Book reviews
The Dark Side of Mother Moon – Bob Goddard
This is a great adventure story with a dash of science fiction. The really big twist was in the first book (so it would be best to read that first), so everything is already set up for a coming together of two worlds at different technological stages.
One story line has a strong female lead who combines motherhood with a kick arse style of diplomacy. Katrina is an Ambassador on a mission to uncover the truth about her late husbands death. She is the right woman in the right place, as she weaves a path through the big events that are shaking her society. There is plenty of action along the way as she survives a few scraps with near certain death and some deadly protagonists.
The other story line features star crossed lovers crossing a huge cultural divide. The characters are distinctive and the inter-actions feel genuine. The love story combines all the confusion and sweetness that young love has.
There is enough detail about sailing and space flight to lend authenticity to the plot, while not getting bogged down and allowing the story to flow.
There are big events happening, but the story is told in a human way about individual lives and the personal decisions that define them. It’s a good story and an easy read that I would happily recommend.
Hunting Savage by David Edlund
The reason I’ve given this book five stars is simply because of the pace and excitement which escalates along with the armaments as the story reaches a crescendo, or two. The book gripped me and kept me reading late into the night.
There is a lot of high politics and characters being given space to explain their motivations, mostly patriotic. Those bits are understandably slow compared to the scenes focused upon the main character, Peter Savage. I haven’t read the other books in the series and it didn’t matter one bit. I liked him and was on his side from the start. Savage is backed into a corner and knows he has to fight to survive. He picks his ground and hopes to hold out until the calvary arrives. Savage knows how to fight, but crucially he also knows how to make good friends and allies.
I had a lot of faith in the technical know how of the writer, who clearly knew his weaponry and had thought through the detail of how to use it and importantly, what the limits are.
The story itself is based upon the historical files relating to the attack on the US spy ship Liberty by Israeli forces during the 1967 six day war. It’s a fascinating slice of history that deserves a spotlight. There is a strong body of evidence supporting the story, but the motivations behind the attack are still open for debate and that provides a space for Hunting Savage to explore. Peter Savage employs his moral compass to steer his way through, as a good action hero should.
LeGuin RIP – the Dispossessed
I read this book eight times when I was in my 20s. Love the story, the writing is exceptional, the characters are as solid, flawed and wonderful as the rest of us, but it’s the ideas I keep going back for. The ambiguous utopia of the anarchist planet is set on the harsh environment of a moon above a planet that politicially resembles the earth during the cold war. It is a society facing constant strain to hold onto its ideals as it struggles to survive drought and a climatic induced crisis. From this barren desert of a planet emerges one of the greatest mathmaticians in the universe, with a theory which will revolutionise space travel. One of the tricks of this novel is uniting the maths with the structure of the book and the character’s journey.
This is one of the greatest books of the 20th Century and sadly, it’s been side-lined. I know that sounds silly for a book that has a Goodreads rating from over 53,500 people and nearly 3,000 actual reviews, but it deserves more. The reason it isn’t rated as highly as some mainstream literature, is simply because it is labelled science fiction. People pre-judge and turn away. The Dispossessed has many layers, it’s a great love story and the pages are packed with humanity. Even the structure of the book reflects the theme of the book, which is about the nature of time and space. It is brilliant. Please give it a go.
If I haven’t convinced you, then please read the opening description of the wall – it sets up one of the central themes of the book with such simplicity and brevity. The rest of the book is a journey, stepping through that wall and coming home again.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Dispossessed-Ursula-Guin/dp/1857988825
The Dark Side by D B Kennison
This story explores the dark side of small-town America and does it brilliantly. It has drugs, murder, and prostitution, but these are secondary to vendetta, tangled relationships and family history. When murder hits town, the town gets fearful. The writing conveys the fear and makes it personal, as the emotional impact tests the relationship between Randi, the private detective and her boyfriend Jon, the police chief. It allowed me, as a Londoner, to get it. When I lived in Hackney and sent my eldest daughter off to school on the ‘murder mile’ (as the media liked to call it), I felt almost anaesthetised to the regular tales of murder. This story allows the reader to I understand what a big event like murder means in a small town, where everything gets personal.
The pacing is good as the reader is introduced to the world of suburban killers, drug dealers, and suppliers. It is a surprising and unexpected world, described through the lens of long-term friendships, divorces, and broken family bonds. I always love books where you have a sense of how the motivations of the adults reflect who they were as teenagers. Be they private detectives, or wanna-be drug barons.
The central relationship is the love affair between Randi and Jon, which becomes strained to breaking point as the investigation heats up. They are engaging, nice people, both trying to do the right thing, as they see it, even if that brings them into conflict. Unlike many crime books where the personal life of the main detective is running on a separate track to the central investigation, the relationship in this book is inseparable to solving the crime. This is exactly as it should be in a story about the how crime and passion get mixed up in a small town.
The book is full of insight and understanding. The story delivers a large cast of interesting people but introduces them slowly, so I was never flicking back, wondering who was who.
The action rolls along nicely and escalates well as we approach the finale. Unlike other crime stories where the investigation widens at the start but narrows as we home in on the killer. This story seems to widen and collect more depth as we near the end.
Finally, the heroine even jumps on her bike at one point, just like Roxanne in my novel Feel.it. I loved it.
Dead of Spring by Sherry Knowlton
This is a first-rate political thriller with plenty of action involving Alexa Williams, the heroine of Sherry Knowlton’s previous two books. Alexa is a lawyer, not a cop, which gives her more scope for social and political commentary on the unfolding events. However, there are also lots of cops around, including the lovely guy who is her current boyfriend. This is a useful link to the inside track of the investigation into the death of a senator, which Alexa witnesses at the start of the story. There are plenty more deaths before we reach the end and I felt constantly on my toes the moment Alexa is put in the firing line.
The story has everything I like and is the kind of story I want to write. It has a worthy cause, some plausible bad guys and enough twists to make you suspicious of everyone’s motives. It also has a lot of heart and isn’t afraid of spelling out the detail of why fracking is bad for the environment and people’s health.
It is mostly set in the mountains of South Central Pennsylvania where the author lives and the story has that wonderful sense of place which many readers love and enjoy.
The insertion of the flashbacks to the world of 1979 and Three Mile Island nuclear accident is a brave attempt to link the impact of different energy technologies on human health. This initially felt like a bit of an unnecessary intrusion. It becomes more connected to the main story the more you read and I think that it works okay in the end. It adds, more than it distracts.
I really like Alexa. You get her background and links to the previous two books. I didn’t find this a spoiler and they are now on my reading list. Alexia gets dragged reluctantly into a dangerous situation because of her desire to do right by an old friend. She is also smart, which has the downside of getting her deeper into trouble as she figures out what is really going on, but the upside of giving her the ability to think her way out of danger.
Having spent sixteen years working at London’s City Hall, I understand the system of committees, the importance of who chairs them and the role of lobbyists. It felt a familiar workplace, which helps add impact when the main action sequence begins to kick off. Some readers may stifle a yawn at the speeches, or the tactical debates about committee chairs, but that is how this bit of the world works. Don’t worry if you feel tempted to skip, these sections are brief, relevant and a burst of action will soon have you gripped again.
The personal relationships feel genuine; whether they involve flirtation, family banter, or the comfortable closeness of a steady relationship. The whole story is told from Alexa’s point of view, which adds immediacy, but it avoids the clunky ‘info dumping’ you can often get with such story telling. The mystery unfolds nicely, with the pace and the stakes, building up towards the end. It becomes an exciting page turner with a strong social message.
Naked in death – JD Robb
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/479309.Naked_in_Death
The descriptions of the characters have both accuracy and flavour. The romance/relationship seems sudden, but they are well matched. It’s a great and easy to read start to the long and successful partnership.
I like the way it is set in the future, but the technology never overwhelms the characters or the story. That is definitely something I aim for with my own detective books: Dead Poor and Feel.it. However, on the flip side, if you are looking for something sci-fi, then move right along.
The actual crime story is strong enough, but it is the easy writing style and descriptions that really make it work.
Blood on the tongue by Stephen Booth
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2000666280?book_show_action=false&from_review_page=1
If you love soaking up the atmosphere, the people and the countryside, then this is a great book – especially if that countryside is the peak district. If you love a bit of local history and character, then this is a really good book. If you love a slowly paced detective story that walks you through the complexities of apparently unrelated events and weaves them all together – then you will have a good journey in the hands of a wonderful writer. There are cliff-hanging moments and deceptions. There are unexpected twists. People who you kind of like, turn out not very nice, but that just adds depth to it all. The characters are all 3D and all of them belong to the life amongst the frozen peaks.
If you don’t like digressions and chapters were nothing much appears to have happened, then this book might be less rewarding. I wasn’t turning the pages because I was hooked on a fast paced mystery. I was turning the page because I enjoyed the writing and the vibe. There were one or two moments where the action heated up and I wanted to shout at the editor to step in and cut stuff, but apart from that, it was a book I relaxed into.
Buy Feel.it
Buy Dead Poor on Amazon
Buy Feel.it
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