Reviews by Richard (25)

Richard 2021-10-13 Miss Benson's Beetle

This book will bug you!

Miss Benson's Beetle

Rachel Joyce’s books are marmite, loved by some, hated by others. This book is firmly in the “loved by me” category. An improbable tale of an improbable failed teacher and a mysterious wanted criminal on the trail of an unknown beetle. The adventurers travel from London to Australia and then to New Caledonia where, in the search for the golden beetle, they discover themselves. Sometimes the narrative feels a bit disjointed but it a good read: funny, ridiculous, sad, confusing and ultimately enjoyable and not to be missed.

Richard 2021-09-17 Case Histories

A complex cunning conundrum. A bit like Agatha Christie on speed.

Case Histories

Another case(s) in the Jackson Brodie series. This time our world weary detective turned private investigator solves a very cold case whilst avoiding a potential killer, dealing with a pair of slightly deranged sisters, a nun, an unforgiving ‘ex’, his young daughter, his encroaching twi-light years, an overweight solicitor, a lecherous teacher, a street living runaway, a bonkers elderly lady with a houseful of cats, and a whole host of other characters. Kate Atkinson handles the enormous cast list well but I would have liked a list so that I could work out who was who

Richard 2021-06-01 Deacon King Kong

Hold onto your hat and your hankie

Deacon King Kong

Set in New York in the 1960’s this is a roaring and insightful account of life and death in a dockside housing development. The central character is a permanently drunken church deacon and the story follows his antics and their effect on the church attending inhabitants, drug dealers and users, the mob, and the police. The author, James McBride, brilliantly channels authors like JP Donleavy, Tom Wolf, and Charles Dickens as he portrays the harsh conditions of slum life with remarkable insights and shafts of lacerating humour. Definitely not a read for the faint-hearted but essential literature, nonetheless.

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