I have really enjoyed my reading since writing the last Reading Roundup post for the blog. I am still not managing print books as yet, but I am finding plenty of ebooks to interest me. By the way, I must apologise for the very short and rather basic reviews. I have been struggling to prepare for Christmas as I cannot leave everything to Lovely Husband and must do what I able. This afternoon I finished writing all of the cards, which was quite difficult with my poor eyesight and shaking hands.

Anyway, this was the first book…

The Snakes by Sadie Jones

The Snakes by Sadie Jones was a very strange book and totally outside my comfort zone, which must be a good thing for a retired librarian! In fact, any kind of librarian. Here is the blurb:

Bea and Dan, recently married, let out their tiny flat to escape London for a few precious months. Driving down through France they visit Bea’s dropout brother Alex at the hotel he runs in Burgundy. Disturbingly, they find him all alone and the ramshackle hotel deserted, apart from the nest of snakes in the attic.

When Alex and Bea’s parents make a surprise visit Dan can’t understand why Bea is so appalled, or why she’s never wanted him to know them; Liv and Griff Adamson are charming, and rich. They are the richest people he has ever met. Maybe Bea’s ashamed of him, or maybe she regrets the secrets she’s been keeping.

Tragedy strikes suddenly, brutally, and in its aftermath the family is stripped back to its heart, and then its rotten core, and even Bea with all her strength and goodness can’t escape.

This is my brief review (there are far better ones on the Goodreads site if you want to find out more):

The Snakes by Sadie Jones
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This book left me baffled and confused. I am not sure how to write about it or rate it. The first part was difficult to read and I struggled with it and nearly stopped. Then came quite a long chunk where the plot began to take off and I became absorbed – I definitely didn’t want to put the book down at this point. But the last section! I can’t really say more without spoiling the book for others.

Once again, I suggest that potential readers look through the range of reviews on here and make up their owns minds!

View all my reviews

Perfect Crime by Helen Sarah Fields

The second book was the next part of a long series which I have really enjoyed: Helen Sarah Fields’ Perfect Crime ( D.I. Callanach #05). I was really pleased when I saw it on the library’s ebook site. This is the blurb:

Your darkest moment is your most vulnerable…

Stephen Berry is about to jump off a bridge until a suicide prevention counsellor stops him. A week later, Stephen is dead. Found at the bottom of a cliff, DI Luc Callanach and DCI Ava Turner are drafted in to investigate whether he jumped or whether he was pushed…

As they dig deeper, more would-be suicides roll in: a woman found dead in a bath; a man violently electrocuted. But these are carefully curated deaths – nothing like the impulsive suicide attempts they’ve been made out to be.

Little do Callanach and Turner know how close their perpetrator is as, across Edinburgh, a violent and psychopathic killer gains more confidence with every life he takes…

This book certinaly didn’t disappoint!

Perfect Crime by Helen Sarah Fields
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I have enjoyed this series enormously so far and this book is also excellent. There is a great balance between a fast moving plot and the cast of characters, which are very well-drawn. The main ones continue to develop, moving forward with each book to make the series coherent as a whole. The plot is exciting with plenty of unexpected twists and nail-biting moments – some parts need nerves of steel!

I can’t wait to get the next one from the Library!

View all my reviews

I hope that I can write better and longer reviews as my health improves after the stroke.

Happy Reading to you all!

Love and best wishes,

Anne

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