Nine - Rachelle Dekker

Nine from Christy award winner Rachelle Dekker is an eerie and uncomfortable story set in a dystopian world and told at a breathless pace with lots of twists and turns which frequently left this reader at least off balance.

 

Zoe Johnson lives a quiet life staying away from inquisitive people and keeping to herself - and keeping her uncomfortable past well distanced.  Until the day amnesiac Lucy walks into the diner where Zoe works.  At first Zoe thinks her biggest concern is to protect the naïve and vulnerable Lucy from the predatory trucker who offers to ‘help’ her, but it is soon clear that the predators hunting Lucy are numerous, ferocious, and closing in fast.  

On the run and desperate, Zoe soon questions who – or what – is Lucy?  And in many ways, Lucy is asking the same thing.  Who is she, what is her purpose, and where does she belong?  

Then there is the mysterious Black Project which Lucy is fleeing.  And can anyone be trusted?

 

For the reader, the book raises questions too:  Who are we, really?  Are we the result of genetics, programming, our own choices, or a mix?  Are we what others say we are?  Can we change, and what gives us the power to do so?  

 

For those who enjoy Ted Dekker’s novels and those who have already discovered Rachelle Dekker’s novels, this will be a compelling read.  Be warned though, you’ll need your wits about you, and this is a graphically told novel with a lot of explicit violence which is not only perpetrated by The Bad Guys.  In fact, knowing who The Bad Guys are is not always as obvious as you might think.  Dekker writes cleverly in a way which keeps you off balance and uncertain as to some of her characters actions and motives.  

FBI Agent Tom Seeley is searching for Lucy - but is he aiming to help her or imprison her?  And what exactly are his feelings for Zoe.  His attraction to Zoe was for me at least was entirely unconvincing and even at times annoyingly so.  

If you're looking for a relaxing read, this isn't it, but if you like complex thrillers with plots and characters you have to concentrate on this is for you.  It's a far from cosy read which will keep you questioning right to the end.

9780800735968, Revell

For transparency, I was sent an advance copy of this book, but I was not required to write any specific or favourable review. All views herein are my own.

Murder, Forgotten - Deb Richardson-Moore

Catalogue Copy: Julianna Burke, bestselling mystery novelist, has a secret that those closest to her are hiding from the world. Julianna is losing her memory, and with it her powerful gift for storytelling that propelled her to fame. 

A further devastating blow comes when Connor, Julianna’s beloved husband, is murdered. Even this is not something Julianna’s mind can hold on to, and every day her assistant has to break the heart-wrenching news all over again. 

Julianna is desperate to know what happened to her husband. As she battles her failing mind to investigate, a detail of the murder surfaces that makes Julianna question everything she’s ever known. Somehow she must fight to find the truth, even though her grip on reality is fading…

* * * * 

I was completely hooked by the premise of this book before I’d even opened it.  Julianne Burke is an internationally successful mystery novelist in the twilight of her career.  Struggling with her failing memory, her life is further devastated by the murder of her husband Connor.  The ebbs and flows of her memory mean that she often wakes up not realising he’s dead, and has to be told again, with all the accompanying distress the news brings.  Juliana is desperate to find out what has happened, and so is her daughter Logan.  But finding out the truth when you can’t trust what you remember is going to be tough.

 

When I started reading, I wasn’t disappointed.  Once started, you won’t want to be interrupted!  There are lots of twists and turns, right from the beginning when Julianna has travelled to Scotland.  There were some elements which I guessed long before the end, but the clever storytelling means that most readers will find plenty of ‘gasp’ moments to enjoy.  The mystery isn’t only confined to Julianna and Connor, either.  There are multiple uncertainties and secrets.  And under it all runs the theme of loss and grieving but without it becoming a depressing read.  Highly recommended.

9781782643111, Lion Fiction, Published September 2020 (UK).

For transparency, I was sent an advance copy of this book, but I was not required to write any specific or favourable review. All views herein are my own.

The Easter Sepulchre - Mel Starr

Catalogue Copy: Keeping watch over the Easter Sepulchre, where the Host and crucifix are stored between Good Friday and Easter Sunday, is considered a privilege. So, it is shocking when it is discovered that Odo, the priest's clerk, has abandoned his post. But as the hours pass and Odo is not found, Hugh de Singleton is called upon.

It is Hugh that finds the dried blood before the alter, and fear grows for the missing man... Will Hugh be called up on to investigate another murder, or will the man be found hale and hearty? But if so, where has the blood come from?

* * * * 

The Easter Sepulchre is the latest in the highly successful The Chronicles of Hugh de Singleton, Surgeon series.  It’s quite a feat to establish a lengthy series these days, but Mel Starr has a loyal following and it’s easy to see why.  Each book in the series is the kind you might want to read snuggled into a cosy chair with a ‘do not disturb’ sign!  The place and period is excellently written and researched and although the characters have grown and changed over the years, each book can still be read as a stand-alone novel.  Keen historical mystery readers finding this one are very likely to seek out other books in the series.

The Easter Sepulchre begins with the disappearance of the priest’s clerk, Odo.  When he is found on Easter Sunday, dead, Hugh must set out once again to find a killer.  Before long, a suspect is apprehended but despite the evidence against him Hugh is far from convinced of his guilt.  

If you enjoy a good mystery, with enough dry wit here and there to amuse and a satisfyingly twisting road to the conclusion, look no further.

9781782643067, Lion Fiction, Published September 2020 (UK).

For transparency, I was sent an advance copy of this book, but I was not required to write any specific or favourable review. All views herein are my own.

The Cromwell Enigma - Derek Wilson

In 1540 Nicolas Bourbon is sent as Queen Marguerite of Navarre’s secret envoy to find out what has happened to cause Thomas Cromwell’s fall from grace, and what the ripple effects of his execution might be. 

At first he feels somewhat ambivalent about his task, but he soon finds himself facing powerful opponents of Cromwell and all he stood for, who are keen to portray him as a dangerous man seeking only to fulfil his own ambitions.  

When he is called on to tell others what kind of man Cromwell really was, Nicholas finds he cannot say.  There are too many different versions, and very little information about Cromwell’s life before his meteoric rise. 

Before long he finds himself on a journey to find out who Cromwell really was – and to determine the significance of the broken crucifix found in Cromwell’s possessions, with the note ‘remember always’.

This is a very well written novel and a gripping read, blending fact and fiction seamlessly and believably as it weaves the fictional characters and actions around actual events and people.  The historical detail is helped by extracts from letters and documents of the time and would thrill the soul of serious historians.  Some authors of novels based around real people or events have a tendency to drown the story in the historical detail, but Wilson skilfully avoids this.   Despite occasionally withdrawing from the novel for a little investigation of the facts vs the fiction (helped by the useful ‘Notes on historical characters’ section at the back of the book), I found this book a real page-turner, being both complex and accessible at the same time.  It’s a fascinating insight into the political and religious turmoil of the period after Cromwell’s death.

At the end of the book, Nicholas says ‘If we make no search for truth we abide in windowless mansions, content with what lies within, satisfied with the mental chattels we gather for our amusement. Life is a quest or it is nothing.’  An interesting point on which to close this review.

9781910674529, Marylebone House 

For transparency, I was sent an advance copy of this book, but I was not required to write any specific or favourable review. All views herein are my own.