Memoirs of an Ordinary Guy, Not Rich, Not Famous, Just Truths by Mel RJ Smith

A fascinating story of one man's adventures from boyhood, through adolescence and into adulthood. Funny tales that had me giggling. Painful memories and wrong choices that turned his life upside down and tore at my heartstrings. Recollections of happy times that made me smile. All of these shaped his life and brought him to where his is today.

An honestly written, witty and compelling read.

The Invisible Guardian by Dolores Redondo

A killer is at large in a remote Basque Country valley, enter Inspector Amaia Salazar. 

Young teenage girls are being brutally murdered, and this evil brings Amaia back to Elizondo, back to the place of her childhood, determined to find the killer and exorcise a few demons of her own. Reality and myth intertwine as Inspector Salazar searches for the truth. 

I really enjoyed this story, I found the character of Inspector Salazar fascinating.  She's intelligent, insightful, courageous and confident yet at times vulnerable and haunted. She's a very strong leading lady. well supported by a cast of beautifully written characters, from the almost too perfect to be true James, to the controlling, bitter and malicious Flora. 

As the search for the killer progresses, we find ourselves learning more and more about Amaia, her family, her past and the history of Elizondo and it's surrounding areas. Legends of the community tangle with the facts, as we are taken on a pilgrimage through darkness, horror and evil, with light coming from places least expected. 

The only issue I had with this book, is that it creeps forwards a little too slowly, with so much detailed description, I sometimes felt a little bogged down. It could be possible that something got lost in the translation, or that I was simply too anxious to find out what was going to happen next. 

To conclude, a fascinating thriller, part of a trilogy and I for one will definitely be looking out for the next book in the series. 

Harper Lee

Go Set A Watchman by Harper Lee

There is no way I can review this book in a coherent and sensible manner. My passion for To Kill A Mockingbird, for Scout and Atticus is too strong. Every word will be lead by emotion. My excitement and apprehension on learning of this books very existence was momentous. The author had always pronounced vehemently that she would never publish another book. So, on learning that she was doing indeed that, but it was questionable as to whether she was coerced into agreeing to it's publication left me perturbed. The comments, reviews and general consensus leading up to it's release made me determined to read it with an open mind without prejudice.

To begin with, I have to say that the extra glimpses into Scout's childhood were for me, very emotional. Jem, Scout and Dill's games and life view were such an integral part of TKAM and to be able to add to those was heart warming.

Meeting Scout as a young adult was exactly as I had expected it to be. She's the same headstrong, full of life and gumption Scout as she was as a child.

This is a story of growing up, of finding oneself.
To misquote Thomas Wolfe,
"“You can't go back home to your family, back home to your childhood, back home to romantic love , back home to the old forms and systems of things which once seemed everlasting but which are changing all the time..."

Scout finds herself questioning everything she thought she knew and believed.

Some of the conversations between Scout and Atticus make for uncomfortable reading, especially when you've held Atticus Finch on a pedestal your entire life... kinda like Scout has. The higher you build your pedestal, the further your idol has to fall.

Am I glad this book was published? YES! Whilst reading it, I'd stop and clutch the book to my chest, feelings akin to reconnecting to a long lost friend. We may not have followed the same paths, but the connection and affection is still there. As I finished reading the last sentence, tears pouring down my face, I was grateful for the opportunity to revisit with the Finches and the Maycomb community.

A Game For All The Family by Sophie Hannah

Justine Merrison, her husband Alex and fourteen year old daughter Ellen leave London and move for a quieter life to Devon. Life for Justine and her family is about to get very weird indeed. 

The book alternates between the story Ellen writes for a school assignment and Justine's life. Ellen's best friend disappears... or does he? Justine receives threatening phone calls and things get more and more mysterious. 

Let me start by saying how much I enjoyed reading A Game For All The Family; although enjoyed doesn't seem like the right word, delighted in, relished, loved and adored would be more appropriate words.

Justine and her "I do Nothing with a Capital N" motto drew me in. Ellen's dark and enigmatic story kept me guessing until the very end. 

My mind raced as the story weaved this way and that. I got it wrong, time and time again, although I did manage to solve one of the mysteries before the end. This is a brilliant, chilling psychological thriller and it had me gripped to the very end. 

The Clock Struck One by Helen Deakin

A new house. A new life. A whole new nightmare!

Life doesn't seem fair for Tamara, a typical teenage girl struggling with the the move to a new town away from her friends. But life is about to get a whole lot worse.

There’s something not quite right about this new house; this town. The voices she is hearing and the inimical nightmares seemingly induced by the house itself are starting to frighten Tamara worse than anything else has ever scared her before. It doesn’t help that she’s become a complete stranger to her own family, shunted and ignored by them.

Something bad is coming. Something horrifying and Tamara is powerless to stop it.

                                                       **********************

This may be a short story, but it has so many twists and turns. It starts out like a usual horror story and is dark, eerie, creepy and chills you to the bone. It has you thinking, wondering, trying to work it out and the twist at the end was not what I was expecting. Brilliant story telling. 

The language used by the author describes everything so perfectly, so thrillingly, so terrifyingly.

Thank You Helen for the chance to read this wonderful book, can't wait to read more of your work.