Tag: Reviews

On What Cathy Read Next last week

Monday – I published my review of historical mystery Traitor in the Ice by K. J. Maitland. 

Tuesday – This week’s Top Ten Tuesday was a freebie so I shared a list of 10 Things To Do Once You’ve Finished A Book. 

Wednesday – WWW Wednesday is my weekly opportunity to share what I’ve just read, what I’m currently reading and what I plan to read next… and to take a peek at what others are reading. 

Thursday – I published my review of The Sunken Road by Ciarán McMenamin, one of the books on the longlist for the Walter Scott Prize for Historical Fiction 2022. 

Friday – I shared an updated version of my review of No Way To Day by Tony Kent to mark its publication in paperback. 

Saturday – Indulging my other love – gardening – I took part in the #SixonSaturday meme with a few highlights from my horticultural week.

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New arrivals

The Ballad of Lord Edward and Citizen Small by Neil Jordan (Lilliput Press)

From multi-award-winning author and film director Neil Jordan comes The Ballad of Lord Edward and Citizen Small. Blending the drama of real events with Jordan’s inimitable storytelling ability, this work spotlights a long-forgotten chapter in Ireland’s history.

The tale is related by Tony Small, a runaway slave who becomes Lord Edward Fitzgerald’s manservant and friend.  While the details of Lord Edward’s life are well-documented, little is known of Tony Small who rescued Fitzgerald after the Battle of Eutaw Springs during America’s War of Independence and returned with him to Europe. In this gripping narrative his characters considers the ironies of empire, captivity and freedom, mapping Lord Edward’s journey from being a loyal subject of the British Empire to becoming a 1798 rebellion leader.

This story embraces a rich cast of characters as action weaves from the Carolinas to London and Dublin, from the ferment of Paine and Robespierre’s revolutionary Paris to Tournai and Hamburg, returning to Ireland for its tragic, inevitable conclusion. 

The Transfer Problem by Adam Saint (eARC, Deixis Press)

Ethan, an introverted banker with a traumatic past, falls in love with Anna, an enigmatic scientist with whom he shares an academic interest in the philosophy of existence and consciousness. But with the reappearance of Ethan’s rogue brother Robert – a hacker who is forbidden from using technology – the hypothetical turns all too real: Robert convinces Ethan to let Anna transfer a conscious mind into Ethan’s trading algorithms.

But when Anna’s experiment goes well – too well, in fact, with world-altering consequences – Ethan finds himself on the run, searching for answers to Anna’s mysterious past and looking desperately for a way to give humanity its future back.

With nail-biting action and smart, technical themes, The Transfer Problem asks what it means to exist, to be real, and to be human. But it also asks an even bigger question: how far would you go to avenge yourself? 

The Helot’s Tale: Downfall and Redemption by David Cairns (eARC)

Downfall: In the smog-laden streets of the slums of London and the impoverished fields of rural England at the beginning of the 19th century, Mary Ann Goulding and Robert Bright are caught up in this maelstrom and find themselves all but slaves in the New World. The despair of Newgate prison, a death sentence, public hangings, riots, the resurrectionists and a hellish journey for months on the open sea to serve their sentences on an island prison begin their incredible true story.

Redemption: Mary Ann Goulding and Robert Bright continue their adventures. Transported to Van Diemen’s Land to serve their sentences we join them as they work their time as assigned ‘servants’, actually little more than slaves on this island prison.  The momentous discovery of massive gold deposits sees huge disruption and changes all around as they live through the era of bushrangers like Ned Kelly, the massacre at the Eureka Stockade and the growing confidence of a new land with the birth of new cities and historic events such as the first Australia vs England test match and the first running of the Melbourne Cup.

Devorgilla Days by Kathleen Hart (ARC, Two Roads)

Eight years ago, Kathleen Hart was diagnosed with breast cancer. Further complications led to a protracted recovery and months spent in hospital, where Kathleen had to learn how to walk again. While recuperating, she came across a small whitewashed cottage for sale in Wigtown, Scotland. Driving hundreds of miles on nothing more than a few photographs and an inkling, she bought it that very same day, and named it Devorgilla after the formidable 13th century Scottish princess.

Devorgilla Days is the story of how Kathleen left behind her old life to begin again in Scotland’s book capital. From renovating her cottage to exploring the seemingly quiet, but actually bustling town, she encounters a whole community of book lovers, beekeepers, artists and writers – and Lobster Fishermen. Kathleen starts wild swimming, a ritual that brings peace and clarity to her mind as her body heals. And, with the support of her virtual worldwide community who know her as PoshPedlar on Instagram, she rebuilds her life again.

Heartwarming and deeply moving, Devorgilla Days is an inspiring tale of one woman’s remarkable journey, a celebration of community, and a call-to-arms for anyone who has ever dreamt of starting over.

Until We Meet by Camille Di Maio (Forever)

Can one small act change the course of a life?

New York City, 1943. Margaret Beck is proud of her work at the Brooklyn Navy Yard sewing stars onto the Stars and Stripes, but she yearns to contribute to the war effort more meaningfully. She’s angling for a promotion to the mechanic section, but she doesn’t want to wait to make a difference. So with her two best friends, she decides to start a knitting club, where they will knit socks for the boys at the front. Thinking of the young men so far from the comforts of home, Margaret slips a note into her first pair of socks, offering a connection to an unknown soldier that will forever change her life.

For Thomas Powell serving his country was not only his duty but an honor, and he wore his Army uniform with pride. Yet being on the frontlines, witness to unspeakable tragedy and despair, has shaken him. The one shining light is Margaret’s letters – written to his best friend William. When William is killed, Tom doesn’t have the heart to write the warm, generous, and hopeful Margaret and tell her the news. Not about William’s death and not about the way he’s fallen in love with her – across an ocean, amidst the darkness of war, and through the letters she never intended for him.

Instead, he picks up his pen and responds to Margaret’s latest letter, signing it William. As the war intensifies, so does the affection between Tom and Margaret, and Tom knows he owes her the truth. But as he heads out for his most dangerous mission yet, Tom wonders – will he ever get the chance to tell her?

Little Drummer by Kjell Ola Dahl, trans. Don Bartlett (eARC, Orenda Books)

When a woman is found dead in her car in a Norwegian parking garage, everyone suspects an overdose… until a forensics report indicates that she was murdered. Oslo Detectives Frølich and Gunnarstranda discover that the victim’s Kenyan scientist boyfriend has disappeared, and their investigations soon lead them into the shady world of international pharmaceutical deals.

While Gunnarstranda closes in on the killers in Norway, Frølich and Lise, his new journalist ally, travel to Africa, where they make a series of shocking discoveries about exploitation and corruption in the distribution of foreign aid and essential HIV medications.

When tragedy unexpectedly strikes, all three investigators face incalculable danger, spanning two continents. And not everyone will make it out alive…

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On What Cathy Read Next this week

Currently reading

Planned posts

• Extract: Until We Meet by Camille Di Maio 
• Blog Tour/Book Review: The Lost Boy of Bologna by Francesca Scanacapra
• Book Review: The Swallowed Man by Edward Carey
• Book Review: The Physician’s Daughter by Martha Conway
• Blog Tour/Book Review: The Fall by Rachael Blok