The Bloody Meadow is well written, well paced and will keep you guessing to the end about who is responsible for the events chronicled and who is on which side. It is written when everyone is Russia could be under suspicion for saying or doing the wrong thing. Korolev, the main character and detective in the novel is himself worried about this, indeed he fears the worst when he hears a car pull up at an unexpected time and immediately you are immersed in the menacing world at the time of the all powerful USSR state.
Treachery is the name of the game and if you are on the right side crimes go unnoticed and unpunished. Everyone is careful to ensure they address one another correctly and this makes the investigation more difficult for Korolev. As the case deepens the danger to Korolev and those around him worsens as well. The passages describing the film set and trying to determine who saw what and who was where when proves how complicated things are. Several people lie to cover up the possibility of being disloyal to the state. In this way Ryan writes convincingly portrays the tense atmosphere by which citizens had to live their lives.
I enjoyed this book, it is fast paced and you become absorbed in Korolev’s world and share his fears as the plot unfolds. It is a book that requires concentration as you need to keep track of the characters and what is happening to them but it well worth a read, it is more than just the usual murder mystery but a political thriller as well.
Category: Reviews
On this page find out about things I have read, watched or experienced. I am happy to receive proofs in paperback or via Kindle for review and aim to be honest with my thoughts. My family are also open to trying out new gadgets and gizmos. Reviews are published to this blog, Amazon, Goodreads and Shelfari. Please leave a comment or find me on Facebook or Twitter and I’ll get back to you as soon as possible. I aim to review withing three weeks of receipt but with three young children this can sometimes slip.
Review of Baby Be Mine by Paige Toon
This book was entertaining, compelling and emotive. The lead characters, especially Johnny, Meg and Christian as well as the supporting cast, particularly Dana, Lena, Bess and Joseph make up a world that is believable and interesting. They are well developed and the reader often takes side. The first person narrative makes the story more immediate and it is seen though the lead character, Meg’s eyes making us privy to her varied emotions and helping us to side with her. My one criticism of this book is that at the start it seemed to take a long time to get going. Whilst I expect it to take me a couple of chapters to get to know the characters and work out their motivations I felt that establishing Meg’s feelings of guilt and worry about the paternity of her child got in the way of the plot.
Having said that once the plot got going it was brilliant and I found it very difficult to put the book down, often sneaking upstairs to read a few more pages while the kids were busy as I wanted to find out what happened next. The storyline is fast moving, takes in France, LA and Oxford and the pace suits the story and the complications in the characters lives will make you cross, happy and move you all at the same time. I won’t give too much of the plot away as that would ruin it for you, if you read the blurb you know that there is going to be emotional upheaval and difficulties for all involved. The settings are convincing and the first person narrative really helps to involve the reader in the story. The ending is convincing and fitting.
I hadn’t read a Paige Toon book before but on the strength of this one I shall be sure to seek out more.
Review of The House by the Sea by Santa Montefiore
I received this book as a review copy, I admit I was worried I wouldn’t enjoy the story. I needn’t have been. The books 2 main protagonists Floriana and Marina are both well drawn and the reader can identify with them. The two settings, Italy and Devon, are vivid although I preferred Floriana’s Italy as this seemed more evocative.
If there was one criticism to make it would be that perhaps some of the minor characters in particular those in the estate office are a little stereotypical. Having said that the plot on the whole is kept quite tight. The two settings do mirror one another to some extent but not so that the reader is fed up. The sub-plots are intriguing and all the characters have their own ideals and motivations which then impact on the lives of others.
The anguish of Marina can become a little wearing as can the vileness of Clementine but it needs to be accepted that both these characters are behaving in the ways they behave because they are well developed characters not just plot devices. The use of Rafa, the artist in residence as a cure-all for the hotels problem is a clever way of uniting the problems of the various characters. The sub-plot of Baffles will keep you guessing.
All in all a book I would recommend, it has a little bit of everything, love, forbidden love, mystery and intrigue.