"Calico" by Lee Goldberg

What an excellent read! I’m not familiar with Lee Goldberg’s books, so I came to this with no expectations. This is a well paced police, investigative, procedural, mystery in and around Calico in modern day California, inextricably linked to events over 100 years earlier in the same location.

The plot kicks along at a nice pace, with elements of the story and the mystery being revealed throughout - with lots of surprises along the way. I found the central character, Beth McDade, interesting and likeable. She has a chequered past, with some aspects of her character that still get her into degrees of trouble - but she is competent, determined and loyal, giving her the doggedness to get to the bottom of the complex events she’s investigating.

The parallel story in 1880’s Calico paints a vivid picture of life in a small mining community, which felt real and alive to me, with a good mix of supporting characters.

The story kept me on my toes the whole way through. The uncovering and resolving of each layer of mystery was satisfying without being predictable, and I was intrigued by how all the threads would be resolved right to the end.

My only minor gripe is that the central theme of the book is left unmentioned for the first 7 chapters, despite being (to me) very obvious, which I found quite frustrating. Although perhaps that’s just me, as it’s also not mentioned in the blurb, so I won’t reveal it here. It certainly didn’t distract from a 5-star review for an incredibly engaging and interesting read.

Thank you #NetGalley and Severn House for the free review copy of #CalicoBook in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

My rating: ★★★★★

NetGalley Review

"The Hound of the Baskervilles" by Arthur Conan Doyle

Having seen the excellent TV series ‘Sherlock’ and other adaptations of these stories, I was very curious to read at least one of the original books. Unfortunately, it’s not really for me. The character of Holmes is unlikeable, and the condescending way he treats Watson is annoying. It seems that we should find some attractive mystery in the inscrutable nature of Holmes, but for me it had the opposite effect - I just found him arrogant and supercilious.

The character of Watson is likeable enough, but the remainder of the characters seemed quite 2-dimensional. The story was a bit ponderous, with various dead ends and red herrings - which always make me wonder why I just wasted 10+ pages of reading on something that has no bearing on the plot. Perhaps mystery novels just aren’t for me.

My rating: ★★☆☆☆

"The Future" by Naomi Alderman

This was an absolute page-turner for me. It is a compelling story, full of action and rich characterisation, set in a familiar world of polution, climate crisis, and personal and corporate greed. The setting is close to the bone, and the book has a lot to say about our place in this world. This didn’t make it a difficult read - rather it gave the plot and characters’ motivations a poignancy.

The plot moved at a good pace, with plenty of twists and reveals that kept me on my toes. The cast of characters is nicely varied, with each character having a unique and well drawn personality. They all have an emotional presence and authenticity that made the book a joy to read - and I was genuinely engaged with the overall plot and the outcomes for the main characters.

The book has a satisfying, unexpected, and thought-provoking ending. The characters, technology, and overall spirit of the story left me wanting more - I would love to see these characters or settings appear in a future work by the author.

Thank you #NetGalley and 4th Estate for the free review copy of The Future in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

My rating: ★★★★★

NetGalley Review

"Sea of Tranquility" by Emily St. John Mandel

A short and very satisfying story about time travel. It was never Gaspery-Jacques Roberts’ plan to work for the Time Institute, but through a casual combination of circumstances, that’s exactly what he finds himself doing - investigating an anomaly that spans centuries and touches several people’s lives.

What I liked most about this book is the delicate and thoughtful writing of the characters. Emily St. John Mandel has such a light touch with her characters, that each seems to have an authentic emotional presence. I especially liked Olive Llewellyn, whose presence was a gentle foundation for some of the plot.

The plot was intriguing, and well supported by the structure of the book, which pivots around the central chapter, making the second half of the book into a satisfying and drawn out resolution of the first half.

This is a short book that touches on a number of ideas - and for me that left a few things that needed a little more explanation or exploration. And for stalwarts of the time-travel subgenre of science fiction, the reveal at the end won’t come as a particular surprise. These are the only things that prevented me giving a 5-star review. This is the first Emily St. John Mandel book that I’ve read, and I will certainly be putting her others on my to-be-read list.

My rating: ★★★★☆

"Death of a Salesman" by Arthur Miller

Deeply moving. Unrelentingly hopeless.

My rating: ★★★★★

"Doppelganger" by Naomi Klein

For me, this is a difficult book to review. The author has some important, insightful and well researched observations about the behaviour of significant sections of the population that I have previously found bewildering and difficult to comprehend: conspiracy theorists, deniers of various kinds, and those that would liken minor lifestyle inconveniences with the atrocities perpetrated by the Nazis. However, the book felt in places like a disjointed ragbag of ideas that were loosely (sometimes very loosely) tied together by the Doppelgänger theme - a theme that often felt slightly forced, or crowbarred in to justify talking about a particular topic in the context of the book.

Given the disjoint nature of the book, I was also left unsatisfied regarding any overall conclusion. The suggestion that we should work together, rather than as individuals, to address many of the problems we are currently facing seems shallow and weak - especially compared to the depth and strength of some of the issues covered, and the detail with which they have clearly been researched.

After reading this book, I do feel like I have more insight behind what might be driving some mass behaviours that I otherwise found incomprehensible - but I don’t know where that leaves me. I certainly don’t feel any better equipped, nor more hopeful - so I feel I may have missed something.

Thank you #NetGalley and Penguin Press UK for the free review copy of #Doppelganger in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

My rating: ★★★☆☆

NetGalley Review

"This is How You Lose the Time War" by Amal El-Mohtar, Max Gladstone

Beautiful. Absolutely beautiful. And with a reveal near the end that absolutely floored me. Still numb from the emotional aftermath of finishing it.

My rating: ★★★★★