Spell the Month in Books is a linkup hosted by Jana on Reviews From the Stacks on the first Saturday of each month. The goal is to spell the current month with the first letter of book titles, excluding articles such as ‘the’ and ‘a’ as needed. That’s all there is to it! Some months there are optional theme challenges, such as “books with an orange cover” or books of a particular genre, but for the most part, any book you want to use is fair game!

The optional theme this month is Water. These books all have water on the covers

A is for The Art of Drowning by Frances Fyfield, a very edgy and tense crime thriller.

Rachel Doe is a shy accountant at a low ebb in life when she meets charismatic Ivy Schneider, nee Wiseman, at her evening class and her life changes for the better. Ivy is her polar oppositte: strong, six years her senior and the romantic survivor of drug addiction, homelessness and the death of her child. Ivy does menial shift work, beholden to no one, and she inspires life; as do her farming parents, with their ramshackle house and its swan- filled lake, the lake where Ivy’s daughter drowned. As Rachel grows closer to them all she learns how Ivy came to be married to Carl, the son of a WWII prisoner, as well as the true nature of that marriage to a bullying and ambitious lawyer who has become a judge and who denies her access to her surviving child. Rachel wants justice for Ivy, but Ivy has another agenda and Rachel’s naive sense of fair play is no match for the manipulative qualities in the Wisemen women. (Goodreads)

U is for Undercurrent by Barney Norris, a moving and intimate portrait of love, of life and why we choose to share ours with the people we do.

The main story centres around Ed and his immediate family, but the narrative also includes the stories of his grandparents and great grandparents. He had a troubled childhood, living on a farm in Wales with his mother, stepfather and stepsister, Rachel. When he was ten At the age of 10 in an almost accidental moment of heroism, he saved Amy from drowning. Years later when he meets Amy again by chance they form a relationship. But then tragedy overtakes him, and Ed must decide whether to let history and duty define his life, or whether he should push against the tide and write his own story.

G is for Gently by the Shore by Alan Hunter

George Gently is called in to investigate a murder in Starmouth, a British seaside holiday resort. An unidentified body was found on the beach. The victim was naked, punctured with stab wounds. It was first published in 1956 and reflects that period of time. Gently smokes a pipe and puffs his way through the investigation often in a haze of smoke when questioning suspects who also smoke. And it has a very ‘English’ feel about it. The fifties were also the period where the death sentence was still in force and Gently and the main suspect discuss the ethics of killing comparing a hired killer with the hangman.

U is for The Unquiet Dead by Ausma Zehanat Khan, a powerful and thought provoking story.

When Christopher Drayton’s body is found at the foot of the Scarborough Bluffs, Detectives Esa Khattak and Rachel Getty are called to investigate his death. But as the secrets of his role in the 1995 Srebrenica Massacre surface, the harrowing significance of the case makes it difficult to remain objective. In a community haunted by the atrocities of war, anyone could be a suspect. And when the victim is a man with far more deaths to his name, could it be that justice has at long last been served?

S is for The Seagull by Ann Cleeves, crime fiction, set in Northumberland.

In Ann Cleeves’ eighth novel in her Vera Stanhope series Vera investigates a cold case involving her late father, Hector. he had been one of a ‘Gang of Four’, who had traded in rare birds’ eggs and sold raptors from the wild for considerable sums. Was he also involved in the Gang’s illegal activities? At the same time Vera and her team, Joe, Charlie and Holly – Vera’s own ‘gang of four’ – investigate a present day murder that looks very much as though it links in with their cold case. I enjoy watching Vera on TV, but I enjoy the books even more.

T is for Turn of the Tide by Margaret Skea, crime fiction set in 16th century Scotland.

This is historical fiction and it captivated me completely transporting me  back in time to 16th century Scotland. If you have ever wondered,  as I have, what it must have been like to live in a Tower House in the Scottish Borders then this book spells it out so clearly. And it puts you firmly in the middle of the centuries old feud between the Cunninghames and the Montgomeries, with all the drama of their battles, ambushes and schemes to further their standing with the young King James VI. It’s a tale of love, loyalty, tragedy and betrayal.

The next link up will be on September 7, 2024 when the optional theme will be Back to School.