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Mar 24

The Theory of (Not Quite) Everything By Kara Gnodde

The Theory of Not Quite Everything‘The Theory of (Not Quite) Everything’ is the latest book by Kara Gnodde.

Like circles of a Venn diagram, Mimi and Art Brotherton have always come as a pair. Devoted siblings, they’re bound together in their childhood home by the tragic death of their parents. Art believes that people – including his sister – are incapable of making sensible decisions when it comes to love. That’s what algorithms are for. Mimi knows that her brother is a mathematical genius. But she believes that maths isn’t the answer to everything. Not quite. Especially when it comes to love. Still, when Mimi begins her search for a soulmate, Art’s insistence that she follow a strict mathematical plan seems reasonable. The arrival of Frank, however – a romantic stargazer who is definitely not algorithm-approved – challenges the siblings’ relationship to breaking point. As their equilibrium falters, Art’s mistrust of Frank grows, but so do Mimi’s feelings. Something about Frank doesn’t quite add up, and only Art can see it.

The story is seen through the narrative of brother and sister Art and Mimi. Since the death of their parents, Art has relied heavily on the support of his younger sister, essentially taking over her life with his high maintenance demands, because of this Mimi has decided to take back control of her life and look for love, much to the disgruntlement of her older brother. Art is concerned that he’ll loose his sister but decides to reluctantly help her on her dating journey and uses his Mathematical mind to help her on his quest. But when Mimi finds Frank, he seems perfect on paper but with his mathematician mind, Art begins to see some flaws in Frank’s algorithm.

This book is a quite a lovely story, it’s bittersweet, uplifting and funny. Both characters are complex and fascinating in their own ways. After the death of their parents, they rely heavily on each other and it’s interesting how much Mimi does for Art and for such an intelligent man, how much he depends on her. I loved Mimi progresses throughout the story and how her confidence grows and the same goes for Art.

The story flows at a gentle pace that made it easy to sink into and the author’s style of writing is also quite gentle like her characters. A tender and witty story about love, resilience and finding your place in life, ‘The Theory Of (Not Quite) Everything’ is a lovely read.

You can buy ‘The Theory Of (Not Quite) Everything‘ from Amazon and is available to buy from good bookshops.

Mar 13

The Close By Jane Casey

The Closer‘The Close’ is the tenth book in the DS Maeve Kerrigan series by Jane Casey.

At first glance, Jellicoe Close seems to be a perfect suburban street – well-kept houses with pristine lawns, neighbours chatting over garden fences, children playing together. But there are dark secrets behind the neat front doors, hidden dangers that include a ruthless criminal who will stop at nothing. It’s up to DS Maeve Kerrigan and DI Josh Derwent to uncover the truth. Posing as a couple, they move into the Close, blurring the lines between professional and personal as never before. And while Maeve and Josh try to gather the evidence they need, they have no idea of the danger they face – because someone in Jellicoe Close has murder on their mind.

Even though this is the tenth book in the series, this is only the second or third book that I’ve read. And all the time, I intend to read more in the Maeve Kerrigan series.

The story is primarily seen through the narrative of Maeve, who’s investigating two cases, a murder of a doctor and then has been chosen to work undercover in a small estate when a man is found dead in suspicious circumstances. She has to work to her colleague with Josh and pretend that they’re in a relationship, which Maeve is struggling with after in an abusive relationship. Josh and Maeve have a complex relationship, their friends and colleagues, but there’s an obvious sexual chemistry between them that sizzles off the pages.

There’s also an inclusion of the perspective of the murderer and this made the story interesting, as I found myself trying to find out the murderer.

I really enjoyed seeing Maeve in a more relaxed role pretending to be a fluffier version of herself. Her interactions with people are softer in comparison to the harder version of herself with her guard up.

It’s quite witty in parts and this distracts from the darker moments in the story. As the story is a series, there are references to previous books and situations but has this just made me more keen to read the rest of the series.

‘The Close’ is a thrilling police procedural book that’s packed with drama, twists, suspicious characters that was gripping from the first sentence.

You can buy ‘The Close’ from Amazon and is available to buy from good bookshops.

Mar 1

No More Lies By Rachel Abbott

No More Lies‘No More Lies’ is the latest book in DCI Tom Douglas series by Rachel Abbott.

Recently life has been good for Mallory Hansen: a great job, a lovely home, and a wonderful man, Nathan, to share it with. But now she must ask herself: is it all built on lies? A shocking accusation has been made against Nathan, and Mallory doesn’t know who to believe. He denies everything, but all the signs point to his guilt. She has learned to trust Nathan, but she also remembers the boy he used to be. As teenagers, Mallory and Nathan were part of a close-knit group of six friends until a vicious argument drove them apart. Now, fifteen years later, they are back in touch – only to find themselves drawn into a web of mutual distrust, one by one. The attacks on their lives are skilfully targeted, designed to hit them where they hurt the most, and when a young woman disappears and a baby is abducted, DCI Tom Douglas must try to unravel the past and discover who is the architect of their misery.

The latest book in the DCI Tom Douglas series is another gripping police procedural thriller about revenge.

The story is primarily seen through the narrative of Mallory Brennan whose life is torn apart when her husband is accused of sexual harassment. When the woman who accused him disappears all fingers point to Nate but then when other things start to happen including abducted babies, DCI Tom has to look into the inner circle of Mallory and Tom’s friends from their teenage past as it’s looks like someone is setting them up one by one.

I really enjoy police procedure books as they delve into both sides of the crime. The story is well plotted and paced. Seen from perspective of Tom and his team and Mallory who was an interesting character. She seems a likeable character but as the story progresses, it seems that the old friendship circle have a different opinion of her so it makes the reader quite unsure of her. Another clever inclusion in the story is the perspective of the victims which adds a bit more suspense and tension to the story.

Packed with drama, twists and suspicious characters, ‘No More Lies’ is a taunt thriller that hooks you in from the first page.

Mar 1

Emergence By Guy Portman

Emergence‘Emergence’ is the fourth book in the ‘Necropolis’ series by Guy Portman.

Teenager Horatio hates his mother’s boyfriend, and there is nothing his long-suffering single mum or half-sister can do about it. The tension soon boils over into school when he attacks the class bully. While suspended, Horatio has plenty of time to plot revenge against the man he holds responsible for all his problems. It won’t take the adventurous adolescent long to stumble across a depraved and degrading solution. Now all he needs to do is keep deceiving the psychiatrist and wait for an opportunity to strike.

This book is the fourth in a series and after reading this one, I think I’ll be looking into the others.

The story is seen solely through the narrative of Horatio, a teenage boy, who’s much smarter than everyone but lacks in social skills. When he’s expelled from school after attacking a boy with a pair of scissors, he begins to realise just how much he hates his mother’s boyfriend who he calls ‘Fools Gold’ and puts a plan in place to kill him, whilst pretending to his counsellor and family that he’s normal and doesn’t have psychological tendencies.

If you like dark humour, then this book is for you. It’s witty, unsettling and is quite short, I read it in one sitting. Horatio is an intense character, he looks down on others who aren’t as intelligent as him, particularly ‘Fools Gold’. Their dislike for each other is evident and it makes for funny reading at times, how they interact with each other. His interaction with other people is also interesting, as his social skills are quite bad and he usually offends someone with honest and abrupt manner.

Cleverly written with a character that you love to hate, ‘Emergence’ is a twisted story about revenge that leaves the reader wanting more.

You can buy ‘Emergence’ from Amazon.

Feb 23

The Silver Dollar By Angela Dandy

The Silver Dollar ‘The Silver Dollar’ is the second book in ‘The Silveries’ series by Angela Dandy.

After twenty years without him, Jennifer’s son, Jamie, turns up at Magnolia Court. Handsome and charming, he wins the hearts and minds of the residents. Or does he? Is he really all he seems? Is he telling the whole truth or is there something in his past that he wants to remain secret? The Silveries won’t rest until the truth is out.

I enjoyed this story, it was filled with a mix of personalities that made for engaging reading, but I found it lacking in parts that fully gripped my attention. The main characters, Jennifer and Jamie are a complex pair with their estranged relationship. Jamie is quite an odious man, who’s left a trail of heartache due to his gambling addiction, whilst Jennifer is quite a flighty character, she’s warmhearted and welcoming to newcomers to the Magnolia Court, but her first love is acting. The story flows at a leisurely pace with twists and drama that added to the tale, but I thought as part of the story was about the resident’s adaptation of ‘The Importance of Ernest’ that was a key plot line but it was very rarely mentioned.

This is the second book in the series and it would have been good to have had a little more background on the characters.

Vividly written and cleverly crafted personalities that were vile and kind in equal measure, ‘The Silver Dollar’ is a cosy story.

You can buy ‘The Silver Dollar’ from Amazon and is available to buy from good bookshops.

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