Holding – Graham Norton

Graham Norton’s masterful debut is an intelligently crafted story of love, secrets and loss.

The remote Irish village of Duneen has known little drama; and yet its inhabitants are troubled. Sergeant PJ Collins hasn’t always been this overweight; mother of­ two Brid Riordan hasn’t always been an alcoholic; and elegant Evelyn Ross hasn’t always felt that her life was a total waste.

So when human remains are discovered on an old farm, suspected to be that of Tommy Burke – a former­ love of both Brid and Evelyn – the village’s dark past begins to unravel. As the frustrated PJ struggles to solve a genuine case for the first time in his life, he unearths a community’s worth of anger and resentments, secrets and regret.

Darkly comic, touching and at times profoundly sad. Graham Norton employs his acerbic wit to breathe life into a host of loveable characters, and explore – with searing honesty – the complexities and contradictions that make us human.

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I like Graham Norton and I like his humour and his chat. Holding is his debut novel and I wasn’t sure what to expect. However I really enjoyed it. He tells a very good story.

Duneen is a sleepy Irish village where nothing much happens and the residents go about their daily routines although everyone seems to very interested in everyone else’s business. Graham sets the scene beautifully in the first few chapters, describing various locations in the village and the inhabitants. It is easy to picture the people and places. The story is told with humour but Graham doesn’t poke fun at anyone. There are several threads to the story but all cleverly connecting in some way.

The local guard is 53 year old Sergeant P J Collins who is very overweight, unfit and single. There has never been much crime for him to deal with until human remains are uncovered on an old farm by builders and he has to investigate. In fact it’s his first major case although he has to involve colleagues from Cork.

As the investigation proceeds we learn more and more about the various characters and the dark secrets they have been holding on to for a very long time.

There’s Brid Riordan, a wife and mother, who drinks more than she should;

Mrs O’Driscoll who has the local shop/post office/cafe.

The three unmarried Ross sisters  who lived together in the family home just outside the village.

Mrs Meany, the old lady who is Sergeant Collins full time housekeeper and cook.

Susan Hickey, a bit of a busybody and gossip.

Although much of the book centres on the human remains found and the investigation by Sergeant Collins and his colleagues from Cork, I wouldn’t say it was a crime thriller. It is a murder mystery but I feel the story is more about the people and how their pasts connect, and the secrets that are revealed.  I felt quite sad for some of the characters and annoyed at others. Parts of the story made me chuckle as I pictured the scene.

It’s a cosy, satisfying read – and very enjoyable and I hope I get to read more novels by Graham Norton.

[My thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for a review copy]

 

 

Recipes for Love and Murder - Sally Andrew

I was recently sent a digital review copy of this book.

I enjoyed reading it very much but I'm not sure how to describe it?

Recipes for Love and Murder is a really good story, full of engaging characters, a murder (or maybe two), multiple suspects, red herrings, a bit of farce, some romance, delicious mouthwatering food and not forgetting a handsome Police detective who might just be causing Tannie Maria's heart to beat a little bit faster.  In fact is has a little bit of everything but overall a  very enjoyable read.

Tannie Maria is a widow who writes a recipe column in her local paper the Klein Karoo Gazette.  She loves food and she loves cooking, especially to share with friends.  Good news is celebrated with tea and cake; bad news is made less bad by tea and cake.  When it looks like her recipe column is to be replaced by an advice/problem page she keeps her job by combining the two.  When someone writes in with a problem she suggests a suitable recipe that might help them.

A woman had written to Tannie Maria asking for advice regarding her jealous, violent husband and her friendship with another woman Tannie Maria replies with a recipe and advises her that she should leave a man who abuses her. Although now a widow, Tannie Maria had been married to a violent, abusive husband.

Later Tannie Maria receives another note from the woman thanking her for the recipe and saying that she was making a plan that would allow her to leave.

When the woman is later found murdered Tannie Maria and her friend Jessie, a reporter at the paper, get involved in trying to get to the bottom of the crime.

There are multiple suspects (including the woman's husband and her friend), threats, red herrings and Tannie Maria and Jessie find themselves in dangerous situations as they seem to be getting closer to identifying the murderer.

Meanwhile throughout the book Tannie Maria answers the letters she receives with some advice and a recipe.

Oh yes, and at the back of the book are some of the recipes mentioned in the story. I haven't tried them out personally but I would love to have a go - some day!

The story is set in South Africa,  Tannie Maria is half English, half Afrikaans and some Afrikaans words are used in the book.  Don't let that put you off.  Most of these words are easy to understand, often the English translation being used elsewhere on the same page.  I found it slightly strange at first but I soon became used to the words and they didn't cause me any problems.

I think Sally Andrew has written a really good first novel.  I love the writing style.  It's a great mix of murder mystery, a little bit of romance, delicious food (with recipes) and friendship.

If you have read and liked Alexander McCall Smith's No 1 Ladies' Detective Agency, you will probably like this book.  The books are not the same (apart from both books being set in Africa, albeit different countries) but both books have a main character who is big-hearted, friendly, welcoming and with a great common sense attitude.

This is the first Tannie Maria book but I'll be looking out for the next one!


Publisher:             Canongate Books
Author website:   http://www.sallyandrew.com/

The Secret Life and Curious Death of Miss Jean Milne

At last I've managed to clear my Netgalley reading list.  There are so many books I want to read and just not enough time. Two of the books will be published in December and February so I'll probably write about them in a future blog.

Since clearing that shelf I've managed to read a book that I bought from Amazon a couple of months ago and I'm halfway through another one.

The Secret Life & Curious Death of Miss Jean Milne by Andrew Nicoll is a gem of a book.  It's an Edwardian murder mystery set in the town of Broughty Ferry in Scotland.

October 1912.  The body of a wealthy spinster is found in a locked house.  She has shocking wounds and it seems obvious she has been brutally murdered in a frenzy.  Nothing seems to have been stolen however.

The characters in the book are well drawn -  from the rather pompous Chief Constable, the hard working local sergeant and the detective brought in from Glasgow to help track down the murderer to the local worthies.

It is written in such a way that you can easily imagine the characters and locations.

When I bought this book for kindle on Amazon about three months ago it cost 49 pence  (I think it is still that price).  It is probably the best 49 pence I have spent this year.

Apparently the book is based on fact.  There really was a murder in October 1912 in Broughty Ferry but the killer was never found.  Andrew Nicoll has created a wonderful work of fiction based on the known facts.

There are a few twists and turns along the way and a rather surprising ending that I hadn't suspected.

I would definitely recommend this book if you are a fan of Victorian/Edwardian murder mysteries.