books
BOOK
OF THE
MONTH
SUGAR HALL
Tiffany Murray (Seren)
“A ghost story” reads the cover of Sugar Hall, the latest novel from Tiffany
Murray. This, along with the eerily pale form of Hepialus humuli, or the ghost
moth, sets the tone for what is a haunting tale full of secrets and intrigue.
Based on the stories of Littledean Hall in the Forest Of Dean, the grand house of
Sugar Hall serves as a delightfully creepy backdrop for this shadowy story. From
the very first chapter, with the discovery of a boy wearing a silver collar in the
gardens of the house, questions flit around the Sugar family like moths around
a flame. The history of the house hangs over protagonist Dieter’s mother Lilia as
she strives to keep ice from the windows and rust from locks, a battle to keep
the house in order and the past hidden. Just as the ice creeps back each night, however, the secrets
eventually seep out and Lilia is helpless to prevent them from surfacing.
Underneath all of this is an engaging family drama in which the characters interact with a nuanced
sense of realism. Just because there are strange things happening doesn’t mean the children don’t
squabble or test the patience of their mother. References by Dieter of ‘how it was before’, and his
desires to return to London, hint at further complications in the family, problems that are amplified by
the chilling events that follow.
Murray is apparently familiar with sinister houses, having grown up in supposedly ‘haunted’ homes in
Scotland, Wales and Herefordshire. Reading Sugar Hall, you begin to believe her. JD
Price: £14.99. Info: www.serenbooks.com
BURRARD INLET
Tyler Keevil (Parthian)
‘Write about what you know’; that most
perfunctory of advice given to aspiring
writers is embraced here by Tyler Keevil
despite the fact he is now an acclaimed
novelist on his third book.
This is a collection of previously published
short stories, each taking place in
Burrard Inlet near Vancouver’s coastline.
Most characters find themselves being
ground down either by backbreaking
manual labour or having to serve intolerably vile customers. Jobs
which, it transpires, Keevil did as a younger Vancouverite before
coming to live in Wales with his girlfriend (Alex, a barge worker
and protagonist of two of these stories). The masculine, often
unforgiving scenarios which unfold here are a suitable fit
for Keevil’s economical – if elegant – phrasing, but a strong
moral core is ever-present, and sometimes vindication for the
downtrodden. NG
Price: £8.99. Info: www.parthianbooks.com
CRIME CORNER
LOVE & FALLOUT
Kathryn Simmonds (Seren)
When Tessa’s best friend surprises
her with a TV makeover, the do-gooder
environmentalist who’s happy wearing
charity shop bargains isn’t too
delighted. Things go from bad to worse
for Tessa when the TV crew look into
her past as a peace activist and some
tough, hidden memories escape through
the seams.
While Tessa struggles to keep things
afloat with her husband and to accept
her daughter’s opposite views, her long gone days of protest at
the peace camp push to the forefront of her mind, and when a
lost foe from the peace gang gets in contact, more of the past is
dredged up.
A story of friendship, determination and grief, Love & Fallout is a
refreshing narrative with a remarkably likeable protagonist who isn’t
easy to forget. This really is a book that can’t be put down. HR
Price: £8.99. Info: www.serenbooks.com
Lincoln Rhyme is Jeffrey Deaver’s most popular, and in my opinion best character. In The Skin Collector
(Hodder & Stoughton, H/B £18.99) he returns in a sequel to The Bone Collector which was filmed starring
Denzel Washington and is still worth watching. Someone is killing random victims by tattooing them with
poison instead of ink in the tunnels under New York. Even though the killer is identified early on, as usual
Deaver fools with the reader. A clue here, a clue there, a red herring planted, followed by the real motive or
motives. Wonderful stuff.
In The Ties That Bind by Erin Kelly (Hodder & Stoughton, H/B £16.99) gay writer Luke Considine leaves
Leeds after the breakup of a stifling relationship with an older man, and heads to Brighton where he meets
an old time gangster who ruled the town with violence in the sixties. He thinks writing his biography would
be his chance for fame and fortune, but gets more than he bargained for. This is a tightly written thriller that
keeps the pressure full on to the end.
If legal thrillers are your thing, check out The Keeper by John Lescroart (Headline, P/B £13.99). San
Francisco prison guard Hal Chase’s wife goes missing, and when she turns up dead he’s the prime suspect.
He pleads not guilty and his lawyer hires an ex-cop to investigate. Is Chase a good guy or a good actor?
That’s the question. Superior plotting keeps the pages turning until the surprise denouement. One for
Grisham fans.
All though this column is about books, I’m sure crime lovers are checking out Fargo on TV. Outstanding.
Billy Bob Thornton scary. MARK TIMLIN
BUZZ 50
@mabjones
A couple of really cool events this month are
the literature/bicycle tours taking place in
Cardiff. Headed by poet Peter Finch, these
offer tours of the city’s eastern extremes,
taking in death junction, old drinking dens, a
fake cromlech, and more, along with poems
and prose from Peter as you meander. Very
much worth booking in for, these take place
on Sat 14 and Sat 21 June
(Info: [email protected]).
Letter To An Unknown Soldier is a UK-wide
war memorial project, which encourages
people to write a letter, in any voice, any
form, from any time, to the unknown soldier
statue in Paddington S ][ۋۙۋ