This particular story revolves around the discovery of a dead body in an abandoned house with a look of horror etched on his face and with a mysterious word written on the wall in blood! You couldn’t ask for a more fascinating and gripping beginning to a detective story, could you? The police are completely baffled as to the method of his death, where he has come from, or who has killed him. The story goes all the way to the Mormons in America, and seemed an extremely obscure solution – but, of course, Holmes has it all worked out.
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The story is told from the viewpoint of two young boys through their games of make-believe and pretend, one such game being tracking a supposed German spy. The boys are both quite ordinary boys living in an ordinary neighbourhood. The war doesn’t seem to have touched them much, there are no reports of rationing or bombing. They are just two normal boys, quite excited by the prospect of war and determined to have their own adventures. But they gradually come to realise that real life has its own dramas and secrets, most of which they end up wishing they had never discovered and become involved in.
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However, the narrator of the story is Death itself (quite a kindly empathetic character, it seems!), and I found this aspect really interesting and very different and extremely clever.
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I was lent the book by a friend and when I realised it wasn’t his usual thing, I thought I’d read the first couple of chapters out of politeness to my friend and return it to her, but I wasn’t able to stop reading it. He writes in such an interesting and absorbing way. Every single line and sentence is fascinating, there are no ‘fillers’ to pad it out. And he is obviously so passionate about the subject, which made the book very entertaining. Considering it is more of a text book, it is a great read.
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I loved reading it, and wished it would have gone on for longer. I searched on Amazon to see if the author had written any more, but sadly not. The owner of The Castle Hotel, and the author of the book, is Kit Chapman and he seems an interesting man – very dedicated to The Castle and always aiming for the best, yet also quite a strict man who seems, to me, to be someone who doesn’t forgive or forget anyone that crosses him.
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In today’s difficult times when mother nature is warming up, human relations are faltering and freedom is being misused, “Temple of Destiny” is a welcome reading. It takes us into a world of self-observation and self-realisation. The simple positive medium of connectivity with nature touches the soul. A must treasure.

Close to the wind by Ben Ainslie is the best book of my life it has thrills and depressing times in this breathtaking autobiography

As a new reader of Robert Goddard novels Into the Blue was recommended to me by a friend as being ‘one of the best’! I certainly wasn’t disappointed! ‘Unputdownable’ from the start - Goddard enables the reader to get to know the main characters and feel a sympathy but admiration for Harry Barnett. His determination and courage in trying to find Heather (who has disappeared on a mountain in Rhodes) takes us on twists and turns, alternately feeling optimistic and disappointed. A fantastic story.

The book tells the true story of Joe Simpson’s and Simon Yates’ attempt to climb a previously unclimbed mountain in the Peruvian Andes. Their attempt is successful, but things go wrong on the descent when Joe breaks his leg. This type of injury usually means you are left for dead as it is impossible to get down yourself, and impossible for your climbing partner to bring help back to you before you die of cold. Simon, however, is determined not to abandon his friend and puts himself in great danger by painstakingly lowering the injured Joe down the mountain. Their successful return to their camp at the foot of mountain seems achievable until Joe is lowered over a sudden edge that they both did not suspect was there. Unable to communicate with one another, due to their distance apart and the howling wind, Simon holds on to Joe’s hanging weight on the rope for hours not knowing if he is alive or dead. Finally, close to collapse himself and with no knowledge of Joe’s situation, Simon has to cut the rope binding them, in order to survive himself. Amazingly Joe survives the fall into a crevasse, and then has to fight his injuries, and the demons and terrors in his mind, to get back to camp alone and near to death. Simon also gets back to camp, but with overwhelming feelings of guilt at the choice he has had to make.
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I found this book very readable and enjoyable. It is one of the Inspector Lynley books. Lynley is walking along the South West Coastal path in an effort to deal with the death of his wife, and is wanting to leave his life and job behind. He then discovers a dead body. He does not want to get involved in investigating this, as he is dealing with his own issues, but he is forced to become involved all the same.

The book is really interesting as the characters, and particularly Lynley, are very well written with lots of background provided, so you feel as if you really get to know the characters well.

It’s a very good read.

The story is of Lady Dona St Columb, who is bored with her glamorous London life and is keen for a change. She comes to her husband’s country estate in Cornwall, (Navron) and then ends up leading a completely different life to the one she knows – full of daring escapades, romance, danger, and secrecy, all in company with a hunted French pirate, Jean Aubrey.
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I chose to read this novel because it was the winner of the Daily Mail First Novel Award and I like to support new writers and discover new talent for myself.

I loved this book, I found the style of writing easy to read and the story was captivating.

This is the story of Andrea who is thrown into a situation that makes her see the people behind her perfect childhood in a different light. As the story unravels it takes you back and forth to the late 1970’s to experience Tom, Laura, Peter and Faye’s friendships and how their lives are entwined by the decisions they do and don’t make. It ultimately draws you in as you find out what happened to each of the characters, the consequences they paid for their actions and what affect this has on Andrea in the present day.
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pimp is an epic biopic an insight into the inner workings of a razor sharp mind. Living the gritty life of a pimp on the streets grimy streets of Chicago in a time cleverly forgotten. Slim passes down age old lessons in pimpdom on how to keep iceberg cool and scratch upfront, himself learned from the best, its teaming with tricks and scams on how to a keep your stables in check with a good bottom girl and ways to run a broke girl off to the funny farm. He also gives us an even rarer view as to why? and more importantly why not? top quality read.