July Reads

RED SIDE STORY (Shades of Grey #2) by Jasper Fforde (4.5*)

A story set in a dystopian version of Great Britain after the so-called ‘Something that Happened’, where a person’s status is based on the colours they can perceive. The rules and regulations in this world are absurd and at first glance so is the story. Don’t let first impressions fool you though. The more I read, the more sense the nonsense made and the story captivated me from start to finish. I fully agree with the Telegraph’s quote on the cover:

“Forget all the rules of time, space and reality; just sit back and enjoy the adventure.”

 

2.     THE RED HOUSE MYSTERY by A.A. Milne (4*)

It ain’t Winnie the Pooh but this is the most British of stories. In fact, if it had been written one or two decades later, I would have called it a spoof version of a Golden Age of Mystery story. This is by no means a criticism. In fact, I thoroughly enjoyed this book and the picture it painted of Edwardian Britain. I figured out part of the solution to this locked-room-mystery early on but that didn’t lessen my enjoyment of the rest of the story. It was a joy to follow Anthony and Bill as they followed the clues and Gillingham’s intuition until they found the answers.

Full review: https://helenasheat.blogspot.com/2024/07/the-red-house-mystery-by-aa-milne.html

 

3.     MIDSUMMER MYSTERIES by Agatha Christie (4)

A wonderful collection of stories featuring Poirot (4), Miss Marple (2) Parker Pine (2), Stand Alone (2), and one each of Harley Quin and Tommy and Tuppence.

Some of these stories I was familiar with but not so familiar that the solutions didn’t take me by surprise. I guess that’s one of many reasons why Christie is the queen of crime.

 

4.     THE EXAMINER by Janice Hallett (5)

WOW, the author managed to exceed my very high expectations with this well-plotted and intriguing story. It made for compulsive reading from the start with the tension initially building gradually until, by the time I reached the last quarter, the story suddenly exploded and rushed forward with shocking revelation after shocking revelation. And just when I thought I had all the answers, Hallett had another trick up her sleeve; one that will have me thinking and wondering about this book for some time to come. The writing in this book is excellent. All the main characters have their own, distinctive voices and I was impressed with how the art the candidates create comes to life on the page and becomes visible to the reader. This story hooked me from the start and never released its grip. 

Full review: https://helenasheat.blogspot.com/2024/07/the-examiner-by-janice-hallett.html

 

5.     TO DIE BUT ONCE (Maisie Dobbs #14) by Jacqueline Winspear (4.5).

Set during the spring of 1940 and WWII hasn’t quite reached Britain yet, when Maisie Dobbs is asked to look into the whereabouts of a young apprentice painter. What starts out as an apparently innocent investigation soon turns dark and it isn’t much longer before the realities of the War hit Maisie and those she loves with the evacuation of soldiers from Dunkirk. Very well written if a bit too drawn out at times, this story held my attention from start to finish. I’ve missed quite a few instalments in this series but I may just pick it up again from here.

 

6.     THE CRACKED MIRROR by Chris Brookmyre (5+)

I’m not sure if this book is ‘the most imaginative and entertaining crime novel of the year, but it is most certainly in the running for that honour. For me, it is a title to add to my very short list of extra-special books because this book deserves to be called unique, original, and unlike anything I’ve read before. 

Full review: https://helenasheat.blogspot.com/2024/07/the-cracked-mirror-by-chris-brookmyre.html

 

7.     Lord Peter Views the Body by Dorothy L. Sayers (4)

A collection of 12 short stories featuring Lord Peter Wimsey as he solves a wide variety of mysteries. A highly enjoyable read.

 

8.     MURDER AT MALLOWAN HALL (a Phyllida Bright Mystery #1) by Colleen Cambridge (4)

A well-plotted and easy to read mystery featuring Phyllida Bright, Agatha Christie’s housekeeper, as the amateur sleuth when an unexpected guest to a house party thrown by the Mallowan’s ends up dead in the library. Phyllida takes her inspiration from Hercule Poirot and isn’t unlike him in some respects. Although Agatha and Max, her husband, only play a background role in this story, there are references to titles by Agatha Christie throughout the book.

 

9.     THE EXCITEMENTS by C.J. Wray (5)

A (brilliant and witty) drama about two elderly female World War II veterans with secret pasts, who embark on one last adventure to right some historic wrongs. If you enjoy some excitements in your reading, I highly recommend this book.

The Examiner by Janice Hallett

416 pages

Publisher: Viper

Release Date: August 29, 2024

 

Blurb

 Six Students. One Murder. Your Time Starts Now...

The students of Royal Hastings University's new Multimedia Art course have been trouble from day one. Acclaimed artist Alyson wants the department to revolve around her. Ludya struggles to balance her family and the workload. Jonathan has management experience but zero talent for art. Lovely Patrick can barely operate his mobile phone, let alone professional design software. Meanwhile blustering Cameron tries to juggle the course with his job in the City and does neither very well. Then there's Jem. A gifted young sculptor, she's a promising student... but cross her at your peril.

The year-long course is blighted by accusations of theft, students setting fire to one another's artwork, a rumoured extra-marital affair and a disastrous road trip. But finally they are given their last assignment: to build an interactive art installation for a local manufacturer. With six students who have nothing in common except their clashing personal agendas, what could possibly go wrong?

The answer is: murder. When the external examiner arrives to assess the students' essays and coursework, he becomes convinced that a student was killed on the course and that the others covered it up. But is he right? And if so, who is dead, why were they killed, and who is the murderer? Only a close examination of the evidence will reveal the truth. Your time starts now...

Review

WOW!!!

Where do I start?

This is the fifth book by Janice Hallett I’ve read, so I had a pretty good idea what to expect but WOW, the author managed to exceed my very high expectations with this well-plotted and intriguing story. It made for compulsive reading from the start with the tension initially building gradually until, by the time I reached the last quarter, the story suddenly exploded and rushed forward with shocking revelation after shocking revelation. And just when I thought I had all the answers, Hallett had another trick up her sleeve; one that will have me thinking and wondering about this book for some time to come.

Like Hallett’s previous books, the story is told in email messages, texts, and essays as the narrative follows a diverse group of students in an art master’s programme where nothing and nobody is as it appears to be at first glance. Also as in her previous books, we have a small cast of main characters. There is Gela who needs students for her new master’s programme before her funding is cut. She ends up with a hand-picked group of six students who couldn’t be more diverse. From the very first day the students are nothing but trouble, but it isn’t until Ben Sketcher, the external examiner who has access to all the communications between the university and the participants, starts asking questions that it becomes clear exactly how worrying the situation is. Ben is convinced one of the course participants is in serious danger or possibly, already dead. From the start there are growing tensions between the course participants. Messages between the participants individually or between Gela and one or another of the students imply that there’s stuff going on behind the scenes the others, and therefore the reader, aren’t aware of.

Although I took pages worth of notes while reading this story, I don’t want to say anything else about what happens for fear of spoiling it for other readers. Suffice to say that nobody in this story is who they appear to be. Much to my delight I was able to answer one or two questions before the author spelled the answer out, but I have no idea if that was Hallett’s intention or if I’m getting better at solving some of the mysteries in her story. What’s more, finding those answers only threw up new questions because the full mystery wasn’t unravelled until the very end. As it should be.

The writing in this book is excellent. All the main characters have their own, distinctive voices and I was impressed with how the art the candidates create comes to life on the page and becomes visible to the reader. This story hooked me from the start and never released its grip. Just when things appeared to become a little clearer everything turned more obscure. The format means the reader doesn’t get all the information, only that which the characters want you to know, and that meant I was kept guessing for the longest time. Every time I thought I had a grip on what was really going on, something happened to make me rethink everything I thought I knew.

In my review of The Appeal I wrote: ‘After having read all three of Janice Hallett’s currently available titles I have to conclude that she is something of a genius when it comes to slow reveals and misdirection while still giving the reader all the information they need to keep up with the investigators.’ The Examiner has only strengthened that opinion. I’m in awe at how Janice Hallett managed to tie everything in this story together and answer (almost) every question the reader might have. One question remains unanswered, though but that perfectly fits the complexity of the story as far as I’m concerned. It also ensures that this is a book I will be thinking about long after I finished reading it.

Related reviews:

The appeal: https://helenasheat.blogspot.com/2023/09/the-appeal-by-janice-hallett.html

The Twyford Code: https://helenasheat.blogspot.com/2023/07/the-twyford-code-by-janice-hallett.html

The Mysterious Case of the Alperton Angels: https://helenasheat.blogspot.com/2023/06/the-mysterious-case-of-alperton-angels.html

The Christmas Appeal: https://helenasheat.blogspot.com/2023/10/the-christmas-appeal-by-janice-hallett.html 

The Christmas Appeal by Janice Hallett

The Appeal #1.5

208 pages

Publisher: Viper

Publishing Date: October 26.2023

Netgalley

 

Blurb

 One dead Santa. A town full of suspects. Will you discover the truth?

Christmas in Lower Lockwood, and the Fairway Players are busy rehearsing their festive pantomime, Jack and the Beanstalk, to raise money for the church roof appeal. But despite the season, goodwill is distinctly lacking amongst the amateur dramatics enthusiasts. Sarah-Jane is fending off threats to her new position as Chair, the fibreglass beanstalk might be full of asbestos, and a someone is intent on ruining the panto even before the curtain goes up.

Of course there's also the matter of the dead body. Who could possibly have had the victim on their naughty list? Join lawyers Femi and Charlotte as they read the round robins, examine the emails and pore over the police transcripts. Will the show go on?

 

Review

Before I get to my thoughts about The Christmas Appeal a word of warning. While I guess that you could read this book without having read The Appeal, I would strongly advice against such an action. The Christmas Appeal very much moves on from the earlier book and contains (vague) spoilers for the prequel.

While I’m on the subject of similarities between the two ‘Appeal’ titles, I want to add that this second one is very much a continuation of the first story. Once again Charlotte and Femi are invited by their mentor to investigate emails and messages shared between the members of the Fairway Players amateur drama group in order to figure out who was murdered by whom and how it happened.

While the setup of the Fairway Players has changed as a result of what happened in The Appeal, the dynamics between the members are as intriguing and amusing in this sequel. The politics, gossip, and backstabbing in the drama group remain frequent and as delicious as they were before. There is a nice mixture of familiar characters (with one very surprising appearance) and new faces.

Once again, the murder mystery appears to be an afterthought to what is happening within the group. In this book too, (the remains of) the victim don’t appear until near the end of the story. In both books, the reader wouldn’t know they were dealing with a mystery if it hadn’t been for the instructions given to Charlotte and Femi at the very start of the story. And yet, it is all the apparently unconnected interaction between the various members of the group that give us all the clues to what is really happening—provided we pay enough attention.

After discussing The Appeal with my book club I’m more conscious than ever that these books aren’t for everyone. Having the story revealed through what at first glance appear to be irrelevant emails and messages about the production of a (Christmas) play can be confusing. Personally, I love it. While it can be a bit like hard work trying to keep up with who is who and how they related to each other, I thoroughly enjoyed the interactions between these people, all with their own agenda, while trying to figure out how any of their communications might relate to the mystery in question.

Finally, while The Appeal certainly had its moments of light relief, The Christmas Appeal is funnier. In fact, it’s a bit over the top, a caper, which feels perfect for a mystery centred around the production of a Christmas panto. And while The Appeal was all about righting a miscarriage of justice, The Christmas Appeal puts a different spin on what does and doesn’t constitute justice. Whether or not you agree with the outcome is a personal choice.

Long review short: The Christmas Appeal is a wonderful sequel to The Appeal and a well-plotted and delightful mystery.

Related review: The Appeal

 

The Appeal by Janice Hallett

447 pages

Publisher: Viper

Book Club Read

Own

 

Blurb

 One Murder.

Fifteen Suspects.

Can You Uncover the Truth?

There is a mystery to solve in the small town of Lockwood. It starts with the arrival of two secretive newcomers, and ends with a tragic death. Roderick Tanner QC has assigned law students Charlotte and Femi to the case. Someone has already been sent to prison for murder, but he suspects they are innocent. And far darker secrets have yet to be revealed…

Through the amateur dramatics society’s disastrous staging of All My Sons and the shady charity appeal for a little girl’s medical treatment, the murderer hit in plain sight. Will Charlotte and Femi solve the case? Will you?

 

Review

 “Arthur Miller constructs a play the way a sculptor creates a three-dimensional image from an amorphous chunk of clay. He shows us a basic shape. Then bends and stretches its contours, turns it for us to view alternate angles, gradually reveals the finer details until, finally, we can see for ourselves what it really is.”

And the same can be said for this story. Nothing is as it appears at first and as the story progresses, deeper and hidden levels are constantly revealed. The big question being how it all ties into the mystery.

It is only thanks to the first two pages, where two young lawyers (?) are tasked to go over the paperwork of a case, that we know we will be dealing with a murder somebody has already be imprisoned for.

The next 2/3s of the book deals with an amateur dramatics group and the real-life drama taking place off stage. Through emails and messages, we get to know the Fairway Players and how they relate to each other. We learn about a young child with cancer and the fundraising efforts to get her an experimental treatment from America. But most of all, we slowly but steadily discover that nobody is exactly how or who they present themselves as. Secrets, past connections, animosity, obsession, fraud, lies, they all float to the surface. Until ultimately, on the premiere of their performance of All My Sons things come to a head. Truths are spoken and accusations made, and they lead to death.

I have to be honest, the cast list in this story is so long that it took me a while before I knew who was who and how they related to each other, and to what was happening. While it was a little frustrating initially, it turned out to be a blessing in disguise because keeping track of it all forced me to read slowly and pay attention to all the details. And that, in turn, allowed me to notice the various discrepancies and misdirections I might have missed if I’d read at my normal pace.

The murder is almost an afterthought. In most mysteries, we start with a body after which the investigator tries to figure out the motives and events that led up to and might explain the crime. In The Appeal, we are given all those possible motives and the events that led up to the crime before the murder is committed. You would think that having all that information would make the identity of whodunit obvious. Not for me. I still wasn’t sure who out of an enormous cast of suspects had done the deed.

The murder victim wasn’t who I thought it would be either, although it does make a lot of sense it would be them. The actual murderer was also rather low on my list of suspects, although now that I know, it does make sense that it would be who it is.

The final page and a half were delightfully creepy.

I rarely re-read books, not even mysteries, on purpose, although the occasional title does slip in due to my far-from-perfect memory. However, I can’t help feeling that The Appeal and Hallett’s other titles would greatly benefit from a re-read. While I tried to keep a running list of characters and things that stood out about them and their actions while reading this story, I’m still sure I must have missed a long list of clues. For obvious reasons, I can’t share those notes or the thoughts I had when I wrote them down. The fun (for me) in this mystery is the slow lifting of the veil.

After having read all three of Janice Hallett’s currently available titles I have to conclude that she is something of a genius when it comes to slow reveals and misdirection while still giving the reader all the information they need to keep up with the investigators. Except that the fictional sleuths have so far proven a lot cleverer than I am. Then again, being shocked and surprised by the end of the book is one of the big joys I find in reading mysteries.

I am now caught up with Hallett’s mysteries and eagerly awaiting the release of The Christmas Appeal on October 26^th. The blurb indicates that the story will return us to the Fairway Players and Femi and Charlotte, which should be interesting, to put it mildly. 

Bring. It. On.

The Twyford Code by Janice Hallett

 

 363 pages

Publisher: Serpent’s Tail

Published: 2022

Library

 

Blurb

 

It's time to solve the murder of the century...

Forty years ago, Steven Smith found a copy of a famous children's book, its margins full of strange markings and annotations. He took it to his remedial English teacher, Miss Isles, who became convinced it was the key to solving a puzzle. That a message in secret code ran through all Edith Twyford's novels. Then Miss Isles disappeared on a class field trip, and Steven's memory won't allow him to remember what happened.

Now, out of prison after a long stretch, Steven decides to investigate the mystery that has haunted him for decades. Was Miss Isles murdered? Was she deluded? Or was she right about the code? And is it still in use today?

Desperate to recover his memories and find out what really happened to Miss Isles, Steven revisits the people and places of his childhood. But it soon becomes clear that Edith Twyford wasn't just a writer of forgotten children's stories. The Twyford Code has great power, and he isn't the only one trying to solve it...

 

Review

Another fabulous read and another superb mystery from Janice Hallett. There’s layer upon layer. There are quite a few misdirections except that they’re more than that – yes, I’m being vague on purpose. And while this story is most certainly a perfectly plotted mystery, it is also a lot more than that and the story behind the mystery both broke my heart and brought me joy.

Just like The Mysterious Case of the Alperton Angels, the story in this book is not told in a traditional way. Because Steven Smith, the main character and narrator in The Twyford Code is dyslectic, what we get is transcribed audio files. Because no corrections are made after transcription, there are quite a few ‘sound-alikes’ on the page. It takes a little getting used to, but I can’t say it impeded my reading enjoyment at all. In fact, it gives the text an immediacy and intimacy that would probably be impossible to achieve with a different approach.

Similarly to the Alperton Angels, this is also a story where the reader can’t take anything for granted or at face value. We are once again dealing with an unreliable narrator, Steven in this book, and the way he strings us along is nothing short of fascinating and ingenious.

I have a lot more thoughts about this book. In fact, the more time passes between the moment I finished the story and writing this review, the more, previously missed, clues and possible explanations I discover. There are few things I love more than a story that continues revealing its secrets (long) after I’ve finished the last page and The Twyford Code certainly does that. I can’t share any of those thoughts for fear of spoiling this wonderful tale. Just take it from me when I say that you shouldn’t take anything at face value and that you are unlikely to figure out exactly what is going on and why. Not because the clues aren’t there (they are!) but because you won’t recognise them for what they are until all secrets have been revealed.

I also love that this book is basically an ode to the mysteries written by Enid Blyton. As much as modern sensibilities frown upon some of her (outdated) ideas and points of view, the adventures she created for children are still widely read and continue to provide a springboard to, for example, Agatha Christie mysteries for many youngsters.

I have one problem though…

What is the ‘Murder of the Century’ the tagline refers to? Certainly, there are murders in this book but… unless I missed something (which I don’t rule out because there is A LOT going on in this story), none of them are remarkable enough to be labelled as such.

That one minor issue aside, I loved this book. The Twyford Code was compulsive reading leading to a surprising and satisfying conclusion. Janice Hallett has been added to my list of favourite, must-read mystery authors.

 

 

The Mysterious Case of the Alperton Angels by Janice Hallett

539 pages

Publisher: Thorpe / Charnwood Large Print

Publishing date: January 2023

Library

Blurb

Open the safe deposit box. Inside you will find research material for a true crime book. You must read the documents, then make a decision. Will you destroy them? Or will you take them to the police?

Everyone knows the story of the Alperton Angels: the cult-like group who were convinced one of their member's babies was the anti-Christ, and they had a divine mission to kill it - until the baby's mother, Holly, came to her senses and called the police. The Angels committed suicide rather than go to prison, and Holly - and the baby - disappeared into the care system.

Nearly two decades later, true-crime author Amanda Bailey is writing a book on the Angels. The Alperton baby has turned eighteen and can finally be interviewed - if Amanda can find them, it will be the true-crime scoop of the year, and will save her flagging career. But rival author Oliver Menzies is just as smart, better connected, and is also on the baby's trail.

As Amanda and Oliver are forced to collaborate, they realise that what everyone thinks they know about the Angels is wrong, and the truth is something much darker and stranger than they'd ever imagined.

This story is far from over - and it won't have a happy ending.

 

Review

WOW!!!!

What a book. What a story. And, what a setup. Unreliable narrator doesn’t begin to cover it. Saying this story is filled with twist after twist would be an understatement. Suffice it to say that whatever I expected the outcome of this story to be—and I changed my mind about that a few times while reading—it wasn’t anywhere close to what I discovered as the tale ended.

As good as this story is, I’ve got a feeling it won’t appeal to everyone. Not because there’s anything wrong with the story—there really, really isn’t—but because of the format in which it is presented. What we have here is a collection of emails, WhatsApp messages, and transcripts of conversations without a single paragraph of narrative, description, or conversation. When I started the story, I did wonder how long it would be before the format would start to irritate me. Now that I’ve reached the end, I’m very happy to say that the concept worked beautifully for me. In a way, it is as if Janice Hallett has turned a mystery plot inside-out. We are presented with all the facts, or rather, with all the information Amanda Bailey is willing to provide us with. This setup turned my reading experience more active; I had to do some of the work you would ‘normally’ expect the fictional investigator to do.

One thing became clear to me very quickly: If you want to make it as an investigative journalist/author, you can’t have too much integrity or worry about other people’s feelings too much. At least, that certainly appears to be Amanda Bailey’s approach. Now that I’ve finished the book, I’m still not sure if I actually liked her.

I don’t want to say anything else about Amanda’s (and Oliver’s) investigation. Suffice it to say that absolutely nothing is as it appears to be at the start and that every time you think you might know what’s going on something unexpected puts you on a different track. The final few pages are filled with shocking twist after shocking twist, and it was absolutely delicious. I can’t wait to read the previous titles by Janice Hallett.