I'm either in a bit of a reading slump or have gotten unlucky with book picks in April... there were a couple of good ones but there are far more in this list that I will be remembering for the wrong reasons
Leave No Trace by Jo Callaghan (10/10) Kat and Lock team up again, this time to get to the bottom of instances of men being found crucified and left to die. I wasn’t really thinking to get this in hardback, but on release weekend I was tempted by it instore and had no regrets, it was so fun to be with the team again and I liked how this brought out a slightly different AI angle to what the first book did.
The Doll House by Phoebe Morgan (5/10) Corinne and Dominic are trying (and failing) to conceive through IVF, a situation that has left the former a bit emotionally unstable. The author does a brilliant job of spinning this into a rather spooky tale centred around a doll house from Corinne’s childhood, but the plot itself wasn’t as strong and I found myself not very drawn in.
First Day of My Life by Lisa Williamson (6/10) When her best friend Jojo disappears on GCSE results day, Frankie realises something is amiss and launches an investigation of her own, aided by former boyfriend Ram. Started off strongly but then it evolved into coincidences galore, and I didn’t like the way several of the plots were explained away.
Eats, Shites & Leaves by A. Parody (6/10) A fun book on the English language that I’ve been dabbling in and out of for months (because I needed an “&” for the challenge!) before finally finishing it this month. Some of the chapters I found harder to “get” than others, but that’s down to me and not the book.
The Mystery of Four by Sam Blake (5/10) A brilliant twisty story surrounding mysterious happenings in the grounds of Kilfenora House, which has been restored by Tess with the intention of turning it into a tourist attraction. One that would have been better read than listened to like I did, I found myself horribly confused in multiple parts (there are also maaaany characters) and only really can say I got the general gist of the storyline instead of really following through with all the twists, which was a waste.
The Folk of the Faraway Tree by Enid Blyton (10/10) Back to the Enchanted Wood, this time the children are accompanied by Connie, the daughter of Mother’s friend who has fallen ill. I liked how different Connie is to their cousin who came to visit in the previous book, and of course I could never get bored of all the tree-visiting and land-hopping.
The Other Half by Charlotte Vassell (4/10) The party of the century (held in McDonalds at Kentish Town, lol) ends with one of the attendees not showing up, and instead being found dead the next day on Hampstead Heath. The touted “Agatha Christie meets Made in Chelsea” just did not work for me, I found all the characters annoying – including the police – and I didn’t like the generally gossipy storytelling style throughout.
Gingerbread by Helen Oyeyemi (3/10) I am going to be very honest and say that I actually don’t get what this one was supposed to be. Sold as some form of Hansel-and-Gretel retelling, there was some element of magical realism, some element of girls in an orphanage, and somehow there was some family gingerbread recipe that connected all of this.
A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder by Holly Jackson (8/10) For her EPQ project, Pip chooses to investigate the incident of a girl a few years above her in school going missing, and another student of the school being accused of her murder. I really enjoyed the format of this one, I loved the way that Pip went about the investigation. Only dropped some points because I found the ending (and its explanation) slightly absurd.
Read Between the Lines by Malcolm Duffy (8/10) When Ryan’s father marries Tommy’s mother, the two very different boys are thrust together unwillingly into the same family. They then discover that they are more similar than initially thought, and more and more family secrets are revealed. I liked how this story depicted Ryan with a very non-defeatist attitude towards dyslexia, and how really at the end of the day, it is one’s response to the issue that determines the outcome.
Harlem Shuffle by Colson Whitehead (3/10) I did not get along with this story of Ray Carney from Harlem, who wants to be law-abiding but finds himself on the wrong side and feeling conflicted. As we are told, in many different ways, for about 9 hours (I listened to the audiobook) with an annoying frequency of “Carney” mentions throughout.
Girl With a Pearl Earring by Tracy Chevalier (6/10) A nice fictional account of a real art painting, taking the reader back to 1600s Netherlands when it was painted. I liked the concept but thought the execution of the story wasn’t quite brave enough, the author seemed to not want to be overly speculative and as a result it felt like all we did was go to the market and go back home.
Your House Will Pay by Steph Cha (9/10) A very powerful novel on a long-running conflict between two families. It’s impossible to say anything without giving away spoilers so I won’t, see my spoiler tag-ridden Goodreads review if you want to know more (or read the book, I would recommend!).
Three Card Murder by J.L. Blackhurst (5/10) Sarah, sister of a police officer, appears to be caught up in a series of murders that her sister is investigating. A nice concept but this book reeked of odd detective procedures, we spent ages going round in circles both literally (in the police station) and figuratively, and the impossible murders were either so laughingly unrealistic or not that impossible – my friend and I figured it out almost immediately.
Shrines of Gaiety by Kate Atkinson (7/10) Takes us into the underworld of London brothels in the 1920s, with Nellie Coker at the helm of operations. I enjoyed the first and last ~3 hours of this 13 hour book, and though I did like the vibe of exploring London’s darker side, it really needed to be half the length.
The Noh Mask Murder by Akimitsu Takagi (8/10) Akimitsu Takagi, casting himself as an investigator in his own book, is summoned to investigate a locked room murder that has happened at the Chizurui family mansion. I love these Japanese classic murder mysteries, and this one was right up there, though not quite up with the best as I thought the format of having an overlapping “detective’s notebook” and main narrative was confusing.
The Getaway by Ross Armstrong (6/10) Don’t listen to the audiobook of this one!!! Seven guests, all connected in one way or another to a super-rich family, find themselves away on a private island for a holiday, before sinister things start to happen. This is told from the POV of three characters in the book, which the narrator voiced in exactly the same tone, leading me to be a bit lost throughout.
Cambridge Blue by Alison Bruce (7/10) When the body of a young woman is found on Midsummer Common, Detective Gary Goodhew is sent to investigate. I love books set in places that I am familiar with – this one is right on my doorstep – but I wasn’t a huge fan of Goodhew. The exact reason is spoiler-y though, so won’t mention here.
Danny Chung Does Not Do Maths by Maisie Chan (7/10) Danny Chung hates maths, and the fact that his grandmother has suddenly moved to England and is now sharing a room with him. I loved this story of them finding ways to communicate with each other despite the language barrier, and how his nai nai helps Danny out with his maths project among other things.
Devil in a Blue Dress by Walter Mosley (7/10) When Easy loses his job, Albright offers him money to find Daphne, the girlfriend of a former mayoral candidate. This is a unique one as it is told from the POV of the Black man, who is himself worried about how it may look in the face of justice should things go wrong. I found this one an easy and quick read.