We had a very welcome return to "normality" on Tuesday 13 October, carefully observing our social distancing in the front room of the Marchant Community Centre.
Our lists of books are below.
Annette
WOMAN ON THE EDGE by Samantha M Bailey.
Morgan is waiting for her train when a woman hands her a baby and then jumps in front of the train. Morgan doesn't know the woman or baby but she soon becomes a suspect in.the investigation .
KEEP HIM CLOSE by Emily Koch
When Alice meets the mother accused of murdering her son she keeps her own identity hidden. How long can she keep her pretense up and what other secrets are hidden ?
WILD by Kristin Hannah
A 6 year old child appears from a National Forest in the U S A
She is speechless and alone with no clue to her identity or past. A child psychiatrist begins working with the child and is determined to discover the truth about her.
FIREFLY LANE by Kristin Hannah
The story of 2 friends Tully and Kate beginning in the 1970s.
HOME FRONT by Kristin Hannah
The story of a family when the soldier wife Jolene is deployed to the war in Iraq.
I enjoyed all books but top of the list is WOMAN ON THE EDGE.
Annie
THE DARKEST EVENING by Ann Cleeves.
This is one of her Vera novels and the first of Cleeves's books that I have read. Vera is travelling home in a snow storm when she comes across a stationery car with the driver's door open and a baby in the back seat. She rescues the baby and this leads her into the home of her estranged family and a mystery of course. A good read.
LOCKDOWN - Peter May.
May's first novel written in 2005 and which was rejected by the publishers. it was put aside and revised and published this year. It is very pertinent to present day events as it depicts a lockdown in London because of a global pandemic. In these circumstances D.I. Jack MacNeil becomes involved in a child trafficking/abuse investigation which impinges on his personal life in a dangerous way. Not one of May's best novels but well worth your time if you like crime novels.
MONOGAMY - Sue Miller.
Miller writes about the lives of ordinary American families and the secrets people keep. Annie marries Graham, who owns a bookstore in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Graham is a man who loves life and is an extrovert. Annie is a more reserved person who is carried along with Graham's lust for life. When Graham died suddenly, Annie is grief stricken, and as time passes, she discovers things about Graham that devastate her. This is a beautifully written and sensitive exploration of the life of Annie and Graham as Annie discovers what really matters in a marriage.
RUN AWAY - Harlan Coben.
A new writer to me who has written a mystery, once again about secrets in a marriage. In this novel the secrets lead to consequences in the future where lives are threatened as the one who has had the secret hidden from him tries to find out what is going on. Quite a good plot but the writing, in my view, is patchy. In the latter part of the book I thought the writer was having trouble pulling the threads together to get a resolution and it became rather clumsy.
TROUBLED BLOOD - Robert Galbraith.
A new novel in the series featuring Cormoran Strike and Robin Ellacott. This novel is 927 pages long and is a formidable read! The mere fact of its size makes the arms ache in trying to juggle the weight. It is a more complicated plot than in the previous novels but the writing is superb and I loved every minute of it. This time the investigation is into the disappearance of a woman 40 years ago which was never solved and has been relegated to the cold case department of the Police system. The woman's daughter, who was a baby when her mother disappeared, has been haunted by the mystery and comes to Strike to investigate and look for answers. It is a complicated plot but Robert Galbraith holds all the pieces together with masterly expertise. To add colour to the plot there is the developing relationship between Strike and Robin as they navigate their personal lives along with the investigation. I thoroughly recommend this book in spite of the size.
Cindy
BROKEN GROUND, Val McDermid
SPLINTER THE SILENCE, Val McDermid
WIFE AFTER WIFE, Olivia Hatfield
LIFESAVING FOR BEGINNERS Ciara Geraghty
THE LIAR Nora Roberts
A WEEK IN WINTER Maeve Binchy
QUENTINS, Maeve Binchy
CROSSING PATHS, Dianne Blacklock
ALLEGRA IN THREE PARTS Suzanne Daniel
THE FIFTH LETTER Nicole Moriarty
THE HAPPIEST REFUGEE Anh Doh
JEMMA J., Jane Green
Kerrie
4.4, THE MYSTERY OF THREE QUARTERS, Sophie Hannah - audio book
4.8, TROUBLED BLOOD, Robert Galbraith
4.5, THE POET, Michael Connelly
5.0, THE MIRROR AND THE LIGHT, Hilary Mantel - audio book
4.6, WE BEGIN AT THE END, Chris Whitaker
4.5, THE HOLIDAY, T. M. Logan
4.4, THE BRISBANE LINE, J.P. Powell - Australian author
4.2, AUNTY LEE'S DELIGHTS, Ovidia Yu
4.5, THE BOOKSHOP OF YESTERDAYS, Amy Myerson
Sylvia
THIS CHICKEN LIFE, Fiona Scott-Norman
STORY TIME STARS, Stephanie Owen Reeder
100 CHILDREN'S BOOKS, Colin Salter
CATTLEMEN IN PEARLS, Ian and Anne Galloway
BIRD BONDS, Gisela Kaplan
THE BIRD WAY, Jennifer Ackerman
BRIDGE BURNING AND OTHER HOBBIES, Kitty Flanagan
448 RULES FOR LIFE, Kitty Flanagan
THE WOMAN WHO CRACKED THE ANXIETY CODE (about Claire weeks), Judith Hoare
IN THE SHADOW OF AGATHA CHRISTIE, Leslie S. Klinger
THE RUMOUR, Lesley Kara
BarbaraA
THE CHOICE, Gillian McAllister
THE VIENNESE GIRL, Jenny LeCoat
HOUSE OF CORRECTION, Nicci French
Meredith
MAGGIE'S GOING NOWHERE, Rose Hartley
THE CHOCOLATE PROMISE, Josephine Moon
COUNTRY BRIDES, Dilly Court
THE ROYAL SECRET aka THE LOVE LETTER, Lucinda Riley
THE LAND GIRLS, Victoria Purnam
THE PARIS MODEL, Alexandra Joel
THE WOMAN IN THE MIRROR, Rebecca James
THE LEMON TREE HOTEL, Roseanna Ley
TRACE ELEMENTS, Donna Leon
THE KEW GARDEN GIRLS, Posy Lovell
GATHERING OF THE REALM, Sheryl McCorry
THE SECRET GUESTS, Benjamin Black
THE DICKENS BOY, Tom Keneally
Valerie
THE DARKEST EVENING, Ann Cleeves
LUCKY FOR ME, Frank Robson
MISS AUSTIN, Jill Hornby
Gwenyth
THE BUTTERFLY ROOM, Lucinda Riley
MYTHOS, Stephen Fry
GHOST EMPIRE, Richard Fidler
BarbaraW
WHERE THE CRAWDADS SING, Delia Owens
THE GOOD WOMAN OF RENMARK, Darry Fraser
THE NIGHTINGALE, Kristin Hannah
WHEN BREATH BECOMES AIR, Paul Kalanithi
THE SCHOLAR, Dervla McTiernan
I'LL BE GONE IN THE DARK, Michell McNamara
THE SECRET OF THE SAVOY, Olivia Williams
Heather
THE LOST LETTER, Jillian Cantor
MRS GRANT AND MADAME JULE, Jennifer Chiaverini
THE GILR IN THE PHOTOGRAPH, Kate Riordan
THE WEDDING GUEST, JOnathan Kellerman
NOT ALWAYS A SAINT, Mary Jo Putney
REBECCA'S TALE, Sally Beauman
THE LAST PEARL, Leah Fleming
MURDER AT WHITEHALL, Amanda Carmack
MR CANPION'S ABDICATION, Mike Ripley
THE GIRL UNDER THE OLIVE TREE, Leah Fleming
PERFECT WIVES, Emma Hannigan
THE WINTER GARDEN, Jane Thynne
ANNA OF KLEVE, Alison Weir
LOST JEWELS, Kirsty Manning
THE MURDER HOUSE, James Patterson & David Ellis
THE ISLAND OF THE SEA WOMEN, Lisa See
THE CORONER'S DAUGHTER, Andrew Hughes
SWEET TEA AND SECRETS, Nancy Naigle
PECAN PIE AND DEADLY LIES, Nancy Naigle
THE LONG CALL, Anne Cleeves
