Decades: Compiling the Ultimate Library with Dominic Nolan

I’ve been looking forward to this week for many, many months. If you follow me on Twitter (aka X) you can’t help but have noticed my continued insistence that people should read Dominic Nolan’s excellent Vine Street.

Vine Street utterly blew me when I listened to the audiobook, it was like no story I had read and it put me through an emotional spin cycle. I described it as a serial killer story which spanned several decades. When I saw Dom at Aye Write and also at Bloody Scotland he described Vine Street as a book about the dance halls of Soho in the 1920s. It’s both those things and so much more.

Why have I been looking forward to this week when Vine Street has been on my mind for the last two years? Simply because this week sees the publication of White City, Dominic’s new book and I am actively avoiding all spoilers so I can read it on release this week. The excitment is real people – this is what I blog for, to share my reading highights.

With White City looming into view I asked Dom if he would take on my Decades challenge and add some new books to my Ultimate Library. I was delighted he agreed and I am really excited to share his selections with you.

Before we get to the books I shall quickly recap the Decades Challenge and why these books are being added to my Decades Library:

I am trying to assemble the best collection of unmissable books. In January 2021 I opened the Library with no books on the virtual shelves. I have invited authors, publishers, bloggers and journalists to add their favourite books to my Library shelves so I can ensure visitors to my Decades Library will only have the very best books to choose from. Why is it a Decades Library?

Two rules govern the selection process:

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

It’s a Decades Library as each book which is added to the Library by my guests must be contained wihin a fifty-year publication span. As you will see, this week’s selections begin in the 1960s. It’s time to let Dom take over – brace your TBR, this is going to challenge your book buying willpower…

Dominic Nolan lives in London and is the author of the widely acclaimed VINE STREET, AFTER DARK, and PAST LIFE.

In WHITE CITY, his fourth novel, two broken families, unknowingly connected by the biggest heist in British history, fight to get by in a ruined city blighted by crime, corruption, and the fanning of racial tensions among the working poor. It is out November 7th from Headline.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/White-City-stunning-unforgettable-historical/dp/1035416751

Sometimes he’s on twitter @NolanDom, usually when he’s supposed to be writing.

DECADES

THE LOWLIFE – ALEXANDER BARON (1963)

“I am full of knots that are going to get tighter and tighter unless I put the money on.”

Baron was one of the great London novelists, a bard of the poor and downtrodden. WR Burnett said, “I humanize people that other writers don’t even write about,” which could have been Baron’s epitaph. A born loser, a survivor, a dogtrack player, Harryboy is always on the scheme and always in debt, living through the postwar reconstruction of a Hackney of poverty, crime, and gentrification. A slum picaresque.

Baron wrote other fine novels, but the sequel to The Lowlife, Strip Jack Naked, was not one of them. A preposterous Euro-jaunt where Harryboy trails after a rich woman from Paris to Venice. For a genuine French-flavoured companion to The Lowlife, track down Jean Cayrol’s Foreign Bodies, published in English the same year.

BLUE IN CHICAGO – BETTE HOWLAND (1978)

“Chicago isn’t a city. Just the raw materials for a city.”

Howland’s second book (following 1974’s W-3, a memoir about her attempted suicide and subsequent spell in a psychiatric facility) is a sharply observed collection of autobiographical stories about a working class Jewish family in Chicago. Her world is dilapidated, but not grim; compassionate, but not sentimental; angry, but not cold-hearted. It brims with vitality, and is told in her own off-beat cadence, which might wrongfoot you, but is always honest.

Howland was well-received critically on publication, and was awarded a MacArthur Fellowship – the so-called “Genius Grant” – in 1984, a year after her third book, Things to Come and Go, a triptych of long stories. She never published again; praise is nothing in the face of expectation. In recent years she has been rediscovered to some minor fanfare, and Picador have published gorgeous new editions of her books. Buy them, please.

WHAT WE TALK ABOUT WHEN WE TALK ABOUT LOVE – RAYMOND CARVER (1981)

“A man without hands came to the door to sell me a photograph of my house.”

A family friend, a librarian, gifted me my first volume of Carver’s stories for my eighteenth birthday. For the first time, I became consumed not by what a writer was saying, but how they were saying it. Carver’s brief, pared down stories of working class purgatory are elliptical. Precarious. His silences have sharp edges. His characters live in fear and expectation. Of what exactly, on either count, they are unsure, other than the certainty it will be a catastrophe. Marriage, infidelity, financial woes, the lethally quiet domestication of bad intentions; sleights of the human heart by which we change out of our own sight. A gallery of blue collar characters sketched in potent prose you catch just out of the corner of your eye. Plant workers and waitresses haunting depressed towns in the death rattle of industry. Travelling salesmen with no place to go and nothing to sell. Good people, surely, doing the best they can. Like all of us, none of them are getting out alive.

MIDDLE MURPHY – MARK COSTELLO (1991)

“I can neither excuse nor blame my father. I can do nothing, it seems, but resemble him.”

A writer who loved words, who wielded language bizarrely, Costello couched comedy in despair. Seventeen years after his debut, Murphy Stories, he returned with another collection of connected stories about his eponymous working class protagonist from Decatur, Illinois. The tales almost cohere novelistically, are perhaps something more than a collection but not quite a novel. They require the space between them that the shorter form grants. “My aesthetics when it comes to writing are novels that read like short stories, short stories that read like poems, and poems that read like prayers.” I would say he was a writer’s writer, but he’s so woefully underread even by his published peers that he was more like a writer’s writer’s writer. Joy Williams passed Costello’s work to Gary Fisketjon in the 1980s, but the editor showed no interest. Tastemakers often lack requisite taste. Costello remained obscure until his death, and now beyond it. His books have never been reprinted, but old University of Illinois editions can be spotted by eagle-eyed hunters. Go find them.

TREE OF SMOKE – DENIS JOHNSON (2007)

“Ninety percent of what goes through my mind on a daily basis is against the law.”

Given he’s a writer much admired for thin, chiselled classics such as Jesus’ Son and Train Dreams, Denis Johnson really went on safari without a hat when he gave us Tree of Smoke, a 600+ page whacked-out hallucinogenic leviathan that lurches through various mishaps of American intelligence in Vietnam, the land and its invaders drawn in a perpetual state of delusional madness. A big novel in all ways – size, ambition, theme, span – it moves at a pace that belies its tombstone heft.

“I don’t have much interest whether any of my books work or not,” Johnson said, in an interview shortly after Tree of Smoke won the National Book Award. He took risks, he put himself and his writing in the path of hazard, and that’s surely the way to do it. Anyone can do it the other way.

I’ve long hoped that Dom would take on the role of my guest curator as I knew he would recommend some titles I’d not previously encountered. As it turns out he recommended five books I’ve not read and I genuinely want to read all five. But they will have to wait as I am clearing the decks for White City. My sincerest thanks to Mr Nolan for expanding the Decades Library with these wonderful sounding books.

DECADES WILL RETURN

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October 28

Decades: Compiling The Ultimate Library with Molly Macabre

It is time for a Halloween trip to my Decades Library.

Welcome back to my ongoing quest to assemble the ultimate reading experience – my Ulitmate Library curated by book lovers, readers, authors, bloggers, journalists and publishers. In January 2021 I set out to fill the shelves of a brand new Library. I felt it an almost impossible task; to be faced with rows and rows of empty shelves and challenged with filling those empty spaces with briliant reads.

As I knew I could not possibly hope to fill the empty library alone I invited friends to help me put their favourite books onto those shelves. I ask them to nominate books which they feel should be included in the Ultimate Library – the not to be missed books they loved or that influenced them. So why is my Ultimate Library a Decades Library?

When my guest curators nominate the books to add to the Library shelves they have just two rulest to follow:

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

The Decades Library.

If you have not visited the Library before today this site is fully searchable and, as I am approaching the one hundredth instalment of Decades, there are lots of amazing book recommendations and nostalgic reads to catch up on.

As this is Halloween week I am delighted to be able to welcome Dark Bloom author, Molly Macabre to Grab This Book. As ever I pass the Curator Hat to my guest and I take a back seat:

Molly Macabre has been writing since middle school, working in genres that explore the dark crevices of mental health. After years of writing short stories and poetry, her debut novel released in 2024. A lover of all things spooky, Molly enjoys horror movies and books, noting Stephen King as her biggest literary influence. When Molly is not writing the darkest things her mind can conjure, she enjoys exploring dungeons, preferably ones rich with loot and guarded by dragons, playing video games, or listening to face-melting metal breakdowns.

You can catch up with Molly through her linktree: www.linktr.ee/mollymacabre

DECADES

1986

It by Stephen King

It is a creepy adventure and a brilliant tale about facing our fears. King does an incredible job building the lives and emotions of the characters. We watch them endure the ultimate tests of chilling events, and cheer them on in their resiliency.

1991

American Psycho by Bret Easton Ellis

This is not a book I recommend lightly. It is, by far, one of the most difficult books I have ever read regarding gore and torture. It is also one of the most unique books I have ever read. The narrator is unhinged and unpredictable. The events are wild and interesting. I spent the entirety of the book wondering if it was all a metaphor and came up with no answers but the certain feeling that sometimes trying to conform can drive a person utterly insane.

2008

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

I loved this series as a young adult. Featuring strong characters and an in-depth dystopian world, the Hunger Games revived my reading hobby after a long hiatus. I devoured this book, loving everything from the intense action to the heartwrenching emotions to the well-earned romance.

2016

The Butterfly Garden by Dot Hutchison

A dark tale with many twists and turns, this book was one of the first that got me into eerie thrillers. A man collects women he finds beautiful, hoping to preserve them and accentuate his garden. So many secrets and questions.

2024

Incidents Around the House by Josh Malerman

This book is told from the point of view of an eight-year-old girl. I listened to this one as an audiobook, and the narrator actually performed as a young girl which only added to the creepyness. The very first chapter sets the pace for this chilling ghost story, putting me on the edge of my seat and leaving me there for the rest of the book. Malerman uses all the right techniques to spook the reader and I loved every minute. I was so curious how it could possibly end after delivering such a well-paced, terrifying narrative. The ending blew me away.

My thanks to Molly for making these selections. I have never made my own Decades choices but if (or when) I finally do I will start in 1986 with IT – my favourite book. I actually whooped when I saw Molly had selected It to be added to the Library Shelves.

I am also extremely excited to see Incidents Around The House – the June 2024 publication date makes this the newest of all the titles which can be found in my Decades Library…the previous “newest” book was published in 2022. In chronological order the Library begins with Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland and culminates with Incidents Around The House. How long until those two books are replaced at the start/end points?

Dark Bloom is available in digital and paperback format:

When a disease runs rampant, turning people into cannibalistic horrors, society comes to a halt. Kate manages to escape the sadistic captivity she has endured and collides with Nick, a Marine haunted by the scars of war.

They join forces to navigate a treacherous landscape, battling the undead and hostile survivors. But what happens when the monsters outside are the least of their worries?

Nick’s shame is crushing, and Kate’s distrust is swallowing her whole. Will they overcome the darkness that threatens to consume them from within? And what will become of a world overrun with creatures that cannot seem to stop…laughing?

DECADES WILL RETURN

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October 7

Decades: Compiling the Ultimate Library with A.K. Turner

I adopted my alter ego of Grab This Book back in the spring of 2014. Initially I had hoped my blog would encourage someone to buy books I had loved reading. Ten and a half years later that hope endures, I love to know my blog is responsible for someone buying a book and discovering the work of an author they may not have previously enjoyed.

As I prepare to share the latest contribution to my Decades Library I am able to report my blog is meeting my primary goal…someone has bought a book which has been recommended on Grab This Book. That someone is me. And the person responsible for me buying a new book is my latest Decades Curator, A.K. Turner (Ali), who has drawn my attention to a book published in the 1950’s that sounds right up my street. You’ll find out which book that is once you scroll further down this post.

But first the Decades introduction: Since January 2021 I have been assembling the Ultimate Library; a collection of unmissable and much loved books. I tried to put myself into the shoes of a librarian who was presented with a brand new library. No Books, dozens of empty shelves. Which books would the librarian (me) add to those empty shelves to ensure library visitors would only have the very best books to choose from. I decided I could not possibly fill the empty shelves alone so I invite guests to nominate their favourite reads and help me assemble a Decades Library.

Why a Decades Library? This is down to the two rules I ask all my guests to follow when making their choices:

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

Sometimes my guests will “flex” the rules to ensure their favourite books make the cut. But I am happy to report that this week’s guest curator, AK Turner, has stuck to the rules and made five terrific recommendations. I’ve already bought one and I’ve got my eye on the selection from the 1990s too! This is a good week for me (but perhaps not for my bank balance) so over to Ali to terrorise your TBR with more temptation than you wanted.

A K (aka Ali) lives in East London where she writes the mortuary-set Cassie Raven mysteries. Ali produces TV documentaries on true crime and science topics. And just for light relief she is a City of London guide.

Ali likes to create memorable characters, throw them into unusual settings, and add a hefty dose of murder and a twisty-turny plot. Her latest series introduces a forensic heroine – a crime-solving Goth-girl mortuary technician who talks to the dead, a character first launched in two crime shorts aired on BBC Radio 4. A K’s previous series, written under the pen name Anya Lipska, starred a London-based Polish fixer who’s happy to crack heads to solve crimes – which saw her being selected for Val McDermid’s prestigious New Blood Panel at Harrogate Crime Festival in 2012.

Ali is on Twitter (X) as: @AKTurnerauthor

Her website is: https://www.anyalipska.com/ and all of Ali’s books can be found here too: https://www.amazon.co.uk/stores/author/B088P77TFC?ingress=0&visitId=226787bb-40e2-4a4b-a7fa-b09b7cfcfa58

DECADES

FIFTIES

BEAST IN VIEW, MARGARET MILLAR

A US crime novelist famous in the Fifties, Margaret Millar deserves to be better known in the UK. She was a pioneer of the psychological crime genre whose work has (still) rarely been bettered. Her prose is spare yet razor-sharp, the psychology credible, and her ability to conjure a potent noir mood is up there with Ray Chandler. For me, Beast in View – a rattlingly-told, slender but compulsive 160 pages – is her best, and in 1956 the judges of the Edgar Allan Poe Award agreed when they handed her the prestigious prize. Helen Clarvoe, who lives alone in the hotel she has inherited, is brittle and neurotic (I love Millar’s description: ‘skinny in her plaid coat’) and her anxiety is ramped to the max by a series of mysterious taunting phone calls. She hires a private detective to trace the malicious caller – and their relationship provides the emotional bedrock of the tale.

SIXTIES

IN COLD BLOOD, TRUMAN CAPOTE

Way before true crime became a podcast phenomenon this classic of the genre is Capote’s standout achievement and a work of genius. A journalist/columnist more accustomed to necking Screwdrivers in the Ritz Carlton and peddling high society gossip he was an unlikely character to chronicle the horrendous murder of the Clutters, a blameless mid-Western farming family in rural Holcomb, Kansas. Capote tells the chilling story of how a home invasion by two robbers that spirals inexorably into cold-blooded multiple murder but where his account really excels is in his psychological portrait of one of the killers, Perry Smith, who Truman interviewed – and even befriended – on Death Row over several years. Truman interrogates Smith’s utterly grim upbringing (an alcoholic mother who choked on her own vomit when he was 13, abused by nuns in an orphanage,) arguably the triggers that set him on track for a life of petty crime and eventually brutal murder. A beautifully written journey into the dark side of the American dream.

SEVENTIES

DAY OF THE JACKAL, FREDERICK FORYSYTH

When I was eleven or twelve I wasn’t allowed full access to my dad’s book collection. Undeterred, I would wait until my parents were out and clamber on a chair to reach the upper cupboard where the censored works were (poorly) concealed. Here were adult treasures like the X-rated Lolita and Onward Virgin Soldiers, but the books that really stuck with me – and which influenced my debut crime novel nearly 40 years later – was this stellar example of the thriller form.

Nowadays the descriptor ‘thriller’ can be applied indiscriminately, but Day of the Jackal delivers on the original and more precise definition – a story in which we know the identity of the bad guy upfront, and in which the narrative propulsion is whether he is going to fulfil his mission – the assassination of General de Gaulle, or whether his police inspector antagonist will stop him. Why was the book on the ‘top shelf”? I suspect because of the troubling scene in which a woman strays into his path which ends with the pair having an ill-fated one-night stand. Forysth remains unbeatable in my view for sheer storytelling. See also The Odessa Files.

EIGHTIES

NAME OF THE ROSE, UMBERTO ECO

Proof positive that an intellectual like Eco can also write a cracking whodunnit – while in the process exploring the power of heretical ideas that conflict with Church dogma of the medieval era, Greek philosophy, the history of theology, and more. From the moment the

daring thinker Brother William sets foot in a Benedictine monastery in the Italian mountains where he is charged with exploring the mysterious death of one of the brothers, you’ll be hooked. His characters are unforgettable as are his descriptions of the snow-bound monastery and its spooky and labyrinthine scriptorium, where lie hidden forbidden manuscripts which doom the reader to instant death. Cracking stuff.

NINETIES

THE THREE EVANGELISTS, FRED VARGAS

I enjoy having to navigate the unfamiliar both in terms of place and the different vibe non-UK writers, especially the French, bring to the genre. The crime fiction of continental Europe feels more quirky and less mainstream than much of our homegrown crimefic, where writers can face a more commercial attitude from the publishing industry.

Fred Vargas is one of my favourite crime writers of any nationality. Her Inspector Adamsberg policier series is a reliable treat but The Three Evangelists is my standout favourite. The ‘evangelists’ – friends Marc, Mathias, and Lucien – are hard-up historians in a dilapidated house-share who notice that a new tree has unaccountably appeared in the back garden. Soon afterwards a neighbour is murdered and they are drawn into investigating the death. The resulting tale – off-beat, amusing, and indefinably French – effortlessly transported me from workaday East London into a different world.

Five terrific selections which I am adding to my Library shelves. I’ve started collecting the Fred Vargas books but have not yet reached The Three Evangelists so it is really exciting to see this book being nominated for inclusion in the Decades Library, it bodes well for my future reading. I am so grateful to Ali for finding time to make her choices, her Cassie Raven series is easily one of the best collections I have been reading over recent years and I await each new title with an unhealthy obsession. If you have yet to discover the world of Cassie Raven then the best move you can make today is to seek out the first book (Body Language) and then thank me later.

DECADES WILL RETURN

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September 24

Ghost Story – Elisa Lodato

She came to write, but the island has its own story . . .

Off the windswept coast of Scotland lies Finish Island, rugged and remote. Once a home, it now stands abandoned, a place of dark history and deep memory, a place that holds its stories close. Unable to write since her daughter’s death, it’s here that Seren comes to work, hoping that the solitude and silence will inspire her next novel.

But the island holds memories of its own, restless and unwilling to stay buried. As unsettling occurrences become even more bizarre and frightening, Seren starts seeing uncanny resonances between her past and the island’s history. There is something on this island, something ancient and unforgiving. Will Seren discover its secrets, before it’s too late?

My thanks to the publisher, Manilla Press, for a review copy ahead of the Ghost Story blog tour and to Tracy Fenton of Compulsive Readers for the opportunity to join the tour.

Seren is in a bad place. Her debut book was published to great acclaim and she enjoyed a degree of success. However, against her better judgement and after a number of failed approaches the sequel fails to deliver and readers appear underwhelmed. For Seren this is of no real interest as she is mourning the loss of her young daughter. Wrapped in the tragedy of her personal loss she has no appetite or inclination to write.

When we meet Seren at the start of Ghost Story she has found herself in a lonely and somewhat desperate situation. Her house is being packed up, she is moving out and her ex is now with another woman who is pregnant with his baby. It appears to have been a naturally agreed parting of ways between Seren and Jamie and she is even on speaking terms with Jamie’s new wife, Claire. Though only just.

Seren is taking some control of her own future – she has agreed with her publisher to write a new book. The decision was entirely driven by the need for money but Seren does realise she needs to try to start afresh. During their negotiations around what book her publishers would like to see the idea of a ghost story is floated and Seren is won around and agrees to deliver what they need. To do so she decides she needs a change of location, a resettlement to a place of undisturbed peace and inspiration. The remote Scottish Island of Finish is where she picks. If isolation is desired then there can be no better place.

Seren would visit Finish Island as a child and rememebers the rugged, desolate landscape. There are no inhabitants any longer, a house is available to lease (through the Scottish National Trust) but it relies on a wind generator and facilities are basic at best. When she enquires about a lenghty lease there is a degree of shock as most visitors only look to spend one or two nights before they return to the comforts of civilisation. Seren does get her way in the end and we soon join her on the Scottish West Coast as she prepares to take up residence in her new home.

A troubled writer, grieving and alone on a remote island with a dark history of violence where nobody wants to live any longer. All the ingredients are in place for a tense read. And it is a tense read which Elisa Lodato delivers for the readers. But not the read I had been expecting and I don’t really feel I can explain why without straying too far into spoiler territory…tricky.

Seren is very much the focus of this story and the turmoil and baggage she brings with her will play a significant part in the telling of Ghost Story. Very near the start of the book the reader will get some insight into what may happen to Seren as she works on the manuscript but as you dig deeper into the story you will find there’s a lot more going on than you may have originally anticipated. It isn’t the chilling supernatural tale I had expected from the title but there are the twists and surprises I enjoy when I go into a new book “blind” and with no real insight as to what my be about to happen to the characters being introdduced.

One key part of my enjoyment of Ghost Story was the seeminly effortless flow of the chapters. Elisa Lodato has a style of writing which I could read all day long. There are some delightfully funny moments, particularly as Seren prepares to leave on her journey and is ticking off a few chores, doing some research and scratching the odd itch before she embarks. I felt the characters were seeded very well and their quirks and peculiarities made them interesting to follow which helped keep me reading. That said they also have some incredibly frustrating features and habits too – this isn’t a sugar-coated fluffy unicorn tale I am afraid and some dark and unsettling things are going to happen.

I can best summarise Ghost Story as an unexpected but engaging story (for me). The writing was terrific and the pacing kept me reading as I wanted to discover more about Seren and what may be about to occur. Definately one to consider as the darker evenings draw in and the autumnal chills draw us to creepy and disturbing stories.

Ghost Story publishes on 26 September 2024 and will be available in Hardcover, Digital and Audiobook format. You can order a copy here: https://www.waterstones.com/book/ghost-story/elisa-lodato/9781786583369

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September 9

The Black Loch – Peter May

A murder.

The body of eighteen-year-old TV personality Kathleen is found abandoned on a remote beach at the head of An Loch Dubh – the Black Loch – on the west coast of the Isle of Lewis. A swimmer and canoeist, it is inconceivable that she could have drowned.

A secret.

Fin Macleod left the island ten years earlier to escape its memories. When he learns that his married son Fionnlagh had been having a clandestine affair with the dead girl and is suspected of her murder, he and Marsaili return to try and clear his name.

A trap.

But nothing is as it seems, and the truth of the murder lies in a past that Fin would rather forget, and a tragedy at the cages of a salmon farm on East Loch Roag, where the tense climax of the story finds its resolution.

I was grateful to receive a review copy from the publishers before publication date to allow me to take part in the blog tour for The Black Loch

The Black Loch is Book 4 of The Lewis Trilogy. As a long-standing fan of Douglas Adams my first thought was of “So Long and Thanks For All The Fish” being dubbed the fourth volume in the Hitch-hikers Guide to the Galaxy series and it immedately made me think kindly towards The Black Loch. But although both books brought me a great deal of satisfaction as I read them, there is nothing whacky or zany about The Black Loch and that’s probably a bit of a relief for the returning readers.

Peter May brings Fin Macleod back to The Hebrides in this compelling murder mystery tale. Fin’s son (Fionnlagh) has become caught up in a murder investigation – caught up doing a lot of heavy lifting there. Fionnlagh is accused of having an affair with the murdered girl, she’d been a vivacious outgoing character and something of a local celebrity. Unfortunately the readers don’t get to see that vibrant youth as no sooner is Caitlin introduced when her life gets cut horribly short.

Fin has been working on the mainland – far from the islands where he lived and grew up. He has a job he hates, locked in a dark computer suite for long days where he pours over images of violence and depravity analysing scenes which most people could not stand to see for a single moment and couldn’t imagine being employed to look through them. When Fin gets word Fionnlagh is in trouble he immediately moves to return “home” to help his son. However, much has changed in the time he has been away and there’s a new man heading the invesigiation who is young, keen and very much out to make a name for himself by clearing up a murder investigation in record time. He has no interest in entertaining Fin or answering any of his questions. It’s a toxic situation for Fin and Peter May will put several of the characters in The Black Loch through emotional turmoil before the story draws to a conclusion.

This is very much a story for characters and how their lives interlock and overlap. Small communities always bring the best tales of secrets and suspicion and The Black Loch will give Peter May plenty of opportunity to let his readers experience the conflicts and emotion of his assembled cast. As you should expect from a Peter May novel, this is a deeply engaging story which will see the author weave his threads and draw you into this tight nit community and it is only as you become truly immersed in the story that you will begin to see how those threads pull together.

It is always a delight to get lost inside one of Peter May’s stories. I never pick up one of his books expecting high octane thrills and cliffhangers at every chapter. But he does locations and characters magnificently and the depiction of the West of Scotland really resonated with me in this story. You cannot help but get engaged in the lives of the characters in a Peter May book and there are some dark moments going to be revisited in The Black Loch which were quite unsettling at times. But it is a terrific read and fans of Fin Macleod who will delight in his return will not be disappointed.

The Black Loch is published by Quercus (Riverrun) and will release on 12 September in hardback, digital and audiobook format. Pre-order a copy here: https://www.waterstones.com/book/the-black-loch/peter-may/9781529436068

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September 8

The Reunion – MJ Arlidge and Steph Broadribb

A skull looks up at Jennie from the trench, but it’s not the chalk-white bone and grimacing teeth that send her reeling. It’s the heart-shaped gold pendant, its delicate chain snapped in two. The necklace Hannah never took off. It can’t be Hannah. But it is.

When Jennie Whitmore arrives at her school reunion, she immediately regrets her decision. Why would she choose to surround herself with people who were never nice to her? Who still aren’t, even now she’s a police officer? The only person who truly looked out for her all those years ago was charming, beautiful Hannah.Until the day she disappeared.

Jennie is ready to finally put White Cross Academy behind her, the old school building demolished the morning after the party. But with the demolition comes a call: a teenage girl’s remains have been found on the grounds.

The instant drop in Jennie’s gut tells her that the remains might be Hannah’s, but when she’s called in to examine them, the truth becomes undeniable. Hannah didn’t run away and abandon Jennie thirty years ago; in fact, she never left White Cross at all.

Suddenly, Jennie has a murder to solve. The murder of her best friend. But can she do so before her colleagues discover just how closely connected she is to the victim? Before a mystery stalker makes good on his threats to silence her for good?

I received a review copy from the publisher and I am grateful to Tracy Fention at Compulsive Readers for the opportinity to join the blog tour for The Reunion.

I’ve been looking for a book like The Reunion for a while, a murder mystery with a well defined cast of characters, a protagonist who wasn’t “broken” or working in an unofficial capacity but a story which was a highly enjoyable and extremelyu well written police procedural. My recent reads seem to have had a supernatural element or been historical crime and not a everyone enjoys these stories so I’ve been seeking a “new” crime thriller which I can recommend to everyone who asks for a good murder story (something I’m often asked for).

The wonderful thing about The Reunion was that it brought all the best bits of a police investigative thriller into play. Jennie Whitmore is asked to head up the investigation when the body of a young woman is found in the ruins of a local high school. The school was scheduled for demolition and while clearing the site the demolition crew uncovered skeletal remains. Jennie was a former pupil at the school, something of an outsider as she had joined her year group late in her academic career, but it is with sinking certainty that Jennie realises she will know the vicitim.

At age 17 Jennie had planned to leave home with her friend Hannah so they could start new lives in London, Hannah as a model and Jennie as a photographer. The night they were due to leave Jennie arrived to catch the bus to London and her new start – Hannah never appeared and was never seen again. Years later Jennie still rues the disappearance of her friend and can’t help but wonder how her life may have turned out had the pair made the trip they planned. Now, as the investigating officer into what appears to be the murder of her long-missing friend, Jennie has the chance to find some answers.

What I enjoyed most while reading The Reunion was the fact we see events from Jennie’s perspective. The investigation unfolds as she uncovers clues and reveals long-forgotten secrets. However, Jennie remembers how things had been back when Hannah disappeared. The rumours of an inappropriate relationship with a teacher, the strains Hannah may have had with her boyfriend and usual teenage dramas which exist between a group of friends. She remembers it all but she doesn’t appreciate how liitle she actually knew about her friend.

For Jennie the first problem to overcome is knowing her close friendship with Hannah will immediately exclude her from conducting the investigation. So how will she find a way to convince her boss to let her be part of a murder enquiry where (in any normal situation) she could even be considered a suspect? Well that’s a spoiler but it is a factor and Jennie will have to contend with interviewing her school friends who will hold her in varying degrees of affection.

The Renunion offers a great opportunity for the reader to attempt to solve the mystery behind Hannah’s death. You will get the clues and discoveries as Jennie does and I will admit I had several moments of “it must be them” as I was reading only to have new information spill out and face me re-considering my assumptions. The story zips along at a great pace, its well structured into accessible chapters and has that “one more chapter” feel about it too.

I thoroughly enjoyed my time with The Reunion – cracking crime fiction and highly recommended.

The Reunion is published by Orion and is available in paperback, digital and audiobook format. You can order a copy here: https://www.waterstones.com/book/the-reunion/m-j-arlidge/steph-broadribb/9781398716575

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August 30

Connolly Readathon

What happens when two book bloggers get chatting on Social Media about a long established series of crime thrillers?

To be honest that’s practically a daily occurrence…the author gets a few Twitter/X notifications and with a bit of luck that chat will be seen by a few hundred people and some of them may be sufficienty intruged to seek out books by the author in question. Word of mouth is probably the very best way to get new reading recommendations. As bloggers, booksellers, booktokers and passionate readers we try to find the best ways to share our booklove with anyone who will listen.

However, sometimes a random chat about books can become something more, it can grow and evolve and eventually it could even become a readathon. That’s exactly what happened when my very good friend Raven Crime Reads and I started a random chat about the Charlie Parker novels by John Connolly. Raven has already put the backstory together and you can see her explanation around what a #ConnollyReadathon entails: https://ravencrimereads.wordpress.com/2024/05/10/come-join-the-connollyreadathon-revisiting-charlie-parker-jconnollybooks-grabthisbook-hodderbooks /

I’ve not mentioned the readathon here on the blog yet but for the last four months I have been fully immersed in the dark world of Charlie Parker and I’ve listened to the first four novels in the series. When I reached the end of the fourth book I felt it was the end of a natural story arc and decided it was time to put my thoughts down about those first novels and prepare for September’s listen: The Black Angel

Introducing Charlie “Bird” Parker is the first novel in the series; Every Dead Thing. In this story readers will meet Parker and we will find him at his very lowest point – he’s a police officer but drinks heavily and his drinking has impacted upon his relationship with his wife and young daughter. On returning home from the pub late one evening, Parker finds the bodies of his wife and child – both murdered in the most brutal fashion.

The event sends Parker into a spiral which will ulitmately see him leaving the police and making a vow to find justice for his slain family. At this stage it is worth explaining some of the more distincive elements of a John Connolly novel so you fully understand what these books bring into your library. They are dark, graphic, chilling and involved. But they are also packed with a dry humour, firm friendships, lots of musical references and gripping tension and unexpected twists and turns. Connolly’s writing style is detailed and descriptive and readers will get lots of background information on places, events and historical incidents. I’ve been enjoying the books on audio so I’m always getting the full story (unusual for a skim reader like myself) and it really emphasises the depth of the narrative.

Parker is joined on his quest to find justice by two unusual companions. Angel and Louis are a couple. Angel is an over the top extrovert with awful dress sense and very accompished burglary skills. Louis is the total opposite. An imposing black man, immaculate dress sense, who can loom and intimidate with ease yet also make himself nearly invisible and move with the stealth of a mouse – helpful for a man who kills for a living.

That’s the key players on the side of the “good guys” but John Connolly brings the big guns when it comes to his villains – the word EVIL should feature heavily.

In Every Dead Thing Parker discovers his family were killed by a mysterious figure who goes by the name of The Travelling Man. The Travelling Man and his actions will loom large over the first four books and it becomes apparent he’s had a long and uninterrupted journey before he crosses paths with Charlie, Angel and Louis. During the course of the novel the reader will discover Charlie Parker can see the spirits of the departed. He is visited by the dead, can interact with them and they will give (often cryptic or frustrating) guidance which will influence how Parker conducts his investigations.

The first book sets the benchmark for what will follow. It was gripping listening and I grudged the time I had to pause my audiobook, particularly as the story was reaching a concusion.

But all good things do come to an end. Fortunately on a ConnollyReadathon the next book is just a few days away and from Every Dead Thing we move along to Dark Hollow. While each book can be read as a stand alone mystery there are elements of the Parker backstory which will filter through into current events in the latest read.

Dark Hollow opens with an escape – an elderly resident is trying to escape her care home, seemingly terrified at the prospect of being found by a figure who is generally considered to be a character of local myth or legend. The takes the most extreme actions to get away from her residential home.

In this story we learn more about Charlie Parker, he has moved to live in the house which he grew up in (with his mother and grandfather) and the New England chill and rural setting is not to the liking of Louis and Angel when they come visiting. Events of Every Dead Thing do hang over Dark Hollow too, particularly the implications it had on Charlie’s relationship with Rachel Wolfe (a profiler introduced in Every Dead Thing who entered into a relationship with Charlie during the first book).

In moving back to his old childhood home Charlie will meet old friends and also some people he would prefer to avoid. But the key theme in this book is an overlap with crimes Charlie’s grandfather investigated when he was a cop several decades earlier. It’s another dark take on the evil of men and how it can connect to a missing girl. But the telling is great reading and I remembered why I first became hooked on these books over twenty years ago.

Book Three: The Killing Kind is where I felt the shackles really come off and Connelly gives the readers a particularly nasty enemy for Charlie, Angel and Louis to contend with. In this book is Mr Pudd. A grotesque man who has an extremely unhealth obsession with recluse spiders and other dangerous insects. This story is guaranteed to make your skin crawl but some of that crawling skin may actually be shivers running up and down your spine.

Religious sects from days gone by and a student who dies when she asks too many questions about a modern preacher are what draws Parker’s attention. He is engaged by a high profile politician to look into the death of the student (the daughter of one of his former business partners) but as Charlie starts to ask tricky questions he discovers there are a lot of people who don’t want him to find the answers.

With my hand on my heart I can say The Killing Kind is a novel I can clearly remember enjoying more than two decades after I first read it. Some of the scenes in this book have lurked in the dark corners of my memory and imagination far longer than I’d ever have expected. You’ll never look at spiders in quite the same way once you put this book down.

Pudd casts a long shadow as do some of the characters he worked with. Which takes us into The White Road.

I finished The White Road just this week and it is the book of the first four which seemed to connect most with Charlie’s ability to see things/people/spirits that nobody else can see. It is also a book where Louis and Angel get more of a chance to shine. Events in The Killing Kind have put the pair under a greater strain, not in their relationship but they seem weakened by what has passed and Angel is determined there is a price to be paid for ***spoilers*** in The Killing Kind.

We also get to hear the backstory of Louis and Angel in The White Road, both men have clearly been shaped by the lives they led and although they are around to help Charlie in his latest investigation they also have some personal business to attend to.

The White Road in the title is a key part of this story and I love how some phrases carry through to different books (indeed we wee Black Angels in this book which give name to book five). But there’s no White Road to guide Charlie in this book – an old friend has reached out to Charlie asking him to come South to help find evidence to clear a black man from the charge of murdering his white girlfriend. The girl was the daughter of a local businessman (a big player in town) and his family has connections to the KKK and White Supremacy groups. There is more than one type of evil rearing its head in this novel and once again Charlie will need to be constantly on guard to stay alive.

When I reache the end of The White Road I had a huge feeling of satisfaction. There are still some plots which I can see will continue into forthcoming books but I also felt some of the threads from the first four books had been tied off and should not unravel any further. But in the world of Charlie Parker dead does not mean final so I remain prepared for the unexpected.

I’d love if you joined Raven and me on our #ConnollyReadathon. We are aiming for a book a month and September is The Dark Angel but we’d just be happy to hear from anyone who is discovering these books for the first time or who has also been inspired by our reading marathon to revisit the stories too.

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August 26

Banquet of Beggars – Chris Lloyd

In Paris 1940, survival means sacrifice. Like most in the city, Detective Eddie Giral has already lost so much under Occupation: the people he once loved, the job he once believed in.

And his latest investigation into the murder of a black-marketeer has made it clearer than ever: Eddie is no longer just catching criminals. He’s working for them. Because when a German trader is the next to die, the authorities decide it’s innocent civilians who will pay the price – unless Eddie can find the killer in time.

As hunger grows, tensions rise and a fierce rebellion brews, Eddie will tread a dark path between doing whatever it takes to live with the enemy… and also with himself.

My thanks to the publishers for a review copy of Banquet of Beggars which I received through Netgalley.

“collaborator”

noun

disapproving

a person who works with an enemy who has taken control of their country

Collaborator is a word Eddie Giral is hearing far too often. It is shouted at him, hissed at him and muttered about him behind his back. It is not a word which Eddie accepts. He is a Paris cop, he is doing the job he’s always done and is trying to do it to the best of his ability. But the citizens of Paris are increasingly distrustful of Eddie as it is 1940 and Paris is under German control. If Eddie is trying to enforce the law then the assumption is that he is working alongside the Germans and that makes him a collaborator with their oppressor, this means people are less likely to trust him and his ability to do his job will also be severely impacted.

An inability to gather information is a major hinderance to Eddie as his role is very much to keep his German “boss”, Major Hochstetter, informed of various aspects of criminal activity within the city. Eddie’s actual boss within the French police is Inspector Dax. Both Dax and Hochstetter have an interest in Black Market activity within Paris. As the city residents approach the second Christmas under occupation there is an increasing shortage of many types of staples and this means black market trading is rife.

Banquet of Beggars opens with Eddie, not above the law in some instances, trying to join a large queue of hopeful shoppers who have had word a supply of butter may be available. The source of the rumour (and the source of the butter) are somewhat vague and there’s real doubt any butter which does materialise will be legally obtained but Eddie’s happy to take the chance and overlook any grey legal areas. Unfortunately for Eddie his shopping is going to be interrupted by the discovery of a body but with hindsight he realises he may have moved a bit closer to gathering important information about the Paris Black Market. The body Eddie will find certainly has some connection to illegal trading – not least because someone has stuffed some butter into the corpse’s mouth. And that’s not the most unexpected thing he finds at the crime scene!

Tasked with finding more about the illegal traders in the city Eddie is frustrated to find his office space is to be shared with a new administrative assistant and also with his colleague Detective Boniface. Even during wartime and in the midst of personal drama and challenging work commitments it’s somewhat reassuring to see just how frustrated Eddie can be when having to deal with workplace disruptions and losing some of his precious desk space.

What I particularly love about Chris Lloyd’s Eddie Giral books is how Paris springs to life around the police, the soldiers and even the surly bar staff who Eddie delights in winding up. These books are not simply a crime story they are accompanied by a fascinating insight into the social history of Parisians during the 40’s. Aspects of their life are woven into the plot so we can see how they coped with rationing, increasing fear at the Gestapo’s “techniques” for gathering information, travel when there are fuel shortages and even how they choose to socialise. The depth of the world Chris Lloyd spins around his characters is an absolute treat for readers – small wonder he has won the HWA Gold Crown for Best Historical Fiction.

Eddie Giral is a man with a raft of problems. To be fair, however, many of these problems come from Eddie’s own sardonic nature and his inability to keep the inside thoughts unspoken. His personal life is in turmoil as he has to keep his relationship secret from the authorities – Germans are not accepting of black women at this time and Eddie cannot afford to have Major Hochstetter discover a potential weakness in Eddie’s life which Hochstetter could exploit. This is equally true of Eddie’s son who has fled the city and Eddie doesn’t know if his son is safe or even if he is alive.

Beggars Banquet zips along at a very enjoyable pace. Eddie’s investigations into the Black Market trading gets waylaid by the appointment of a new judge who seems intent on making an example of two foolish small-time crooks by sentencing them to death by guillotine despite a lack of any real evidence. Eddie has known the crooks (brothers) for many years and is doing his best to prove their innocence despite the judge ignoring any attempts to see justice done – it will please the Germans that action is seen to be taken. Eddie has also been asked to help secure the release of a young French protestor who got caught up in an anti-German event – this is more tricky for Eddie as she is being held by the Gestapo and Eddie will need Hochstetter’s help to secure her freedom. But Hochstetter isn’t interested in helping Eddie.

It’s a glorious sequence of dilemma, drama and a swinging shift in power dynamics. Chris Lloyd keeps many plates spinning through the whole book and just as it looks like everything will come crashing down around the ears of Eddie Giral, well perhaps something does…

Crime fiction in a wartime setting – the Eddie Giral novels should not be missed. Essential reading.

Banquet of Beggars is published by Orion and is available in hardback, digital and audiobook format. You can order a copy here: https://www.waterstones.com/book/banquet-of-beggars/chris-lloyd/9781409190356?_gl=1*9urw77*_up*MQ..*_ga*MTMxNTIwODkyMC4xNzI0NzAzMjky*_ga_P4C39TQPV3*MTcyNDcwMzI5MS4xLjEuMTcyNDcwMzUzMy4wLjAuMA..

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August 25

Bloody Scotland 2024 – Friday 13th Fright Night

The countdown is on – Bloody Scotland 2024 is now so close we can almost touch it. Each year a huge number of the very best crime writers and contributors head to Stirling in the middle of September (collectively crossing their fingers the weather will be fair) and entertain us across three days with their insight, inspiration and investigative skills. The panels are diverse and will be funny, informative, sobering or educational but they always entertain.

This year there is another dazzling array of talent on show and for visitors to the Bloody Scotland festival the usual dilemma around which panels you need to attend. As we count down the days towards Friday 13th September and the commencment of Bloody Scotland 2024 a number of bookbloggers will share their thoughts on the festival and highlight the panels they are most excited to see. I have the honour of kicking things off today and making my “most anticipated” selection was a bit of a no-brainer as one panel immediately drew my attention as I perused the programme: Friday 13th Fright Night with Stuart Neville, Ben Aaronovich and JD Oswald.

I’m a firm believer in allowing crime stories to deviate from the vices and evils of the human race. I’m aware many readers will opt not to pick up a crime story if they believe there are fantasy or supernatural elements to the book – while I fully respect their decision I do feel it only fair to point out they are missing out on some of the very best crime novels in print today. Why be tied down with a more conventional solution when a supernatural twist to a tale opens up so many more possibilities?

Which leads me nicely to the Fright Night Friday 13th panel at this year’s festival. The very fact we have panels on Friday 13th September sets up the wonderful opportunity to bring some chills into our reading.

And so to the panel…first name to catch my eye was a former Decades contributor JD Oswald. James’s Tony McLean novels and the Constant Fairchild books are firm favourites of mine and I always enjoy any opportunity to hear James speaking about his writing.

Broken Ghosts is due to be published in the very near future under the name JD Oswald and the intriguing title has already grabbed my attention. I’m hoping for the chance to pick up a copy at the event.

I’m also very much looking forward to hearing Ben Aaronovitch. Last year I was one of the contributors to the Bloody Scotland Book Club and I suggested we read the first Rivers of London novel. I loved revisiting a story I’d previously enjoyed but the high point of our chat was when one of my fellow contributors confessed she’d not have considered reading the book due to the supernatural elements…she loved it and was seeking out more of Ben’s books. Which takes me back to my introduction – so many great books can be missed if you exclude a supernatural element from your reading.

And the third member of this chilling trio…Stuart Neville.

I have a self-imposed reading deadline ahead of this panel as I’ve just bought Blood Like Mine by Stuart Neville. In the lead up to publication day of Blood Like Mine I’d seen nothing but praise for this book from authors and bloggers so I nabbed myself a copy and I’ve intentionally avoided reading the blurb and ANY spoilers…I’m going in cold and I can’t wait!

You can’t forget Friday 13th so kick of your Bloody Scotland in the chilling Fright Night panel.

Tickets for all the events at Bloody Scotland can be purchased directly from the festival website at http://bloodyscotland.com

If you want to take in the Fright Night Chills of Friday 13th then here’s the link you need: https://bloodyscotland.com/friday-13th-fright-night-stuart-neville-ben-aaronovitch-and-jd-oswald/#more

Keep your eyes peeled over the next couple of weeks as the Bloody Scotland Blog Tour visits all these wonderful bloggers and they share details of the panels and guests they are most excited to see:

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July 14

Decades: Compiling The Ultimate Library with Philippa East

Welcome back to my Decades Library, my ongoing quest to curate a library of the very best reading options selected by authors, publishers, bloggers, journalists – booklovers all.

Back in 2021 I was contemplating a hypothetical situation: What if I had a brand new library with no books on the shelves…which books should I add to my library to ensure only the best and most-loved books were to be available to library visitors. My own knowledge of books is too limited to a narrow time period and heavily leaning into crime and thrillers. It was clear the only way I could get a good representation of great books was to ask for help to fill the shelves of my Ultimate Library. But why do I call it a Decades Library?

To ensure my new Library has a good spread of reading options I ask each of my guests to follow two rules when they make their selections around which books they would like to see included within my Library:

1 – Choose ANY five books
2 – You may only choose one book per decade from five consecutive decades.

Five books from Five Decades. That is my Decades Library in a nutshell.

Today I am utterly thrilled to be able to welcome Philippa East to Grab This Book. Before I hand over the rest of this post to Philippa I’d just like to apologise for the delay in sharing these selections – last Friday there was a bit of a national distraction when the UK Government changed so I didn’t want booklove to get lost in the collective upheaval we experienced!

Let me stop waffling on now and let Philippa take over from here.

Philippa East grew up in Scotland and originally studied Psychology and Philosophy at the University of Oxford. After graduating, she moved to London to train as a Clinical Psychologist and worked in NHS mental health services for over ten years. Her debut novel Little White Lies was longlisted for the Guardian’s “Not-The-Booker” prize and shortlisted for the CWA John Creasey New Blood Dagger for best debut of 2020. She has since published three further psychological thrillers: Safe and Sound, I’ll Never Tell and A Guilty Secret. Philippa lives in the Lincolnshire countryside with her spouse and cat, and alongside her writing she continues to work as a psychologist and therapist. You can find her on X/Twitter: @philippa_east and on Facebook/Instagram @philippa_east_author.

Amazon Author Page:https://www.amazon.co.uk/stores/Philippa-East/author/B07S3JQDGK

DECADES

The Avignon Quintet by Lawrence Durrell: 1974 (Book 1)

I’ve been a huge fan of Lawrence Durrell since reading the Alexandria Quartet (which I would have chosen here but that was published the decade before!). He writes beautifully and I find his storytelling utterly immersive.

The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood: 1985

It’s amazing to think this book was written almost 40 years ago. I follow US politics closely, and it’s shocking to see how close America currently seems to be to devolving into a Gilead state.

Del-Del by Victor Kelleher: 1991

This YA book was a huge inspiration for my debut Little White Lies, with it’s moving portrayal of a grieving family, wrapped around a powerful thriller plot.

Transition by Iain Banks: 2009

I’ve loved so many of Iain Banks’ books and this novel is such a tour-de-force. The book I’m currently writing is a speculative thriller, and I’ve always enjoyed books that play at the edges of reality as this one does.

Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn: 2012

I consider this the masterwork of the modern psychological thriller and it’s the book that inspired me to write myself in this genre. I have read it at least three times and always discover some other gem in this incredible work.

Huge thanks to Philippa for these fabulous selections. This is the fourth year of Decades and the buzz of anticipation I get when I first get to see a new selection of recommended books is only bettered by the feeling of excitement when I discover there’s a book I’ve never heard of until now – it plays hell with my TBR but I wouldn’t change it for the world.

DECADES WILL RETURN

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