The Kalahari Typing School For Men, by Alexander McCall Smith

This is the 4th book in the No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency series, which follows the life of Precious Ramotswe, private detective, as she tries to unravel the mysteries presented to her in her work, and deal with life outside of the office.

In this slice of Mma Ramotswe’s life, she attempts to track down two people from the past of one of her client’s life.  He feels that he treated these people badly, and now wants to make amends, and Precious will have to use all of her tact and skills to find them.  At the same time, she is also coping with the threat of competition, when a new detective agency is set up in the village and the manager, the brash Mr Buthelizi makes his presence known.  And when Precious’s assistant, Mma Makutsi finds romance, the relationship brings all sorts of complications with it…

As always is the case with this series, this story is told gently and with plenty of wry humour.  Throughout it all, Mma Ramotswe’s compassion and strong morals shine through, and her love for Botswana is clear.

Throughout the books, the characters are fully fleshed out and I found myself caring about what happened to them, and enjoying reading about their lives.  Mma Makutsi is a great foil to Mma Ramotswe, being less tactful and more direct.

There is plenty of humour in the story, and I read it with a smile on my face.  These books tell of a gentle way of life, of people who genuinely care about their country and their companions, and they have a wonderful cast of core characters.  I look forward to reading the 5th book in this lovely set.

Witchfinder by William Hussey

As an enthusiastic young reader (many years ago!) I don’t recall many books being available specifically for teenagers. I very soon moved on to horror writers, such as Stephen King, as there wasn’t much else available, and I know that many other young readers in my age group did the same thing.

As a thirty-something adult, I am now very much enjoying reading many of the ‘young adult’ books which are around now, although I am avoiding the vast array of YA vampire tales! Most of these books are written in such a way that they appeal to teenagers, whilst still offering enough for older readers to enjoy them too, and this is certainly no exception.

The reason I mentioned reading horror as a young person is that the genre seems to appeal to teenage readers, and Hussey’s Witchfinder includes some dark scenes which take this up a level from other YA fantasy, and adds an extra interest. It’s probably not suitable for younger readers, and it’s darker tone is set right from the beginning, so older teens can judge straight away if it’s for them.

The main character, Jake, is introduced as a normal teenage boy, who has a passion for horror, and comics in particular. However, he is soon thrust straight into real world horror, as he discovers witches with their demon familiars, and is faced with abduction and death.

What appears to be a a tale of good versus evil soon develops into more, as Hussey explores whether those who believe they are fighting for good have actually become as bad as those they fight. It also gives us themes of friendship, loyalty and redemption.

As an interesting addition, there’s also mention of Matthew Hopkins, a witch hunter during the time of the English Civil War. It’s a link to history which may well spark some interest and further study.

This is an impressive first book of a trilogy. It’s a complete story in itself, which moves at a fast pace. The second in the trilogy is due to be published in January 2011, and the final instalment in September 2011. If the quality of writing is to continue in these two books, it’s going to feel like a long wait!

Property by Valerie Martin

Manon Gaudet is an unhappy housewife in the early 19th century.  Married at a young age to a Louisiana sugar plantation owner who is brutal and cruel, she longs for a way out of her life and wishes she could return to her home town of New Orleans.  Her housemaid Sarah is a young black woman, whose child is proof of Manon’s husband’s unfaithfulness.

These are dangerous times for Sarah and her husband, with many of the slaves rebelling against their white employers (or owners, as slaves are considered to be property of the household) and while the threat of violence and murder is around the corner, Manon has to worry about where Sarah’s loyalties will lie if the insurrection reaches their home…

This book is certainly well written.  The writing is clean and stark and the story – told from Manon’s point of view, is related without emotion.  It certainly brought to life a period of history which was shocking and disturbing, and I felt that both the era and the lifestyle of the characters was very well described.

Characterisation was stark – as Manon is the narrator, it is probably no surprise that she is the most fleshed out character of all.  However, I felt that Manon’s husband, and their slave Sarah were also extremely believable.

Overall, this was a quick read, but certainly made me think. It is  an excellent portrayal of life in turbulent times, and certainly is a book that made me think.  A story that will linger in the mind long after the final page has been turned.

The Lost Art of Keeping Secrets, by Eva Rice

It is the mid-1950s, and England is recovering from the ravages of the second world war.  Penelope Wallace is 18 years old, and on the verge of a new and exciting life which starts when she encounters a girl named Charlotte, who quickly becomes Penelope’s best friend.  Together with Charlotte’s sardonic and sarcastic cousin Harry, Penelope and Charlotte become involved in a whirlwind of parties and dinners, and things take an unusual turn when Henry asks Penelope to do him a huge favour.

In the midst of all this, Penelope has to deal with her beautiful mother, who is still grieving over the loss of her husband to the war; a once grand house that is now falling to rack and ruin, and her unrequited love for the pop singer Johnnie Ray…

I enjoyed this book very much.  One of the reviews on the back of my copy states that if Jane Austen were alive now, this is the kind of book she would be writing, and I would tend to agree with that.  it is a very charming story, and while it is not altogether unpredictable (although there were certainly a few surprises along the way), the real beauty of this story lies in the characters.  The main characters are Penelope, Charlotte, Harry, Inigo (Penelope’s brother), Talitha (her mother) and Charlotte’s Aunt Clare.  Each and every one of them is well drawn and very believable.  Moreover, they are characters who I came to really enjoy getting to know throughout the story.

The writing is lovely – clean and never over fussy, but still managing to describe perfectly the time period in which the book is set, and the old house which the Wallace family live in (where a lot of the story is set).

It is also very amusing in parts – the author has a sharp eye for wit, and infuses her narrator (Penelope) with a wry sense of humour.

I’m not a huge fan of chick-lit, but if this book falls into that category, it certainly is one of the best examples I have read of this genre.  It’s perfect for curling up with on a cold day and losing yourself in for a couple of hours.  I will certainly be looking out for more work by this author.

Chinese Cinderella and the Secret Dragon Society by Adeline Yen Mah

Waterstones Synopsis:

During her lonely childhood in Shanghai, Adeline Yen Mah wrote adventure stories to escape from her terrible step-mother and cruel siblings. The characters she created often became more real to her than her own family. In Chinese Cinderella and the Secret Dragon Society, Adeline tells the story of Chinese Cinderella, a young girl who, after being thrown out of her home, has no choice but to go out and seek her own destiny. Soon she meets up with a group of children, all orphaned but each from a different background, who live with an old lady called Grandma Wu. Chinese Cinderella, or CC for short, decides her future after consulting an ancient book which helps to show her the way forward. And her choice takes her on a mission to save the lives of others. Based on a true-life incident during World War II. CC and the others bravely rescue a group of American pilots whose plane crashed after a bombing raid on Japan. Although her father is looking for her, CC knows that she can never go back to live with her cruel stepmother, and now there is no turning back.

This book follows CC, a girl whose step-mother makes her life miserable and whose father never seems happy. She frequently finds comfort in visiting Big Aunt, but she has to return to her home to care for a sick elderly lady. CC is lost, and by chance stumbles upon a circus act. One of the performers hands her his business card and the following day she seeks this group out. What she finds is The Secret Dragon Society – masters of kung fu and lending a helping hand. With intense lessons and training, CC is about to enter a whole new world: one where she ends up helping American soldiers hide from the Japanese.

This is a children’s book, but I enjoyed reading it. It didn’t take long to end and the story was engaging. I liked CC and her perseverance, and I liked Grandma Wu. She was wise, but comforting and loving. The family she had formed from the orphans was lovely to read about.

This is a book full of imagination and action. The description of the kung fu is wonderful, and just reading it I was left in awe. It seems to take such talent and Yen Mah caught the essence well. I liked that she explored how kung fu was more than fighting, and looked at the mental aspects of the skill as well.

It seemed that a lot of research went into this book. There are fairly long sections explaining things such as Buddhism, and the how The Society functions and makes decisions.  These were important to the book but I did sometimes feel a bit bored reading them after a while. I thought they were perhaps a bit too long-winded.

Overall, this is not a bad read. Even though it is a children’s book I think adults will enjoy it too. There is adventure and action in this book, as well as family love and friendship. It was not a hard read and I enjoyed it.

3/5

Caught by Harlan Coben

Caught by Harlan Coben

From Amazon ~

17-year-old Haley McWaid is a good girl, the pride of her suburban New Jersey family, captain of the lacrosse team, headed off to college next year with all the hopes and dreams her doting parents can pin on her. Which is why, when her mother wakes one morning to find that Haley never came home the night before, and three months quickly pass without word from the girl, the community assumes the worst.

Wendy Tynes is a reporter on a mission, to identify and bring down sexual predators via elaborate—and nationally televised—sting operations. Working with local police on her news program Caught in the Act, Wendy and her team have publicly shamed dozens of men by the time she encounters her latest target. Dan Mercer is a social worker known as a friend to troubled teens, but his story soon becomes more complicated than Wendy could have imagined.

In a novel that challenges as much as it thrills, filled with the astonishing tension and unseen suburban machinations that have become Coben’s trademark, Caught tells the story of a missing girl, the community stunned by her loss, the predator who may have taken her, and the reporter who suddenly realizes she can’t trust her own instincts about this story—or the motives of the people around her.

My Review ~

What happens when the consequences of well-meaning choices inadvertently result in the cost of human life? What happened to just trusting your instincts?
Wendy Tynes is a new reporter doing a story on pedophiles who prey on young children on the Internet (think To Catch a Predator.) Pretending to be a teenage girl, Wendy lures Dan Mercer, a social worker with no family and very few friends, to the decoy house, springing the cameras and accusations at him. Dan, thinking he was coming to the aid of one of the children he counsels, flees the scene. At the preliminary hearing Dan’s lawyer does some fancy footwork and gets the charges dismissed. Meanwhile Wendy is approached by Ed Grayson, the father of one of Dan’s “victims”. He wants Wendy to help him find Dan so that he can seek his own brand of justice. Because he knows the town hates him, Dan goes into hiding. While in hiding, Dan contacts Wendy and asks her to meet. He tells her that he was set up and wants her help in figuring out who set him up. Because she starts to have some doubts about Dan’s guilt, Wendy agrees to the meeting. But unbeknownst to her is followed by Ed Grayson. What happens next will rock her to her core, yet at the same time will be very hard to prove.

Hailey McWaid is a beautiful, popular, happy teenager who vanishes one night. The anguish her parents feel is palpable throughout the pages of the book. How can a girl with everything going for her just disappear? They do their best to convince the police that she is not a runway and that something terrible has happened to her. Not only is the community devastated by the actions of Dan Mercer, they are trying to understand how a 17 -year -old girl can just disappear. Her parents struggle to go on for the sake of their other children, but can’t live without knowing what has happened to their beloved Hailey.

Jenna Wheeler is Dan’s ex-wife and closest friend. Dan is the g-dfather to her youngest child and babysits often. When the charges against Dan are leveled, she is the first one to defend him at the expense of her own reputation. She knows that he is not capable of the horrific things they are accusing him of. Will defending her ex force Jenna to flee to a place where no one knows her and what she’s been through?

Something about both the Dan Mercer story and Hailey’s disappearance bothers Wendy. And when Hailey’s phone is found in Dan’s motel room, she thinks maybe her instinct was wrong and she is missing something. So, being the investigative reporter she is, she starts digging. She finds a sinister connection between Dan and his former college roommates. All of whom have had their lives destroyed in one way or another and all who claim they have been set up. Could Wendy have been so wrong about Dan, causing the vigilante execution of an innocent man? The shocking information Wendy turns up will bring both closure to some while destroying others.

Caught is filled with so many twists and turns you will swear you’re on a roller coaster ride. Just when you think you have things figured out, a twist is thrown at you that takes things in a completely different direction with a stunning conclusion you will never see coming. Is everything really as it seems? Make sure you pre-order a copy of this book, because you don’t want to be the only one Caught not reading it.

Silent Scream by Karen Rose

Silent Scream by Karen Rose

From Amazon ~

When a teenage girl dies in a suspicious fire, Detective Olivia Sutherland is assigned to track down the arsonist. Then she discovers something more sinister: a vicious blackmailer who preys on young people and murders without hesitation. Making her work even harder is sexy firefighter David Hunter. He’s not only sharing the case but sparking memories of their long-ago night of passion, when feelings were left unspoken and hearts were broken.

David has his own ghosts, and a million regrets. But while he and Olivia try to face the wall of pain between them, a diabolical puppet master is pulling strings to make a group of twentysomethings do his bidding. Soon Olivia and David are scouring the city for a calculating criminal who seems tantalizingly close–and is moving in for the kill.

My review ~

Detective Olivia Sutherland is still trying to get past the unbelievable horrors of recovering dozens of body parts from the “pit” left by the Red Dress Killer (see I Can See You) seven months earlier. And unfortunately seeing the department shrink hasn’t helped much either. She still struggles seeing the victims she has a duty to find justice for. Yet she loves what she does and will find a way to get past the nightmare of what she saw. And it’s just possible that love will heal her heart, mind and spirit.

One night Olivia and her partner Kane are called to the scene of an arson where a young girl is found dead in the building. What Olivia and Kane now need to find out is if the girl was part of the group that set the fire or was she just a casualty of their war. But can she do her job when faced with the hot firefighter who she shared a steamy night with, but who also left her brokenhearted?

David Hunter has plenty of demons of his own. He has dedicated his life to doing for others, hoping to atone for what he considers to be the monkey on his back. He meets Olivia at the wedding of her half sister, and after one amazing night, he does the unthinkable and could possibly have lost her forever. Now 2 1/2 years later, he’s living in the same city as her, waiting and hoping for the chance to make things right and hopefully find the peace in his own life he’s so desperately looking for.

What starts out as what appears to be a single act of arson for environmental reasons quickly turns into a series of arson’s, murders and blackmail. How did the blackmailer know the group would be at the condo setting the fire that night? Why did he choose them? Will they become his puppets in a sick game of “pay or die” or will they start to turn on each other and then on him? Could it be possible that one of these offenders is sicker than the other? Can one top the other? The reader will be rendered speechless when their identities are revealed. The devastation these killers bring to those that serve the community will devastate the reader as well. Silent Scream is an intense novel filled with love, murder, revenge, greed, redemption and finding your way home.

This book will leave you silently screaming for more.

Release date: May 25, 2010

Dear Fatty by Dawn French

Dawn French is of course well known as one half of the comedy duo French and Saunders (Jennifer Saunders is in fact the “Fatty” referred to in the book’s title).  This is Dawn’s biography of sorts – it is told in the form of various letters to people who have played some role in her life.

Many of the letters are written to her father who committed suicide when Dawn was just 19 years old.  The memories of him and his love have clearly been a huge force in her life and she writes honestly and openly about the good and the bad times she spent with him.  Other letter recipients include her mother, Jennifer Saunders, Dawn’s husband Lenny (Henry), her Best Friend (BF, whose name is never revealed in the book), old schoolfriends, Val Doonican, Madonna and The Monkees.

Some parts of the book read better than others.  The earlier letters, which more or less chart Dawn’s childhood and early family life were not as interesting as the later ones, which tell her life from the age of about 20.

Family is clearly of huge importance to her – when she writes about her parents, husband and daughter and her brother, the love comes shining through and is genuinely touching.  I admired her honesty in talking about a rough patch her marriage went through – she described her whole gamut of emotions, from anger to fear to forgiveness in a way that was easy to empathise with.  Another letter which actually moved me to tears (and highlighted the perils of reading while waiting in a supermarket queue) was the one to her friend Scottie, who died of AIDS – yet she juxtaposes the sadness with a hilarious tale about her mission to scatter Scottie’s ashes in the location he had intended.

Comic relief (no pun intended) is provided through a number of her letters to Madonna (who repeatedly refused to appear on the French and Saunders show) and doting-schoolgirl missives to The Monkees and David Cassidy.  I also enjoyed reading about the early days of the Comic Strip, and her work on The Vicar of Dibley.

Overall, after a slow start, this was an enjoyable read, which perfectly illustrated the warmth and humour for which Dawn French is so much admired and loved.

Motherhood is Murder by Diana Orgain

Motherhood is Murder (A Maternal Instincts Mystery) by Diana Orgain

From Amazon ~

Nights out are hard to come by for new mommy Kate Connelly. So when Kate and her husband are invited to a dinner cruise hosted by her new mommy club, Roo & You, they jump at it. But when the president of the club takes a deadly spill, everyone becomes suspect-and Kate’s on deck to solve the mystery.

My Review ~

Kate Connelly is settling in to her role as a new mom to seven week old Laurie while at the same time trying to get her private investigator business going – despite the fact she doesn’t have her PI license.

While out shopping one day, Kate runs into Margaret & Helene – co-leaders of a mommy group. They invite Kate to join them and the rest of the group on a dinner cruise around the Bay the following evening. What Kate doesn’t realize is this cruise will quickly turn into her next case as Helene is found dead.

It seems as if everyone in the mommy group (and even some dads) had a reason to want Helene dead. Sara fought with Helene right before she died over the cancellation of a home extension project Sarah and her husband were supposed to do. Evelyn had been kicked out of the mommy group because her two year old bit one of the babies. Margaret is Helen’s co-leader of the mommy group and suspects her husband Alan of having an affair. Bruce, Helene’s husband is seen having an “intimate” conversation with Celia, the local midwife after the funeral, leading Kate to think that maybe there is something hinky going on between them.

Kate is ecstatic when Margaret hires her to find out if Alan is in fact cheating on her. Now she can really start working as a PI. There is just one problem ~ she doesn’t have her license, and her mentor Galigani is recovering from heart surgery so he can’t supervise her. Kate doesn’t see this as a problem and sets out not only to find out what Alan is up to, but to solve Helene’s murder. Despite the warnings to stay out of the murder investigation by Inspector McNeary ~ who still has issues with Kate and her meddling in police business.

I adore Kate. She’s funny, charming, goofy, determined, and lovable. She has a husband who adores her and supports her 100%. Her “to do” lists are hysterical – right down to making sure she stops at the library to pick up her copy of The Dummies Guide to Private Investigating. She is head over heels in love with her 7 week old daughter Laurie, but at times feels like she’s not a good enough mother – she doesn’t know if Laurie can hold her head up at a 45 degree angle while having tummy time, she didn’t sign her up for swim classes while she was still pregnant with her and she doesn’t make home made baby food! But what Kate knows is that while all of that is great, what really matters is that she loves her daughter and after that everything else will fall into place. This is a great read for any mother or soon to be mom who is looking for something light and fun to read while the baby is napping or while awaiting its arrival. The discovery of the murderer and their reasons behind are a shocking twist that many won’t see coming. Motherhood Is Murder is a fun, fast, cozy read that will keep its readers entertained and anxiously awaiting the next installment. A must read.

Release Date: March 2, 2010

The Luminous Life of Lilly Aphrodite by Beatrice Colin

‘The Luminous Life of Lilly Aphrodite’ is the story of Lilly Nelly Aphrodite born on the 1st January 1900 to a cabaret performer and a man known as ‘The Bavarian Lover’. Lilly’s entrance to the world is memorable, not only because of her birth but due to fact her skin was coloured blue because of the blue hand-woven cloth she was wrapped in, then the midwife finds that Lilly is not breathing and is brought back to life by the midwife’s palm smacking her back.

Lilly’s mother does not embrace motherhood, she loves her daughter but does not have much patience with her, ‘The Bavarian Lover’ is indifferent to both mother and daughter, by the age of 3, following the untimely death of her parents, Lilly is adopted by a couple in the vain hope that Lilly will replace their recently deceased daughter, they even change her name to ‘Dora’, time with her new parents is short and Lilly is sent to St Francis Xavier Home for Orphaned Children where she meets her lifelong friend, Hanne, a 12 year old girl forced to grow up fast due to circumstance, as Lilly gets older, Hanne looks after her as much as she can.

As the years past, Lilly grows into a determined and independent young woman, the orphanage closes and Lilly enters the world on her own and her life as stated in the title becomes luminous.

If like me you enjoyed reading about history, you will enjoy this book, Beatrice Colin gives a very in-depth account of Berlin during the 1920s and onwards, the major events in history and the seedier side of Berlin, the places that Lilly and Hanne work, their life experiences, which are at times, very sad, you feel for both characters.

Lily’s life is extraordinary to read, she finds love and losses it, she becomes famous on the silver screen purely by accident but Lilly’s determination makes her succeed.

Lily may be seen as one of life’s victims but she is not a victim, she refuses to be so, she faces everything with determination whilst keeping hope alive.

A great read but at time quite long winded, its subtle in its approach, you become engrossed, very quickly.

Reviewed by Paula Mc (Gyre/Weave)