Judith's Fiction Favourites from 2019

The Last of the Greenwoods by Clare Morrall
As always Morall brings to the reader some wonderful, quirky and damaged characters. Here we have two reclusive brothers who live on a couple of railway carriages, stuck in the country, not talking to each other; their long-lost sister; plus a bunch of railway enthusiasts who need carriages for their newly restored engine. The past is all set to catch up with everybody as secrets come out and tension builds to a gripping ending.

The Silence of the Girls by Pat Barker
The story of Achilles and the battle for Troy as told from the eyes of the women he and his fellow soldiers enslaved - particularly Briseis, who describes him as more of a butcher than a hero. Wonderful writing brings a classic tale to life and adds depth to the characters and a visceral realism that makes you shudder at times.

The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle
by Stuart Turton
Turton seems to have rewritten the format for the English country house murder mystery. In this novel the hero, Aiden, relives the same day over and over, tasked with preventing the murder of the lady in the title. Oh and did I mention he does this in the body of a different guest each time? As if this isn’t surprising enough, the ending has a twist you won’t see coming.

The Gunners by Rebecca Kaufman
Solitary, thirty-year-old Mikey Callahan revisits the past when his childhood best friend, Sally, commits suicide. He and his old friends who formed the gang, The Gunners, get together after the funeral to swap stories and wonder why Sally left the group all those years ago. A warm and intuitive novel about growing up, the unbearable weight of secrets, and friendship that will touch your heart.

The Witch Elm by Tana French
This is a standalone thriller, told with the genial and cocky voice of narrator Toby, a Dubliner who on the face of it is one lucky man. He has charm, a brilliant job, a gorgeous girlfriend and a loving family. A random attack sees him struggling with memory, then the discovery of a skull in his uncle’s garden finds him questioning everything he thought he knew about the past. A gripping, twisty novel full of suspense and surprises.

The Ashes of London by Andrew Taylor
James Marwood watches in awe as St Paul burns. It is 1666, the year of the Great Fire of London, Charles II is on the throne and an uneasy peace has settled on England. Marwood works for the government, trying to appease his masters who are only too aware that his father once belonged to an odd sect bent on the murder of the king. Enter Cat Lovett, a woman on the run and would-be architect, a dead body where it shouldn’t be and you have the makings of a brilliant new historical mystery series. Taylor is a master storyteller.


Old Baggage by Lissa Evans
Matilda Simpkin is an aging suffragette bent on educating young women who are now for the first time allowed to vote. (This is London 1928.) She puts her skills and formidable energy to use by forming a girls outdoor group called The Amazons with some humorous results. So intense is her enthusiasm, she remains unaware of the feelings of those around her, particularly old campaign chum Florrie. A wonderful character and prequel of sorts to Evans’s superb wartime novel, Crooked Heart.

The Familiars by Stacey Halls
Based on real people, this is a tense and enthralling novel set in Lancashire 1612 at the time of the Pendle witch trials. Fleetwood Shuttleworth is a young noblewoman, desperate to produce a child but a doctor’s letter states that giving birth is likely to kill her. Pregnant again after several miscarriages, she pins her hopes on Alice Grey, a midwife she meets by chance. The only problem is, Alice is linked to a group accused of witchcraft. A well-researched story with two protagonists at risk and a nail-biting plot.

Big Sky by Kate Atkinson
I reread all the Jackson Brodie novels in anticipation of Big Sky and enjoyed them all immensely. Big Sky sees Brodie still in Yorkshire, working as a private detective, and trying to bond with his teenage son, Nathan. We see the return of Reggie, the young nanny who rescued him years before, now a police officer looking at an historic child-sex trafficking case. There’s some more terrific characters and, as always, the wry wit and humour that lightens a novel about some seriously nasty criminals. As usual, the plot twists and turns and concludes with some brilliant scenes where the evil-doers all get their comeuppance.


Now We Shall Be Entirely Free by Andrew Miller
John Lacroix is a young British cavalry officer sent home to recover from his wounds following the disastrous Peninsular Campaign of the Napoleonic Wars. His experiences lead him to take flight instead of returning to his regiment, heading for the Scottish Islands. Little does Lacroix know he has been made the scapegoat for war crimes and two soldiers have been sent to find him. A cat and mouse scenario ensues but this is more than an escapist read. Miller writes with compassion and polish, his characters are engaging and the ending will leave you gasping.

Posted by JAM