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Hazel (2934 KP) rated A Link To Kill (Hawthorne & Horowitz Mystery #3) in Books

Aug 29, 2021  
A Link To Kill (Hawthorne & Horowitz Mystery #3)
A Link To Kill (Hawthorne & Horowitz Mystery #3)
Anthony Horowitz | 2021 | Crime, Mystery
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
I haven't read anything by Mr Horowitz before and was a little apprehensive about reading this, with it being the third in the series, but I needn't have worried - this is a unique and enjoyable mystery.

I have never read a book where the author puts himself as one of the main characters in a book but here he is joining up with an ex-Detective Inspector Hawthorne and, I must say, it really worked for me. Mr Horowitz doesn't take himself too seriously and he comes across as a Dr Watson-type character to Hawthorne's Sherlock Holmes - which, let's face it, isn't a bad thing at all. How much the fictional Horowitz is like the real Horowitz, I don't know but I like him!

Anyway, Horowitz and Hawthorne have been invited to take part in a literary festival on the island of Alderney. A murder ensues and Hawthorne is asked to assist the local constabulary to investigate with Horowitz in tow. The relationship between the two is a complex one ... do they really like each other or do they just tolerate each other for the purposes of writing books? I am still working that one out but I am liking it.

This is a proper old-style mystery with a cast of excellent characters many of whom have their own secrets which creates multiple suspects and I for one must have said "I knew it was them all along" numerous times and was wrong! There is a lot of humour and tongue-in-cheek moments which make this a fun and enjoyable read with a very satisfying ending.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and it was quite nice to read a murder/mystery without a plethora of violence for once and I am very much looking forward to more "adventures" from Hawthorne and Horowitz.

A thank you must go to Penguin Random House UK / Cornerstone via NetGalley for my copy in return for an unbiased and unedited review.
  
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ClareR (5603 KP) rated Lessons in Books

Nov 21, 2022  
Lessons
Lessons
Ian McEwan | 2022 | Contemporary, Fiction & Poetry, History & Politics
10
10.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
I was really looking forward to reading a new Ian McEwan novel, and I’m very pleased to say that I haven’t been disappointed.

Lessons is the story of Roland Baines’ life. His successes, loves, losses - all set against an historical background of the 20th and 21st centuries: World War 2, the Cuban Missile Crisis, Chernobyl and Covid 19 (and others besides, but there are too many to mention them all!).

I was completely engrossed, and it’s a book that you don’t want to race through. I love McEwans writing - so much is said in each sentence.

I’ll admit it now, a lot of what really kept my attention were the details about Germany: WW2 and it’s aftermath, Roland’s trips beyond the Berlin Wall and it’s fall.

The future is set for Alissa (Roland’s wife) when her English mother presents her with her journals, written when she travelled to Germany after the war. She had wanted to write articles about German Resistance during the war, and specifically the Scholls White Rose movement. These journals remained unpublished and unread 40 years later. And so when Alissa walks away from Roland and their baby to ensure her own dreams of literary success, it’s unsurprising even if it’ll ears callous.

The book is told from Roland’s point of view, first person, so we hear his inner voice throughout. What stood out most for me, was that his voice doesn’t change through the years. Yes, I know this is obvious - it’s the same book. What I mean is that what younger people often forget, is that the 72 year old man at the end of the book is the same as the 11 year old boy - just with 61 years experience. His experiences as an 11-14 year old with his piano teacher have a lasting and life-changing impact.

I loved this book and would highly recommend it. It’s a book to be savoured.