International Agatha Christie Festival Programme 2021

My Recent Reading 2021

My Recent Reading: 35 in 2021

Date	Book Title	Author	Notes / Rating
27 December 2021	The Fellowship of the Ring	J R R Tolkien	5 stars
22 December 2021	Golden Eye	John Gardner	4 stars
16 December 2021	The Man from Barbarossa	John Gardner	4 stars
8 December 2021	Christmas Carol	Charles Dickens	5 stars
15 November 2021	Ready Player Two	Ernest Cline	4 stars
8 November 2021	Devil May Care	Sebastian Faulks	5 stars
1 November 2021	The Cove	LJ Ross	5 stars
25 October 2021	The Infirmary	LJ Ross	5 stars
19 October 2021	Win	Harlan Coben	5 stars
12 October 2021	Till Death Do Us Part	John Dickson Carr	4 stars
5 October 2021	The Norfolk Mystery	Ian Sansom	5 stars
20 September 2021	Sycamore Gap	LJ Ross	5 stars
6 September 2021	Exit	Belinda Bauer	5 stars
29 August 2021	The Marlow Murder Club	Robert Thorogood	5 stars
16 August 2021	Eight Detectives	Alex Pavesi	2 stars
2 August 2021	Night Probe	Clive Cussler	4 stars
22 July 2021	Cyclops	Clive Cussler	5 stars
15 July 2021	The Appeal	Janice Hallett	4 stars
5 July 2021	Swigatha	Peter Sheeran	3 stars
29 June 2021	The Summer House	James Patterson	5 stars
21 June 2021	The President is Missing	Bill Clinton & James Patterson	5 stars
14 June 2021	The Complaints	Ian Rankin	4 stars
31 May 2021	The Law of Innocence	Michael Connelly	5 stars
13 May 2021	The Coast-to-Coast Murders	James Patterson	4 stars
3 May 2021	Wrath of Poseidon	Clive Cussler	5 stars
19 April 2021	The Silent Wife	Karin Slaughter	4 stars
12 April 2021	The Sentinel	Lee Child	5 stars
1 April 2021	Private Moscow	James Patterson	4 stars
22 March 2021	Knife Edge	Simon Mayo	4 stars
15 March 2021	Blunt Force	Lynda La Plante	4 stars
5 March 2021	Execution	S.J. Paris	5 stars
1 March 2021	For Your Eyes Only	Ian Fleming	2 stars
7 February 2021	Still Life	Val McDermid	4 stars
3 January 2021	Troubled Blood	Robert Galbraith	5 stars
1 January 2021	You Only Live Twice	Ian Fleming	4 stars

 

The Ballard of Songbird and Snakes by Suzanne Collins

 

The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes by Suzanne Collins

Review of the novel The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes by Suzanne Collins

Published by Scholastic
First Published: 19 May 2020
Dedication: For Norton and Jeanne Juster
Cost: £18.99 (UK Hardback 2020)
ISBN: 978-0702-300172 (Hardback Edition – starts on page 3 - 517 pages.)

Having been a great fan of The Hunger Games trilogy, I was keen to read this book. This story is a prequel to The Hunger Games and is set 64 years in the past, where the 10th Hunger Games is about to take place. The problem with reviewing this story is that it will reveal spoilers for readers that have not read The Hunger Games, however, I will try and keep them to a minimum.

This book stands on its own, but I do feel that the author Suzanne Collins makes the assumption that her reader is aware of some details from the previous books and as a result, she fails to set the scene for the new reader. I feel that it is a requirement for the new reader to be made aware of the location and background plot if they are to get the most of the story, with this in mind I want to set the scene before I review the novel in its own right.

The story is set in the country of Panem, which is an area smaller than North America. Panem consists of a capital city, called the Capital, surrounded by twelve outlying numbered Districts – a thirteenth district having been destroyed at the end of a civil war.

Panem is an authoritarian society, modelled somewhat on ancient Rome; a police state in which the Districts are subservient to the Capital. All the Districts provide resources to the Capital in return for protection by an army of Capitol’s Peacekeepers. This is the setting, following a civil war waged against the Capital following an uprising by District 13. To punish the rebellious districts and discourage future rebellion, the Capital’s government established an annual pageant and violent contest, known as The Hunger Games.

Collins introduces the reader to the concept of The Hunger Games on page 14:

There would be twenty-four tributes, one boy and one girl from each of the twelve defeated districts, drawn by lottery to be thrown into an arena to fight to the death in The Hunger Games. It was laid out in the Treaty of Treason that had ended the Dark Days of the District’s rebellion, one of the many punishments borne by rebels.

The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes takes up the story as the 10th Hunger Games is about to start. The story is described in three parts. Part 1 covers the lead up to the games. It begins with the story of a young boy in the Capital called Coriolanus Snow, who has been selected to mentor one of the tributes in the games. Although he lives in the Capital, Snow is a hungry orphan in a family that is barely holding onto its assets and struggling to live from day to day. Snow lives in an apartment with his cousin Tigris, and grandmother, where boiled cabbage is a regular meal. The reward for a student successfully mentoring their tribute to winning the games is a scholarship at the highly esteemed University, which Snow could not attend without this award.

As the names are called out, Snow is relieved to hear his name. He will mentor Lucy Baird Gray, who comes from a Covey, (a type of gypsy family), in District 12. During this mentoring period, we learn that Coriolanus will do anything to keep up appearances of being part of a wealthy Capital family. He looks at his tribune and has concerns about her ability to win in the games; Lucy Gray is a singer with little fighting ability. However, it is Coriolanus' own struggles and inept ability to accept his fate that the story concentrates on throughout the tale.

Although this is the 10th annual games, they have yet to emerge into a sophisticated style that readers of The Hunger Games have discovered. Here, the twenty-four tributes are literally thrown into an arena, where there are various weapons, and they must survive on their own wits to make it through the games.

At this period in time the residents of the Capital are losing interest in the games and the mentors are asked to suggest any improvements that might rekindle interest from the audience. Coriolanus puts forward two suggestions, as part of his written homework, and when they are accepted, they mark a new direction for the games of the future.

As a lead up to the start of the games, Collins presents the anxiety experienced by the two sides of the games as she allows the Capital mentors to get close to the District tributes. Problems arise before the start of the games when the District tributes desire for food gets out of hand and one of the young mentors is killed. However, fortune shines on Coriolanus as he is there at the right moment to what in all appearances, he tries to save the mentor’s life. We discover that the Capital is quick to take retribution on the Districts' representatives.

It is decided that both the remaining mentors and the tributes should visit the games arena and once again things do not go smoothly. Walking around the arena, bombs from a previous game explode, killing both mentors and the tributes, but it is Lucy Gray who saves Coriolanus from serious injury at the cost of her own freedom.

Part Two of the story covers the games themselves. A character already introduced to the reader is Sejanus, originally from District 2, his father has been able to pave the way for the family to exist in the Capital, but the young boy is ill at ease with the way the Capital functions. His father puts up a prize of a scholarship to the esteemed Capital University for the winning mentor. As Sejanus befriends Coriolanus, he reveals that his heart will always remain in District 2 and that his intention is to help the rebels defeat the Capital wherever possible.

Finally, on page 207 the games begin. Broadcast live on a video feed to all Panem, everyone can see what plays out in the arena:

The gong sounded at that moment, and the tributes scattered. Most fled to the gates that led to the tunnels, several of which had been blown open by the latest bombing. Coriolanus could see Lucy Gray’s bright dress heading for the far side of the arena, and his fingers gripped the edge of his seat, willing her forward. Run, he thought. Run! Get out of there! A handful of the strongest sprinted for the weapons, but after grabbing a few, Tanner, Coral, and Jessup dispersed. Only Reaper, armed with a pitchfork and a long knife, seemed ready to engage. But by the time he was on the offensive, no one remained to fight. He turned to watch the receding backs of his opponents, threw back his head in frustration, and climbed into a nearby stand to begin his hunt.

It is Sejanus that causes the next headache for Coriolanus. Eager to help his own tribute Sejanus enters the arena himself. As the Games Maker directs the cameras away from Sejanus, they desperately try to reflect on how they can get him out. They decide to send Coriolanus in and talk to his friend and coax him out. The relief for Coriolanus of exiting the games in one piece is short-lived, as the murders and killings continue in the games until a winner is declared. A most unlikely tribute. However, when the activity of the winner is reviewed, the Games Maker believes they had outside help, and once again the authorities are swift to punish those involved.

In Part 3, Coriolanus and Sejanus are sent as trainee Peacemakers to District 12. Although distraught and confused, Coriolanus settles down to life as a Peacemaker, wondering how he will manage for the next twenty years. He decides to take the officer’s exam.

Test-taking ranked among Coriolanus’s greatest talents, and he felt the familiar rush of excitement as he opened the cover of his booklet. He loved the challenge, and his obsessive nature meant almost instant absorption into the mental obstacle course. Three hours later, sweat-soaked, exhausted, and happy, he handed in his booklet and went to the mess hall for ice. He sat in the strip of shade his barrack provided, rubbing the cubes over his body and reviewing the questions in his head. The ache of losing his university career returned briefly, but he pushed it away with thoughts of becoming a legendary military leader like his father. Maybe this has been his destiny all along.

At this point, everything appears to be going wrong for Coriolanus, just when he had in his mind’s eye, planned and prepared himself for his future as he saw it. Death and killings take place and Coriolanus' world is turned upside down, and he plans to escape from District 12 and the Capital and take back control of his life. Collins, however, as all great authors do, presents a couple of twists as she rounds off the tale of the 10th Hunger Games, and the part played by Coriolanus Snow. Has the reader prepared themselves for this closure? I’m sure that the readers of the previous stories making up The Hunger Games have expected some of the actions that take place, but they are still surprising, and it leaves the question as to whether there will be further stories in the series.

At its heart, The Ballard of Songbirds and Snakes is about the ability of one individual to change the world Panem. Their self-preservation at the cost of those around them, who he uses to his own advantage. I feel that you have to ask what Collins wants from her reader; does she want us to align ourselves with the struggle for Coriolanus or feel shocked by the Capital’s total disregard for anyone livings in the Districts?

There are two other interesting aspects in the story that have repercussions on the trilogy of The Hunger Games. Firstly, the importance of music and the second the sound of the mockingjays. The music is emphasized by the skill and talent of Lucy Gray, as she sings to the crowds of the Capital elite to gain their devotion, which brings her much needed food and water while in the games. For the mockingjay, it is the fact that the Capital’s attempt to change the world of the Districts using the bird fails and it starts the beginning of the Capital’s downfall.

This is a book that I really enjoyed, I could not put it down, completing it in two days. My enjoyment came from having read The Hunger Games and I wonder if reading this as an entry into The Hunger Games experience, if I would have found an enjoyment here. I certainly feel that there is a possibility of a follow-up novel, but not one for each year of the games, but rather a further period in the life of Coriolanus Snow.  

Rating, 5 stars.

Dr Sheppard

11 October 2020

 

 

 

 

Holy Island by LJ Ross

Holy Island by LJ Ross

Review of the novel Holy Island by LJ Ross

Published by Dark Skies Publishing

First Published: January 2015

Dedication: For Ethan, with love always.

Cost: £7.99 (UK Paperback 2020)

ISBN: 978-1-912310-01-2 (Paperback Edition – starts on page 1 - 457 pages.)

This is Louise Ross’s first novel, where she introduces us to her main character, Detective Chief Inspector Ryan. The success for LJ Ross has meant she has sixteen DCI Ryan novels and three other thrillers.

This story is located on Holy Island, also known as Lindisfarne or The Holy Island of Lindisfarne, a tidal island off the northeast coast of England. Although the location is real, Ross reminds the reader: “Names, characters, businesses, places, events, and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner”. See Appendix at the end of the review for a little history about the location. It may help the reader to enjoy the plot as it unravels.

It is 21^st December, it’s bitterly cold and as the story begins. The reader is presented with one of the residents reporting, to DCI Ryan, an apparent death of one of the locals, which she has discovered while walking her dog in the ruins of the Priory. Immediately Ryan triggers standard police procedures and takes responsibility for the investigation. However, we discover that as Ryan reports the incident to the Detective Chief Superintendent, CID commander for Northumberland, Gregson, DCI Ryan has been suspended from duty for the last three months and requests that he is reinstated to take charge of the investigation.

At this point, the unusual situation of Holy Island is revealed to the reader. There is no local police presence and the task of managing any local emergency situation lies with the local coastguard. On this morning, at 7 a.m. there is also the problem that the island is cut off from the mainland due to the current tide. The crime involves a young twenty-year-old university student, home for the Christmas holiday, who has been laid out ceremoniously on a alter in the Priory. It is Alex, the coastguard station officer, that points out the implications of the December 21^st Winter solstice in relation to the Priory and Holy Island. It means nothing to DCI Ryan.

Soon after 8 a.m. Ryan has members of the Northumbrian Police on the island assisting with his investigation. Unbeknown to Ryan, Gregson has recruited a university lecturer, Dr Anna Taylor, who has family on the island, to help him with what is now being defined as a ritual murder. Once again Ryan shows his ignorance of the history of Holy Island and tells Dr Taylor that her specialist knowledge is not needed and has no relevance to the murder. Against all standard protocols, Ryan sets up an investigation room in his cottage, calling all relevant parties together to direct the crime investigation.

The story becomes very much a forensic investigation as regular meetings take place at Ryan’s cottage, with individuals reporting back their findings, and it is evident that although Ryan has lived on the island for a few months, he knows very few of the locals or history of the island. This is evident when he visits the local pub.

At that moment, the door swung open and both women turned in reflex. Megan reacted first, recognising the tall, dark man who entered the pub instantly. In fact, she had been watching out for him whenever she could and had even taken to long walks around the village so that she could wander past his cottage whenever she thought he might be at home. The curtains were usually closed, the lights dim. He rarely came into the village and had only been seen in the pub once before. So far, she hadn’t been able to pin him down, but it was only a matter of time.

At this point, page 60, we are given a long description of DCI Ryan, by both women. But Ryan’s thoughts are only about the death of Lucy, so he produces his police warrant card and begins to ask questions relating to the murder.

The pub becomes an important part of the investigation as the landlord knows the history of the island and many of the locals. But it soon becomes the second crime scene when another local is found ritualistically murdered on the roof of the flat attached to the pub.

It’s December 22^nd, and still Ryan fails to see a connection to the Winter solstice, the Priory and the monastic history of Holy Island, even though the forensics suggest otherwise. Perhaps it’s because he begins to have an affair with Dr Anna Taylor. When a third murder takes place, he sees that there is a need to protect her from the activity surrounding the investigation. Then one of the locals comes forward and admits to the killing spree and everyone but DCI Ryan feels they have solved the case and wants to shut down the investigation. Something isn’t right.

There are a couple of twists at the end and I’m not sure if they are forced into the story or have a proper place, particularly the Epilogue, page 453 to 457, and this one in particular may be a lead into the next or future story.

I enjoyed reading this story, but I do feel that some points suggest that it is a first novel; how was it that Ryan knows very few islanders when the population is only about 160; why, after living on the island for over two months has Ryan not visited the pub more than once; why are the locals asking more questions about Ryan than would be expected from someone that has lived with them for a while; as the story opens we are advised that its very cold and ‘Winter is an unforgiving time on Holy Island’, but the weather plays no further part during the investigation – we do have Ryan having a problem with a boat he has commandeered.

I feel that there was too much forensic aspect to the plot, with the case being solved in three days and as a result of that there was little description about the beauty of the island and its history. Would I want to read further LJ Ross novel? Yes, I would. I like the idea that there are sixteen stories, but I’m not sure what career path Ryan can take. He has taken a liking to Doctor Taylor and I’m interested to see if that progresses. Rating 5 stars.

Dr Sheppard

19 July 2020

Appendix

Lindisfarne - Taken from Wikipedia

Holy Island has a recorded history from the 6th century AD; it was an important centre of Celtic Christianity under Saints Aidan of Lindisfarne, Cuthbert, Eadfrith of Lindisfarne and Eadberht of Lindisfarne. After the Viking invasions and the Norman conquest of England, a Priory was re-established. A small castle was built on the island in 1550.

The island measures 3 miles (4.8 km) from east to west and 11⁄2 miles (2.4 km) from north to south and comprises approximately 1,000 acres (400 hectares) at high tide. The nearest point of the island is about 1 mile (1.6 kilometres) from the mainland of England. The island of Lindisfarne is located along the northeast coast of England, close to the border with Scotland. It is accessible, most times, at low tide by crossing sand and mudflats which are covered with water at high tides. These sand and mud flats carry an ancient pilgrims' path, and in more recent times, a modern causeway. Lindisfarne is surrounded by the 8,750-acre (3,540-hectare) Lindisfarne National Nature Reserve, which protects the island's sand dunes and the adjacent intertidal habitats.

As of February 2020, the island had a population of 160. There are three pubs and a hotel was operating; the store had closed but the post office remained in operation. No professional or medical services were available, and residents were driving to Berwick-upon-Tweed for groceries and other supplies. Points of interest for visitors included Lindisfarne Castle operated by the National Trust, the Priory, the historic church, the nature reserve, and the beaches. At certain times of the year, numerous migratory birds can be seen.

The causeway is generally open from about three hours after high tide until two hours before the next high tide.