My Book Reviews for August 2024
My Book Reviews for August 2024 comprise an absorbing historical novel, a super ghost suspense thriller and some NetGalley early reads.
Although the city of Berlin, with its volatile past, has already proved a rich font for post-war writers, there still seems to be space for new novels on twentieth-century German history, as Berlin Duet admirably demonstrates. It’s an epic tale, reminiscent of work by William Boyd or Sebastian Faulks, focussing on the pre-war, war-time and post-war exploits of Anna, a British/American Jewish war photographer recruited by the British Secret Service to spy on Goebbels’s inner circle.
Anna is a rounded character with an in-depth backstory that extends to her eccentric parents and cruel husband. She is determined, compassionate and gifted with humour. (Her actions during a delousing at a Displaced Persons’ camp are notable for displaying these qualities.) But she is also manipulative and opportunist with an inconsistent attitude to parenting. Her personal experiences are vividly described against the backdrop of actual historic events.
The other storyteller and partner in this duet is retired British intelligence officer, Harry, who was Anna’s young, inexperienced handler during the war. His narrative opens in 1989 in Berlin, where he still lives. The night of the fall of the Wall triggers his memories and he recounts to his daughter his wartime involvement with Anna.
This is not a story with a twist – we all know how it ends on the macro level (Berlin falls, remains divided for 40 years etc etc). However, I think most readers will be unsurprised by what happens to our protagonist duo at the micro level either. But this is about the journey not the destination – a richly described voyage into the lives of ordinary people during times of great change, danger and suffering. The post-war portrayal of Berlin and its population in ruins is particularly profound.
Berlin is one of my favourite cities. I lived there briefly in the 1980s. My in-laws were stationed there in the late 1940s and my daughter lives there now. I have returned many times to soak up its cosmopolitan atmosphere, culture and language(s) and to visit countless museums dedicated to its history. I’m confident in saying Berlin Duet is authentic, meticulously researched and fluently written. I will be recommending it widely to those with an interest in twentieth-century history.
Definitely, one of my most absorbing reads of the year so far.
With thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an early copy in exchange for an independent review.
The Stroke of Winter by Mary Webb
A super ghost suspense story. Tess returns to her old family home on Lake Superior with the plan to turn it into a bed and breakfast. But that means opening her grandfather’s art studio, which was sealed by her late grandmother soon after his death. Even before she opens the shuttered section of the house, strange things start happening: scratching sounds behind the locked door, a stray dog in the yard, a shadow at an upstairs window, the worst snowfall the town has known.
When she is offered help from an attractive local man, Wyatt, to renovate the building, she readily accepts. But once the door is opened, goings-on become more sinister and Tess isn’t sure who she can trust.
The writing flows invisibly well, characters are well drawn and the creeping suspense builds to a dramatic denouement.
This is the second Wendy Webb ghost suspense story I’ve read (I previously enjoyed The End of Temperance Dare) and I’ve already bought another. I look forward to reading The Haunting of Brynn Wilder by this talented author.
A tale of two fathers: one loses a child while the other is looking after him; both will do anything to protect what's dear to them. Told in a straightforward style, this is a story of grief, suspense and a search for resolution.
With thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an early copy in exchange for an independent review.
Talking to Strangers by Fiona Barton
Karen, a forty-something single woman in search of love and active on the local dating scene, is murdered in woodland. Subsequent events are told from three viewpoints:
Elise – a competent detective inspector whose recovery from serious illness is making her forgetful;
Annie – whose 6-year-old son was murdered in the same woodland 16 years earlier;
Kiki – a journalist, who interviewed Karen about her singles club a week before her murder.
All three narrators are naïve and vulnerable, unable to spot the obvious, whereas seasoned crime readers may well join the dots much more quickly.
This is a fluently written police procedural that highlights the difficulties and dangers of dating, in this case focussing on single women in their forties. Fiona Barton fans will enjoy her latest crime novel.
With thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an early copy in exchange for an independent review.
Torran (18) disappears on a trip to India. Seven years later, his mother, Anne, has moved to India and continues to search for him. Her estranged niece, Esther, gets a tip off that Torran might be in a particular commune and goes to India to tell Anne. Despite their frosty relationship, the two women search.
But this is less of a mystery story and more of a journey through grief, self-discovery, forgiveness and reconciliation in a sumptuously described setting. Ideal for readers of slow-burning literary fiction.
With thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an early copy in exchange for an independent review.
Silent Sister by Megan Davidhizar
Rather than a thriller, this is a family drama about a relationship between siblings, coming of age and grief. Featuring chapters from the viewpoints of both sisters before, during and after a school camping trip where both sisters go missing, this is a well-written YA title. With thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an early copy in exchange for an independent review.
That’s it for My Book Reviews for August 2024. I’ll be back next month with more reading goodies.
Her Charming Man, the second title in my Gloucestershire Crime Series, features Sharpness Lifeboat Station and the work of the Severn Area Rescue Association. I’m delighted that SARA has invited me to hold a book signing at their fundraising Open Day on 25 August. I will be donating a percentage of book sales to SARA. If you’re in the area, pop along to say hello and enjoy a great family day out.