April in Spain - John Banville

I listened to award winning author John Banville's last novel, Snow, and really enjoyed it. Banville's newest novel is April in Spain. Banville writes a number of series. One is the Quirke books - he's a Dublin pathologist. Detective Inspector St. John Strafford was introduced in Snow and makes a return appearance here.

Quirke and his wife Evelyn are on vacation in Spain when a small accident sends him to hospital. It is there that he sees a young woman that has been declared dead for many years. It can't be her - could it? His daughter was friends with April Latimer as a teen. Quirke calls her and a chain reaction is set in motion. Strafford is sent to Spain and there's one more on the way as well - a hit man has been given a job in Spain...

Now, I chose to listen to April in Spain. Banville's characterizations are complex, detailed and nuanced. I found that listening to the book drew me deeper into the characters' mindsets, thoughts, deductions, plans, backgrounds and more. The level of introspection of each character makes for fascinating listening. 

Banville weaves Irish history, background and politics into his plotting. For me, the 'is it her' mystery took a backseat to the characters themselves. The answer to that question is up in the air until the final chapters. Some may find this unhurried mystery a bit of a slow burner, but I very much enjoyed it. Banville is a talented wordsmith.

I liked the reader of Snow and was quite happy to find that John Lee was also the narrator for April in Spain. He has a wonderful Irish accent that I loved - lilting, broad, rising and falling within a sentence. Lee's voice is so very expressive. He captures the characters perfectly and the voices used matched the personality and mannerisms of the players. Hear for yourself - listen to an excerpt of April in Spain.

Last Ones Left Alive - Sarah Davis-Goff

I am inevitably drawn to apocalyptic and post apocalyptic fiction, fascinated by what an author imagines our future might hold. And more than a little bit frightened, given the times we're living in.

I read the premise of Sarah Davis-Goff's novel, Last Ones Left Alive, and knew it was one I wanted to read. I picked it up on a snowy Sunday and literally couldn't put it down. Yes, it's that good!

Orpen has been raised by her Mam and Maeve on a deserted island off the coast of Ireland. When she turned seven she started her training. Training to defend herself against the skrake - a threat she's never seen. But as the years pass, Orpen wants to know more. More than the edited version that her Mam and Maeve provide. What's on the mainland? Are there others left? 

Davis-Goff tells her story from Orpen's point of view. We meet her in the first chapter, finally on the mainland, pushing Maeve in a wheelbarrow. What led to this point? Where is she going? What will she find? The answers to those questions and more are provided in a past and present narrative. This is a writing device that I really enjoy. Although, it does keep me up very late as I simply can't stop turning pages. I simply need to know what happened and what is happening.

The skrake are the dead, incredibly fast and their bite will kill you. But, there are indeed other humans still left on the mainland. And yes, you guessed it. Their paths will cross with Orpen's. Those scenes, the danger and the uncertainty all make for an action packed read. Davis-Goff has done a fantastic job - the tension is palpable as we travel alongside of Orpen. (And the urge to flip ahead to see if things 'work out' is very hard to deny.) 

But along with this, Last Ones Left Alive is a coming of age story, a story of mothers and daughters, a finding of ones own self and purpose. Emotions, interactions, loss, desire and more are woven into Orpen's story and journey. 

I mentioned enjoying the imaginings of an author's take on our future. I really enjoyed Davis-Goff's take on what might be left. And how a young woman might find herself and her place in such a world. An excellent, five star read for me. Read an excerpt of Last Ones Left Alive. 

"Remember your just-in-cases. Beware tall buildings. Always have your knives."

The Witch Elm - Tana French

If it has Tana French's name on it, I'm going to read it. I love the Dublin Murder Squad series. The Witch Elm is however, a stand alone novel.

Toby breezes through life, doing well at work, lucky in love and with many friends and a supportive and loving extended family. But his life changes one night when his apartment is broken into - and he is severely beaten. He retreats to the family home to take time to heal and help out his elderly uncle. But that wished for peace is also broken - by the discovery of a skeleton in the garden of the house.

What can I say? French's writing is brilliant. The plot and the reader's expectations change multiple times. As Toby tries to puzzle out the past and present, new pieces are added and subtracted by his family, the police and his faulty memory until he can no longer discern what is truth and what is not. We become privy to the past even as the present changes direction. My outlook as to the whodunit and the ending changed many times over the course of the book.

French's characterizations are in-depth, rich and full with detail. The reader feels as though these are people they have actually met and conversed with. Many of the characters are not particularly likeable - and for me that included lead character Toby. The exceptions are Uncle Hugo and Toby's girlfriend Melissa. His cousins are particularly well-drawn, evoking a visceral reaction. Detective Rafferty is after the truth and his interrogations and actions are so well done.

The Witch Elm is hard to categorize - it's a mystery and police procedural, but at the heart of it I would say it's a character study.

This one's a chunkster weighing in at over 500 pages. I decided to listen to The Witch Elm this time 'round.  Paul Nugent was the reader and he was wonderful. His voice is easy to listen to, his enunciation clear and his accent appealing. But where he really shines is in bringing the story to life. His interpretation was wonderful. He captures the emotion, angst, action, tension and more, drawing the listener in. Different tones, accents and tenors identify each character. Here's an audio excerpt of The Witch Elm. Or if you prefer, here's a written excerpt.

I will be eagerly waiting the next book from French!

Lying in Wait - Liz Nugent

I listened to Unravelling Oliver by Liz Nugent last year and really enjoyed her writing. (my review) I leapt at the chance to listen to her next book, Lying in Wait.

Nugent again starts her book off with a line guaranteed to draw the reader in....."My husband did not mean to kill Annie Doyle, but the lying tramp deserved it." Yup, I was hooked!

1980's Dublin. Lydia Fitzsimons has it all - successful husband, beautiful home and a son she dotes on. There is something missing from her life though - and that one thing is what leads to the opening line. And then her son Laurence discovers that secret....

Lying in Wait is told from three points of view - Lydia, Laurence and Annie's sister Karen. The time frame moves to 2016. The listener is privy to each narrative, knowing what each character doesn't. It makes for a curiously voyeuristic listen. As each player adds something to the narrative, the tension heightens. Nugent's plotting kept me off kilter and I honestly envisioned the ending going in a completely different direction. Nugent completely surprised me with her unexpected ending. I'm not sure I like it, but it is quite fitting.

I really enjoyed having three narrators used to tell Nugent's tale - Caoilfhionn Dunne, David McFetridge and Lesley McGuire. I'm not sure which woman was Lydia or Karen, but both were excellent. The voice for Lydia has an entitled air that perfectly captured her imperious, self assured demeanor. That tone never falters, no matter what she is saying - like that opening line. And for the listener, self assured becomes self deluded as the book progresses. The voice for Karen was deliciously low with an almost growly undertone. The accent is thicker for this character as she is from a different social strata. I really liked that low tone - it drew the listener in. The voice for Laurence is just as well suited. He captures Laurence's innocence and dawning awareness with each new revelation. Each reader was easy to understand and pleasant to listen to. Listen to an excerpt of Lying in Wait.

An excellent listen for me - five stars.  You can connect with Liz Nugent on her website, like her on Facebook and follow her on Twitter. I'm eager to get my hands on her next book - Lying in Wait.

Mr. Flood's Last Resort - Jess Kidd

Every so often I stumble across a jewel of a book, a wonderfully unexpected, serendipitous read. Such is the case with Jess Kidd's novel, Mr. Flood's Last Resort.

Mr. Flood is a cantankerous old man, living in his crumbling mansion Bridlemere, surrounded by his 'collections.' His son wants to put him in a home and Mr. Flood has one last chance to stay put - let a carer into the house to clean up the house - and him. That last resort is Maud Drennan.

That's just the starting point. There is so much happening in this novel - and it makes for an absolutely addicting read.

Maud has a tragedy in her past - one that only slowly comes to light as the book progresses. "You'll only cause bloody trouble. Like you did before." There's mystery in Cathal Flood's life as well. A mystery that the house itself seems to be revealing to Maud as she cleans. Maud also receives assistance from the various Saints that trail after her. Ones of course that only she can see and hear.

Kidd's characters are quirky and quickly endeared themselves to me. I adored Maud, but her agoraphobic neighbour Renata is a close second. Cathal Flood will have your emotions running the gamut.

Mr. Flood's Last Resort is infused with magical realism. I enjoy this story telling element and Kidd does it extremely well, with the Saints and the collapsing house that seems determined to put the past right. Irish fables and proverbs  add to that atmosphere. Kidd's prose are wonderful.

There's a mystery to be solved in Mr. Flood's last resort, but there's so much more to the tale. Forgiveness speaks loudly. Heartbreaking, heartwarming and so very, very good. (And that ending? Perfect - although I wished I knew more....) Absolutely recommended. Read an excerpt of Mr. Flood's Last Resort.

Unraveling Oliver - Liz Nugent

I had not heard of Liz Nugent's debut book, Unraveling Oliver, until I read about it in a publisher's newsletter. It was quickly added to my TBR list after I read the premise -  and the accolades. It was Ireland's Crime Novel of the Year in 2014. That cover image is absolutely perfect - cracks in a picture, peeling back of layers, what lies beneath that facade?

The first line of the book is killer...."I expected more of a reaction the first time I hit her."

Oliver Ryan is a successful children's book author and is happily married to his devoted wife Alice. So what would possess him to beat her into a coma? And that is the question at the heart of Unraveling Oliver. Who is Oliver really? What does the polished exterior he presents to the world hide?

Through Oliver's own ruminations and additional points of view from neighbours, friends and others from his life, we slowly see how and why he's come to be the way he is over fifty years. Each point of view was really well written. And can I say, I unexpectedly felt pity for him as I learned more and more. Nugent does a brilliant job of manipulating the reader's thoughts and emotions as the story progresses.

The publisher has promoted Unraveling Oliver promoted as a psychological suspense novel. I agree that it's an addicting, chilling exploration of a darkly drawn character. But, we know the end already and are working our way back to the beginning of the end. A clever, unique book, one I really, really enjoyed.

I chose to listen to Unraveling Oliver - and I found myself even more drawn into the story. Sam O'Mahony was the narrator. He has a lovely Irish accent that was easy to listen to and clearly understood. His understated interpretation of Oliver suited the character perfectly. His matter of fact tone is at odds with the horrible things Oliver does, but matches his mindset perfectly. He never raises his voice beyond a calm tone, which makes the revelations all the more chilling. Listen to an excerpt of Unraveling Oliver. Or if you prefer, read an excerpt.

You can connect with Liz Nugent on her website, like her on Facebook and follow her on Twitter. I'm eager to get my hands on her next book - Lying in Wait.

The Trespasser - Tana French

Tana French's books have won the Edgar, Anthony, Macavity, and Barry awards, the Los Angeles Times Award for Best Mystery/Thriller, and the Irish Book Award for Crime Fiction. But I only discovered her when I read her previous book, The Secret Place. It was a fantastic read and French is now on my must read list.

Her newest book is The Trespasser - the 6th entry in her Dublin Murder Squad series. It too is a fantastic read, better than The Secret Place in my opinion.

Detective Antoinette Conway set the Murder Squad as her goal when she joined the Dublin police force. She's made it there - but it's not what she had hoped. She's the 'odd man out' and by default so is her partner Stephen Moran. The rest of the squad seems to be hell bent on driving her out of the unit. Conway and Moran's cases are mostly domestics and their hope is for something bigger, one to make their mark.

They're sent to a death - at first glance it looks like another domestic. But when the higher ups send along another Detective to 'help' them, Conway wonders why. And when the pressure mounts to solve the case quickly, Conway digs in her heels.

I love Conway as a character - she's unbelievably tough, tenacious, fearless and smart. But this unrelenting harassment is beginning to chip away at her - there are some chinks in her armour. Moran is just as well drawn - there is more to him that what he presents to the world. He was the narrator in The Secret Place, so he was a character I already knew and liked. The dynamic between the two is evolving, unpredictable and addicting to follow.

The plotting is simply unbelievable - intricate and evolving as the book progresses. At no time did I ever think I could predict where things were going to go. Instead, I felt like I was there with Conway and Moran as they try to puzzle out the latest lead or brainstorm a theory. The procedural details ring very true. What's not as clear are the undercurrents and the unspoken. Everyone lies. Everyone has their own agenda. Who can Conway and Moran trust?

French's settings and descriptions are rich and detailed. I felt like I was walking the cold, damp streets with an eye on the alleyways. French makes her home in Dublin and that personal knowledge enhances time and place.

Dark and gritty, this is mystery writing at it's best. I'm really looking forward to the next in this series - and who will be the narrator. I'm invested in French's characters and intrigued by the cases she imagines. This series is definitely recommended! Read an excerpt of The Trespasser.  You can connect with Tana French on her website

Giveaway - Between Sisters - Cathy Kelly

Cathy Kelly writes wonderful heartwarming novels. Her latest, Between Sisters, releases August 9th - and I have a copy to giveaway to one lucky reader!

From Grand Central Publishing:

"Meet the women of Delaney Gardens, a bustling suburban village in the outer reaches of Dublin. There's Cassie, who's spent her married life doing everything right for her children, husband, and mother-in-law, yet feels so exhausted that "wine o'clock" comes a little earlier each afternoon. There's her sister Coco, who runs a vintage dress shop, but has avoided the complications of romantic commitment. Watching over them is their grandmother Pearl, who, despite caring deeply for her family, is contending with a long-buried secret. And then there's Elsa, the polished face of daytime TV, who's triumphed over demons before, but is now facing her toughest battle yet. At every crossroad these women face, readers are taken deeper into the heart of what it means to be a family." Read an excerpt of Between Sisters.

"Cathy Kelly is published around the world, with millions of copies of her books in print. A #1 bestseller in the UK, Ireland, and Australia, she is one of Ireland's best-loved storytellers. Kelly lives with her husband, their young twin sons, and three dogs in County Wicklow, Ireland." You can connect with Cathy Kelly on her website and follow her on Twitter.

If you'd like to read Between Sisters, enter for a chance to win a copy using the Rafflecpter form below. Open to US and Canada, ends August 15/16.

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Giveaway - The Long, Hot Summer - Kathleen MacMahon

Yes, summer is finally in full swing! And to celebrate, I have the perfect giveaway for you.......

The Long, Hot Summer by Kathleen MacMahon releases today.

From Grand Central Publishing:

"Determined to be different from other people, they have carved out a place for themselves in Irish life by the sheer force of their personalities.

There's Deirdre, the aged matriarch and former star of the stage. Her estranged writer husband Manus now lives with a younger man. Their daughter Alma is an unapologetically ambitious television presenter, while Acushla plays the part of the perfect political wife. And there's Macdara, the fragile and gentle soul of the family. Together, the MacEntees present a glamorous face to the world. But when a series of misfortunes befall them over the course of one long, hot summer, even the MacEntees will struggle to make sense of who they are.

From Kathleen MacMahon, the #1 bestselling author of This is How it Ends, comes this powerful and poignant novel, capturing a moment in the life of one family." Read an excerpt of The Long, Hot Summer.

"Kathleen MacMahon is a former radio and television journalist with Ireland's national broadcaster, RTE. The granddaughter of the distinguished short story writer Mary Lavin, Kathleen lives in Dublin with her husband and twin daughters. This is How it Ends, her first novel, was published in 20 countries and was a #1 bestseller in Ireland." You can connect with Kathleen on Twitter and find her on Facebook.

If The Long, Hot Summer sounds like a book you'd like to read this summer, enter to win a copy using the Rafflecopter form below. Open to US and Canada, no PO boxes please. Ends July 16/16. 

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The Secret Place - Tana French

Tana French is one of those authors I'm aware of, but haven't managed to read yet. I recently picked up the audio version of her latest - The Secret Place - to keep me company on the drive back and forth to work. This is the fifth book in the Dublin Murder Squad series.

Chris Harper was found murdered a year ago in a secluded grove on the grounds of St. Kilda's boarding school. The case is still open with no new leads.....until a card with a photo of the dead boy is found on the school's 'secrets board'. It's enough to reignite the investigation.

The book takes place over the course of a day as Detectives Stephen Moran and Antoinette Conway re-interview the students.

I quite like the two detectives and would be interested in reading more of this pair. What had me somewhat bored was the repetitiveness of the girls' conversations. You can only listen to so many OMG's, Hellloooo's, Excuse me's and more. Yes I believe it's quite true to teenage conversation, but in audio format it just started to grate. And I found myself tuning out and thinking of throwing in the towel on this one. Then French threw in a bit of a different element - otherworldly if you will. Intrigued again, I kept listening.

French is a good writer and some of her turns of phrase and descriptive phrases are really well done. Nuance and intuition are a large part of Moran's personality and investigative style. These nebulous concepts are given concrete descriptors that really painted vivid images and settings. The exploration of cliques and the world of teenagers is vividly portrayed. French paints a frightening 'mean girl.'

The book is quite long - at 464 pages, I think it could have been pared down a little. Much of the narrative seemed to repeat itself  with the clues as to who the killer is (very) slowly doled out. I kept listening as I really wanted to know which girl was the culprit And the answer is there, but the actual ending was a bit confusing - I had to go back and listen a few times. And at the end, I really wondered why the supernatural element was included. It would have been a good book without it.

There were two readers - Stephen Hogan and Lara Hutchinson. Both are Irish actors, so the accents are real. Hogan embodies the mental image I had created for this character. Hutchinson captures the toughness of Conway. Both narrators read the voices of the teenage girls and caught the sarcasm, the anger and the nastiness of them.

On reading other's reviews, I'm seeing the recommendation to not start with this book if you're new to Tana French, that it is decidedly different  from other books in the series. Fair enough - I'll try the next book French releases. (I'm one of those readers who can't won't go backwards in a series)

Listen to an excerpt of The Secret Place.  Or read an excerpt of The Secret Place.

The Time of My Life - Cecilia Ahern

I've quite enjoyed previous books of Cecilia Ahern. I picked up her latest North American release The Time of My Life without even a glance at what it was about.

"Dear Lucy Silchester,
You have an appointment for Monday, May 30, 2011.
Yours sincerely,
Life.”

Lucy's life has been in shambles since she split from the absolutely perfect Blake. She's living in a tatty bedsit, has a ho-hum job and her relationship with her family is somewhat rocky. She's aware of it...

"My life needed me. It was going through a tough time and I hadn't been paying enough attention to it. I'd completely and utterly ignored my life. And now it had written to me, summoned me, and there was only one thing for it. I had to go and meet with it face-to-face."

And here's where I had a (more than a) little trouble getting into the book.  Ahern has literally personified Life. Lucy's life appears as an actual person - his sole 'job' is Lucy's life.  Lucy's family has signed off on this intervention. This is never really explained, but written as though we already know about such a thing.

I found the first 75-100 pages of The Time of My Life a bit of a slog. Lucy lies. So much of her inner dialogue is presented and then capped off with 'I lied'. So, I thought I had started to put together a picture of this character in my mind just to have it snatched back - more than once. The first part of the book also suffers horribly from lengthly descriptions and run on sentences.

"So in the initial stages I carried that hurt and anger and pity around with me and, due to circumstances I may reveal at a later date, got fired from my respectable job that paid well, but to be able to tell people why I got fired I'd have to tell them why I got fired and I couldn't do that because after so much time it would just frankly be weird to admit a lie of that magnitude, so I told everyone I quit and then the rest of my life fell into its own new place following a bunch of big fat lies." Big breath.

I am glad I persevered as the chick lit elements I was looking for, and expected, did appear and I started to enjoy the book. Ahern cleverly uses a wrong number to great effect. I ended up liking Life as a character. Wrong number Don also grabbed me. Sadly, I never felt the same attachment to Lucy.

Love lost, love found, misunderstandings, missed cues, redemption and reclaiming one's life all play a part in The Time of My Life.

I'm still an Ahern fan, but have enjoyed some of her other titles more. Read an excerpt of The Time of My Life.

"Before she embarked on her writing career, Cecelia Ahern completed a degree in journalism and media communications. At 21, she wrote her first novel, P.S. I Love You, which became an international bestseller and was adapted into a major motion picture, starring Hilary Swank. Her successive novels—Love, Rosie; If You Could See Me Now; and There’s No Place Like Here—were also international bestsellers. Her books are published in 46 countries and have collectively sold more than 10 million copies. She is also the cocreator of the hit ABC comedy series Samantha Who?, starring Christina Applegate. The daughter of Ireland’s former prime minister, Ahern lives in Dublin, Ireland." You can find Cecelia Ahern on Facebook.


See what other on the TLC book tour thought. Full schedule can be found here.

The Mystery of Mercy Close - Marian Keyes

Irish writer Marian Keyes is a best selling author on both sides of the pond. I quite enjoyed her last book - The Brightest Star in the Sky. (my review)

So I picked up her latest novel - The Mystery of Mercy Close, expecting another fun read.

Helen Walsh couldn't find a job she could stick with until she got her private investigator's license. But jobs are hard to come by lately and her finances are suffering. So much so, that she's lost her job and has had to move back home with her parents. The one bright spot is her new boyfriend Artie, who also works in law enforcement. When her old boyfriend Jay approaches her with a missing persons gig, she takes the job - she desperate for cash.

Okay, does this whole set up/character sound familiar to anyone else? Yeah, me too.

Keyes's lead character Helen is a little darker though - she suffers from depression and anxiety and her mental state is very much a part of the plotting. Upon further investigation, I discovered that Keyes herself suffers from major depression. So the inclusion of this made a little more sense.

Keyes is known for her chick lit stories that do incorporate some darker themes (abuse was part of the plot of a previous book) I did like Helen's dark sense of humour - her shovel (not bucket) list was fun. "It's more of a conceptual thing. It's a list of all the people and things I hate so much that I want to hit them in the face with a shovel." There's some steamy romance of course with Artie, some generational humour with her parents, some sibling interaction that's amusing. The Walsh sisters are excellent characters.  The mystery part of things wasn't too hard to figure out. So, all the elements seem to be there for a good read - but sadly, it was just okay for me.  I found myself picking it up and down over the course of a couple of weeks as it didn't really hold my attention. And, at five hundred pages, it felt like it was dragged out too long. And I feel bad...'cause I really wanted to like it more.

You can find Marian Keyes on Twitter.

The Brightest Star in the Sky - Marian Keyes

The Brightest Star in the Sky opens with an unknown entity, with an unnamed task, flying over the streets of Dublin, Ireland, hunting for an address - 66 Star Street. Once located the entity? fairy? spirit? enters through the roof and starts some reconnaissance.

There are four apartments at 66 Star Street. Through the eyes of the visitor we come to know the lives of each of the inhabitants intimately and the entity's task is slowly revealed. Clues are eked out if you pay attention.

Marion Keyes has done a phenomal job of creating characters you can actually believe in and care about - people you'd like to actually know. Not all are lovable and I changed my mind several times about each of them. Even the dog speaks his mind. (I'm actually quite taken by Grudge the dog - he's very funny) Strangers at first, the inhabitant's lives begin to intersect - new relationships are formed, old ones are cast aside. Secrets are kept and revealed, some good and some hurtful. I'd rather not detail the characters themselves as I think it's more fun to discover them yourself as you read.

Each chapter heading is a countdown of days, beginning at 60, leading me to wonder what happens at day one. Keyes takes seemingly disparate story lines, magically weaving them together.

When I first received this book for review, I thought 600 pages! But you know, I never got bogged down and was enthralled from start to finish, turning the last page with regret. Chick lit - yes - but with a little bit more. A magical tale that I truly enjoyed!

If you haven't discovered this Irish writer, what are you waiting for? A good one to curl up with over the holidays.

( You can read the first chapter of The Brightest Star in the Sky.)