In The Shadow of Death by Idris James Barwick

 

💥💥💥 Publication date 30-Dec-2021 💥💥💥

Description from Goodreads:

"Idris (Taff) James was a driver in the Royal Army Service Corps and one of the thousands of young British soldiers taken prisoner by the Japanese in early 1942. He was ordered to become a medic by his Company Commander, who must have been a very shrewd judge of character. His account of the conditions and suffering endured by his fellow prisoners and himself makes for the most extraordinary and disturbing reading. Taff suffered from dysentery, malaria, beri beri and cholera but, unlike so many, he survived. His description of the courage of his fellow captives and, regrettably, the failings of some in authority, give grounds for serious thought. If you only read one book by a POW of the Japanese, this is the one."

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"Remember all the fine young men who died in far off lands and all the veterans who must live with their memories."

Ever since I found out my grandfather-in-law was a prisoner of war at the hands of the Japanese, I have had an interest in the subject. He would never speak about his experiences, bar a couple of stories, and having read this, I can understand why.

It is dreadful to think my grandfather-in-law was in a very similar situation as he was there at the fall of Singapore.  The author describes a massacre in a hospital in Singapore in which my grandfather-in-law was a patient after being admitted with shrapnel injuries.  He could quite easily have been a victim of that massacre and if he had, it's scary to think that my husband of 30 years wouldn't be here.

One thing that both surprised me and horrified me in equal measure was the conduct of the prisoner of war officers. I can't understand how many lived with their conscience after watching their comrades starving to death whilst they ate their fill or how they could inflict further punishments when they were already enduring so much.  I wonder if any were reprimanded for their despicable behaviour?

If I have one little gripe is that I wanted to know what happened to some of the other people after the war; there are some but it would have rounded things up for me if some of the main prisoners and Japanese stories were updated.

This book is heart-breaking, horrific and hard to read at times.  It is a real story of survival against the odds and a story of keeping your humanity and compassion in what was clearly pure hell.  Many times his compassion and descriptions brought me to tears and saying to myself "how did anyone survive that?"  The addition of pictures also helped bring Idris's words to life.

I defy anyone not to be moved by this book and it is one that I would recommend to anyone who has any interest in this part of the War.

My thanks must go to Pen & Sword Books and NetGalley for my copy in return for an honest, unbiased and unedited review.

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Note from the Publisher:

"Idris Barwick survived the War and went on to enjoy a long life in his native Wales. He died in 2000. His daughter Elizabeth Garland has been instrumental in bringing this book to our notice."

The Girl Upstairs [Audiobook] by Georgina Lees

 

[Narrated by Meg Travers]

Description from Goodreads:

"I heard Emily before I saw her. The harsh smack of heels against cheap wooden floorboards. The loud phone calls. The incessant music.

I knew Emily before I met her. Discarded receipts in our communal hallway. Sticky leftovers in the shared food waste bin. Wine shop vouchers in the letterbox.

Now she’s gone missing, and I’m the only one who can find her. The only one who can save her.

Because I know her best, and I heard everything.

The Girl Upstairs is a spine-tingling psychological thriller of grief and obsession that explores how lonely London can be and how sometimes it’s our neighbours who see us most, who know us best…"

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I really enjoyed listening to this audiobook and whilst I personally wouldn't call it a psychological thriller, it's more of a mystery, it kept my attention and wanting to go back to listen to just one more chapter.

The two main characters of Emily and Suzie have quite sad stories to tell but for very different reasons.  The start of the book is told from Suzie's perspective and whilst it does start a little slow and you are wondering where this is going, once Emily's perspective comes in and it begins to switch between perspectives, it starts to get interesting and intriguing.  I admit that I didn't particularly warm to Suzie at first but she grew on me as the story developed and I got to know her better.

There is minimal violence, no blood or gore just a constant uneasiness and sense of menace sitting there waiting to creep up on you and whilst the reveal was a surprise, I did have a bit of an inkling so not the shock that I was expecting.

What I thought made this audiobook was the narrator; she kept my attention with her dulcet tones and whilst she used the same voice for all characters, there wasn't a second where I didn't know who was speaking.

Would I have enjoyed this book more if it was a physical one? Well after reading other reviews, it looks like possibly not so I would definitely recommend the audio version if you enjoy character-driven, mysteries told by an excellent narrator.

Thank you to HarperCollins UK Audio and NetGalley for my copy in return for an honest, unbiased and unedited copy.

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The Mother Fault by Kate Mildenhall

 

Description from Goodreads:

"Mim’s husband is missing. No one knows where Ben is, but everyone wants to find him – especially The Department. And they should know, the all-seeing government body has fitted the entire population with a universal tracking chip to keep them ‘safe’.

But suddenly Ben can’t be tracked. And Mim is questioned, made to surrender her passport and threatened with the unthinkable – her two children being taken into care at the notorious BestLife.

Cornered, Mim risks everything to go on the run to find her husband – and a part of herself, long gone, that is brave enough to tackle the journey ahead.

From the stark backroads of the Australian outback to a terrifying sea voyage, Mim is forced to shuck off who she was – mother, daughter, wife, sister – and become the woman she needs to be to save her family and herself."

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A book that wasn't for me I'm sorry to say.

Set in a future where climate change is not just something that is likely to happen but is all too real and where everyone is micro-chipped and controlled by the Government, this is the story about Mim trying to find out about her missing husband but feeling she has no other option than to go on the run with her children.

Sounds good doesn't it, well for me it just fell short on excitement.  There was a lot of description, too much waffle and whilst the characters were well developed, I couldn't seem to get on with them.  The ending was also a disappointment; it seemed to take a while to get there and then it was over with many questions still to be answered - maybe I missed something somewhere?

So whilst this wasn't for me, there are plenty of positive reviews out there so don't take my word for it as I always say, if we all liked the same things, the world would be a very boring place indeed.

My thanks go to HarperCollins UK / HarperFiction and NetGalley for my copy in return for an honest, unbiased and unedited review.

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Sins of Fathers by Michael Emmett

 

Description from Goodreads:

"Like many little boys, Michael Emmett idolised his father. Growing up, he knew he wanted to follow in his dad’s footsteps and join the family business. At just 16 years old, Michael did just that – and entered the glamourous, dangerous world of organised crime.

Under the tutelage of his career criminal father – a contemporary of the infamous Kray twins – Michael’s criminal activities funded a reckless lifestyle marked by drugs, sex and violence. But the high couldn’t last forever. In 1993, Michael and his father were arrested in a dramatic confrontation with the police during a £13 million smuggling operation. Michael was sentenced to twelve years behind bars and would serve his time in the same prison as his father.

But behind the walls of HMP Exeter, Michael found something he never expected – answers. After joining an Alpha prayer group in prison, he had an experience that would shake the very foundations of his life.

Sins of Fathers is the story of Michael’s journey through chaos and trauma to the transformation he experienced in prison. It asks what it takes for a broken man to find redemption, and how he can learn to be the father he never had."

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I am so so disappointed with this book.  I was really looking forward to reading something a bit different to what I usually read but I don't think I have ever felt so deflated as I did with this.

I just couldn't get past the author's use of the word "naughty" to describe some pretty horrific and violent behaviour.  According to the Collins English Dictionary, naughty is defined as "(esp of children or their behaviour) mischievous or disobedient; bad" and/or "mildly indecent; titillating".  To me, that definition does not correlate with fatally stabbing someone and that is just one instance; the word "naughty" is used a lot and I mean, a lot.

Another thing that irked me somewhat was the glamorisation and glorification of a life of crime and violence and I felt the voice of the book was quite childish and there were times when I struggled to keep up with where I was in the timeline.

Having said all of the above, I realise this is Michael's story; it is his life he is writing about ... warts and all ... and therefore he should be forgiven for using the words and language that is the norm for him but, for me, I just couldn't get on with it and therefore struggled to read it.

In the end though, what I took from this book is that anyone can change; it might take a couple of tries but it can happen and those that do, should be applauded because it's easy just to keep doing what you have always known regardless of the hurt and pain it causes you, those you love and those you come into contact with.

My thanks must go to HarperCollins UK / HarperInspire via NetGalley for providing me with a copy in return for an honest, unbiased and unedited review.

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Hide by Nell Pattison

 

💥💥💥 Published 09-December-2021 💥💥💥

Description from Goodreads:

"Seven friends. One killer.

You can run, but you can’t hide…

The winter hike is meant to bring their nature group together.

Emily, the sister who never lets her hearing loss hold her back.

Lauren, the sister who always feels a step behind.

Morna, who doesn’t get on with Lauren.

Ben, whose feelings for Emily border on obsession.

Dan, the quiet newcomer to the group.

Kai, who isn’t just on the hike to enjoy the wildlife.

And Alec, the one who knows all their secrets.

As the sun sets, a gunshot rings out on the nature reserve.

One of the seven is dead.  And one of their number killed them…"

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This is what I would call a slow burn - it never really ignites fully and sometimes fizzles to the point it almost goes out but, generally, it just stays at a solid gas mark 3 for the most part.

Seven members of a nature group come together for a Boxing Day gathering to watch a murmuration within a nature reserve.  Seems like a fairly innocuous and harmless way to spend a day and evening usually spent eating leftovers and vegging in front of the television and it is, until a shot rings out and one of their party is dead.

Each of the remaining six have secrets they don't want made common knowledge and therefore each have a motive for murder.  None of the characters have many redeeming features if I'm honest and it wouldn't have made any difference to me who was the victim as I didn't particularly like any of them. 

What follows is infighting which results in the group splitting up (never a good idea - have they never watched a horror film!) and suspicions falling on one person, then another, then another ... well, you get the idea.  More shots are heard, people are separated further, injuries happen, more separation and more infighting and, all the while, the secrets they want to stay hidden gradually come to light.

What I enjoyed about this book was the sense of claustrophobia and isolation that was well captured and, as seems to be the norm with Nell's books, the inclusion of a character who is deaf added something a bit different.

What I didn't like about it was there was too much time spent describing stuff that didn't really seem to add to the story and this resulted in it dragging - hence the slow burn.

I have read a few of Nell's other books and this does seem to be a pattern with her stories but there have been plenty of people who have absolutely raved about this book so please, please don't judge it from my review alone.

Remember, if we all liked the same things, it would be a very, very boring world indeed!

Thanks go to Avon Books UK and NetGalley for my copy in return for an honest, unbiased and unedited review.

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Other books by Nell Pattison I have read and reviewed:

The Silent House (Paige Northwood #1)

Silent Night (Paige Northwood #2)

The Silent Suspect (Paige Northwood #3)

The Couple on Maple Drive [Audiobook] by Sam Carrington

 

[Read by Georgia Maguire and Elliot Fitzpatrick]

💥💥💥 published 09-December-2021 💥💥💥

Description from Goodreads:

"Have you heard about the couple on Maple Drive?

Isla barely leaves the house after her brutal mugging.

Her boyfriend Zach moved in with her after the attack. To look after her.

But something else has happened now. Right on their doorstep.

I don’t want to say that someone’s out to get her…

I just hope they find out the truth before it’s too late."

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Only my second foray into the world of audiobooks and, once again, I have not been disappointed.

From the off, you are drawn into a situation being told via a live Podcast from Christie's Crime Addicts; something awful has happened on Maple Drive but the "what" isn't clear.  The story then presents the "whens" and "whys" leading up to the "situation" interspersed with more Podcasts.  This does sound like it's going to be a tad confusing but let me reassure you, it most certainly isn't; it flows really well and makes perfect sense.

The characters are an interesting bunch but not so many that you become confused.  Isla is, I admit, a little annoying and naïve; you want to shout and shake her and soothe and swaddle her in equal measure but considering what she has been through and what transpires, she can be forgiven and with friends like Nikki, you don't need enemies!

The story moves on at a good pace gradually ramping up the tension as it goes until the slightly unexpected ending; I say slightly as I had already guessed one of the twists but this was then turned on it's head when another came along ... I love it when that happens!

As this was an audiobook, I must mention the narrators which, I think, were excellent with the main narrator really drawing you in with her voice.  I also enjoyed the Podcasts being narrated by different voices of the Christie's Crime Addicts team, I don't think they would have had such an impact on the story if they had been by the same narrator so a stroke of genius there I feel.

Overall, The Couple on Maple Drive is an intriguing story that I thoroughly enjoyed and certainly made my car journeys much more enjoyable so much so that I didn't want to stop the book when I come to the end of my travels and there were a few times when I sat there, parked up with the engine off for just one more chapter!

Thank you to HarperCollins UK Audio and NetGalley for my copy in return for an honest, unbiased and unedited review.

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