't work out correctly how until all was revealed. A gripping read that I raced through in a few days and I will certainly look at my work colleagues in a different light. 

Rating: 5 out of 5

Thanks to Netgalley and Transworld for my copy in return for an honest review. 

Publication date: 21st April 2016

The Couple Next Door by Shari Lapena

If you enjoy thrillers with lots of twists and turns then you must read this book.
It was a slow starter for me, but once I'd got into it I found it almost impossible to put down. 

Marco and Anne are out one evening for their neighbours birthday, let down by the babysitter they've left their six month old daughter alone. After all they are only next door and are going home to check on her every half hour so what could go wrong? The unthinkable happens and when they return in the early hours she's gone and there's no sign of where she is or what has happened. The story concentrates on Marco and Anne along with her wealthy parents and neighbours Cynthia and Graham, it's up to detective Rasbach to get to the bottom of the mystery and get baby Cora home safely. There are lots of secrets in the family and The Couple Next Door is a book that will keep you guessing until the very end.

Thanks to Netgalley and Transworld Publishers for a copy in return for an honest review. 

 

Rating: 4 out of 5

 

Publication date: July 14th 2016

Five Rivers Met on a Wooded Plain by Barney Norris

 

This debut novel, set in Salisbury, tells us about five different people linked together because of a car accident. They include Rita, a flower seller who runs a market stall and teenager Sam, who has fallen in love for the first time but his dad is gravely ill. The other characters are an elderly farmer whose wife has just passed away, Liam a heart broken security guard and an army wife who is lonely because her husband is working abroad and her son is away at boarding school.

 

Each chapter is told in the first person of the character. I didn't think all of these worked but they all had moving, sad tales to tell. My favourite was the army wife, and her chapter was written in the form of diary entries.

 

This is a very well written first full novel from an author I expect to hear more about in the years to come.

 

Rating: 3.5 out of 5

 

Thanks to Netgalley and Transworld Publishers for my copy in return for an honest review.

 

Publication date: 21st April 2016

 

 

The One-in-a-Million Boy by Monica Wood

 

I loved this story about 104 year old Ona Vitkus and the 11 year old boy scout. He is sent to help her with jobs to earn a merit badge and they soon form a wonderful friendship. The boy, whose name we never learn, is obsessed with world records and he would love to see Ona's name in the Guinness Book of Records. One day he doesn't arrive and the elderly lady is disappointed and left feeling let down, she wrongly believes he is the same as all the previous scouts she couldn't get on with. Then his father arrives to help instead, sent by his ex wife to continue their sons good deed.

 

This novel has sad and funny moments and ultimately is an uplifting story. An enjoyable, easy read that was very different to what I was expecting. 

 

Rating: 4 out of 5

 

Thanks to Headline for an ARC.

Publication date: 5th April 2016 

 

 

My Name Is Lucy Barton by Elizabeth Strout

 

 

Book Description

Lucy Barton is recovering slowly from what should have been a simple operation. Her mother, to whom she hasn’t spoken for many years, comes to see her. Gentle gossip about people from Lucy’s childhood in Amgash, Illinois, seems to reconnect them, but just below the surface lie the tension and longing that have informed every aspect of Lucy’s life: her escape from her troubled family, her desire to become a writer, her marriage, her love for her two daughters. Knitting this powerful narrative together is the brilliant storytelling voice of Lucy herself: keenly observant, deeply human, and truly unforgettable. 

 

 

My Thoughts

I loved Oliver Kitteridge and The Burgess Boys by Elizabeth Strout so was delighted to get her latest offering from Netgalley. It is a short novel and written in a disjointed way which along with the lack of background behind Lucy's thoughts and conversations with her mother made it difficult for me to get into. It's obviously meant to be like this and has been getting plenty of rave reviews but unfortunately it didn't work for me and I'm left feeling disappointed.

The Darkest Secret by Alex Marwood

 

 

In 2004 Sean Jackson is having a weekend away with family and friends to celebrate his 50th birthday when his 3 year old daughter Coco goes missing overnight. Twelve years on and it's still a mystery as to what happened to her. Some of the people who attended that fateful weekend have met up again (including Coco's twin Ruby and older half-sister Mila), this time for Sean's funeral. The chapters of the book are split between these two periods in time.

Lots more characters, most of whom are unpleasant, are introduced early on. For me this meant that I had to concentrate more than usual to try and recall who was who. I soon got into the story though and liked the way we're gradually fed snippets of information and clues as to what happened to Coco, before the truth is revealed at the end. Also I loved Ruby and Mila, they are very likeable and I was rooting for them throughout.

 

This is the third book by Alex Marwood, they are all different crime novels, not at all formulaic and I've enjoyed them all.

 

Thanks to Netgalley for a copy in return for an honest review

 

Rating: 4 out of 5

 

Dead Ringers by Christopher Golden

Tess Devlin sees hers ex husband Nick out on the street but is left unimpressed when he tries to ignore her and insists he's not who she thinks he is. Tess phones him to make her feelings known but he tells her he's away with his girlfriend. The man she saw looked and sounded exactly like the father of her child so when her friend Lili says she's heard there's a woman who could be her twin she realises something is very wrong.

Frank Lindbergh lives alone and hears an intruder in his house late one night, he's scared but nothing prepares him for what he sees, someone who is his double. 

I loved the idea of the doppelgangers and was hooked at the start. The characters are likable and believable which is something I like to have in a horror novel. However when the link from the characters past and the reason behind the strange happenings is revealed I was left a little confused and subsequently I started to lose interest. Perhaps I wasn't concentrating enough or this was a different story to the one I was expecting but for me Dead Ringers then became a good rather than great story. If you enjoy horror it's worth a read but I'm a little disappointed after the author's previous novel Snowblind.

 

Thanks to St. Martin's Press & Netgalley for a copy of this in return of an honest review.

Rating: 3 out of 5

Someone to Watch Over Me by Madeleine Reiss

The book starts with every parents worst nightmare; Carrie's young son Charlie disappears from a beach. The story then moves on three years and there's still no clue as to what happened to him. Carrie is now separated from husband Damien and runs a shop with her friend Jen.

Max was playing with Charlie on the beach the day he vanished. His Mum Molly brings him up alone since splitting up with her abusive husband Rupert.

I enjoyed the beginning and felt it described very well what it must be like to realise your child is missing. However I was disappointed, I expected this to be more of a thriller about the search for Charlie. In reality the story seemed to have more about Carrie's shop and the beginning of her relationship with neighbour Oliver. Others may like this to stop it being too dark and upsetting, but for me it didn't work. It seemed like the author couldn't decide what type of book to write. There was the Molly, Max and Rupert storyline but this became too far fetched.

Despite all of this I never felt like giving up and wanted to find out what would happen. The end when it came though was predictable.

Rating: 2 out of 5

In a Dark, Dark Wood by Ruth Ware

Nora is surprised to be invited to Clare's hen weekend but agrees with her friend Nina that they'll go. Nora walked out of school and away from her boyfriend James ten years ago, that was also the last time she saw Clare. They had been best friends throughout their school years so what happened? As the story progresses in the isolated house in the woods we find out why.

 

Other characters attending the weekend away are Tom who works in the theatre, Melanie who is away from her baby for the first time and Clare's obsessive best friend Flo.

 

I thought this was a good, fast paced psychological thriller and for most of it I wasn't sure what was going to happen next. I found the ending was predictable though, I'd worked it out earlier and it wasn't the big shock I'd been hoping for. Worth a read if you like psychological thrillers and I'll look out for future novels by this author.

 

Thank you to Harvill Secker for my review copy. 

 

Rating: 3.5 out of 5

 

Publication date: 30th July 2015

 

The Mistake I Made by Paula Daly

Roz is a single parent to her 9 year old son George since splitting up from her husband Winston. She works full time as a physiotherapist to try and make ends meet and clear some debts. When her financial situation worsens, she is forced to take up an offer. A married man she knows wants her to spend the night with him for money, no strings attached. She has never done anything like this before but can see no other quick alternative to keeping a roof over her and George's heads. Obviously this doesn't turn out to be as simple as she'd hoped and soon her life is getting out of control.

This is the third of Paula Daly's novels I've read, they're all excellent but I think this one is her best yet. It's a real page turner so please don't start reading this on a day you have plans, they won't come to fruition until you've finished this book.

Thanks to Transworld Publishers & Netgalley for my copy.

Rating: 5 out of 5

 

Publication date: 27th August 2015

My reviews of other Paula Daly novels:

Just What Kind of Mother Are You? 

Keep Your Friends Close 

 

 

The Summer of Secrets by Sarah Jasmon

 

Sixteen year old Helen doesn't have any friends from school to spend the summer holidays with. Her parents have split up, her Mum moved away and Helen lives with just her Dad who is busy working on his boat. When the Dover family move in next door they seem exciting to Helen and provide a welcome distraction from her loneliness. But something happens during that summer, something that changes everything.

This is a very impressive debut novel and I loved all the characters. The story is mainly set during 1983 with a few chapters in the present day.

Thank you to Transworld Publishers Netgalley for my review copy.

Rating: 4 out of 5

Publication date: 13th August 2015

 

 

 

 

Book Description:

 

One day she was there . . .

and the next day, the day after the fire, she was gone.

In the summer of 1983, when Helen is sixteen, Victoria Dover and her eccentric family move in next door, at once making her lonely world a more thrilling place. But the summer ends with a terrible tragedy, and everyone involved – her father and the entire Dover family – simply disappears.

Then one day, thirty years later, Victoria comes back.

A suspenseful, spell-binding coming-of-age story about young friendship, damaged families and how one simple action on a long, sultry summer can echo through the years. Perfect for fans of Louise Doughty's Apple Tree Yard, Liane Moriarty's The Husband's Secret and Helen Dunmore's The Lie.  

First One Missing by Tammy Cohen

First One Missing is a dark psychological thriller that starts with the murder of young girl Poppy Glover. She's the fourth victim of the Kenwood Killer, named  by the press due to the fact all four of the girls bodies were found on Hampstead Heath near Kenwood House.

Leanne Miller is the liaison officer sent to let Emma Reid, the mother of another victim Tilly, know the latest developments. The parents of the girls have started a group and regularly meet up to help support each other through their grief.

The novel not only looks into the police hunt for the killer but also the emotional impact that such a horrific event has on a family and how they struggle to cope with everyday life afterwards.

At no point did I guess correctly what was going to happen. This is a gripping psychological thriller with an ending that will make you gasp out loud.

Thank you to Transworld & Netgalley for a copy.

Publication date: 2nd July

 

My review of the author's previous novel Dying For Christmas is here