John Wyndham: Trouble With Lichen
Classic Science Fiction
Not one of Wyndham’s best. A strange story of a scientific discovery which prolongs life, and the subsequent trouble it causes. “Of its time”, the book is full of sexist tropes, and there isn’t enough science. Baddies, such as they are, are a bit feeble.
Janice Hallett: The Mysterious Case of the Alperton Angels
Contemporary Crime
Two rival crime writers are researching a historical crime. One of them has been given access to a great deal of research carried out by a third (deceased) writer. The other has “connections”. The crime concerns a religious suicide cult and its surviving members/victims.
This is the third book I have read by this author. Each of them is an epistolary novel, and in each the “epistles” take a different format. They make for very interesting reading and are cleverly constructed.
Martin Cruz Smith: Independence Square
Contemporary crime thriller
One of my favourite authors, and one of my favourite characters. I like that Arkady Renko is ageing properly, and has flaws which happily don’t involve too much sex or alcohol.
This is the newest in the series, and has Putin firmly in power. The setting is half Moscow, half Ukraine, and the time is just prior to the invasion.
No spoilers, as this is brand new, but I thoroughly recommend this one.
Ragnar Jónasson: Winterkill
Contemporary Nordic noir
Ari Thór Arason is another of my favourite detectives, an all round nice person with no discernible vices who unsurprisingly gets on his girlfriend’s nerves a bit. This is the last in the “Dark Iceland” series.
The story involves a teenage suicide which is surrounded by various intrigues. The Icelandic weather figures large in these books, and the crimes are always solved satisfactorily.
Harri Nykänen: Nights of Awe
Contemporary Nordic noir
Ariel Kafka is the only Jewish detective on the Helsinki police force, and as such gets called on to investigate any crime that might have a Jewish (or in a racist sort of way) Palestinian connection. This novel deals with the death of two Arabic-looking men who died violently during the run-up to Yom Kippur. I like Kafka a lot, and I like the way Nykänen writes. I will definitely read more in this series.
William Gibson: Pattern Recognition
Science Fiction (sort of).
This was a re-read for me. The first of the Blue Ant trilogy, this is a sort of side-step from present, rather than a look into any future. The heroine (Cayce Pollard) is one I would like to read much more of, but sadly, she really only figures strongly in this one book. She is a “cool hunter” for advertising agencies, and finds herself being hunted herself through London, Tokyo and Moscow, while searching for a reclusive film maker.
This book is very unlike Gibson’s previous cyberpunk novels, but I love it. It has gone straight back on to my “to read” pile.
Harri Nykänen: Behind God’s Back
Contemporary Nordic noir
The second of the Ariel Kafka books involves Russian terrorists and the Israeli secret service despite being set in Helsinki. A good page-turner.
Len Deighton: Winter
Classic historical fiction
A “family saga” set in Berlin and spanning the first half of the 20th century. The two Winter brothers are the central characters, and their lives are followed all the way from birth to death. The book charts the rise and fall of Nazi Germany, and is very readable. I recommend this one.
Rachel Blok: The Fall
Contemporary crime fiction
A man falls from the roof of a cathedral. Or was he pushed? There are echoes of a similar fall forty or so years in the past, and there are two sets of twins, one now, one in the past, whose lives are intertwined. A good page-turner.
Robert Charles Wilson: Spin
Science Fiction
Three young friends witness the stars suddenly disappearing. This turns out to be because of an artificial sphere which has suddenly been put in place surrounding the earth. The book follows the lives of the three friends; one into medicine, one into space science and the third into religious fundamentalism.
This is an epic read, and a well-deserved winner of the Hugo award.
musings 