Je suis en vacances, à la semaine prochaine!
Weeknotes: stay cool kids
Eyup my funky little weeknoters. How the devil are you? It’s friday, and another overly long rambling weeknote from yours truly.
WHO IS THIS PERSON?
I’m Dave Graham, slightly lapsed book tempter on pretty much all the socials as @dakegra. I’m a stationery geek, lover of movies, music, and good whisky. UX guy. Easily distractible with a hot beverage and cake. Owned by two cats.
This is my email newsletter/blog at which I’ll talk about the shiny things which distracted me this week. The regular blog is more book reviews and shiz. Note to self: write up some reviews or they’ll cancel your #bookblogger privileges.
Hi, pull up a chair and grab yourself a beverage. You look fabulous. Have you done something new with your hair?
Reading
After months with no #bookpost, suddenly two books turn up within days of each other. Is this the resurgence of physical book mail?
First up is Joe Hill’s King Sorrow, out in October this year from Headline (to whom many thanks!). It’s a serious chonky boi of a book clocking in at nearly 900 pages. Good job it’s not out for a few months cos it’ll take me that long to read.
Arthur Oakes is a reader, a dreamer, and a student at Rackham College, Maine, renowned for its frosty winters, exceptional library, and beautiful buildings. But his idyll—and burgeoning romance with Gwen Underfoot—is shattered when a local drug dealer and her partner corner him into one of the worst crimes he can imagine: stealing rare books from the college library.
Trapped and desperate, Arthur turns to his closest friends for comfort and help. Together they dream up a wild, fantastical scheme to free Arthur from the cruel trap in which he finds himself. Wealthy, irrepressible Colin Wren suggests using the unnerving Crane journal (bound in the skin of its author) to summon a dragon to do their bidding. The others—brave, beautiful Alison Shiner; the battling twins Donna and Donovan McBride; and brainy, bold Gwen—don’t hesitate to join Colin in an effort to smash reality and bring a creature of the impossible into our world.
But there’s nothing simple about dealing with dragons, and their pact to save Arthur becomes a terrifying bargain in which the six must choose a new sacrifice for King Sorrow every year—or become his next meal.
ooooh. Sounds utterly fabulous. Dragons! Books! Shenanigans!
The other book which turned up is Gunner, by Alan Parks, out in July from Baskerville (again, many thanks!).
I must confess that I’ve not read any of his books, but I’m reliably informed that he’s doing great things with Tartan Noir. Added to my holiday reading list.
March 1941. Joseph Gunner is back on the streets of Glasgow after being wounded on the front lines in France.
Keeping the pain in his leg at bay with the help of morphine, Gunner, a former detective, is hoping to lie low as the Luftwaffe begins bombing Glasgow.
But when he runs into his old boss Drummond, he is persuaded to help examine a body found in the wreckage. When it turns out to be that of a German, mutilated to disguise his identity, Gunner reluctantly agrees to investigate.
As he begins to hunt for the truth Gunner runs into old flames and bitter enemies, before finding himself embroiled in a high-level conspiracy that reaches far beyond his hometown of Glasgow.
As far as reading goes, I’m halfway through Joe Abercrombie’s The Devils. A monk, a vampire, a werewolf and an elf accompany a princess across a version of Europe to install her as rightful heir to the throne. Hijinks ensue. It’s bloody, it’s witty, the banter is fabulous and I’m enjoying it to an almost unhealthy degree.
Watching
I stumbled across Death Valley on iPlayer earlier this week.
It’s like a British (well, mostly Welsh) version of Castle, except funnier and better written. Timothy Spall is having an absolute whale of a time and enjoying every moment and Gwyneth Keyworth is fabulous as the young detective. Zipped through it and now sad there’s no more. For now, anyway.
Listening
Mainly podcasts this week. I greatly enjoyed Zoo’s Clues, an episode of Sidedoor, from the Smithsonian, in which they chat to Kali Holder from the necropsy lab a the National Zoo. Dealing with animal death is hard, but one quote really struck me:
Kali: Good time is more important than long time. And that is something that veterinary
medicine has really started and ended with, that good time is really what we’re here for.
I think that’s very true – better to live a good life than a long one.
The Consumed
Friday night is whisky night, as per usual. We paired a lovely bottle of Lagavulin 16 with Throwing Muses Live in Providence.
Much fun was had by all involved.
Photos
I get occasional emails from Google Maps about my photo contributions, and was amused to see that this one had hit 600k views. It’s of a meal I had at Headrow House in Leeds six years ago.
They used to do steak & chips for a fiver, which was an absolute bargain. More accurately it was more like half a steak and a portion of chips, but the steak was beautifully cooked and the chips were, I must say, banging. Drooling now at the thought of it.
That’s not my most viewed photo either. This one of Nostell Priory is, clocking in at 800k views. It’d be nice if we actually got something for it, I guess.
Other things
Managed to get tickets to the Minnesota Vikings vs Cleveland Browns at Tottenham in October. Much excitement. For various long-winded reasons I’m a Vikings fan, and greatly enjoyed my first NFL match at Wembley last October even though it was Jags/Patriots. Off to see the Jags vs the LA Rams in October with my brother and his friend too. Great fun.
No yawning ducks this week, though I did see two squirrels dash across the road on the same day. Different squirrels (one assumes), different roads. Not seen a squirrel running across a road for longer than I care to remember, then like bookpost, two turn up at once.
Right, that’s quite enough of my nonsense. Have a splendid weekend, and as ever, be excellent to each other.
Smooches
D x
Weeknotes: who are you again?
Eyup my funky little weeknoters. How the devil are you? It’s friday, and another overly long rambling weeknote from yours truly.
Jumping right in, I saw this from Craig Mod the other day
Documentally does it really well in his newsletter/blog/email things. So we’re having a shiny new WHO IS THIS PERSON? section, though it possibly needs a better title. It’ll do for now.
WHO IS THIS PERSON?
I’m Dave Graham, slightly lapsed book tempter on pretty much all the socials as @dakegra. I’m a stationery geek, lover of movies, music, and good whisky. UX guy. Easily distractible with a hot beverage and cake. Owned by two cats.
This is my email newsletter/blog at which I’ll talk about the shiny things which distracted me this week. The regular blog is more book reviews and shiz. Bit of a backlog though.
Hi, pull up a chair and grab yourself a beverage. You look fabulous. Have you done something new with your hair?
Reading
Finally finished Dangerous, by Essie Fox. Despite it taking a couple of weeks to read, I really enjoyed it. Lord Byron in Venice with added murder and vampiric shenanigans.
Not bought any books at all this week. This is quite unusual. It’ll pass.
Just started reading The Devils by Joe Abercrombie.
I’ve not really read any of his books before despite many people telling me that I’d absolutely dig them, but then heard Joe talking to David Headley of the fabulous Goldsboro Books on his excellent Confessions of a Book Collector podcast and bumped it straight to the top of the TBR pile.
Europe stares into the abyss.
Plague and famine stalk the land, monsters lurk in every shadow and greedy princes care for nothing but their own ambitions. Only one thing is certain: the elves will come again, and they will eat everyone.
Sometimes, only the darkest paths lead towards the light. Paths on which the righteous will not dare to tread . . .
And so, buried beneath the sacred splendour of the Celestial Palace, is the secret Chapel of the Holy Expediency. For its congregation of convicted monsters there are no sins that have not been committed, no lines that will not be crossed, and no mission that cannot be turned into a disastrous bloodbath.
Now the hapless Brother Diaz must somehow bind the worst of the worst to a higher cause: to put a thief on the throne of Troy, and unite the sundered church against the coming apocalypse.
When you’re headed through hell, you need the devils on your side.
Sounds fab, doesn’t it?. Will report back.
Watching
Currently enjoying Ewan McGregor and Charlie Boorman’s latest motorbike adventure Long Way Home on Apple TV. They’re an amiable pair and it’s nice spending some time with the boys.
Murderbot has started (also on Apple TV) and the first couple of episodes were fun. I’m not sure I ever pictured Alexander Skarsgård as Murderbot though he has the delightfully sarcastic tone down pat.
Also still watching Your Friends & Neighbors, which started well but has sort of… dragged a bit in the later episodes. Great premise, John Hamm was very promising in the first couple of episodes but I think for me it’s getting a bit smug.
Need to get back to The Studio.
Listening
Another week, another gig. This time it was the fabulous Throwing Muses at the Brudenell Social Club in Leeds, which has fast become my favourite venue. It’s small, the sound is great and the beer is cheap.
Didn’t have quite a good a spot as for Lauren Mayberry, but got this photo of Kristin Hersh which I like.
The gig was great, though as a relative newcomer to Throwing Muses I didn’t know that many of the songs. Snagged a couple of their latest CDs on the way out. Did I mention I’ve set up a portable CD player on my work desk hooked up to my speakers? Enjoying going through some of my CD collection. Open to suggestions for great/favourite albums to add to the list.
Also listened to the new Jack White ‘No Name’ album on the streaming. Will pick up a CD at some point.
The Consumed
This week’s whisky for the Friday night pub/whisky/vinyl night was the excellent Deanston 18 year old. I forget which albums we listened to though.
Photos
Didn’t really take any photos this week other than the one of Kristin Hersh above, or the allotment. Must do better.
I did see that Ricoh have announced they’re working on the GR IV which is quite exciting as I’ve had my eye on the GR III for ages. Not that I need a new camera, really. Oh, and Fujifilm announced their new Fuji X Half camera which shoots half-frame portrait photos. It’s a neat idea and would be fun to play around with, though I’m not sure how long it would last before it feels like a bit of a gimmick. It’s also very expensive for what it is.
Other things
I spent a couple of hours down at the allotment last weekend as it’s been a bit neglected for a while.
Not much else to report. Long weekend approaching, so expect I’ll be down doing some more weeding!
As ever, be excellent to each other.
Smooches
D x
Weeknotes: The yawning duck edition
Hello. Me again. How’ve you been?
It’s been quite a week.
Reading
Still on with Dangerous, by Essie Fox. Been struggling to find the time/motivation to read anything at the moment. It’ll pass.
After the slight screwup with tickets I mentioned last week, I went to see the lovely John Connolly for the afternoon on Monday in Pontefract. Got a signed copy of his new book, The Children of Eve, and caught up with a couple of friends I’ve not seen for absolutely ages. Great afternoon out.
Watching
Went to see Sinners at the weekend. Absolutely brilliant. Hugely recommended. Michael B. Jordan (and indeed the rest of the cast) was fabulous. Everything about it was just top notch cinema. Kind of wish we’d seen it in IMAX.
We finally got to the end of season 2 of Andor. God-tier tv. I watched the final three episode arc then went straight into Rogue One. Seamless. This is what the Star Wars prequels should have been.
Speaking of IMAX, I did go and see an early showing of Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning on Thursday night. I adore these movies, daft as they are. This one clocks in at 2hr 50 minutes, which is a LOT of Tom running, jumping, dangling off increasingly preposterous things and generally saving the world. Great fun though, just try not to think too hard about the slightly labyrinthine plot and just enjoy the spectacle.
Absolutely top notch stunts, some genuinely tense moments and nicely wraps up some of the things that have happened earlier in the series. It got a round of applause at the end from the audience, which I don’t think I’ve seen at the cinema before.
If this is the end, then it’s a fine finale. If not, there are plenty of people who’d love to see just one more impossible mission. If you get the chance, go see it on an IMAX screen for the action sequences alone.
Listening
Went to see Bryan Adams at the FD Arena on Saturday night. Good job I checked showtimes as I assumed he’d be on around 9 after the support. Turns out he was on at 8, with no support. I rocked up at about 6:15, got a prime spot near the stage. He was in fine voice, as was the crowd. They had some funky inflatables that zoomed around above the crowd.
Gotta roll with the punches…
Despite how this looks, he was not playing in a giant aircraft shelter.
Brian and Keith Scott rocking the arena
The Consumed
Whisky/running buddy Andrew picked up a bottle of Benriach 12, which was very tasty. And over at @davetrieswhisky on Instagram, we paired The Hearach with Gorillaz Demon Days live from The Apollo Theater (limited edition Record Store Day red vinyl. Very snazzy.
Photos
One last one of Bryan Adams. Taken on iPhone 16 Pro. Quite pleased with it, if I say so myself.
Other things
Remember the ducks from last week? I saw one of them yawn the other day. Didn’t realise ducks could yawn. But they can. And now you know!
And we found a frog in a bowl in the garden whilst repotting some things. Went to move the bowl and it hopped out and scooted off. Might be a toad. Not entirely sure how you can tell. Hope it’s ok and hasn’t fallen to the neighbourhood cats…
Right, that’s another week ticked off. Getting closer to June!.
As ever, be excellent to each other.
Smooches
D x
Weeknotes
Hello you lovely people. I hope you’ve had a fabulous week.
Reading
Audiobook of Stanley Tucci’s What I Ate In One Year, read by the author. Love me a bit of the Tucci. I’ve listened to this before, but needed something for various car journeys and there’s nothing quite like Stanley Tucci’s mellifluous voice to keep you company on a long motorway trip. If I’m being a bit picky he gets a bit name-droppy at times, but his love of food shines through no matter whether he’s at home with Felicity and the kids, or hanging out with Guy Ritchie.
Currently reading Dangerous, by Essie Fox. Huge thanks to Karen Sullivan at Orenda Books for the ebook copy. Disgraced Lord Byron is associated with the deaths of women in Venice, so he turns detective to unveil the killer and clear his name. Gloriously decadent thus far. I’ll report back.
In other #bookpost news (albeit self purchased), I was very excited to get my copy of Craig Mod‘s Things Become Other Things, which I’ve been looking forward to for absolutely ages. I love Craig’s newsletters about walking through Japan. Very much looking forward to reading this.
After a slight screwup with tickets, I’m off to see John Connolly for the afternoon on Monday in Pontefract. I’d originally booked a ticket for Beeston on Monday evening, but it turns out there’s more than one Beeston in the UK and it was the one in Nottingham rather than the one in Leeds. Ooops. Promptly booked the afternoon off instead and going to hear him talk about his new book, The Children of Eve. Saw him last year at Stanley Library, an absolutely fantastic night out.
If you get the chance to hear him speak, I highly recommend it. The books are great too – one of my first blog tours was for one of his books.
One last bookish thing – David Goodman’s superb A Reluctant Spy is 99p on Kindle at the moment. Or out in paperback next month. Hugely recommended. Fabulous book!
Watching
Continuing the Tucci them, watched Conclave last weekend. Fabulous stuff, full of intrigue and twists and bald/balding men in fancy frocks. Tucci and Fiennes on superb form.
Also watched A Real Pain, with Jesse Eisenberg and Kieran Culkin. Loved Culkin in this, though the story didn’t entirely work for me. Not sure why, maybe it was coming straight after Conclave. Worth a watch.
On a different note, Cleaner hooked me from the premise – “ex-soldier turned window cleaner works to rescue 300 hostages in a London skyscraper”. Directed by Martin Campbell of GoldenEye/Casino Royale fame, it’s as daft as a box of frogs, but with some competent (if daft) action sequences. Plus it’s just over an hour and a half long, so pretty much the perfect length for a movie. That said, A Real Pain was exactly 90 minutes, so you can’t have everything.
TV-wise, we’re now in the home stretch for the magnificent second season of Andor. Somehow each week’s three episode arc just keeps getting better. Some of the best TV I’ve seen in a long time. It’s Star Wars but without the lightsabers and woo-woo Force stuff. Gritty and real and mesmerising. Next week can’t come soon enough, though sad to know that’s it done.
Also on TV, just started watching The Studio on Apple TV. Gloriously meta, packed with guest stars which don’t feel like guest stars (if that makes sense). Episode 2 is about a film doing a one-shot take, but is in itself composed of a single half hour long shot (yes, they cheated slightly but it’s fabulous). Hugely recommended.
Listening
This month I’m off to a few gigs – Bryan Adams at the FD Arena this weekend, Throwing Muses next weekend, then the fabulous Wet Leg at the O2 Academy at the end of the month.
I last saw Bryan Adams play Gateshead Stadium back in the mid-nineties. He puts on a great live show, so very much looking forward to belting out some of the classics (possibly with a loo break during Everything I Do).
Throwing Muses at the Brudenell is a last minute thing, managed to grab tickets on resale. I’ve only recently discovered them as part of our Friday night whisky & vinyl sessions at my friend’s house. Now ploughing through back catalogue at pace.
I loved Wet Leg’s first album (another friday night whisky & vinyl find) and the new song is delightfully catchy.
The Consumed
A trip up to Newcastle to see my Mam is not complete without nipping to the coast for fish & chips. Now I’m a sucker for a fish finger sandwich and can’t resist it when I see one on the menu. This one was slightly more square than I was expecting, but the fish was delicious, there were a *lot* of chips and the side of samphire was *chef’s kiss*. I bloody love samphire.
Photos
Couldn’t find LokiCat the other day. He wasn’t in his usual spot under the bed, but I found him curled up on the sofa on a blanket in a sunbeam. Fortunately I had my little Sony camera with me and captured this. He’s a handsome boi.
Other things
Out walking Amber the other night and found that someone had installed a new bench in the grassy area nearby
Great idea. I love a bench. But it’s a bit weirdly positioned. This is the view from the bench:
And this is the bench itself:
Now I’m no park planner, but surely putting the bench the other way round is a much nicer view. And if your kids/dogs/whatever are playing on the grass, you’d actually be able to see them, rather than having your back to them.
Hey ho. At least it’s there if you need a little sit down.
Amber and I also discovered some ducks on last night’s walk, opposite the house.
Not sure what they were doing there other than chilling. Probably bemoaning the lack of any duck-friendly benches. Amber was very interested. I told her that ducks are friends, not food.
She seemed unconvinced.
Right, that’s quite enough of that. Pub tonight, so we’ll see what new and exciting records my friend has got his hands on, and I’ll have a dig through the whisky collection to see what tonight’s dram will be.
As ever, be excellent to each other and enjoy the sunshine if you have any.
Smooches
D x
weeknotes
Trying something a bit new on the ol’ blog. Let’s see how long this lasts.
LunaCat is naturally unimpressed. Though thrilled with her new @Alpkit brown envelope. She really loves those things.
Reading
Book 20 of the year was Dan Richards’ excellent Overnight: Journeys, Conversations and Stories After Dark.
If you’ve ever listened to Jarvis Cocker’s Wireless Nights, you’ll love this book. Fascinating delve into the things that go on at night while the rest of us are tucked up in bed. Thanks to Canongate for the lovely hardback copy for review (upcoming)
Also just finished Stuart Neville’s Blood Like Mine on audio. Fabulously bloody and helped the miles fly by on various journeys.
Also (this is turning into more of a list than I was expecting), I was lucky enough to get my hands on an ebook ARC of Beth Lewis’ new book, The Rush.
Regular readers will know how much I adore Beth’s books, and this one is utterly brilliant (as per usual). Three women’s lives in the gold rush collide. You emerge blinking into the sunlight almost feeling the grit under your fingernails from the harsh world Beth Lewis has created. Stunning.
Watching
I watched The Flash the other night as I was flicking around the various streaming services of which we have too many. It wasn’t entirely terrible. Well, the CGI was entirely terrible, but the story kinda worked. Fun to see Michael Keaton’s Batman back in action.
The Residence on Netflix was entirely brilliant. Uzo Aduba’s Cordelia Cupp was an absolute joy to watch. Shades of Knives Out, with a cast of suspects that kept me guessing all the way. Giancarlo Esposito taking over the late, great Andre Braugher’s role, and a nice nod that his character’s name was AB. Recommended.
Halfway through season 2 of Andor and it’s a lovely slowwww burn. Dedra and Syril remain firm favourites, they’re just so… awful. Initially unsure how the time jumps would work narratively, but inhaling the three episode arcs as they come out. Sad that there’s only six episodes left.
On another another rewatch of Castle for turn brain off late evening viewing.
Listening
I’ve been trying to listen to more new to me stuff recently, and acquired an old portable CD player to hook up to my desktop speakers so I can revisit my old CD collection.
Currently loving The Breeders‘ Last Splash and Throwing Muses Moonlight Concessions.
Open to recommendations for albums…
Fabulous gig recently seeing Lauren Mayberry (of Chvrches fame) play The Brudenell in Leeds. Despite having lived here for (checks) thirty six years, it was my first time there. Fabulous venue, superb gig. And a spot right at the front.
Photos
Really want to get out and take more photos with my actual cameras. In the meantime, please enjoy this photo of a tree trying its best.
Right, that’s it for this week. Will this become a regular feature? Will I actually remember to write stuff as I go along?
Only time will tell. Right, I’m off to the pub then round to my friend’s house to listen to music and sup whisky. Tonight’s offering will appear on my @davetrieswhisky instagram account, but here’s a sneak preview. Bonus points if you can pronounce Uigeadail.
Until next time, be excellent to each other.
Slainte!
D x
The Other People – CB Everett
Ten strangers.
An old dark house.
A killer picking them off one by one.
And a missing girl who’s running out of time…
And then there was one.
Ten strangers wake up inside an old, locked house. They have no recollection of how they got there. In order to escape, they have to solve the disappearance of a young woman. But a killer also stalks the halls of the house and soon the body count starts to rise. Who are these strangers? Why were they chosen? Why would someone want to kill them? And who—or what—lurks in the cellar?
Forget what you think you know.
Because while you can trust yourself, can you really trust The Other People?
Ah, I loved this book. It’s dark, it’s twisty and creepy and I raced through it.
There, that’s the review.
What, you want more? OMG FINE
So there’s a group of people trapped in a creepy house. They don’t know how they got there, why they’re there, or who all these other people are. Confusion abounds – what’s going on? Do any of them remember anything? Does anyone know what’s going on? Tasked with solving the case of a missing woman in twelve hours, tensions rise and nerves are fraught. Will they solve the mystery?
And then there’s something downstairs. Something you really really hope will stay there.
But then one of them is killed. And they’re just the first…
Tension ratchet as this disparate (and largely unlikeable) group of people try to figure out whodunnit. They’ve all got their secrets, naturally, and it’s a race against time to try find the missing woman and escape.
It’s gloriously entertaining and I raced through it in an afternoon. Highly recommended!
The Other People by C.B. Everett is published by Simon & Schuster and is out now. Huge thanks to @blackcrow_pr for an advance copy of the book to review.
The Bookseller – Tim Sullivan
THE SETTING
The body of a bookseller is discovered, lying in a pool of blood in his Bristol bookshop. Police have one question: how did the man meet such a violent, murderous end in this peaceful place?THE CONFLICT
DS Cross’s ability to dismiss red herrings is challenged by a worrying development in his personal life. Hopelessly distracted, he needs to rely on those around him in a way he has never been comfortable doing before.THE MURDER PLOT
It may be a quiet profession, but it’s full of passionate, ambitious characters who know the value of a rare book. Their extensive reading means they also know how to get away with murder.But is that enough to fool the tenacious DS George Cross?
The Bookseller marks the seventh instalment in Tim Sullivan’s series featuring the brilliant but eccentric Bristol-based DS George Cross. It’s the first one that I’ve read, but the title grabbed me and I dived right in.
A bookseller is found dead in his antique bookshop in a pool of blood. But who would want the quiet old gent dead? Turns out there are quite a few…
I really enjoyed this book. DS Cross is a fascinating character, able to pick out the tiniest of clues from a scene, but struggling to relate to other people due to his autism. The intermix of the crisis in his home life clashing against the murder case was nicely done against the backdrop of the rare book business. I had fun trying to figure out who might have been the culprit, though Sullivan throws in plenty of red herrings along the way!
Needless to say I was not successful in my sleuthing (good job I’m not a detective, eh?) but did spot some of the clues along the way. There’s a nice gentle humour at times in the book too, which added to my enjoyment of the story.
It may be the latest book in the series, but one which can be enjoyed as a standalone, and I will definitely be delving into DS Cross’s back catalogue of cases!
The Bookseller by Tim Sullivan is published by Aries and is out now. Many thanks to the publisher for an advance ebook copy to review via NetGalley.
The Voices – Natalie Chandler
For three years, criminal psychiatrist Tamsin Shaw has been lying unresponsive in hospital.
But while she may not be able to open her eyes, she is awake, and listening to her
The husband. The best friend. The ex-boyfriend. The former patient. The nurse. All of them have secrets.
One of them will kill to keep theirs hidden.
Can Tamsin wake up before it’s too late?
Hooyah, what a premise!
I heard Natalie Chandler talk about her new book at the fabulous Stockport Noir back in February (best get your tickets for next year quick, cos they’re going like hot cakes!) and knew immediately that it was very much right up my street and I needed to read it. I took myself off to the on-site bookshop (well, more of a book table, albeit one groaning with the weight of fabulous books) run by the lovely Serenity Booksellers and bought a copy.
Blimey. What a fabulous book. Hooked from the first page is a bit of a cliche, but here it’s absolutely true. I raced through this book. Criminal psychiatrist Tamsin is in a care facility, unresponsive after a car accident. The doctors are saying there’s nothing more that can be done. It’s been three years. Her husband is faced with a choice – keep going or accept that Tamsin isn’t going to wake up.
Except Tamsin is very much aware of what’s going on around her. She knows her nurses by sound and scent. She hears the doctors, hears her visitors talking. But can’t remember what happened on that fateful night of the crash…
The story is told from multiple perspectives – Tamsin, lying in her bed. Flashbacks to the earlier days before the accident. Her husband and her best friend, linked by an investment in a restaurant venture. The multi-layered narrative is delightfully compelling, and a great twist on the psychological thriller that we all love. Chandler ties the threads neatly, with plenty of twists and knotty problems. Great characters (albeit some of them are awful people), a cracking plot and you’ve got a fabulous story.
One of my books of the year so far. Get it on your lists, kids. You won’t regret it.
The Voices by Natalie Chandler is published by HarperNorth and is out now. You can get a copy via bookshop.org here, or from your local independent bookshop.
Vine Street – Dominic Nolan
SOHO, 1935.
SERGEANT LEON GEATS’ PATCH.A snarling, skull-cracking misanthrope, Geats marshals the grimy rabble according to his own elastic moral code.
The narrow alleys are brimming with jazz bars, bookies, blackshirts, ponces and tarts so when a body is found above the Windmill Club, detectives are content to dismiss the case as just another young woman who topped herself early.
But Geats – a good man prepared to be a bad one if it keeps the worst of them at bay – knows the dark seams of the city.
Working with his former partner, mercenary Flying Squad sergeant Mark Cassar, Geats obsessively dedicates himself to finding a warped killer – a decision that will reverberate for a lifetime and transform both men in ways they could never expect.
A couple of years ago I heard about this fabulous book that everyone was talking about. I picked up a hardback copy, fully intending to read it next.
Then it sat on the shelf, cos it’s a BIG book. I picked up a copy on kindle, fully intending to read that. Bookblogger friends on the socials cheered, as I had to read it, it was so good.
[time passes]
Suddenly it seems that Dominic Nolan had another book out. Surely I hadn’t had it that long?
Reader, I had. A not-so-gentle nudge by Liz Barnsley (source of 90% of my book recommendations and a scourge on my wallet) had me off to the shelves to retrieve my copy. It was a Sunday morning, around 10am. This might take me a while, at nearly 600 pages Vine Street is a beast.
I put the book down at around 10pm, having spent a huge chunk of the day immersed in the murky world of Sgt Leon Geats.
My review: I read a six hundred page book in a day, pausing occasionally only to make a fresh cup of tea as the previous one had gone cold.
It’s phenomenally good. It oozes atmosphere, you can almost feel the grit and grime of the streets coming off the page. Geats is an incredible character, but only one of a whole cast who are all brilliantly realised. They’re not all nice people, but they all feel so very much… alive. The story pans out over three timelines covering some 67 years, and it’s just glorious.
And there’s a cat.
Don’t do what I did. Get a copy (or get it off your shelf if you already have it), clear the decks, stock up on tea and biscuits and settle in for a book that will feature very highly on my books of the year list.
Sorry it took me so long, Dom. It was very much worth the wait.
Vine Street by Dominic Nolan is published by Headline and is out now