A Slow Fire Burning by Paula Hawkins

A slow build this one, a whodunnit with plenty of flawed possible killers...

...Hawkins allows us to get to know her four main characters, all weaved into each others lives with plenty of inconsequential bits of information that manage to keep her reader guessing...

The Library Enthusiast & Rookies...

Treasure & Dirt by Chris Hammer

This is slightly different from what I expected...

...yes there is a murder to solve in this Hammer novel, but it is really more about 'white collar crime'.

The plot here isn't so much about personal vendettas or psychopathology, it is more about corporate espionage, something I'm not a huge fan of.

Why? 

...well for me it makes things complicated in a way the human psyche doesn't seem to...

...as always Hammers ability to immerse you in a story through his believable descriptive prose are spot on....

...now where is that fly spray.

The Library Enthusiast on why we need Libraries...

 

Mirror Man by Fiona McIntosh

Thank you Ms McIntosh for giving us another tale involving the very lovely DCI Jack Hawksworth...

 *sighs*

In Jack we have a really likeable character, he is-

charming

charismatic

 but more importantly 

authentic...

...solving crime has never be so desirable when you are Hawks team!

The Library Enthusiast and that book...

Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens

This one requires persistence, you need to be prepared to allow it to shroud you in the diverse and mesmerising world of life in the marsh.

Owens writes descriptively, with a clear knowledge of the Carolinas and Kya is a well thought out character with an intensity that encourages the reader to accept the books slow burn.

The Library Enthusiast on Literature....

One Hundred Days by Alice Pung

I loved this one from Ms Pung, it is written from Karuna's point of view and as a letter to her unborn child...

Ms Pung gives us a beautiful account of the intricate balance of parental love and the need to control a situation. 

The voices of both of her main characters are loud and clear and wonderfully written...

I enjoyed this window into second generation migrant families, a world in which I have no personal experience...

...seeing an unfamiliar Australia through the eyes of a teenage Asian Australian was powerful and thought provoking.

The Library Enthusiast's View of Life...

 

Everything is Beautiful by Eleanor Ray

An easy to read tale about loneliness and grief...

..Ray has successfully given us a dual narrative, which allows us to understand why Amy's life is frozen in time.

Whilst this book touches on the 'why' many of us may need to keep/collect things, it doesn't sensationalise it, which I felt is one of this books strengths.

I also enjoyed reading the perspective of the two boys who lived next door.

The Library Enthusiast & the great thing about Books....

 

The Distant Dead by Lesley Thomson

This time Thomson gives us a dual narrative - 1940 and 2019 - providing us with the very real idea that the events that have happened in the past, continue to have their echoes in the present day...

...you don't need to have read any of the other books about Stella Darnell, The Detective's Daughter, to enjoy this murder mystery, however having said this, it might help put some of her back story into perspective if you do!

The Library Enthusiast's #8 reason for Loving Libraries...