My Name is Leon

A brother chosen. A brother left behind. And a family where you’d least expect to find one.

Leon is nine, and has a perfect baby brother called Jake. They have gone to live with Maureen, who has fuzzy red hair like a halo, and a belly like Father Christmas. But the adults are speaking in low voices, and wearing Pretend faces. They are threatening to give Jake to strangers. Since Jake is white and Leon is not.

As Leon struggles to cope with his anger, certain things can still make him smile – like Curly Wurlys, riding his bike fast downhill, burying his hands deep in the soil, hanging out with Tufty (who reminds him of his dad), and stealing enough coins so that one day he can rescue Jake and his mum.

Evoking a Britain of the early eighties, My Name is Leon is a heart-breaking story of love, identity and learning to overcome unbearable loss. Of the fierce bond between siblings. And how – just when we least expect it – we manage to find our way home.

My Name is Leon is a beautifully written book which is heartwarming and heartbreaking at the same time.  It’s hard to believe it is Kit de Waal’s debut novel.  It is set in London in the early 1980/81 against a backdrop of racial tension and violence and a royal wedding. Kit de Waal captures the era very well and there are subtle references that anchor the story to the early 1980s.

When I first started reading it I feared that things would not turn out well 9 year old Leon who had taken on the responsibility of caring for, as best as he could, his baby brother Jake and his mother who had mental health issues and just couldn’t cope on her own, frequently going out and leaving Leon to look after the baby and himself. Eventually Social Services become involved after a concerned neighbour contacts them.

It was hard for Leon when he and his brother were placed in emergency foster care. He missed his mum and his toys, but then to make matters worse it was decided that it would be better for Jake if he were adopted.  Jake is a white baby and Leon is not. That meant it would just be Maureen the foster carer and Leon.

I like the way the story is told through the eyes of Leon. He sometimes behaves badly, having major strops and even stealing small amounts of money and various items. You hear his thoughts before his frustration and anger get out of control and he acts out. From a 9 year old’s point of view, and given his situation, it seems quite reasonable. Leon doesn’t like the social workers. He doesn’t trust them; they have fake smiles and don’t always mean what they say. He listens behind doors when they talk to Maureen and Maureen talks to her sister and he doesn’t like what is being said about his mother. However Maureen is an older experienced foster carer and she and Leon generally get on well.

All the way through the book Leon is squirrelling away money and collecting things so that he can go and find his brother and his mother and look after them.

As if all these separations weren’t bad enough, Maureen becomes seriously ill and is taken into hospital. It’s then decided he will stay with her sister Sylvia. This means another change of school.

I think this would traumatise any child. I kept thinking about my own grandson who is 9 but I just couldn’t imagine him in Leon’s situation. At times Leon seems older than his years carrying burdens he really shouldn’t have.

After he is given a bike by the social worker he goes out more and, unknown to Sylvia, spends a lot of time at the allotments. He meets various characters, one being Tufty who is black and reminds Leon of his dad. Another important one is Mr Devlin an older man. Although the men don’t see eye to eye they both help Leon (eventually), encouraging him to grow things.

Even so, Leon witnesses incidents that take place at the allotments including an acquaintance of Tufty’s being dragged off by 4 policemen.

You wonder if things will ever get better for Leon. By this time he just wants Maureen to get out of hospital so he can go back and live with her although he still wants to find his brother and his mother. Unfortunately he overhears part of Sylvia’s telephone conversation and jumps to a conclusion, and decides he has to run away to find them.

It gets worse. He gets caught up in the street riots between civilians and Police and sees people getting hurt.

Oh dear. You would think this book is all doom and gloom. It isn’t. I really liked it probably because it is so well written and I found the characters interesting and very believable. The book isn’t just about the huge upheavals in Leon’s life.  The story is enriched by all the other little things in between and the people he encounters. For all his troubles Leon comes across as a likeable young boy.  You really want him to enjoy a happier, more settled future.

An excellent, thought-provoking but enjoyable book.

My Name is Leon by Kit de Waal will be published on 2 June 2016 by Viking.

Author’s website:   www.kitdewaal.com/

Black Widow

Description:  There is no perfect marriage.  There is no perfect murder.  

From Scottish crime master Christopher Brookmyre, Black Widow tells the potent story of a woman who thought she was too late for love, the man who falls for her ambition, and the secret selves that are poised, at any moment, to end everything.

Diana Jager is clever, strong, and successful, a skilled surgeon and fierce campaigner via her blog about sexism in medicine. Yet it takes only hours for her life to crumble when her personal details are released on the internet as revenge for her writing. Then she meets Peter. He is kind, generous, and knows nothing about her past—the second chance she’s been waiting for. Within six months, they are married. Within six more, Peter is dead in a road accident, a nightmare end to their fairy-tale romance. But Peter’s sister Lucy doesn’t believe in fairy tales, and tasks rogue reporter Jack Parlabane with discovering the dark truth behind the woman the media is calling the Black Widow.

Still on the mend from his own relationship wounds after a turbulent divorce, Jack’s investigation into matters of the heart takes him to hidden places no one should ever have to go.

I loved this one. Although it is #7 in the Jack Parlabane series it is the first one I have read – in fact it’s the first Chris Brookmyre book I have ever read, despite several people telling me his books are very, very good and I should read them. The story starts and ends in a court room. In between is a great plot, full of twists and turns, that keeps you gripped right to the end.

It starts with the court listening to a recording of a telephone call reporting a possible accident. “I think I’ve just seen an accident….” says a faceless voice.

Dr Diana Jager stands accused of her husband’s murder – her husband of only a few months. She is a brilliant, career driven, surgeon but apparently not a well liked person.

The story that unfolds is told in various voices: the accused herself, witnesses in the court room, two local police officers who had attended the scene of the road accident and Jack Parlabane, an out of favour investigative journalist, hired by the victim’s sister, all providing background to what happened prior to the case coming to Court.

Some time earlier Dr Jager had been the anonymous author of a blog on the subject of Sexism in Surgery which caused a fair amount of controversy and lively comment. However after writing about hospital IT techs in a very unflattering way, and getting on the wrong side of them, her real name and place of work was leaked and worse, from that, some of the colleagues she had been writing about were also identified and their lives picked apart online. She was forced to resign from a prestigious post and take up employment in a smaller hospital in Inverness.

With this background in mind, it was very surprising that she encountered Peter Elphinstone, an IT tech at work, found they had lots in common, immediately fell in love, and within a very short time the embittered and career driven surgeon was married.

It soon becomes apparent that the honeymoon period is at an end, or perhaps never even got started.

There is an accident, a car is found in the river and is identified as belonging to Peter Elphinstone the husband of Dr Diana Jager. There was no body in the car but there are signs that the driver managed to get out but presumably got caught up in the strong current.

Peter’s sister, Lucy, asks Jack Parlabane for help shortly after the car is found. She is distressed and is looking for closure. He is having his own problems but decides to investigate.

The author cleverly feeds us little bits of information throughout, creating doubt. Is Diana Jager a psychopath? Is Peter hiding something? Who is the real victim? The two police officers who attended the scene feel something isn’t quite right but can’t quite get their superiors to listen. Lucy, the sister, has doubts about her brother’s marriage and thought he was unhappy and in trouble. Parlabane is sufficiently interested to take on the investigation.

The twists and turns in the story lead to family secrets, lies, hidden pasts, shady dealings with gangsters, online services, etc

I was kept guessing right to the end and it was one of these books that keep you reading into the ‘wee small hours’.

Great characters and a complex but never confusing plot. I loved it.

[Thanks to NetGalley and Grove Atlantic for providing me with a digital copy of this book]

Black Widow is available now in the UK.

Authors website:  www.brookmyre.co.uk

While My Eyes Were Closed

Description:       One, two, three . . . Lisa Dale shuts her eyes and counts to one hundred during a game of hide-and-seek. When she opens them, her four-year-old daughter Ella is gone. Disappeared without a trace. The police, the media and Lisa’s family all think they know who snatched Ella. But what if the person who took her isn’t a stranger? What if they are convinced they are doing the right thing? And what if Lisa’s little girl is in danger of disappearing forever?

Wow. While My Eyes Were Closed is a seriously good read. The label “#1 Bestseller” is well deserved.

It all starts so ordinary. Lisa is wife to Alex and mother to Otis and Ella, and their older sister Chloe. Young Ella is excited about starting school in a few days time and she is also excited that she can climb up to the big slide at the park and wants her mum to come and watch, so when her mother finishes work early she picks Ella up from her gran’s so they can go to the park before going to Otis’ school to see him get a football medal. Older sister Chloe is on holiday in France with her friend.

At the park Ella is bubbling with confidence as she shows her mother how she can now negotiate the slide all by herself. Mindful of the time, eventually Lisa shouts “one more go” but Ella wants to play hide and seek before they leave the park. Ella makes her mum shut her eyes and count but Lisa then hears a scream and opens her eyes to see that Ella has fallen and grazed her hands and knees. But she still wants to hide and wants her mum go go over to the tree, close her eyes and count to 100. Still all quite ordinary and normal. As Lisa heads over, her phone rings and she answers it, talks to a client for a couple of minutes then puts her phone back and then closes her eyes. When she opens them there is no sign of Ella. She carries on looking, all part of the game.

She looks for her in all her usual hiding places and you can feel her concern. She goes round all the places again calling out Ella’s name. She then realises she’ll have to call her mum to pick up Otis from school.

Lisa becomes more and more concerned and you can sense her feeling of panic building. No one seems to have seen Ella and soon other people are looking for her. She can’t get her husband on the phone. He’s in a meeting, so she leaves a voicemail.

Eventually she dials 999 and calls the Police.

Then the nightmare begins. Police, Press, family members being interviewed, the waiting for any news, the revelation that someone on the sex offenders register lives near the park, a possible sighting, police divers searching Ogden Water. How do you face the world when your daughter is missing, knowing people are talking? How would you or I cope?

What makes the story really chilling is that we know early on that Ella has been abducted. We also know who the abductor is, their thoughts, and how they interact with Ella.  The abductor seems to see the situation very differently from other people.  The abductor knows they are doing the right thing.  The tension builds and builds throughout. The story is told in three voices: Lisa, the abductor and a teenage boy called Matthew.

I thought it was great storytelling. Although I knew who the abductor was, I didn’t have any idea how the story would end.

It was so good I kept reading until 2 am just to finish the book. That is the kind of story I like!  More please.

Link to Amazon:  While My Eyes Were Closed

Author’s website:   www.linda-green.com

Black Eyed Susans

Seventeen-year-old Tessa, dubbed a ‘Black-Eyed Susan’ by the media, became famous for being the only victim to survive the vicious attack of a serial killer. Her testimony helped to put a dangerous criminal behind bars – or so she thought.

Now, decades later the black-eyed susans planted outside Tessa’s bedroom window seem to be a message from a killer who should be safely in prison.

Haunted by fragmented memories of the night she was attacked and terrified for her own teenage daughter’s safety, can Tessa uncover the truth about the killer before it’s too late?

 

I seem to  have read quite a few crime and psychological thrillers recently and this fairly slow burning psychological thriller was one I liked.

Tessa at the age of 17 was left to die in a ditch with other young female victims of a serial killer. They were dubbed the Black-Eyed Susans by the media because of the flowers growing nearby. She was the only survivor.

Terrell Darcy Goodwin was tried and found guilty of the attacks.

Almost twenty years later Tessa is now a mother to a teenage daughter, Charlie. The old case is in the news again. Terrell Goodwin is on death row and the lawyers are trying to file an appeal. Tessa is haunted by fragmented memories of the night of the attack. She is having doubts about her original testimony and believes she may have been coerced/encouraged into saying certain things. When black-eyed susans appear under her bedroom window, out of season, she is freaked out and terrified for her daughter’s safety. Are they a message from the killer who should be in prison?

There is also the mystery of her friend’s disappearance shortly after the Trial. Lydia and Tessie had been friends through school and Lydia was with Tessie in the run up to and during the Trial. Not long after the Trial finished Lydia and her family simply disappeared.

The story switches between the past and the present.

The teenage Tessie tells the story leading up to the trial of Terrell Darcy Goodwin and the aftermath including her involvement with therapists and doctors. The present day story is told in the voice of Tessa, the mother of Charlie.

As the story progresses it becomes apparent that Tessie/Tessa had held back some things at the trial.

Over the years the adult Tessa has had doubts about her testimony – had she been slightly manipulated by her friend Lydia (and perhaps even her doctor) who was by her side before and during the Trial but who disappeared along with her family a few days later? She is haunted by those fragmented memories and begins to suspect she may have been coerced into saying some things and withholding others at the original Trial.

She was fearful for her own teenage daughter’s safety after the blackeyed susans appeared under her bedroom window out of season. Is the wrong man in prison because of her testimony? Are the flowers a message from the real killer.?

Some believe Terrell Goodwin is innocent and enlist Tessa’s support as they attempt to gather evidence for an appeal against the death sentence. Various tests, that weren’t available at the time of the original trial, are carried out.

The tension builds up as the appeal looms, little clues are revealed,  and the suspense is maintained right to the end.

I really liked that the author used the two distinct voices of Tessie/Tessa. I found the story well written and although the story might seem a bit slow at first, the tension (and the doubt) really builds up towards the end.

Black Eyed Susans by Julia Heberlin is available here.

Author’s website:  juliaheaberlin.com/

[I received an ARC from Penguin UK – Michael Joseph via NetGalley].

Painting Without Paint - something completely different

Just for a change I’m not reviewing crime, romantic or contemporary fiction today.

I’m sure there are many tablet and iPad users out there who haven’t really considered drawing or painting with their tablet.  This is your opportunity to unleash your inner artist!  It’s amazing what you can do using free painting/drawing apps.

A few weeks ago Search Press sent me a copy of Painting Without Paint – Landscapes with your tablet by Matthew Palmer in exchange for a review. When the book arrived I was keen to get started.

This is well laid out book with good illustrations and clear explanations.  I spent a very enjoyable weekend trying some of the examples in the book and I felt I learned something useful.

Matthew Palmer starts by explaining what you need to Paint Without Paint (an iPad or an Android Tablet), painting tools (finger, rubber tipped stylus or brush tip stylus) and your preferred app. The instructions in the book are demonstrated on an iPad using the Brushes app (a free app).

I don’t have an iPad but that wasn’t really a problem. I use an Android tablet and the Brushes app isn’t available for android.  I tried Artrage for the first couple of exercises but ended up using Autodesk Sketchbook Pro. These are paid for apps but there is a free version of Sketchbook.   Matthew mentions a few of his favourite apps and gives their pros and cons.

I found the sections very helpful.  I really liked the section on Creating your brushes. Every app usually has a few preset brushes but you can alter these to give different effects and textures. He lists the settings for a default round brush and 9 other brushes. Each brush has a picture of the brushstroke and the tip plus the settings to get that particular brush. The clear explanations and illustrations meant that I was able to create something similar (but not identical) in the app I was using.

After reading the next section on colour basics I was ready to get started with the first couple of exercises. The exercises all have clear step by step instructions and good illustrations.

The next day I managed to borrow an iPad for the weekend and I downloaded the Brushes Redux app (free). I must confess I did find it easier as I could follow the instructions in the book and change the brush settings as directed. I began to understand what would happen when I tweaked the brush settings. That was a revelation. It also meant I got through the next couple of exercises fairly quickly.

However just as I was getting the hang of it I had to return the iPad. Even using it for a short time really helped when I went back to using the android tablet. I even tried a couple of simple paintings without reference to the book! I’ve included some of my first attempts with this review. They wouldn’t win any prizes but I had fun ‘painting’ them.

I haven’t worked through the whole book. I’ve flicked through it and it looks really interesting. The next section is ‘Layers”. I know a little bit about them but have never really learned to use them properly. I’m looking forward to learning more.

The last section of the book builds on the simple earlier exercises and takes you step by step through four landscape paintings that combine the techniques featured earlier in the book.
The book is great value. It is packed with useful information and although I only got to page 57 of 128 pages, I’ve learned quite a lot.

Painting is one of my hobbies (acrylics and sometimes soft pastel). I get very messy. Digital art is different. You can take it anywhere. There is no mess! (With practice I might even improve).   I think it would also be a very useful and practical book for beginners.

Painting Without Paint

Publisher:  Search Press

The Little French Guesthouse

Description:  Sun, croissants and fine wine. Nothing can spoil the perfect holiday. Or can it?
When Emmy Jamieson arrives at La Cour des Roses, a beautiful guesthouse in the French countryside, she can’t wait to spend two weeks relaxing with boyfriend Nathan. Their relationship needs a little TLC and Emmy is certain this holiday will do the trick. But they’ve barely unpacked before he scarpers with Gloria, the guesthouse owner’s cougar wife.

Rupert, the ailing guesthouse owner, is shell-shocked. Feeling somewhat responsible, and rather generous after a bottle (or so) of wine, heartbroken Emmy offers to help. Changing sheets in the gîtes will help keep her mind off her misery.

Thrust into the heart of the local community, Emmy suddenly finds herself surrounded by new friends. And with sizzling hot gardener Ryan and the infuriating (if gorgeous) accountant Alain providing welcome distractions, Nathan is fast becoming a distant memory.

Fresh coffee and croissants for breakfast, feeding the hens in the warm evening light; Emmy starts to feel quite at home. But it would be madness to walk away from her friends, family, and everything she’s ever worked for, to take a chance on a place she fell for on holiday – wouldn’t it?

After reading a few crime novels (mostly very good) The Little French Guesthouse made a lovely contrast. It was funny, warm, sad, poignant and very satisfying.

I found myself quickly becoming immersed in the story. There is no slow introduction. The first page starts with Emmy’s shocking discovery on the roof terrace.

Emmy and Nathan are spending two weeks at a beautiful French guesthouse in the Loire region run by Rupert and his wife Gloria in the hope that a break from work and stress will re-energise their relationship.

A few days into the holiday Rupert collapses in front of Emmy clutching his chest. She goes searching for his wife and is shocked when she finds Gloria and Nathan ‘romping’ on the roof terrace.

Rupert is taken to hospital where he is found to have angina but he has also damaged a ligament in his leg when he collapsed and can barely walk. This is a problem because Rupert did all the cooking. It would seem Gloria is just there to meet and greet and look decorative.

A few days later, shortly after important guests have arrived who are very demanding and will expect the very best of food and service, Nathan and Gloria have run off together and Emmy feels sorry for Rupert and ends up helping out by shopping, cleaning, cooking under supervision rather than returning home early.

What starts out with Emmy feeling she has to help Rupert run the guest house for a day or two until he can arrange for other help leads to her staying on for the duration of her holiday and then being asked to extend it by another week.

In a very short time she has made new friends and she feels settled and comfortable. She helps Rupert but also takes time to relax in the beautiful surroundings. There is even some love interest.

All too soon Emmy has to go back to her well paid job in the UK. . Rupert comes up with a plan that would enable her to relocate to France and help him run his business and perhaps cultivate her own business interests. There is much agonising as Emmy considers her options.

I like the writing style.  Helen’s description of the guesthouse and its surroundings is wonderful. I really wanted to be there, in fact I felt I could be there, sitting reading in the peaceful garden, the bees humming, the gardener working somewhere nearby or enjoying the town on market day with all the noise, bustle, smells, having coffee, chatting. Sounds idyllic.

The characters were well drawn and easy to visualise. Caring, thoughtful, hardworking, capable Emmy who mucks in when things need done and endears herself to everyone. She sounds wonderful, someone you would want to be friends with. Owner Rupert I think is usually larger than life, congenial, friendly, appreciative, well known and respected in the area.

Nathan came across as arrogant, snobbish, mean, selfish – not so much of a sympathetic character! Gloria seemed more self-centred, lazy, and probably a little past her prime. I got a sense she was disappointed with her life at the guest house.

I liked the fact that all the characters are easy to visualise. The writing was so good.

This is the first book I have read by Helen Pollard but I’m sure it won’t be the last. It is everything it says on the cover: The perfect feel good summer read.

Author’s website:    http://ift.tt/1OtCKXC

The Night Stalker

If the Night Stalker is watching, you’re already dead ….

In the dead of a swelteringly hot summer’s night, Detective Erika Foster is called to a murder scene. The victim, a doctor, is found suffocated in bed. His wrists are bound and his eyes bulging through a clear plastic bag tied tight over his head.

A few days later, another victim is found dead, in exactly the same circumstances. As Erika and her team start digging deeper, they discover a calculated serial killer – stalking their victims before choosing the right moment to strike.

The victims are all single men, with very private lives. Why are their pasts shrouded in secrecy? And what links them to the killer?

As a heat wave descends upon London, Erika will do everything to stop the Night Stalker before the body count rises, even if it means risking her job. But the victims might not be the only ones being watched… Erika’s own life could be on the line.

 

 

This is another cracking crime story from Robert Bryndza.

I loved his first crime novel,  The Girl in the Ice  and was very happy when I got the opportunity to review the second book in the Erika Foster series. It’s another great story with several threads and a couple of red herrings.

DCI Erika Foster is back and has been called to a murder schene. She is good at solving cases (although she often follows her own rules) and is also hoping to be considered for a promotion. It’s not long until there is a second murder and it looks like they may be hunting for a serial killer. The first two victims don’t appear to have much in common except for the method used kill them. Senior officers seem to think it could be related to “gay-bashing” but Erika doesn’t agree. and being a bit of a maverick continues to investigate following her instincts. There is a major upset when her team encroach on an undercover operation that is almost at an end and one of the characters under surveillance is arrested by one of Erika’s colleagues.

When the killer strikes for a third time, Erika learns of the death from a friend who found the victim and phoned Erika before phoning 999. Erika goes to scene but another officer is put in charge and her friend is taken into custody and later charged with the murder. She doesn’t believe her friend committed the crime. Because of her personal involvement with suspect she is ordered not to get involved and is told to take a holiday.

Of course, being Erika, she still manages to continue her investigations on an unofficial basis and ropes in another colleague.

The ‘twist’ in this book is that we  know who the killer is quite early on but the killer’s reasons for the murders are revealed along the way. The killer starts off quite patient and stalks the victims over time, before striking., leaving very little forensic evidence at the crime scenes.

For me, this story was quite different. I found myself in the strange situation that while not liking the serial killer I did have some sympathy for them. That doesn’t usually happen.

Erika seems to be having a hard time in this book. It’s the two year anniversary of her husband’s death and she doesn’t always get along with colleagues.  She’s still at odds with Assistant Commissioner Oakley.  She doesn’t always play the game; if she thinks she’s right, she can’t help but follow her instincts even when she’s told to step back a bit.

I’ve given this book 5 stars. I found it well written and entertaining. I like Robert Bryndza’s writing style (don’t ask me to analyse it!) and I really enjoyed the book.

Is there going to be a third?  Please!

The Night Stalker is due to be published on 2 June 2016 (Bookouture) and can be pre-ordered.

Author’s website:    robertbryndza.com/