Book Chat Round Up for August

A Cornish Affair by Liz Fenwick

For fun, each of the group read a Liz Fenwick novel, attracted by the pretty covers and the idea of getting away from it all to sunny Cornwall. Much of the stories revolved around similar themes, old houses with secrets, troubled heroines making a new start with a bit of romance thrown in. In this case the setting is Pengarrock House, home of the Trevillion family, which has a sad history, and some missing jewels. It will take newly-appointed librarian, Jude, who has her own reasons for escaping to Cornwall, to solve the mystery. A light read, with a twist at the end.

The Ice Princess by Camilla Lackberg

This is the first in the series of highly-regarded mysteries by this Swedish author featuring Erica Falck and police detective, Patrik Hedstrom. When Erica returns to the fishing village where she grew up to mourn the deaths of her parents, she finds herself investigating the apparent suicide of her childhood friend, a beautiful woman with everything to live for. Lackberg has a skill for showing the dark side of human nature from within a cosy domestic setting.

I’ll Keep You Safe by Peter May

May returns to the Scottish island of Harris with his new mystery which concerns a widow trying to piece together the events that led up to the death of her husband in a Paris car bomb. When she becomes a murder suspect, a French detective is sent to the island to look into her past, unaware of the danger that lurks and a murderer who won't turn back. With a setting of the Harris tweed industry, May creates plenty of atmosphere and an edge-of-the seat plot.


The President Is Missing by Bill Clinton and James Patterson

Now there’s a couple of big names you don’t often see together. The ex-president has brought a lot of his White House insider knowledge to this story plus a sense of what it is to have the top job. When a terrorist plot is uncovered which puts at risk vital computer systems, the president is unaccountably absent. Patterson delivers his usual thrilling read, but the book also makes you think about the things we take for granted in the modern world which depend on the integrity of our computers and the Internet.

The Lightkeeper’s Wife by Karen Viggers

The wonderful Australian setting of Bruny Island provides the backdrop to this moving novel of love and loss. Mary, a dying woman, returns to the place where she was the lightkeeper’s wife of the title, with the help of her granddaughter. She is haunted by a secret she must come to terms with while her son Tom must learn to move on after a marriage breakdown. Lots of rugged, windswept scenery evocatively described which makes you want to visit Bruny Island too.

Posted by Flaxmere Library Book Chat