Tag: Mystery

Kala by Colin Walsh

by Bookworm&TheatreMouse

The final in my accidental Irish trilogy of reading is the pick for the ‘Book and Pudding Club’, ‘Kala’ by Colin Walsh.

This is a book that proves you should not judge a book by its cover. I had seen this cover around a lot (attached to the book, of course) and it said to me: slowburn, coming-of-age story, hot summers and probably America. And, how wrong I was – other than having a link to the school days of the main characters, it has nothing to do with the ideas conjured up by the cover, and I have to admit that I am very glad that I was proved wrong about that.

‘Kala’ is set in small-town Ireland; Kala disappeared one evening in the teenage years of our main characters and they have never quite come to terms with it, and they have never had closure. But they are all carrying around their own baggage from those events; it may be physical scars, they may have tried to run away, or they may have turned to other ways to try and escape. Events seem to repeat themselves, just as people are moving on, when two girls disappear – but, a little like in the past, nobody seems to immediately react, as they see it as just attention seeking from ‘difficult’ teenage girls. As the severity of the situation dawns on the town, secrets and lies start to unravel – but will the truth finally be revealed to the whole town?

Now, at the heart of this book there is a mystery, and that is all I can say about the plot. However, I can say that I thoroughly enjoyed this story (which always sounds a little strange when the book has a dark theme), and I loved that many of the chapters were first-person, but one of the chapters was told in the third-person – even though each chapter was based around one of our main characters. I could talk about why I think the author has done this, but I feel that this could give away some of the plot. What I will say, is that I think it worked, and I think it was actually a very clever plot device. (Although, this is more of a comment on me, rather than the book – I did not immediately notice this and then it suddenly hit me – a bit like a twist in a story does.)

If I have not yet convinced you to read this book – and absolutely not judge it by its cover – then hopefully the statement that this book kept me up well past my bedtime, as I just had to finish it, may do. This is a great study of human nature and character, and the darker side of small-town communities – how easy is it to hide your real self? I would really like to read more by this author, as I think Colin Walsh has many more stories to tell.

The Turn of the Key by Ruth Ware

by Bookworm&TheatreMouse

A creepy house in the highlands of Scotland, slightly strange children and a poison garden – what a recipe for a novel.

‘The Turn of the Key’ is an excellent thriller, clearly inspired by the chilling 19th-century ghost stories – a well-crafted, serious page-turner. Ruth Ware has managed to bring thrilling, chilling stories bang up to date.

A dream job very quickly becomes a nightmare. Rowan answers an advert for an idyllic-sounding nannying job in Scotland. However, the family’s state-of-the-art house does not make the job easy. There are many unexplained goings-on and the children are not accepting Rowan the way she hoped. However, there is far worse to come…

This book, told as a reflective letter, is a compelling read. I found myself keen to know what was going to happen. In fact, I did not see any of the twists coming. On reflection, there were hints of one or two, but the biggest twist was the excellent reveal.

This is a great book for anyone who enjoys thrillers and mysteries. A really enjoyable and well-written read. I am glad, again, to have discovered a new author. My only regret is that i did not read it during Autumn, as it would be perfect foe those darker, stormier nights.

The Moonstone by Wilkie Collins

by Bookworm&TheatreMouse

The Bookstagram community has been one of the best spaces I have found. It has brought together so many fabulous bookish people and it has encouraged me to read all sorts of books that I may not have read or have had on the to-be-read pile for a while.

My latest read-along (that I actually managed to complete and stick to) was ‘The Moonstone’, as part of the ‘Victorian Sensation Book Club’. This has been a lovely community where, in the month of November, we read a section a week shared our thoughts. There have been great discussions and such a friendly atmosphere (and the end of November does not mean that the chatting stops).

And, now to the novel, my only regret has been that I did not read this sooner. ‘The Moonstone’ is a story I have known for a long time thanks to TV and Radio adaptations, but I had never got round to picking the book up. What wasted time that was because I absolutely loved this!

From the moment I started this book I could not put it down. Collins created a wonderful detective story (some say the first modern one in fact) from the word go. You are drawn into the narrative by how ‘The Moonstone’ ended up leaving India and arriving in England. Even that simple introduction is shrouded in mystery just as the rest of the tale is. Collins creates a colourful cast of characters who become mixed up in the mystery of ‘The Moonstone’. However, together, they eventually also manage to solve the mystery of this magnificent stone.

This is a tale that has stood the test of time as it can still engage modern audiences. However, it is also a novel of its time with references specific to the period but all of that is the context of the era.

Reading ‘The Moonstone’ has firmly cemented Wilkie Collins in the territory of one of my favourite authors of the classics. I can not wait for the next read with the ‘Victorian Sensation Book Club’, which is ‘The Woman in White’ in January.