No More Games – Gordon J Brown

Glasgow, 1974 – a time of power cuts, strikes and the three-day week. Twelve-year-old Ginger Bannerman is playing in the local woods when he stumbles across a gunman in hiding. The man has incriminating evidence of police corruption and forces Ginger to steal a tape recording from a major criminal’s flat. But when Ginger discovers that his dad, a police constable, is mentioned on the tape, his world is turned upside down. With both the gunman and the criminal in hot pursuit, he must prevent the tape falling into the wrong hands if he’s going to save himself and his family. Things have suddenly got very serious.

I was grateful to recieve a review copy from the author

Ginger and Milky are 12 years old. They go to high school in Glasgow and it’s 1974. Best friends who look out for each other and are about to have a life changing encounter.

You’re going to hear about this encounter, and all the subsequent consequences that spiral from it, as someone is reminiscing and telling their story. The storyteller isn’t sure his audience of one (you will be the second listener) will actually stay to hear the whole story but if they do listen there’s a suggestion of a job to be completed at the end of it.

The story begins with a dead body. In Milky and Ginger’s secret den of all places. Milky has found the body and he seeks out his best friend to share the discovery and seek guidance on what they should do. Once they have assured themselves there really IS a dead body in their den neither boy is prepared to approach the dead guy but that problem quickly becomes irrelevant when their corpse wakes up. Terrified and fascinated in equal measure the boys make their high speed escape.

When Milky returns to the den the next day the dead guy is gone but he’s left something behind…a gun. While the boys are debating what to do with a loaded gun (obviously one of them wants to try it out) the “dead guy” returns to collect his property and a standoff ensues. Again the boys will have to escape from an older (and slower) pursuer but speed won’t help when the man you’re running from knows where you live.

Soon Milky and Ginger are being followed by people that want to involve them in affairs outwith their youthful comprehension. Return the gun. Don’t tell your parents. It’s going to end badly for you if you don’t do as we say. Unfortunately for Ginger and Milky there is a suggestion of corruption within the Glasgow police, their encounter with the gunman brings them directly into this situation.

Someone is keen to utilise their knowledge of these corrupt officers, someone else is already paying these officers and wants to continue to benefit from their services. Both parties are powerful and dangerous individuals and two twelve year old boys are not going to disrupt their plans.

Ginger will soon find himself in possession of a tape which could shine a light on the dark corners of the corruption in the police station – but there’s a suggestion his Dad’s name is on that tape. Can Ginger and Milky risk exposing Ginger’s own father as a criminal?

Huge Kudos to Gordon J Brown for making this story sing from first page to last. The scene setting (Glasgow in 1974) is perfectly captured, the rental televisions, the rolling power cuts, the school janitor sneaking a nip of vodka during class time and the two boys behave exactly how you’d expect two twelve year-old’s to behave. It all feels so very real and the story just flows from one predicament to the next.
No More Games was absolutely mesmerising. Time will slide past, totally unnoticed, as you get caught up in Ginger and Milky’s story. Their problems just snowball from chapter to chapter and every decision they make seems to drag them deeper and deeper into the mire. You will want to know who is telling Ginger’s story and you’ll want to know who is listening. You’ll will them to survive, you’ll hope their problems are not as bleak as they appear and you’ll love how 1970’s Glasgow comes alive for you.

No More Games is published by Red Dog Press and is available directly from the publisher here: https://www.reddogpress.co.uk/product-page/no-more-games

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March 31

Decades: Compiling the Ultimate Library with Alice Bell

Welcome back to the Decades Library. This is my ongoing quest to assemble a Library which features only the very best reading recommendations, the books recommended by authors, bloggers, publishers and journalists – booklovers all.

I started this challenge back in January 2021. Each week a guest joins me and I ask them to help curate my new Library. I want them to recommend some of their favourite books, the unmissable ones which they believe everyone should read. But I ask each of my guests to follow two simple rules when making their choices. Gotta have rules, without rules there is anarchy and if you have anarchy and books in the same place then someone may fold down the corner of a page. *shudders*

The two rules are thus:

1 – You Can Select Any Five Books
2 – You May Only Select One Book Per Decade From Five Consecutive Decades.

This week (spoiler) we are kicking off in the 1940’s and we end up with one of my favourite books of the 1980’s (it’s actually one of my favourite books EVER, but it was published in the 80’s)

This week I am delighted to be joined by Alice Bell, author of the upcoming new release: Grave Expectations. When I saw Alice was a deputy editor at Rock Paper Shotgun I gave serious consideration to making the library a multi-media experience and ask her to nominate her five decades selections for videogames too, but if Manic Miner didn’t represent the 1980s then I’d have a sad-face day.

So lets stick with books and hand over to Alice so we can see her selections:

Alice Bell grew up in South West England, in the sort of middle-of-nowhere where teenagers spend their weekends drinking Smirnoff Ice in a field that also has at least one horse in it.

She is the deputy editor of Rock Paper Shotgun, a popular PC gaming website, and in 2019 she was named one of the 100 most influential women in the UK games industry.

After spending several years in London, Alice now lives in Cork in Ireland. She has probably read more detective fiction and watched more episodes of Midsomer Murders than you.

Alice is on Twitter as @ABeeWords.
Grave Expectations publishes on 4 May 2023 and you can order a copy here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B0BLRKD54J/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_bibl_vppi_i0

DECADES

1940s – I Capture The Castle by Dodie Smith

This pick hamstrung me a little, because it set, to within a few degrees, the other decades I could work with. But I couldn’t not choose it! It was the first book I thought of, and is always one of the answers I give to the ‘what is your favourite book ever?’ sort of questions. It’s the diary of a young girl who lives in a falling-down castle with her poor and eccentric family, and their lives are thrown into turmoil when some Americans who are a) handsome b) youngish and c) rich turn up – which is all anyone can hope from an American, isn’t it? It’s a wonderful book full of humour and pathos, and there was a decent film adaptation years back as well. I suppose if it came out now it would be classed as YA, but I really think of I Capture The Castle as timeless and ageless.

1950s – A Murder Is Announced by Agatha Christie

I had to get Agatha on my list somewhere, and luckily she’s prolific enough I could have got here in any of my decades or more. A Murder Is Announced really is one of her best, though. I’ve always favoured Marple over Poirot (which might be an unpopular opinion), partly because her adventures always seem that little bit more whimsical and strange. In this one a murder is, indeed, announced in a local paper, which confuses Letitia Blacklock, the owner of the house named in the appointment. Several of her friends turn up to see if one happens – who wouldn’t? I’d be there with great big bloody bells on – and, indeed, it does. It’s a real showcase of Christie’s wit as well as her prowess at crafting fiendishly difficult mysteries. The Queen of Crime indeed!

1960s – In Cold Blood by Truman Capote

True crime is an unstoppable monolith these days, and there’s a good argument that Capote’s In Cold Blood was the template for its modern incarnation (including, I should say, probable editorialising on the part of the creator when the facts didn’t work quite well enough for a good story). I have the morbid fascination with ‘orrible murderers that a lot of women my age have, and In Cold Blood is remarkable in how it chronicles the personality and psychology of two family annihilators who killed the Clutter family of Western Kansas, creating a holistic picture of them and their crime – most especially Perry Smith. But Capote also gives great detail on the victims themselves and the wider community. It’s a sad story told in great and elegant detail.

1970s – The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison

The Bluest Eye was Morrison’s first novel, and it’s an extraordinary one, about the young life of Pecola Breedlove, an African American girl regarded as ugly because of the darkness of her skin – though it’s obviously about much more than that, too. It’s a short book, and largely told from the point of view of Claudia MacTeer, whose parents foster Pecola for a short time. I think it’s the book of Morrison’s that sticks out most to me because I read it when I wasn’t much older than the characters in it, so it really stuck with me. Although I think it sticks with anyone when you read it. The writing is so emotive, the story so artfully constructed – right down to the chapter titles.

1980s – Wyrd Sisters by Terry Pratchett

This is not, technically, the first of The Witches books in Terry Pratchett’s Discworld series, but in my heart it is, because it’s the first to feature the whole coven. It’s also, quite possibly, my favourite Discworld book, although that changes based on the time of year, how warm my toes are, etc. and so on. I think I get a lot of my own writing style and sense of humour from reading so much Pratchett in my formative years (she says, hopefully), and the witches were always the ones I enjoyed most. Wyrd Sisters is a version of Shakespear’s Macbeth from a sideways point of view and with extra magic, and it has what I think is the best opening of a Pratchett book. Right away he sets the scene and the tone in fantastic style. He’s an inimitable writer, really.

Any time I get to add a new Terry Pratchett book to my Decades Library it’s a great day, factor in the very welcome addition of Jane Marple too and Alice has absoultely smashed this out of the park. Huge thanks to Alice for making such great selections. All five books will be added to the Library shelves immediately.

DECADES WILL RETURN

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March 30

Blake’s 7: Origins – Big Finish Anthology

Big Finish Productions, the audio production company and publisher best known for its range of Doctor Who audio releases, have published a stunning limited set of Blake’s 7 hardback novelisations. Blake’s 7: Origins released on 27 March, 2023, marking 45 years since the original broadcast of the first season’s final episode.

Blake’s 7 debuted on BBC television in 1978 and quickly developed a cult following of fans eager to enjoy the exploits of Roj Blake and his gang of rebels in their battle against the sinister Federation. Considered far ahead of its time, it ran for four series, and helped influence much of the science fiction we see on our screens today.

Now, for the first time, the complete first season of Terry Nation’s classic sci-fi adventure series will be published as a collection of brand-new hardback novelisations, featuring lavish photos and artwork, and released as a single hardback box set limited to just 1,500 copies. These books will not be available to buy separately.

Each adaptation comprises two stories from the TV series and has been written by a well-known sci-fi author, including Una McCormack and Paul Cornell.

There are seven books in the collection, each book features two stories from the opening series.

The Way Back/Space Fall by Paul Cornell
Cygnus Alpha/Time Squad by Marc Platt
The Web/Seek-Locate-Destroy by Gary Russell
Mission to Destiny/Duel by Jaqueline Rayner
Project Avalon/Breakdown by Steve Cole
Bounty/Deliverance by Una McCormack
Orac/Redemption by James Goss

I recieved digital review copies of the Blake’s 7: Origins collection from Jamie-Lee at Black Crow PR.

I grew up watching Doctor Who and Blake’s 7. They were an integral part of my childhood. The sheer volume of Doctor Who books, toys, magazines etc meant the Doctor’s adventures would always be the most accesible stories and my love of Doctor Who has endured for over 40 years. But all these decades later I still remember the excitement of sitting down to watch a new episode of Blake’s 7.

My strongest memory of watching the show was that it was darker than Doctor Who, much more edgy, and bleak – it felt bleak – and it felt more grown up. Perhaps I was too young to apprecaite many of the finer elements of the scripts but having revisited some of the stories from the first season, courtesy of the books contained in the Origins collection, I do feel it likely I missed many nuances due to my relative youth at the time.

Thanks to the geniuses at Big Finish, the “great ideas factory” I can now revisit Blake’s 7 and enjoy the full first season and experience those early adventures in full. And I can do it in written format (my favourite medium). As much of my initial Doctor Who exposure can through reading the Target paperbacks of the old episodes this is a similar experience (though the beautiful books in this collection are much more classy than my tatty target paperbacks).

I haven’t had time to read all fourteen stories yet so I had to pick and choose which authors and stories I read. All seven of the authors contributing to the Origins collection are well known to me and I have many of their other work on my bookshelves. Big Finish have picked some of the very best writers to work on these books and I loved the stories I selected to read. The original source material was well represented and the tone felt spot on each time.

My first selection was Mission to Destiny and Duel which were written by Jaqueline Rayner. Jaqueline wrote some of my favourite Doctor Who novels and I always enjoy her writing style so a perfect place to start. And for this crime book reader it turned out to be an excellent decision as Mission to Destiny has shades of Christie’s And Then There We’re None.

The crew find a ship circling alone in space. When they teleport over to the seemingly abandoned ship it they find the crew asleep – or more accurately, drugged. As they revive the unconscious crew members they discover they were on a mercy mission to bring a valuable piece of technology back to their home planet as it will help save their crops and keep their civilisation alive. But dark forces are at work and one of the crew doesn’t want the mission to succeed – he’s killing off the crew members one by one, nobody is safe.

The story is slickly told, the claustrophobic tension from this deep space thriller is well conveyed and the author has made the small cast feel important to me in very short space of time. An excellent start.

When Mission to Destiny ended the book ran straight into Duel. This was a story more focused on Blake and the regular cast. The Federation are determined to capture the crew of fugitives and send an old enemy of Blake to hunt them down. Once again the energy and tension from the original story is captured well and it was another great read.

I have no doubt the other books in the Origins collection will also delight fans as these stories delighted me. I will be savouring each and I think I will stop dipping into the stories randomly and read them in order.

The collection is presented in a gorgeous slipcase, each of the seven volumes are hardback books and you’ll struggle to find a better ensemble of authors contributing to a single collection than this one. There are plenty of Blake’s 7 fans out there, this would be a stunning addition to any fan’s collection. Big Finish knock it out the park once again.

Blake’s 7: Origins is available now and limited to just 1,500 copies. Secure yours now: https://www.bigfinish.com/releases/v/blake-s-7-origins-2814

Publisher: Twitter @Bigfinish / Instagram: bigfinishprod
Black Crow: Twitter & Instagram: BlackCrow_PR

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March 27

Her Deadly Game – Robert Dugoni

Keera Duggan was building a solid reputation as a Seattle prosecutor, until her romantic relationship with a senior colleague ended badly. For the competitive former chess prodigy, returning to her family’s failing criminal defense law firm to work for her father is the best shot she has. With the right moves, she hopes to restore the family’s reputation, her relationship with her father, and her career.

Keera’s chance to play in the big leagues comes when she’s retained by Vince LaRussa, an investment adviser accused of murdering his wealthy wife. There’s little hard evidence against him, but considering the couple’s impending and potentially nasty divorce, LaRussa faces life in prison. The prosecutor is equally challenging: Miller Ambrose, Keera’s former lover, who’s eager to destroy her in court on her first homicide defense.

As Keera and her team follow the evidence, they uncover a complicated and deadly game that’s more than Keera bargained for. When shocking information turns the case upside down, Keera must decide between her duty to her client, her family’s legacy, and her own future.

My thanks to Sophie Goodfellow at FMcM Associates for the opportunity to join the Blog Tour for Her Deadly Game and for the review copy I recieved to participate in the tour.

Her Deadly Game is one of the best books I have read for ages, I absolutly loved the mix of courtroom thriller and muder mystery. From the very early pages the reader is presented with a brutal murder, a vulnerable victim and what seems to be a clear-cut case for the police and the prosecution. But then the doubts and distractions creep in. There are strange elements at the murder scene which lead Defence Lawyer. Keera Duggan, to believe the case against her client – the victim’s husband – can be strongly contested. But if Vince LaRussa did not kill his wife, then who did?

There were so many elements to Her Deadly Game which I loved that I’m not sure where to start and I know I will not do the book justice.

I will start with Keera – a dogged warrior in the courtroom and daughter of a well known courtoom brawler – her father’s reputation as a fighter and the best man to have in your corner when the case is going against you is legendary. But Keera’s father has been battling an addition for too long and his reputation for hitting the bottle has cast something of a cloud over his status in the courtrooms. Keera has joined the family firm (against her will) after leaving the state prosecution service following a failed relationship with one of the lead prosecutors. He has engineered Keera’s caseload to be reduced to scaps and she knew his vindictive nature would mean her career would stall.

Next high point from Her Deadly Game was the crime. A woman home alone for the evening is shot in the back of the head. The police determined she had three visitors over the course of the evening. A family lawyer, her oldest friend then her husband returned home from a charity event. It was the victim’s husband (Vince) that found her body but the family lawyer and her friend both claim they left the house while Ann LaRussa was still alive. It appears Vince did kill his wife yet there is no evidence that would link him to the crime.

The crime scene has some random and unexplained things. Airconditioning turned off on one of the hottest days of the year. A broken glass on the floor, a strange mark on a kitchen appliance. Are any connected to the murder? If so then how? Puzzling out the crime scene will keep Keera distracted and frustrated but there’s a mysterious figure keen to help her enquiries (albeit indirectly).

Before an explanation can be found the prosecution decide to move for a fast trial and seek conviction of Vince LaRussa for the murder of his wife. Vince is determined to prove his innocence and feels stalling a trial would make him look guilty so a fast move to a courtroom drama happens.

The next great element of Her Deadly Game. I LOVE courtroom dramas when they are played out as well as this one. Keera is up against her former lover (extra edge) and neither side is willing to make concessions. The niggle continues into their trial and there are confrontations and mind games from both sides. The judge is notoriously strict so she isn’t entertaining the unpredictable displays from the legal teams. It all makes for cracking reading.

Suffice to say there were plenty of twists to the case, surprises in the ongoing investigations too and I found the story utterly compelling. The author sets up lots of questions as the story unfolds and the challenge for the reader is to try to work out where they may be heading. My curiosity was piqued very early on and until I reached the finale no other books were getting a look in – this was all I wanted to read!

I would be happy if I enjoyed all my books as much as I did this one

Her Deadly Game publishes in Hardback, digital and audiobook format on 28 March 2023. You can order a copy here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B09V575VRP/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_bibl_vppi_i0

Category: 5* Reviews, Blog Tours, From The Bookshelf | Comments Off

March 27

God of Fire – Helen Steadman

Cast out of heaven at the hands of Hera and raised beneath the sea, this is the epic story of Hephaestus, god of fire.

In the palace of Zeus, a son is born to the greatest goddess, Hera. Withered and ugly, the newborn Hephaestus is hurled from the heavens by his repulsed mother. The unforgiving sea offers no soft landing, and the broken godlet sinks to the depths, where his little flame falters. But as darkness looms, he is saved by the sea witch, Thetis, who raises the outcast as her own.

The only Olympian whose injuries never heal, the god of fire endures eternal pain from his wounded leg, making him perhaps the most human member of the pantheon. As if his physical pain were not enough, Zeus punishes Hephaestus further by sentencing him to life with Aphrodite. Unhappily married to the adulterous goddess of love, he is fated to repeat his childhood pattern of rejection, stoically shouldering emotional agony as part of his everlasting burden.

With his foster-mother’s help, Hephaestus lays claim to his legacy and finds his saving grace: the ability to harness fire and create magical metal artefacts. Of course, the other gods waste no time taking advantage of his inventions. A silver mouse for Apollo. A girdle for Aphrodite. Armour for Athena. A bow and arrow for Eros. Winged sandals for Hermes. A throne for Hera. A golden mastiff for Zeus.

But the god of fire is nobody’s fool. The magic of Hephaestus has a shadow side, as gods and mortals learn to their cost when Zeus orders him to create Pandora and her infamous receptacle…

My thanks to Anne Cater at Random Things Blog Tours for the oppotunity to join the God of Fire blog tour. I received a review copy from the publisher to allow me to participate in the tour.

Sometimes I hit a point in my reading when I think I have gone too heavy on the back to back crime stories. When that happens I remind myself that I wanted to try to find books I may not normally have sought out, particularly if it takes in themes or concepts I know I haven’t had much previous exposure to. This was where my head was at when I received an invitation to join the blog tour for God of Fire – a retelling of Greek myths with a focus on Hephaestus. Perfect!

And the good news is that it was the right book at the right time for me. It took more concentration than a crime thriller, more on that in a second, and I realised that I knew less about the Greek Gods than I had initially realised (though that really should not have been a surprise). But this was a fun read which challenged me too, mainly because of how I read.

The book first. Hephaetus is the God of Fire, son of Hera but it seems he has no father. Hera discarded her son after his birth and he fell to earth where he was rescued by Sea Witches who kept him alive and raised him as if he was their own. Hephaetus was, to a degree, shunned by other Gods as he had a badly damaged leg. Any weakness in a God is fodder for ridicule and dismissive attitudes from their peers and it was fascinating to have the focus of our introduction to Hephaetus all about his perceived weakness, his abandonment by his mother and the sheer force of will he set himself to build his standing among the other Gods.

As he grew his adoptive mothers took Hephaetus to the three cyclops who helped him by giving him the ability to forge anything he set his mind to. Hephaetus’s ability to make any item for the other Gods soon gave him the ideal vehicle to win favour amongst the Gods and to prove himself a valuable ally. Though he was not adverse to using these gifts to get his own way as Hera would find out when presented with her first gift.

I had a passing awareness of the Gods that feature in the story. Many names were familiar to me and I possibly could have told you one single thing I knew about these Gods. However, there were many more characters who were new to me and that I knew nothing about before reading God of Fire and it was here my concentration had to be at its max. I skim read and normally I can quickly zoom through stories and keep track of events without too much effort. But the detail covered in God of Fire was such that I had to slow my pace right down, unfamiliar names, my lack of prior knowledge of relationships and status of the characters also meant I had to be giving my full focus to events as they unfolded.

While that may sound like a critisism it really isn’t (unless it is me self-critisising my reading). I wanted a book to take me out my comfort zone, one which would give me exposure to a very different read and, in the case of God of Fire, one to help me understand more about Greek Mythology – something I love the idea of knowing but have never actually made time to learn about. God of Fire opened my eyes to the alliances, the players and the plotting which many, many readers before me have enjoyed.

As I struggled keeping track of the character names and their roles in the story I did find it slightly frustrating when characters used nicknames when in conversation. Prometheus becomes Prom, Heph for Hephaetus. Again it keeps within the story narrative and the conversational tone that Helen Steadman has used when the Gods are chatting. From my personal (skim reader) experience I use character recognition to help form the words so when I am looking for Prometheus but see Prom it forces me to slow down as I miss the crux of a paragraph as I don’t see the name I had expected to see. These seemingly small issues impact upon how I read a book but it meant I spent more time in this book than I do with many others and when I finished reading I always felt I had enjoyed the time I spent with Hephaetus. There was a lot more to discover than I had anticipated and I really had my eyes opened to an entirely new (to me) history of amazing stories/myths…I wish there was time to roll back the clock and get my younger self reading about these fantastical stories far sooner.

Rewarding, challenging and most definately informative. I wasn’t sure how God of Fire and I would get on but it is safe to say Hephaetus won in the end, I made all the adjustments and concessions so I could enjoy his story. So glad I read this.

God of Fire is published by Bell Jar Books and is available in paperback, digital and audiobook format. You can order a copy here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B09QZ8LSDK/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_bibl_vppi_i2

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March 26

Ultimate Fantastic Four: Doom – Ellis, Immonen, von Grawbadger

Collects Ultimate Fantastic Four #7-12.

Before the Fantastic Four can even get accustomed to their new powers, former classmate Victor Van Damme, who was caught in the same experiment that gave the Fantastic Four their superhuman powers, returns to exact his revenge!

One from my own collection – I read through a subscription to Marvel Unlimited

Keeping the good run of issues going it’s the F4 going up against Doom for the first time. I liked the way Victor’s character was brought to the fore before we see him as Doom.

Holed up in Denmark after the incident (which he apparently caused) Doom has assembled a kingdom of his own in a tented village within Copenhagen. Using mind control over his subjects to keep his commune a safe haven for himself, Victor assembled an army of flying bots which he sent to New York to attack Reed, Sue and Johnny. He learns of Ben’s transformation into The Thing and also correctly realises that after his attack fails the F4 will come for him.

The first real showdown happens in Denmark and it was nicely executed and left me ready for more.

Some great scenes in this collection, not least the introduction of The Fantasticar.

I am enjoying these Ultimate introductions much more than I enjoyed the early issues of the original run. At least the Ultimate F4 are not squabbling amongst themselves every single issue.

The N-Zone is next, I can’t wait!

Category: From The Bookshelf, Graphic Novels | Comments Off

March 17

Decades: Compiling the Ultimate Library with Alex Walters

Another week has zipped by and already it’s time to throw open the doors of the Decades Library and welcome a new guest curator who will shortly tempt your TBR with some new reading recommendations.

But before we get to the books its the obligatory recap. What’s a Decades Library and why do I have a guest curator?

Back in January 2021 I asked myself the question: if I had a brand new library but no books which books should I add to the Library shelves to ensure I had the very best reading options available for Library visitors? I knew this was far too difficult an undertaking to take on alone so I have reached out to my friends for help. Each week I invite a new guest curator to join me and I ask them to nominate new books which they feel I should add to the library. I want their favourite books, the “unmissable” titles or the books which left a lasting impression.

Why is it a Decades Library? I had to bring a little order to the chaos of asking booklovers to recommend some of their favourite books – seriously, two years later there’s a real danger we would still be listening to my first guest listing the books she loves. Instead I set two rules to govern the choices each guest makes:

1 – You Can Select ANY Five Books
2 – You Must Choose One Book Per Decade From Five Consecutive Decades

So any five books but restricted to a fifty-year publication span. Easy? Have a go at selecting your own favourites, you may find you re-discover some old favourite reads.

This week it is a real delight to welcome Alex Walters to the Decades Library. I spent my teenage years in the Black Isle and Alex has written a series of books where I get to read about the characters walking down the streets of towns and villages I know so well. As a reader there’s nothing quite as exciting to me as seeing crime thrilers set in places I know. What a brilliant introduction that was to Alex’s writing and the bonus of discovering he had written lots of other books has meant I am enjoying playing catch up.

Time to pass the curator’s hat to Alex and let him guide you through the five books he wants to add to the library shelves….

Alex Walters is the author of twenty one crime and thriller novels, across several series. His first books were set in modern-day Mongolia. Since then, he has written two books set in and around Manchester featuring the undercover officer, Marie Donovan (Trust No-One and Nowhere to Hide), five books with a paranormal edge featuring DCI Kenny Murrain (Late Checkout, Dark Corners and Snow Fallen, Stilled Voices and Life Remains), and six books set in the Scottish Highlands featuring DI Alec McKay (Candles and Roses, Death Parts Us, Their Final Act, Expiry Date, For Their Sins and A Parting Gift). His most recent series is set in the Peak District featuring DI Annie Delamere (Small Mercies, Lost Hours and Bad Terms), with a fourth book, Old Evils, out later this year from Canelo.

He has also written two standalone thrillers – Winterman, a historical crime thriller set in the East Anglian fens in 1947 and his most recent book, Human Assets, a humorous spy thriller.

Prior to becoming a writer, Alex worked in the oil industry, broadcasting and banking and as a management consultant working mainly in the criminal justice sector. He now lives on the Black Isle in the Scottish Highlands where he runs the Solus Or Writing Retreat with his wife, Helen, and a variable number of cats.

Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Alex-Walters/e/B00528T2NG?ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_2&qid=1675963265&sr=8-2

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/alexwaltersauthor

Website: https://www.alexwaltersauthor.com/

DECADES

The Einstein Intersection by Samuel R Delany (1967)

My choices here are books that made a major impact on me on first reading. I was a huge science fiction fan in my teens – though I’ve rather lost touch with the genre now – and initially borrowed this from the library largely on the basis of its title and intriguing style. It’s an extraordinary book – a retelling of the Orpheus myth, set among the non-human inhabitants of a distant-future earth. The narrative is intriguingly interspersed with literary quotations, epigraphs and (real?) excerpt’s from the author’s own journal. The book is sparse, allusive, elliptical and endlessly thought-provoking.

Gravity’s Rainbow by Thomas Pynchon (1973)

I first read Gravity’s Rainbow in my late teens, and I’ve re-read it several times since without ever getting close to fathoming its depths. It’s a huge compendious novel, almost impossible to summarise, set in the closing days of World War II. It combines real-life incidents with extraordinarily imagined, often hilarious fiction, addressing morality, science, war, sex and countless other themes in Pynchon’s unique and hypnotic prose style. Now, I need to read it again.

The Names by Don DeLillo (1982)

Like many people, I first came to DeLillo through White Noise, his breakout book in the UK. That sent my back to read his earlier books. Not all are to my taste, but the novel that stuck with me was The Names. It’s a tricky book to describe – a paranoid thriller, but with a plot that remains opaque, an exploration of the power of language, an examination of the nature of empire, even an atmospheric piece of travel writing, with a tone all of its own.

Complicity by Iain Banks (1993)

I was keen to include something by Iain Banks because he’s one of the writers who has given me most straightforward pleasure over the years. I’ve chosen Complicity because it’s perhaps one of the less well-known of his books, but it’s a wonderful example of his ability to tread effortlessly the line between popular and literary fiction. Complicity is a terrific page-turning thriller, filled with memorable if often dislikeable characters, but it’s also a powerful meditation on politics and power.

Thursbitch by Alan Garner (2004)

Garner is probably the writer who has had most impact on me, from the early books I read as a child through to his more recent, often challenging works. He’s far from a prolific novelist, and every book feels as if it’s been chiseled from a mass of thought, experience and research. Thursbitch is characteristic of Garner’s later work in building unexpected bridges across time and between ideas. In this case, the death of Jack Turner, an eighteenth century ‘jagger’ or salt-trader, is told in parallel with that of a contemporary couple, Ian and Sal, a geologist dying of a degenerative illness, drawing us into ancient bull-cults, shamanism, sentient landscapes, and the nature of time. It’s hugely atmospheric novel, rendered all the more potent for me by my familiarity with its Peak District setting. And its epigraph is taken from Jean Cocteau’s film Orphée, which, accidentally but satisfyingly, takes me full circle back to my first choice.

For the first time in a long time I haven’t read any of the five recommendations. This is why I have enlisted guests to help me pick the best books for the library shelves. But it is also bad for my TBR as Alex has tempted me into two book purchases as I have been pulling this post together – both The Names and Complicity are soon to be winging their way here. I am weak but I love a good book.

Huge thanks, as ever, to Alex for taking time to make his selections.

DECADES WILL RETURN

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March 12

City of Vengeance – D.V. Bishop

Florence. Winter, 1536. A prominent Jewish moneylender is murdered in his home, a death with wide implications in a city powered by immense wealth.

Cesare Aldo, a former soldier and now an officer of the Renaissance city’s most feared criminal court, is given four days to solve the murder: catch the killer before the feast of Epiphany – or suffer the consequences.

During his investigations Aldo uncovers a plot to overthrow the volatile ruler of Florence, Alessandro de’ Medici. If the Duke falls, it will endanger the whole city. But a rival officer of the court is determined to expose details about Aldo’s private life that could lead to his ruin. Can Aldo stop the conspiracy before anyone else dies, or will his own secrets destroy him first?

Reviewing my purchased copy of City of Vengeance

If asked, I’d tell you that I don’t really read a lot of historical fiction. However, over the last twelve months I seem to be spending far more time in the past and that’s been a bit of an eye opener for me. Suddenly it seems there’s a whole new range of titles calling out to me and I am going to make the time to read them.

Part of the reason behind my recent conversion towards historical crime is that I have chosen a few crackers to read. Just last week I was giving a five star review to a story set in occupied Paris of 1940 and today; another five star read but this time the story is set in Florence in 1536. Beautiful Florence but D.V. Bishop is going to show us the darker side of the city too. The action will move from the courts of the leaders of the city, to the brothels, the churches, the prison and the guardhouse. Some characters will appear in all of these locations – some will pop up in areas they really shouldn’t be and that will keep Cesare Aldo a busy man.

We meet Aldo as he is returning to Florence – he is escorting a wealthy businessman who has concerns about his personal safety (and that of his money) as he travels home from business meetings. Aldo is to see him safely through the dangerous paths and the open spaces in the Italian countryside. But in the opening paragraphs of City of Vengeance Aldo’s worst fears are realised and the two men are ambushed. A fight ensues and the reader gets to see Aldo in the thick of the action. He was a soldier, he’s now an officer in the city guard and as well as being an astute investigator he can more than handle himself in a fight. Usually. It is a terrific opening to the story and as the dust settled I knew I was going to get on well with Cesare Aldo.

When he is safely home the real intrigue begins. A wealthy moneylender is murdered in the Jewish sector of the city. A young man is battered to death, his sexual preferences deemed an abhoration to soneone. Plots to disrupt the power at the top of Florence. Aldo will be drawn into each of these issues, his reputation and his life will be put on the line while he tries his best to execute his duties to the best of his abilities.

D.V. Bishop keeps multiple storylines flowing and interweaving without letting the pace drop or the action stagnate. There are clear villains for readers to oppose, you want to see them topple. But there is also a nice collection of allies for Aldo with an equally satisfying number of players that cannot be easily put into categories. This third group are the most intruging as their motives are not always clear and Aldo the least of their concerns – you can’t help but feel some of these characters will return in future and their interests will overlap with Aldo’s story again. It all feels part of the author’s broader plan to bring readers to sixteenth centrury Florence and get them invested in the life of the city and the players that will define its future. I am very much here for the ride.

I said that I was going to make time to read more historical fiction and that time starts immediately – I am returning to Florence and picking up Aldo’s story. The second book, The Darkest Sin, is going to be my next audiobook listen, I don’t want to wait any longer than is necessary to find out the consequences of Aldo’s decision right at the end of City of Vengeance.

City of Vengeance is available in paperback digital and audiobook. You can buy a copy here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B08G1HJVVW/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_bibl_vppi_i1

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March 10

Decades: Compiling the Ultimate Library with Steve Stred

Welcome to the latest update to my Decades Library.

Since January 2021 I have invited a guest to join me each week and I ask them which books they would add to my “ultimate library”. I began this project with a question: If I had to fill a brand new library with nothing but the very best books – which books should I add to the library shelves?

Clearly that is a huge undertaking for one person to take on so I ask my guests to help me select the books for the Decades Library – they have to nominate their favourites or the books they consider unmissable and I will add them to my Library. But there’s a catch! I can’t just keep it vague and ask for “good books” I had to set some rules which would govern their choices. Two Rules.

1 – You Can Choose ANY Five Books
2 – You Can Only Choose One Book Per Decade From Five Consecutive Decades

Which is why I call my library the Decades Library.

This week I am delighted to take the Decades Library across the Altantic Ocean to pass the curator’s hat to Steve Stred. I’m a fan of horror stories but don’t read anywhere near as many as I would like. Fortunately Twitter lets me keep track of some wonderful reading recommendations and Steve’s Tweets often flag up new names and suggestions which I then try to hunt down.

When I saw Steve Tweeting about discussing other writer’s work I immedately contacted him to ask if he would like to take part in Decades, happily he was able to spare some time to make his selections – over to Steve.

Steve Stred, A 2X Splatterpunk-Nominated Author. Steve Stred lives in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, with his wife, son and their staffy, Cocoa.

His work has been described as haunting, bleak and is frequently set in the woods near where he grew up. He’s been fortunate to appear in numerous anthologies with some truly amazing authors.

DECADES

1970-80 – The Neverending Story by Michael Ende (Translated by Ralph Manheim), 1979

Now, my first experience with this novel was actually through watching the film adaptation of the same name. Of course, the film only follows the first half of the book, but after I had watched this for about the 100th time, I read the novel and was just blown away. Part fantasy, part thriller, part horror novel, it covers a lot of ground and doesn’t go easy on any of its characters. The book kind of showed me how I could approach my own writing – write what I love and not be confined to a singular genre. I love this novel (and movie) so much, that my wife and I named our son, Auryn, after the all-powerful amulet featured within.

1980-90 – Pet Sematary by Stephen King, 1983

‘Sometimes dead is better.’ I mean, King was my first introduction to true out and out horror. I was eight or nine when my neighbor let me borrow some of her King books. One of my first reads of his was Pet Sematary and I was destroyed and traumatized and begging for more. There are so many phenomenal scenes throughout, but it really set the stage for just how dark dark can be. I loved this one, but I don’t know if I can bring myself to go back and read it, now that I’m a dad.

1990-2000 – Jurassic Park by Michael Crichton, 1990

I actually read this novel before the movie came out. Again, my neighbor let me borrow this book (and The Andromeda Strain) and I couldn’t believe what I was reading. I think this novel has influenced me heavily in the sense of a lot of my books taking place in the wilderness, things going horrifically wrong, and people having to try and survive against the creatures out there that want to kill them. Crichton has a magical way of writing his stories with fanciful prose, while maintaining a scientific eye to detail.

2000-2010 – The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein, 2008

The timing of this novel coming into my life was perfect and horrific. One of my former bosses recommended it to me. I started reading it. Maybe two days after starting it, our dog at the time, OJ, had a spinal stroke and was partially paralyzed in his hind end. So, reading a novel from a dog’s perspective was a unique and enjoyable experience, but also really hard and emotional, knowing that OJ couldn’t speak to us and describe to us things he felt or what he needed. I know they made a movie out of this book, but for me, the book was so perfect, I don’t think I’ll be able to bring myself to ever watch it.

2010-2020 – The Demonologist by Andrew Pyper, 2013

If you follow me on any of my social media pages, you’ll know my love of Andrew Pyper’s work. The Demonologist was my introduction to him, and I can’t understate it when I say, discovering this novel changed my life. Not only as a reader, but also as a writer. When I found this book, I didn’t know this type of material was being written by Canadian authors. Yes, I was a sheltered kid, living in the middle of nowhere and the internet was just becoming a bigger part of my life when I found this book, but up until then, Stephen King and Michael Crichton were the ‘dark writers’ I read. This novel showed me how beautiful horror can still be, but also that you didn’t have to be American to be a successful horror author. It follows an expert on Paradise Lost, David Ullman, who is a non-believer in the demonic. He gets invited to Rome, to see for himself something that will change his beliefs, but ends up having to search for his daughter, when she’s potentially taken by a demon. Just a truly phenomenal and emotional experience.

This was quite the reading journey – The Neverending Story to The Demonologist. Don’t say Decades doesn’t bring a diverse mix of titles to my Library. Huge thanks to Steve.

DECADES WILL RETURN

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March 8

The Institution – Helen Fields

They’re locked up for your safety.
Now, you’re locked in with them.

Dr Connie Woolwine has five days to catch a killer.

On a locked ward in the world’s highest-security prison hospital, a scream shatters the night. The next morning, a nurse’s body is found and her daughter has been taken. A ransom must be paid, and the clock is ticking.

Forensic profiler Dr Connie Woolwine is renowned for her ability to get inside the mind of a murderer. Now, she must go deep undercover among the most deranged and dangerous men on earth and use her unique skills to find the girl – before it’s too late.

But as the walls close in around her, can Connie get the killer before The Institution gets her?

I recieved a review copy from the publishers via Netgalley

If you like a slick and cleverly plotted thriller with tension ramped up to the max and the darkness of the subject matter to be as dark as the bottom of the deepest coal mine…then it is time to get The Institution into your life. This is quite a read and I really, really enjoyed it but I’d forgotten Helen Fields doesn’t pull the punches when putting her characters through the wringer – proceed with caution.

The Institution is a prison for dangerous killers. Each inmate in the isloated, high-security ward has committed multiple murders, is considered to be dangerous and can hold no real expectation of ever being freed. They are closely guarded and under the medical care of a team who provide psychological care but also employ any type of restraint or chemical assistance to keep their charges docile and calm. It’s a thankless place to work and there’s a high level of frustration on show amongst the staff. One employee appears to have been more popular than others but my use of “was” in the previous sentence may give an indication as to her fate.

A murder in a locked ward where all the inmates are known killers. A kidnapping too. Into this maelstrom comes Dr Connie Woolwine. She is going undercover on the ward to try to use her profiling skills to work out which of the convicted killers was responsible for the murder of the poplular young nurse. But there’s a real time pressure as the woman’s kidnapped daughter isn’t expected to live unless she can be found and returned to her family quickly.

This is a story where I can’t really share much about the plot without slipping into dangerous “spoiler” territory. The crimes described are brutal and could be upsetting for some readers. The locked room mystery element of the book is wonderfully set up and really had me scratching my head. There are obviously unpleasant characters in the story as there is a secure wing full of violent killers. But the staff that Connie finds herself working beside are equally complex and unpleasant too.

There are only a few people that Connie can trust and the nature of her undercover role will mean she is often cut-off from their support. Watching Connie cope with the intensity of her situation made for utterly compelling reading and when cracks start to show, well that is when Helen Fields really gets into the tension groove. I hit a point in the story where I realised there was no way I’d stop reading The Institution until I actually finished the whole book.

Another terrific thriller from Helen Fields – she always delivers.

The Institution is available in hardback, digital and audiobook format. You can order a copy here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B0B85RCGXM/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_bibl_vppi_i1

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