"The Harbour Master" by Daniel Pembrey

Maverick cop Henk van der Pol is thinking about retirement when he finds a woman’s body in Amsterdam Harbour. His detective instincts take over, even though it’s not his case. But Henk’s bigger challenge is deciding who his friends are – not to mention a vicious street pimp who is threatening Henk’s own family. As his search for the killer of the woman in Amsterdam Harbour takes him into a corrupt world of politics and power, Henk finds himself facing some murky moral choices.

Well it's difficult not to pick up a book which has a quote from one of my literary idols, Susan Hill, on the front cover! She endorses the novel as a "cracking tale with verve and style" and of course, I'm not going to disagree with her!

This is the first instalment in a series of crime thrillers set in Amsterdam. Pembury establishes a sense of place and setting extremely well, with vivid and authentic detail. The description is not contrived or forced but subtle references, inferences and the odd slip into colloquial language locate the reader very firmly in Amsterdam. His creation of the docks, harbour and Amsterdam itself are convincing and make it very easy for the reader to picture the location even if we have never visited there.

The book begins with the discovery of a dead body. Henk watches and his description of the body is brutally ugly it prepares us for the complexity and nature of this crime thriller.

"I had my phone out, in order to film the removal of the body. The woman's thighs and arms had swollen up to Frankenstein-like proportions, her dark trousers and top so stretched that they'd ripped at the seams."

It did remind me a little of the one of the opening sequences of the French TV drama "Spiral", but thankfully, although Pembury immerses us in a dark world of illegal human trafficking and the red light district, the violence and any temptation to add gratuitous detail is kept to a minimum. This is a writer interested in characters, human behaviour and a complex narrative.

Henk is an interesting character. Pembury has created a very distinctive voice which feels original and also full of gravitas. I found that he was a man I was able to picture quickly, and that his intelligence, determination, thoroughness and persistence was consistent throughout the novel. Pembury paints a very good picture of a man with integrity -

"...excuses wouldn't help the woman hoisted out of the harbour. She didn't need excuses, she needed justice." 

-and he is definitely a protagonist who can sustain further instalments as Pembury develops this in to a detective series.

It was interesting to read about a police office at the end of his career and an interesting choice by Pembury, but it works very successfully and the narrative voice feels authentic and convincing. It also adds a further level of intrigue and risk as Henk struggles to stay on the case and avoid being usurped by younger men.

"You've been a good cop, Henk. My advice? Have people here remember you that way."

I really enjoyed Henk's relationship with his wife. Initially I wasn't sure if the formal way in which they often responded to each other was amusing or too detached but again, it works.

"Mrs van der Pol was in her house slippers, watching a rerun of some talent show competition I vaguely recognised, working her way through a jar of English liquorice." 

Henk is actually a man who is very committed to his family. And when their safety is threatened it adds a great sense of tension and danger to the story.

"Was I so obsessed with Slavic that I'd created the very problems for me and my family I was now trying desperately to solve?"

Henk's relationship with his daughter is captured equally well. I enjoyed his conversation with her when he notices a diamond ring on her finger - it actually reflects so much about both characters and the dynamics between them.

"Do you know if it's OK?.....A conflict free diamond." 
"That's hardly a question I can ask now is it? Oh thanks so much for the lovely gift, can I just see the paperwork for it?" 

Pembury has clearly spent a lot of time researching this novel. He has obviously dedicated time to making sure every detail is accurate and that he tells a story that stands up to the scrutiny of serious crime readers. He tackles complex and contemporary issues with confidence. I was intrigued to read that Pembury lived in East Amsterdam for a while and spent time with an undercover team from the Dutch National Crime Squad. This has clearly inspired him to write this first instalment of the Harbour Master series.

"The Harbour Master" is quite an involved read. It's not overly long at just over 300 pages, but the prose is quite dense and sophisticated in style. There is a lot of information and threads to follow and although the plot moves along, it is not a book I would describe as a traditional page turner. However, this book will definitely appeal to crime fans who are looking for a new detective to follow and it definitely has the grit, realism and depth that readers want from European Noir books.

The early reviews of this book are excellent and Goodreads says:

The Harbour Master delivers for Amsterdam what fans of Scandinavian crime fiction have come to love: a fascinating light shone on the dark side of a famously liberal society, combining vivid characterisation with ice-cold suspense.

"The Harbour Master" is published by No Exit Press on the 10th November 2016.

My thanks to No Exit Press for a review copy of this novel.

If you would like to find out more about Daniel Pembury, this book or No Exit Press, please visit their website no exit.co.uk or follow them on Twitter @noexitpress @DPemb

If you would like to see more of my reviews and recommendations, please follow me on Twitter @katherinesunde3 (bibliomaniacuk)

"Perfume River" by Robert Olen Butler

From one of America’s most important writers, Perfume River is an exquisite novel that examines family ties and the legacy of the Vietnam War through the portrait of a single North Florida family.

Robert Quinlan is a seventy-year-old historian, teaching at Florida State University, where his wife Darla is also tenured. Their marriage, forged in the fervor of anti-Vietnam-war protests, now bears the fractures of time, both personal and historical, with the couple trapped in an existence of morning coffee and solitary jogging and separate offices. For Robert and Darla, the cracks remain under the surface, whereas the divisions in Robert’s own family are more apparent: he has almost no relationship with his brother Jimmy, who became estranged from the family as the Vietnam War intensified. Robert and Jimmy’s father, a veteran of WWII, is coming to the end of his life, and aftershocks of war ripple across their lives once again, when Jimmy refuses to appear at his father’s bedside. And an unstable homeless man whom Robert at first takes to be a fellow Vietnam veteran turns out to have a deep impact not just on Robert, but on his entire family.

So I admit it, I was a little daunted when I started this as it is written by a Pulitzer Prize winner - I was expecting something heavy and intense. However I found that I was quite gripped and was genuinely enjoying the story more than I had anticipated. It is in no doubt exceptionally well written literary fiction, but I found it a very absorbing, concise read with a distinctive narrative style and distinctive protagonist. There was so much in the book that really appealed and worked for me. As they say, never judge a book by its cover .......

The very topic of the Vietnam War and the dysfunctional relationships within the protagonist's family mean that it is not without intensity, emotion or gravitas but Butler's writing is very readable and very engaging. It is a relativity short book at around 250 pages so the story is actually very contained and focussed. Although there are quite a range of issues and relationships explored in the story, it was not overwhelming or overly complicated. I became immersed in Robert's world very quickly, I felt very much part of his journey and I found the alternate sections where the narrative switched to one of the few other main characters did not interrupt the flow of the story or the connection between the reader and Robert.

I would perhaps have liked some chapter breaks but that's more to do with the fact that I always struggle to put a book down and a chapter break might have made it easier to take a pause! However, reading without the enforced structure of chapters does increase the fluidity of the novel. Perhaps it accentuates that it is a little more of a shorter novel which is quite introverted, focussing on the build up, tensions and flashbacks which are preparing us for the climatic denouement.

The Vietnam War isn't something I can personally relate to and I wouldn't necessarily chose to read a book based around a man's experience in that war. Equally, I probably read more novels with female leads but I found it a really refreshing perspective to read about something different. I also really enjoyed the male characterisation and it reminded me of other American novels with male protagonists which I have enjoyed in the past.

"What are Robert Quinlan and his wife feebly arguing about when the homeless man slips quietly in? Moments later Robert could hardly have said. ObamaCare or quinoa or their granddaughter's new boyfriend. Something."

These are the intriguing opening lines. Effortlessly establishing atmosphere, character and a sense of time and place as well as tension. There are repeated references to specific brands which I found rooted the novel firmly in today's society as well as creating a contrast with some of the more dream like sequences, internal wanderings and flashbacks.

"They are focussed thinkers, Robert and Darla. They would, if pressed to consider the matter, attribute some of their focus to the mutual respect they have for each other's work. They need give each other not a single thought once they are sitting in these long familiar rooms."

The marriage between Robert and Darla is quite fascinating. A couple who seem detached and foreign from each other yet still connected. I thought the fact that "Their kindles have their own lights" was hugely metaphorical for how they lived their shared existence. I liked the description of their bedtime routine:

""Goodnight" she says, aware of the vanishing of his light in her periphery. "Goodnight," he says, though they have long ago agreed that the formality of his reply is unnecessary.....Nor do they kiss. They are so very familiar with each other. And that familiarity has become the presiding expression of their intimacy."

And the use of "a utilitarian kiss, surely, conveying gratitude for a courtesy rendered" equally effective as Butler explores the dynamics and relationship between the couple.

The other relationship which is explored in the novel is the one between Robert and his father and then that with his estranged brother, who has his own issues to confront.

"You didn't choose your parents. You didn't choose your land of birth. If you and they have nothing in common, if they are always, irrevocably at odds with each other, is it betrayal simply to leave family and country behind? No." (Jimmy, Robert's brother)

Robert's fixation with his experience in the war dominate the novel and even though it is so far in his past it slips into his daily thoughts. The war divides the brothers as well as their relationship with their father. A father who Robert is desperate to gain approval from and so set to follow in his footsteps, takes himself off to Vietnam.

".....who goes to war and sleeps and eats and drinks and writes letters and listens to music and falls safely in love in another country with an exotic girl and writes a resume and plans a future life and goes home; who goes to war to please your dad, to receive your dad's approval, to make your dad proud, to win your dad's love."

A sense of underlying violence runs subtly between the words, ever present in a manner that becomes more threatening until the final climax, when suddenly the action and drama becomes quite breathtaking.

This is an eloquent and mesmerising tale. The issues raised are profound and moving but the prose feels understated, simple and subtle. It is a book exploring the apathy of a long term marriage, mortality, ageing, family, love, estrangement and war. It is about damage, physically and emotionally. There are many lines which linger with you and many moments where it feels as if you need some time to absorb what Butler might be implying, suggesting or alluding to. It is intellectual and broaches many quite philosophical questions but overall, I found it did this effortlessly and was highly readable.

I would recommend this to people who enjoy literary fiction, American fiction, books with male protagonists and reading something that can conjure up quite complex situations and characterisations through a brevity of language and description.

My thanks to No Exit Press for an advanced copy of this book.

For more recommendations and reviews please follow me on Twitter @katherinesunde3 (bibliomaniacuk)

**The TBR Book Tag**

Thanks to Cleo for posting with the TBR Book Tag and getting me thinking about mine! I'm wondering if I'm really brave enough to confront the reality of what is going on with my TBR pile, and the various TBR piles I have hidden under different guises, but any excuse to distract myself further by talking about books rather than actually getting on with reading them....!! 

So here goes.....

How do you keep track of your TBR pile?

I only really 'keep track' of my TBR pile of ARCs. I have a separate diary just for keeping track of blog posts and publication dates. I then scribble in which days I need to read which book by so the review will be ready for a blog tour or publication day. I also have a list on Goodreads and a wish list on Amazon but these are for books I want to read rather than ARCs - which always take priority!

Which book has been on your TBR pile the longest?

"Nora Webster" by Colm Toibin

Which book has been most recently added to your TBR pile?

I just ordered this paperback at the weekend:

 

On a January morning, Beth and Steve bring three-day-old Ismae home from the hospital. A little girl to complete their suburban family.

Except Beth knows that Ismae is different. And that, as she gets older and stronger, her difference will become more obvious.
As the future Beth imagined grows even more out of reach, the walls of their vast house close in on her, isolating her from Steve.
Then she makes a terrible discovery ...
Will Ismae's difference break her family apart? Or will Beth be able to see that it's the one thing that can save her?

I've also just been approved for the new Dinah Jefferies coming out in February so I'm thrilled about that too! 

Is there a book on your TBR pile just because of its cover?

Almost certainly!! I can't think of one off the top of my head but I've always bought Carys Bray's books because of the cover and also "The Finding of Martha Lost" for the same reason. That's the one bad thing about using a kindle- I love the covers but never see them!

Is there a book on your TBR pile that you never plan on reading?

Not at the moment. I tend to go through my TBR shelf (the virtual and the real one) and delete / take off books that have been sitting there for a long time and I just don't think I'll ever get to read. They don't get thrown out or anything shocking like that, but they will just go elsewhere for a while! 

Is there a book on your TBR pile that everyone's read apart from you?

Yes! "The Sister" by Louise Jensen. Shame on me!! The other book before this was "Missing Presumed" - and then I started to put it off because I'd heard so much hype about it - but it did not disappoint and I'm sure this one won't either!! 

Grace hasn't been the same since the death of her best friend Charlie. She is haunted by Charlie's words, the last time she saw her, and in a bid for answers, opens an old memory box of Charlie's. It soon becomes clear there was a lot she didn't know about her best friend. 

When Grace starts a campaign to find Charlie's father, Anna, a girl claiming to be Charlie's sister steps forward. For Grace, finding Anna is like finding a new family, and soon Anna has made herself very comfortable in Grace and boyfriend Dan's home. 

But something isn't right. Things disappear, Dan's acting strangely and Grace is sure that someone is following her. Is it all in Grace's mind? Or as she gets closer to discovering the truth about both Charlie and Anna, is Grace in terrible danger? 

There was nothing she could have done to save Charlie ...or was there?

Is there a book on your TBR pile that everyone recommends to you?

Um, yes, hundreds!!! I've got no will power when it comes to books and there are so many fab bloggers out there reading fab books! I think it's probably this one - I saw the author at Killer Women but since then have read a flurry of review on Twitter and really really want to read it!

Two people in exile. Two secrets. As the past tightens its grip, there may be no escape… TV presenter Allis Hagtorn leaves her partner and her job to take voluntary exile in a remote house on an isolated fjord. But her new job as housekeeper and gardener is not all that it seems, and her silent, surly employer, 44-year-old Sigurd Bagge, is not the old man she expected. As they await the return of his wife from her travels, their silent, uneasy encounters develop into a chilling, obsessive relationship, and it becomes clear that atonement for past sins may not be enough… 

Is there a book on your TBR pile your dying to read?

Yes, all of them!! 

But these two in particular:

I'm also very keen to read "What Alice Knew" by T A Cotterell which I chased the poor publicist for like some kind of starved animal.... *shame* 

How many books are on your TBR pile?

Don't even go there..... I don't even count that!! 

I have 10 on my shelf via NetGalley, 30 downloaded on my Kindle (older titles swirling around on a cloud somewhere), probably 50 paperbacks piled up by my bed, and that still doesn't include my Goodreads list or my Amazon wish list....*sigh*

Well, I sure don't have time to hang around here blogging......reading and reviewing calls! That was fun though and great to think about what is on my list and how I could organise myself a little bit more efficiently!! 

Why don't you have a go? What's on your TBR pile?!

For reviews, recommendations and more bookish chat follow me on Twitter @katherinesunde3 (bibliomaniacuk) 

**AUTHOR Q&A** Fleur Hitchcock "Murder in Midwinter"

Today I'm lucky enough to welcome Children's Author Fleur Hitchcock to my blog! 

"Murder in Midwinter" was published in October by Nosy Crow and would be the perfect wintery tale for any reader between the ages of 9-12 years. 

But enough of this - let's meet Fleur and find out more about murder, mystery and midwinter!

  I love the opening of "Murder in Midwinter" and that idea of just glancing out of the window of a bus and in those crucial two minutes, seeing something that changes the course of your life. Has there ever been a moment in your life when something caught your eye from the bus, car or cafe window that somehow affected you?

When I was a child, I did the same bus journey every Saturday and I would look into the same houses from the top deck of the bus.  I never saw anything as disturbing as Maya’s glimpse, but I did see tiny fragments of other people’s lives. I saw people aging, new babies, ill advised building projects that languished and died. It was that sense of passing through, which is exactly what happens to Maya.  More recently, I did travel on a stop start bus through central London at Christmas, and without realising it, it must have been the germ of the idea.

In your novel, Maya uses her phone to take a photo. What was the last thing you took a photo of on your phone and who did you share it with?

Oh this is sad – The last photo I shared was a picture of a 1970s brown sink that was in a cottage we rented in Cornwall. It was so extraordinary, I had to capture it, and I shared it on twitter. 

 In the novel, Maya has to go and stay with relatives in Wales. For you, where would be the worst place you could be sent and why? 

A place with no books – that would be awful. I’ve recently stayed in a long string of holiday cottages with no books and no pictures on the walls. Boy, were they hard work.

 Have you ever been a witness to a crime or seen something you wish you hadn't? (this question comes from my 10yr old!!) 

A crime was committed very near my childhood home (kidnapping) but I kind of missed out on all the excitement – and a policeman who lived near us thought he had a bomb left under his car but it wasn’t a bomb, it was just a badly welded exhaust pipe. Still, it provided some excitement for the day. But my dad, who was disabled, once brought down a bag snatcher with his walking stick and sat on him.  Does that count?

Absolutely!! That sounds like a scene that needs to be written into a book sometime! 

You have written a lot of novels! Which would you recommend I read next and why? 

If you can get a copy (DEAR SCARLETT is having a shiny new cover) I’d recommend DEAR SCARLETT or SAVING SOPHIA – They’re not quite so heart-in-your-mouth – but they are character led adventures and they do contain risk, and in DEAR SCARLETT’S case, quite a few laughs. Your 10 year old might like them too.

They sound great - I shall investigate and add them to his Christmas present list! 

Are you writing anything at the moment? Will there be a "Murder in Midsummer" to look forward to at any point in the future?!

Right this second, I’m writing four younger adventure stories about a collection of cousins who stay on their grandparents’ farm in the countryside.  They’re a great deal of fun and there are lots of cream teas and are for Nosy Crow

But more murder? That would be telling...

.......oh that is too tantalising!! I will be watching out for your new titles when they appear! 

Thanks so much for answering my questions - it's been really interesting hearing you chat and finding out a bit more about you. Thanks so much for your time and good luck with all your writing projects! 

You can find out more about Fleur on her website:
https://fleurhitchcock.wordpress.com

Or from Nosy Crow:
nosycrow.com

For my review of "Murder in Midwinter" please click here:
http://bibliomaniacuk.blogspot.com/2016/10/childrens-fiction-murder-in-midwinter.html

If you would like to see more or my reviews or recommendations, please follow me on Twitter @katherinesunde3 (bibliomaniacuk)

"Small Great Things" by Jodi Picoult

When a newborn baby dies after a routine hospital procedure, there is no doubt about who will be held responsible: the nurse who had been banned from looking after him by his father.

What the nurse, her lawyer and the father of the child cannot know is how this death will irrevocably change all of their lives, in ways both expected and not.

Jodi Picoult doesn't shy away from controversial and emotional topics. Her books always guarantee a great plot, complex characters who are full of conflict, several 'rug pulling' moments and a fierce need for discussion once you've turned the last page. "Small Great Things" is no exception.

It is a while since I last picked up any Picoult, but I have read nearly all her titles. They are a dependable 'go to' for anyone who enjoys issue based dramas or stories exploring thought provoking situations. As soon as I started this one, I was reminded how well she crafts her plot.

There are recognisable traits in her fiction. There's nearly always a court case, big dilemmas, consequences that ripple through families, friendships and communities in ways you'd never expect and characters who you end up changing your whole opinion of as the story develops - or as your own prejudices are put to the test. And an ending that you didn't see coming!

"Small Great Things" delivers on all these points.

"....there was a moment - one heartbeat, one breath- where all the differences in schooling and money and skin colour evaporated like mirages in a desert. Where everyone was equal and it was just one woman, helping another."

The opening establishes the key themes of the book, which is racial prejudice and equality. I was intrigued that Picoult also sets the opening of her novel in a  maternity ward - perhaps one of the most emotive environments which will already hold deeply personal connotations for many readers. But perhaps it is fitting to start somewhere that sees joy, pain, love, loss - a place where people's lives change forever and shape a new future.

Centring the story around a vulnerable new born baby is bold and throws the reader straight into a highly sensitive and harrowing situation. As we have come to expect, Picoult is going to have us in tears at least once while we read this book, if not more!

We meet Ruth Jefferson. Maternity nurse. A professional who is excellent at her job. We meet Brit and Turk Bauer who have just delivered their first baby. Immediately Ruth is aware there is something wrong as she enters the room. Assuming it is the overwhelmingly possessive love new parents can have which makes them unwilling to give up their baby for her to check, Ruth accommodates this in the way she checks the baby. An atmosphere remains. Later she is to find out it is because she is black. The post it note she discovers on the Bauer's baby's file is a shocking revelation.

"No African American Personnel to care for this patient." 

Ruth is pragmatic, strong and intelligent. She has lived a lifetime of fighting to prove her worth. Her constant repetition of her education and qualifications, and the surprise in which it is always met, reflects how hard she has worked to succeed in life despite the daily prejudice she suffers. She is a good person and the reader instantly warms to her as a character. She works hard and is determined to make sure her son has all the opportunities he's entitled to if not more.

"He is going to college and he will be anything he wants to be. I've spent my life making sure of it." 

She makes some effective observations very early on which feed the reader as they consider the situation presented to them. Her honest language making her points even more pertinent.

"every baby is born beautiful, it's what we project on them that makes them ugly." 

I particularly liked her description of Turk. It captured his personality so well.

"Turk Bauer makes me think of a power line that's snapped during a storm, and lies across the road just waiting for something to brush against it so it can shoot sparks."

In contrast to Ruth, the chapters alternate between her narrative, Turk's narrative and that of Kennedy, Ruth's legal representation. Turk is aggressive, potentially violent and an active member of racist groups. Kennedy is an intelligent, successful member of a legal team who is driven by justice. Picoult uses the alternating voices to build tension, explore the character's back stories in more detail and to look at the same situation through very different points of reference. This makes the book complex and adds depth. It also makes it very readable and very engaging. All the characters are interesting and intriguing enough to make you read on, whether you like them or not, and the dynamics between Ruth and Kennedy are particularly absorbing. The chapters are long and Picoult's writing can be quite dense, but the variation in narrative voice ensures that the plot always moves forward and carries the reader through the novel at a good pace.

Despite Turk's general behaviour and beliefs, he does have moments of insight and gives the reader an opportunity to feel some empathy for him. His account of his grief and how they try to deal with the loss of their son is moving.

"What no one told me about grief is how lonely it is. No matter who else is mourning, you're in your own little cell. Even when people try to comfort you, you're aware that now there is a barrier between you and them, made of the horrible thing that happened, that keeps you isolated."

Once we arrived at the court case, I really put my feet up and settled in.

"Ruth Jefferson," she says, "Murderer," a woman screams. There is a buzz in the crowd that swells to a roar.

This is classic Picoult. This is that moment when you turn the phone on to mute and make sure you have a fresh cup of coffee. This is the bit when you are transported to a court room and listen transfixed to the questions, statements, revelations, last minute evidence and surprise witnesses as the characters battle it out with wit, cleverness, manipulation, skill and emotion. Always so satisfying! Always that moment when the character you care for says the wrong thing, reveals a secret, loses their temper! Always waiting for that moment when the rug is pulled out from underneath you as suddenly things slip into place or a final connection is made. Always worth waiting for and always rewarding!

Kennedy works hard. The relationship between her and Ruth is really well crafted. They are women who are not initially drawn to each other but come to learn much from each other. Ultimately Kennedy is dedicated and wants to save the world even when she knows she can't. Ruth too wants to champion a cause and chance the world.

"Ruth looks into my eyes, and for a moment, I can see right down into the heart of her." 

There is not much more to say other than I would recommend this book. We all know what we are getting with Picoult and it's a great relief to see that her latest piece of work does not disappoint. It is as full of drama, sentiment, empathy and conflict as her others and delivers characters who you are prepared to care about and become involved with. It's a satisfying read and one to savour for when you need your fix of ethical and social drama.

My thanks to Netgalley for the advanced copy of this novel.

"Small Great Things" is now in paperback (20th April 2017) published by Hodder.

For more recommendation and reviews, please follow me on twitter @katherinesunde3 (bibliomaniacuk)

"A Year and A Day" Isabelle Broom

Three different women.

Three intertwining love stories.

One unforgettable, timeless city.

This will be a good book to buy for friends this Christmas. Romantic, light, readable and ultimately heartwarming, it is a great read to enjoy in a winter's evening tucked up somewhere cosy.

"It all seems pretty simple to me. If two people care about each other, they should be together. It should be easy." 

But can it ever be that simple? In this story we follow three women as they travel to Prague, each emotionally troubled and each wanting to rediscover love and happiness. Broom hides us away in their suitcases as we watch them journey through through these few days of their lives; sharing their fear, risks, friendships, hopes and love.

I have never been to Prague, but Broom's picturesque detail and beautiful description makes it sound like a perfect setting for a novel about love. In this story it is a city which represents warmth, comfort, happiness and hope. Our three female protagonists have all chosen to travel there for different reasons, but ultimately they are seeking answers and resolution. This ancient city with its beautiful architecture, mythical tales, statues and culture, offers the girls a perfect space in which to confront their internal conflicts.

One of our female protagonists, Megan, claims her first love is photography. She has travelled to Prague with Ollie, her best friend, to seek inspiration for her next collection. Her passion for taking photos is an effective metaphor in illustrating how Megan often sees the world - as "a snapshot of a moment, a memory saved forever, the view of the world as she saw it," and indeed Broom is exploring the concept of what we see - or what we don't see- versus what is actually happening.

Megan fights against a gradual realisation of her true feelings for Ollie. But Megan is frightened. To her love is a threat. To her it is imperative not to show Ollie the real her. To her, being in love can only lead to being hurt.

"With her ex, she had always been wary of saying the wrong thing, of upsetting the fragile shelf  upon which their strange little relationship was precariously balanced."

Ollie is a hugely likeable man; kind, funny, supportive and interesting. The couple are very at ease with each other and their relationship is very natural. The reader likes them both and Broom does a good job of writing about their friendship and exploring that transition between friend to lover, or how to accept that being hurt once, won't mean you'll necessarily be hurt again.

Hope is another of our protagonists. She has a daughter, Annette, with whom she has a strained relationship.

"It was far less dramatic to jab a screen with your finger than smash plastic against plastic and hear that satisfying ring of enraged silence, but the result was still the same: she felt as if her heart was breaking into pieces." 

She's on holiday with Charles - he is not her husband, but her "upgrade"! However, Hope's time in Prague is spent agonising over her damaged relationship with her daughter and reflecting on how well she actually knows Charles. Again, this is a woman who has been burned by love before and who needs to reconcile herself with her daughter before she can allow herself some happiness.

Finally comes Sophie, a younger girl who awaits the arrival of her fiancé. There is something a little mysterious about Sophie and a more mythical aura surrounds her as she meets with the other characters in the book. At first she seems very excited about travelling to Prague and seems to relish the opportunity for travel. However as the novel proceeds, the reader begins to worry about Sophie and whether she is narrator to be relied on or not. There's definitely a sense that Sophie is keeping something from us and her storyline injects a bit of intrigue and mystery.

"She'd known Prague wouldn't let her down. She had been silly to ever let the dark shadow of doubt cast it's nasty hunched shoulders across her mind."

Sophie awaits the arrival of Robin, her fiancé and spends a lot of time extolling his virtues. Her story is a slight contrast to the others as both Megan and Hope have a sense of being let down by men and  having been too dependent on them. Both these women want to have some more independence. Both are reluctant to become dependent on men again, whereas Sophie seems incomplete without Robin and almost unable to operate without him. But ultimately, all of them want love.

So will they find what they are looking for in Prague? Will the magic golden cross, pointed out by a guide, which can grant a wish to come true in a year and a day work for them all? Will their wishes come true? Will the magic and myth of Prague bring them the hope and love they so need? Is love easy or is it an impossibility? What effect will this magical, christmassy city have on them?

This is a good read. It's reasonably predictable, but there are a few shots toward the end which add an emotional depth to the storyline and remind us of the complexities of people, love and relationships. Perfect winter romance!

"A Year and A Day" is published be Michael Joseph on 17th November 2016.

My thanks to NetGalley for an ARC of this book.

For more recommendations and reviews follow me on Twitter @katherinesunde3 (bibliomaniacuk)

"The Easy Way Out" Steven Amsterdam

Evan is a nurse, a suicide assistant. His job is legal . . . just. He's the one at the hospital who hands out the last drink to those who ask for it. 

Evan's friends don't know what he does during the day. His mother, Viv, doesn't know what he's up to at night. And his supervisor suspects there may be trouble ahead.

As he helps one patient after another die, Evan pushes against legality, his own morality and the best intentions of those closest to him, discovering that his own path will be neither quick nor painless.

He knows what he has to do.

In this powerful novel, award-winning author Steven Amsterdam challenges readers to face the most taboo and heartbreaking of dilemmas. Would you help someone end their life?


"Death is where life gets really interesting."

Set in Australia, in the near future at a time when assisted suicide is legal, Amsterdam tackles a very emotive subject for his novel. I wanted to read this book as I wondered how the author would handle such a taboo and controversial subject in what appeared to be a more light and entertaining narrative voice than perhaps found in other titles which deal with terminal illness and suicide.

This is a brave novel for a brave reader. I think your reaction to this book could very much depend on where you are in life and what personal and emotional issues you may have surrounding the subject of illness and death. Having said that, although it is not a light read, there is a good balance between humour and seriousness. The writing is not oppressive or sentimental. It is not insensitive or offensive either. There is humour, quirkiness, bluntness and honesty which make it a novel hard to define but actually easier to engage with than one might think.

Whatever the reader feels about the subject matter, there is no denying that Amsterdam can write. I found some of his observations and images profound; understated yet very evocative and effective.

"The cancer ran through him like drain cleaner"

"This is the family picture: three hands and wrists woven together, each with a different purpose - the daughter grooming, the father pulling back in terminal retreat, the mother trying to protect them all."

"There we are, six white people fine tuning a death."

The book opens with us watching Evan carry out his job as a suicide assistant. As this is not something that happens legally in the UK, it was an alien experience for me to read about this in such normalised circumstances. I'm not sure whether the fact that it is not a "real life" relatable scenario for me actually made it easier to read as there was a sense of detachment -almost as if I was reading something set in an imagined future. I found the calm normality of the narrative voice effective in discussing what must be some of the most difficult and imaginable moments in someone's life. Evan's matter of fact, practical voice also helped to remove the potential emotional intensity and sensationalism from the scenes. In fact, he is trained to be emotionally detached, and pulled up on it by his boss Nettie several times. As the novel continues and Evan's role begins to invade his personal life as he watches his beloved mother's health deteriorate, it is this awareness that he's been trained to keep a level of detachment from death and terminal illness that creates dilemma, conflict and confusion.

There are several accounts of Evan's 'assists'. One of the most moving comes towards the end of the book with Leo aged ninety and his girlfriend, Myrna, aged eighty six. It is interesting how the characters who are 'attending' the 'assist' behave each time and what they expect from Evan as he tries to remain invisible and unobtrusive despite sharing possibly the most intimate moments of anyone's life. Amsterdam again shows that he can write with great poignancy.

"Two people watching the tide go out."

And then Myrna's repetition of "So simple and so beautiful. So simple," create an overwhelming sense of peace, resolution and calm. This book undoubtedly challenges the reader's perception of 'assisted suicide', whether it will change your mind at all is probably irrelevant. It's just offering a very different perspective and it's also interesting how Evan reflects and responds to his role as the novel continues. Evan's almost throwaway comments often present the reader with something quite thought provoking. For example, his reflection on how different people respond to death is presented with an emotional detachment not usually seen in stories dealing with final moments. Seeing it from a practical viewpoint of someone whose is helping someone to die, offers a different perspective from usual in which to observe characters and their behaviour.

"Will they sail past the news untouched or will it send them off in a new direction?"

Amsterdam injects a level of humour, modernity and contrast with the sub plot of Evan's personal life. His relationship with his mother is quite fascinating and written with a mixture of compassion and wry humour and then Evan's own romantic relationship with two other men as they operate as a "throuple." This really is a very contemporary novel, bursting with contemporary issues and written in a bold contemporary voice.

Towards the end of the book Evan reflects on his career. The metaphor of the rubbish men is very effective.

"a garbage truck notches its way through the middle of the street. The men run to collect the bins on opposite sides, empty them into the munching maw at the back......There may be easier jobs in this world."

This novel is interesting, quirky, shocking, modern and highly original. It took me a while to get to grips with Evan's voice and although I enjoyed his entertaining responses to friends as he tries to hide the reality of his day job, he is a complex character and perhaps a little of an acquired taste.

I am pleased that I read it but I am not completely sure how I would rate it or indeed feel about it. I think I would suggest you make your own mind up. Although thought provoking, emotive and controversial, Amsterdam's voice is also quirky and humorous. There is plenty of dialogue and it is a well paced novel. The relationships between the main characters is also unusual. It is a relatively short novel too, which is possibly necessary really because of the scenarios and dynamics explored within the book.

"The Easy Way Out" by Steven Amsterdam is published on Nov 3rd 2016.

Thank you to Netgalley for the advanced copy of the novel.

For more recommendations and reviews please follow me onTwitter @katherinesunde3 (bibliomaniacuk)