Random Jottings

Recently received and current Reading

A nice pile of books this week and also a few from the library to read. People are always surprised when they discover I go to the library and borrow books. 'But surely you have enough at home?'  You can never have too many books is my response to that.

So here is what I am ploughing through at the mo:

The End of Andrew Harrison - Freeman Wills Croft. I have been reading all the books I can lay my hands on by this author, one of the most famous writers of the Golden Age of Crime, but I am now nearing the end of the list. A good friend loaned me her collection of some twenty titles, I had some reprints from the British Library, a few from the Online Digital Library and others I have picked up on Amazon and eBay. There are a few that are very difficult to find and very expensive and so I suggested one of these titles to the BL for their Classic Crime series and they may reissue that one. Which would be wonderful.

I purchased this one through Amazon, not too expensive, but at the top range of what I would pay and I read it over the weekend. Andrew Harrison, a millionaire, vanishes on a business trip. There had been rumours about his stock and the price started falling rapidly when it was thought he had done a runner. He turned up a few days later explaining he had been away for a few days on a friend's yacht and out of reach of everyone and all contact. The stocks immediately began to rise and it was suspected that this may have been a scheme to deflate the price so he could buy everything he could lay his hands on and make a killing.   Difficult to prove but then a few weeks later he is found dead in a locked cabin on his river cruiser. At first it looks like suicide, but as Any Fool Kno this is not so and Inspector French is called in.

I am going to write about Crofts and Inspector French in another post some time as I find his books so compelling in their detail and intricacy and this one was no exception.

Gallows Court - Martin Edwards. Martin is a crime writer but I do not think he will mind me saying that over the last few years his expertise on the Golden Age of Crime has been more to the fore that his writing. He is the editor of the Classic Crime series and the author of two wonderful books on the same which I highly recommend.

This is a new series (his previous ones included the Lake District murders) and features that character so beloved in crime fiction - the amateur detective. In this case it is Rachel Savernake, the 'enigmatic daughter of a hanging judge'. I have just picked this one up today and will comment further when read.

I also have the latest Isabel Dalhousie book by Alexander McCall Smith - the Quiet side of Passion. I found this in the library and I had totally missed its publication. I will buy it even though I have this copy to read as I love these books and have the entire series on my shelves and, at some stage, intend to read them. They are gentle, philosophical books set in Edinburgh where Isabel, who edits a Journal of Philosophy, lives with her husband and son and who becomes involved in solving problems for her friends and colleagues. They are not bloody murders or fraud or violent, but seemingly every day happenings that are causing disquiet. I love these books and am looking forward to reading this one.

Two children's books by Noel Streatfield -Apple Bough and Caldicott Place. Recently reissued and I have never read these. I worked my way through Ballet Shoes, White Boots et al when I was younger but these two passed me by so I am rather keen to read them,

And the new Inspector Montalbano - Death at Sea by Camilleri. How I love these books and how they make me laugh and how I love every single member of the Vigata Police. Camilleri was interviewed a few years ago and he says he has about ten books waiting to be published - he wrote them and stored them in case he gets senile and cannot write any more which I thought was a very sensible and practical thing to do! He is in his eighties now so I am very pleased that there are plenty more to come. They will stop at some stage but not yet, not yet...

The Moscow Sleepers - Stella Rimington. I have just finished this today and enjoyed it very much. This series features Lilz Carlyle head of MI5 and has a permanent cast of characters and events running through each novel. though they can be read separately I do think it is best that they are read in order. This latest one has settings in Suffolk and Essex, all of which are known to me, so it helps set the scene. When two characters are driving along the A12 I instantly feel empathy!

A link turns up between a missing teenager left behind on a cultural visit, a slightly creepy school in Suffolk and a Russian sleeper in Brussels and it seems that refugees are being cherry picked for their computer ability and used as an army of hackers.  All very up to date. There were lots of twists and turns and references back to a previous couple of novels (see what I mean about reading them in order) and I had to really concentrate to understand the ins and outs.  I am not sure I enjoyed it as much as previous titles, felt a tad rushed to me and seemed to act as setting a stage for the next book.  But still hugely enjoyable.

Among the pile were two lovely editions from the Oxford University Press - A Christmas Carol in an elegant Christmas red binding with the orginal illustrations and, as a huge Dickens fan, this was received with great pleasure. I read this every Christmas Eve and use a different edition each time (I have five). This will the one for Christmas 2018.

Victorian fairy tales from the same source also looks intriguing and more of this anon.

A goodly collection and, once again, I am grateful to authors and publishers for sending me such largess. I have been blogging for 11 years now and the thrill of a new book arriving never wears off.

 

Before Stella Rimington, Before M, there was Davina Graham

About six years ago I posted about Evelyn Anthony, one of my favourite authors who I read back in the sixties and seventies, and begged for them to be reprinted.   Fast forward to 2016 and there they all are available for the Kindle generation. I could not be more pleased.

Before turning to spy and thriller writing, Evelyn Anthony wrote historical novels and it was these that initially caught my attention.  Set in France, England, Scotland and Russia and all page turners, the one that really fascinated me was Victoria.  This was published late 1950s and well before the biography of  this Queeen by Elizabeth Longford which was a seminal work on this monarch and revealed the true love story between Victoria and Albert.  Since then much has been written about them and though it appears they had the most spectacular rows and arguments (haven't we all,) but they also had a pretty good sex life and truly adored each other.   In Evelyn Anthony's Victoria we find an Albert pretty well bludgeoned into marriage and unhappy all his life, always longing to return to his childhood home in Rosenau.  This take on V&A was so unlike anything I had read before that the memory of this book is as vivid today as it was when I first read it. The recent television series about Victoria has aroused so much interest in this marvellous monarch and this book is worth reading because of its viewpoint which was plausible when it was written but not so much now.

Then she turned her attention to her spy/thriller novels and, good though the historical novels were, this is where she really hit her stride.  All of them best sellers, she tapped into the Cold War atmosphere beautifully and cannily took advantage of the Burgess, Maclean, Philby scandals and the worry of whether  there was a fourth or a fifth man (now we know there was). 

Stella Rimington who, incidentally is appearing at the Felixstowe Book Festival this year (more of this anon), was head of MI6 or was it MI5? I can never tell the difference, sorry, has written several entertaining spy thrillers since her retirement about a female head of the service, Liz Caryle. Long gone are the days it seems when you had to keep quiet about your work in the intelligence service and you had to remain anonymous all your life.   Judi Dench portrayed M in the Bond movies and there has been speculation about who she based her character on.  I have read and enjoyed all these books and wonder if she has read the Evelyn Anthony books. There are similarities....

But before Stella, before M, there was Davina Graham.   Evelyn Anthony's creation, the head of the Secret Service in the UK.  There are four titles featuring Davina  Graham  and these titles chart Davina's work and home life over a period of some ten years and are amongst her best as we become involved with her and her family and her joys and sorrows, and also get annoyed with her selfish, self centred sister, Charley. In order they are The Defector, Avenue of the Dead, Albatross and The Company of Saints. They are very very good indeed full of double agents and defectors and moles in the service and when I first read them and was totally unaware of the twists and turns and betrayals I was left totally bamboozled by them. I can highly recommend them BUT these are books that MUST be read in order. Please do not be tempted to do otherwise. I note that you can buy all four Davina Graham titles as a package for your Kindle and think it is a worthwhile investment.   I have read them all again over Christmas and the New Year and loved them all over again.

Then there are the titles which have a Second World War link and these are impeccably researched and written.  The Poellenberg Inheritance, Voices on the Wind, the Rendezvous are amongst those I enjoyed, but the other day I was curled up in bed all morning as I read The Occupying Power for  the umpteenth time. The story opens with the Comtesse de Barnard, living in grace and luxury in Paris, being visited by the wife of an enemy of the past and the story is then told in flashback by the Comtesse to her family.  Gripping from start to finish.  The village of St Blaize in rural France is home to a family who has lived there for generations, the current Count is married to an American, Louise, from whom he is estranged as his wife is shocked at his collaboration with the Germans who have set up a headquarters at a nearby Chateau.  He wishes to keep the village safe until after the war, she despises him for his attitude.  Into this setting comes an undercover agent who is there to carry out a mission which is vital to the outcome of the war.   The previous agent had been betrayed by the village and handed over to the Germans, will the same happen now?

The blurb on the old paperback in my possession says 'The village of St Blaize was known for its willingness to co-operate its the Nazi conquerors.  But in May 1944 the events of a few days changed the inhabitants from cowards to patriot and brought the full fury of the Death' Head Battalion of the SS onto St Blaize. Years later a woman appears, her heart set on revenge.  The horror and anguish of the past must be lived again, the shameful secrets, the hidden loves and forbidden lusts long buried  must be brought to light....."

OK that is a bit lurid and over the top and does the book a disservice, but if you can grab a copy of this you will not be disappointed.

I also sat and was enthralled all over again by The Tamarind Seed which I found still pretty tense and nail biting even though I knew the ending. When I first read it my initial reaction was what a great film it would make. Well, it was made into a film starring Julie Andrews and Omar Shariff. I will say no more.....just read the book.

I am on a binge read at the moment and this afternoon finished The Doll's House, one of her later books and slightly less interesting than her earlier ones.  Those set outside the Intelligence Service or the Second World War are not as gripping though I will make an exception for the House of Vandekar, the story of an American Heiress who came to the UK and married a member of the aristocracy and lived in a wonderful house where she gave parties and was a great social hostess and political figure. At the beginning of this year I read all about Cliveden and Nancy Astor and realised on my re-read that the main protagonist in this particular Anthony title was based on Lady Astor. In this book she has a daughter called Nancy which is a hint and also an alcoholic son as did Lady Astor.   Gave me a different slant on this book after all these years.

Evelyn Anthony's historical novels, including a Russian trilogy which I read when I was about sixteen, have always been favourites but it is her spy novels which stand out.   As I said, before Stella and before M we had Davina Graham and she is a fantastic character.

Please do read them and, if you do, let me know what you think.  Please.

Crimefic Round up

Angelica's Smile - Andrea Camilleri.   If you are a lover of these books then you do not need me to urge you to get hold of this one, you will already have it on your radar or may have already read it.   I am totally in love with the inhabitants of the police station at Vigata and love Montalbano, with all his failings and yet knowledge of himself.   This latest concerns a series of burglaries for which there seems no reason and it takes Salvo sometime to realise they are a blind, a cover up for something more personal.   He has been distracted by the arrival of the beautiful Angelica with whom he is in thrall though he knows it is wrong and he is a fool.

Though these books are detective stories, the real interest for all of us who adore these books is the characters, Salvo, Augello, Fazio and the wonderful Catarella. I am so fond of them all that the story almost seems of secondary importance. At times I have felt that the author feels this way too but then I will come across a complicated or fiendish plot twist and realise that I am mistaken.

A joy as ever.

Top Secret Twenty-One - Janet Evanovich.   As with the Camilleri books, these stories are character driven and the plot, or what passes for one, is immaterial. We all know Stephanie Plum by now, her side kick and ex-ho Lula with her outrageous clothes, Joe Morelli her policeman boyfriend and the one she secretly yearns for, Ranger, who I certainly would not kick out of bed in the mornings.

In this story Stephanie is chasing down Jimmy Poletti who has skipped bail and is leaving a trail of bodies behind him.   She always arrives too late, her car gets blown up (again), her flat is torched (again) and somewhere along the line you know there will always be donuts, mayonnaise, cup cakes and fried chicken.

Total hoot. Loved it. Where is twenty-two?

Close Call - Stella Rimington. Another thriller featuring the head of MI5, Liz Carlyle.  Have read all of these now and now enjoy them though I admit to being indifferent at first. We all know the author was the head of MI5 so can be sure that the spy craft and the details of how it conducts is business are authentic, though I do wonder at her being allowed to write these books I must say.

This latest is concerned with the task of watching the international arms trade and when MI5 learn that the source of a series of arms deals is located in Western Europe, off they go to investigate. Along the way Liz meets up with an ex lover from her past and it all starts to get a tad complicated.

As I have said of the two titles above, despite the plot and the car chases etc etc it is the characters within MI5 and the relationships between them, either personal or political, that are of interest. When you write a book and you are interested in the characters then you are home or dry. If you don't give a damn about what happens to them, then you are doomed.

A lot of fairly easy reading over the last few weeks as I find that I cannot concentrate on anything substantial or heavy when the sun is shining and the nights are lighter. Happens every year and the books I should be reading pile up and have to wait until the temperatures drop and the nights draw in. 

I am also spending an awful lot of time at the moment watching cricket and tennis and as they were playing at Wimbers till nearly ten last night, you will understand that I have serious calls on my time......

 

Maine and MI5 - contrasting settings

Two contrasting thrillers this week. First up, a debut novel, The Poacher's Son by Paul Doiron. I gather this is the first in a series featuring Mike Bowditch the main protagonist in this book.

Mike is estranged from his hard drinking, womanising father, Jack, who lives in Maine and makes his living from illegal poaching.   His mother, now remarried, still hankers after her charismatic ex-husband and Mike has unresolved issues from his unhappy childhood.   As the story opens, Mike is on his own as his girlfriend, tired of living in the wilds of Maine, has gone back to the city but as the story progresses it seems that the relationship may not yet be at an end.

Feeling unhappy and at a loose end, Mike comes home one day to find a message for him on his answerphone. It is his father, who is in trouble, accused of the murder of a local cop, and the hunt is up. He has escaped from custody and, knowing the woods as well as he does, it is going to be difficult to apprehend him.   Mike is sure his father is innocent and decides to do a bit of investigating of his own, putting his life and his job at risk.

This is a fairly standard story and we progress with Mike on his journey, but it is very well written, pacey and the setting in the backwoods of Maine, is quite beautiful.   There is an unexpected ending which took me by surprise and I am very much looking forward to the second, Trespassers, when it is published over here.

Paul Doiron is a native of Maine, a registered Maine Guide and lives by a trout stream in this state, so he certainly knows his background which is clear from the wonderful descriptions of the wild.    A good read.

Complete contrast - the latest Liz Carlyle book, Rip Tide, by Stella Rimington who used to head up MI5 in the UK.   I presume, as there have been several of these already, that the Intelligence Service are happy for her to write these in her retirement, but seems a tad odd to me. Still, they are fun. Not wonderful writing, no masterpiece here, but page turners and a good book to while away a few hours.

No Maine this time but London and Birmingham where a Mosque has come to the attention of MI5.    Seems to be radicalising disaffected young Pakistanis and when pirates try to hijack a ship off the coast of Somalia  with an English speaking Pakistani amongst them, alarm bells are set off back in London. The ship in question is delivering aid and medical supplies to underdeveloped countries and this was the third time their ship had been attacked. It was noted that it was only under threat when it was carrying an expensive cargo worth hijacking.   The head of the charity, an ex-MI5 man, calls in a favour from the Service and an agent is planted in their office to see if a leak can be spotted.

Twists and turns and lots of covert operations going on, people in danger, a suicide bomber, threats and tension - another good read.

Read these both when tucked indoors on a bitter cold day.  Just right.