Category: Book bingo

The Good Turn (Cormac Reilly #3) by Dervla McTiernan

the good turnTitle: The Good Turn (Cormac Reilly #3)

Author: Dervla McTiernan

Genre: Crime

Publisher: HarperCollins Australia

Published: 24th February 2020

Format: Paperback

Pages: 400

Price: $32.99

Synopsis: Some lines should never be crossed. Police corruption, and investigation that ends in tragedy and the mystery of a little girl’s silence – three unconnected events that will prove to be linked by one small town.

While Detective Cormac Reilly faces enemies at work and trouble in his personal life, Garda Peter Fisher is relocated out of Galway with the threat of prosecution hanging over his head. But even that is not as terrible as having to work for his overbearing father, the local copper for the pretty seaside town of Roundstone.

For some, like Anna and her young daughter, Tilly, Roundstone is a refuge from trauma. But even this village on the edge of the sea isn’t far enough to escape the shadows of evil men.

~*~

The Good Turn is the third Cormac Reilly novel, but the first I have read, and I found it very easy to get into, even though I haven’t read the first two, which I will now go back and do. This novel is set in 2015 – and centres around a series of seemingly unrelated crimes and people, and evolves into two separate storylines revolving around Cormac Reilly, whose enemies start to undermine him as he looks into the disappearance of Peggah Abbassi with his team in Galway. When the case comes to an abrupt end, Peter Fisher is sent to Roundstone. In his exile, he is forced to work with his father, faces what looks like further police corruption, in a town where community policing supposedly is the goal. Amidst all of this, Anna Collins and her daughter, Tilly had arrived in Roundstone from Dublin – has their arrival coincided with the series of events occurring around the other cases, or is it a separate reason for their arrival?

Each mystery is seemingly separate – and moves between Galway and Roundstone and also back in time – where hints are dropped about Tilly and Anna, but enough is held back throughout about each mystery that it drives it towards the end, and lays out those we think are guilty, those who people think cannot be guilty and at times, totally throws a spanner in the works when it comes to uncovering what is going on. Slowly, each case and tragedy starts to intersect, and slowly weave together to bring the novel to its conclusion, and the way Cormac, Peter, Anna and Tilly figure out their lives and resolutions to the issues at work and with family that bubble throughout the novel, across Ireland and Europe.

AWW2020This was the first Cormac Reilly book I read in the series, and whilst I am guessing some things in it refer back to the previous books, I found that I was able to follow everything really well despite not having had a chance to read them yet. It was written and told in a way that I feel readers can read from any point and go back to the previous books – each story is its own encapsulated event much like the Phryne Fisher books or the Rowland Sinclair books – each case is its own event and sure, some things from the past might be mentioned in passing, but if the main plot doesn’t hinge on these mentions, it is a joy to read.

Dervla McTiernan also reveals things when it is necessary for the reader to know, and she doesn’t overdo descriptions – she gets the balance of what we need to know and leaving enough up to the imagination really well done, and to me, this is what makes a good crime novel – where we’re told what we need to know without going over the top, but at the same time, given a chance to guess, or fill in gaps for ourselves. It adds to the experience of reading the novel, and I will definitely be going back to the first two books now – hopefully this year.

The Irish setting was also lovely – I love Ireland, and this book marks off several challenge categories, including a book bingo one for later in the year, so keep an eye out for that post. Moving between the small and larger settings worked well too, as it showed that nowhere is ever truly safe or free from insidious crimes and characters – just that these crimes might manifest themselves in different ways and be perpetuated by different people – as it is with all crimes anywhere. It is a series that I will now be eagerly following – and am pleased that I have the two previous books – as well as many others by other authors – to tide me over until the next Cormac Reilly comes out.

Peter, Diedre and Cormac are great characters – not perfect – they are human and flawed and they can recognise these flaws. They are also there for each other, and I liked the dynamics that I got to experience between them throughout the novel and the way they interacted with other police officers, those in their personal lives and in their wider communities. Another great crime novel from an Irish-Australian author I will be watching with keen interest.

Ten Years of Rowland Sinclair

Ten years ago, a small publisher, Pantera Press, and as yet unknown author, Sulari Gentill, came together with the publication of the first in a mystery series set in the 1930s, The Rowland Sinclair Mysteries, about a gentleman artist from a wealthy family who always seems to find himself embroiled in the investigation of crimes and other political games, caught between two extremes during the Great Depression, and leading into what will become World War Two. The adventures of this dapper detective began in 2010 with A Few Right Thinking Men and this year, the tenth outing, A Testament of Character is published on the third of March. Happy tenth birthday, Rowly, and welcome to double figures! And may we present to you this diamond encrusted tie pin, and this aluminium paint brush holder to protect your paintbrushes on lengthy journeys.

Congratulations Sulari and Rowly on ten books, here’s to many more in the series over the coming years.

To celebrate this anniversary, this post will combine all my reviews and posts so far about the Rowly books, and I will add in my review for book ten when it is released. Rowly has also featured in several monthly and yearly roundups, and challenge roundups, but I have captured the most important posts about Rowly here.

Book Reviews:

A Few Right Thinking Men
A Decline in Prophets
Miles Off Course
Paving the New Road
Gentlemen Formerly Dressed
A Murder Unmentioned
Give the Devil His Due
A Dangerous Language
All the Tears in China
A Testament of Character

Five Years of Rowland Sinclair

January 2020 Round-Up

Best Books of 2010-2019 (entry as a series)

The first nine can be purchased individually from the publisher or all good booksellers. Alternatively, all nine are offered in this pack from the publisher:

The Rowland Sinclair Mysteries
Sulari Gentill
The Rowland Sinclair Mystery Series
Book 1: A Few Right Thinking Men
Book 2: A Decline in Prophets
Book 3: Miles Off Course
Book 4: Paving the New Road
Book 5: Gentlemen Formerly Dressed
Book 6: A Murder Unmentioned
Book 7: Give the Devil his Due
Book 8: A Dangerous Language
Book 9: All the Tears in China
The Award-Winning Rowland Sinclair Mystery Series by Sulari Gentill is a charming historical crime series, set in the 1930s in Australia and overseas. Each novel can be read as a stand-alone story, or as part of the series.
Rowland, the youngest of the respectable and influential Sinclair family, has a talent for scandal. His family consider him the black sheep, because he is an artist and associates with the ‘riff raff’ of society – Milton, Clyde and of course Edna, the beautiful bohemian sculptress (and his love interest).
These four companions continue to find themselves in the wrong place at the wrong time – playing amateur detectives while stumbling across murder and mayhem, all set to the glamourous and darkening backdrop of the 1930s.

Books and Bites Book Bingo An Australian crime or thriller: A Testament of Character (Rowland Sinclair #10) by Sulari Gentill

books and bites game card

For my sixth square, I chose a book that is out of the 3rd of March 2020, and is part of an ongoing series by Australian author, Sulari Gentill. The Rowland Sinclair series follows gentleman artist and private detective, Rowland Sinclair, and his companions a poet – Milt, an artist – Clyde and a sculptress – Edna – in the 1930s as they find themselves willingly or unwillingly embroiled in investigating various crimes. This is much to the chagrin of Rowland’s right-wing, and respectable older brother, Wilfred, Throughout the series, Rowly and his friends have travelled to Europe, across Australia, to China and now, America, and will soon find themselves back in Australia, hopefully.

ATOC_3D

In the tenth outing, they are in America – but it is still, in my eyes, Australian as the primary characters are Australian. There are many other books I could have gone with for this square, but hopefully they’ll work for other squares, and categories, so I feel happy using this one here.

As it is set in America, there are the usual culture clashes between Australia and America – with the American characters not always understanding the Aussies, which I think makes it Australian too – the way the characters interact based on what they know and have experienced.

There is a great and very much unforeseen ending to this book – one that I am interested to see how it plays out in future books. It will be very interesting to see what happens next as well.

 

Book Bingo Two 2020 – Friendship, Family, and Love

Welcome to the February edition of book bingo with Theresa, Amanda and myself. In February, I shall be checking off the Family, Friendship and Love square with a book that encompasses all three of these themes. The book I have chosen is the fifth book in the Pippa’s Island series by Belinda Murrell.

Book bingo 2020.jpg

Pippa’s Island: Puppy Pandemonium, like all the Pippa’s Island books, revolves around Pippa Hamilton, her family and friends on Kira Island. In this book, Pippa is determined to earn some money – their house is nearly finished, but she longs for a new swimming costume. With her friends, CiCi, Meg and Charlie, she starts a dog care business, but soon finds her hands full of trouble – which is where her friends’ step in and help her find a way to care for all the dogs. The themes are highlighted in in the way Pippa gets help from her friends, helps her family and sacrifices what she wants because she loves her family and friends.

Pippas Island 5

It is also highlighted in the way Pippa is rewarded not only with money and what she desires, like her own space, but knowing her friends and family will always love her no matter what and will do anything for her. I love this series – I picked book one up on whim when I needed some light reading, and I devoured all five. I hope there are more to come yet at the same time, the ending we got in this book felt like it wrapped a lot up as well. So I’d be happy either way – more or not.

Onto the next month, and more reading!

Ella at Eden: New Girl by Laura Sieveking

ella at edenTitle: Ella at Eden: New Girl

Author: Laura Sieveking

Genre: Fiction

Publisher: Scholastic Australia

Published: 1st February 2020

Format: Paperback

Pages: 192

Price: $15.99

Synopsis: Ella has started at her new high school, and Eden College is everything she hoped it would be. She is getting to know her new friends and enjoying everything Eden has to offer. Until things start to get complicated. She accidentally insults Saskia, the school diva, there could be a ghost in the dorm and items have started to mysteriously disappear.

Can Ella catch the Eden thief?

Join Ella in the first book of this exciting new adventure.

 

~*~

Ella is about to start a new school – a boarding school, which means being away from her sister Olivia, brother Max, and the rest of her family. Going to Eden College means being with her best friend though, and Ella can’t wait to spend time with Zoe and her new friends. Yet there are other girls like Saskia who don’t seem to like Ella. And soon, things start to go missing – around the time Saskia tells her about the school ghost. Determined to find out what happened and write a stellar story for the school newspaper, Ella decides to investigate what is happening.

Scholastic contacted me to review this – which is always exciting and having worked on some of the Ella and Olivia books by Yvette Poshoglian, one of the authors who works with Ella and Olivia for Scholastic, I knew it would be a lovely and interesting read. I knew the characters – so it was interesting to see Ella at another stage of her life, and it is always fun to start a new series. However, as a quiz writer, whenever I read a review book from Scholastic, I start thinking about quiz questions – which is quite fun but not necessary for a review book.

AWW2020

I really enjoyed this book. It starts a new series that will allow those who have read the earlier books with Ella and Olivia to grow with Ella and her sister, and also, gives enough information for new readers to Ella’s world to enjoy it and engage with it and the other characters.  Told in the first person, we see the world through Ella’s eyes and experiences, which are fun to read about and experience with her in this new and adventurous world she has been thrust into, the same world she is keen to explore.

Ella’s friendships grow throughout the novel, and I love the way she works to make friends with Violet throughout the book, whose story is also very interesting and finding out what about Violet’s secrets strengthens their bond and Ella discovers she has a new friend. This book is filled with ideas and themes of friendship, coming of age and growing up, as well as finding out who you are separate from what you have known up until when something changes dramatically, and for Ella, that is heading off to Eden College.

This looks to be a promising series, and I look forward to more about Ella at Eden and what she gets up to with her new friends in her new school.

Books and bites bingo A book with lots of hype: Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire by JK Rowling (Ravenclaw Edition)

books and bites game card

For my fifth square, I am ticking off a book with lots of hype. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Firewas published in 2000, to lots of hype, and by all accounts, some might say it is still hyped, with the recent releases of the illustrated edition at the end of last year, and on the 23rd of January, the house editions. Bloomsbury sent me a Ravenclaw edition to review, and I did read it, and review it on my blog.

ravenclaw goblet of fire

There are lots of books that are hyped, and the Harry Potter series is definitely one of those books. The house editions are released in hardcover and paperback, one in the house colour with black and either silver, black, gold or bronze, and the other with a black cover and the colours trimming the black. For the Goblet of Fire, the hardcover is blue with black and copper designs on it, and the paperback is black with copper and blue trim.

So that is my hyped book – I could have chosen many others for this one, but with all my challenges, I am marking them off as I go and getting the easier ones done as I find books that fit. Some may have to wait until later in the year, but the more I get done earlier, the easier it will be to focus on the harder categories.

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (Ravenclaw Edition) by J.K. Rowling

ravenclaw goblet of fireTitle: Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (Ravenclaw Edition)
Author: J.K. Rowling
Genre: Fantasy
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Published: 23rd January 2020
Format: Hardcover, Paperback
Pages: 640
Price: Hardcover: $32.99, Paperback: $21.99
Synopsis: Let the magic of J.K. Rowling’s classic Harry Potter series take you back to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. This Ravenclaw House Edition of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire celebrates the noble character of the Hogwarts house famed for its wit, learning and wisdom. Harry’s fourth year at Hogwarts is packed with more great Ravenclaw moments and characters, including the return of Moaning Myrtle, who – with typical Ravenclaw intelligence – helps Harry solve a crucial clue in the Triwizard Tournament.

Each Ravenclaw House Edition features vibrant sprayed edges and intricate bronze foiling. The Goblet of Fire blazes at the very centre of the front cover, framed by stunning iconography that draws on themes and moments from J.K. Rowling’s much-loved story. In addition to a bespoke introduction and exclusive insights into the magical paintings of Hogwarts, the book also boasts new illustrations by Kate Greenaway winner Levi Pinfold, including a spectacular portrait of master wand-maker, Ollivander. All seven books in the series will be issued in these highly collectable, beautifully crafted House Editions, designed to be treasured and read for years to come.

A must-have for anyone who has ever imagined sitting under the Sorting Hat in the Great Hall at Hogwarts waiting to hear the words, ‘Better be RAVENCLAW!’

When the Quidditch World Cup is disrupted by Voldemort’s rampaging supporters alongside the resurrection of the terrifying Dark Mark, it is obvious to Harry Potter that, far from weakening, Voldemort is getting stronger. Back at Hogwarts for his fourth year, Harry is astonished to be chosen by the Goblet of Fire to represent the school in the Triwizard Tournament. The competition is dangerous, the tasks terrifying, and true courage is no guarantee of survival – especially when the darkest forces are on the rise. It is the summer holidays and soon Harry Potter will be starting his fourth year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Harry is counting the days: there are new spells to be learnt, more Quidditch to be played, and Hogwarts castle to continue exploring. But Harry needs to be careful – there are unexpected dangers lurking.
~*~

The 20th anniversary editions of the Harry Potter books are being released in house colours – red for Gryffindor, yellow for Hufflepuff, blue for Ravenclaw and green for Slytherin, often with additional house information and information about characters in that house who are side characters, such as Garrick Ollivander in the Ravenclaw edition, Rubeus Hagrid in the Gryffindor edition, Cedric Diggory in the Hufflepuff edition and Voldemort in the Slytherin edition. I received a hardcover Ravenclaw edition to review from Bloomsbury, and it’s beautifully put together – the story is there, but it is the additional information that is interesting, as well as revisiting the story.

The additional information also gives insights into Moaning Myrtle and indicates that she was in Ravenclaw when she was alive. Moaning Myrtle has a key part in one area of The Goblet of Fire, and it is always fun to see characters we have met before return, like Dobby. I love reading the books because I think the movies miss out on so much and presume a lot of their viewers – that they’ve read the books, and can they fill in the gaps. Perhaps this is where knowing the books helps fill in those gaps, and why I prefer the books. I remember the time this book came out – it was the year I met my best friend, Laura, and it was Laura and her mother who got me into the books, and for that, I am grateful and that is what makes them special to me – Laura and Liz are in those pages for me.

In the Goblet of Fire, we are at the midway point of the series – where everything changes. Up until now, there have been hints at Voldemort coming back, but not quite, and now, the threats are real, and slowly, across the novel, build up to the darkest ending so far, and starts a new death count of significant characters in the series. It is a turning point for everything and hurtles our once innocent characters into a stage of their lives where they are in more danger than ever before, and nobody knows who will survive what is to come, and who won’t.

A nice addition to a collector’s series of the Harry Potter books.