A Christmas Tail by Cressida McLaughlin

Cat Palmer has recently moved into Primrose Terrace to share a house with her best friend Polly and Polly's brother Joe.  

Within a very short time she loses her job in a nursery and so decides to set up her own business dog walking.  Cat really loves dogs and would like to have one of her own but Joe won't allow dogs in the house.  

Cat gets to know the other residents in Primrose Terrace, for some she walks their dogs, and for others she tries to help them where she thinks they need it, or interferes in their lives, albeit with the best of intentions!  

The story runs over a year finishing at Christmas time rather than being a story completely about Christmas.  

I have also read 'All Aboard: The Canal Boat Cafe' by the same author.  

The Zig Zag Girl by Elly Griffiths

This is a Stephens and Mephisto Mystery. 

The story is set in Brighton in 1950.  DI Edgar Stephens leads the investigation into the murder of an unknown women whose body has been cut into three pieces.  This reminds him of a magic trick called the Zig Zag Girl which was invented by Max Mephisto.  

Edgar and Max served together during the war in a secret unit known as the Magic Men. Max is still performing as a magician in seaside towns during the summer season.  Edgar contacts Max to ask about the trick. When another dead body is found, and this murder also resembles a magic trick, Edgar begins to suspect that the Magic Men could be targets.  

I have also read 'Crossing Places' by this author and have 'The Outcast Dead' on my bookshelf. 

Found Wanting by Robert Goddard

Richard Eusden stops for a coffee at a pavement cafe on his way to work one morning.  His ex-wife appears and manages to convince him to help her undertake a task she has been asked to perform for Marty Hewitson, his old friend from childhood.  Marty is terminally ill and has requested that an old briefcase is delivered to him in Brussels.  Richard agrees to take the case and finds himself dragged back into the past and stories told by Marty's grandfather Clem.  

Clem had claimed that in 1909 he saved the two oldest daughters of Tsar Nicholas II from a would-be assassin on the Isle of Wight.  Years later a lady appeared who claimed to be Anastasia, the younger daughter of the Tsar.  Some people confirmed her claim and others rejected it.  

Richard helps Marty to uncover some of the mystery around Anastasia and to find out just how Clem had been involved.  

I have read a number of books by Robert Goddard and have enjoyed them all.  The stories can be very different but there is always some intrigue.  

I have read at least 'Days Without Number', 'Play to the End', 'Closed Circle', 'Dying to Tell', 'Set in Stone' and 'Sight Unseen'.  I have 'Long Time Coming' and 'Out of the Sun' on my bookcase.  

Cherry Picking by Tim Heath

Nigel Gamble is a very successful businessman.  He always seems to know just when to get into, and out off, different businesses to make himself a lot of money.  Over time he becomes the hidden person in the background, with Brendan Charles being the CEO, and known face, of his large insurance broker company.  

Nigel has been hiding himself away as he fears that someone will come after him.  Robert Sandle knows the secret of Nigel's success and becomes a threat.  

Nigel tries to track down Robert so that he can eliminate the threat, whilst Robert tries to find a way to stop Nigel from continuing with his plans and using and hurting a lot of people.  

This is Tim Heath's first novel.  It is a really interesting and inventive story.  It definitely didn't go in the direction I expected.  

Stolen (a Diana Hunter mystery) by Alison Golden and Gabriella Zinnas

During a charity ball, at a prestigious hotel, suddenly all the guests realise that they have been robbed. All their money, watches and jewellery are missing, but no one present saw or felt a thing. 

When this happens for a second time at another event the Vancouver Police Department (VPD) call in the help of Diana Hunter as a consultant to help them to work out how the crimes were committed and then to find out by whom. 

Not everyone in the VPD is happy to have Diana involved. 

I enjoyed the book and am sure I have previously read a Diana Hunter mystery book. I have also recently read another book by Alison Golden.

Saving Saffron Sweeting by Pauline Wiles

Grace Palmer moved to California due to her husband’s job. She set up her own interior design business but when she suddenly realises that he is sleeping with her client she moves back home to England. 

With her brother and best friend in London, and parents in Norfolk, she decides to find somewhere to live which is in the middle of the two and ends up in Saffron Sweeting. 

Many American families are moving to Saffron Sweeting as a big American plant has opened up near by. The local businesses are struggling and Grace finds herself helping them to make changes which will attract the new American families and keep their businesses running. 

She is starting to make friends and grow a new business but what she doesn’t know is if her marriage is completely over, or if they could ever stand a chance. 

I really enjoyed this story. There was a lot of interaction with the locals, some were very friendly and open to new suggestions, others were very negative and set in their old ways.

This is the first book by Pauline Wiles I have read. I downloaded it free to my Kindle. I will definitely look out for any of her other books to read.

The Marble Collector by Cecelia Ahern

The story is split into two.  There is the life of Fergus Boggs, from the age of five upwards, and the story of Sabrina, Fergus's daughter, throughout just one day. 

When he was small Fergus was given a bag of marbles.  He treasured the marbles and played regularly with his brothers.  The more he practiced the better be got until he was almost unbeatable. 

One morning Sabrina receives a phone call to say that boxes have been delivered to the nursing home where Fergus lives.  She goes to pick up the boxes and finds that three of them contain a collection of marbles with an inventory and valuations.  The inventory is in Fergus's handwriting.  Sabrina did not know that Fergus had ever had an interest in marbles.  When she looks through the inventory she finds that the most valuable ones are missing, but there is no indication that they had been sold.  

Sabrina starts to ask questions and investigate where the marbles came from and what has happened to those which are missing.  During this time she finds out a lot about Fergus that she did not know. 

I thoroughly enjoyed this book.  It was an interesting concept and showed some very different relationships within one family. 

The Clippie Girls by Margaret Dickinson

With the outbreak of the second world war, the women in the Sylvester family volunteer to take on jobs vacated by men who have joined the armed services.  Sisters Peggy and Rose both worked in the canteen serving food to the tram drivers and clippies of Sheffield.  First Peggy and then Rose become clippies themselves and work on the trams all day.  

Peggy begins to date Bob, the driver with whom she is regularly paired on the trams.  Rose can't understand why Peggy does not seem too excited about her relationship with Bob.  Rose thinks Bob is wonderful and is secretly in love with him herself.  

Peggy meets a young soldier who helps her when her tram is involved in a bombing and she suddenly falls in love.  Rose is horrified by the way Bob is being treated and refuses to talk to her sister.  The atmosphere in the household, with three generations of women, gets very tense and when Peggy finds that she is pregnant things get even worse.    

This is the first Margaret Dickinson novel I had read.  It was a very easy read, I enjoyed the story and the developing and tense relationships between the different members of the family were quite entertaining.  

It Started With Paris by Cathy Kelly

Leila has been heart-broken for the last year since Tynan, her husband, unexpectedly packed his bags and left.  Following a car accident her mum, Dolores, is hospitalised with a broken hip.  Leila is called back to the family home to help out.  She realises that she had spent so much time trying to make Tynan happy that she had not been supportive to her mum and sister when they needed her most.   

Michael and Katy have known each other all of their lives.  Michael asks Katy to marry him and they begin to plan their big wedding day.  The wedding preparations bring together a number of friends and the two families.  Michael's parents, Grace and Stephen, have been divorced for many years and have ensured that they maintained a good relationship for the sake of their children.  They are thrown together again more frequently as the wedding gets nearer. 

The story has a number of key characters, some are divorced and getting along as best they can, others are divorced and making each others lives a misery.  Leila is happy that her best friend is getting married to a man who truly adores her.  It is time to sort out her own life, support her mum and sister as best she can and find her own true love.  

Other books by Cathy Kelly I have read are 'The House on Willow Street' and 'Christmas Magic'.  

Body in the Woods by Alison Golden and Jamie Vougeot

This is a Reverend Annabelle Dixon Mystery.  

On his way home from school, 8 year old Dougie Dewar trips and falls in the woods.  He looks back to see what he has fallen over and finds a human arm bone sticking out of the ground.  

The police are called and whilst they are looking at the scene Reverend Annabelle Dixon turns up and starts to ask questions.  She ignores DI Nicholls and starts to make enquiries around the village of Upton St Mary to find out whose body it may be and why it is there.  She manages to unearth a few secrets from the past and in the end helps the police with their murder investigation. 

This is a Cosy Mystery story.   I also have 'Murder at the Mansion' by the same authors.  Both were free kindle downloads.  

The Potter's House by Rosie Thomas

The story begins with the life of Cary Stafford, an ex-model, who lives with her husband in London. 

We then move to the life of Olivia Giorgiadis who lives on the small Greek island of Halemni with her husband and children.  

The story unfolds with the lives of the two women becoming entwined following an earthquake.  The ending of the book is quite unexpected. 

This is the first Rosie Thomas book I have read.  I have 'White' and 'Iris and Rosie' on my bookshelf.  

I Let You Go by Clare Mackintosh

The story starts with 5 year old Joshua being killed in a hit and run accident whilst walking home from school with his mum.  

Jenna needs to get away from Bristol. She wants a fresh start away from all the talk about Joshua's death.  She gets on a bus and ends up in Wales.  After walking for a while she finds a caravan park and is offered the use of a small, old, remote cottage which is available to rent.  Slowly she begins to rebuild her life, but she is still haunted by memories and dreams of the accident.  

The story has quite a few twists and turns and is written from the perspective of different characters over slightly different timelines.  

The story was quite gripping and a very easy and enjoyable read. 

48 Hours: A City of London Thriller by J Jackson Bentley

At 11am on Wednesday morning, whilst drinking a cup of coffee in a coffee shop, Josh Hammond receives a text message which reads 'Mr Hammond, If you do not pay me £250,000.00 in the next 48 hours, I will kill you after noon on Friday!  Check your emails for instructions.'  An email very shortly follows giving more information and containing photographs which show that Josh has been followed.  

He goes to the police to report the threat and is assigned a bodyguard for the remainder of the 48 hours.  Other people also receive blackmail threats, some pay up the requested sum, others decide not to do so.  Josh works closely with the police to try to establish the identity of the blackmailer and once he is identified, to build a case and find sufficient evidence to bring him to justice.  

This was a gripping story by an author I had not heard of before.  I downloaded two free titles on to my Kindle.  I also have 'Chameleon: A City of London Thriller'. 

The Wedding Party by Sophie King

Becky is a magazine executive with 2 small children, a husband who works away a lot, divorced parents and a very unhappy nanny.  

When Becky's father Geoff announces that he is about to marry Monique she can't believe it.  This will mean that her parents will never get back together again.  She takes an instant dislike to Monique and really can't see what her father sees in her.  

Janie, Becky's lifelong friend, is sacked from her wedding planning job due to having made a number of mistakes.  Becky convinces Janie to set up in business on her own and to organise Geoff and Monique's wedding.  

The book takes us through nine months of family ups and downs, wedding planning disasters and the life of Mel, the local vicar, who is struggling to forgive a teenage boy who has knocked over and injured her daughter Amy. 

This was an enjoyable story telling the tale from each person's perspective.  Until the very end you are never quite sure if the wedding will or won't go ahead.  

This is the first Sophie King novel I have read.  

Amy Snow by Tracy Rees

When aged 8, Aurelia Vennaway finds an abandoned baby girl in the snow on the estate of her home, Hatville Court.  Her parents, Lord and Lady Vennaway, are not happy about keeping the baby but are persuaded to do so.  Amy is brought up by the staff in the house and spends most of her time in the kitchen and gardens.  As Amy grows she and Aurelia become close friends and spend many hours together.  

Amy is devastated when Aurelia dies.  She had been her only friend and ally.  Aurelia had left a letter for Amy, this tells her to go to London to begin a treasure hunt which will lead to Aurelia's final secret.  One letter leads to another and there are codes to crack along the way which only Amy can do.  She travels around from place to place as instructed in the letters and meets friends of Aurelia's along the way.  

The final secret didn't come as any great shock, but the story of Amy's struggles along the way and how they help her to grow and develop as a young woman are interesting and enjoyable to read.  

There are two more books currently available by this author which I look forward to reading at some point in the future. 

Go Set a Watchman by Harper Lee

Jean Louise Finch 'Scout' is now 26 years old and lives in New York.  She returns home to Maycomb, Alabama to visit her father Atticus.  She is quite disillusioned by what she sees and hears and feels very out of place in the town in which she grew up.  

Jean Lousie meets up with a group of women for a coffee morning, but feels that she has nothing in common with them and doesn't know what to say to them.  

When she finds that her father is a member of the Maycomb County Citizen's Council she can't believe that the man she has looked up to all her life could have changed so much. 

This is the second book by Harper Lee, following on from her award winning 'To Kill a Mockingbird'.  There are passages in this book which reminisce back to Scout's childhood and the characters from the original book.  This book investigates the changing relationship between father and daughter.  

I did enjoy the book, but think that I perhaps enjoyed 'To Kill a Mockingbird' more.  

Unseen by Karin Slaughter

Detective Lena Adams and her husband, traffic cop, Jared Long, are attacked in their home.  Jared is shot, very badly wounded, and taken to the intensive care unit at Macon General Hospital.  Was the attack connected with Lena's work?  She has been investigating a drugs shooting den and is trying to find the identity of someone at the top of the drugs chain known only as 'Big Whitey'.  

Special Agent Will Trent is working undercover as a maintenance man at Macon General Hospital.  He too is trying to get information on the identity of 'Big Whitey'.  Will is in a relationship with Sara Linton.  She knows he is working undercover but Will has not told her any other information about the job.  When Sara receives a call to say that her step-son Jared has been shot she heads straight to Macon.  Sara does not want to have to meet Lena again.  They have not met since Sara's husband was killed 5 years ago.  Sara blames Lena for his death.  

It is a number of years since I last read a Karin Slaughter book.  I have always really enjoyed her stories, they are really gripping and I don't want to put the books down!  Other books I have read include 'Blindsighted', 'Kisscut', A Faint Cold Fear', 'Skin Privilege'. 

Mulberry Lane by Elvi Rhodes

The residents of Mulberry Lane are all interested in who will buy number 15 when it comes up for sale.  Old Mrs Harper, who had lived there for most of her life, had moved into a nursing home after breaking her leg.  The estate agents market the property as having 'scope for modernisation' and 'offers potential for those wishing to refurbish' as the house is in a very poor state of repair.  

Brian Carson sees the house and decides it will be just right for him to move into, along with four men who have just been released from prison.  The men have all agreed to join a rehabilitation scheme, and alongside applying for jobs in the local area they will assist Brian in making improvements to the house. 

There is a mixed reaction from the residents of Mulberry Lane when they find out who will be moving in to number 15.  Some are horrified and are convinced they will no longer be safe.  Others, and particularly Esther who spends most of the day watching the street from her window, welcome the news and look forward to meeting the men when they arrive. 

Many years ago I read 'Spring Music'.  I have 'Cara's Land' on my bookshelf waiting for me to read. 

Harbour Street by Ann Cleeves

This is a DI Vera Stanhope novel. 

A few days before Christmas Margaret Krukowski is stabbed and killed on the Metro.  Detective Joe Ashworth is in the same carriage as Margaret when she is stabbed.  The carriage is packed with people commuting home from work, Christmas shoppers and school children.  No-one saw Margaret being stabbed.  

As Vera and Joe start to investigate Margaret's murder they uncover interesting information about her past.  For many years Margaret had lived in the same Harbour Street house in the town of Mardle.  A lot of the residents of Mardle have been there, and known each other, for years.  They are very good at keeping each other's secrets.  

A few days later a second women is murdered.  She had also been on the same train as Margaret.  Vera and Joe need to find all the connections between the two women and track down the murderer.  

Some of Ann Cleeves' Vera Stanhope novels have been televised.  I have not seen any of these, but having now read one of her books and enjoyed the story, I will look out for the next series. 

The Heavenly Italian Ice Cream Shop by Abby Clements

This book is the sequel to 'Vivien's Heavenly Ice Cream Shop' which I read a couple of years ago.  

Anna and her partner Matteo are still running Vivien's Heavenly Ice Cream Shop under the arches on the sea front in Brighton.  Anna's sister Imogen helps out occasionally, but has set up her own photography business.  This often takes her travelling to other countries on assignments.  

Matteo misses his family in Italy and so he and Anna decide to go to Italy for 6 months, set up another ice cream parlour, and see how the new venture works out for them.  They decide to settle in Sorrento as this is not too close to Matteo's family, who are also in the ice cream business, and is somewhere that Granny V had visited and talked about a lot. 

When Imogen's next assignment falls through she panics at the thought that she might have to settle down and stay in one place and so goes off to Italy to visit Anna.  Whilst there she also wants to track down a man she has found mentioned in some of Granny V's old paperwork and letters.  Had Vivien been keeping secrets from the family? 

Bookends by Jane Green

Cath and Si have been friends since they met at university.  Now in their early thirties they are both still single and both unlucky in love.  Cath has given up looking for a man and enjoys spending time with her friends, whereas Si is desperate to find a perfect man for himself.  They have kept in regular contact with Josh who was also one of their university group of friends.  

Following an evening at university when Portia broke Josh's heart, the group slowly lost contact with her.  Ten years later Cath, Si and Josh meet her again.  Josh is now happily married to Lucy, but Si is convinced that Portia will set her sights on getting Josh back for herself.  

Cath has always had a secret ambition to run a bookshop and cafe.  Lucy, who is a fabulous cook, convinces Cath that they should go into business together.  Lucy can make the cakes and look after the cafe and Cath can look after the books.  

With the opening of the new 'Bookends' business, and the reappearance of Portia, life suddenly takes some unexpected turns for the group of friends.  

This is an easy read, chick-lit type book.  The friendships of the people in the group and how they support each other is the main theme running through the story. 

Other books I have read by Jane Green are 'Girl Friday', 'Second Chance', 'The Accidental Husband' and 'The Beach House'.  I also have 'Life Swap' on my bookshelf still to read.  

The Year I Met You by Cecelia Ahern

Jasmine Butler has been fired from her job and is starting one year of gardening leave.  After the first few weeks she feels unsettled and doesn't really know how to fill up the empty days ahead.  Up to this point she has always been really busy and hasn't had time to get to know her neighbours.  

Matt Marshall and his family lives across the road.  He is a late night radio chat show DJ.  Jasmine has never met him but for many years has disliked him since hearing one of his late night phone-in shows.  

Jasmine decides to dig up her paved front garden, lay a lawn and introduce plants and flowers.  Whilst working in the garden she gets to know a number of her neighbours.  Matt is regularly locked out of his house and starts to spend evenings sitting in his front garden drinking, especially after his wife leaves him.  Jasmine does not want to to get to know Matt or help him, but they keep being thrown together.  Jasmine and Matt help each other work through their problems, and whilst gardening Jasmine has the time to reassess her life and learn some important lessons about herself.  

This is not a love story, but Jasmine and Matt do really need to learn from each other to help straighten out their own lives and move forwards.  It is a really interesting story where gardening leave is taken really literally! 

Book of the Dead by Patricia Cornwell

This is a Kay Scarpetta novel.  

The naked body of American teenage tennis star Drew Martin is discovered in Rome where she is holidaying with friends.  She has been strangled and a portion of her flesh is missing.  There is contradictory evidence found within the body about the timing of her death.  Kay Scarpetta is called to Rome to assist in the case.  

Back in America, Dr Marilyn Self claims to have a family emergency, leaves her television show on which Drew Martin has recently appeared, and hides herself away in a private clinic for her own personal safety.  She has received an email which scares her.  She has also received emails from Marino, the technician who works with Scarpetta.  

The body of an unidentified young boy, who has suffered years of abuse and starvation, is found.   

A passer-by enters a house near the beach whilst looking for the owner of a lost dog and walks into what looks like a murder scene without a body. 

With the help of Lucy, her niece, Scarpetta is able to piece together bits of information and DNA which connect all these cases and lead us to the killer.  

I have previously read a few of the Scarpetta novels, I think I have read at least 'The Last Precinct', 'Trace' and 'Predator' and possibly a few more.  I have not read them in their chronological order.  Each one is a story in its own right, but reading then randomly does mean that there are odd changes in the relationships between the characters.  

I have a box set of 'All that Remains', 'Body of Evidence' and 'Postmortem' still to read on my bookshelf.  

Bay of Secrets by Rosanna Ley

There is more than one story running in different timelines. 

In England in around 2012 Ruby Rae's parents are suddenly killed in a road accident.  Ruby returns to her childhood home in Dorset and whilst sorting out her parents belongings she discovers a box containing some unusual objects. She decides to stay in Dorset for a while and meets handy-man and artist Andres Marin.  Following an argument with his father, Andres left his family home in Fuerteventura and refuses to return.  

In Spain in 1940, following the Civil war, Julia's parents decide that she must go to the local convent.  All families are struggling, there is no money and not enough food to go round.  By sending Julia to the convent she will be safe, fed and provided for.  Whilst living at the convent Sister Julia spends many years working in a local maternity clinic.  The doctor running the clinic encourages unmarried mothers to repent for their sins and give up their babies for adoption.  Sister Julia realises that he is not always honest with some of the young mothers.  Documents are falsified and records are not kept. 

The story draws you in to the lives of the characters.  I really enjoyed the book.  It reminded me very much of reading stories by Santa Montefiore and Victoria Hislop in the way the timelines and locations change and then all come together at the end.  This is the only book by Rosanna Ley I have read so far but I will definitely read more. 

Out of the Woods but not Over the Hill by Gervase Phinn

According to Mr Phinn himself his books are "about my life as a school inspector in the Yorkshire Dales.  ...a humorous account of the children and teachers I have met - sort of gentle, life affirming, observational writing."

This book bobs backwards and forwards in time with anecdotes from both school life and his own personal life.  It covers stories from being a small child growing up and going to school in Rotherham, working as a teacher and inspector in schools where he met many interesting characters, being retired and still being recognised by pupils he taught decades before, attending events as a speaker and also observing and overhearing people in conversation in everyday life.  The book is split into a lot of small sections and stories and so can easily be picked up for just a few minutes to read an anecdote or two.  

I have previously, many years ago, read the books in 'The Dales Series'.  These are:
'The Other Side of the Dale', 'Over Hill and Dale', 'Head over Heels in the Dales', 'Up and Down in the Dales'.  I don't remember reading the final one - 'The Heart of the Dales'.   
On my bookshelf I have 'Trouble at the Little Village School' still to read.  
I have seen Gervase Phinn speak a couple of times.  He is very entertaining and has his audience laughing out loud.  

Sea of Lost Love by Santa Montefiore

The story is set in 1958.  Celestria Montague spends each summer at the family home, Pendrift Hall, in Cornwall with her aunts, uncles and cousins.  During this summer her mother, Pamela Bancroft Montague, is present at Pendrift and they are awaiting the arrival of her father, Robert 'Monty' Montague, prior to the annual party which is held to celebrate Uncle Archie's birthday.  

Following the party a member of the family can not be found.  A note is then discovered in an unmanned boat drifting out to sea.  Celestria begins to investigate the disappearance and uncovers information which leads her to Puglia in Italy.  In Italy she finds some people are very friendly and helpful, whilst others are rude and obstructive to her enquiries.  As more information comes to light, deceptions over many years are revealed. 

Santa Montefiore writes many stories which are based in both England and abroad.  

The Kafenion by Victoria Hislop

This is just a short e-story which I downloaded. 

The Kafenion is a family owned and run cafe which was opened in 1935.  Maria and Stephanos, the second generation of owners, have twin boys Petros and Manos.  The boys are always treated exactly the same and have to share everything equally.  They grow up helping out in the cafe.  When they are older, due to a lack of work on the island, they both move away to the mainland.  When their father, Stephanos, becomes ill they return to help run the cafe.  Their mother Maria continually hears them arguing about how to run the business.  One of them will make a suggestion for change and the other one will always disagree.  Exasperated by their arguments Maria comes up with a solution of her own.  Will they ever learn to get along and stop competing with each other?  

I have previous read and very much enjoyed 'The Island' and 'The Return'.  Victoria Hislop sets a lot of her books in Greece.

Love the One You're With by Emily Giffin

Exactly 100 days after marrying Andy, Ellen bumps into Leo.  They have not seen each other since the day they split up a few years before.  They have a coffee together and then go their separate ways.  

We learn how Ellen first met her best friend Margot, who is Andy's younger sister, and how and when she met Leo.  

Ellen receives a phone message from Leo.  She tries to ignore it but finally gives in to temptation and makes contact.  Leo, who is a journalist, wants Ellen, who is a photographer, to take the pictures to go alongside an interview he has planned for Platform magazine.  Ellen accepts the job but does not tell Andy or Margot about seeing Leo or his connection to the work.  

Spending time with Leo brings back all the old feelings she had for him.  What, or who, does she really want? 

This is the only book by Emily Giffin I have read. 

The Third Wife by Lisa Jewell

The story begins when Maya Wolfe, the third wife of Adrian Wolfe, is drunk and alone in the early hours of the morning.  She takes a step forwards from the pavement edge and is hit and killed by a night bus.  

We are then taken backwards and forwards from the time when Maya and Adrian meet, their lives together, which includes Adrian's two previous wives and families, and how Adrian is coping with being alone and with his grief following Maya's death.  

Adrian had left his first wife Susie and their two children to be with Caroline. They had three children together and then Adrian left Caroline to be with Maya.  Up until Maya's death Adrian had never been alone.  

Luke, Adrian's eldest son, comes to stay with him for a while.  Whilst using his dad's laptop Luke finds a hidden file containing the text of anonymous emails which had been sent to Maya, they all start 'Dear Bitch' and suggest that that she should 'just disappear' as no-one wants her in their lives and the families would all be better off without her.  

Questions then start to be asked, who sent the emails and why?  Was Maya's death really an accident or could it have been suicide?  Who is the mysterious Jane who visited Adrian at home?  Does she know something about Maya's death or the emails?  

This is an intriguing story.  We slowly learn more about the different members of the family, their relationships with each other and with Maya.  We do find out who wrote the emails towards the end of the book.  

I have previously read '31 Dream Street' and 'Ralph's Party'.  I have 'The House We Grew Up In', 'After the Party' and 'Before I Met You' on my bookshelf.  

Precious Time by Erica James

Single mum Clara Costello decides that she needs to spend more time with her son Ned before he has to start school in September.  She therefore gives up her well paid job, buys a second hand camper van and sets off to travel around the country for a few months.  After only a few short stops she heads for Deaconsbridge in the Peak District as she wants to show Ned the Mermaid Caves.  

They arrive too early for the spring opening of the caves and so decide to look for a camp site on which they can stay for a week.  None is to be found.  Whilst looking, they meet old Mr Gabriel Liberty a curmudgeonly widower onto whose land they have wrongly turned.  They end up doing a deal that they can stay on his land for a week in exchange for Clara helping Mr Liberty to clean and tidy his home as his Doctor has threatened him with intervention by Social Services if he doesn't sort things out.  They strike up a good friendship in this time.  

Mr Liberty sees a small amount of his son Jonah who lives in the village and does his weekly shopping.  He has not had contact with this older son Casper and twin sister Damson for quite some time.  Relationships within the family are quite strained.  Casper wants his father to sell the family home, downsize and split the money as he is yet again heading into financial difficulties with his business.  Mr Liberty is determined to stay just where he is.  

I have previously read 'Gardens of Delight' by the same author and would happily read more of her work.

The Prince of Mist by Carlos Ruiz Zafon

The story is set in 1943.  Maximilian Carver decides to move his family out of the city and to a beach house where he believes they will be safer and away from the war.  The beach house has been standing empty for some time.  The previous owners, who had the house built, had moved away after their young son had drowned.

When out riding around town on a bike, Max, the middle child of the family, meets Roland who is the grandson of Victor Kray, the local lighthouse keeper.  Roland shows Max around and they arrange to meet the next day to go diving around 'Orpheus' a local shipwreck.  Max takes his older sister Alicia along and the three become friends.  

Victor Kray was the sole survivor when 'Orpheus' hit rocks in a thunderstorm and sunk almost 25 years ago. He was so grateful for the help he received and, to ensure all future boats in the area were kept safe, Victor built the lighthouse and became its keeper.  

Not everything is quite as it seems.  There is mystery around the boat and its passengers - no bodies were ever found.  Max finds a locked garden area behind their house which contains statues of a circus troupe set out at points of a star within a circle - he is sure that they change position. Strange voices and noises are heard within the new house.  Max is certain that Victor is not telling them the whole story about the shipwreck, but is keeping back some important information.  As more strange things start to happen and lives suddenly become at risk, Max must try to find out what it is that Victor knows. 

This is not a very long book but is an interesting and engaging story.  I have previously read, and very much enjoyed, 'The Shadow of the Wind' and 'The Angel's Game' which are both longer and more complex stories.  I have 'The Prisoner of Heaven' on my bookshelf. 

The Hotel New Hampshire by John Irving

The story is narrated by John who is the middle child of Win and Mary Berry.  The family consists of Frank, Franny, John, Lilly and Egg.  

Win and Mary meet and fall in love one summer when working at the Arbuthnot-by-the-Sea hotel in Maine.  Whilst working there they meet and befriend Freud who spends the summer at the hotel entertaining guests with his bear called State O'Maine.  By the end of the summer Freud decides to go to Europe and he sells the bear to Win.  

Many years later, after marrying Mary and having a family Win decides that he wants to buy the old, empty local girls school and turn it into a hotel.  This becomes the first Hotel New Hampshire.  He then hears from Freud who asks him to come to Vienna to help him run the Gasthaus Freud.  Win moves his whole family to Vienna to take up residence in another hotel - which in time will become the second Hotel New Hampshire.  Not all the family make it to Vienna due to a plane crash, but those who do have to try to make a go of a new life in a new town in a very run down hotel which has one floor dedicated to the local prostitutes for their business and on another floor there is a group of radicals who spend their time writing and plotting.  Freud now has another 'smart' bear called Susie.  

They are a bizarre and eccentric family.  Frank, the oldest, is quite studious and helps everyone with translations of the language when they move.  Franny takes over the role of mother to her siblings and the family is guided by her.  John takes up weightlifting to build up his body so that he can protect his family.  Lily is very small in height and tries to find ways in which she can grow. 

This is a strange story about an odd family.  The father never really seems to know what the rest of the family are up to.  They are generally guided by Franny and Frank.  They do all love each each other, stick together and take care of each other.  John and Franny spend most of their lives resisting their attraction to each other.  

Many years ago I read 'A Widow for One Year' and I have seen the film 'The Cider House Rules' although I have not read the book.  I have 'The fourth Hand' on my bookshelf.