Exiles by Mason Coile

Tense, dark, and an interesting mix of sci-fi and horror, this was a fast read as I didn't want to put it down.  I was kind of glad I read most of it on a train.  In daylight.  If I'd have been reading at night, in bed, on my Kindle, in the dark I think I would have been terrified!

I enjoyed the small cast of characters - that adds to the suspense.  And the fact that you don't know who to trust at any given moment in the story.  It took me a few pages to find my feet with the writing style but then either I settled into things, or the author did, and after that it was an easy, entertaining read.  Mars felt hostile, and just as remote and desolate as it should.

I was sad to see that the author (Andrew Pyper, writing as Mason Coile) died recently (which adds an extra layer to the story now I know that).  But he has written quite a few other books, so I'm glad there is more that I can go back and read.

With thanks to Net Galley and the publishers for my copy.

Body Count by Julie Mae Cohen

I loved 'Bad Men', and now Saffy is back, and so is Jonathan, and the dog (who is slowly chewing up Saffy's very expensive shoe collection...), Saffy's sister, and a whole bunch of dead bad men!

This time around I feel like we see a bit of a softer side to Saffy.  She's still hard as nails, but we also get to see her taking care of her sister, and going for therapy.  We learn more about Jonathan too, and see him in the aftermath of his near death experience last time, navigating what happens to his career now and if he really wants to continue his investigations into murderers.  Can Saffy maintain any semblance of a normal relationship at the same time as continuing her vigilante exploits?  Well, no spoilers from me, you'll have to read it yourself, but I flew through the last half of the book wanting to find out what would happen.

I enjoyed all the different little side characters, my favourite being Jon's imprisoned serial killer friend.  But there are lots of laughs through the whole book, and some satisfyingly grotesque endings for some truly horrible characters.

Looking forward to the next one already!

With thanks to Net Galley & the publishers for my copy.

Holly by Stephen King

Casting a glance at other reviews, I'm surprised by how many dnfs there are along with very ranty reviews...but I guess being British I am misunderstanding the enormity of a fictional book being a little bit political?!  I personally thought the Covid setting made for an interesting read.  It's long enough ago now that I don't feel scarred, and it's close enough that all the hand-washing and mask wearing feels familiar enough.  I suppose the thing is, I agree with Holly...I can see that someone who doesn't, and who thought Covid was a made-up fiasco, make take issue with it all.

Anyway, regardless of whether you think Tr*mp is a d#&$ or not, this story was disgusting, unsettling and utterly readable.  I should probably go back and read the others stories Holly's in (I did read Mr Mercedes a long time ago) as I really liked her as a character.  I also loved the elderly poet.  I struggled to put this down each night.  It's not the best for bedtime reading, but it was certainly compelling and had me audibly gasping with anxiety towards the end!

The Murder at World's End by Ross Montgomery

I raced through this very fun, very readable murder mystery locked room story.  The detecting duo are an unlikely coupling, and were probably my favourite thing about the book, though I did also laugh out loud at the bumbling inspector from Scotland Yard.  I liked the way the story layered as it grew, and the way I felt involved in the detecting as I experienced everything alongside of Stephen so I felt like I was also on the verge of figuring everything out alongside side of him (I wasn't!)

I would note that I did find the swearing a bit of a surprise - it had felt like a cosy crime up until that point, you know, one of those excellent early Sunday evening pre-watershed period crime series, so I felt that it jarred a little with what I'd thought I was reading.  The language does add to the humour of the character it comes from ultimately, but a little bit of me wondered if it had been included simply to mark the book out as an adult novel, since the author does also write excellent children's stories.

With thanks to Net Galley and the Publisher for my ARC.

The Dilemmas of Working Women by Fumio Yamamoto

This collection of short stories provides an interesting, rather unsettling view of women's lives in Japan, though I think it's worth bearing in mind that it was written 25 years ago and hopefully society now is a little less patriarchal than it was.  Each of the women's stories is quite different, though I have to say I struggled to like any of the women portrayed!  

I was surprised by the final story that is actually written from a man's point of view - it felt different to the others in the collection, and whilst it was ostensibly Sumie's story, it was the man's story and life we followed for the most part, which sat a little oddly with the other stories.
Some of the stories were uncomfortable to read, and deal with serious illness and depression.  But the collection is still very readable, and it felt like an excellent translation.
With thanks to Net Galley and the publisher for my ARC.