Well, I actually managed to read two books this week, unlike the week before. I was fortunate in that I chose two absorbing reads, which I really enjoyed.

The Other Passenger by Louise Candlish was my first choice from our ebook catalogue. Here is the blurb:

“On the morning of Monday 23rd December, Jamie Buckby takes the commuter riverboat from his home in St Mary’s, southeast London, to work in Central London, noting that his good friend and neighbour Kit Roper has not turned up for the 7.30am service they usually catch together.
 
At the London Eye, where he disembarks for his job in a café behind the South Bank Centre, Jamie is met by the police. Kit has been reported missing by his wife.
 
As Jamie is taken in for questioning, he discovers someone saw him arguing with Kit on the boat home late on Friday night. The other passenger believes Jamie committed murder.
 
But what really happened?”

And here is my response on the Goodreads website:

The Other Passenger by Louise Candlish
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I wish our library’s ebook service had more books by this author! As soon as I had finished The Other Passenger, I rushed to look up the author’s name in the hope that there would be a long list of her books on there. But, no.

So, you can see that I really enjoyed this book! I love stories with a twist, and this one was like a corkscrew. Just when I thought I had worked it all out, another turn would come along, leaving me gasping in surprise.

Now, because of this it is impossible to say much more about the plot as I wouldn’t be able to avoid giving too much away. The characters were really interesting and well-drawn and quite unusual in my experience. Of course there are echoes of other books and films, but then nothing is totally original, is it?

Anyway, as you can see, I really recommend this book, and if her others are as good, they will be worth a go too!

View all my reviews

My second choice was a very different kind of book for me: The Mermaid by Christine Henry. This is the blurb:

”Once there was a mermaid who longed to know of more than her ocean home and her people. One day a fisherman trapped her in his net but couldn’t bear to keep her. But his eyes were lonely and caught her more surely than the net, and so she evoked a magic that allowed her to walk upon the shore. The mermaid, Amelia, became his wife, and they lived on a cliff above the ocean for ever so many years, until one day the fisherman rowed out to sea and did not return.

P. T. Barnum was looking for marvelous attractions for his American Museum, and he’d heard a rumor of a mermaid who lived on a cliff by the sea. He wanted to make his fortune, and an attraction like Amelia was just the ticket.

Amelia agreed to play the mermaid for Barnum, and she believes she can leave any time she likes. But Barnum has never given up a money-making scheme in his life, and he’s determined to hold on to his mermaid.”

Once again, I gave the book five stars and wrote the following review on Goodreads:

The Mermaid by Christina Henry
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I really enjoyed this fantasy re-telling of “historical” events. Apparently, the FeeJee Mermaid hoax actually took place, although not in quite the same way as in this book!

The writing was straight forward and easy to read. In fact, I read the book very quickly as I was so taken with the tale. The description of Amelia in mermaid form was intriguing and her character was strong and almost heroic, unlike some of the other figures in the book.

I will have to look out for other books by this author. If they are as good as this, I will be in for quite a treat!

View all my reviews

I apologise for the brevity of the review. 

I am now trying to decide what to read next! There are so many books out there and I am feeling rather overwhelmed at the moment!

Anyway, Happy Reading to you all…

Love and best wishes,

Anne

📚📖📚📖📚