New Recommendations from Flaxmere Library Book Chat

The group at Book Chat has had a busy time of reading with a fresh crop of mystery and historical novels, one or two short story collections, a dystopian novel and some best-sellers among the mix.

Beginning with some crime fiction, we heard about Secrets and Lies by Quintin Jardine. Retired policeman Bob Skinner has been brought back in from retirement when a body is discovered in a campervan. It turns out to be Bob’s old boss, a woman highly respected among Bob’s former colleagues. What could have happened to cause her murder? Our reader thought this was an unusual story and interesting, ending with a cliffhanger surprise in the last two pages.

Quite a different kind of mystery was Louise and Gareth Ward’s The Bookshop Detectives: Dead Girl Gone. While the book took a little while to get going, our reader enjoyed the story of two ex-coppers running a bookshop and looking into the decades-old disappearance of a schoolgirl. We are all looking forward to the next book in the series (Tea and Cake and Death) which comes out in April.

This reader also enjoyed The Inspector and Mrs Jeffries by Emily Brightwell - although they found the writing rather wordy at times. Inspector Witherspoon is a Scotland Yard police officer in the Victorian era. Everyone is in awe at his crime solving success, but they don’t know that it’s Mrs Jeffries, his housekeeper, who is his secret weapon.

A brilliant Scandi Noir read was The Traitor by Jorn Lier Horst. This is the eighth William Wisting book by the Norwegian author. A landslide following weeks of heavy rain has Detective Wisting helping in the rescue. While there were no new casualties, a body is discovered, a victim of foul play before the slip. Links to ongoing cases and the possibility of a traitor within his unit make this a gripping read.

We’ve also been enjoying Peter James’s mystery series following Brighton detective Roy Grace. In Dead at First Sight, Grace is investigating the supposed suicide of a young woman, while a motivational speaker fears his identity has been used to scam women online. And one of them is now dead. It sounds like a pretty tough case for this likeable detective.

Gaslight by Femi Kayode was a different kind of mystery, set mostly in Nigeria, where a bishop of a ‘megachurch’ has been arrested for his wife’s murder. Investigative psychologist, Philip Taiwo looks into the case for his sister, a member of the bishop’s congregation. A complicated case that poses the question, was this murder or suicide? This is the second book in the Philip Taiwo series and we’re keen to read more.

Among the historical reads we discovered was The Diamond Courier by Hannah Byron - a WWII era story about Lili, who is sent in disgrace to finishing school in Switzerland. Here she meets the dashing Leo Oppenheim, leader of the British Communist Party. When war descends on Europe, Lili flees back to London embracing both Leo and his communist ideals. To gain funds for the Party, she becomes involved as a diamond courier between Antwerp and London. Our reader enjoyed the historical detail as well as the nice ending.

It was interesting revisiting an author we read years ago. Letters of Wisdom by Wanda E Brunstetter is a different sort of story from this writer of Amish stories. One of our main characters writes letters with a group of friends, sharing challenging feelings and experiences. When the abuse Irma experienced as a child affects her behaviour towards her own children, can Doretta’s words of wisdom help her? This was a more serious read than the Amish quilting stories that were fondly remembered.

Taking us back to 1920s Malaysia, is The Casuarina Tree, a collection of stories by W Somerset Maugham, and which includes his famous story "The Letter". These are enchanting, atmospheric and thought-provoking stories that also delve into the darkness of the human condition. Another short story collection that was recommended was Twelve Red Herrings, by Jeffrey Archer.  Each of the twelve stories is cleverly plotted with richly drawn characters and ending in an unexpected twist.

Then we were off to Western Australia 1909 in The Map of William by Michael M Thomas, where our eponymous hero is a fifteen-year-old boy who accompanies his surveyor father into the outback. Interesting friendships are forged along the way, while they must contend with the cruelty of the vengeful Sergeant Jardine. A stunning coming-of-age novel.

A classic author of a different kind, Margaret Atwood is famous for her novel, The Handmaid’s Tale. The Heart Goes Last is a similar sort of story, about a couple who find themselves in a utopia that isn’t quite as utopian as they had at first believed. This was quite a wordy novel, but worth persevering with for an original and at times chilling story.

Ever popular Nora Roberts is one of those authors who can turn her hand to anything it seems. One reader enjoyed two very different books by Roberts. The first, Night Work, was a brilliant story about Harry, who has turned his hand to burgling the homes of the wealthy to pay for his mother’s cancer treatment and put food on the table. Discovering a talent for this ‘night work’, he gets caught up in a new relationship, as well as a situation that gets out of his control.

Mind Games by Nora Roberts is quite a different kind of story, which follows Thea Fox who has a psychic ability but whose parents are murdered when she’s twelve.  Although she helps police capture the killer, he too has a psychic talent which causes ongoing connection with Thea, a gift which for her is more like a curse. This story is part mystery, part suspense with some romance, as well as plenty of drama.

Flaxmere Library Book Chat meets every second Tuesday at 10:30 am. Next meeting: 4 March.

20 February 2025

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