I am now so far behind with writing about the books I’ve read this year that the only way to get back on track is to write just a few notes about the books I’ve read recently.

I read 7 books in May and only wrote about one – The Light Between the Oceans (linked to my post) by M L Stedman, the story of Tom, a lighthouse keeper on an isolated island, Janus Rock, and his wife Isabel. Janus Rock is nearly half a day’s journey from the coast of Australia, where the Indian Ocean washes into the Great Southern Ocean. When a boat washes up on the shore of the island it holds a dead man – and a crying baby. Tom and his wife have a devastating decision to make.

The other 6 books are:

Put on by Cunning by Ruth Rendell – a Chief Inspector Inspector Wexford mystery, this was a re-read. The link takes you to my post written in 2014. I didn’t realise at first that I’d already read this book. I didn’t enjoy it as much as the first time I read it. It’s a tale of great complexity, of murder and conspiracy to murder. A wealthy old man, Sir Manuel Camargue, one of greatest flautists of his time is found dead. Ankle deep in snow he had lost his footing in the dark and slipped into an icy lake and became trapped. Although it seems a straight forward death, Camargue’s much younger fiancée, puts doubts in Chief Inspector Wexford’s mind and he wonders if it was murder.

Before the Poison by Peter Robinson is a standalone novel and another re-read. It’s about Chris Lowndes, a widower who has bought a house in the Yorkshire Dales. Sixty years earlier a man had died there and his wife Grace was convicted of his murder and hanged. Chris wants to discover whether she really was guilty. This is a convincing mystery, told alternating between the present day and the past. 

A Deadly Thaw by Sarah Ward – I read her first book In Bitter Chill years ago and had been meaning to read more of her books, but only got round to it this year. It’s the second in the Francis Sadler series set in the fictional town of Bampton in Derbyshire, and it is just as good as the first. In 2004 Lena Fisher was arrested for suffocating her husband, Andrew. In 2016, a year after Lena’s release from prison, Andrew was found dead in a disused mortuary. Who was the man Lena killed twelve years ago, and who committed the second murder?

The Road Towards Home by Corinne Demas – I thoroughly enjoyed this book, a complete and welcome change from crime fiction. It’s about the friendship between Cassandra and Noah, two retired people who had first met in their youth. They were reacquainted when they moved to Clarion Court an ‘an independent living community’. Noah invites Cassandra to rough it with him at his Cape Cod cottage, and their relationship unexpectedly blossoms after several ups and downs

The Hairy Bikers Blood, Sweat & Tyres: The Autobiography by Si King and Dave Myers – a fascinating book written in alternate chapters by Si and Dave. It’s funny, informative, sad and happy, revealing the tough times they went through, their health issues, family losses, how they came to work on TV and above all their friendship.

Empire by Conn Iggulden – historical fiction, the 2nd book in The Golden Age series , a thoroughly entertaining book that brings the ancient history of Athens, Sparta and Persia to life. I’ll write about this in more detail in a later post.