Devil's Peak by Deon Meyer (My New Obsession)

When I fall for a writer, with a backlist, I tend to fall hard.  It happened with John Connolly the last time in a big way.  I could not read enough John Connolly.  I scooped loads of his books up and stuffed them into my head.  Now I'm on a tiny sabatical before I burn out on Connolly. 

Then, a few weeks ago, I discovered this South African crimey thriller writer, Dean Meyer.  I read an interview with him hosted by a fellow review blogger here in the UK.  I liked his honesty and I thought his books sounded interesting.  Set in SA, where I'm from, I was intrigued to read what he'd done, having not been "home" for several years myself.  I thought I would have a decent distance to judge adequately how a foreigner would read the books, or rather, someone who's never been to South Africa and only knew of it as the place that gave birth to Apartheid, the place Mandela was locked away in and all the trouble with the ANC and the place where lions walk the streets.  (Sorry, I had to put that in there: if I had a pound for every time I was asked this question or one similar, I'd be able to dine out at Claridges at least three times a year).

 

I bought in two titles to read by Deon Meyer.  The first was Devil's Peak.  It's the first part of an ongoing series featuring a Cape Town police detective called Benny Griessel. This is the write-up nabbed from Amazon:

The former freedom fighter known as 'Tiny' has finally achieved his dream of a peaceful life. But then his beloved son is taken away from him. In that moment, he unleashes himself upon a corrupt South Africa. His victims are those guilty of crimes against children.

He goes by the name of Artemis.

Benny Griessel, a fading policeman on the brink of losing his job, family and self-respect, is assigned the case. Benny knows that this is his last chance - both his career and the safety of Cape Town are on the line.

But then Benny meets Christine, a young mother working as a prostitute, and something happens that is so terrifying that the world will never be the same again for Benny, for Christine, or for Tiny.

Within a few pages I was fully immersed in the world created by Meyer.  I felt so much empathy for this freedom fighter called Tiny because Meyer took great care to produce a well rounded, interesting, conflicted character.  Let's be clear here: this surprised me, as I remember the fears we had growing up about these freedom fighters, these boys and men who would kill and destroy and burn homes and schools and innocent people in order to get the point across. The old adage of: someone's freedom fighter is another person's terrorist, is an adage I grew up with.  For Meyer to take someone whom I thought of as the "enemy" growing up in SA and making him an character I have so much empathy for, turning him into an actual living breathing person, not just a faceless frightening person, making him someone I cared deeply about, is testament to Meyer's skill as an author. 

Tiny is supposed to be the antagonist in Devil's Peak but he's also the hero - in my opinion, he is. His character development is handled with such skill and everything he did you believed in.  His motivations were clear and you are with him every step of the way as he goes through his various "kills".  I sobbed my eyes out a few times - thank heavens for waterproof mascara, Mr. Meyer! 

Onto Benny Griessell.  What a complete fuck-up of a main character.  Benny is basically a victim of his own abuse.  And I utterly loved him for it. He is messed up, and piteous and whiny and so completely self-absorbed that it takes him most of the book to realise exactly how badly he has screwed up his life.  His wife kicks him out because he's a drunkard and she's had enough.  He tries to stop drinking and goes through this whole period of withdrawal.   His boss (Mat Joubert) gives him a talking to that made me crow with laughter and admiration because I could hear it so clearly spoken in my head.  The dressing down Benny gets, the complete telling off is worthy of an award in itself.  I kinda wish I was clever enough to scan that speech in to copy it in here, but I actually read it out to Mark and we both collapsed laughing at it because of it's sheer brilliance.  Needless to say: tough love is strong and living well in Deon Meyer's writing. 

And through all of this, Benny's been tasked to track down Tiny and to stop him.  Tied in with all of this (makes big hand gestures) we've got a young woman named Christine telling her story to a hapless priest somewhere in South Africa.  Somehow her story is connected to all of this and as the narrative moves ahead it becomes more and more clear how it fits in with Benny and Tiny's story. 

I have feelings about this book, about the writing, the settings, the people, the author.  And it's kinda canted over into being wholeheartedly smitten with the entire package, reader, I won't lie.  The book has shown me what a good writer can do, like John Connolly's novels: it makes you believe in characters who have dubious morals and it makes you love them, just a little bit, and care about them and how things work out for them ultimately. 

Standing back from my obvious infatuation, I would say that as a "foreigner" some aspects would seem difficult to understand but only initially because everything is within context.  Meyer never shies from writing honestly about corruption and the harsh realities of living and working in South Africa.  It's a very real world, inhabited by people of all colours and creeds and to Meyer's credit, he doesn't hold back or rather, to me it doesn't seem like he's holding back and he gives us the full scope of life on the force, the difficulties, the politics, the realities.  I also think that Meyer's got an incredible eye for detail and his observations and commentary hits home.  It made me smile wryly and nod and it shocked me too - racism is still there, but not in the way most people would expect.  But then, there's also friendships and compassion that transcends gender and race and that's incredibly important to point out to first time readers too, I think. 

I'd also like to do a shout-out to Mr. Meyer's translator as he writes the books in Afrikaans and it is then translated into English (and various other languages) which in itself is incredible as although I'm supposed to be Afrikaans and can understand it really well, trying to speak it, nevermind translating it, blows my mind.  Stupidly, I didn't make a note of who the translator is and I'm sorry, but really, they have done an amazing job because the writing flows beautifully and there is a lyricism to the prose when it comes to describing the characters' emotions but also the beauty and realities of this world, that gives me shivers.  It shows that Mr. Meyer and his translator must work very closely on keeping the integrity of each book. 

I went straight from reading Devil's Peak into the second Benny Griessell novel: Thirteen Hours.  Which, although it's still a Benny Griessell novel, is completely different to the first novel which was a very intimate character study of two very different men and a tormented woman, set against a backdrop of a country still struggling to make sense of the big issues that face them.  I'll review Thirteen Hours next week but basically: you'd be a fool not to want to read it.  My third Deon Meyer title should be delivered in the next few days and I can't wait to read it - it's not a Benny Griessell novel, but a standalone, and I can't wait to indulge.  

The Peach Keeper by Sarah Addison Allen

It’s the dubious distinction of thirty-year-old Willa Jackson to hail from a fine old Southern family of means that met with financial ruin generations ago. The Blue Ridge Madam—built by Willa’s great-great-grandfather during Walls of Water’s heyday, and once the town’s grandest home—has stood for years as a lonely monument to misfortune and scandal. And Willa herself has long strived to build a life beyond the brooding Jackson family shadow. No easy task in a town shaped by years of tradition and the well-marked boundaries of the haves and have-nots.

But Willa has lately learned that an old classmate—socialite do-gooder Paxton Osgood—of the very prominent Osgood family, has restored the Blue Ridge Madam to her former glory, with plans to open a top-flight inn. Maybe, at last, the troubled past can be laid to rest while something new and wonderful rises from its ashes.

Resonant with insight into the deep and lasting power of friendship, love, and tradition, The Peach Keeper is a portrait of the unshakable bonds that—in good times and bad, from one generation to the next—endure forever.

If, like me, you are intrigued by these society clubs women have in the South, that date back several generations, and wonder why exactly they came about and why they come across like secret members clubs, then The Peach Keeper goes a little distance to try and explain at least one of these societies to us.

Paxton Osgood is such a great character - she makes lists, she's obsessive about them. She's made them all her life. It is a way she controls her life, a way she can make sense of it. She prefers things to be done in a certain way. She's uptight, always well turned out and seems to be very much in charge, of everything. She is easily categorised - always popular in school, she got good grades, she was a social darling. But there is far more to the socialite than we are aware. Reluctant to move away from home, she has a very difficult relationship with her mum. Her dad zones in and out of life, letting his wife control things, as he's no doubt just found it easier to do accept what she wants to do, rather than try and fight her. Paxton, what a great name!, has a twin brother, Colin who, unlike Paxton cannot stand to be at home, with his family. He left Walls of Water to become a landscape architect and makes sure he hardly ever comes home. But this time he does, as Paxton has asked his help in landscaping the gardens at The Blue Ridge Madam, specifically to remove the huge peach tree that grew randomly from the soil near the house, and replace it with something else.

It is when Colin comes back, that he walks into Willa's life. And she's not at all happy. Willa, quiet, unassuming, runs an eco hiking and sports good store. She's lived in Walls of Water all her life, went to college, dropped out of college and moved back after her father's death. Long before that, her family had been as prominent as the Osgood's but in the time of her grandmother they had lost The Blue Ridge Madam and a lot of people had been hurt. Now, with Paxton fixing up the house, she invites Willa along to the opening gala. And Willa definitely doesn't want to go. She wants nothing to do with Madam, with the Osgoods, especially not with Colin. In school Willa used to be the Joker, the prankster, who created havoc. No one knew about it though - she did it quietly, without fuss, and watched the chaos unfold all around her. And then, one of her pranks got blamed on Colin Osgood and for a while she let it go. When she eventually revealed herself everyone was shocked - they couldn't believe it was this quiet girl who had gone about and created this much madness. As a consequence her dad lost his job at school and she blamed herself for basically destroying both their lives.

She's in Walls of Water to do a penance, to make a quiet life for herself, to hide. She refuses to have anything to do with anyone from her old life, goes home, does her laundry, never goes out and basically hides. But it's when Paxton and Colin start interfering in her life, that she stands no chance of remaining a quiet mouse too scared to live her life.

This novel is so well written, the love story between Colin and Willa is so great, along with the cautious friendship between Paxton and Sebastian, that could be more, if only he wasn't gay. The thing about SAA is that she writes characters so well, draws them so finely, and yet she manages to surprise you each time. She also excels at writing relationships and layering them and making this pattern you only see when you close that final cover and sit back and think about things.

Tied in with the story of Willa and Paxton and how their friendship develops is the story of their grandmothers as young women. I was a bit reminded of The Divine Secrets of the YA Ya Sisterhood but this is far better written, I have to say. You get such an amazing sense of place and time through her descriptions and the way the young women came up with a society to strengthen themselves and yet how now, things have changed and the society has become something so very different.

The whole of The Peach Keeper is infused with coffee and glorious food and sunshine and the mystery of the South. If you've liked any of the other books I've ever recommended, you will enjoy and come to love Sarah Addison Allen's writing. There is a magic to her books that transports you - and that's what good writing does, no matter how dull and wet the weather is outside or how miserable you feel in yourself.

Do visit her website - she has recipes and extracts from all her books on there and they make for fun reading!

Random Bits #7

A quick bit of Random Bits on a Tuesday - we look at new books coming from Hot Key Books and the new cover for Darren Shan's Zom-B from Simon & Schuster. And for good measure, because I adore this book so much, the paperback cover for Daughter of Smoke and Bones.

Hot Key Books have announced their debut list to all the world and there are some corkers.  I'm particularly excited about there three titles:

I love anthologies and Under My Hat has every one of my favourite authors in it.  Charles de Lint!!!  Jane Yolen!!! Garth Nix! Holly Black! Jim Flipping Butcher! Tim Pratt! Delia Sherman (I love her) Tanith blinking Lee! *points at the picture* Just look at them all! The list is so incredible, my eyes have started watering. This anthology should win awards purely going by the names of awesome contributors.  These guys and girls are the who's who of writing speculative fiction for younger readers and older teen readers and adult readers too.  *muppet flail*  My friends, I think I'm in heaven.

 I have no idea what this book is about.  From the cover I get a bit of Howl's Moving Castle and Avatar with a bit of Stardust.  Ah, but cleverly, I've gone and read the write-up about this one and I'm loving it even more:

Set in an imagined world where water has run out and the Cloud Hunters take to the sky to harvest water from the clouds.

In a world where water is scarce and jellyfish swim through the sky, mollycoddled teenager Christian dreams of excitment and danger.  When he meets the exotic and alluring Jenine and her family of Cloud Hunters, he becomes determined to fulfil that dream...

I do like Gareth P Jones's writing - he constantly surprises me with brilliant books and just lets his imagination run wild:

Sam Toop lives in a funeral parlour. While his dad buries the dead, Sam is haunted by their constant demands for attention. Trouble is afoot on the "otherside" and there is a mysterious disease imprisoning ghosts into empty houses, leaving Sam caught in the middle.

The list looks like so much fun.  This link will take you to their catalogue as it stands at the moment.
Next up is the cover for Darren Shan's new book: ZOM-B.  I couldn't believe it when I saw it - it is both gory and gross and perfect at the same time.  I love it!

I mean, come on - who in their zombie-loving mind won't like this? From Amazon: Zom-B is a radical new series about a zombie apocalypse, told in the first person by one of its victims. The series combines classic Shan action with a fiendishly twisting plot and hard-hitting and thought-provoking moral questions dealing with racism, abuse of power and more. This is challenging material, which will captivate existing Shan fans and bring in many new ones. As Darren says, "It's a big, sprawling, vicious tale...a grisly piece of escapism, and a barbed look at the world in which we live. Each book in the series is short, fast-paced and bloody. A high body-count is guaranteed!"

I have no words.  I have grabby hands looking at this cover.  I didn't think Hodder would have been able to entice me into buying my fourth copy of the same book, but they have.  Here's my review I did for it all that time ago.

The Girl Who Chased The Moon by Sarah Addison Allen

Emily Benedict came to Mullaby, North Carolina, hoping to solve at least some of the riddles surrounding her mother’s life. Such as, why did Dulcie Shelby leave her hometown so suddenly? And why did she vow never to return? But the moment Emily enters the house where her mother grew up and meets the grandfather she never knew—a reclusive, real-life gentle giant—she realizes that mysteries aren’t solved in Mullaby, they’re a way of life: Here are rooms where the wallpaper changes to suit your mood. Unexplained lights skip across the yard at midnight. And a neighbor bakes hope in the form of cakes.


Everyone in Mullaby adores Julia Winterson’s cakes—which is a good thing, because Julia can’t seem to stop baking them. She offers them to satisfy the town’s sweet tooth but also in the hope of rekindling the love she fears might be lost forever. Flour, eggs, milk, and sugar . . . Baking is the only language the proud but vulnerable Julia has to communicate what is truly in her heart. But is it enough to call back to her those she’s hurt in the past?


Can a hummingbird cake really bring back a lost love? Is there really a ghost dancing in Emily’s backyard? The answers are never what you expect. But in this town of lovable misfits, the unexpected fits right in.

When Emily arrived in Mullaby, North Carolina, she doesn't expect her grandfather to be a giant. He's tall, taller than most people. But he's kind and gentle and is cautious around her. He's not had a teenager around the house for a long time and has no real way how to deal with them. He does however warn Emily about the continuously changing wallpaper in her room. Initially Emily thinks he's joking, but then she sees it for herself and automatically thinks that he's somehow managed to super-quickly change the wallpaper, which is an impossibility because he no longer does stairs very well and confines himself to the downstairs. Added to the ever-changing wallpaper to suit her mood, there is the weird lights in the garden that she sees almost from the start of her stay in Mullaby. They are, according to her grandfather and others that she speaks to, just one of the strange things that happen in Mullaby.

Another strange thing in Mullaby is Emily and her grandfather's neighbour, Julia. Julia has a gift for baking and she seems to bake all the time. She is the owner of a restaurant in the town, but doesn't really run it. She goes in super early, to get baking for the day, then leaves pretty soon as the first customers come in. And there is something a bit magical about Julia's baking. Emily and Julia, despite their age difference, become good friends. And when Emily finds out that her mum, now passed away, used to treat Julia quite badly, she feels bad. And the more she finds out about how nasty her mum used to be to people in Mullaby, the more shocked she becomes because the person she knew, loved and grew up with was maybe not the kindest person in the world, she definitely went out of her way to do good. Who her mum used to be as a teenager and who Emily knew her to be as an adult is a million thousand miles apart.

And when the full extent of what her mum did to cause the entire town to hate her, is revealed to Emily, it blows her world apart. She has to finish high school in Mullaby but doubts that she'll be able to set a foot outside her door. What complicates matters is the fact that she has a growing attraction to a young man who lives in Mullaby and because of what her mum did to the boy's family, she is reviled and persona non grata.

Julia's story is woven in with Emily's. Both of them are broken in some way. Julia's story is one we find out about much later in the book yet it is the one that had the most impact on me as a reader. I loved her story, I loved how things worked out for her, especially near the very end.

Sarah Addison Allen is one of my all time favourite writers. There is something about her writing that makes me yearn to be a better writer, to weave intricate characters the way she does. I fall in love with them EVERY SINGLE TIME and sob my heart out when I finish reading them. And then I want to somehow unread them, so I can fall in love with them all over again. I don't know how to describe her writing. It's lyrical and beautiful and charming and funny, but it is also literary and thoughtful and magical and so full of what-ifs, yet you never stop to think: oh, that's not possible in the Real World. I love that and can't press her books on you with enough enthusiasm. I am doing her disservice saying this but if you've watched Practical Magic and even read the novel by Alice Hoffman, you may get a faint inkling what you let yourself in for when you fall in love with Sarah Addison Allen's writing.

My next review will be The Peach Keeper, also by SAA. Because I went into a frenzy and just had to read the newest one too.

Outpost by Adam Baker

Kasker Rampart: a derelict refinery platform moored in the Arctic Ocean. A skeleton crew of fifteen fight boredom and despair as they wait for a relief ship to take them home. But the world beyond their frozen wasteland has gone to hell. Cities lie ravaged by a global pandemic. One by one TV channels die, replaced by silent wavebands.

The Rampart crew are marooned. They must survive the long Arctic winter, then make their way home alone. They battle starvation and hypothermia, unaware that the deadly contagion that has devastated the world is heading their way..

Outpost was one of a handful of books I picked up after Christmas courtesy of some very welcome gift vouchers. I like dystopic/ apocalyptic stories, and the premise was an intriguing one (the great opening line helped too) and while it took me longer than expected to get a chance to read it, in retrospect the timing was good as I finally got stuck in as an unexpected cold snap hit us.

Outpost opens with a suicide bid by what will be one of the main characters, and the tension begin to trickle in almost immediately afterwards as news of the worldwide pandemic finally filters through to the rig. The information that comes through is sketchy, and not knowing what is actually happening out there keeps you from pigeonholing the story and adds to the atmosphere.

Suffice to say that things start going awry sooner rather than later, more often than not due to very real, very human fears, all accelerated by dwindling food supplies and the first terrifying and bewildering encounter with the reality of what is waiting out there. Hard decisions need to be made as conflict tears the crew apart, and while there are some solid action sequences, the real impact comes from the conflict between the characters and the slow implosion of their hopes and dreams in the face of the utterly bleak and alien future that awaits them.

Outpost surprised me at several turns, evolving as it did from the expectations of a survival-horror into the sinister lovechild of The Thing and 28 Days Later. As a debut novel it punches way above its weight, and Adam Baker is certainly someone to keep an eye out for in the future.

Liz says: I read this one before Mark and was smitten by the slow creeping horror of the story, about how this handful of survivors would survive. It's a slow burning psychological thriller that freaked me out. In fact, it took me ages to finish it, after the initial rush of reading more than two thirds of the book in a day. I wanted to believe that everything was just an awful dream. Needless to say, it wasn't. Adam is definitely an up and coming horror writer and one I'm looking forward to reading more, specifically in Juggernaut, his 'prequel' to Outpost.

You can visit Adam's blog here.

Every Dead Thing by John Connolly

Homicide cop Charlie "Bird" Parker was drunk when the killer known as the Travelling Man dissected his wife and his daughter. Parker's guilt and obsession with revenge have taken him well beyond the law, causing him to beat a pimp to death and accept the friendship of a notable hitman. Yet his old colleagues know that any one of them might have gone down the same path, in the same circumstances, and they and FBI man Woolrich still find him and his obsessions useful. Leaving mayhem and destruction in his wake, Parker finds every private investigation he takes leading him back to his family's killer--is this an obsession, or is he treading a maze of murder built just for him? And can the obsessed Parker accept the love of a bright woman pathologist without wrecking her life as well? Small Virginia towns with guilty secrets, the drugs deals that unite smart New York society with the madness of a decadent Mafia dynasty, the very different gang wars of New Orleans and the mysteries of the Louisiana swampland--this is an intelligent book packed with puzzles, characters and brilliantly visualised locations that most thriller-writers would have spun out for a series.


The above write-up is straight from Amazon by Roz Kaveney and you know, I couldn't have summed this book up any better.


What I am however going to say is that this is my first ever John Connolly novel and I was blown away by the writing, and the intricately layered plot, bearing in mind this was his debut novel back in 1999.

I genuinely came to like Charlie Parker as a character. He is messed up, a bit mouthy, yet honest enough with himself when he's in crappy situations, knowing that invariably he's put himself in those situations through his direct actions. His motivation for doing anything is transparent and although he is a bit terrier-like when it comes to focussing on a goal, he's clever enough to see the wider picture...and then still going ahead and doing what he feels is the right thing. I like that he thinks outside the box and is a bit of a loose canon and that through all of this, he is still such a solid dependable presence.

What I also thoroughly enjoyed is Connolly's writing style. He writes, for the lack of a better description, deeply. When Charlie and his FBI mate Woolrich head for New Orleans, I had no doubt in my mind that there is where we were. We live and breathe Orleans and the swamp and the meetings with the various locals. It gets under your skin, you can feel the oppressive heat and you can see the magic of the place just under the skin. What I also liked about the writing is that Connolly gives Charlie this something extra, almost a sixth sense, a deeper understanding of what's going on. I know, it sounds odd, but there are moments that I read Every Dead Thing and it gave me chills, for instance: Charlie is travelling back to New Orleans to meet with a witch, a soothsayer, as she's asked to see him urgently.

Then, just as it seemed my head was going to explode from the pain and the pressure, I heard a voice, the voice of an old, black woman in the Louisana swamps.


"Chile," said the voice. "Chile, he's here."


And then my world turned black.

It is so well balanced, these slight almost supernatural links, throughout the story, along with the growing legend of this human killer The Travelling Man, that I utterly fell, hook, line and sinker, for Charlie's story and Mr. Connolly's writing. Reading this there is definitely a sense of "more".

Charlie isn't the only character. He has a supporting cast and they are very much all worth a mention.  Favourites are Louis and Angel who stole stole my heart - these guys may not be on the right side of the law, but you know you want them on your side when bad things go down. And through loyalty and friendship and honour, they are by Charlie's side when he asks them for help. They step up to the plate, do what's been asked of them, then quietly disappear. Genuinely, my reading experience was made richer for these two characters' appearance.   Also, they are so bloody cool!

I have no idea what happens in the other Charlie Parker books and I am content not to, because I will be savouring each one in the next few months as I've come to realise that I can't not read them. I mentioned that I was reading John Connolly on twitter and how much I was enjoying the writing, the action, the characters, just all of it, and had a tranche of friends and strangers talk to me about John Connolly and Charlie and how great his books are. As if I needed more convincing!

I hate doing the "if you like x you will like y" but in this instance I think I can confidently say that if you like Lee Childs and Jack Reacher, you will love John Connolly and Charlie Parker. And similarly, if you like John Connolly and you've not read SJ Bolton, you should. Both very complex writers with a good eye for detail. Also, no one does creepy the way SJ Bolton does creepy, although Mr. Connolly comes pretty damn close.

In other words, cutting to the bone of the matter: John Connolly's Every Dead Thing is definitely worth the ££. Satisfying and clever writing. I'm putting the rest of the books on my goodreads and Amazon wishlist.

There is an excellent Q&A on John Connolly's site about Every Dead Thing.  It's a bit spoilery but I had to go and read it to find out what made him write the book and what went in to creating Charlie Parker.

Daughter of Smoke and Bone - Competition Winners!

Yes, I've said "Winners" - even though I was going to give away only the hardback finished copy of DoSaB I have had such an overwhelming response on Twitter about this competition, I have decided to throw in proof copy of DoSaB to another winner.

So, thanks to random.org who chose the following:

Zoe Marriott from Twitter as @zmarriott - gets the hardback

and

Alex Mullarky from Twitter as @ajmullarky - gets the paperback proof

Hope you both love your wins! I am taking the books with me to Monday evening's Laini Taylor event and will get her to sign and dedicate them to you both.

Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor

Errand requiring immediate attention. Come.

The note was on vellum, pierced by the talons of the almost-crow that delivered it. Karou read the message. 'He never says please', she sighed, but she gathered up her things.

When Brimstone called, she always came.

In general, Karou has managed to keep her two lives in balance. On the one hand, she's a seventeen-year-old art student in Prague; on the other, errand-girl to a monstrous creature who is the closest thing she has to family. Raised half in our world, half in 'Elsewhere', she has never understood Brimstone's dark work - buying teeth from hunters and murderers - nor how she came into his keeping. She is a secret even to herself, plagued by the sensation that she isn't whole.

Now the doors to Elsewhere are closing, and Karou must choose between the safety of her human life and the dangers of a war-ravaged world that may hold the answers she has always sought.


When we meet Karou she's walking through Prague, in the snow, on her way to school.  This immediately resonated with me as I had been to Prague earlier this year for my birthday and it had been very cold and snowy.  I snuggled down to read the rest and was so quickly immersed in the story, I forgot where I was.

At school it transpires that Karou is a bit of an enigma to her school friends.  She has blue hair, her art is crazy and she makes up stories about the characters and creatures she draws and everyone probably thinks she's suitably odd and bohemian but what they don't know is that these stories she makes up and the creatures she draws are in fact real.  That although she upholds this facade of being a slightly eccentric human, her life is indeed very odd.  She travels via doorways all over the world to collect teeth (human, animal and other) from various sellers, and brings them back to the creature who raised her who goes by the name of Brimstone.  I say creature as Brimstone is part human, part something other.  A minotaur like creature, he rules over the shadowy home he shares with Issa, who in turn is part human/part snake.  There are other creatures too that exist in Karou's world but right now we just need to know about Brimstone.

As Karou gets asked to visit various places, running these tooth collecting and buying errands for Brimstone, she notices that the doorways she usually uses are being locked against her.  When she comes face to face with an angelic creature who tries to kill her Karou's world tilts on its axis and she has to fight for her life to survive.

Back in Prague things get out of hand and Karou is unable to gain access to the house she grew up in and her life crumbles around her.  To make matters worse, the angelic creature followed her to Prague and is actively stalking her.

Things spin out of control after this and we are swept away in an adventure full of magical realism which I adored.  Laini makes use of various mythologies with a splattering of Judeo-Christian religion thrown in for good measure, and spins this incredible urban fantasy which you can't help but falling for.  It moves from our own contemporary times, back into the past where the storytelling becomes even more high concept and Laini's writing swells into this crescendo of voice and characterisation and superb storytelling.  She plays with archetypes, myths and legends, half-remembered truths and lies and gives us something utterly unique that can only ever be written by someone called Laini Taylor.

Having read a lot of urban fantasy - both "old school" (de Lint, Emma Bull etc) and the newer urban fantasy (Patty Briggs, Kate Griffin, Mike Carey) Laini manages to be a bit of both.  Thinking about DoSaB made me realise that it is a very European novel in the sense that, not only is it set in Prague and other cities in Europe and the Med, it also has this distinct feel of being European, like Carlos Ruiz Zafon's books feel European or the way Guilermo del Toro's Pan's Labyrinth and The Orphanage feels European.  There is a slight bit of discomfort under your skin when you read or watch these movies because even though you know the mythology, and the story beats are familiar, the way it's being presented is different and unusual and you aren't entirely sure what's going to happen next.

Daughter of Smoke and Bone will be on my list of top 12 books for 2011.  It is beautiful, unusual, charming and has such a strong voice, I still think about it months after reading it for the first time.  It's a keeper and a re-reader.

In fact, I was wondering how I could show my love for this book in a visual way... and found this epic picture last night.  Now, you will have to read the book to "get" the in joke, but it is still pretty cool.

And this is the part I'm super excited about:

You can win a copy! I have one completed hardback copy of Daughter of Smoke and Bone to give away.   If you're on Twitter, go tell me you want to win this book.  Find me at @LizUK.

If you don't have a twitter account, leave a comment for me here.  I will choose a winner via random.org  and announce it tomorrow morning, Friday 30th September. This is for the UK only, I'm afraid!  The book will be posted out next week after I've had it signed and dedicated to the lucky winner on Monday night by Laini who will be in the UK.  Cool, or WHAT?

Go!

Daughter of Smoke and Bone - Final Trailer

Tomorrow is the release date for Laini Taylor's superb Daughter of Smoke and Bone.  But today, we have the final video trailer the publishers had created for the book. This trailer introduces us to Karou's best friend, Zuzanna.



I will also be giving a way a finished hardback copy of DoSaB tomorrow, so make sure to stop by and also follow me on twitter as @LizUK as the competition will be run both on the blog and on Twitter.

And more than that, if you win, I will take the hardback with me to an exclusive evening with Laini Taylor on Monday night and get her to personalise and sign it for you too.

Trust me on this, if there is any book that is worth the hype, Daughter of Smoke and Bones is it.

Daughter of Smoke & Bone - Third Trailer

The lovely goodies just keep turning up. Next gorgeous trailer for the hotly anticipated Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor just in from the publishers.



And! The other reason I love this video is because the artwork we see as Karou's is actually created by friend to MFB and all round cool guy: Tom Percival.

Here is a lovely post on the Daughter of Smoke and Bone website about the creation of the artwork and videos.

There once was a young artist called Karou who drew tales of monsters and demons that delighted and enthralled those around her.

But she has a secret, a secret that ties her to a dusty subterranean chamber, where her beloved guardian brokers dark deals in a place that is not here. A place that is Elsewhere.

Living with one foot in each world, Karou has never really known which one is her true home.

Now the doors to Elsewhere are closing...

If you're on Twitter, be sure to check out:

#DaughterofSmokeandBone

@HodderBooks

@SmokeandBone

And of course, Team MFB is: @LizUK / @esssjay (Sarah) / @Gergaroth (Mark)

We go Delirium mad!

Some time ago now, Sarah reviewed Delirium for MFB.  We've just been told that the paperback is out TODAY and so Hodder are going all out to make a big splash about it...and we thought we'd throw our own few pebbles in the pond to celebrate the paperback release.

First up, we have the Delirium trailer that is quite cool - it is interactive and fun to play with:



But then, I also do love the cover of the paperback:

And, to crown it all, Hodder are running a competiton to win five copies of the sequel to Delirium: Pandemonium to give away to some lucky winners.  Click here to check it out.

And then, Hodder also let us have some reading group questions too, which are below. However please note:

***spoilers below if you've not read the book**



My Soul to Take by Yrsa Sigurdardottir

Synopsis

A grisly murder is committed at a health resort situated in a recently renovated farmhouse, which turns out to be notorious for being haunted. Attorney Thora Gudmundsdottir is called upon by the owner of the resort - the prime suspect in the case - to represent him. Her investigations uncover some very disturbing occurrences at the farm decades earlier – things that have never before seen the light of day... 

MY SOUL TO TAKE is a chilling, dark and witty crime novel, and a welcome return for Thora, the heroine of the highly-acclaimed LAST RITUALS. 

I recently spotted My Soul To Take at Waterstone's and snatched it up as part of a 3 for 2 deal (the other two are all historical crime) as I had the opportunity to read and review Yrsa's first novel, Last Rituals and remember her sense of humour and her tight plotting very well. 

MSTT is testimony of a job well done to the author and her translators as I don't think I've read any other translated fiction (apart from Arturo Perez Reverte's books) who really work so well in putting you right there, in the midst of this small desolate Icelandic community.  Don't get me wrong, I like Nesbo and Mankell, but MSTT is something very special indeed.

Thora is asked by a client to come and investigate what he calls a building defect on the farm (now a health spa) and when she questions him, it turns out that he's been seeing a ghost.  But then so has some of his staff at the hotel spa.  He claims that the previous owners purposefully didn't disclose this as they knew he wanted to open a holistic spa and hotel and that those staying there would naturally be sensitive to disturbances such as ghosts.  It could mean his ruin.

It makes a weird kind of sense, so Thora bundles her kids off to her ex-husband and drives out to the hotel.  In the meantime the architect her client had hired to design a new annexe gets killed in a most awful way and it is into this chaos that Thora finds herself.

As Thora struggles to deal with her clients' diva-ish behaviour, she does her best to make sense of what exactly he wants her to do about the ghost but then, when it turns out that a text from her client's phone lured the architect to the beach, suspicion falls on him and she has to bend her considerable personality and knowledge and levelheadedness into figuring out the murder, the mystery about the ghost and the overall mystery of the farm the hotel is situated on, combined with the enigma of the families who lived there in the past.

Add to this Thora's lover from Germany turning up and her kids deciding that they can't stand listening to their dad sing "Eye of the Tiger" one more time, and then taking Thora's caravan and driving off with it.  Bad enough that it's her kids doing it, but they also take her son's pregnant girlfriend with them...

Yrsa Sigurdardottir is an amazingly fresh voice in Icelandic crime.  She writes engaging humourous characters that feel so real.  The element of creepiness is there, and although Thora herself is levelheaded and more likely to laugh at a ghost than believe in it, as the atmosphere of the area and the crimes she uncovers come to the fore, there are several back-shivery moments.

I can't praise My Soul to Take enough - it is darkly funny with off-kilter characters that stay with you long after the book ends.  The translators do a really ace job putting across the feel of the landscape, the awfulness of the two modern day crimes  committed and the lingering unease of the mystery surrounding an awful long ago act by a desperate man as well as the the quirkiness of the characters. 

I also think Ms. Siguradardottir's own sense of humour and sense of michief comes to the fore in her writing and it carries over really well into translation. I'd recommend My Soul to Take if you are in a mood for a very well written crime novel with a variety of twist and turns, which is a deeply satisfying read, or, if you're interested in reading her debut, do try Last Rituals and then go out and buy My Soul to Take. You won't be disappointed.

Ash by Malinda Lo

In the world of ASH, fairies are an older race of people who walk the line between life and death, reality and magic. As orphaned Ash grows up, a servant in her stepmother’s home, she begans to realise that her beloved mother, Elinor was very much in tune with these underworld folk, and that she herself has the power to see them too. Against the sheer misery of her stepmother's cruelty, greed and ambition in preparing her two charmless daughters for presentation at court, and hopefully Royal or aristocratic marriage, Ash  befriends one of these fairies–a mysterious, handsome man–who grants her wishes and restores hope to Ash's existence, even though she knows there will be a price to pay. But most important of all, she also meets Kaisa, a huntress employed by the king, and it is Kaisa who truly awakens Ash’s desires for both love and self-respect...Ash escapes a life with her grim and self-serving stepmother and finds her beloved one...

ASH is a fairy tale about possibility and recognizing the opportunities for change. From the deepest grief comes the chance for transformation.

Ash is on first reading a very quiet book.  There are no blazing battles, no in your face moments of shock and horror.  It is as you sit through the story that you realise that what you're reading is far more than what you expected and also more unusual.  

Obviously, reading the above synopsis you will notice that instead of Ash falling in love with the handsome prince, she instead is captivated by the King's huntress.  I loved this!  Such a wonderful spin on the usual tale which really lifts this lovely story into its very own. 

The author, Malindo Lo, has this ability to draw you into the story as it is deeply atmospheric, making use of what is to hand: the forest near Ash's house as well as the weather.  

Ash's character emerges slowly as she comes to realise her own self worth and that she can make her own fate and that, yes, there is a price to be paid. The question is: are you prepared to pay it to gain your heart's desire or are you going to refrain from following your heart and just give in?

As she learns more about who her mother was, Ash gains more knowledge about her own abilities.  Her meetings with the mysterious fae lord becomes very poignant, especially when his story is revealed, later in the novel.  It is one that immediately creates empathy for him, yet it awakens concern in you as the reader for Ash's future. 

The fact that Ash feels attracted to the vibrant and slightly wild Kaisa is never played down.  Kaisa is a rich, roiling character that I immediately felt drawn to.  She is sweet, charming, wild and clever.  She brings to Ash and she brings to the story, another element, the one of change and danger.  She is the catalyst and the one I felt very strongly towards.  

Their relationship is sweet and hesitant and it takes Ash some time to figure out that this can in fact be something she can reach for.  Being the servant in her stepmother's house she is treated with careless negligence and called upon to do awful menial tasks.  I have read some Cinderella reworkings in which the girl's homelike is so over the top bad, you actually stop caring.  Ms. Lo reigns in the excessive mistreatment and allows us a few pertinent glimpses only.  This really works in that we feel deeply for Ash and her situation.  She characterises the stepmother and her daughters with a few bolds strokes through their actions - these are wonderful examples of show not tell moments and really, it moves the story along without a glitch. 

There is much to love about Ash.  The ending is bittersweet and just perfectly fresh and different. It really surprised me and I will definitely recommend this retelling of Cinderella for older teens and adults who are fond of fairytale reworkings.  There are several of them out at the moment but Ash is unique on this front because we have a main character that genuinely does go through the mill and comes out stronger and with a true heart at the end.  

Find Ms. Malinda Lo's very excellent website here.  She has written some amazing pieces about LBGT characters in fiction for YA readers on her blog.  Do stop by her website - she really is an amazing writer.  Also, she is currently showcasing the cover of her new upcoming novel: Huntress.  Ash is out at the moment, available from all good booksellers. 

How to Train Your Dragon by Cressida Cowell

Synopsis:

THE STORY BEGINS in the first volume of Hiccup's How to Train Your Dragon memoirs...

Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III was an awesome sword-fighter, a dragon-whisperer and the greatest Viking Hero who ever lived. But it wasn't always like that. In fact, in the beginning, Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III was the most put upon Viking you'd ever seen. Not loud enough to make himself heard at dinner with his father, Stoick the Vast; not hard enough to beat his chief rival, Snotlout, at Bashyball, the number one school sport and CERTAINLY not stupid enough to go into a cave full of dragons to find a pet... It's time for Hiccup to learn how to be a Hero.

I genuinely looked forward to reading this. It was sent to me in advance of the movie and for ages I kept not reading it thinking I'd like to see the movie and then read the book.

In the end, I've not yet seen the movie, but I have read the book and I don't know what's wrong with me, but I genuinely didn't enjoy it.

I liked the main character quite a bit, Hiccup Horrendous Haddock the Third. Funny, spunky little kid, destined to be bullied by everyone else in their clan, he didn't seem much of a hero. But he does reveal his hero-spirit in the end, which is pretty cool.

What I had a problem with was the other characters in the book, specifically their names, which were all clearly chosen to be tongue in cheek and funny. But I didn't find it amusing, at all. Who and what they are as characters, should have been indicated by their actions and not by throwing truly odd names at the reader. I also didn't find the story plausible - I know, I am crazy! I've been dithering about writing this review but thought that I really should for my own sanity. I realise it has been massively popular and I love that kids are reading these and loving it. If it encourages them to continue reading the rest of the books and gradually move on to others, then by all means, that's an excellent thing.

Sadly I just think that me and How to Train Your Dragon just did not get along. And I wish it wasn't so. I know that I should really like this book, but it's just not happening. I couldn't even finish it, not feeling that spark at all. Although, having said that, I came as close as page 210 out of 223. I just didn't care enough for that final small push. I do however promise to read it again soon and finish it. Maybe I was expecting something else altogether - I think a re-read will set me right, but in the meantime, feel free to set me right in the comments!

Sisters Red by Jackson Pearce

Synopsis:

The story of Scarlett and Rosie March, two highly-skilled sisters who have been hunting Fenris (werewolves) – who prey on teen girls – since Scarlett lost her eye years ago while defending Rosie in an attack. Scarlett lives to destroy the Fenris, and she and Rosie lure them in with red cloaks (a colour the wolves can't resist), though Rosie hunts more out of debt to her sister than drive.

But things seem to be changing. The wolves are getting stronger and harder to fight, and there has been a rash of news reports about countless teenage girls being brutally murdered in the city. Scarlett and Rosie soon discover the truth: wolves are banding together in search of a Potential Fenris – a man tainted by the pack but not yet fully changed. Desperate to find the Potential to use him as bait for a massive werewolf extermination, the sisters move to the city with Silas, a young woodsman and long time family friend who is deadly with an axe. Meanwhile, Rosie finds herself drawn to Silas and the bond they share not only drives the sisters apart, but could destroy all they've worked for.


I can only urge you not to be fooled by the gorgeous cover for Sisters Red or the apparent sweetness of the author. Sisters Red is not a saccharine cute reworking of the Little Red Riding Hood fairy tale. No, it's dark and dangerous and scary and deals with the darker elements of that fairy tale and it deals with it competently, not dwelling on the gruesome bits, but making you very much aware of the nasties in the shadows.

Our two main characters, Scarlett and Rosie, are strong independent characters with an axe to grind with any werewolves that may stray across their paths. After a devastating attack when they were young, Scarlett is physically disfigured and has a personal stake in tracking down these creatures. She gets cranky when she doesn't go and hunt and she is fiercely protective of her younger sister, Rosie who is in actual fact, pretty damn deadly with her knives.

The relationship between the two girls form such a large and integral part of the novel that it would be silly to not mention it. Closer than average sisters, because of the violence they went through when their house was attacked by a Fenris and their grandmother slain, they become a devastating tag-team of death for any kind of werewolf.

Rosie is lovely, sweet, kind natured and less bloodthirsty than Scarlett but this makes her overcompensate because she feels she's the lesser hunter. She also carries tremendous amounts of guilt, blaming herself for Scarlett's scars. Scarlett defended them both during the very first attack and she almost died.

But, she survived thanks to the knowledge and assistance from their nearest neighbour, the woodsman. Growing up along with the two girls is Silas, the woodsman's son. Before Rosie, he was Scarlett's hunting companion. Together they fought against the weres encroaching on the area, putting them down and saving young girls...the Fenris' preferred prey.

The novel picks up when Silas comes back from taking time out. Rosie's grown up, she's beautiful and sweet and falls head over heals for Silas. Their romance is so sweetly written, I fell a little in love with them both, I have to say.

Silas is so far removed from the boys we've had in YA we've seen recently. He is a devastating killer when the need calls for it, with his axe and his strength, but the thing is, it's just something he does, it's not what he is. And that's where Silas and Scarlett have their sticking point - hunting is Scarlett's life. It's how she feels worthwhile and alive. She can't wrap her mind around Rosie and Silas not wanting to smash these creatures to smithereens.

It's written from both girl's points of view in alternating chapters and it's easy after the first two chapters to realise who is "talking" as their voices are so different, without having to read the chapter sub-headings. I loved that Mr. Pearce gave us these girls who are so tough and so honourable and delicate and scared. They are imbued with a vitality that so many YA characters lack or only hint at.

It is easy to assume that Scarlett's character is the dominating one, that her storyline is the strongest and in a way that is true but then we have the softer gentler story of Rosie with her road to self-discovery and her realisation that the world is not just killing monsters. It's a part of it, yes, but there are others things too. Silas is of course a huge influence on Rosie as her character develops and grows. But what I liked is how he was quietly a part of this - he sort of pointed her in the direction and motioned her on to go and figure things out for herself.

Even if YA urban fantasy or fairy tale retellings aren't your thing or you tell yourself you are too old for such things, I'd highly recommend Sisters Red by Ms. Jackson Pearce to get you over your own preconceptions. The writing is ridiculously easy to get into and the girls and Silas are well rounded characters. I suspect that Sisters Red is a bit of a classic in the making as it has many elements of the real and supernatural yet it's a story about family, trust, loyalty and love and how far you would go for those you love. It's big concepts, high concepts and I wasn't sure if the pay-off would be worth it, but you know? It is. It's such a great book, wonderfully jacketed to lure the unsuspecting into its sharp little claws and I can't recommend it highly enough.

Find Jackson's live journal website here. Sisters Red is now out in the UK.

The Dead - David Gatward

Lazarus Stone is about to turn sixteen when, one night, his normal life is ripped to shreds by a skinless figure drenched in blood. He has a message:

The dead are coming.

Hell is full, and they have found a way through to this world.

Now Lazarus is all that stands in their way. To fulfil his destiny, he must confront not only the dark past of his family, but horrors more gruesome than even hell could event – with only a winged angel and his best mate to help him. And it all begins with the reek of rotting flesh...

Poor Lazarus.

One ordinary night he’s at home chatting to his mate Craig, whinging about his dad being away from home yet again, making plans for a few days away in Craig’s parents’ caravan. A bit dysfunctional, but otherwise blessedly mundane.

By the time the sun rises though, he will have come face to face with a blood drenched fallen angel, had everything he’s ever known thrown into doubt and seen hell ripped open in his lounge.

And from there things only get worse as the truth about his absent father comes to light, sending Lazarus and Craig are thrown into a desperate flight to find his father and stop the dead from punching through into our world, with only an apparently alcoholic angel to guide them.

Lazarus is a likeable character: a normal, reluctant student who’s desperately trying to cling to the life he’s always known, flawed as it might be; it’s a vain attempt though as Gatward quickly drags him into a hell tainted reality.

Clocking in at 230 pages, The Dead is a quick read but it packs mean punch between the covers, creating a clear sense of Lazarus’ life diverging from normality, a journey punctuated with some truly terrifying imagery and magnificent gore. Equal parts terror, splatter and fun, The Dead’s a great read and I look forward to the second instalment in the series (The Dark, due in October this year).

Find David's website here. The dead arrive 1st July 2010. Are you prepared?

House of Lost Souls, F G Cottam

I was utterly charmed by this lovely looking book from Hodder.

Little did I suspect the cover hid one of the scariest books I had ever read. I briefly spoke to one of the girls at Hodder shortly after I started reading it and she sagely warned: "Don't read it at night."

House of Lost Souls is the kind of book that stays with you purely because it has all the elements of amazing storytelling: an intricate involved plot, damaged dark characters struggling to do the right thing, swathes of paranormal incidents handled with an adept skill that makes it a pure pleasure to read. Even if I read it with all the rights on!

Synopsis

The Fischer House was the scene of a vicious crime in the 1920s - a crime which still resonates as the century turns. At its heart was a beautiful, enigmatic woman called Pandora Gibson-Hoare, a photographer of genius whose only legacy is a handful of photographs and the clues to a mystery. Paul Seaton was lured to the house ten years ago and escaped, a damaged man. Now three students will die unless he dares to go back. But this time he has Nick Mason at his side, and maybe Mason`s military skills and visceral courage will be enough.

We pick up the story at a funeral as Nick Mason is making use of his camouflage skills to spy on his sister attending the sad occasion with her friends. The same friends who had gone with her to Fischer House as part of their University studies and who had come back so severely damaged by what they experienced, there were incidents of attempted suicide, with one of the girls succeeding, hence the funeral. It really is a very powerful scene, as it is familiar, sad and has enough strangeness to it, to set the tone for the rest of the book.

We also meet Paul Seaton a bit later on - he had survived a visit to Fischer House many years ago. He had not come away unscathed from the encounter and is doing his best to get on with his life. He is asked by a friend to help these girls as something seems to be stalking them. He is initially hesitant, until he goes to meet Nick and sees his sister in the grip of something that is not of this world. Paul and Nick join forces and decide to try and put whatever lurks in Fischer House to rest.

The book makes full use of intricate backstories, a mystery surrounding a famous photographer from the 20's, appearances by people from the era such as Alistair Crowley and Goring which add to the menace of the storyline, sat beside beautiful writing revelling in the use of sensory description. The fact that this reads like a literary novel rather than something a lot darker is where the pure shock value of the story lies. It delves deep into the unpleasantness of human sacrifice, magic and the summoning of grim entities that stalk through the Fischer House. I don't think it has been packaged as horror. And to be honest, I've not ever read a horror novel quite like this - it is lyrical and insidious and deliciously dark. The characters are compelling and I particularly found the photographer's diary entries to be incredibly touching.

The author worked hard threading the vein or darkness through the novel and it works because all your senses are engaged. It is an enjoyable book, not to be read in the dark (!) and written with great skill by a very talented author.

Hodder sent me two copies of House of Souls - yay! - so there is a freebie up for grabs. I'll let the comp run till next week, so do email me with your name and postal address - again, I'm happy to post Internationally. Please make sure that you put House of Souls in the subject line. I will do a random selection and announce the winner next week Friday, 24th July.

**Steve Berry Competition**

I'm happy to announce my next competition: FOUR copies of Steve Berry's newest book, The Venetian Betrayal published by Hodder, to give away to the first four people to answer these questions correctly.

Please note, the usual competition rules apply!

UK residents only

Make sure you email me your name and postal address. Use the email on the right hand side of the post. Duplicate emails will be ignored.

Questions:

Referring to the history behind Steve Berry’s book, The Amber Room, the magnificent amber room was discovered by Hitler and he ordered it dismantled. How many men did it take to do this, over how many hours and how much did it all weigh? (3 part question).

Name the two men (one geologist and one Russian filmmaker) who managed to figure out where the Romanov burial site was located. (refer to the Romanov Prophecy by Steve Berry).

Name the last master of the Templars to be burned to death in 1314. (refer to The Templar Legacy by Steve Berry).

Good Luck!

I'll run the competition until Monday, 16th June or until all the copies have been allocated. All winners will be contacted and informed that they will be receiving the books in the post.

Last Rituals, Yrsa Sigurdardottir

Synopsis: A young man is found brutally murdered, his eyes gouged out. A student of Icelandic history in Reykjavik, he came from a wealthy German family who do not share the police's belief that his drug dealer murdered him. Attorney Thora Gudmundsdottir is commissioned by his mother to find out the truth, with the help -- and hindrance -- of boorish ex-policeman Matthew Reich. Their investigations into his research take them deep into a grisly world of torture and witchcraft both past and present, as they draw ever closer to a killer gripped by a dangerous obsession...

This is Yrsa Sigurdardottir’s first book and if this one is anything to go by, she has a very lucrative career ahead of her as an author. Last Rituals does not read like a first book at all and the author is as eloquent in her writing as some of the best crime writers out there who win accolades for their work (even when you suspect they are a bit formulaic).

Thora, as the main character in the book is a delight. She is an attorney (lawyer) in a small concern and where she is cursed with the world’s most awful receptionist, Bella. Thora uses her investigative and stubbornness to plow through the mis-information thrown at her by the murdered student’s friends and tutors.

On the one hand Thora is a capable businesswoman with a lot of responsibilities but on the other hand, she is a struggling single mother of two, who somehow manages to juggle both career and being a mother struggling to retain her sense of humour and positive outlook whilst getting the job done.

The subject material of the novel is pretty grim. Witchcraft and the prosecution of witches and sorcerers in Europe is not a pleasant affair and the novel takes you pretty deep into some of the baser things done during those times. There are lashings of Icelandic history to boot and some stunning locales visited. It also holds up a mirror to show the disenchantment of today’s young people with being normal and revels in pushing the boundaries to show how far some people would go to prove that they are different and unique.

For all its dark subject matter, the book is written with a light-hearted touch with Thora being the focal point and we follow her quite closely. There are some moments of deep introspection but also some genuinely jocular and funny moments which prevents the novel from being too dark and grim. It is definitely a novel for people who enjoy books written by authors such as Kathy Reichs and Tess Gerritsen amongst others.

I really do hope the author decides to write more, to bring back Thora for more adventures. There is definitely scope for it on the market and with the unique setting of Reykjavik and Iceland being used, it opens a whole new world to readers who have become a bit jaded about crime novels set in America’s biggest cities.

Quick note - competition announcement!

My Friday finished on a high note...got a parcel from Hodder Publishers...yep, FOUR (count them!) copies of Steve Berry's newest book, The Venetian Code arrived today for me to give away in a competition next week.

So the review should be online soon. AND I've got the interview lined up and ready to go live shortly after the review's gone up...and then the competition.

Do visit back and make sure you enter the comp. I'll work up some questions about Steve and his other books, so go do your research over at his site here and over at Hodder here to answer those pesky questions.