Month: November 2022

RIDLEY TALKS THE TALK AND WALKS THE WALK, WITH ANOTHER FAST AND GRITTY JAN MASON BOOK

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British Politics is going through something of a purple patch, or to put it more succinctly, a blue purple patch. Where it was once set out as the standard by which others should follow, now British politics is shedding credibility, thanks mainly to the Conservative led government. Who are on their third Prime Minister in a year!! Other parts of the British establishment, which have often been seen as standard bearers, are the Fourth Estate. They too are going through a massive upheaval, what with the arrival of digital and social media, and finally the law, more specifically the police. They too have been struggling to retain the trust of the population they protect, with several scandals involving serving police officers, in the past couple of months. But what hasn’t changed and is always welcome, is the arrival of a great murder mystery involving all three of the above. A crime story with both the police and media as the main characters is standard fare. But throw into the mix a whiff of politics and you have the potential for a great read, and that’s where we are with this month’s third book review. It’s, Don’t Talk by Ian Ridley and published by V-Books ( www.v-Books.co.uk ) on November 8th.

When investigative reporter Jan mason discovers that a young woman found murdered in Chelsea, is the daughter of a prominent politician, she knows she has a big story on her hands. What Jan doesn’t realise is that a mystery man has just told a stunned AA meeting nearby, that he might have killed someone in a drunken blackout. Even more convenient, is that in attendance was Jan’s old flame, Frank Philips. One of Met’s most senior Counter Terrorism officers and a recovering Alcoholic. Bound by a code of confidentiality, when another attendee at the meeting is subsequently murdered, frank is torn between his duty to the job and the oath all AA members swear by, which reminds members, ‘…When You Leave Here, Let It Stay Here’. Then, when an up-and-coming member of the Labour party is murdered, and Frank is attacked by an unknown assailant too. Jan decides to put her life on the line to help Frank and stay one step ahead of the police. Can she catch the killer and land the front page exclusive…

Wow, what a discovery. I’ve read some great crime stories in my time, but every now and then along comes a standout, true to life character like Jan Mason. A middle-aged woman, trying to keep her head and career above the waterline, while solving serious crime in the process. If Jessica Fletcher had been a journalist, she’d have been something like Jan. Another strong female lead that came to mind was Helen Mirren’s portrayal of DCI jane Tennison in the TV series Prime Suspect. Both characters, albeit working on different sides of the beat, are battling ageism and sexism in their respective fields.

They say there is a lack of strong leading roles for middle aged actresses, the same can be said for the literary characters too and this is where Ridley delivers, with a robust and sassy journalist who lives her life at one speed, very fast. I at times had to take break to catch my breath, when reading about this woman who is fuelled by coffee and can write 700 words on her laptop, while barrelling up the Motorway in the passenger seat of a Bentley. I’m writing this review before flying to Scotland tonight, while trying to juggle my day job, pack a bag, and mind the cats (not that they need that much, although the youngest Edison is a little bit needy)and I feel overwhelmed. Not our Jan.

All the characters in this book are solid as rocks and leave such an impression, you can almost smell the caffeine, sweat, tears and everyday angst which they are dealing with. The subjects dealt with in this book are also very real and may leave their mark on some readers. Especially those with or whose family or friends are dealing with alcoholism. One poignant thread in the story, follows how Jan juggles with her ill mother, who is slowly slipping away in a nursing home up in the north of England. This would be quite jarring for my wife and fellow librarian, Georgina. Whose own dad is receiving palliative care in a nursing home in Nottingham, while we are in Ireland. She, like Jan, can’t be there always, and emotionally it’s tough for both. Ridley’s portrayal of this and the AA scene is what helps to make this book and its characters even more believable.

Ian Ridley

This is English author and journalist Ian Ridley’s (@ianridley1) fifteenth book and his second in the Jan Mason Series, the first one was The Outer Circle (2018) but republished in 2022 as Outer Circle. His most recent book Breathe of Sadness; On Love, Grief and Cricket, is an account of how he coped with the death of his wife, sports journalist Vikki Orvice. He’s the author of 12 previous sports books, including No.1 bestseller Addicted (1998) with former English footballer Tony Adams. The follow up book Sober was published in 2017. In a career spanning over 40 years, Ian has written for The Guardian, Daily Telegraph and Mail on Sunday newspapers. He’s also written for TV, including several episodes of the Sky One drama Dream Team.

Being able to have readers hang on your every word, is the sign of a true master storyteller, and a seasoned sports journalist, who must recreate the frenetic pace of a sporting fixture in print, is someone ideally suited to writing crime fiction. This is proven by Ridley’s well-crafted and deftly written story, and I for one will set out to get a copy of Outer Circle, while also awaiting his next instalment in the Jan Mason series.

So, if you are looking for an edge of your seat, murder mystery series, with a strong and gritty leading lady. Then head down to your local bookshop or order a copy online and curl up with one of London’s leading hacks and buckle up for an engrossing read.

Reviewed by Adrian Murphy

This book is part of a Random Things blog tour, to see what the other reviewers thought of it, visit their blogs listed below. Then, if you get a copy, comeback and tell us what you thought. We’d really appreciate the feedback.

MY CHUNKING PROWESS, STRUGGLES WITH ROBIN’S EXPANISIVE SPACE OPERA DEBUT

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How many Space Operas can you name? … In literary terms… err. In a film and TV context? Ditto.  Well after doing a bit of research (I googled or hollered at Alexa), I assumed that if something is described as an “Opera”, there’s going to be a lot singing, along with large-framed men and women in the cast (Jabba the Hutt is close). But I was quite surprised to see that most of the leading film and TV programmes, set in space, are listed as “Space Operas”.  So that’s, Star Wars, Star Trek, Alien, 2001 a Space Odyssey, which also puts it into the literary “Space Opera” genre. Along with anything fictional written by Isaac Asimov and Frederik Pohl, et al. BarnesandNoble.com has a list of fifty-five essential Space Operas you must read, from the last 70 years.

In Television, there’s Dr. Who, Firefly, Dark Matter, Blake 7, the list goes on. But again, there’s very little singing in any of them. They’re more commonly known for their musical scores, but no real operatic endeavours. So, when this month’s second book review landed on my doorstep with a thump, I was surprised to see it described as a “Space Opera”. The book is The Stars Undying by Emery Robin and published by Orbit Books ( www.orbitbooks.net ) on the 10th November.

The interstellar empire of Ceiao has turned its eye towards the independent planet of Szayet, and its leader Princess Altagracia. After a bloody civil war, her sister has claimed not just Szayet’s crown, but the Pearl of its prophecy, a supercomputer that contains the immortal soul of their god. Just as Altagracia prepares to flee the planet, the Ceiao commander Mattheus Ceirran arrives. Seeing an opportunity to win back all she has lost; Altagracia attempts win over Mattheus and his righthand woman Anita. But getting into the commander’s good graces and his bed, puts her at odds with her machine god who whispers in her ear. For her planet’s sake and her own, Altagracia will have to become more than a leader, but a queen no history has seen before.

I’m a sci fi fan and have been a Trekkie most of my life. But watching space operas, is easier than reading them and the last one I read was Rendezvous with Rama by Arthur C. Clarke, when it was presented to us as a book club choice a number of years ago. Yes, I loved it and devoured it, but again it was about two hundred and fifty pages long. I also read the literary versions of Star Wars and The Empire Strikes Back when they were published ahead of the films. But again, they were around three hundred pages long. Emery’s book is five hundred and sixteen pages in length, not a novella by any stretch of the imagination and with time pressures of reading it for review, my most valiant efforts at chunking my way through it were no match for this.

The book is inspired by the roman and Egyptian empires and again some people could draw comparisons to another space opera, that features a princess taking on a large well-armed force, intent on wiping out all resistance. Although you don’t have to go to space to find examples of that. Emery herself describes it as a ‘spectacular queer space opera, recasting the fates of Cleopatra, Julius Caesar, and Mark Anthony’.

Emery Robin

This is American author Emery Robin’s ( www.emeryrobin.carrd.co )  debut novel. She describes herself as a recovering Californian, and sometime student of propaganda and art history. She lives in New York City, where her day job is working as a paralegal.

I didn’t, not enjoy this book. Its just it was quite in-depth in its description of the story, it was akin to the lord of the Rings, but in Space. This maybe something that regular space opera literary aficionados will love and hungrily await her next book, especially with a month of out of sync world cup soccer ahead of us. But for ad hoc sci-readers, not put off by its length. I suggest beam down to your local book shop and grab a copy, otherwise order one online or download a copy and wait for it to magical materialise on your eReader or doorstep.

Reviewed by Adrian Murphy

This review is part of a blog Tour organized by Compulsive Readers. To what the other reviewers thought, visit their blogs listed below. Then, if you get a copy comeback and tell us what you thought, we’d really appreciate the feedback.

SCARROW’S CONTEMPORARIES ARE LEFT IN HIS WAKE WITH XXI EAGLES OF THE EMPIRE INSTALMENT

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I can remember a school visit to the Roman Fort at Vindolanda, which is part of Hadrian’s Wall near Hexham in the UK.  The southern part of the UK is riddled with evidence of the Roman occupation, but the wall reveals that sometimes even the great Roman Army had to call it a day. In more recent times the Druids are only thought of as the hippy like men and women who access Stonehenge at the summer solstice each year.  It was long thought that the ancient Druids built “The Henge”, but it has recently been attributed to earlier ancestors from the Neolithic age. Whilst I remember learning much about the Romans and their inventions and civilisation at school, in a kind of ‘what did the Roman’s ever do for us’ type of scenario, but without the humour. I feel that the Iceni, Druids and Celts were somewhat brushed over. Maybe its because they left less great edifices and art in their wake, plus their lifestyle, social behaviour and histories were lost in time. I do recall hearing about  Boudica or Boadicea, the warrior queen. However, her story was almost lost to us too. Only being unearthed by a cleric during the renaissance, when the idea of a warrior queen was useful in the promotion of Queen Elizabeth I and which received renewed interest during the reign of another female monarch, Queen Victoria. Boudica’s story and that of the Roman invasion of Britain, has led to many books, films and TV series, most recently Britannia a series from Sky TV which mixed history with fantasy, tapping into the enthusiasm created by Game of Thrones. 

This brings us to this month’s first book review, its Death to the Emperor by Simon Scarrow and published Headline Publishing Group ( http://www.headline.co.uk ) on the 10th November.

This is the 21st book in the Eagles of the Empire series. This epic series covers the period from AD 42 to AD 60 and ranges from Britannia to the Eastern parts of the Roman Empire to the Mediterranean before returning to Britannia once more. Simon Scarrow has obviously done a huge amount of research into the period and the plots are historically correct and the descriptions of life, military campaigns, weaponry, and people technically accurate. He has fleshed out the bare narrative of history with real characters and real emotion. 

The reader finds themselves in Britannia in AD60, The Roman Empire’s hold on the province is fragile. Even amongst the tribes who are sworn loyalty, dissent simmers. In distant Rome. Nero is blind to danger.  Prefect Cato is in command of a vast army gathered by the Roman governor, who plans to quell trouble and hostilities in the West. He’d prefer to have his loyal comrade, Centurion Macro by his side but Macro is left in charge of a skeleton force of veteran reservists. With Boudica’s husband, the King of the Iceni dead, his widow is in charge of her people. Will their slow burning anger at their mistreatment by the Romans burst into rebellion? Cato and Macro face deadly battles against enemies who would rather die than succumb to Roman rule and the future of Britannia hangs in the balance. 

I hadn’t read the previous books in this series but I’m happy to report that this book reads well as a a standalone novel. As previously mentioned the key to the success of this story is the fine historical detail. The plot could be transferred to more modern times and still work.  A group of underdogs in an unequal battle for their freedom, corruption, a cast of lead roles who are trying to do the right thing within a massive, unforgiving organisation. But as with other great author’s of historical fiction, such as Hilary Mantell, Bernard Cornwell and Philippa Gregory, it is the attention to historical detail that makes all the difference. When you truly believe that you can see the landscape, smell the smells and feel the weight of the sword,  the author has cracked it. 

Simon Scarrow (amazon.in)

This is English author Simon Scarrow’s ( http://www.simonscarrow.co.uk ) thirty fifth book, although he has written another three with T.J. Andrews and one with Lee Francis. The majority are historical fiction set in the Roman era, as well as a series set in the Wellington and Napoleonic era. Most of them have featured in the top of the Sunday Times bestseller lists. On leaving school he followed his love of history by becoming a teacher, before taking up writing full time. His Roman era Eagles of the Empire series sold over 4 million copies of the books in the UK alone and his work has been translated into 24 languages. He lives in Norfolk.

This book does contain a lot of detail on military kit, how the army was made up, and the methods used in battle. Some may feel it is more of a man’s read because of the battle scene descriptions but I have enjoyed the depictions, felt the tension and learned a few interesting facts about the way the Roman’s fought. It may however be a great introduction to fiction for that man in your life who usually enjoys biographies and non-fiction. 

I would recommend storming your local bookshop to secure your copy as soon as possible. 

Reviewed by Georgina Murphy

This book review is part of a blog tour organised by Ransom PR. To see what the other reviewers thought of the book, visit their blogs listed below. Then if you get a copy, comeback and tell us what you thought. We’d really appreciate the feedback.