Never Forgive You: Hilly Barmby

Never Forgive You is listed as a suspense thriller and it certainly is, but it’s much more than that. The author has assembled quite a large group of characters in her French setting and also uses two different points of view to tell her story – devices which can be quite challenging when trying to hold the reader’s attention. In this instance, they not only work admirably but, in my opinion, enhance the tension as we see events through two differing interpretations.
It’s a story of murder and revenge, served stone cold, and is teased out with nail-biting anticipation. I believed I had pinpointed the perpetrator early on but a clever little nudge from the author sent me off in a different direction before the whole thing was brought to a satisfying conclusion.
This is the second book I have read by Hilly Barmby and will definitely be seeking out more.

Jan’s Garden

Three years ago, Jan began to build a garden in our small backyard. She was constrained to using plant pots and troughs and her plan was to incorporate as many wild flowers as possible to attract insects to our urban area. In between them, she added a variety of cottage garden flowers and all her hard work paid dividends this year. Among the wildflowers she has at the moment are cornflowers, musk mallow, verbena, fox and cubs, wild wallflowers and red valerian. Interspersed with these, she has chosen petunias, impatiens, fuchsia, hydrangea and foxgloves.
So far this year we have had the pleasure of seeing gatekeeper, ringlet, holly blue, large white and red admiral butterflies as well as white-tailed and honey bees among others, and lots of hoverflies. But as far as we are concerned, the star of the show this year so far, has been the little hummingbird hawkmoth which appeared this week in our backyard. In the past we have driven to Chambers Farm Wood in Lincolnshire to see these little insects so it was an enormous treat that one came to see us.
For me, the bonus is that, after all Jan’s hard work, I get to relax in the cool of the evening with a gin and tonic in the wonderful world she has created.

GOLDEN AGE SUSPENSE STORIES: Edited by by Otto Penzler 

For readers/listeners of a certain age, this book is a trip down memory lane. Otto Penzler has assembled a sterling selection of short stories from the years between the two world wars. Each story is preceded by a potted biography of the author, many of whom have legendary film credits to their name – a great touch that really holds the book together. 

The stories are of their time time but not dated. Each one is as fresh as if it were written yesterday and each one has a well thought out plot and a satisfying denouement. I particularly enjoyed the stories by Ellery Queen and Pearl S. Buck and would recommend this book. #netgalley

Death in Soho: Shiv Saywack

Alexandra Raven is intelligent and brave, as befits a woman who served her country and survived World War II. She’s also on her uppers, struggling to make a success of her late father’s investigative agency. In 1950s London, she’s an anomaly and clients aren’t beating a path to her door. Having received nothing for her last job except a black eye, Alexandra welcomes the opportunity to work for the wealthy Salle family, who refuse to believe that war hero Captain Fabian Salle committed suicide. It seems an impossible task but Alexandra is nothing if not dogged.   
Slowly but surely, she unearths one clue after another, uncovering a trail that involves her in a seedy world of gambling, prostitution and, ultimately, murder.
I was a teenager in the late 1950 and was immediately struck by the authenticity of the background Shiv Saywack has built for his heroine. He never puts a foot wrong whether it’s describing the blitz-torn London streets, the gambling establishment or the clothing his characters wear. Alexandra is prone to rash decisions and makes mistakes but these flaws only serve to make her more likeable and save her from pomposity. I look forward to seeing how her character evolves and would definitely recommend this series.
 ** In the interests of transparency, I owe a debt of gratitude to Shiv Saywack for supplying me with a version of his book that enabled me to listen to it. His kindness is much appreciated. 

World Book Day

World Book Day seems the ideal time to reveal the new cover for Albert’s Garden, A Binky Earle Cosy Mystery – the story of an. opinionated old woman, a murder, a knitting circle and the faithful Phoebe-cat.
I also asked my Meta AI glasses to recommend an audiobook for the occasion and, after a bit of to-ing and fro-ing, we settled on All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doer – a bit out of my wheelhouse but it sounds interesting.

Whodunnit?

In the days before publication, Fatal was advertised as a whodunnit. Entirely accurate. There is indeed a murder and many suspects to keep the reader guessing until the culprit is finally revealed. So far, so conventional. But what the author, Laura Lyndhurst, does is take the reader deep into each person’s life, laying bare their innermost thoughts, hopes and fears. And yes, the murder victim probably richly deserves his fate but he, also, is a fully fleshed-out character who perceives the world through different eyes than anyone else. Sometimes, we can almost pity him because his complete lack of self-awareness has robbed him of the rich and fulfilled life he could have had. tAnd then we realise that this is a man who, long ago, overstepped the boundaries of decency and compassion and is, in fact, irredeemable.
Fatal is a clever book, littered with rabbit holes waiting to draw in the unwary reader and I fell into a couple of them, extricated myself and revised my opinion. And, no, I didn’t guess the outcome and I don’t think you will. In the crowded genre of murder mysteries, Fatal is a breath of fresh air and a thoroughly enjoyable read.
** In the interests of transparency, I owe a debt of gratitude to Ms Lyndhurst for supplying me with a version of her book that enabled me to listen to it. Her kindness is much appreciated. 

Meet Pinky and Binky

On the left is Pinky. She’s set up for my writing with every visual aid I can find, both from Apple’s native apps and those I’ve added – large text, dictation apps and voice over etc. I’ve even got Siri set to an Irish accent. It has had a customised nano screen fitted to it which cuts down the glare that tires my eyes so quickly. She’s also got my microphone attached so will be the Mac I use for podcasting when I finally get started.

The only drawback to this magnificent machine is that the nano screen subtly alters the colour. As I am still able to work in Photoshop to some extent, this is important to me and this is where Binky, on the right, comes into her own. Although a much older machine than Pinky, I keep her updated to the latest operating system and she’s colour calibrated to Adobe 1998. (I’m an ex-printer and old habits die hard.) I keep all my old photographs on there, catalogued in Lightroom, so hopefully she’ll be a faithful work horse for quite a few more years.

It took quite a while to get them set up, both physically and properly networked, something that I’d have done quite quickly in the past but when you have to use a magnifying glass to insert a cable, well, it slows things down a bit. But it’s done and now I can get back to procrastinating over my writing and my podcasting. 

Iris I – III

As part of my preparation for my forthcoming podcast, I commissioned a few small pieces of music. My specification was very simple – soft, folksy and with a hint of Irish – and I was pleasantly surprised with the results. These are a few of them – Iris I, Iris II and Iris III.

Of Books and Blind Spots

As my sight has now deteriorated to the point where I no longer recognise faces and can’t hull strawberries or butter bread. I’m embarking on a podcasting adventure so I can still involve myself in the world of books and bookish things. 
With the aid of modern technology, I am still writing – albeit slowly and with a lot of ongoing editing by Jan, a real labour of love because she hates computers – and have hopes of finishing my present WIP, which currently stands at a modest 11,500. And, of course, I am now nearly permanently connected to my Air Pod Max, listening to audiobooks.

My December listens

Don’t Forget Me, Little Bessie, James Lee Burke
For many years, I looked forward to James Lee Burke’s latest book being published towards the end of the year. His blend of rich, evocative backgrounds, deeply flawed yet inherently decent main characters and the subtle inter-weaving of supernatural elements meant I was in for a great story that would give me many hours of mentally poking through the plot strands long after I had closed the cover. Then, a couple of years ago, I began to fall out of love with his writing. The characters seemed to lose their vibrance, taking second place to long, preachy tirades that seemed to be the author’s personal feelings and which ripped me rudely out of the story. But … along came Don’t Forget Me, Little Bessie and, as soon as I saw the title I just knew that Burke had come roaring back. You can read the blurb for yourself, you don’t need me to re-gurgitate it, all I will say is that if you like a great yarn, told unflinchingly in a vivid, visceral style, then you will love Bessie’s story. Better still, listen to it, told in Amanda Stribling‘s sardonic Texas drawl.

Christmas is Murder, Val McDermid
I read this collection of short stories by the Scottish queen of crime a few years ago and, as I am now largely constrained to audiobooks, thought it would be a welcome diversion to dip in and out of during what proved to be a fraught run-up to Christmas. Not all the stories are about Christmas and a couple of them don’t quite hit the mark but, to balance this, there are a few belters where McDermid takes the brakes off and shocks the reader rigid (or, in my case, listener). There’s a mixed bunch of narrators, including the author herself, which keeps things lively. All in all, a satisfactory read and I’ll keep it for next year.

The Widow, John Grisham
After the high of James Lee Burke and the fairly solid satisfaction of Val McDermid, I was looking forward to a John Grisham. After all, he’s arguably the first, great legal thriller writer. A Time to Kill, anyone? This was dull. Turgid. Simon Latch, a struggling, small town lawyer, gets greedy when a rich widow walks Into his office and asks him to prepare her will. Long story short – he succumbs to greed, manipulates her into signing a will that will make him a rich man, she dies and he gets charged with her murder. Normally, that would take up the first third of the book and then we’d have court room drama, lawyers with the ability to pull rabbits out of hats, last minute witnesses and a last minute acquittal. Instead Simon thinks a lot, talks a lot, takes the widow for interminable lunches, minutely described. It drags on and on until, eventually, he’s acquitted by a deus ex machina and talks some more, thinks a bit and goes home to his kids. All I can say about Michael Beck, the narrator, is that his voice fitted the story.

I also read …
Through the Devil’s Door, Carrie O’Leary.
I discovered this author through one of my Facebook groups and was interested enough to read it at 30 point on my MacBook as there is no audio version available. It’s a collection of short stories in the horror/fantasy genre. They’re well written, believable in a slightly spooky way and I learnt a new fact about side doors in churches. O’Leary also has a book of flash fiction which is right up my street as I can read one of the stories over a cup of tea with no real strain on my eyes.

The ones who came and went …
The Good Liar, Denise Mina
The Midnight King, Tariq Ashkanani
After seeing an article about Ian Rankin being shortlisted for the 2025 McIlvanney Prize  (Scottish Crime Book of the Year), I resolved to download some of the other nominated books by authors I have not yet read. Unfortunately, the two I chose became DNFs for very different reasons.
The Good Liar is a solid, well-written book by a respected author. For me, though, it was a bit on the pedestrian side, moving slowly and carefully forward with no highlights to pique my interest so I stopped listening after a few chapters. It may be that I will enjoy this book at a later date when I am in a different frame of mind so I will keep it in my library until such a time may arrive.
On the other hand, I found The Midnight King just too hard to take. I deleted the book as soon as its central theme of child kidnap, abuse and murder, perpetrated by adults as well as other children, became apparent. I was later astounded to learn that The Midnight King was the overall winner and is now considered to be the best Scottish crime novel of 2025. Obviously, the judges have much stronger stomachs than mine.