PRIDE & PESTILENCE by Carol Hedges

 5 out of 5 stars

On Amazon (universal link)
On Goodreads

How I discovered this book: it was submitted to Rosie's Book Review Team, of which I am a member.

In a Nutshell: Book 11 of the Victorian Detectives murder mystery series

Eleventh book in the series, and I have not given any of them less than five stars!  Pride and Pestilence sits up there with the rest, a hugely enjoyable tale of social climbing scoundrels, unscrupulous journalists, class wars and weary detectives aiming to sort the urgent from the time-wasting, the villains from the victims.

Detective Leo Stride has now retired, but finds himself all at sea; researching old police records for the purpose of writing his memoirs is a welcome escape from bumbling around helplessly in the social and domestic world inhabited by his wife, and also provides an irresistible opportunity to sidle into in some of Cully and Greig's new cases.  Is he still needed?  Of course he is!

The discovery of a plague pit within a building site sparks off rumours of a resurgence of the pestilence of 200 years earlier, and the way in which the tabloid press use this to instil fear into the public (and sell more papers) is most entertaining, and indeed echoes events of a more recent time.

It's great.  Loved it.  Read the whole series, starting now!

Spell The Month In Books #April

I saw this idea on Between The Lines book blog and thought I would present my version!

My chosen five come highly recommended :)  

Click title for my review.

A

Abandon by Blake Crouch

P

Planet of the Headbreakers by Zeb Haradon

R

Rizzio by Denise Mina

I

I, Richard Plantagenet by J P Reedman

L

Life Is Like A Mosaic by Sally Cronin

THE HOUSE AT THE END OF LACELEAN STREET

4 out of 5 stars

On Amazon (universal link)
On Goodreads

How I discovered this book: Twitter, and have read a few of this author's books!

In a Nutshell: Unusual supernatural story about trauma and acceptance

I took the opportunity of receiving an (uncorrected) ARC, as I know Catherine McCarthy's stories are always worth reading. She is a master of atmosphere, writes with a fine turn of phrase and illustrates her characters so well.  

In this mysterious tale, Howard, Claudia and Stacey find themselves on a bus that takes them to the house of the title, where there is nobody else present (aside from the most efficient staff, who neither we nor the characters ever see).  All three are at rock bottom emotionally, because of adverse circumstances in their lives and particular events that appear to have been the 'last straw'.  As the truth about their lives is revealed, sometimes by hint, sometimes in a dream sequence or hallucination, the purpose of their stay becomes more apparent.

I was certainly invested in these characters, and read the book quickly, though I did feel a little 'yes, but why? How?' after I'd read the ending.  This is only personal taste; I'm one of those readers who likes to have everything spelled out at the end and get actual, definite answers.  The outcome is positive in many ways; I just wanted more of it!    

TALES OF THE RISEN TIDE by David M Reynolds

 4 out of 5 stars

On Amazon (universal link)
On Goodreads

How I discovered this book: it was submitted to Rosie's Book Review Team, of which I am a member.

In a Nutshell: Post-apocalyptic fantasy, YA.

The star of this story is Jymn, a 13 year old boy who has lived almost all his life on board a ship, in slavery with the promise of being able to 'repay his debt' and be free at some point in the future.  His life is hard, with his eye deformity that provokes mockery from his peers, and a diet of only salt-rice.  Nevertheless, he is a hard worker, a talented engineer, and not one to let adverse circumstances get him down.

The book is set many years after an apocalyptic event in our future, and the ways of the old world are gone, save for treasures to be scavenged, and the intriguing remains of the 'teck' (technology, though they don't know this word).  The world building is intricate without being too detailed, and evokes images in the mind.  Life changes for Jymn when his ship comes into contact with The Archon, a vessel carrying pirates.

The further I read, the more the book appeared to be intended for the younger end of the YA market, which was not apparent from the blurb or its categories on Amazon.  It's a rip-roaring, imaginative adventure, well-written, and a story I would have loved when I was about twelve, though it does come across as one of those 'stories for children of all ages', like the Narnia and Harry Potter books, in that it can be enjoyed by adults too.

A fine debut, and I loved the post-apocalyptic aspect, though I doubt I belong within the intended demographic.