I have had plenty of time to read this past week as I have been in bed so much. Thank goodness for books! And public libraries too! I have already read nearly 50 books this year and there is no way I could afford to buy that many.

The Hidden Legacy by G J Minett

I finished G J Minett’s The Hidden Legacy first. For once I read a mystery novel rather than crime. It is a multi-layered plot which is unpeeled rather like an onion, revealing everything by stages. What seem, at first, to be unrelated story lines, all come together in a very satisfying ending. I will certainly seek out more by this author. Ooh, my Goodreads wish list is getting longer by the day!

Red Bones by Ann Cleeves

The first four books of Ann Cleeves’ Shetland series are available as ebooks from our public library. They are so popular that there is a queue for each one, so I had to jump straight to books three and four and leave number two on reserve. They are so easy to read and so gripping that I sped through both of them. Book three is Red Bones. I will copy my Goodreads review here:

Ooh, I have a cold finger tracing down my spine! This series is amazing. I am reading it in a hit and miss order as the ebooks become available on our public library system. Now, I have been to Orkney, back in 1976. And I was there as part of a Uni archaeological dig. A lot of the time in thick fog. So, although I have not been to Shetland, my experience resonates with this book. Cleeves draws her background so well that you feel that you are there. Digging. In the fog!

Mind you, I am so glad that I didn’t stumble across a murder whilst on a dig!

Blue Lightning by Ann Cleeves

Book four, Blue Lightning, would have deserved five stars but for something I cannot give away. No spoilers here! The story takes us to Fair Isle and, again, Cleeves makes the reader feel as if they were on that island with its people. She takes a classic theme, people marooned or emprisoned in a space, and makes so much of it. I now have to reserve the rest of her series in print form from the library to see what happens to DI Perez next!

The Zig Zag Girl by Elly Griffiths

I am currently reading Ely Griffiths’ The Zig Zag Girl and will let you know what I think of it in next week’s Reading Roundup post.

Best wishes,

💛💜💙💚❤️