Tag: Thrillers

Yellowface- Rebecca F. Kuang (2023)

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I knew I’d missed out on something big with this book when I chose it as one of my “What I Should Have Read In 2023” picks.  From its publication at the end of May last year this book seemed to be everywhere- helped by a provocative title and cover and with an author with an excellent reputation from her previous four books offering us something very different.  Almost a year on I’ve got round to reading it (just in time for the paperback publication on 9th May).  It topped best-seller lists, Foyles had as their Novel Of The Year and it was an Amazon Book Of The Year.  Big expectations for this then, but to be honest I wasn’t sure what I was going to make of it.

I loved it!  It’s a satirical swipe at social media and the publishing industry.  I’d always fancied a job in publishing, I’m not so sure after this.  It’s a well-paced thriller and at times a chilling horror story and cautionary tale.  There’s dark humour and quite a few moments when I wanted to shrivel up in discomfort.  It’s both a very clever work and very commercial and that explains the accolades.

June Heyward, a published author whose writing career is in the doldrums lives under the shadow of the more successful Athena Liu, a Chinese-American author whose success June can only look on with envy.  After a night out together Athena dies and June takes a manuscript Athena has been working on.  This tale of literary theft becomes increasingly problematic both for the thief and the issues it raises.

Plot-wise I’m saying no more.  Character-wise Rebecca Kuang has created a first-person narrator whose actions can be outrageous and egregious but who continually provokes a range of emotions from the reader from delight in her misfortune to almost willing her to get away with it, from unease to disbelief at the lengths she will go to maintain her writing career.

It’s a brave book as you feel that he author is setting herself up to be shot down by detractors and negative reviews focus on June as well as the controversial issues aired here, even pitching this to her publishers would have been a courageous move.  Luckily Harper Collins got behind it and have been rewarded with strong sales.  I’m not surprised to see a mixed spread of Amazon reviews between 3 and 5 star and GoodReads has it averaged out to 3.79 from nearly 450,000 ratings but I was behind this all the way.

Yellowface was published in the UK in hardback by Borough Press and imprint of Harper Collins in 2023.  The paperback is out on 9th May 2024.

100 Essential Books- Strange Sally Diamond – Liz Nugent (2023)

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I really only became aware of this book and its potential when I was compiling my “Looking Around” post at the start of the year and discovered the love it was getting from other bloggers.  I had a feeling I would love it.  There’s over five pages of plaudits from this Irish author’s peers including Donal Ryan (“amongst the very best storytellers in the world”), Graham Norton (“twisted and twisty, dark and gripping”), Val McDermid, Abir Mukherjee all of whose books I’ve really enjoyed and whose opinions I feel I can trust.

Trust which certainly paid off as for this book I have resurrected my 100 Essential Books thread making this the most recently published work to make it into my elite group of super-reads.  To start off, this has the best openings I’ve read for ages;

“Put me out with the bins, he said regularly.  “When I die, put me out with the bins.  I’ll be dead so I won’t know any different.  You’ll be crying your eyes out” and he would laugh and I’d laugh too because we both knew that I wouldn’t be crying my eyes out.  I never cry.

When the time came, on Wednesday 29th November 2017, I followed his instructions.  He was small and frail and eighty-two years old by then, so it was easy to get him into one large garden waste bag.”

In two short paragraphs Liz Nugent sets her stall out introducing us to a character, who we can already tell from her first-person narrative is unemotional, literal, twisted and has difficulty sorting right from wrong – meet strange Sally Diamond. There’s darkness and humour which goes side by side throughout and this introduction has that feel which seems to be present in the best of Irish writing.  This is a family relationship which needs to be explored further.

I really don’t want to give too much plot away, only that it goes in directions that couldn’t be predicted and it continues to do so throughout this novel which also defies categorisation.  I suppose you could call it a thriller.  It’s dark and there are scenes which are difficult to read, but it is abundant in its warmth and heart, which makes it a fairly unique thriller in my opinion and genuinely makes it difficult to stop reading.

Hopefully, by the time this book arrives in paperback at the end of this month word of mouth will be so good that it will be the huge seller it deserves to be.  This is the book I expect to see people missing their tube and bus stops for.  It won Crime Novel of the Year in the 2023 Irish Book Awards and should elevate its author, who I actually hadn’t heard of before, despite this being her 5th novel (I’m going to love catching up) into the very top rank of contemporary popular novelists.

Strange Sally Diamond was published in 2023 by Penguin Sandycove.  The paperback is published on 28th March 2024.

Quint – Robert Lautner (Borough Press 2024)

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The main reason why I re-read Peter Benchley’s “Jaws” (1974) recently was because I was aware of this novel on the horizon which is a memoir of main character Quint.  Now, I’m not totally convinced that the shark fisherman is the most resonant character in the book but it is the portrayal by Robert Shaw in the movie that made the deepest impression on this author and fifty years on from Benchley’s publication it is fascinating to see this character from another perspective.

Everything that takes place here is pre-Jaws.  It’s a document found after Quint’s death which was written in the late 60s and looks back focusing on two events, his wartime experience on board the Indianapolis and a memorable fishing experience nine years later.  So, what we have here is a sea-drenched historical novel with flashes of Melville’s “Moby Dick”, a touch of what I’d imagine Hemingway to be like (it’s been many years since I read him) and perhaps more unpredictably, “Pinocchio” with quotes from the children’s classic by Carlo Collidi running throughout.

What gives this novel greater depth is that Quint was on board the Indianapolis, which was the last American battleship to be sunk in World War II on the way back from carrying the atomic bomb which would destroy Hiroshima by a Japanese sub.  The crew entered the water and because of the nature of their mission no-one knew they were there as they fought for survival for five days.  It wasn’t long before man-eating sharks came circling.

In the most powerful section of the book what happened in the sea then runs alongside a solo fishing trip with Quint, nine years later, newly arrived in Amity and trying to prove himself. With these two narratives running alongside one another we get an intense, visceral read which works so well.

Before this the narrator delves into his background to explore what makes Quint who he is and it’s a decidedly macho tale of a loner with fights, booze and contests to prove himself.  He’s never likeable but that actually doesn’t matter here as it’s the larger story- a naval history disaster pitched against man’s battles with the deep and what comes up from it which exerts a significant punch.

Robert Lautner is the pen name of a British author and this is his third novel with another “Rabbit Moon” (2019) written under his own name, Mark Keating.  He is a new author to me although his 2017 novel “The Draughtsman” was longlisted for the Walter Scott Historical Fiction Prize.  Here his combination of a character most will have some awareness of, the historical tragedy and a vividly created man vs sea adventure sequence produces a valid tribute to Benchley’s Quint.  I enjoyed this just as much as “Jaws”.

Quint is published on 1st February 2024 by The Borough Press.  Many thanks to the publishers and Netgalley for the advance review copy.

Only If You’re Lucky – Stacy Willingham (Harper Collins 2024)

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This is becoming an annual tradition, January, the month of abandoned New Year’s Resolutions, crash diets to lose the weight gained at Christmas, high credit card and heating bills, has, for the last three years become noted for the much more palatable prospect of reading a new Stacy Willingham.

This American author has impressed me with her previous two novels, “A Flicker In The Dark “(2022) and “All The Dangerous Things” (2023) with her sweltery Southern settings, Gothic touches and twisty plots.  In some ways this latest feels a departure but also allows her to do what she does best.

I’ve already spent time on an American campus this month with Kiley Reid’s “Come And Get It” and I must admit I started off with the feeling that it was a little too soon to be back amongst dorm rooms, female students friendship dynamics and getting by without seeming to do any studying! Also, I find the whole sororirty/fraternity set-up with pledges and hazing all very distancing (and disturbing) so when elements of these began to creep in Stacy Willingham was really going to have to work hard to win me over.

Margot has turned up at the college that she and her best friend had chosen to attend alone as Eliza had died in suspicious circumstances in the summer before they were due to start.  Margot’s response is to shut herself away until she meets Lucy who opens a whole new side to Margot and together they plan to spend the summer with two more friends in a house next door to and owned by a boy’s fraternity.  We’re aware from the start that something has gone wrong and that Lucy is missing.

Following a prologue of a significant moment which means little out of context we have a first-person narrative from Margot in “Before” and “After” Lucy’s disappearance sections which alternate through the text.

It takes a little while to build and I was missing the author’s more intense approach in the previous novels but just after mid-way through the reader begins to realise how tightly plotted this is.  I never saw any of the twists coming and that is due to the author’s skill in handling these aspects of her plot development.  The ability to shift perceptions of events throughout the novel was evident in the last two and it’s present here also.

I think where there’s a difference is that especially “Flicker” but also “Dangerous Things” felt very visual and could make strong TV/film adaptations.  I think here more is contained with the words spoken rather than events (Margot spends a lot of time assessing what was said) which would be more difficult to get across in a visual medium and without this things might fall apart and seem too implausible.  It’s the author’s skills in plotting, character and misdirection rather than the turn of events that impress more.

I personally didn’t enjoy the setting as much as her other novels and it feels more like a gear change towards a younger female fiction market but all the skills mentioned above and that Willingham trade-mark drip-feeding of information means this is her third four star work in a row, making her a consistently strong writer of American contemporary crime.

Only If You’re Lucky is published on 1st February 2024 in the UK by Harper Collins.  Many thanks to the publishers and Netgalley for the advance review copy.

Uncle Paul – Celia Fremlin (1959)

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I can’t remember being so seduced by a cover.  This book practically leapt off the table into my hands at Waterstones.  Faber’s 2023 republication of this 1959 novel looked stunning- the front cover with the idyllic seaside vista, the splashes of blood and the “Welcome To the Nightmare Summer Holiday” tagline, the equally attractive back cover without the expected information, I had to open to the flyleaf to see a synopsis and the Sunday Times’ claim that Celia Fremlin (1914-2009) was “The grandmother of psycho-domestic noir”.  I didn’t even need to read what the book was about I was already reaching for my wallet.

I can now say that had this book not looked so good I probably would never have read it but is it a case of style over substance?  I’m actually tempted to say yes.  Not a lot happens in this tale of a summer holiday in the seaside town of Seacliffe.  Meg responds to a cry for help (there’s a surprising number of telegrams sent in this book) from her sister who is braving a caravan stay with her two young sons.  Also in the vicinity is the women’s half-sister Mildred renting a primitive cottage.  The tension ramps up very slowly concerning the whereabouts of the titular uncle (who was actually Mildred’s husband so not an uncle to Meg who refers to him as this).  There’s mysterious footsteps, a lot of misapprehensions (some of which seem inexplicable given the people concerned) which adds to an air of hysteria and paranoia which the author is happy to let simmer.

I did enjoy the depiction of seaside life- the only place that seems to have running water is the faded hotel some of the characters decamp to.  The importance of good weather to maintain sanity comes across well.  Character development is solid and I liked the interaction between them but I would have enjoyed a stronger plot more.

Celia Fremlin wrote 16 novels.  To date Faber have republished three, “The Hours Before Dawn” was a prize-winner at the time and a Christmas themed novella “The Long Shadow” reappeared in prominent positions in bookshops over the festive period and also looked lovely.  I would read other books by her now that I know more what to expect but I’m less likely to be buying them just because of the cover and Faber’s strong presentation of her work.

Uncle Paul was originally published in 1959.  I read the 2023 Faber & Faber paperback edition.

Those People Next Door – Kia Abdullah (2023)

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Domestic Noir- it’s not a genre I particularly enjoy reading.  There’s something about nasty neighbours which triggers an anxiety in me.  I think it’s to do with home spaces being threatened by others close by- this kind of intensive no-escape situation chills me, and not in the stimulating way of a creepy horror story.  I can only think of a couple of irritations I’ve had with neighbours over the years in the various places I’ve lived so it ‘s not to do with that but I can sense how easily these can get out of hand.

I don’t think the reading public are in line with me here as these home-based thrillers tend to sell very well.  I must admit that here I was a little put off by the title wondering if Kia Abdullah had written a book which wasn’t for me and in the early stages this felt like this might have been confirmed but I was driven on by the cover also informing me that this was a legal thriller and I know this is what this author does so well.

This is the fourth Kia Abdullah novel and I’m pleased to say I’ve read them all and I’d have to think very hard to come up with an author who is better at plotting and building a novel to provide maximum thrills.  Her novels have tended to follow a formula -structure-wise and this works really very well.  Debut “Take It Back” I described as “really impressive”; “Truth Be Told” I said “I savoured every word “; of “Next Of Kin” I said “Also like last time I found myself covering the bottom half of pages as I didn’t want to know of various outcomes until the exact moment Kia Abdullah intended me to”.  This happened again with her latest book.

Salma and Bil Khatun move into a new neighbourhood with teenage son Zain and the thrill of the new move is tainted when their neighbour Tom takes offence at a “Black Lives Matter” banner Zain has put in a flower-pot. Nothing in a Kia Abdullah novel can be taken at face value.  Sometimes the motives are not the most obvious ones and there’s a level of complexity to issues which is intoxicating.

Relationships get further strained as incidents between the neighbours mount up (and I did find some of this difficult reading) until, we assume, because this has been the pattern of each of her novels so far, that something will occur which will end up in a court-room.

The legal proceedings feel slightly less prevalent than in some of its predecessors but with aspects of the case not fully revealed it makes for gripping reading, This feels her most commercial novel so far and I am not surprised it is doing so well for this author.  If this is your introduction to Kia Abdullah you are in for a treat but please discover her back catalogue so far as two of her novels have been outstanding.  This book will help to confirm her position as I said in my “Take It Back” review into “The Premier League of contemporary crime-writers”.

Those People Next Door was published by HQ in 2023.

A Death At The Party – Amy Stuart (Penguin 2023)

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Canadian author Amy Stuart already has a three book series (“Still Mine”, “Still Water”, “Still Here”) but here has produced what is obviously a stand-alone.  We begin with a quote from Virginia Woolf’s “Mrs Dalloway” which feels appropriate as this also takes place during one day and involves preparations for a party.

We begin at the end with the titular death which involves main character, narrator and party host Nadine.  We don’t know who has died and the book tracks back to reveal this and becomes a whydunit.  The party is for Nadine’s mother’s 60th birthday.  She is a best-selling novelist.  Nadine is not especially likeable as a character.  She keeps meticulous lists, sees herself as a born organiser but she is a better delegator and has issues with control.  Her family, a great support network for her, put it down to her recovery from an accident but is more to do with long-held secrets coming to the surface.

The domestic thriller genre feels rather well-mined at the moment and still dominates best-seller lists and I don’t read many of them, tales of family lies and untrustworthy neighbours unsettle me but here things are handled very well.  The one day setting is effective, we are not hauled back to multiple narratives from the past.  We see these events from present day perspectives.  This gives a palpable intensity not always present when multiple time-lines create a stop/start structure.  It is carefully plotted, which belies its simple structure.  It didn’t matter that I often found Nadine irritating, the characterisation feels authentic and coincidences pointed  out so as we cannot question their plausibility.  All in all, this feels like it achieves all the author sets out to do.  I think it would make a great holiday read yet is likely to linger long after the holiday is over.

A Death At The Party is published by Penguin on 3rd August 2023.  Many thanks to the publishers and Netgalley for the advance review copy.

All The Dangerous Things – Stacy Willingham (Harper Collins 2023)

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Stacy Willingham impressed with her debut “A Flicker In The Dark” (2022), a twisty Louisiana-set thriller with skilful misdirections and careful plotting.  All this is evident in her second novel which I think I enjoyed even more than the debut.

Isabelle Drake, a freelance journalist, is facing a year since her three year old son was snatched from his bedroom by speaking at a true-crime convention in the hope that someone might come up with unforseen evidence.  On the way home she meets Waylon, who can provide the opportunity for new perspectives on the case.  Isabelle’s family has been shrouded in secrets, from her childhood and her relationship with the husband she separated from since her son’s disappearance.

This is an intense thriller with the author drip-feeding us information which shifts almost continually how we perceive events.  The author states she has written it as an acknowledgement of the weight of motherhood, having to go it alone with feelings that might not feel normal but are in terms of blame and guilt and responsibility. 

I like the Southern setting, the characterisation, the touches of gothic, neighbours who seem to appear out of nowhere, the stifling heat and the boggy marshes.  This is a strong second novel.

All The Dangerous Things will be published by Harper Collins on 2nd February 2023.  Many thanks to the publishers and Netgalley for the advance review copy.

Darkness Falls – Robert Bryndza (2021)

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This is the third book in Robert Bryndza’s Kate Marshall series.  Last time round I praised what I saw developing into a high-quality crime series.  This standard has been maintained.

I do feel, however, that there is a distinct change of tone in this book.  First in the series, “Nine Elms” was (too?) grisly and I felt the author’s reining in on this a little for “Shadow Sands” made it stronger than the debut.  Third book in and we have a fairly standard mainstream crime work with little of what made the first two so unsettling.  Perhaps the author feels he has put Kate Marshall through the wringer enough and here places the focus on a well-structured highly readable whodunnit.

At the end of “Shadow Sands” Kate and colleague Tristan were contemplating starting a private detective agency.  This has come to pass but with jobs few and far between they are also running a camp site in their Devon location, assisted by Kate’s teenage son Jake.  A missing female journalist cold case could be their saviour and help her distraught mother get some closure.  It soon becomes clear that the journalist was working on a story which might have caused her demise and this may be linked to a serial killer preying on young gay men.

As in the previous novels the relationship between Kate and Tristan is very strong and the author is right to bring the young gay male research assistant into clearer focus in this.  There were a couple of questionable motives here which grated just slightly but the pace builds nicely for an exciting last third.

I liked the change of tone in this book, it makes both the author and the series unpredictable – we soon tire of series which become formulaic.  Maybe some who found the first novel too dark to get through might like to revisit this series at this point.  I don’t mind whether the author goes back along the darker routes of the predecessors for the 4th novel.  I just know I will be wanting to read it.

Darkness Falls was published in December 2021 by Sphere and will be published in paperback on 29th December 2022.  The next in the series “Devils Way” is due to be published in hardback/ebook editions on 12th January 2023.

Take It Back – Kia Abdullah (2019)

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I came into Kia Abdullah’s legal thrillers at Book 2 with “Truth Be Told” (2020) which blew me away and ended up in my Books Of The Year.  Stand-alone novel “Next Of Kin” (2021) made it two five star reads elevating Kia Abdullah, in my opinion, into the Premier League of contemporary crime-writers.

With a new novel not due until to the start of 2023 I thought I’d catch up with the one I missed out on which introduces Zara Kaleel, a Muslim woman who has given up her six figure lawyer’s post to work in counselling and support at Artemis House- a sexual assault referral centre.  Zara is struggling to adapt to all the changes in her life and one day Jodie arrives at the centre, 16 years old with the disfiguring disability of neurofibromatosis and tells Zara she has been raped by a group of four Muslim teenage boys.  This is a case which can only be explosive- with disability, faith and consent being the triggers and is one which places Zara into great conflict with the Muslim community and her family.  Justice for Jodie takes over Zara’s life but doesn’t reduce any of her demons.

The case does not feel quite as central stage as it is in the other two books.  The author takes time to establish Zara’s character as a strong determined woman who has defied expectations in terms of her career, faith and relationships which adds fuel to the fires of the rape case.  This focus does actually make it feel a little less intense than the subsequent novels but you can really appreciate the author is here honing the skills to knock readers for six in the future.

There’s twists and turns, some anticipated and some I certainly didn’t see coming and the court case is as engrossing as always.  I’m not sure if it felt totally resolved this time round which may grate on some crime readers.  I notice in my reviews of the other two books of hers I’ve read I cannot even bring myself to reveal any details of the cases and I have here because just the bare bones would open up a raft of ramifications whereas the cases in the follow-up books are more complex and you need to be within the narrative to get the full horrors of the implications.

So, whereas this is a really impressive legal thriller I think this author upped a level with Books 2, where Zara supports another case and Book 3, a stand-alone.  Here she is learning to write the crime novel masterpiece which she hits home with next time round.

Take It Back was published by HQ in 2019.