amothersmusings1's reviews
1939 reviews

Set on the coastline of Cornwall and the stunning Isles of Scilly, “Hidden Depths” is a financial crime thriller which the author JH Mann, has succeeded in creating an evocative, atmospheric story with an intriguing premise. 

 

The depths of deceit, lies and guilt that Catherine kept hidden was astonishing. I can only imagine how it would play on your conscience, especially in front of your family and to find yourself getting deeper and deeper involved, must have been frightening. I can’t say I took to any of the characters themselves, they were naturally selfish and arrogant but they played their parts to the letter and came across as the villains they were. 

 

I liked how the author incorporated ocean swimming as the backdrop for the story and how pivotal it was to the main character’s defence system. Being a non swimmer myself, I envied Catherine the luxury of the freedom of the sea and understood the feeling of the cold fresh water soothing the soul, from wading in freezing Scottish lochs myself. 

 

The last few chapters were tense and fast paced with an ending that leaves it to the reader to decipher and with an interesting and intriguing plot line, this book made for an entertaining read. 

Taylor Swift’s monumental rise to stardom is known widely around the world and nobody has escaped the recent announcement and gossip surrounding her new album. “The Essential….” book featuring Taylor Swift is beautifully presented with some outstanding, colourful photos of Taylor in concert along with photos from her early career and personal life. I found this factual book fascinating and I’m not a Taylor Swift ‘super-fan’ but for those that follow her avidly and this goes without saying - it really is a must read for those that adore all things Taylor Swift. I particularly enjoyed reading ‘The Early Years’ chapter and learning how the friendly, Christmas loving, down to earth girl took the huge decision to leave RCA to write and record her own songs. Each chapter features information on each of her albums with a final chapter on “The Era Tours” and the songs sang at them with photos and relevant information. Finally there is a dedicated page to each of her albums, with the tracks, recording details and notes, including the infamous “The Tortured Poets Department” everyone is currently talking about. 

 

Love or hate her, this book is an invaluable read to know all you can about Taylor Swift and her music, perfectly sized, appealingly presented and an ideal gift for any discerning fan! 

 

#TheEssentialTaylorSwift - ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 

Sonia Velton is a terrific author who instantly engages her readers with well written, researched and intriguing stories. I thought her previous novel “The Image of Her” was one of the best books I’ve ever read, so I was truly looking forward to reading this; “The Nightingale’s Castle”.  An historical retelling of the infamous ‘Blood Countess’ set in Hungary in the early 1600’s and using the author’s vivid imagination, we see Erzsébet Báthory’s life through her various servants and ladies, in particular Boróka who has her own personal reason for protecting the countess.  Although I found it difficult to pronounce in my head, some of the names and places mentioned, I still thought the story flowed with passion and emotion and the thought of over 600 peasant girls being murdered, kept my attention till the end. 

 

I’ve always had an interest in ‘witches’ in history and their unlawful persecution and it broke my heart to read yet again how terrifying it must have been to be a woman centuries ago, who was comfortable with her herbs and remedies, yet deemed to be a witch because of it. 

 

The characters were strong and a credit to the female race, in particular little Marta who I particularly loved, she truly had a good heart and was often overlooked. As a compelling character driven story, woven with betrayal, suspense and incredibly rich details, this book ticked all the boxes for a historical fiction novel. 

 

This big book is aimed at young children and with the easy description and back to basics drawings and explanations of everything you need to know about in a garden, both what grows and how to grow it. There’s so much for children to explore in a garden and this book is a fantastic way to experience nature at its most basic. I’d have loved this book as a kid and I know whomever is given this book will love it too. Perfect for the school library too especially nursery age children who like to explore outside at break times and could be used as part of the school learning. 

I’d highly recommend this book, there’s nothing to not like and I for one would be pleased to give it as a gift. 

5 stars 

“The Midnight Man” is the first in the Clapham Trilogy crime series, written by Julie Anderson and is set in 1946 post war London at the South London Hospital, ran by and for, women only. 

 

A prologue can make or break the start of a book and the opening paragraphs in this story, of a trapped woman fearing for her life, really set the intrigue and instantly gripped my attention and interest. 

 

When Faye, manager of the staff canteen encounters a woman sitting forlorn and lost, she befriends her and offers her a job cleaning tables. They soon strike up a friendship and Ellie becomes part of the hospital staff family.  When a nurse goes missing and is later found dead, Ellie believes she heard her cries for help and selfishly ignored them. Together, Ellie and Faye start investigating who the murderer could be and whether they could be involved with the hospital. Faye likes solving puzzles and discovering things and found herself unable to stop her undercover snooping. 

 

The introduction of the NHS hasn’t taken place yet, although it has passed through parliament and the story has a backdrop of what it’s like for patients pre NHS, having to find the funds to pay for treatment, be it illness, accident or life threatening disease. 

 

Women were still discriminated against, even though the hospital had some very prestigious female medical staff and hardworking employees and it was good to read that these women could quite easily hold their own and do the jobs of men. However, once men returned from war and expected their jobs back, the women were frowned upon for continuing their jobs and the language and latter day disparaging terms showed the men’s unhappiness. What was interesting was the recruitment drive of women into the Met Police after the war, something Faye would be perfect for. 

 

This crime story could quite easily be set in modern day times, showing that the crimes committed in the 1946 sadly haven’t changed and the author captured the nature of the crimes realistically and together with some extensive research of the era, social economics and politics, made this a very readable and enjoyable story and I can’t wait for book two and three! 

 

#TheMidnightMan - ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

“Taste of Blood” is book nine in Lynda La Plante’s #Tennison series and is the penultimate before the final book in the series, which is published in July this year. 

 

Jane has become disillusioned with her career to date but receives a timely boost with a posting to a CID office closer to home, headed by a higher ranking female officer. Although at first Jane believes this could be the making of her career, she soon finds herself investigating a lowly crime, warring neighbours disputing boundaries. But Jane isn’t fooled and soon becomes convinced that there is more to the squabbling than is first suspected. Despite being told to stop further investigating, typical Jane is like a dog with a bone and unable to curb her gut instincts. Will she prove herself right or could this be the end of her career? 

 

Jane’s personal life takes a more back seat as compared to the previous book ‘Dark Rooms’, although there are still some major changes and events that affect her mental and physical state. I feel like I’ve come to know Jane personally and as the story escalates and she becomes the driving force in the interview room, we see her at her best and finally achieving the recognition she deserves. Some fantastic police work is contained in the last 100 pages or so and I was addicted to the ensuing denouement. 

 

Lynda La Plante has an exceedingly imaginative and creative mind and combined with being a brilliant writer, her books are always a pleasure to read. The ideas for the crimes she comes up with, continue to astound me and I personally feel that Jane Tennison is probably the best fictional female detective around. The crimes committed are realistic and often grisly and heart wrenching but with Jane usually at the core of the investigation, nothing gets past her and the villains are always caught. 

 

I can’t wait for ‘Whole Life Sentence’ to see what the author has in store for Jane now she’s older, wiser and wholly respected for the police detective she is.

“Love, Julie” is a humorous, heartwarming tale of self discovery and redemption and even though it’s poignant and tackles quite delicate subjects of loneliness and self forgiveness, I really enjoyed reading Julie’s story and only held empathy and support for her character. 

 

The main focus of Julie’s story is the serious and sensitive topic of alcoholism, which the author admits to having some experience with, although not as an alcoholic. I personally thought she had captured the life of an alcoholic, trying to stay sober, very realistic and the feelings and emotions that Julie vividly experienced, allowed the reader to see just how hard alcoholics internally fight with themselves, over the need to have a drink. The wretched feelings and memories of things said and done during bouts of drunkenness, must cause the conflicted and embarrassing emotions Julie experienced during her low periods and I’m sure many people can relate to similar experiences. 

 

Although I did prefer the more comedic Jamie Anderson’s “Someone to Kiss”, I still very much enjoyed this story. The quirky wedding planning banter, the present emails written by Julie (keeping the suspense of what has happened to Luke) and the ‘will they, wont they’ storyline certainly kept me entertained. With genuinely endearing characters, romantic undertones and some really fun moments, made this an entertaining read and can happily recommend it. 

 

#LoveJulie - ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 

“Queen Macbeth” is a wonderfully written, concise story set out as a novella but packs so much into it, you’d be forgiven for thinking you’d just finished a full length novel. Val McDermid is one of Scotland’s best known authors and she is exceedingly well placed to re-enact a famous story everyone knows the name of. Taking the story from the point of view of Macbeth’s wife and portraying her as the strong and powerful woman she must have been, with obvious guts and determination but with a real heart, allows the love story entwined in the constant family battles to soften the brutality of 11th century Scotland. 

 

McDermid can turn her hand to any style of writing and her take on this retelling of Lady Macbeth, has obviously been written with a mixture of clever research and realistic imagination.  I loved the layout, with the before and present intermittent chapters.  The tension that builds as Queen Macbeth and her three loyal women companions, as they evade capture from rival, power hungry leaders, culminates in a fierce denouement. 

 

An excellent quick read, that I enjoyed from start to finish and can happily recommend if this book appeals to you too. 

 

#QueenMacBeth - ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 

“Seven Days” is a cracking debut crime thriller featuring a daughter tasked with finding out if her estranged father is actually guilty of the crime he is accused of and currently awaiting execution in seven days time. I liked how she felt morally obliged to investigate due to her respect for the law but her personal emotions regarding her relationship with her father clouded her desire to do so. But will her actions also have consequences down the line regarding other criminals?

I really couldn’t put this book down and I’m pleased it didn’t take seven days to read or my patience would have been broken. Being so addictive and gripping I could clearly picture every scene as if it was playing out on the big screen, which incidentally would make a fabulous movie, as the twists and turns would keep a theatre audience enthralled. Very cleverly plotted and executed, this fast paced novel raced through North East England to France and ending in America and kept me guessing and on my toes to an explosive finish, that also tugged on my heartstrings. 

I have some excellent favourite local authors on my bookshelves;  Mari Hannah, Trevor Wood, Howard Linskey and Ann Cleeves, and now I’m adding Robert Rutherford to that list. I do hope he has further ideas in the pipeline as I’d be the first in line to read. 

“Seven Days” is an unmissable read for crime readers who like a moral dilemma within a story and this was an easy five star review for this high octane thriller. 

“Red Runs the Witch’s Thread” is an intriguing read and is superbly portrayed in the style of the era it’s set in. With literary connotations and metaphoric symbolisms, this scholarly novel reads like poetry and with an addictive storyline, I found myself immersed in the world of thread bleaching and Scotland’s Witchcraft Act. 

 

If you look up Christian Shaw on the internet you’ll see she’s a real life person who was involved in the horrific Paisley witch trials in 1697.  She did indeed become a successful businesswoman establishing the Bargarran Thread Company, enabling the thriving Paisley thread industry. 

 

I’ve always been interested in the sickening witch trials that occurred through history and although this book is fictional, the fact that Christian Shaw really was involved in the death of several people she accused of being ‘witches’, makes this story equally as haunting as the author’s imaginative tale.  

 

An enjoyable story for early teenage readers through to adults of any age, I’m happy to recommend this book and having already read several of Victoria Williamson’s historical fiction short stories, I look forward to reading more from her in the future. 

 

#RedRunsTheWitch’sThread - ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️