TALES OF THE FORTHCOMING by Steven Blows #RBRT

 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: see cover!

At 98 pages, this is a book of 10 well-written short stories that I recommend for a couple of hours of enjoyable reading, if imaginative science fiction mixed with fantasy/supernatural is your thing.  As I went on, I noticed how refined the characterisation is, something I appreciated very much; the ability to create characters that reveal themselves straight away shows talent indeed.

The stand-out story for me was A Time After Time, in which Jorge becomes increasingly sceptical and worried about a world-changing event eagerly anticipated by almost everyone except him.   I was completely immersed in the atmosphere of this one.

Other highlights were the very funny Possibilities, with its excellent final sentence that made me laugh out loud, and Unbeknownst: three ghosts show a troubled young woman that she has so much life yet to live.

I also enjoyed reading Highway 72, in which a young traveller fails to listen to a warning from one who knows better.  Then there's Delayed Departure, about a man in a hurry at a railway station in a 'theme park in space' and the amusing Family Dinner & Troubling Times - a young human male meets his alien girlfriend's family for the first time, though these two could have done with more satisfying conclusions.  On the whole, though, I'd say they're all good.  The author has a habit of writing a clause as a new sentence ('Snow covers the ground in a smooth sheet of white.  Anything underneath it hidden from sight'), but that's something a professional editor could soon nip in the bud - I'd be most happy to read anything else he writes.  

COLD IN THE EARTH by Thorne Moore @ThorneMoore #RBRT

4.5 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: Cold case crime solving, mostly non-police

I'm not a fan of crime fiction, but I AM a fan of Thorne Moore's writing, so I chose this from the review team list without hesitation.  It's not a police procedural, as the main person doing the detective work is Rosanna Quillan, an ex-DC who is persuaded by a friend to do some digging.

Six young girls went missing in the early - mid 1990s, but the perpetrator was only ever charged with two of the murders; the other cases remained open but went cold.  The grieving families must wait another twenty-five years for truths and physical remains to be revealed.

The most interesting character in this book was, for me, Margaret Gittings, mother of the murderer; I'd have loved to have read her whole story from her own point of view!  Then there is 11-year-old Lolly, with whom the story opens. Clever, clever, Thorne Moore - Lolly's first chapter is brief and without resolution, which meant, of course, that I eagerly read the whole book within two days so I could find out what happened to her!  I also liked Malcolm, the retired officer who dealt with the case initially, after it was bungled by a less than diligent colleague.

The story zips along so convincingly, perfectly paced, and I very much liked that, although a fledgling romantic interest for Rosanna was present, Ms Moore did not feel the need to wrap it all up with hearts and flowers.  It's good.  And there's a lovely little twist at the end, even after the remainder of Lolly's story (which was worth waiting for) is revealed.

THE STRANGER IN MY HOUSE by Judith Barrow

4.5 out of 5 stars

On Amazon (universal link)

On Goodreads

 

How I discovered this book: I've read and enjoyed quite a few by this author

In a Nutshell: Complex family drama

The Stranger in my House begins in the 1960s, in what I assume is a fictional village somewhere between Yorkshire and Lancashire.  Eight-year-old twins Charlie and Chloe are still mourning the loss of their mother, three years before, when father Graham brings home his new girlfriend, Lynne, who is soon to become his wife.  Charlie has reason to dislike and distrust Lynne from the start, because of a memory that Chloe doesn't share with him; however, Chloe soon finds her own reasons.

Along with Lynne come her children: the kind and supportive teenage daughter Evie, and Saul, an apprentice thug a few years older than the twins.  The problems begin immediately, and only escalate.

Part Two of the story takes place after a time jump of a few years, showing the effects of the marriage on all of them.  

I found this book hard to put down, reading it in the early hours when I should have been sleeping!  My initial feelings towards the Collins twins and their father were great sympathy and frustration at the lack of communication, at Graham's inability to stand up for what he knew was right, though this is in no way a criticism; rather the opposite.  Graham's lack of assertiveness and desperation to keep the peace was understandable because of all he had been through, and the twins were but children.  Also, this was another world; sixty years ago, values and attitudes were so different from now.  The family's inability to resolve their situation was what made the book so real, and such a 'page turner' - I completely believed in the characters.

The (probably) psychopathic Lynne was so well drawn, and for me the whole story highlighted something that so many of us suffer from: the mistaken belief that others are basically honest and well-intentioned.  Oh, and something else I loved - how Chloe, when a child, used to write letters to Sandie Shaw, her heroine.  She never sent them, but imagined the singer reading them, which helped her pour out her thoughts.  I loved Sandie Shaw when I was a child in the 60s, and can imagine myself doing similar.  Well done, Judith B! 

THIS LINK will take you to the song that Chloe and her family loved so much - Always Something There to Remind Me 😀