Say You’re Sorry by Michael Rowbotham Review

Posted on May 2, 2013 by Dragons and Fairy Dust

photo say-youre-sorryl_zps2ebd37d9.jpg Say You’re Sorry by Michael Rowbotham is one of a series of books that features a Joseph O’Loughlin, clinical psychologist, and former cop Vincent Ruiz. The story starts in a small town in England where two girls have disappeared after visiting a funfair. The girls are like chalk and cheese but are best of friends. Natasha Bain (Tash) is gorgeous and popular whilst Piper Hadley is quiet and athletic. Their disappearance sparks a media frenzy and frantic searches and they are labelled “The Bingham Girls” by the media. The interest soon dies down as the police conclude they are runaways and may even be dead. This leaves the parents distraught and wondering what really happened.

Three years later, on a snowy night there is a brutal murder of a couple in their home. Whilst the police attend the scene another body is found, a young girl who has fallen into a frozen lake. The police seek out profiler Joe O’Loughlin and ask for his help in solving the murder. It soon becomes clear that this murder is related to the disappearance of the girls years before and the body in the lake is Tash. The police investigation into the disappearances is reopened and a race against time to prevent another tragedy occurring ensues.

This is a haunting and compelling book. From the start you have the voice of Piper telling the story of their disappearance so the reader knows the girls are still alive. The details are released slowly in parallel with the police investigation and we get a vivid insight into the feelings of the missing girls. The book also deals with the trauma the parents are going though and how they refuse to give up hope the girls are alive. It shows us the different ways in which people can handle grief. Alongside we see O’Loughlin struggling to deal with his relationship with his own daughter, Charlie, whilst trying to save a young girl and struggling with Parkinson’s disease. The book will linger in your mind for some time after you read it and whilst your read it it will absorb you. I am looking forward to reading more books by this author.

Disclosure: I received a copy of the book in order to do an honest review.

After The Fall by Charity Norman

Posted on March 20, 2013 by Dragons and Fairy Dust

After The Fall by Charity Norman starts as Martha watches helplessly as her five year old son Finn tumbles from the balcony of their family home in rural New Zealand. It’s a heart stopping moment as she tries to catch him but has to watch as he falls to the ground below. He is airlifted to hospital and doctors fight to save him. Finn is prone to sleepwalking so it surely is a terrible accident or does Martha know more about the accident than she is prepared to tell?

The story shifts back in time to the circumstances leading up to the fall. Martha has uprooted her family from England in an attempt to make a new start for them all. Her husband Kit had a successful business but it had recently failed, like so many these days. His attempts to find work were leading him into despair and down a path of self-destruction. Kit used to be an artist and Martha thinks that the lush New Zealand landscape will give him a chance to explore that side of him. As an occupational therapist Martha is able to find a job in New Zealand.

Martha and Kit’s twin sons see it as an adventure. They will miss their family especially their Grandfather but are looking forward to meeting new friends and learning new things. Martha’s sixteen year old daughter Sacha, from a previous relationship finds the move hard, being uprooted from her friends, school and her boyfriend at a crucial time in her education.

We follow the story of their move, finding an house in New Zealand and adapting to a life unlike anything they have known before. At first it seems like paradise but soon unexpected things start to happen.

The story is well written and absorbing, told from Martha’s perspective. You warm to her character as she tries to adapt to life in New Zealand, takes on a new job and learns that she has strength she never knew she had. The story explores family love and the different bonds between different members of the family in a realistic and uplifting way. The descriptions of New Zealand are compelling and the country and it’s people really come to life.

I loved this book and I was totally captivated by the story. The ending was unexpected and very moving, this is a book that is definitely worth picking up.

The Mannequin House by R.N Morris

Posted on February 27, 2013 by Dragons and Fairy Dust

I wasn’t sure what to expect when I picked up The Mannequin House by R.N Morris. I knew it would be a crime thriller, the shadowy figure on the front of the book gave that way, but for some reason I thought it would involve puppets. It turned out that the Mannequins in the book were actually clothes models who are employed in the House of Blackley Department Store.

The book is set in London in 1914. This is a time of class distinctions, where the upper and middle class had big houses and servants. The House of Blackley is a Kensington department store run by Benjamin Blackley, who is determined to get the best patrons though his doors. As he is about to put on a fashion show for an important patron it is discovered that one of the mannequins is missing. This leads to the gruesome discovery that she is in fact dead, in her bedroom in the house she shares with the other mannequins. Even more bizarrely her bedroom door is locked from the inside and the only suspect is a small monkey wearing a fez found inside.

Silas Quinn and his team from the Special Crimes Department are called into investigate and need to dig deeply to find out exactly what has been going on. Silas Quinn will not stop until he finds the truth. He is under pressure to wrap up the case, but will not settle for a simpler explanation. He is an interesting character, rugged and with his own way of doing things but a sense of uncertainty. As he investigates the gloss surrounding the House of Blackley is stripped aside and we see the true nature and the seedier side of the owner Benjamin Blackley.

The book is absorbing. It is a fascinating portrayal of a different era and I kept turning the pages until I found out the ending. The characters are fascinating and the interaction between them really brings them to life in a unique way. I really enjoyed reading the book and I will be interested to see what mysteries Silas Quinn faces in the future.

Pentadaktylos by Robert Egby

Posted on February 5, 2013 by Dragons and Fairy Dust

Pentadaktylos by Robert Egby is a historical novel. Described as love, promises and patriotism in the last days of colonial Cyprus I was interested to read it. I have to admit that I do not know very much about this part of history. I find reading history books heavy going and historical novels can bring the period to life. The book is set in colonial Cyprus in the 1958. Cyprus is in turmoil, Greek Cypriots are fighting Turkish Cypriots and they are both struggling for independence from the British.

Against this backdrop a British army officer, Greg Sommerville, has returned to Cyprus to discover he has an illegitimate son from an affair he had years ago during the war. He had sworn to go back and find the Greek Cypriot woman but never did. Although he is now married he is determined to find his son and the woman he left years ago.

To complicate matters Sommerville discovers that his son is now involved with EOKA and is a Greek Cypriot patriot. The British are searching for him for possible terrorist involvement. He is involved with a group who have a Greek assassin in their midst who is wanted by Interpol. The British are not sure who the assassin is targeting but know that he must be stopped.

Sommerville is involved in a race to save his son before it is too late and the British regiments hunting him kill him to stop the assasination. He needs to do this while supporting the Bristish hunt to find and stop the assassin. The key is to find the boy’s mother, Eleni, but she has vanished without trace.

The book is a compelling read which pulls you into the turbulent times it is set in. You can understand how a young boy would be seduced into joining a terrorist group and only later starts to realise the consequences. You can understand each of the characters actions and you are drawn along at a fast pace wanting to find out what happens next. The book is a window onto the times, you almost feel as if you are there as a silent observer. Robert Egby lived in Cyprus for nine years during this period, working as a journalist and award winning news photographer. His familiarity with the island and the times really brings the place to life and I felt that I understood more about the period after reading it. I really enjoyed this book.

Paperback: 362 pages
Publisher: Three Mile Point Publishing (23 Aug 2011)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0983240442
ISBN-13: 978-0983240440

The Three Sisters Quick And Easy Indian Cookbook

Posted on January 24, 2013 by Dragons and Fairy Dust

My husband is a great lover of curry but it is the one thing that I really worry about cooking I was delighted when I was sent The Three Sisters Quick and Easy Indian Cookbook to try out.

The Three Sisters are actually three sisters who were born in Kashmir but brought up in Derbyshire. They learned to cook from watching their mother and grandmother cooking for large family gatherings, but when they had their own families realised they needed to simplify the recipes to fit in with the hectic modern lifestyle and smaller families. The book contains delicious and authentic recipes to make at home which definitely sounded ideal to try.

The cover is instantly appealing with with its pink and turquoise colouring and gold embossing. It hints at exotic pleasures inside. The pictures of the food inside will make your mouth water. The book begins with an introduction which looks at the food of India and talks about Street Food Vendors, who cook their wares on the street for all to enjoy. It gives you a taste of the colours and contrasts in India and it had me wanting to get cooking. The next section tells you how to be quick and easy in your cooking, which gives you great ideas for getting prepared in the kitchen. I love the time saving ideas and the list of store cupboard ingredients is very handy. We then have a section which looks at The Spice Box. I am always bewildered by the range of spices you can buy and this gives you a good overview of which ones it is good to have in for the basic curry recipe.

We then move on to the recipes themselves which are divided into eight different sections. From Little Snack and Starters, Chicken, Lamb, Fish and Prawns, Vegetable Dishes, Rice, Beans and Lentils, Chutneys and Raita to Desserts and Drinks, the full range is covered. The recipes are shown on double pages, one page for the recipe and one for a stunning photograph of the dish.

Each recipe has the Indian name with the English translation underneath. The recipes are set out clearly with the ingredients on one side, a list of spices to the right of this and finally the instructions on making the meal. At the end of some recipes you will find a little note about the origins of the dish or why this is a favourite recipe.

I love this book, it has inspired me to do some Indian cooking. It is a book that is worth having on your bookshelf just for the pictures, I can easily pick this up and look though it for a few minutes reading pleasure. The recipes are also easy to follow and my husband is very pleased I am now trying some Indian cooking.

Paperback: 160 pages
Publisher: Simon & Schuster UK (8 Nov 2012)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1471113477
ISBN-13: 978-1471113475

Other reviews you may be interested in:

Rosemary Shrager’s Absolutely Foolproof Food for Family and Friends
The Biggest Loser Cookbook
Crazy Water, Pickled Lemons

Disclosure: I was sent a copy of the cookbook in order to do an honest review. I was not told what to write and my opinions are my own.