Reading at speed — New Reviews

JT Atkinson, Beneath an Indigo Moon

Thought Provoking and Bold

It is difficult to write about this book, but it must be done. Honestly, it wasn’t an easy read, because of the challenging subject. Still, it is an important book if one wants to understand the hardship, people of another sexual observation suffered and still suffer. In my experience, gay people are just that – people – and it would be wrong to ignore a book that was written to open our eyes to bigotry and intolerance. We can’t close our eyes to the witch hunts that took place in various forms throughout our collective history.

One might discuss if there’s too strong a focus on sex and blatant violence, but there’s no doubt that the time leading up to Stonewall was this violent. My only complaint in this connection is that both the sex and the violence became somewhat repetitive in Atkinson’s writing. His characters are believable, all the same.

It seems only right to quote JTAT’s afterword here, as it puts the theme into perspective: “BAIM is a work of fiction. It is, however, inspired by real-life events. In the early days of queer politics, the pervasive mood was one of fear, anger, and desperation. Twenty-five years after Stonewall, things had changed. The law had changed. People’s rights had changed. But attitudes hadn’t changed. There was a general feeling that twenty-five years of advancement had amounted to very little and a more active approach was required. It was during these times that the most extreme forms of queer politics came into being. Small groups, frustrated by the lack of direct action from the authorities, took it upon themselves to redress what they saw as an imbalance in society. Their thinking was simple. They would do to others what others had done to them. The events in BAIM are inspired by the activities of just such a group. The story may be fiction. The thinking behind it, however, was very real.”

I recommend anybody who wants to understand a group of people who have been persecuted too often for their situation to read this book.

***

Val Penny, Hunter’s Chase

Murder Most Foul, and Cocaine

Hunter Wilson is up against it. His former boss gets robbed, and there’s a large supply of cocaine knocking about. Things get complicated when the murderer doesn’t stop at one victim, Hunter is witness to the second – but only partly catches the runaway car’s registration plate number. It doesn’t stop there, but underneath is a tangled family affair that must be unravelled to close the case.

Val Penny presents her characters in depth, often with the use of multiple points of view. Penny has done her research, which can be seen in a realistic post-mortem scene. Her writing is complex and the story compelling.

***

Mari Collier, Twisted Tales from the Desert

Paranormal Stories from the American Mainland

In Twisted Tales from the Desert, Mari Collier lets her fantasy out to play. There are all manners of ghosts, active Stone Lizards, murderers, infantile and grown-up, just to mention a few. Certainly, there are twists and turns and surprises at every corner. The reader feels comfortable in her deft hands – except when the stories go to the bare bones of humanity. That’s when cold shivers run down your back. There is mythology and subconscious horrors to enjoy in this collection of short stories that I can recommend to those readers who dare.

***

Malcolm, Hollindrake, Threadbare

An Extraordinary Detective Story

Starting with DCI Bennet Book 9 throws you right into the water at the deep end. For me, the beginning was confusing, a marriage between Cyril and his beloved didn’t make much sense. No matter, as the story unfolded, it was easy to get to know the characters.

Snake bites, a shooting, a man with the brain of a seven-year-old child, a wish for revenge, a retired gentleman with a penchant for spiders, also, dead sheep, a biblical snake, and old photos form a puzzle that puts the young officer (Owen), who takes over from Cyril while he is on honeymoon, through the hoops. On his return, Cyril must help to disentangle the threads. The search for the murderer becomes increasingly urgent, and one of the clues to solving the crime lies buried in the Book of Genesis.

This is an unusual detective story, especially because of the many references to art and music.

***

LM Lacee, Dragon’s Gap

A Parallel Modern-Day World

They use cars outside Dragon’s gap. Inside Dragon’s gap, there are swords and magic. LM Lacee is a storyteller but struggles with writing. No doubt, thorough editing of her work would help the author to reach a potential that momentarily is hidden under uncertain writing and grammar.

Shapeshifters (half- and full-bloods), dragons, a goddess, elementals, witches, as well as magic, treason, love, and hate abound in Dragon’s Gap.

Once I got used to the strange use of the full stop, and the run-on sentences, it became easier to get a grip on the storyline. LM Lacee has good ideas and builds a believable world – it would be wonderful indeed if her potential could be unlocked through some editorial emergency treatment.

***

Lynne Fischer, After Black

Does Life Begin After Widowhood?

In some cases, this is true. Janet blossoms after a cowed existence, but all isn’t well. Her memories of Frank, her husband, dying can be pushed aside, but there is an upstart in her workplace. Marian is driven and wants the same promotion that would make Janet’s life at Masons Retail Store complete. Hence, Janet pulls all stops and wins. Does this change her life for the better? Not for a while. Janet must confront her demons and face her past.

In After Black, Lynne Fisher challenges the reader with a protagonist it is difficult to like. That it doesn’t stay that way is down to a masterly plot. Not only that, but all the characters must also learn and grow through unwanted and – for the reader as for the dramatis personae – unexpected developments. Ms Fisher kept me at the edge of my chair throughout this brilliantly written novel that explores love and loss, abusive and painful relationships, as well as the possibility of redemption. Anybody reading this will gain insight into the machinations that can mar or make humanity.

***

Nina Romano, The Secret Language of Women

Historical Fiction of Beauty and Refinement.

Lian meets Giacomo and sweet music emerges. The young Italian man and the part Chinese girl, who assists her physician-father can’t resist a love that binds them together until death. The secret language of women holds a large part of the story together. It’s an old language, written and spoken, that Chinese women have nurtured throughout the imperial period. We are at the end of this period and the Boxer insurgency accompanies the love story, separating Lian and Giacomo almost as soon as they meet. Their longing and love help them find one another, but not before Lian has been married to a peasant and born her daughter sired by Giacomo.

Nina Romano writes this story with confidence and knowledge. Still, to me, it seemed that she had a better grasp of Lian’s character, maybe through the first-person point of view. Giacomo comes across as slightly remote, and his part of the story is heavy with historical detail. This shows Ms Romano’s immaculate research and does her honour. All in all, I enjoyed reading The Secret Language of Women and can recommend it to everyone with an interest in the beauty and intrigue of imperial China in troubled times.

Sayara St Clair, Kiss Me, Bite Me

Amusing and endearing Love Story with Bite

Kayana Castello Branco literally bumps into Greg Morgan but must forget him as he’s already affianced to an ‘ice princess’. Later she meets him again and they hit it off, but there is trouble on the horizon.
This vampire tale is a boy-meets-girl story with a difference. When Kayana and Greg meet again, he is free but has a condition that makes their love-life daunting in some respects. They strive to ignore it, but Greg must eventually tell his Kayana about his craving. Not that it stops their love-affair. In some ways, it deepens their bond.

There isn’t much left of the brooding and angst that haunts you in Interview with a Vampire, there isn’t as much bloodshed, but there are unforgettable characters, humour, intrigue, and not forgetting sensuality.

In Sayara St Clair’s competent hands the reader goes from belly laugh to horror, and back. More than that, Ms Clair knows how to write erotic scenes that are steamy and convincing. Don’t wonder if your heart rate goes up at certain points in this fable. Highly recommended

***

© HMH, 2020


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Comments

4 responses to “Reading at speed — New Reviews”

  1. Kriti avatar

    Very nicely reviewed. Surely would love to go for one of the reads after going through the review.

    1. Hanne H avatar
      Hanne H

      Thank you, Kriti. Which one seems most attractive to you?

  2. Millie Thom avatar

    Some really interesting and candid reviews here, Hanne. I already have two of them loaded on my kindle (After Black and The Secret Language of Women) and hope to read both soon. I’m impressed, as always, at how many books you manage to read and thank you for sharing your thoughts on them all.

    1. Hanne H avatar
      Hanne H

      Sometimes, it isn’t easy to post critiscism, but what would be the point of not being candid? A frank critique can be more helpful than a polite one, as I see it.
      Being a bit of an imsomniac, I do most of my reading in the night, Millie. Those two books are good choices. I was especially impressed by After Black.

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