August Picks

Atwood, Margaret (2023) Old Babes in the Wood: Stories. Doubleday.

This is a rather sad book of stories about the inevitability of old age (and death). These miscellaneous tales are told in three parts, bookended by Tig & Nell then Nell & Tig. The Tig and Nell stories are tales of a long marriage, during and after. We first meet Nell and Tig on a first aid course, and latterly when Nell, now a widow, is holidaying with her sister (the old babes) doing it for themselves. Other stories are a bit of a mixed bag with My Evil Mother having the most resonance. Showcases Atwood’s imagination, understanding and revelations of the human condition.

Rating: 4/5

Walker, Martin (2023) A Chateau Under Siege. Quercus.

A tourist re-enactment of the liberation of the town of Sarlat, in the Périgord, saw Kerquelin, the leading actor and a renowned electronics intelligence expert, stabbed under mysterious circumstances. Chief of Police Bruno Courrèges, in his sixteenth outing, must determine whether it was an accident, an assassination attempt or a subterfuge, all the while providing protection to Kerquelin’s brilliant Silicon Valley friends at the luxurious Chateau of Rouffillac. Another Bruno to the rescue tale albeit without the gastronomic temptations this time. A familiar annual treat.

Rating: 3/5

Hadley, Christopher (2023) The Road: A Story of Romans and Ways to the Past. W. Collins.

My fascination with early Britain and its holloways, folktales, archaeology, and Roman roads led me to this title, however my rudimentary knowledge of the landscape of Britain did not enable me to apprehend all the historical and geographical nuances. Hadley takes us on a lyrical journey searching for a ‘ghost’ road that once linked Braughing and Great Chesterford (historian Ivan Margary’s Roman Road 21b), near the junction with the great Roman road of Ermine Street. Time and nature have erased most traces of the route. Although woods have grown, new pathways been established, stone pavers have disappeared, and rivers changed their course, this road has its own story. Broad in its approach, simultaneously full of research, speculation and historical twists and turns. Imaginative and surprising.

Rating: 4/5

Kiernan, Olivia (2022) The End of Us. Riverrun.

Myles and Lana are having financial problems and are about to lose everything. New neighbours, Gab and Holly, suggest a solution to their worries – insurance fraud, for a cut. Then Lana goes missing. Myles didn’t think there was a plan in place – certainly not a plan that involved murder. A twisty and dark domestic noir tale. Read in one sitting.

Rating: 3/5

Delaney, JP (2023) The New Wife. Quercus.

On the death of their estranged father Finn and his sister inherit a run-down Mallorcan farmhouse, Finca Siquia. There is a problem with the settlement of the estate however as their father had remarried before his death and his wife Ruensa, and her daughter Roze, are still in situ. When Finn arrives to take possession he finds a beautifully restored home and a couple of warm-hearted women who may, or may not be, innocent victims. And the police have questions relating to his father’s sudden death. This is a tale of ambiguity and duplicity that keeps you on the edge of your seat with a narrative that challenges your judgement. Who can we trust? Unsettling with lots of tension. Great read.

Rating: 4/5

Lodge, Gytha (2023) A Killer in the Family. M. Joseph.

A welcome return of DCI Jonah Sheens and his team as they seek a DNA match for a spate of recent murders by a serial killer, known as the ‘Bonfire Killer’. Aisling, a mother of two sons, finds herself at the centre of the search as her DNA has identified three suspects – her long-lost father, or one of her two sons. Her heart believes that none them would commit murder. But there is a long-ago mystery surrounding Aisling – could the answer lie somewhere in her past? Subtly dark thriller with plenty of twists. Enjoyable read.

Rating: 4/5

Abell, Stig (2023) Death Under A Little Sky. HarperCollins.

Jake is a jaded city detective whose marriage is ending. When his reclusive uncle leaves him a property in the countryside he decides he needs a fresh start with a chance to live off-grid. In a beautiful setting, amongst a cast of darkly eccentric characters, Jake begins to reinvent himself. But when he joins the village treasure hunt and he discovers a young woman’s bones he is once again trust into the role of detective, this time with dangerous consequences. A classic thriller straight out of Jake’s uncle’s library. A charming, atmospheric and well-paced debut – well worth the time.

Rating: 4/5

Miranda, Megan (2023) The Only Survivors. Quercus.

Ten years ago nine high-school students survived a horrific crash into a Tennessee ravine. The following year one of the survivors took her own life. The remaining eight swore a pact to protect each other. Subsequently each year they met at The Shallows, an isolated beach house on North Carolina’s Outer Banks, to reconnect and remember those who were lost in the tragedy. But somehow this year is different. Cassidy decides that it was time to give up on survivor guilt and not attend the reunion, that is until she learns of the suicide of a survivor close friend. Is the dark that binds them now a threat? Suspenseful tale of courage, betrayal, and guilt.

Rating: 3/5

Heaberlin, Julia (2023) Night Will Find You. M. Joseph.

Vivvy Bouchet is a respected astrophysicist with psychic abilities. As a child she had intuited to save a boy’s life, a boy who is now a Texas detective. He calls on her to help solve a cold case. Three-year-old Lizzie Solomon, had disappeared a decade earlier. The girl’s body has never been found. The mother imprisoned for her abduction-murder. A skeptical sexy detective, ghosts, conspiracy theories and many layers make up this tale. Vivvy must use her formidable talents to search for the truth whilst protecting her reputation as a scientist. Spooky and dark.

Rating: 3/5

Winchester, Simon (2023) Knowing What We Know: The Transmission of Knowledge: From Ancient Wisdom to Modern Magic. William Collins.

This erudite tome examines how humans have acquired, retained, and transmitted knowledge from earliest times, and how technology continues to impact and change our lives. The narrative expounds on the thinking of philosophers, polymaths, inventors, and religious thinkers, explores writing and printing systems, the storing of knowledge and its manipulation and suppression, before focussing on the computer. He concludes with the notion that the computer has allowed us to avoid overworking our brains supposedly diminishing our capacity for thought – but what if the opposite were true? Fascinating connections, but just a pity that women have been excluded from Winchester’s research into the transmission of knowledge!

Rating: 4/5