Be advised that this 6th book about the London PIs Cormoran Strike and Robin Ellacott is long (>1000 pages), but given that RG is the pseudonym for JK Rowling, there is impeccable (and necessary) detail. The often-seedy online world and a complex collection of anonymous Twitter aliases creates a real-world story with two murders and multiple conflicts to navigate. Robin and Cormoran’s formidable powers of deduction are tested but their personal chemistry remains deliciously complicated.
Category: Location / Setting
The Twist Of A Knife – Anthony Horowitz
A perfectly silly but completely enjoyable murder mystery. As always, context is everything – the London Theatre world. When a nasty theatre critic is murdered, all evidence points to the writer of the play that has been savaged by a review. With the dogged persistence of a detective, much is learned. And as a nod to Agatha Christie, all the suspects are brought together for the big reveal. Overall, the author is a master of misdirection.
The Paris Bookseller – Kerri Maher
The cover of this book of historical fiction/fact has the phrase: “a love letter to bookstores and libraries” – enough said! This is the story of Sylvia Beach, an American who opens an English language bookstore in Paris in 1920, called Shakespeare And Company. Ms. Beach acquires fame and notoriety by publishing James Joyce’s Ulysses in 1922. Insight into her motivations and candid descriptions of the many writers who frequent her store makes this a treasure to read.
The Librarianist – Patrick De Witt
Although this story unfolds in Portland, there is little sense of place. Instead, this is an account of people and their often-complicated relationships. In 2005, Bob is a 71-year-old retired librarian. A chance encounter with an elderly confused woman leads him to volunteer at a Senior’s Centre, where the residents are “challenged by subdued disappointment”. Bob’s backstory over 60 years is presented with humour and pathos, an ordinary life of an introvert. De Witt’s writing is brilliant – highly recommended.
Snow Road Station – Elizabeth Hay
Predictably, Ms. Hay has written another superb short novel. There are many relationships in a coming-of-middle-age story: intense complicated friendships abound. On page 214: “They were lovers the way some people are Sunday painters – not fulltime, not exclusively, but companionably and gratefully”. And there is an exquisite description of place; Snow Road Station is a barely discernable dot in an Ontario map, but there are wonderful descriptions of the changing seasons, a wedding, and harvesting sap. In short, tour-de-force writing.
Birnam Wood – Eleanor Catton
Another great book by this author, set in New Zealand. The first one-third starts slowly as we meet the players. The middle third shows intricate maneuvering: self-mythologizing rebels in a horticultural collective, political and economic rants, jealousy and envy of a scheming super-rich American, debates over the ethics of wealth distribution. And the final third is a cracking adventure as plans go awry, to become an eco-thriller with an abrupt but fitting ending. Obviously the topic is very contemporary – highly recommended.
She also wrote The Luminaries as previously reviewed by David.
Fayne – Ann-Marie MacDonald
Full disclosure: this sweeping sage is long (722 pages) but Ms. MacDonald’s exquisite writing makes the reading very worthwhile. The setting: Fayne, an estate straddling the border between England and Scotland. The time: late 19th century. The main players: Lord Henry Bell and wife Mae, and children Charles and Charlotte. The story is rife with family secrets, with cruelty and cowardice in male-female and father-child relationships. A shifting timeline accentuates the drama: highly recommended.
PS: A-MM wrote the wonderful Fall On Your Knees a long time ago.
Homecoming – Kate Morton
In 2018, Jess is an almost 40-year-old who returns to Australia because her elderly grandmother Nora has been hospitalized after a serious fall. At Nora’s house, Jess learns about the Turner Family Tragedy of 1959: the death of Nora’s sister-in-law and her three children in South Australia. Is this a murder-suicide by a distraught mother? What are the family lies designed to protect the ones we love? The story becomes an exciting crime drama that is a compelling read.
The Rising Tide – Anne Cleeves
Another story about DCI Vera Stanhope, the 10th book in a popular series of police dramas. The setting is NE England, and there are only three murders: one at the beginning, one in the middle and one at the end of the book. In part, this is a police procedural story involving face-to-face interviews. Who are withholding information, keeping secrets that threaten to resurface? Overall, an enjoyable read.
What David Read 