This Week in Books (December 5)

Hosted by Lipsy Lost & Found my Wednesday post gives you a taste of what I am reading this week. A similar meme is run by Taking on a World of Words

At the moment I am reading A Place to Lie by Rebecca Griffiths a book set in The Forest of Dean where I lived until I made my way out in the big wide world.

A Place to Lie will be published tomorrow, 6 December 2018.

Blurb

In a dark, dark wood
In Summer 1990, Caroline and Joanna are sent to stay with their great aunt, Dora, to spend their holidays in a sunlit village near the Forest of Dean. The countryside is a welcome change from the trauma they know back home in the city; a chance to make the world a joyful playground again. But in the shadowy woods at the edge of the forest hide secrets that will bring their innocence to a distressing end and make this a summer they will never forget.

There was a dark, dark house
Years later, a shocking act of violence sends Joanna back to Witchwood. In her great aunt’s lonely and dilapidating cottage, she will attempt to unearth the secrets of that terrifying summer and come to terms with the haunting effects it has left on her life. But in her quest to find answers, who can she trust? And will she be able to survive the impending danger from those trying to bury the truth? Amazon

The last book I finished was Move to Murder by Antony M. Brown, a book I chose because it features the true crime in the murder of Julia Wallace which was notable for the phone message left by the untraceable Mr Qualtrough. What I didn’t fully appreciate that the reader is invited to ‘vote’ for the scenario that they feel fits the facts the best as part of the cold case jury. My review will follow shortly.

Blurb

The puzzling murder of Julia Wallace in Liverpool in 1931.

A telephone message is left at a chess club, instructing one of its members, insurance agent William Wallace, to meet a Mr Qualtrough. But the address given by the mystery caller does not exist and Wallace returns home to find his wife Julia bludgeoned to death.

The case turns on the telephone call. Who made it? The police thought it was Wallace, creating an alibi that might have come from an Agatha Christie thriller. Others believe Wallace innocent but disagree on the identity of the murderer. The Cold Case Jury must decide what happened in one of the most celebrated cold cases of all time. Amazon

Next I think I’ll have a last push to read a book from my own collection and read A is for Angelica by Iain Broom, one that has been sat upon my kindle since I purchased it on 2 November 2013. My reasons for choosing this book are long lost in the midst of time but I’m still intrigued.

Blurb

“My life is different now. I don’t go to work. I don’t have an office. I stay at home, hide behind curtains and make notes. I wait for something to happen.”

Gordon Kingdom struggles with the fate of his seriously-ill wife while patiently observing and methodically recording the lives of those around him: his neighbours. He has files on them all, including Don Donald (best friend and petty thief), Annie Carnaffan (lives next door, throws footballs over the fence), and Benny (the boy who paints with his eyes closed).

Then there’s Angelica, the new girl (42) on the street, with her multi-coloured toenails and her filthy temper. It’s when she arrives that Gordon’s world of half-truths really begins to unravel. Faced with a series of unexpected events and a faltering conscience, he’s left with an impossible decision.

Because in the banality of everyday life, what would you do if the unthinkable happened? Amazon

What does your reading week look like?