IAN M BANKS

The Player of Games

I had read Ian Banks, but not Ian M Banks, don't know why but I had it in my head that the M was added because of the snobby attitude to Science Fiction by the "Literati". I may be missrembering but I always thought Penguin added an initial to John Wyndham to point out his SF was not proper literature.

But to get back to "The Player of Games". Many of the concepts in this book would have seemed ridiculous, but with Quantum "science" traveling at many times the speed of light does not seem totally impossible. That aside, I did struggle with the first few pages with the ridiculously long and difficult names, I had no problems with AI or the ten mile long cargo ships.

Once into the story one can forget the wallpaper and emerge yourself into story. As an aside there is a one page description of the society in which the game is set that though dystopian, is very close to the USA the MAGA Mob wish to initiate. I must admit that very early on I thought Jernau Morat Gurgeh (the Player of Games) was likely a pawn rather than player. The cruelty displayed in "The Empire" in its invention and extremism equals the extremes invented by modern serial killer writers.

I did enjoy it and will now read his other SF offerings.  
 

 DOROTHY SIMPSON - Thanet Omnibus

Imagine a world without mobile phones, internet or DNA when the detective has to detect.

A book where there are no "flash backs" where the time line follows the detectives through the case to a conclusion. Not the sort of stuff I have been reading recently so a nice change, I read the three books straight through, realising after a few pages I had read the third one before, though that did not stop me reading to the end and enjoying it.

John Harvey

now’s the time

still water

Two books I read “now’s the time” first, I wouldn’t have read it if I noticed it was a collection of short stories. But once I got into it I enjoyed it and most of the stories were connected, more like chapters in a book, I suppose that was because the all revolved round DI Charlie Resnick.

The second book “still water” had many connections to the short stories in the first book so I suggest you should read them both, in order, to get the most from them. They delivered what I suspect we all want from our detectives, a main character that we can emphasise with, or more importantly like, one that has their own idiosyncrasies in Charlie’s case, his love of Jazz. The connection to the Polish community I suppose to some degree plays on our stereotyping but it adds to rather than detracts from the book. There are also collections of villains that give us some to like and some to hate and the “squad” with the usual nowadays, the black gay detective.

In all I will look out for more Resnick novels, I have added John Harvey to my “to read list”.  

Peter May - SNAKE HEAD - #petermay

Peter May

SNAKE HEAD

A China Thriller

I only recently discovered Peter May and have read most of his books, so I feel I am letting him down by not enjoying this one as much as his other books.

I know it is described as a “Thriller” but it does include a detective so I would have liked a bit more “detection”. Unfortunately for me this is veering towards, fortunately not quite getting there, Dan Brown. Lots of the characters are clichés bordering on being racist stereotypes, a real surprise given his previous novels that demonstrated his distaste for racist views. As I am used to reading fiction from the 40’s and 50’s I can usually discount that as of its time, but don’t expect it from new works, especially from such a good author.

What I really found difficulty with though were the coincidences. I won’t catalogue them as despite what I have said, I would recommend the book and don’t want to create a spoiler, so I will just evidence one improbability; what are the chances (given the population of China) that a Chinese detective would come across his sister in the USA as an illegal immigrant, when he doesn’t know she is not still in China? That wasn’t the only improbability, and yes I know that lots of fiction relies on improbable coincidences, but some of these did jar a bit.

I did enjoy the “China” thriller set in China, that was really something new and different, but a Chinese Detective in the USA is not that different. Still worth a read, and I did want to get to the end to see what happened, though there were many loose ends not explained.       

Elly Griffiths - The Outcast Dead - #ellygriffiths

ELLY GRIFFITHS

THE OUTCAST DEAD

The first time I have read one of her books, though there is a detective, a murder and missing children I would not class this as a detective novel. Not that fans of detective novels wouldn’t enjoy it. It seems to be a bit of a catalogue of relationships that seem modern. The archaeologist has a daughter to the Policeman who still lives with his wife and children but seems obsessive  about his daughter and interferes constantly, the archaeologist still has a crush (to me an irrational crush) on the detective. Another detective has a child fathered by a hippy friend of the archaeologist who has an older daughter who wants to get involved with the hunt for the kidnappers.

All this going on as well as a televised dig examining a convicted, but probably innocent, child murderer, involving a good looking American historian. It is a long time since I lived in Norfolk but I doubt if the roads have improved to make the distances between the scenes of action as short as they appear.

All said I will put Elly on my list of authors to read even though I took a dislike to DCI Harry Nelson who I thought had no redeeming traits whatsoever.   

Kate Atkinson Started Early, Took My Dog

KATE ATKINSON
Started Early, Took My Dog

After page four I realised I had read this before, but that didn’t in the least distract from the enjoyment. Enjoyment on many different levels; the plot has many twists and turns though I didn’t spot them all, when they were unexpected they made sense, they were not like Agatha’s “here’s one I made earlier” moments (what puts me off reading Agatha, despite enjoying film and TV renditions). There was also the enjoyment you get from recognising the places she is talking about, obviously not a pleasure available to those not acquainted with God’s Own County. Though I suppose the greatest pleasure for me was in recognising the associations and chain of thought of the characters. I knew, before looking it up, that she must have been somewhere near my age (not quite as old). I oft muse, is pedantry a gift of age, or are we born with it.

It would be a disservice to describe this book as a detective novel; it is much more than that. Not in a putting off way, but there is a hint of social comment a modern Dickensian touch.

I am not particularly fond of “flashbacks” in either literature or film, but in this case it does not distract and as the main protagonists are participants of the “flashbacks”, it does fit in and serves the purpose. I reluctantly admit I am not put off by the fact the story leaves some questions unanswered, unless I missed them that is, doing that always leaves you the option to imagine the fate you think characters deserve.

All in all a very enjoyable read.

Val McDermid – NORTHANGER ABBEY

I have read many Val McDermid books and think it would be hard to surpass her inventiveness in creating perverted cruel inventive ways of killing people. I have never and probably will never read or have read any novels by Jane Austen. It is not that I have an aversion to her writing such as I have for the Bronte sisters; I suppose I have been put off by the costume dramas on TV.

I didn’t read the blurb to the book, I didn’t read that this was a re-working of Jane Austen’s book if I had and it had put me off I would have missed a pleasant romp. I don’t know why I enjoyed it or what kept me turning the pages, not a book I would ever have imagined reading. Not a single murder, not even a single death, but not having read the original (I have now read a synopsis and can see how close this rendition is) but I did want to know what happened, though it was pretty well signposted. I thought the Four years later chapter a bit rushed; I don’t know how that compared with the original. The original was written early in her career but not published till after her death, apparently Jane kept changing it.

The plot replaces Bath with Edenborough and introduces Social Media, someone (I think it may have been Val herself) speculates how Jane Austen would have coped if the rolls had been reversed and she rewrote Tony Hill and Carol Jordan. I suspect that given the respect Jane Austen still commands 200 years after putting pen to paper she would have made a decent fist of it.

Hakan Nesser - Woman With a Birthmark

HAKAN NESSER

Woman With a Birthmark

Chief Inspector Van Veeeren is not as angst driven as Kurt Wallender  and his team seem less burdensome. The cover blurb claims “he is being favourably compared with Henning Mankell and Stig Larson” OK so I might be biased but he is nowhere near Larson, not yet anyway, and for my taste he is nearer Mankell so “favourably compared” is probably a fare description.

This is one of those novels than accompanies the Victims, the perpetrator and the Police, so in some ways you know where it is going. Is it a “crime” novel or a “thriller”? Typical of “revenge” novels it inspires more empathy with the killer rather than the victims; no doubt a few more books into the series will encourage more bonding with the detectives. It does continue my education about Swedish weather and reinforces my impression of space, meaning I get the feeling that the population is not as dense as it is in West Yorkshire.

I did enjoy it and will seek out more from this author; there are at least three more that have been translated.

Henning Mankell - The Troubled Man

The Troubled Man

Henning Mankell

I can’t have many more Walanders to read, even with this one, all the way through I felt I had read it before, not enough to spoil the enjoyment. That is the trouble when reading books that have been televised, especially as the TV versions are always abridged versions, which is the nature of TV adaptations.

Until a couple of years ago, my knowledge of Sweden as a neutral country where nothing much happened, I pictured it being cold with a lot of snow. I also knew that Olof Palme was a Social Democrat Prime Minister that had been assassinated, but that was about it. But now after reading Millenium, Mankell, Hakan Nesser and others, and watching sub-titled TV films  I feel I know much more.

I now think of it being more wet than cold, I also understand that it has a very strong far right element and that their secret service and military have a great fear of their near neighbour, Ruussia. I see that many of their attitudes are like ours with many of the same tensions on immigration.

Back to the book, not a straight “detective” novel as it is mixed with espionage, but Walander  has his usual self-doubt and conflicts, his fear of getting old and losing his memory, not that he was ever confident in the earlier books, is a constant theme. Most of the action, and thinking, takes place whilst he is on suspension waiting to hear his fate.

Well worth a read.

DENNIS SKINNER - Sailing Close to the Wind

DENNIS SKINNER

Sailing Close to the Wind

Thanks Diane for giving me this book I can fully understand what attracted Albert to it.

I don’t usually read non-fiction and defiantly not “celebrity”   biographies but Dennis is an exception and thankfully I broke my habit. There can be few people in the UK who have any interest in politics who don’t know “The Beast of Bolsover” but how many appreciate his deeply held views and his principles?

I can’t really say it changed my opinion of Dennis; it would be difficult to hold him in higher regard. It did explain his position on the EU (though written before the referendum) views that with most things with Dennis are consistent.  It would be great to encourage people to read this book, to remind them, or in some cases reveal to them, what socialism means. To remind people that “class” is still with us, that the gap between Rich and Poor is probably greater than it has ever been, and still matters.

Dennis was forged in the mining community he grew up in, in local government and Trade Union politics (trade union politics in fighting to improve the lot of the working class) an “accidental” parliamentarian, not a “career” politician and all the better for it. I was never bored by the book; it is not a name dropping or self-promoting book, it does as is to be expected promotes and encourages the continuance of the battle to improve the lot of the working class from a unique prospective from a unique man.     

Only One Life - Sara Blaedel

ONLY ONE LIFE

Sara Blaedel

A couple of weeks since I read it, but a Danish writer examines attitudes to immigration and prejudices as a strong by line in this murder investigation. It is always a question, am I complimenting the writer or the translator? In this case two, Erik J Macki and Tara F Chace. However good the original story the translators must be have contributed in making this book a pleasure to read.

It seems to me that Denmark is not that different to the UK in misunderstandings of “other” religions or to be more accurate “cultures”. I do hope, even if in fiction it does seem to be a recurring theme, that the ease with which detectives jump to conclusions is not accurate. It’s a bit like the cliché, that the boss is always wrong, usually has not come up through the ranks, and despite the evidence of book after book, or in the case of TV week after week that the “hero” is proven correct, they dismiss their views. Often ordering that lines of investigation are abandoned later being proved wrong.

I know my choice of reading is getting very narrow, but I now read for enjoyment with no thought of improving my mind. It is what it is and it is probably too late to change it.

The Girl in the Spiders Web

The Girl in the Spiders Web

Larsson/Lagercrantz

When I found out that someone, David Lagercrantz had penned a sequel to Stieg Larsson’s Millennium Trilogy that provided enough of a stimulus to do what I had been planning to do, to read the trilogy again.

Being incapacitated meant that I could read all four books in less than a week. My grandfather read The Count of Monte Cristo every week, he never owned a copy but used to renew it each week at the Library, if someone else had reserved it, he wouldn’t bother with anything else but he would just wait for it to come back in. Why I mention that is because Monte Cristo has always been seen as the quintessential “revenge” story, my belief is that the Girl in the Spiders Web trilogy is the modern equivalent.

Though I was re-reading the first three I still couldn’t put them down, rooting for Lizabeth to be victorious and for all the evil doers to get their Just Deserts. It is always difficult when someone else picks up the story from such a successful series. Especially as the original was so well written, but I think this one is a success. It was always going to be difficult as the story had reached a successful conclusion but I think this though not entirely seamless addition is compelling. A friend was disappointed, my only complaint was that I thought the ending rushed, but I thought that of Hornet’s Nest.

Anyone new to Millennium I recommend it and I recommend reading the four in order.     

Ian Rankin - EVEN DOGS IN THE WILD

Ian Rankin

EVEN DOGS IN THE WILD

Anybody into detective novels must be into Rebus, and most must have hoped for a continuance when Rebus at last retired. We knew Fox could continue but he isn’t Rebus.  The other alternative was to let Siobhan star without John, instead we have all three working together with Big Ger thrown in for good measure.

Though I enjoyed it and couldn’t stop reading, it not surprisingly is not my favourite Rankin novel. I suppose there are still people who rely on TV  and enjoy Ken Stott’s portrayal, I can only advise you to read the books as well, as usual books paint a much more in depth picture though this one leans more on action rather than detection, I do like a bit of both.

Ann Cleeves

BLUE LIGHTNING

I unusually for Ann Cleeves want to start with a criticism, no it is not that I didn’t enjoy the book as usual I always wanted to read a few more pages even when I should be abed. No the criticism is trivial, it is this; was it a good idea to try to take a young girls mind off the fact that she was a suspect in the stabbing to death of her step mother in the study, by playing Cluedo? I can understand the Scrabble, was Cluedo a deliberate joke by Ann?

At the risk of repeating myself (no not risk, I am actually repeating myself) Douglas Henshall portrays Perez accurately to the book, in every aspect but one, his hair is not dark enough, he doesn’t look Spanish. But the portrayal of the character is spot on in my view, and again, as I have said previously, I have no way of knowing if the portrayal of Shetland is accurate, but it is convincing.

I thought the Times Literary Supplement’s comment “A fully satisfying novel” a bit mean, it was better than that. The Independent comment “Cleeves is excellent not just on mystery, but on the atmosphere of Fair Isle, and the effect of its strange character on the human population” goes someway further, but even that leaves out the way she describes the characters in her books she does not portray many neutrals, you do either associate, sympathise or despise nearly everyone she introduces.

If you read one of her Shetland books and don’t immediately want to read another, you have no taste.     

Sara Blaedel - Only One Life

SARA  BLAEDEL – Only One Life

I suppose the only reason we have been crept up on by Nordic Noir is the barrier created by our refusal to accept that people speak and write in languages other than English. Why else should we be surprised at the breadth and depth of literature from other countries.

It wouldn’t surprise me if the majority of UK readers think of Dumas, or even Tolstoy as English. We, or some of us have embraced sub titled versions classic Nordic Noir crime stories, even with sub-titles the “foreign” version of Wallander was closer to the book, assuming the translation was accurate than the somewhat anodyne UK rendition.

So it was with eager anticipation that I opened Sara Blaedel . Louise Rick does not have the same psychological problems that most Nordic detectives are usually portrayed with, but the book does tackle the racial prejudices of Denmark, that seem no different from the UK. It did seem that just like in UK soaps, the Police in fiction don’t really need any proper evidence to make arrests.

I suppose it is a matter of taste whether you would like this or not, it’s not really a thriller or a detective novel, rather a bit of both, it took a bit to get going, but I did enjoy it. I am always disappointed when the crime is solved in an Agatha Christie sort of way, in other words a new fact is introduced to solve the crime surreptitiously rather than with Holmes like deduction, but that’s my preference.    

Peter May - Cast Iron

PETER MAY - CAST IRON

Enzo Macleod, the scot in France, I made a mistake in reading this, yes I enjoyed it, Peter May has yet to disappoint, but this is the end of a series and I have two previous ones yet to read.

Not only does he describe the characters well he describes the setting well, I don't know if he describes the setting accurately as I have not been to most of the scenes but it is convincing. But on the top of that you add a good mystery and a good thriller.

I always feel I enjoy a book more if I identify which protagonists I like and which I dislike, May does not have many neutral characters in his books. The only slight criticism I have of this book is that he doesn't have much in about the downfall of the villains, he doesn't gloat enough in their comeuppance. This must be to do with me being a fan of Monti Cristo, the ultimate "revenge" story.

However so far I have enjoyed every one of his books I have read, the Lewis trilogy, the foray into Canada and the "Chinese" detective, in China that is not a Foo Man Choo pastiche. Though I have not read anything else about modern day China I did feel convinced.

Spenborough Cripples' League - A Brief Record 1911 to 1948

Spenborough Cripples' League - A Brief Record 1911 to 1948

Not the usual review, a little 16 page pamphlet recording the activities of local volunteers before the advent of the NHS. I don't know how many of these booklets survive or if this history is recorded anywhere else. The story needs telling.

I did wonder about using the word Cripple, but this is History and the story is about the "Cripples League"

The story started in 1911 in the year of the coronation of King George. During the celebrations and merrymaking arranged for the young and old, rich and poor it was realised that there was nothing for the many cripples in the district. A gift of 5/- was made to each of them as a memento of the occasion.

From this beginning the League was formed and continued right up to the formation of the NHS in 1948.

The booklet records many landmarks such as the opening of a clinic in 1924, some of the entries are listed below.

1915 Work carried out quietly during the war and 20 more patients added to the list.

1920 The committee asked Spenborough Council for a grant but were turned down.

1926 Second Sun-ray apparatus installed.

1933 Committee appointed third Masseuse to cope with extra work.

1938 A record number of plaster casts made for the correction of deformities.

1941 Praised for the remedy of "rickets"

1947 The Ministry of Health definitely informs us that we shall be taken over by them on July 5th 1948, and the Regional Hospital Board will then be in control.

Much of the booklet records fund raising events and the work of the volunteers.

Bernard Cornwell - The Last Kingdom Series

THE LAST KINGDOM

I have just re-read Warriors in the Storm, just to jog my memory before reading The Flame Bearer. Like the Sharpe series the descriptions of life and particularly fighting are very believable, with Sharpe there are sources to describe what it was like as a starting point, but Uhtred has had to be imagined without the same sources. However he has constructed the world that is very believable , much more so that the rather silly TV Viking series, his description of fighting in a shield wall conveys how frightening it must have been.
The notes at the end where he tells us what he has made up puts the "History" into perspective, but I feel however he has conjured up the descriptions, they bring what is already a great story even more interest. I particularly like the arguments between the Pagan and Christian ways, and the ghosts of Rome that permeate the landscape.
A series just as enjoyable as Sharpe, and if my memory serves me well, Hornblower. I do like these sagas that use History as a backdrop to a "cracking yarn".

Peter Robinson - Abattoir Blues

Peter Robinson
Abattoir Blues

The fact that I realised I had already read it in the first five pages and it must have been in the last two years, and the fact that I read it again and enjoyed it, tells how much I like this author.

This is despite the fact that I hate the TV rendition of DCI Banks. This is a case when I had already formed my own image of Banks before the TV series, I liked the book version of Banks, but hate the TV version, which may have something to do with the fact that I think the actor always looks like he's about to start crying, whatever role he is in.

The book though has believable characters, a captivating plot along with the added interest of trying to decide which part of the countryside is real and which is invented, especially as it is a part of the world we ride in regularly. I can't judge accuracy of Police Procedures but I do question the transportation of a £100,000 tractor in the back of a furniture van, along with a motorbike, and if he drove the van to the murder site, how did his motorbike get there?

As I said though a good read, ignore the TV.

Stephen Booth - Secrets of Death

STEPHEN BOOTH

SECRETS OF DEATH

 

I had to ponder over this one, I read it quickly because it was drawing me on, I didn't have to ponder because I didn't know if I enjoyed it, I did. What sent me into a pensive mood was; how much enjoyment I got through the development of the characters through the whole series (which I have read and enjoyed), how much I got through familiarity with Derbyshire (as a visitor), or from the development of the plot.

 

All I can say is I advise the reading of the series in order, I think this is the sixteenth. All have been enjoyable. As I said earlier the series breeds familiarity with the central characters, I always do wonder though, not just with Stephen Booth but with many other crime novels, are all superior Police Officers as bad as portrayed?