The two deaths of Daniel Hayes by Marcus Sakey
A man wakes up naked and cold, half-drowned on an abandoned beach. While he searches for answers, the world searches for him: beginning with the police that kick in the door of his dingy motel with guns drawn. Lost, alone, and on the run, the man who might be Daniel Hayes flees into the night.
Will appeal to fans of Lee Child and Michael Connelly (and judging from the cover, they seem to like him too!)
Alison
Inspector Minahan makes a stand by Bridget O’Donnell
This is the true and incredible account of how one Victorian Metropolitan Police Inspector stood up to brothels and the exploitation of young girls.
For his efforts he found himself ostracised by his colleagues, superiors and some prominent members of the government. Not content to let the matter rest, Minahan sought vengeance and restitution, which rocked Victorian England.
Alan
Gone girl by Gillian Flynn
Gillian Flynn’s third book has been long listed for the Women’s Prize for Fiction and reached the top five of the bestsellers list.
It’s a clever thriller about two fatally flawed characters. There are some entirely unexpected twists and the acid-sharp prose that fans will know from Flynn’s two previous novels.
Imagine a cross between Linwood Barclay and Denise Mina.
Sally
The girl you left behind by Jojo Moyes
Another captivating and emotional read from this lovely author. The book is split between occupied France in WW1 and modern-day London; a striking portrait links the two storylines.As ever with Jojo Moyes’ books, you will laugh and cry in equal measures when reading it, it’s a huge emotional roller-coaster (though not quite as traumatic as Me before You!).
Well-written, with engaging characters and a story which introduces some knotty ethical conundrums. Well worth a read- it’s a great introduction to this author’s style if you’re new to her work.
Reserve your copy here.
Close to the Bone by Stuart Macbride
Once again Stuart Macbride delivers another gripping thriller/crime story, in this, the 8th of the Logan McRae books. I could not put this one down as there are so many twists and turns and characters and plots that you just want to find out more!The Art of Hearing Heartbeats by Jan-Philipp Sendker
There was much that I liked about this novel. Set in Burma, it begins with Julia Win arriving in Kalaw searching for her father, a successful New York lawyer originally from Burma. He had disappeared four years previously without trace, but while searching through his belongings her mother had found an unsent love letter written to an unknown woman called Mi Mi who lived in Kalaw. Here she meets an elderly Burmese man called U Ba who appears to have been waiting for her to arrive. And he starts to tell her a story, the story of her father and a story of true love.
The tale itself is beautifully told and filled with Eastern spirituality and superb descriptions of Burma. It is the story of love between a blind man, and a crippled woman who combine their different senses and abilities to explore their world together. I loved the way that the story built gently, describing how they met and fell in love, and I found the descriptions of Tin Win exploring his world using his hearing so atmospheric and such a wonderful way to describe a country like Burma. And I liked the way that different threads of the story tied together at the end.
However, it didn’t totally sweep me away, as I wanted it to, because I didn’t like Julia at all. And because, despite all the good points, it still lacked a certain something for me – I love a good modern fairytale, like The Snow Child, but for the second half of this book the love story didn’t quite seem believable so rather than being totally swept along I had a nagging doubt in the back of my head.
But I would definitely recommend it, especially if you enjoy books with a wonderful sense of place and a little eastern spirituality.
Jo
Snakes and ladders by Sean Slater
Vancouver Police Detective, Jacob Striker, attends a case of apparent suicide in a decrepit apartment in a run-down section of the city. What he finds there turns the case into something much more sinister and places his life and that of his partner in danger.
As Striker races to save the life of the next intended target, he is also aware that someone, known to him only as “The Adder”, is seeking his destruction.
Alan
