M. J. Arlidge's "Gift for dying"

 

This book can be found here.

She heard their screams

she felt their fear.

now she's their only hope ...

This comes from the cover of the book. It's a nice introduction as it shows how a young teenager, Kassie, sees the deaths of anyone she looks in the eye. This is an important part of the character, given there is a serial killer on the loose who seems to be unable to be stopped. 

The other main character of this novel is Adam Brandt, a forensic psychologist. Adam is a character who is not supposed to believe in Kassie's abilities but help her to work through her trauma. The problem is for Adam that the more he hears and sees, the more he believes and becomes involved, which has larger consequences for him than allowing a teenager to live in supposed psychosis.

The book is set in Chicago and has a great gritty feel to it. Whilst I have mentioned the above two main characters, there are other points of view littered through the novel which adds depth to situations and the concept of fate and whether choices can change fate or if free will really doesn't exist because choices do not alter the future.

This theme was the most thought-provoking in the book and was one of my favourite parts about it. Some chapters read a little slower than others, which is possibly because of the shift in points of view of the characters; but the ending is quick, suspenseful and possibly even surprising (even factoring in the strength of its theme). 

I did find some grammatical errors in this book that may be distracting if you are that kind of reader, so just be aware. 

If you are a fan of Arlidge's 'Helen Grace' series, this is definitely a detour you might enjoy. Or you might find a detour from Arlidge's norm disappointing. The only way you'll know is if you read it 😊

Links for you:

Arlidge in the Library:

Pop goes the weasel

Love me not

Author read-a-likes in the Library:

Gone girl

Gillian Flynn

This book is dark and gritty, with suspenseful endings. The focus is psychological suspense like Arlidge's novel with characters that are flawed.

You can run

Steve Mosby

The characters in Mosby's work are flawed and the atmosphere is dark, gritty and psychologically suspenseful. 

Nora Roberts' "Dark witch"

 

This book can be found here.

Roberts has written a plethora of novels. So, I expect you to have heard of her. In libraries, she takes up a lot of shelf space, and a lot of the romance fiction 😀

'Dark witch' is of course a book full of romance, but there is some supernatural/fantastical elements to it. This could pique your interest.

This book centres around Iona Sheehan, who travels to Ireland to learn more about her family’s history and legacy of magic. Her cousins Branna and Connor O’Dwyer welcome her well, particularly when she tells them about the dark dreams she has about an evil sorcerer named Cabhan, who has sought revenge against the family for hundreds of years since the first Dark Witch, Sorcha, stopped him from stealing her powers. That's the supernatural side. The romance? This comes in the form of a cranky but incredibly sexy stable owner, Boyle McGrath. And there may be a happily ever after for them together if the cousins O'Dwyer are able to find a way to defeat Cabhan. 

As far as the plot goes, it follows the traditional romance genre. However; it is a trilogy so the overarching Dark Witch story continues on. Something to know about the trilogy: each book comes from the perspective of a different cousin. So you will receive a different romantic focus each time whilst trying to find out just how to defeat Cabhan. This part may seem therefore like it drags (but maybe it builds as you progress through the books). 

The characters are okay. Again, I felt they were rather set-up as romantic characters, so they fit that mould. The sections about Sorcha were probably my favourite; and depending on your reading of Iona you may find her slightly frustrating because of how she is written. In terms of Cabhan, there doesn't seem to be a lot there. Just remember the focus is the romance, so you won't have any strong opinions of the big bad without more of his perspective. 

The best part of the novel I found, was the description of the settings and the atmosphere of the characters' surroundings. This was very strong and made the book feel more romantic. 

Overall, if you like romance you will probably like this book. If you have never read another Roberts' book, this might be a good place to start (especially as we have the entire trilogy in the library to be read!).

Links for you

Cousins O'Dwyer trilogy:

Shadow spell (book 2)

Blood magick (book 3)

As she has written over 200 novels (!), I have made a list of some of her most recent here:

Awakening (2020, it is book 1)

Hideaway

Under currents

This particular book is not a romance, but a thriller. So maybe something different for you to try?

YF highlight: George Lester's "Boy queen"

 

You can find this book here.

Robin is a teenager who has his life figured out; until he doesn't. When everything falls apart, Robin feels he will too. However, Robin falls for Drag and his life feels no longer lost or empty. 

This is the premise of the book, that highlights friendship, love and ideas and how really set they are. But it also shows how Robin is able to grow and develop into the person he really wants to be and how important it is to embrace that as well. 

Staf pick: "I am Heathcliff"

 

You can find this book here.

Wuthering Heights is my favourite book of all time! If you haven't read it, you can find it here (I am sure the Library has electronic versions too). So, I read this book because it is authors who have been inspired by the classic novel to write other stories. 

'I am Heathcliff' is a short story collection that looks at themes and characters within the novel and explores them in different ways: two- (an one-) sided intense relationships that mimic Heathcliff's emotional state for Cathy and re-writings about the problems of men like Heathcliff for women. Above all, there is the atmospheric emotional intensity of characters and even moments where the moors themselves become alive. 

I liked this book because of its different voices and perspectives on the classic novel. I liked different interpretations, readings and issues that writers found with the book. It was enlightening to read these and see what other people thought, even across diverse cultures. 

Whatever you feel for this Brontë's work; the freshness of these stories showed me how strong the impact of her work is still so that many more stories, perspectives and ideas can be shared, written and considered. 

It was fun to read: dark at times, but the good thing about short stories is that if you need a break to consider one that impacts you in some way, you can put it down for a couple of days before finding a whole new story altogether. 

-- S.B. 

Links for you

The following links are items that have been inspired by either 'Wuthering Heights' or Emily 's life.

Ill will

Michael Stewart

Nelly Dean

Alison Case

Wrong in all the right ways

Tiffany Brownlee

Dear reader

Mary O'Connell

Peter Hanington's "Single Source"

 

This book can be found here.

Peter Hanington is himself a journalist; so he knows how the world of journalism works. This adds credence to the novel. This is also a sequel of sorts to 'Dying breed', as the protagonist is the same. However, as I have not read the first book, I cannot tell you what crosses over between the two. I can tell you it didn't bother me during this read that I hadn't read the first one. 

William Carver who has been around awhile as a radio reporter. He knows the business, he follows his gut on stories, and he is a little unlikeable (maybe more so depending on your perspective). The story he follows in this novel is protests in Cairo during the Arab Spring. If you are unsure of this terminology, you could try History's website or Britannica's for an introduction. However, it turns out that Carver finds out there is an even bigger story happening during this time within Cairo; which is also even more dangerous than the first. 

Carver is a solid character with flaws and depth, but very good journalistic skills. His perspective is the dominant one within the book, though it does flit between characters, such as his producer Patrick and two brothers trying to escape Eritrea and make it to Italy. This adds different perspectives and voices to the story, and actually adds depth to the investigations overall. 

The journalistic side of this novel is very tight and the diversity of characters and connections is good. The story moves quickly, though you might not like the jump in perspectives I mentioned earlier (though I had no trouble with this) and may not be as fast-paced as other thrillers you have read.

I enjoyed the historical, political and journalistic elements of the novel. Hopefully you will too.

Links for you

Read-a-likes in the Library:

Man with no face

Peter May

Same genre and suspense elements in this novel, perhaps more so, as Hanington's. 

Seventeen

Hideo Yokoyama