Madeleine Wickham AKA Sophie Kinsella Swimming Pool Sunday

Madeleine Wickham : Swimming Pool Sunday (Sophie Kinsella)

While I enjoyed this book, I felt a little cheated when I found it is a re-issued book. It was not obvious to me, but when I was reading about costs of houses and similar, I was a bit taken aback, then looked closely and find it was published in 1997, then re printed this year.

That aside, it was a pleasant book which I did enjoy reading. There were no surprises, as the story was very straight forward; Louise and Barnaby live in a small village, they have 2 daughters, but there are problems  in their marriage and they have split. A couple in the village have a swimming pool and every year they open their garden and pool to the village for an entrance fee for charity. This year there is a terrible ‘accident’, and the bulk of the book is how this is dealt with by the parents, the village, the owners of the house with the pool, and the lawyers.

It does make you think, and the book is a light read so the dilemma is also fairly lightweight, but it does show up how these situations can affect all parties involved and can create even more distress. It also leaves a nasty taste as it shows the way we are all so ready to sue other people, and how you really need to think hard and investigate your liability if you are going to host any sort of gathering. What happens if there is an ‘accident’. Does your insurance cover it? Pretty frightening to think of how easy this kind of incident can occur. 

Dark Wear by Tabitca Cope

For those of us who waited impatiently for this the second book in the Dark Trilogy, it was worth the relatively short wait!

I so enjoyed catching up with the “gang again.” It’s a lovely feeling when they are all familiar to you, and you are eager to find out what  has happened and what is about to happen (well it’s a book so there has to be something about to happen!)

The story is a good one, and it builds slowly and firmly towards an explosive ending. You will not be disappointed, between witches, the Fifth Reich, Big Animals and even bigger “creatures.” I was frightened, I laughed out loud and I did have a wee cry during this book. I do not hesitate to recommend it, there is something in it for everyone.   A Darned good Yarn!

The Arranger by L J Sellers

I decided to start reading this e book last night, and as soon as I started I knew I was hooked. I knew I was in for a long night and I was right.

The hero of the hour is Lara, she was a police officer for 16 years and is now a freelance paramedic, the year is 2023 and she is  to take part in the  annual contest “The Gauntlet”. As Lara is female and the oldest competitor, she is not ranking too highly, but she knows she has put the work in and has the experience behind her. The day before she is due to travel to the contest, and when on a call out, she is shot at as she arrives on the scene, on entering the property she find the Federal Employment Commissioner alive but with a large bullet hole in his shoulder!

When Lara arrives at the competition site, she is taken aback to spot the shooter, and wanders if he has followed her to the competition to finish the job……… And then the action really starts with Lara taking part in the gruelling competition - which needs all of her wits, intelligence as well as strength and stamina - dealing with the other competitors, murder and mayhem with a little romance thrown in for good measure.

At the same time, we are reading about events taking place months ago from a seemingly unrelated story, we actually bob back and forth between the here and now to the past as it all comes together in an explosive ending.

Nothing has been said if there will be more novels with Lara, can I request, pretty please, that there be more, I finished reading the book and wanted more, that says it all for me.

The Accident by Linwood Barclay

As I started reading this book in the early hours of a Saturday morning, I managed to read it all in the one day.

I loved the first couple of books by Linwood Barclay, fast and furious action right from the word go, but I had started to feel it to be a bit too much of a safe formula. However I still bought this new book as soon as I saw it.

It was still fast and furious, and I did quite enjoy it, and the constant trying to guess who the bad guys were, and there was the usual twist –  sting in the tail. However, I just felt almost like he was asked to write a thriller novel about knock off selling. To almost show his readers what is behind buying the odd knock off DVD, or handbags or medicines.

So although I enjoyed the book, and read it in the one day, that was because it was a Saturday and I had all day, it was an easy read plus I did quite want to find out who were the baddies. It was ultimately a little disappointing, I was left dissatisfied. 

The Ice Princess by Camilla Lackberg

I bought this e book after hearing one of my Twitter pals commenting on how much she was enjoying reading it (LettyP1). I got this novel and book of the series on Kindle as a compilation was on offer, and I have so far read the first one, The Ice Princess.

I found this to be one of those novels that starts off slowly, a body is found frozen on the bath – hence the title – and we gradually get to know the people involved. I could compare it to an Agatha Christie novel, only with unpronounceable names and lots of snow. Mainly because the more you find out - the more confusing it becomes. Just when you think you have figured out one secret, another pops up and you realise how wrong you were!

Then there is a second murder, or is it? The plot gets more and more complex as more layers are uncovered, as Patrik investigates. Patrik has lived in this small town all his life, and on joining the police force had anticipated more small time criminal behaviour, it was therefore with a degree of trepidation, mixed with excitement at being involved in the investigation of a murder. He knows all the people involved, to one degree or another, including Erica who was one of the first people brought to the scene of the murder. She was best friends with the “Ice Princess, Alex” when they were young girls till Alex’s family suddenly upped sticks and moved away. She was also the subject of Patrik’s adoration at that time, though she was unaware of it.

Erica is living in her family home, as her parents had been killed in a car crash recently and she has moved back for the funerals and to deal with the legalities. So as well as the murder(s), we have Erica and Patrik getting to know each other again, and the problems Erica is having with her bullying brother in law who wants her out of the house and it sold so he can get his hands on half its value.

As Erica is an author, mainly in biographies, she is used to investigating and gathering information, so the two, at times separately, at times together look into Alex’s life as her family had left the town suddenly when they were around 10 years old, and that was when they had lost touch with each other.

I found this not to be a page turner, in the sense of gripping excitement, however it was a page turner in the sense of wanting to know what on earth is going on and why. It was gentle book, which I really enjoyed; it shows that you don’t have lots of bad language and blood & guts to create tension and excitement. I accept that it won’t appeal to some people because of that, but there is room for all and this is a class act of its type. I am certainly looking forward to starting on book 2, The Preacher.