Playing Possum (A Kristy Farrell Mystery #3)
Book
Murder, mayhem, and crawling with animals… When animals start mysteriously disappearing from...
Cozy Mystery
Eilidh G Clark (177 KP) rated (Un)arranged Marriage in Books
Jul 2, 2019
The story is written in first person from the point of view of a young English Indian boy. It begins on his wedding day and his nervousness and anger at being forced into an arranged marriage. The author then writes the book in retrospect, and takes the reader back three years. The story explores the difficulty of the protagonist who struggles to adhere to his family's traditional views and religion. He endures years of beatings from his alcoholic father and emotional blackmail from his mother. He is beaten and ridiculed by his older brothers and his intimate narration allows the reader to discover his feelings of 'otherness'amongst his family whilst he attempts to live a normal life as an ordinary English boy. The author explores racism, poverty, domestic violence, neglect and love through the use of bildungsroman which concludes with the protagonist choosing his own path in life. It is by no means a happy ending, but it demonstrates determination and an understanding of a culture that the character is unable to comprehend.
Interesting and easy novel to read.
The Karate Kid, Part III (1989)
6.9
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Movie Watch
Karate Kid, Daniel Larusso, risks losing it all when he places pride before principle in this...
Cake Popped Off
10.0
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Book
Cupcake caterer Emory Martinez is hosting a Halloween bash alongside her octogenarian employer,...
Peak Oil Profiteer
7.0
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Tabletop Game
Peak Oil Profiteer is a standalone board game set in the Peak Oil universe. As the top executive of...
It Takes Two to Tumble (Seducing the Sedgwicks, #1)
Book
Some of Ben Sedgwick’s favorite things: Helping his poor parishioners Baby animals ...
Face the Music (A Series of Falling Stars #2) by M.L. East
10.0
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Book
Kasugai Ryo – your lawfully wedded nightmare. K-Pop’s five brightest stars are about to...
Contemporary Fiction Romance LGBTQ+ Chick Lit K-pop
ClareR (5726 KP) rated Nightcrawling in Books
Aug 27, 2022 (Updated Aug 27, 2022)
Kiara, 17 years old, gets drawn in to prostitution and is picked up by a group of corrupt cops who like to ‘invite’ young sex workers to their parties. And a lot of these girls are too young. Kiara included.
It really angered me that people who were supposed to take care of and protect people, young black girls included, should take advantage and blackmail them.
Kiara and her neighbours son Trevor, live in poverty. Kiara has stopped going to school, so has no qualifications and no one will employ her. Trevor’s mother goes missing for days at a time, and Kiara sees children's services as a last resort, wholly unacceptable. So to feed them and to pay the rent, she walks the streets, sells sex, and does what the cops want her to do. These men made me feel quite murderous, actually.
Nightcrawling made me feel emotionally exhausted, but I had to read every page. It’s a story that drags you in, grabs your attention, and doesn’t let go until the last page. The fact that it’s based on a true story makes it even more saddening.
If you’re up for a challenge, I’d recommend this. It deserves its place on the Booker Prize long list.
Many thanks to The Pigeonhole.
Hazel (2934 KP) rated The Cutting Place (Maeve Kerrigan #9) in Books
Apr 12, 2020
Here we find the team investigating a particularly brutal murder when a body part is found by a mudlarker on the banks of the Thames; the ensuing investigation leads to a missing journalist and an exclusive gentleman's club ... are they related? Amongst all this is a look into the private life of Maeve and the importance of strong friendships and trust.
This is a compelling and engaging story line and not just a police-procedural; it delves into the murky world of "gentleman's" clubs, domestic violence, blackmail, privilege and power. I'm not going to lie, it's a dark story full of tension that is all too plausible but there are lighter moments that provide some occasional relief.
Highly, highly recommended and you don't have to have read previous books in the series to appreciate just how good this is but you will certainly want to after reading this.
My thanks and appreciation go to HarperCollins UK, HarperFiction and NetGalley for my copy in return for an honest review.