"River of Lies", by R.M. Greenaway

B.C. Blues Crime # 5

Ms. Greenaway has created another excellent story in rain drenched Vancouver for our enjoyment. It is preferable to follow this series in sequence otherwise you will definitely feel something is missing. Although, do not hesitate if you did to start the series here, each book has its own excellent mystery that would captivated you.

The plot is a complicated one and is cleverly thought of to give us an irresistible puzzle filled with cunning twists and a gripping police procedural. Two excellent cases that had my full attention from start to finish: one of a young woman who was left to die in a school parking lot, the case was taken over by Constable JD Temple while the second had Constables Dave Leith and Cal Dion concentrating on the mysterious disappearance of a toddler during a dinner party. In their chases to get to the bottom the detectives found many links between a tragic drowning, a violent assault and an apparent suicide that crisscrossed their paths and helped them to reach a conclusion and close their investigations.

Ms. Greenaway pens a multilayered mystery that is interesting and captivating but you have to forget about car chases, gun fights and Kung-Fu action, this mystery keeps a steady tempo rather slow moving till the end. Things may not move fast but the words are so vividly said you have time to imagine what is going on and create a colourful scenario in your mind. At best is the strong narrative all through that gives strengths to the investigations and inevitably holds us captivated, glued to every word from start to finish. Great characterisation to boot.

I received this ARC from Dundum Press via NetGalleys for my thoughts.

"Phantom", by Jo Nesbo

Harry Hole book #9

Jo Nesbo certainly can do plots but I found “The Phantom” to be less outlandish than some of his previous Hole novels. It is a story very hard to follow.

“Violin” is the new synthetic drug: potent and plays havoc with Oslo’s population and its distribution is controlled by a Russian gangster “Dubai” a shadowy figure who lurks behind all the action in Phantom. Of course the drug syndicate wants Oleg dead and that gives Hole license to pursue.

What a strange way to open your story: a chapter narrated by a rat? Fortunately the story unfolds through two perspectives: a conventional third-person narrative that follows Hole on his journey, interspersed with first-person memories and observations from the drug dealer.

The development rambles a lot and I found it to be a very complicated story with lots of plot threads that doesn’t seem true. This is one story that is woefully overwritten. I was consistently lost as to what and who I was supposed to be paying attention to. Unlike “Snowman” and “Leopard” it felt stale and by far less interesting. It’s also a bit slow-paced. “Phantom” took a long time to build up before anything of note happened. The second half of the book is far better structured with all the requisite twists and turns and with endless action and violence. But the good parts came too late to be an enjoyable read. This story is so hard to follow that I wanted to drop it many times….. But I stuck with it and read it to the end….I knew I needed to do so in order to have a smooth intro to the following novel.

Some stories are better than others…..this one is not my preferred.

"Be Careful What You Wish For", by Jeffrey Archer

The Clifton Chronicles book #4

The fourth novel in the Clifton Chronicles series picks up minutes where the “Best Kept Secret” left. Set in England and spanning the years 1957-1964 we follow the Clifton-Barrington family saga in their face off with Don Pedro Martinez, a smuggler who became a staunch enemy in the preceding book and is hell-bent to destroying them.

You definitely need to read the three first books before you get to this one. We do not have many details and the characters’ background to have a complete idea of what the Clifton Chronicles are about. (It would be a big miss on your part). Mr. Archer weaves an “unputdownable” story with the use of such simplest possible words. He is so easy to read, I wanted to keep reading just to find out what was happening to the Cliftons and the Barringtons and in what kind of troubles they managed to get into this time (the best part in my books). The story contains thrilling surprises page after page and is plotted with skills to play a cat-and mouse game with us. The tension and the built-up are terrific and have kept me on the edge of my seat.

No family saga is without a villain, this book has a good one, a well-drawn and believable character. While telling this tale, Mr. Archer's characters, even in the midst of blazing run-ins maintain their British elegance and dry sense of humour. What a treat to read.

Being a marvelous storyteller and a tease that he is, has managed to leave the story with an excellent cliff-hanger that constrains us to get the following installment (I already have it).

“Be Careful What You Wish For” is thoroughly engaging.

"The Princeling of Nanjing", by Ian Hamilton

Book #8 in the Ava Lee series

It is a sheer pleasure to read Ava Lee’s globe –trotting experiences. Each story is fresh. Although I know what to expect Mr. Hamilton throws enough curveballs to keep me curious and engaged. This latest follows “The King of Shanghai” where Ava embarked on a business partnership, The Three Sisters investment firm.

The “The Princeling of Nanjing” begins with a fashion show to launch the Po line of designer clothes. Before she can cherish her success, Ava is visited by Xu, who has a very serious problem. Xu is in trouble with a corrupt political dynasty and needs Ava’s help in the hope of finding something that can take the pressure off…. Ava and Xu had developed a relationship and a mutual trust in the last book.

It took me a few pages to get back into the groove and recall where I had left off but after a short time I was completely swept up in the story and enjoyed spending time with Ava as she navigates her world. In this episode we are treated to a lovely blueprint of how corruption might work in China. What I missed the most is we have little exhibition of lethal type Chinese martial arts that Ava often uses to put her words across, there are some subtle moves when she takes on two thugs sent to kidnap her but not what we usual see. The story moves along slowly and has many personal moments. Something is definitely brewing between Ava and Xu, seems we may have a growing affection here. Hopefully we will see how far this unexplored sexual attachment goes. It surely added piquancy to this story after all Ava is not into men…. What make this series delightful are the details Mr. Hamilton describes for the most exquisite meals, the customs and manners experienced whether you are in a high end or a hotpot restaurant. ….he compares a dish to a picture, a sport game, a musical performance and gives it personality…. I dare you not to smack your lips and savour along with the characters…. :) Some may find a wee bit too much description of food and too much traveling on unfamiliar roads in this book, I did at times. Ava is one smart, sassy, Toronto-based forensic accountant.

“The Princeling of Nanjing” is a thrill of a read that is hard to put down.

"Cilka's Journey", by Heather Morris

The Tattooist of Auschwitz book #2

This novel proclaims to be based on a true love story. Cilka whose real name is Cecilia Kovacoca was 16 in 1942 when she entered Auschwitz and was forced to become the commandant’s sex slave. On liberation, still only 19, she was charged as a collaborator by the Russians and sent to the Siberian gulags. In her new prison Cilka faced new and familiar challenges and confronted terror and death daily. She also found love.

“Cilka’s Journey” is based on research woven into a fictionalized story. The author states this is not a biography or an authoritative record of historical events but simply traces her heartbreaking journey through hell. The account particularly centers on the treatment of women in Vorkuta Gulag and the maltreatment and violence the men also had to endure. Brutality, rape and undernourishment were the ways of everyday life. Daily, force labor and the extreme cold awaited them to succumb.

Although this is the second novel in the series, “Cilka’s Journey” can easily work as a standalone. Throughout we have flashbacks skillfully weaved in spanning from 1939-1945 giving us enough background about Cilka’s past and also filling the gaps for those who have not read book #1.

Since I read very few books about the Russian Gulags I much appreciated the notes from Heather Morris and additional history on Vorkuta in the afterword by Owen Matthews. These chapters at the end of the book clarify what is factual to what was enhanced to suit the author’s narrative in order to make a most captivating story.

Thousands of prisoners were interned for all kinds of reasons and thousands died in the Gulags during the time Stalin was in power. After his death and a power struggle Khrushchev emerged victorious and denounced Stalin’s purges and ushered a less repressive regime, thousands of prisoners were pardon and sent free, Cilka’s and the man she had fallen in love with were among them.

I did not find this novel to have a depressing story but rather one that showcase resilience and hope. This is a well-written, well researched story hard to put down.

I receive this ARC from the publisher St-Martin’s Press via NetGalleys for my thoughts.

"Beyond the Moon, by Catherine Taylor

This debut novel is a poignant and stirring love story that brings together Lt Robert Lovett, a talented artist and British World War 1 hero and Louisa Casson, a young woman living in modern day England.

An historical fiction with time travel mix with a love story is not what I usual love to read. The synopsis sounded interesting so I gave it a go and I was not disappointed. This story is nicely written and shifts between 1917 with Robert fighting the war and 2017 with Louisa in a psychiatric hospital trying to maintain her sanity while she travels back in time to 1917 as a VAD nurse in France and back to the future in the insanity ward. The chapters weave between the two periods as they tell the wartime love story. At first, Louise passage to and from the past is inconsistent but mid-way when her stay in the past seems permanent, the story takes off and we have hope that the love birds may reconnect….awe.

The horrors of war are excellently captured with all the gore, the fear, starvation, filth, trench foot, putrid body parts, exposure to the elements, the medical treatments, etc. These war vignettes enable us to better understand the feelings experienced. Although the story is mostly set during the horrific reality of the war it also includes details on treatment of mental illnesses today.

Time travel, each book has its own way to get to the other side of time. In “Beyond the Moon” the author has given us the illusion that just opening a door will do the trick. It did for Louisa.

Putting aside that the pacing drags in places and it takes way too long before the characters come together this fantasy said with total lack of fuss is a joy to read. What an original way to tell a story….

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily