March Reading from Hastings Library Book Chat

It’s often a mixture of new authors with reliable old favourites at Book Chat, and this session was no exception. Among the old favourites were Ann Cleeves, Fiona Kidman and Jodi Picoult, alongside some exciting new discoveries.

One happy discover was A Solitude of Wolverines by Alice Henderson - the first book in the series featuring biologist Alex Carter who works at a wildlife sanctuary in Montana studying, you guessed it, wolverines. Tracking this endangered species, Alex stumbles on an illegal operation, but unable to convince the police they need to investigate, she becomes instead a target and is suddenly in danger for her life. This was an action-packed thriller that kept you on the edge of your seat, while adding lots of interesting background information on wolverines and their conservation.

Still on a theme of animal conservation we heard about Leaving Time by Jodi Picoult which takes us into the world of elephants and the extraordinary study of their grief. Alice was a scientist who made this her specialty but disappeared after a terrible accident. Years later Jenna, her daughter, attempts to find the truth of her mother’s disappearance, employing both a psychic famous for finding missing persons, and a jaded private detective. A brilliant read particularly for the wealth of interesting research the author has included.

Cold Earth is another brilliant mystery in the Shetland series by Ann Cleeves. In this story, a landslide following torrential rain sweeps through an apparently uninhabited croft. But questions arise when the body of a woman in a silk dress is discovered there. Detective Jimmy Perez becomes obsessed with finding the identity of the dead woman, who doesn’t seem to have any connection to Shetland, as well as how she died.

Before the Poison by Peter Robinson is a stand-alone novel from the author of the popular DCI Banks series. The story follows James, who returns to his Yorkshire origins after the death of his wife. Renting a house in the Dales will allow him to deal with his grief and offer the necessary quiet to work on his latest commission, a music score for a movie. But he’s soon distracted when he learns the house was once the scene of a murder, and the supposed killer was one of the last women hanged in England. A brilliant mystery made all the more atmospheric by the descriptions of music which Robinson does so well.

I Am Pilgrim by Terry Hayes is a ripping read, following the story of one man in a race against time to save America. Pilgrim is the codename of a former senior spy and an expert in forensic criminal investigation. But although he thought he’d disappeared into obscurity, an NYPD detective tracks him down to help with a grisly crime. The case takes him to Mecca, to the Turkish coast, a Nazi death camp in Alsace and the Hindu Kush in search of the faceless man who will stop at nothing to fulfil his deadly mission. Outstanding.

Fair Rosaline by Natasha Solomons is the story of Rosaline Capulet, and is a kind of retelling of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet. Rosaline's a cousin of the ill-fated Juliet, but her family are keen for her to join a convent. When she meets Romeo, Rosaline is tempted to imagine another life. When Romeo’s interest turns to Juliet, Rosaline foresees danger and determines to save her cousin’s life. This sounded an interesting premise, but our reader found it altogether gushy and improbable.

Our second historical novel, The Disenchantment by Celia Bell, didn’t leave our reader at all disenchanted, however. Set in seventeenth century Paris at the court of Louis XIV, this is the story of Baroness Marie Catherine. Unhappily married, she embarks on an illicit affair with an androgynous, self-assured countess. Along with court intrigue, there’s a murder as well as an over-zealous chief of police who has the women on their toes. An interesting storyline around the arrival of a portrait painter is another strand. Recommended.

All Day at the Movies by Fiona Kidman is an earlier novel from one of New Zealand’s most well-regarded novelists. Following the Pawson family, we have a novel both wise and tragic, as the three main characters, Belinda, Grant and Janice struggle to make a life for themselves after a difficult childhood. The novel brings in issues around social change in New Zealand, including the marches during the Springbok Tour of 1981, feminism and racism, and is a story of immense warmth, wit and humanity.

Our reader really enjoyed the e-audiobook version of The Patient by Tim Sullivan - the third in the series following DS Cross, a policeman who, in this story, is determined to pursue a murder case which the rest of his team has written off as suicide. The young victim's mother is certain her daughter was over her years of drug abuse and keen to get her life on track. But several leads suggest there are at least a couple of people who might wish her harm. It was altogether a great read building to a surprise ending, but best of all is the character of Cross, a police officer on the spectrum which makes him a kind of outsider, but with a sharp mind and a gift for seeing what others miss.

We continue with our Harlan Coben binge with two more thrillers. Just One Look is an earlier stand-alone novel where some odd events are curiously linked. These include a hitman confessing to a twenty-year-old murder and the kidnapping of a businessman following the discovery of a photograph showing him as a young man. This is one of those stories where the past comes back to haunt the present and is, as expected, another entertaining read from this master of the ripping yarn.

Home by Harlan Coben is number eleven in the Myron Bolitar series and also describes kidnapping – this time a decade ago. Two boys from well-to-do families were taken, ransoms demanded, but then the boys were never heard of again. In the present day, Myron believes he’s found one of the boys, now a teenager, but what can he tell Myron about the fate of his friend? Top notch.

If you want to join a book group that reads all sort of books and has the opportunity to discover what's new on the library shelves, come along. We meet on the third Wednesday of the month at 10:30 am and are always happy to welcome new members.

21 March 2024

Back to Blog Archive