Doomsday Book by Connie Willis
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This was a surprise. I have owned the book for years as part of a Great Science Fiction collection, but never got round to reading it. I have struggled to focus, particularly on fiction, in recent months and downloaded this from Audible as the description sounded lightweight, something to pass the time, an easy read...

In the 2050s, Oxford historians explore the past using time travel, sending well-prepared scholars back to the period of study to witness the people, and the lives they led, first-hand. Kivrin, a student of Medieval England, travels back to the 14th century, despite the concerns of her professor, Mr Dunworthy, who is fearful of potential harm which could befall her. Arriving in the 1300s, Kivrin, intending to pass herself off as the survivor of a bandit's assault on the road, is ironically knocked unconscious and 'rescued' by a local, losing the location of her pickup point by which she can return to the 21st century. Meanwhile, in 2054 illness overcomes a panicked technician who seemed to be on the point of revealing an accident or error in calculations affecting Kivrin's time travel, but falls into a coma before he can explain. As the Oxford campus is locked down in quarantine, Dunworthy struggles to understand what has happened and work out how to bring Kivrin home.

DOOMSDAY BOOK was written in 1993. The 2050s characters act and speak, and the settings feel, more like the 1950s. It feels dated, although enjoyably so, with its Christmas Carol services, bellringing, local pubs, and gifts from Debenhams (a department store which, once thriving, no longer exists). Yet Connie Willis seems to predict the recent pandemic, or something very like it, possibly also Brexit and its associated protests and counterprotests. Characters use videophones but, in another old-fashioned touch, dial numbers and use public phoneboxes, email or instant messaging, the internet even, missing from the author's predictions.

In the 1300s meanwhile, the characters are realistic and sympathetic and it is hard not be drawn into the tragedy of their lives. In a parallel to the outbreak in 2050s Oxford, and indeed the Covid-19 pandemic, Kivrin finds herself not in 1320 but in 1348, the time of the Black Death. Her story is harrowing and heart-breaking, far from the light adventure I was anticipating.

Ultimately despite, perhaps partly because, of the anachronisms and the Agatha Christie-like portrayal of Oxford academia, I loved this book. As quaint and 'proper' as I found the future characters, especially compared to the hardships and struggle of the medieval cast, I found both to be well-drawn and relatable. And it is the characters who drive the story, not how time-travel works, and it is Connie Willis's expert touch with the characters which makes DOOMSDAY BOOK incredibly emotional and moving. Not what I was expecting but probably what I really needed.

View all my reviews

#BlogTour - The Guest House by Robin Morgan-Bentley

KEEP YOUR FAMILY SAFE.

WHATEVER THE COST… 

Jamie and Victoria are expecting their first baby.

With a few weeks to go, they head off for a final weekend break in a remote part of the North Pennines. The small and peaceful guesthouse is the ideal location to unwind together before becoming parents. Upon arrival, they are greeted by Barry and Fiona, the older couple who run the guesthouse. They cook them dinner and show them to their room before retreating to bed themselves.

The next morning, Jamie and Victoria wake to find the house deserted. Barry and Fiona are nowhere to be seen. All the doors are locked. Both their mobile phones and car keys have disappeared. Even though it’s a few weeks early, Victoria knows the contractions are starting.

The baby is coming, and there’s no way out.

________________

THE GUEST HOUSE is a taut, incredibly tense psychological thriller which cleverly builds suspense by releasing little bits of information to the reader through the first person narratives of Jamie and Victoria, the expectant couple who visit the titular guest house for some relaxation prior to the birth of their first child. I listened to the the audiobook version of the novel, read expertly by the narrators, primarily playing Jamie and Victoria. And I was completely drawn in from the start.

The narration alternates between the couple, and between THEN, at the guest house, and NOW, several weeks later. It is clear that something terrible happened during the couple’s getaway; Victoria is no longer pregnant, but there is no baby. It also becomes increasingly clear that something is very wrong in the relationship. Jamie, the more sympathetic of the two, and not just because of his cerebral palsy, is haunted by whatever happened at the guest house. Victoria seems certain that, if the truth was to come out, she would be in serious trouble because of something she did.

The couple’s meeting with their hosts is strange right from the off. Barry and Fiona are an odd couple. There is a really creepy atmosphere and Robin Morgan-Bentley’s writing in these scenes reminds me of something out of a John Wyndham novel, or of one of the better Hammer Horror movies; there is something very English and very wrong; we are not sure exactly why but there is something very disquieting about the house and the hosts.

It would be unfair to give anything away beyond the set up. There is a lot more happening than we might originally think and Morgan-Bentley keeps us guessing throughout, teasing plot points and dropping little pieces of information through Victoria’s and Jamie’s accounts, and they often don’t fully tally with each other. It is quite a way into the novel, through several chapters of anxious, hair-standing-on-the-back-of-the-neck tension, before the reader begins to suspect what is actually going on. And, even then, Morgan-Bentley ramps things up even further with unexpected twists. 

THE GUEST HOUSE is a pleasure to read, or to listen to. An uneasy, uncomfortable pleasure, but a pleasure nonetheless. Thanks to Tracy Fenton of Compulsive Readers, @Tr4cyF3nt0n, @orionbooks and, of course, the author, @rmorganbentley for the opportunity to experience THE GUEST HOUSE.

About Robin Morgan-Bentley

Robin Morgan-Bentley was born and grew up in London. After studying Modern and Medieval Languages at Cambridge University, he went on to work for Google before moving to Audible, where he has been working since 2014.

His debut thriller, The Wreckage, was nominated for the CWA Dagger John Creasey New Blood Award, the CrimeFest Specsavers Debut Crime Award and Capital Crime's Debut Book of the Year Award.

Robin lives in Buckinghamshire with his husband and son. 

#BlogTour - Mimic by Daniel Cole (Audiobook)

In life she was his muse . . .

In death she’ll be his masterpiece

1989: DS Benjamin Chambers and DC Adam Winters are on the trail of a serial killer with a twisted passion for recreating the world’s greatest works of art through the bodies of his victims. After Chambers nearly loses his life, the case goes cold due to lack of evidence. The killer lies dormant, his collection unfinished.

1996: DS Marshall has excelled through the ranks of the Metropolitan Police Service, despite being haunted by the case that defined her teenage years. Having obtained new evidence, she joins Chambers and Winters to reopen the case. However, their resurrected investigation brings about a fresh reign of terror, the team treading a fine line between delivering justice and becoming vigilantes in their pursuit of a monster far more dangerous and intelligent than any of them had anticipated…

* * * * *

MIMIC is a London-set novel about the pursuit of a ‘theme’ serial killer. The discovery of a naked bodybuilder on a plinth in Hyde Park, his body arranged in a recreation of Rodin’s Thinker, sets DS Benjamin Chambers on a mission to track down the killer, once he has convinced his boss that the victim didn’t climb up on to the plinth, naked, on a cold winter’s night, and commit suicide… Along the way Chambers picks up a couple of ‘sidekicks’ in DC Winters and DS Marshall. All three are well-drawn characters with talents and flaws, who complement, and hinder, each other in the progress of the investigation.

Starting in 1989, there are a couple of time jumps, the first of which felt, to me, slightly awkward, Daniel Cole having introduced his characters, only to have to reintroduce them and update the reader on where they have been. It’s a minor point though, and Cole quickly recovers, with Winters in particular injecting some humour to balance the startling nature of the crimes. The key to the book, as with the more successful narratives of this genre (think of, say, the movie ‘Se7en’) is a convincing villain and an absorbing ‘theme’ to the murders. In this case the killer arranges his victims in the manner of great sculptures, taunting the investigators as he does so. 

Half the fun - and it shouldn’t really be fun, should it? - in stories of this type is in the gruesome manner by which the killer sets about creating his ‘scenes’ or, in this case, ‘art.’ The tableaux that the killer creates, replicating great artworks, are horrific, and visceral, and thrilling. Of course, such intricately designed murders require quite a suspension of disbelief from the reader. It is to Cole’s credit that, while reading, you don’t stop and wonder just how the killer could have done what he does without being discovered; where did he get the time? But it is the discovery of the artist’s ‘muse’ which kicks the plot into top gear and, from there, Cole barely gives the reader time to breathe.

The story is well-constructed and, in the audio version, brought to life by the narration by Jude Owusu, who performs the dialogue especially well. He makes the interactions between the three main characters exceptionally convincing. A really entertaining listen.

Thanks to Orion Books @orionbooks, Tracy Fenton of Compulsive Readers @Tr4cyF3nt0n and, of course, Daniel Cole @danielcolebooks for the opportunity to join the Audiobook Tour.

Review: Exit

Exit by Belinda Bauer
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I have heard a lot of good things about Belinda Bauer and have bought several of her books on these recommendations, but I hadn't got round to reading any of them until EXIT when given the opportunity to listen to the audiobook. I have to say it was not at all what I expected, which I think was some form of physiological thriller, perhaps a domestic noir. EXIT is actually a gentle, funny, sometimes darkly so, mystery about 'assisted' suicide gone wrong.

Felix Pink is a 75 year-old widower, an 'Exiteer', part of a group who attend to those who want to take their own lives, to end their own suffering, to be with them at the end but, crucially, do nothing to cause the actual death. When Felix, and his new, inexperienced, young partner, attend to their latest 'client' something goes terribly wrong and Felix believes he has made the biggest mistake of his life. But later, as he tries to atone for his mistake, Felix begins to believe he may have been setup. Meanwhile, a young detective, Calvin begins to investigate the death and the role that two strangers seen on CCTV may have had in it.

The book is beautifully written and the audiobook narration by Tim McInnerney is sympathetic and entertaining. The main characters are realistic and charming, as are many of the supporting cast. Despite the subject matter, some of the scenes are truly comical and, although I felt those from Felix's viewpoint worked significantly better than those from Calvin's, I really enjoyed the book to its poignant conclusion and will be going back to read those other Belinda Bauer book on my TBR pile.

Thanks to Netgalley and Penguin Audio for access to the audiobook.

View all my reviews

Review: Blacktop Wasteland

Blacktop Wasteland by S.A. Cosby
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

"You start down a road like this and before you know it you can't find your way back. You lose yourself."

BLACKTOP WASTELAND is simply stunning, a dark, fast-moving, thrill-ride; funny and heart-breaking. At its centre is Beauregard 'Bug' Montage, a road racer, a mechanic, a former getaway driver, a tragic anti-hero of Shakespearian proportions, a black man whose struggle to provide for the family he clearly loves draws him back for one last big score. S.A. Cosby has delivered a story that echoes classic 1970s movies, The Driver and The Friends of Eddie Coyle spring to mind, as well as Elmore Leonard and Charles Willeford, and more recently, Jordan Harper and Bill Beverly.

The book is full of deeply flawed and well-rounded characters, dialogue that rings true, and the best written car chases I have ever read, you can hear the engines screaming and smell the rubber burning. One of the best novels I have read this year and destined to be a classic. I can't wait to see what he does next.

View all my reviews

Review: On Her Majesty's Secret Service

On Her Majesty's Secret Service by Ian Fleming
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I haven’t read all the Bonds but I have had the audiobook of this, read very entertainingly by David Tennant, on my list for some time so decided to read and listen. 

As with all Fleming’s output, the book, from 1963, is very dated. Fleming writes well in a very well-spoken English style but the book is as misogynistic as you would expect. It begins as Bond watches a young woman, and becomes concerned that she is considering suicide. We find a little bit about their relationship in flashback before they are both captured and whisked off to meet a shady Corsican who takes a shine to Bond.

The next section, where the book almost loses its way, follows Bond, typically poorly undercover, to the mountaintop retreat of his arch enemy, Blofeld, whose sinister plan seems to resolve around becoming certified as a Count and hypnotising some British farm girls into liking cows and an Irish colleen into appreciating potatoes… However, things take off when Bond’s identity is uncovered and he has to escape down the mountain in a genuinely exciting fashion, pursued by Blofeld’s thugs and an avalanche.

Those who have seen the movie will know the tragic ending. Indeed the film followed the book fairly closely and, having watched the movie recently, both are overlong and slightly out-stay their welcome. Enjoyable but disjointed, Tennant’s narration just about holding it together.

View all my reviews

#BlogTour - Never Look Back by A L Gaylin AudioBook Tour

She was the most brutal killer of our time. And she may have been my mother…

When website columnist Robin Diamond is contacted by true crime podcast producer Quentin Garrison, she assumes it’s a business matter. It’s not. Quentin’s podcast, Closure, focuses on a series of murders in the 1970s, committed by teen couple April Cooper and Gabriel LeRoy. It seems that Quentin has reason to believe Robin’s own mother may be intimately connected with the killings.

Robin thinks Quentin’s claim is absurd. But is it? The more she researches the Cooper/LeRoy murders herself, the more disturbed she becomes by what she finds. Living just a few blocks from her, Robin’s beloved parents are the one absolute she’s always been able to rely upon, especially now amid rising doubts about her husband and frequent threats from internet trolls. Robin knows her mother better than anyone.

But then her parents are brutally attacked, and Robin realises she doesn’t know the truth at all…

I have to confess that Alison (A.L.) Gaylin is a new author to me and, intrigued by the synopsis, particularly the podcast reference, I was expecting something in the vein of Matt Wesolowski’s excellent Six Stories series in which the plot is essentially driven by the podcast element. NEVER LOOK BACK is a more conventional, though no less entertaining, crime novel in which Quentin Garrison’s Closure podcast is the starting point for a psychological thrill-ride with more twists and turns than a really twisty-turny thing. Garrison’s podcast investigates the 1970s murder spree of Gabriel LeRoy and April Cooper, crimes which echo Bonnie & Clyde, Badlands and Natural Born Killers, crimes which have long impacted Quentin’s family and, unknown to her until Quentin tracks her down, that of Robin Diamond.

The writing is excellent, the plot races along and the characters are believable and relatable. The story is told from the viewpoints of Quentin and Robin in present day and in the letters April Cooper wrote to the daughter she hoped to have someday. And the letters reveal a story that is much more complex than the reported ‘facts’… The audiobook is narrated alternately by male and female voices and the female in particular is convincing and sympathetic, especially as April. I thoroughly enjoyed the novel and the narrators really bring the dialogue to life. Highly recommended.

Thanks to Compulsive Readers and Orion Book for the opportunity to review NEVER LOOK BACK.