Tag Archives: UK

Feb6

Murder in the Family, by Cara Hunter, a Review

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This book was quite clever in its premise and execution. It’s set up like a documentary series about a cold case involving the murder of the stepfather of one of the filmmakers.

The story is set up as a series of production notes, articles about the murder, and interviews on camera with various people who have information about the case. The filmmaker is in the background for most of it, but appears a few times to set the scene for the people on the program.

The other characters are various professionals who have experience as either law enforcement, journalists, or other crime backgrounds.  We have a retired detective inspector, a criminal prosecutor, a journalist, forensic psychologist, crime scene investigator, a retired NYPD detective as well as the producer of the show and the filmmaker with his two sisters.

Newspaper articles, text messages, emails, true crime aficionados in message forums, and dialogue in the documentary make up the majority of the book. There are no chapters per se and this is a fun way for the reader to get the story and try to figure out the clues as well as who may have something to hide.

I loved this book and the way it was presented. It was unique and enjoyable. I did figure out who did it but I usually do. The ride to get to the solution is what I enjoy and this one was an intriguing one. While I did figure out whodunit, I was wrong on the why dun it.  LOL

The presentation of this story was ingenious and original. I really enjoyed it.

BLURB:

It was a case that gripped the nation. In December 2003, Luke Ryder, the stepfather of acclaimed filmmaker Guy Howard (then aged 10), was found dead in the garden of their suburban family home.

Luke Ryder’s murder has never been solved. Guy Howard’s mother and two sisters were in the house at the time of the murder—but all swear they saw nothing. Despite a high-profile police investigation and endless media attention, no suspect was ever charged.

But some murder cases are simply too big to forget…

Now comes the sensational new streaming series Infamous, dedicated to investigating—and perhaps cracking—this famous cold case. Years later a group of experts re-examine the evidence – with shocking results. Does the team know more than they’ve been letting on?

True crime lovers and savvy readers, you can review the evidence and testimony at the same time as the experts. But can you solve the case before they do?

Jan21

London Tales by Tim Walker

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London Tales is a collection of short stories through time that all have a central London theme. There are a range of styles and some are more snippets of action rather than full tales.

I enjoyed the first few stories and I particularly liked the third one about Wat Tyler because it was told from the point of view of the peasants as well as the lords.

The story of Holly and the girl who fell through the ice in 1814  was fun to read during an ice cold day in my town. It made me glad to have heat and warm socks! 

I thought that the build up to the story set during the London Blitz was good, but the ending left me a little disappointed.

There are several other stories in this collection but they were less appealing to me and overall the book was okay, but not as good as I had hoped.

3 Stars

Aug18

Gigi, Listening by Chantel Guertin

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This was a fun book with a cool premise.

Gigi is the owner of a romance bookstore. She has a massive crush on the narrator of an audio book, Zane. His voice makes her swoon and the book he’s reading is one her parents fell in love reading, so the book has meaning to her in addition to her lust for the narrator. For her thirtieth birthday, her friends go in on a trip to England for her. (Wish I had friends like that!) A bus trip led by a tour company the narrator’s family owns and he happens to be the guide scheduled for that ten day excursion.

And the adventure begins. There’s a wonderful cast of characters who are on the bus tour as well as the bus driver and tour guide. Each character is fully fleshed out from the estranged couple, to the two women who fell in love later in life, to the widow, the older tour guide, a YouTuber, and the man who records everything and is a font of trivia knowledge.  

When Gigi arrives at the bus depot, the narrator guide, Zane, isn’t there as he’s had a family emergency. Disappointment washed over Gigi and she thought about not going on with the trip. But she stays and finds herself having fun despite no Zane. She lives in hope that he’ll turn up, but she also makes the most of the days he’s not there. It doesn’t hurt that the bus driver is witty and up for adventuring with her when she doesn’t want to follow the itinerary. She has an aversion to churches since the death of her parents and tries to avoid entering the sacred places which is difficult since the tour is called Spires, Shires, and Shores. The bus driver figures out her reluctance to be inside the churches quickly and distracts her with other activities.

When Zane, the tour guide, eventually shows up, things get more complicated for Gigi.

This was an entertaining read with lots of humor, but also some serious moments. The message in the story is about how to move on in life when you might be stagnating or not seeing opportunities in your path by being focused on the past or some dream that really won’t bring you the satisfaction you crave. Lessons are learned by Gigi as well as other characters. For example, the bus driver learns his true calling might be the very thing he avoided, the young YouTuber learns about forgiveness and moving into acceptance, and the widow learns about starting over.

The author used a lighthearted way to inject some serious life lessons into the story. I thoroughly enjoyed Gigi’s bus tour.

Jan6

The Other Guest by Helen Cooper, a Review

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I got this book in a book swap at a book club meeting. I may not have otherwise discovered it so I’m glad the luck of the draw was with me that night.

A domestic suspense novel set partially in Italy and partially in Derby, UK. Chapters alternate between three women. Leah, Joanna, and Amy each tell their stories in turn and we root for each one.

The death of a young woman nine months before the story starts is integral to the book. A family torn apart by death, suspicion of a bartender who left Italy after the death and an aunt who wants answers mix together in Italy. A woman nursing a broken heart and beginning to recover from it in Derby is another mystery as the book opens. What she has to do with the family in Italy is one of the conundrums the reader is faced with in reading the tale. Figuring out her connection to a place far away where she’s never been is part of the initial fun of the read.

I liked the way the author alternated the story with present day Leah and Johanna and wove what they were going through separately eventually to the denouement. The flashbacks with Amy added a poignant element to the tale.

Both Joanna and Leah get into dangerous situations in the book, some due to their own making which ramped up the anxiety on their behalf. Some were due to their natural curiosity and helpful natures. Each of them acted in a way to endanger themselves on occasion. This reader enjoyed the anxiety for their safety in those scenes. The author did an excellent job crafting the suspenseful parts of the tale. The way she tied the diverse elements together was very satisfying.

I read this one in part of an evening and part of a morning. It was a quick read, yet packed with fully drawn characters, suspense and convincing action.

Oct2

ArchDaily- UK Journal

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My son has recently turned in his dissertation for his master’s degree from the University of Sheffield in the UK. He has also entered some design competitions. ArchDaily has published one of his (and two other friends) designs. So proud of his talent and dedication. Check it out here.