Review: THE YOUNGER WIFE, Sally Hepworth

• 
  This edition a large print one from my local library
  
• published in 2022 by Wheeler Publishing
• ISBN 978-1-4326-9708-6
• 477 pages
• author website  
  

Synopsis (author website)

Stephen Aston is getting married again. The only problem is, he's still married to his first wife, even though she is in a care facility for dementia. But he'll take care of that easily, by divorcing her--even if his adult daughters protest.

Tully and Rachel Aston look upon Heather as nothing but an interloper. Heather is the same age as Rachel and even younger than Tully. Clearly she's a golddigger and after their father's money. Heather has secrets that she's keeping close, and reasons of her own for wanting to marry Stephen.

With their mother unable to speak for herself, Tully and Rachel are determined to get to the truth about their family's secrets, the new wife closing in, and who their father really is. But will getting to the truth unleash the most dangerous impulses...in all of them? 

My Take

This is the second time I've read this novel within 12 months. My first review is here. I'm relieved to find that I've given it the same rating.

So why am I reading it again? For discussion with my U3A crime fiction discussion group.

So this time I want to put down some of the things about the book that I want to discuss with them. So Spoiler Alert. Particularly if you have not yet read the book.

• Should Stephen Aston be divorcing Pam (his wife with dementia) and marrying again?
• Were you shocked at the age difference between Heather and Stephen?
• Do you think Heather should have agreed to marry Stephen and then allow him to discard Pam?
• How have Tully and Rachel reacted to stress in their lives?
• Where did the money in the hot water bottle come from?
• Who was Fiona Arthur? 
• Was Stephen abusive? What evidence is there?
• Was Stephen's death justified?
• What issues did the book make you consider?
• What did you think of the structure of the book: the narration by a person at the wedding; the fact that we know something dreadful has happened but not exactly what; the continued intervention by this narrator; her final toast to Stephen.
  

My rating: 4.7

I've also read

• 4.5, THE MOTHER IN LAW
• 4.7, THE YOUNGER WIFE 
• 4.7, THE SOULMATE
• 4.8, DARLING GIRLS

 

Review: WHAT HAPPENED TO NINA? Dervla McTiernan

• 
  This edition available on Kindle from Amazon
• ASIN ‏ : ‎ B0CKCKQVVD
  
• Publisher ‏ : ‎ HarperCollins (1 March 2024)
• 336 pages

Synopsis (Amazon) 

Nina and Simon are the perfect couple. Young, fun and deeply in love. Until they leave for a weekend at his family's cabin in Vermont, and only Simon comes home.

WHAT HAPPENED TO NINA?

Nobody knows. Simon's explanation about what happened in their last hours together doesn't add up. Nina's parents push the police for answers, and Simon's parents rush to protect him. They hire expensive lawyers and a PR firm that quickly ramps up a vicious, nothing-is-off-limits media campaign.

HOW FAR WILL HIS FAMILY GO TO KEEP HIM SAFE?

Soon, facts are lost in a swirl of accusation and counter-accusation. Everyone chooses a side, and the story goes viral, fueled by armchair investigators and wild conspiracy theories and illustrated with pretty pictures taken from Nina's social media accounts. Journalists descend on their small Vermont town, followed by a few obsessive "fans."

HOW FAR WILL HER FAMILY GO TO GET TO THE TRUTH?

Nina's family is under siege, but they never lose sight of the only thing that really matters -- finding their daughter. Out-gunned by Simon's wealthy, powerful family, Nina's parents recognize that if playing by the rules won't get them anywhere, it's time to break them.

My Take:

Nina and Simon, a young couple attending separate universities in Vermont, go away together for a week's holiday, but at the end of a week Simon returns alone. He says he left Nina alone at the holiday cabin, but concerns are raised when Nina does not contact her parents. Simon says they broke up on their last night together, but gives differing versions of why it happened.

As Nina's parents become concerned the police become involved and the rumour mill begins.

This plot has lots of twists, and the compelling story is told through a number of voices.

Inside stories for both families are revealed for the reader.

Dervla McTiernan, Australian/Irish, is certainly one to watch

My Rating: 4.8

I've also read

• 4.8, THE RUIN
• 4.8, THE SCHOLAR
• 4.8, THE GOOD TURN  
• 4.6, THE MURDER RULE
• 4.6, THE MURDER RULE 

Review: THE BLOOD CARD, Elly Griffiths

• 
  This edition from my local library
  
• Published by First Mariner Books 201
• ISBN 978-1-328-51192-8
• 372 pages
• #3 in the Brighton Mysteries
• author website
  

Synopsis (author website)

Elizabeth II’s coronation is looming, but the murder of their wartime commander, Colonel Cartwright, spoils the happy mood for DI Edgar Stephens and magician Max Mephisto. A playbill featuring another deceased comrade is found in Colonel Cartwright’s possession, and a playing card, the ace of hearts: the blood card. The wartime connection and the suggestion of magic are enough for him to put Stephens and Mephisto on the case.

Edgar’s investigation into the death of Brighton fortune-teller Madame Zabini is put on hold. Max is busy rehearsing for a spectacular Coronation Day variety show – and his television debut – so it’s Edgar who is sent to New York, a land of plenty worlds away from still-rationed England. He’s on the trail of a small-town mesmerist who may provide the key, but someone else silences him first. It’s Sergeant Emma Holmes who finds the clue, buried in the files of the Zabini case, that leads them to an anarchist group intent on providing an explosive finale to Coronation Day.

Now it’s up to Edgar, Max and Emma to foil the plot, and find out who it is who’s been dealing the cards.

My Take

I read this novel partly to catch up with books that I have missed in this series, mainly when I jumped from #2 to #4. I have discovered I already have #7 to catch up with.

I really enjoyed the historical setting of  the imminent coronation of Queen Elizabeth II. This coincides with the advent of television which those who attend Variety Theatre are fearful with mean the demise of live theatre.

The novel also filled in for me details that I had missed in the personal lives of Edgar, Max, and Emma.

An enjoyable and well written read.

My Rating: 4.5

I've also read

• 4.8, THE ZIG ZAG GIRL - Brighton Mysteries #1
• 4.5, SMOKE AND MIRRORS - Brighton Mysteries #2
  
• 4.4, THE VANISHING BOX - Brighton Mysteries #4 
• 4.6, NOW YOU SEE THEM- Brighton Mysteries #5
  
• 4.5, THE MIDNIGHT HOUR- Brighton Mysteries #6

Also

• 4.6, THE CROSSING PLACES - Ruth Galloway #1
  
• 4.6, THE JANUS STONE - Ruth Galloway #2
• 4.6, THE HOUSE AT SEA'S END - Ruth Galloway #3
• 4.5, A ROOM FULL OF BONES - Ruth Galloway #4
• 4.8, DYING FALL- audio book - Ruth Galloway #5
• 4.5, THE GHOST FIELDS, Elly Griffiths - audio book - Ruth Galloway #7
• 4.7, THE OUTCAST DEAD, Elly Griffiths - audio book - Ruth Galloway #6
• 4.7, THE WOMAN IN BLUE - Ruth Galloway #8
• 4.7, THE CHALK PIT - Ruth Galloway #9
• 4.6, THE STRANGER DIARIES - Harbinder Kaur #1
  
• 4.4, THE POSTSCRIPT MURDERS - Harbinder Kaur #2
  
• 4.7, THE LANTERN MEN - Ruth Galloway #12
• 5.0, THE STONE CIRCLE - Ruth Galloway #11 
• 4.8, THE DARK ANGEL - Ruth Galloway #10
• 4.7, THE NIGHT HAWKS - Ruth Galloway #13
  
• 5.0, THE LOCKED ROOM - Ruth Galloway #14
• 4.6, BLEEDING HEART YARD - Harbinder Kaur #3
• 5.0, THE LAST REMAINS - Ruth Galloway #15
  

Review: THE HEIGHTS, Louise Candlish

• 
  this edition from my local library
  
• published by Simon & Schuster 2021
• 432 pages
• ISBN 978-1-4711-8349-2

Synopsis (publisher)

There is nothing as powerful as a mother’s love. But will Ellen’s put her whole family in danger?

Ellen Saint is just your average mum. Devoted to her family, she’s no different from any other mother who wants the best for her kids. But when her teenage son Lucas brings a new friend home, cracks start to appear in Ellen’s perfect family life.
Kieran Watts isn’t like Lucas. He’s rude, obnoxious and reckless, and Ellen can only watch in despair as her son falls deeper under his influence.
Then Ellen’s whole world implodes and she embarks on an obsessive need to get revenge.

There is nothing you won’t do for your children – even murder . . . 

My Take

From the back cover:

The Heights is a tall, slender apartment building among warehouses in London. Its roof terrace is so discreet, you wouldn’t know it existed if you weren’t standing at the window of the flat directly opposite. But you are. And that’s when you see a man up there—a man you’d recognize anywhere. He may be older now, but it’s definitely him.

But that can’t be because he’s been dead for over two years. You know this for a fact.

Because you’re the one who killed him.

I must confess that it wasn't the publisher's blurb that got me into this one, but the stuff from the back cover.

This intriguingly structured novel requires the reader to exercise those "little grey cells" to solve all the mysteries - and there is more than one. There are several voices in this novel, so do take notice of anything that helps you distinguish one from another. 

We hear most of the story from "the horse's mouth", beginning in September 2012, when a 16 year old disadvantaged boy, Kieran Watts, joins Lucas Gordon's class at Foxwell Academy, and attaches himself to Lucas like an evil limpet. From that point, in Ellen's own words, it is just one disastrous mistake after another.

And from my point of view, Ellen Saint is far from your "average mum".

My rating: 4.6

I've also read

• 5.0, THE OTHER PASSENGER
• 4.7, OUR HOUSE
• 4.8, THE ONLY SUSPECT

Review: IN DARK WATER, Lynne McEwan

• 
  This edition available on Kindle from Amazon
• ASIN ‏ : ‎ B08ZD85G57
  
• Publisher ‏ : ‎ Canelo Crime (June 24, 2021)
• Print length ‏ : ‎ 330 pages
• #1 in DI Shona Oliver Crime Thriller series
  

Synopsis (Amazon)

Beneath the surface lie deadly secrets...

DI Shona Oliver agreed to move to Dumfries with her ex-banker husband when their teenage daughter got in with a bad crowd in London. As a Glasgow native, she’s back on home turf.

Living on the shores of the Solway Firth allows Shona to continue as an RNLI volunteer, and a call out to recover a woman’s body indicates foul play. Police in Cumbria take the case but links back to Scotland keep Shona’s team involved. As they investigate, reports of people trafficking and a spate of thefts from local shops compete for attention with a large scale drug bust. But Shona’s work may all be in vain when those close to her threaten to tear the case apart – and ruin Shona in the process.

An unforgettable debut novel by a Scottish crime writer to watch, for fans of Val McDermid, Marion Todd and Lin Anderson.

My Take

 In DI Shona Oliver we have a very likeable Scottish detective, with all the qualities we require from a true leader. 'Wee Shona' shows herself resourceful, at the same time as persistent and empathetic.

There are lots of twists and turns in the plot, and quite a number of strong characters. A credible read.

I look forward to the second in the series DEAD MAN DEEP.

My rating: 4.7

About the author

Glasgow-born Lynne McEwan is a former newspaper photographer turned crime author. She’s covered stories including the Fall of the Berlin Wall and the first Gulf War in addition to many high profile murder cases. Her DI Shona Oliver series is set on the beautiful Solway Firth which forms the border between Scotland and England, and where Shona is also a lifeboat volunteer. Lynne is a graduate of the University of East Anglia's Creative Writing programme and splits her time between Lincolnshire and Scotland.

Review: THE DINNER PARTY, Rebecca Heath

• 
  This edition made available as an e-book on Libby by my local library
  
• Published 03 Jan 2024 by Bloomsbury Publishing
• Extent     416 pages
• ISBN     9781804546109

Synopsis (Publisher) 

The new exciting thriller by Rebecca Heath, author of THE SUMMER PARTY. A dark and twisty domestic thriller set in a seemingly idyllic suburban neighbourhood, where family secrets are best kept buried...

FOUR COUPLES.
Summer 1979. In the idyllic suburban neighbourhood of Ridgefield, Australia, during a scorching heat wave, four couples gather for their weekly dinner party.

AN ORDINARY EVENING.
When Frank Callaghan checks on the sleeping children, he finds an empty crib where his four-month-old daughter Megan should be sleeping. The party-goers swear they didn't see anything but each of them has something to hide.

THE BEGINNING OF A NIGHTMARE.
Forty years later, a stranger knocks at the Callaghan's door. She claims to be their missing daughter. And she's holding the blanket she was wrapped in the night she disappeared.

Shocked, the Callaghans must finally confront how well they know their neighbours, and ask themselves:
Where has Megan really been all this time?

My Take

There is so much to like about this novel, not just that it is by a South Australian author, or that it is right in the time frame of my own life.

The action begins in 1979 with the disappearance of a 4 month old baby while her parents are at a dinner party in a neighbouring house. 40 years later 'The Callaghan Baby Podcast' is investigating what is now a forty-year-old cold case, bringing together investigative evidence from when the disappearance happened, police reports, a coronial investigation, interviews with suspects, family and neighbours both then and now.  The author combines that with other voices, particularly that of Billie, the adult daughter of baby Megan's sister.

This made the structure of the novel very complex, and quite challenging for the reader, but a staggering achievement. So much of the book rang true for me.

The family is marking the anniversary of Megan's disappearance with a family gathering when there is a knock at the door: a stranger is standing on the doorstep.  

Little by little, elements of the mystery are revealed and the reader is asked to assess evidence.

Highly recommended.

My Rating: 5.0

About the Author
Rebecca Heath studied science at university, worked in hospitality and teaching, but she always carved out time to write. She lives in Adelaide, Australia, halfway between the city and the sea with her husband, three children and a much-loved border collie. She spent her childhood summers at a remote beach. Her first novel is THE SUMMER PARTY

Review: THE GLASS HOUSE, Eve Chase

• 
  This edition on Kindle (Amazon)
  
• ASIN ‏ : ‎ B07VRY3DBN
• Publisher ‏ : ‎ Penguin (May 14, 2020)
• Print length ‏ : ‎ 393 pages 

Synopsis  (Amazon)

The truth can shatter everything . . .

When the Harrington family discovers an abandoned baby deep in the shady woods, they decide to keep her a secret and raise her as their own.

But within days a body is found in the grounds of their house and their perfect new family implodes.

Years later, Sylvie, seeking answers to nagging questions about her life, is drawn into the wild beautiful woods where nothing is quite what it seems.

Will she unearth the truth?

And dare she reveal it?
_______

'The Glass House is not really about a murder, or a creepy house, but about families - the ones we're born into, the ones we make and especially the ones we flee' New York Times 

My Take

This novel has a fascinating structure with parts of the story in the past and parts in the present. Sylvie has known for most of her life that both she and her sister have been adopted, but now her mother has had an accident and is in a coma, and her daughter is pregnant, and there are things that Sylvie just doesn't know.

I think the reader knows more than Sylvie does, but even so there are t's to crossed and i's to be dotted, and so this book is really a many stranded mystery. As the book progresses things begin to fall into place, with some real surprises. Nevertheless I thought there was a bit of a struggle to tie everything off at the end.

My rating: 4.3

I've also read

• 4.8, THE WILDLING SISTERS
• 4.8, THE BIRDCAGE