The Girl Before by J P Delaney

This psychological thriller features an ultra-modern house, almost as a sinister extra character.

Two vulnerable women in different time frames are desperate for affordable rental accommodation in London.

Emma (‘the girl before’) was attacked in her home and needs to find somewhere new and safe to live with her partner.  After a fruitless search they are offered an affordable dream rental: an award winning architectural house; on the condition that they allow architectural students occasional tours and agree to stringent terms set by the owner/architect. Cue warning bells.

Jane is grieving following a stillbirth; a baby she was going to bring up on her own.

She gratefully moves into the house and later has a relationship with the owner Edward.

Upon learning about the death of Emma, who fell or was pushed down the stairs of the house, Jane begins piecing together scraps of information about Emma and the investigation that followed, and finds that the Edward’s wife and young son were also killed during construction of the house.

I have to say upfront I find it increasingly difficult to read novels where bad things happen to women - sadly this narrows my reading options! The Girl Before features controlling relationships - I found myself shouting 'just get a restraining order!’ It didn't help that I saw this book advertised as a Valentine's Day read: um, noooo, not unless you like creepy weirdos.

To get fully engrossed in a book I also need to like at least one of the characters, and the main characters in The Girl Before all fall short eventually.

Having said that I read this book quickly and can certainly see it being made into a movie – it is tightly written, builds tension and contain some unexpected twists.

Reviewed by Katrina

Catalogue link:  The Girl Before

Manual for Cleaning Women by Lucia Berlin

"Lucia Berlin's stories are electric, they buzz and crackle as the live wires touch"  Lydia Davis

Just brilliant!  A collection of stories based on the late Berlin's life (she called it "a transformation, not a distortion of the truth").  My favourite read so far this year but also somehow hard to describe.

Described as "the best writer you never heard of", Berlin has used her rich life history  in mining camps in Alaska, in a privileged life in Santiago and as a hipster in New York city. She also worked in hospitals and as house cleaner and college teacher. She was married three times by the age of 32; had 4 sons and a chronic alcohol addiction.  She has a very distinctive style and writes beautifully - funny, sad and surprising stories.
This book is surely a masterpiece from a genius writer - highly recommended, and I feel sad that Berlin has died before receiving the accolades she deserved while alive.


Reviewed by Katrina

Catalogue link: Manual for Cleaning Women

The Harrowing by James Aitcheson

James Aitcheson is an expert on the Middle Ages with a particular interest in the Norman Conquest of 1066. In his fourth novel, he focuses on the settling in period, when the new King William had to establish control over England, quelling resistance wherever it arose. This is the harrowing of the title – the Norman soldiers marching through the north, where lords and their subjects were last to submit, resulting in the burning of manors and villages, the killing of any who stood in their way.

Into these dark and dangerous times, a noblewoman, Merewyn, and her young maid, Tova, escape into the midwinter night, fearing for their lives, not at the hands of Normans, but their own people. They are rescued by the warrior, Beorn, who offers them protection as they journey north, his aim: to fight in the last Saxon rebellion at Hagustaldesham. The trio are joined by Guthred, a priest, and Oslac, a minstrel, all forming an awkward alliance based on desperation rather than trust.

Most of the story is told from the point of view of Tova. She’s a determined and fiercely loyal young woman and excellent company for the reader. She stands up to Beorn and begs him to take her and Merewyn with him, and even talks him into teaching her how to fight. Blended into her narrative are the stories of each of her fellow travellers and each has a terrible secret to atone for.

The Harrowing is a compelling novel, beautifully written and full of period detail that recreates England of 1070. You know that the past is all set to catch up with our five travellers even if the Normans don’t, so there’s plenty to keep you turning the pages. But be warned: there are quite a few fight scenes and descriptions of violence, so the book is definitely not for the faint-hearted. It's a ripping read, none the less.

Posted by JAM

Catalogue link: The Harrowing

The Couple Next Door by Shari Lapeña

With a small cast of characters, debut thriller writer, Shari Lapeña, extracts plenty of tension from the claustrophobic scenario she creates in The Couple Next Door. The story opens with a dinner party held by Cynthia and Graeme, who is celebrating his birthday. They are the neighbours of the main characters, Anne and Marco, who leave their baby home alone when their babysitter cancels at the last minute. They are after all just next door, and with half-hourly checks and a baby monitor, what could go wrong?

Anne is reluctant, she feels out of shape and plain next to the glamorous Cynthia, to say nothing of leaving baby Cora, but Marco insists. Anne has been struggling with post-natal depression, and a night out is just what she needs. But when the drinks keep flowing, and Cynthia flirts outrageously with Marco, and the hours tick by, it is soon no fun for Anne. Imagine the couple’s horror to return to find their baby gone and the front door left open.

Enter Inspector Rasbach and the spotlight is suddenly on Anne and Marco – had Anne’s depression caused her to kill her baby and for Marco to cover up the crime? And what of Marco’s failing business and growing debts? The investigation spirals slowly outwards when Anne’s wealthy parents arrive on the scene and a ransom demand finally arrives. Then there is the secret harboured by Cynthia and Graeme that threatens to tweak up the tension another notch.

This is a tightly written and compelling novel, the main characters full of flaws and insecurities, and as the pressure builds they seem ready to break. You get a good picture of the stresses on a young mother, struggling to manage her mental health while keeping up appearances, though the police investigation is only sketchily drawn. Other characters are also a little cardboard, and few are at all likeable; the book is all about the plot. It did keep my interest, though, and I belted through the chapters in no time. Sometimes a good airplane read is just what you need.

Posted by JAM

Catalogue link: The Couple Next Door

DC Universe Rebirth Omnibus Vol 1

We all like a good omnibus - large numbers of issues bound by a hard cover that you can read and reread to your heart’s content. Graphic novel book binding technology has always been slightly behind the times but in the last few years they have been able to make really large issues where the spine won’t split the first time you open it.

Now an omnibus is twenty or more issues in one. Usually they are collections of writers or artists that for some reason deserve a reissue/repackage.

So normally you have a lot of vested interest in an omnibus. Sometimes you have been waiting years for a collection to be gathered together or sometimes a series has been so successful they reissue it for the people who are only now coming on board and the fans who will buy two copies anyway. (One to read and one as mint.)

DC does neither of these things here. This is 21 issues of an entirely new story arc: Rebirth.

Initially that should sound interesting as you have 21 first issues but in reality you have 21 different stories that that are going in different directions. The connection is Wally West (Flash) as he appears in most of them and no doubt it will all come together in the months ahead. Saying that, this issue was fairly pricey so it’s an expensive way to collect. Another good reason to use the library.

Most of the stories are original stories with a twist around there being a problem with time. The characters are much the same with some minor uniform changes and a female Green Lantern character. Why we need another Green Lantern for sector 2814 as there are four or five active ones already, who knows! (Yes you can name them.)

It all looks much the same except except for the bits thrown in from the TV shows. Read it as an introduction to what is currently going on in the DC Universe and see if you want to continue as the story unravels.

The Library Cat

Catalogue link: DC Universe Rebirth Omnibus Vol 1

Dr Bloodmoney by Philip K Dick

It’s good to see some of the older science fiction writers being re-released under this SF Mastersworks banner. Some of these novels have probably been out of print for some time and are well worth having a look at. The library currently has a number of books by Philip K Dick and some of his story collections in e-book format.

At one stage I owned most of Philip K Dick’s works - owning them was the only way of being able to reread them. Publishing houses never seemed to do big runs of his books, so they were always hard to find in libraries or second-hand bookshops.

In Dr Bloodmoney, there is not a long build up to the situation in which the characters find themselves and it all develops rather quickly from there. Basically there is a nuclear war and there are a number of characters who are known to each other before the war. They are reunited in the new circumstances, post-war, and what happens next, makes an interesting story.

Those who know Philip K Dick stories will be familiar with the various themes he presents in this novel. Well worth a read.

Posted by The Library Cat

Catalogue link: Dr Bloodmoney

City of the Lost by Kelly Armstrong

Casey Duncan is a homicide detective with a desperate need to disappear. She has been living a shell of a life, always on the move, since she killed the grandson of a mobster in college. Her best friend, Diana, is on the run from her abusive ex-husband. After both their pasts begin to catch up with them they know it is time to leave. Quickly.

Through the great vine, Diana has heard of a place that helps you disappear, for a price. Although Casey has her doubts after some investigating both are accepted and must walk away from their old life into the Canadian wilderness. Rockton is an off grid town population: 200.

It soon becomes obvious that the only reason Casey was accepted is because she is the only trained homicide detective on the hunt for a safe passage. Rockton has just had its first murder and the bodies are beginning to pile up. Will Casey be able to find the killer before her and Diana are no longer safe again?

I almost did not give this book a go but something made me take it home. The blurb gave me the idea that there may be a supernatural element to the storyline which isn’t really my thing. Turns out I was wrong and thankfully I did as I read it in bed in one night!

City of the Lost was originally released as a 6 part eBook series before it was published in mid-2016.  Imagine my surprise (and excitement) when I found out that not only was this the beginning of a series but that the second book in the series was published early 2017. I have already devoured book two and am counting down the months until book three is released, or a date is even announced.

It is not often I come across a new crime author that I enjoy so much. I came into work raving about it to anyone that would listen and it turns out I had convinced another staff member to take it home and she enjoyed it as much as I did.

Reviewed by Kristen

The Dead House by Harry Bingham

Harry Bingham’s detective series featuring DS Fiona Griffiths just keeps getting better. What is so striking about it is the author’s ability to come up with new and interesting crimes, without throwing at the reader yet another creepy serial killer.

Perhaps this is down to the nature of his sleuth. Fiona Griffiths has Cotard’s Syndrome, a mental illness that causes the patient to believe they are dead. Fiona has had a lot of therapy, so she can now function reasonably well on ‘planet normal’. She’s also highly trained in martial arts and is never happier than when taking risks.

When Fiona is called to investigate a body found in a remote Welsh village, she finds a young woman laid out in a churchyard outbuilding, surrounded by candles and dressed in a light summer frock unsuitable for the chilly October night. Fiona resists the urge to phone in the scene of crime experts, wanting to spend a little time with her discovery.

She soon spots that the girl has had plastic surgery and yet her legs are unshaven, her fingernails clipped, not filed. When a post-mortem indicates the body has died from natural causes, Fiona ignores her superiors and continues to investigate, and with local copper, DI Burnett, keen on the idea of promotion, uncovers a link with a secluded monastery.

The two make an interesting team and the case will throw them into some dangerous situations, as they close in on an organised crime ring. And surely there’s a connection to Bethan Williams, a teenager who disappeared only a few miles away.

There is certainly plenty here to keep the plot humming along, and narrated from inside Fiona’s head, you are right there with her weird and sudden decisions. The story uncovers one of the most unusual crimes I have ever come across – prepare to be surprised - and of course it is down to the wire whether Fiona will nail the baddies and live to tell the tale. Which is as it should be.

The Dead House is another top read in what is turning out to be one of the more compelling crime series around. Don’t miss it.

Posted by JAM

Catalogue link: The Dead House

DC Universe Rebirth The Deluxe Edition by Geoff Johns

I have to say from the outset that I am not a huge DC fan but these rebirth/reboot issues can come up with some quite interesting stories. The fact that DC and Marvel do them regularly to mix up the heroes, their universes and to bring back the dead, can in fact get quite annoying - making it difficult to feel invested in any of the characters in any way.

Here we have an oversized format printed on matt finish paper with a few extra covers, etc. A very good looking graphic novel. As an introduction to the Rebirth saga and as a teaser it works. The artwork is great and you get enough of the story to make you want to continue with the series.

The story :
Something is wrong with the timeline. The Flash, Wally West, has been forgotten and a large period of time is missing, also there are references to The Watchmen so expect some sort of overlap into that universe.

Looks interesting but it all depends on how quickly the story progresses in the other graphic novels to whether it will keep my interest. Worth a look.

Posted by The Library Cat

Catalogue link: DC Universe Rebirth

Quick Reviews from Book Chat

The Last Night by Celia Major is the story of two women beginning with Irina, who immersed in her work restoring furniture, is trying to forget the past. The arrival of an old desk takes the reader to the story of Abigail and the 1950s. Abigail it seems has troubled secrets of her own. Lots of detail makes for an evocative read, with a paranormal element that adds a sense of foreboding.

Whispers Through the Trees by Susan Plunkett
Returning home to care for her sister after a devastating accident, noted ornithologist, Abby Stanton finds plenty to keep her busy on remote Sparrow Island. There are the birds of course, and soon she is trying to save an endangered pair of marbled murrelets. There’s also a mystery surrounding one of the nearby families that draws Abby towards her new calling of amateur sleuth. This is a cosily diverting read, the first in the Mysteries of Sparrow Island series.

Reykjavik Nights by Arnuldar Indridason
A prequel to Indridason’s popular mystery series, Reykjavik Nights features lone-wolf detective, Inspector Erlendur, as a young police officer investigating the death of a tramp found drowned in a ditch. He discovers a link with the disappearance of a woman last seen walking home from a nightclub. Although he has yet to join the ranks of CID, the young officer is obsessed with missing persons – something to do with a tragedy in his childhood. This is a moody, atmospheric crime read by one of the top Scandinavian writers of the genre.

The Solomon Curse by Clive Cussler
This is the seventh in the series featuring husband and wife treasure hunters, Sam and Remi Fargo. In this adventure, the pair are drawn to a bay off Guadalcanal, said to be the site of a lost empire and associated treasure. There are rumours of unpleasant happenings and weird disappearances. Quite an unusual story-line, this one, so to get the true Fargo flavour, try starting with Spartan Gold, the first in the series if you haven’t read Cussler before.

The House on Seaview Road by Alison Walsh
Set on the coast of Ireland, the story follows two sisters, beginning when they are teenagers left without a mother, their father silent and grief-stricken. Marie promises to take care of her flighty younger sister, but events one night at a school dance will have repercussions through the rest of their lives. A well-written, thoughtful novel that conjures up the time and place of Ireland in the 1980s.

Posted by Flaxmere Book Chat

January/ February Update: 101 Books to Read Before you Grow Up

January started off with a hiss and a roar. My goal for the year was to slog through a portion of chapter books before I started on picture books. By the 8^th I had already flown through The Secret Garden and A Series of Unfortunate Events: The Bad Beginning and by the end of the month I had added Better Nate than Never to the list.

If I am being honest, February was a write off. I lost my book mojo. I had multiple starts of books, some personal, some from the list but I did not have one finish during the month of February. Books that were started but (fingers crossed) will be conquered during March include Twenty Thousands Leagues Under the Sea, Hatchet and The Wizard of OZ.

The Secret Garden
As I said before, my grandparents brought me this book when I was young. There was a big ship in at port that had a bookstore on board. I remember being so excited to pick two books from ‘the floating book store’ as I called it. Ever since, it has sat on my book shelf being moved from house to house.

Mary, an unwell and spoilt child is sent to live with her uncle in Yorkshire after her parents are killed during a cholera outbreak. During her time in the house she discovers a cousin she never knew she had, a secret garden and herself.

Even though at times I struggled with the Yorkshire slang, I really enjoyed this book. My favourite character was Mary’s maid, Martha.

A Series of Unfortunate Events: The Bad Beginning
A series from my childhood, it has been many years since I first laid hands on The Bad Beginning. Luckily, Netflix was realising series one of a TV adaption in conjunction with the author, Lemony Snicket. I finished this book the day before it was released and upon watching episode one I was amazed at how much of it was word for word.

Violet, Klaus and Sunny Baudelaire are sent to live with their evil relative, Count Olaf, where their parents are killed in a house fire. All Olaf wants is to get his hands on their family fortune. As the title suggests, it is not a bright and fun story but really a series of very unfortunate events. (told in 13 parts).

I found it very interesting how little the children were listened to by the adults in their life, even though they were well aware of what was happening. Although I had read the series before I loved revisiting it. I believe it is a book that will appeal to kids of all ages, and the rest of their family.

Better Nate than Ever
My fellow book nerd lent me his copy of this book otherwise I don’t think I would have read it so soon in the year. It is great having someone to share my thoughts with but I must remember to return it!

Nate has dreams - He wants to star on Broadway. Too bad it will never happen since he lives in Pennsylvania, or will it? His best friend devises a plan to send Nate on an overnight trip to New York, while his parents are away, to audition for the part of Elliot in the musical E.T. As we can all expect, everything that could go wrong does and nothing goes to plan.

Although the story was good and I did read it in on sitting, it wasn’t my favourite book of the month.  I haven’t found myself desperate to read the rest of the series but one day I might.

Posted by Kristen

Havelock Library Book Clubs

The Path to the Lake by Susan Sallis

Viv's marriage to David was not a conventional one, but when he died in an accident for which she blamed herself it was as if her whole world had collapsed around her. But through the misery she makes some unexpected friends - a couple in the village whose family need her as much as she needs them.

'Cleverly and beautifully written book, kept me reading right to the end.'

Catalogue link:  The Path to the Lake

The Kiwi Pair - the story behind our world-beating rowers by Hamish Bond and Eric Murray

Since competing at their first race meeting together in 2009, the powerhouse duo of rowers Hamish Bond and Eric Murray have never been beaten. They are one of New Zealand's most successful sporting partnerships of all time.

Catalogue link:  The Kiwi Pair

The Moth edited by Catherine Burns

The Moth is a non-profit group that is trying to recapture the lost art of telling true stories, helping storytellers - old hands and novices alike - hone their stories before playing to packed crowds at sold-out live events...

Catalogue link:  The Moth

Fruits Basket: Collector's Edition 8 by Natsuki Takaya

In this eighth volume of the collected editions, orphan Tohru Honda continues to find herself drawn to Kyo Sohma, the taciturn cat of the Chinese Horoscope, and searches for ways to break the curse and his endlessly bad mood. More is revealed about the rat - Yuki Sohma’s past as the abused childhood companion of Akito Sohma, the human God of the horoscope, and Kyo and Yuki’s mysterious meeting with Tohru’s dead mother, Kyoko. At school, the students decide to rewrite Cinderella at the last minute and Yuki confesses the nature of his feelings for Tohru to a classmate that brings him to a personal revelation.

This manga is such a satisfying read with many moments of humour to match the moving story of Tohru and the cursed members of the Sohma family. The depth of storytelling and illustrations make this series a highly recommended read for teen and up manga readers who like a slow burning love story with a lot of laughs and a few tears. I suggest beginning with the first collected edition to truly appreciate the story and characters.

Posted by JMcC

Catalogue link: Fruits Basket Collector's Edition 8