I had a chat with Helen Squires who has enjoyed Bye Bye Baby written by Fiona McIntosh. A schoolteacher is found murdered in an alleyway in a northern English city. Three months later a courier’s body turns up in a toilet block in a rough London suburb. Two men with very different lives but a common death both bodies brutally mutilated. A heart stopping tale of brutal revenge with a chilling twist. We have all enjoyed The Lavender Keeper by the same author.
As usual Heather Sloan has read a few varied books. The Beautiful Mother by Katherine Scholes. In a remote corner of Tanzania Essie Lawrence lives with her husband in an archaelogist’s camp. One morning a chance encounter with two strangers sees her making a rash promise. When she returns to the research base she has a baby in her arms. Sounds intriguing. The Goldminers Daughter by Alison Stuart. In 1873 Eliza Pemrose arrives in the gold mining town of Maiden Gully Creek in search of her brother. Instead she finds a tragic mystery. You will have to read this to find out what the mystery was.
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Noelle has read a different but enjoyable book My Name is Red by Orhan Pamuk. This book was the winner of the 2006 Nobel Prize in Literature. It is a philosophical thriller constructed around the clash between two world civilisations. The review said it is `an outstanding novel’.
Also enjoyed by Noelle The Sand Archive by Gregory Day. This was shortlisted for the 2019 Miles Franklin Award. The book spans decades from present Geelong to Paris. The book references the need to find a solution to the shifting and destablising influence of sand on the Great Ocean Road. There is love, poetry and politics involved in this book, which received good reviews. The Love that Remains by Susan Francis, a memoir with secrets, life’s shocking twists and unconditional love. Sounds interesting.
I have just finished The Paris Seamstress by Natasha Lester, set in Paris and the USA during the WW2. Quite enjoyed this one.
Keep reading and stay warm.
Geraldine McCorkell