A Murder for Miss Hortense by Mel Pennant

Miss Hortense is an interesting character to read about.  Having emigrated from Jamaica, she has lived her life here in the greyness of the UK, working as a nurse for over thirty years, and helping her community through the pardner.  I'd never heard of pardner schemes before the book, so it was interesting to learn about how it worked, and still works, as a way of helping communities build up funds.

There is quite the cast of characters, and it was sometimes difficult to keep track of who was who (especially when they weren't who everyone thought they were...)  But I mostly managed to keep up!  I liked hypochondriac, talkative Blossom.  And the book builds a real sense of the community that Miss Hortense has been living in for so long.  You get a sense of each person as you read, and the slang helps build the picture and feel of the community too.

I would have liked perhaps a little more Miss Hortense herself - she is a little like Sherlock in that we see some of the things she does, but we're not privvy to all the thinking and working out she is doing.  I had no idea what was going to play out in the book, and it finishes with rather a grand all-in-the-room reveal (a la Christie) where the plot was layered upon layer.  If you asked me to explain what had happened, I'm not sure I'd give a very clear account of all of the ins and outs, because it did keep twisting and turning.  But I don't think that matters too much!  It was enjoyable to read, and I'd very happily come back to see what mystery Miss Hortense solves next.

With thanks to Net Galley for my copy.

Title: A Murder for Miss Hortense

Author: Mel Pennant

ISBN: 978-1399814379

Due to be published: 12 June 2025

Time of the Child by Niall Williams

I read, and loved, several books by this author back in the 90's and early 2000's, and I was interested to see how I would fare with this most recent offering.  The beginning almost defeated me.  I couldn't seem to grasp the phrasing, or the characters, or the feel and flow for what was happening.  I'm not sure why that was - it felt sometimes as if the sentences were sometimes jumbled, or the words were out of order.  But it was a struggle.  I persevered, because I kept thinking about how I had loved his early books, and I was sure there must be something more to come, and I'm really glad I did.  Perhaps I started to hear the Irish lilt in the language, or perhaps I just became attuned, or it just got better?  But suddenly I did find I was completely caught up in the story, and the lives of the characters.  I started to remember that what I'd loved about Williams' books before was the intense emotional pull of the writing.  And here, in this story, I was completely caught up in the doctor's life.  The cast of characters is broad, and you get a feel for many of them, as they come and go in the story.  There is the ever present sense of dread, hanging over everything, and the more you read, the more you know the people you're reading about, and the more emotional it gets.

So, a slow start I felt, but definitely worth it.

With thanks to Net Galley for my copy.

Title: Time of the Child

Author: Niall Williams

ISBN: 9781526675163

Due to be published: 24 October 2024

The Trunk by Kim Ryeo-Ryeong

I think this is mis-described as a feminist thriller...I kept thinking we were going to veer off into some gory murder at some point, but that never happened!  Instead, it's more of a look at Korean marital, sexual and gender expectations.  I found it quite a thoughtful story, though at times it was a little difficult to follow quite what was going on.  The idea of the marriage agency was interesting, and I loved how Inji refers to her husband as 'the husband' throughout.  

There are interesting strands of story - parts that were funny, with the Granny and the coffee machine, and parts that were moving, with Inji's two school friends and their history.  There was a creepy guy, but I couldn't quite judge just how creepy he was meant to be (he didn't seem that awful to me), and what happens to him seems pretty horiffic...perhaps that was meant to be the thriller side of things.

I did enjoy it, for the most part, and I felt like it got more interesting as I went along.  I mostly wanted to know a bit more...it felt like a glimpse into societal expectations in Korea which I don't know much about, but I felt I needed more information.  But ultimately, I wasn't sure what the message of the book was, and the ending was just a little odd.

The translation, though, was very good - it felt very natural, and I was interested to read at the end that it had been done collaboratively which is an interesting idea.

Title: The Trunk

Author: Kim Ryeo-Ryeong

ISBN: 9781529949353

Eat, Slay, Love by Julie Mae Cohen

[Disclaimer: I am friends with Julie!]

Well, I've been looking forward to reading this for quite some time and I loved it!  (I mean, it has a librarian in it, a mention of Anne of Green Gables and a hamster, so what's not to love?!)

But seriously, I loved that it brings together Julie's awesome, funny, smart way of writing about women's lives and mashes it all into a pretty gory thriller.  I had no idea where it was going to go, and I was gripped, with these three women who, initially, I wasn't particularly drawn but who gradually became three wonderful, dear people who I was totally rooting for.  I loved the biting child, and the matter-of-factness of the women and everything that they deal with.  And the dead grandma!  It manages to encompass huge issues alongside day to day issues covering everything from coercive control, domestic abuse, adultery, fraud, Patriarchy, feminism, MLM/pyramid schemes, childcare, hamsters, friendship, cooking...

I started to read faster and faster the closer I got to the end, as I was so eager to see what would happen - it was worth it, the whole ending upon ending is fabulous.

With thanks to Net Galley for my copy.

Title: Eat, Slay, Love

Author: Julie Mae Cohen

ISBN: 9781804182970

To be published on 24th October 2024

Death Comes to Marlow by Robert Thorogood

 

I have to confess, I haven't read the first book in the series.  I did watch the TV adaptation.  That isn't how I would normally do things, but I stumbled across it by accident and before I knew it my son and I were gripped and trying to figure out whodunnit.  So I feel a bit sneaky now reading the second adventure for Judith, Suzie and Becks when I still haven't read the first one but never mind.  I have those characters firmly in my head now!

This was a good story, very readable, and I was engaged throughout.  It's a locked room mystery, and I liked all the layering of story that went on.  I really like Becks and her deduction skills, and whilst Suzie annoys me a bit she works as part of the trio.   

The only thing is...the murder!  I have spent quite a bit of time thinking over the actual 'how' of the explanation, and it just left me a unsatisfied.  So much effort went into the story, but I just keep thinking about whether or not it actually holds together.  I don't want to give spoilers, so can't really say much more than that, but I've googled a lot, and thought a lot, and I'm just not sure.  I'm probably over-thinking it, but I'd committed to the story so it felt confusing and unsettling at the end when I suddenly wasn't sure if I believed in any of it.

Anyway, even with that bit of a bump, I would like to read more from the three sleuths, and perhaps they'll adapt this story too and I can see whether the murder works or not!

Title: Death Comes to Marlow

Author: Robert Thorogood

ISBN: 9780008476519