My Book Reviews for May 2025 (Part One)
My Book Reviews for May 2025 (Part One)
My Book Reviews for May 2025 (Part One) include: a fun crime caper, a suspenseful YA thriller, a Kafka-related literary novel, and several NetGalley advance copies.
The Retirement Plan by Sue Hincenbergs
Desperate Housewives meets The Golden Girls… with a hitman.
Three sixty-something women, who’ve been friends for years, resent the dull retirement years ahead of them. Naturally, their husbands are to blame. It’s not that their men are bad, just annoying in everything they say and don’t say, and in everything they do and don’t do. How different their futures could be as wealthy widows…
The men, blind to their wives’ deadly frustrations, have got themselves into a different pickle that may have attracted the attention of the Indian Mafia.
The blurb made me worry I’d taken on something slapstick or cosy, but by the end of the first page the humour had gained bite and it continued to land mostly in that way throughout. (It was strong enough without the set-piece gags and quotes from films.)
Told mainly from the viewpoint of reluctant murderess Pam and her hapless fraudster husband Hank, the story rattles along at a good pace. My favourite chapters were from the viewpoints of two brilliantly bemused secondary characters: Hector – Hank’s barber and part-time hitman; and Padma – Hank’s out-of-her-depth boss.
This was a glorious caper of eavesdropping, misunderstandings and sheer panic.
I thoroughly enjoyed it.
With thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an early copy in exchange for an independent review.
This Young Adult novel is a great take on the identity swap premise.
Seventeen-year-old rich girl Tabbi is on a train to Zurich. She has been ordered by her father to go to a luxury hotel in the Swiss mountains. To ensure she arrives, a chaperone, sitting a few seats away, has been hired for the journey. When a scruffy young backpacker in a purple wig comes down the aisle, Tabbi has a crazy idea. She invites the girl (Ruby) to sit opposite. By the end of the journey, she has persuaded her to swap lives for six weeks.
Armed only with Ruby’s rucksack, inter-railing pass and purple wig, Tabbi evades her chaperone, alights at Zurich and heads on a different train for the south of France.
Tabbi is a flawed yet compelling protagonist whose experience as a first-time backpacker feels authentic. As well as evoking the atmosphere of the Mediterranean coast and other destinations, the author keeps up a sense of suspense. Why was Tabbi so desperate not to remain in Zurich? And why was Ruby so willing to take her place? Both girls have done despicable things, but the author does a good job of keeping the reader on side by gradually revealing their motivations and backstories.
I enjoyed spending time with Tabbi on her emotional and physical journey across Europe as she struggled to keep one train ahead of those pursuing her. And then I liked learning more about Ruby, another flawed but rounded character.
A pacy read.
With thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an early copy in exchange for an independent review.
Lovers of Franz K. by Burhan Sönmez, translated by Semi Hêzil
West Berlin, 1968, Ferdy Kaplan is arrested for the murder of a young student and the wounding of an elderly author. In turns, he is interrogated by a state prosecutor and Kommissar Müller in scenes that read like a two-header play, entirely dialogue driven with few stage directions. The matter of factness of Kaplan’s responses reminded me of Meursault in Camus’s L'Étranger.
The authorities believe the shootings are politically motivated. The two interrogators aim to find out which terrorist organisation Kaplan is involved with. Kaplan states he regrets the death of the student, he acted alone and the elderly author was his intended target. He explains that the man, Max Brod, was the best friend of Franz Kafka.
On his deathbed, Kafka left Brod with instructions in his will to burn his notebooks and unpublished writing. Instead, Brod edited, then published them. Kaplan shot Brod as revenge for this betrayal of Kafka. As the police and courtroom interviews progress, Kaplan shifts the focus from himself to Brod as if Brod is the person on trial. In exchanges with the Kommissar, there is an in-depth exploration of not only Brod’s intent but also Kafka’s, with parallels drawn to Dante’s The Comedy which was renamed after his death by Boccaccio as The Divine Comedy.
Between the dialogue-led scenes are backstory revelations about Brod (a Jew who fled Prague to settle in Tel Aviv) and Kaplan (rescued from the rubble of Berlin; sent to Istanbul and a new home with a Kurdish-Armenian family, comprising Amalya and her war-traumatised father; and, following violent persecution, moving with Amalya to Paris, where he became acquainted with radical magazine Stylo Noir).
I read this novel because I’m a fan of Kafka’s writing. This book provided discussion about his life and the morality or otherwise of the posthumous publication of his work, but it also talked about persecution and trauma. I enjoyed reading it.
If Something Happens to me by Alex Finlay
I loved Alex Finlay's The Night Shift so when I found out he had another thriller out, I bought it straightaway.
After a Lovers Lane triste with her boyfriend Ryan, 18-year-old Alison disappeared in her car. Although Ryan was never charged, he was hounded by locals and on social media until he left town (Leavenworth, Kansas) and changed his name. The heat around him eventually died down when police found DNA evidence linking Alison to a now dead serial killer.
Five years later, Alison's car is pulled out of a local lake. There are two male corpses inside but no sign of Alison.
The find stirs up trouble for Ryan and forces police into a new investigation.
The story is told from five viewpoints:
Ryan, on holiday in Italy when the news story about the recovered car breaks;
Poppy, whose new job as deputy sheriff starts on the day the car is found;
O'Leary, a Pennsylvania-based crime boss who worries about his young son not settling in school;
Michael, O'Leary's accountant who must balance staying on the right side of the law with staying on the right side of O'Leary;
Chaz, O’Leary’s semi-retired henchman.
The five characters are distinctive and rounded. As Ryan and Poppy make their separate investigations into what happened to Alison, the author keeps the reader guessing about how the case connects to O' Leary. I enjoyed the cheeky switch up when it happened.
It's a well-written, suspenseful, fast paced and a quick read, which I enjoyed. But be warned: it’s gruesome in some places.
The Serial Killer Support Group by D.B. Stephens
Women in a domestic violence survivors' group take protection from - and punishment of - their abusers into their own hands.
Lots of on-page description of serial killer attacks and murders as well as commentary on the legal options available to domestic violence survivors.
Ideal for readers who enjoy vigilante justice stories told in a straightforward narrative style.
With thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an early copy in exchange for an independent review.
Fire on the Fells by Cath Staincliffe
This is the second outing for detective duo Leo and Shan, this time investigating the death of a young eco-protester. In her trademark fluent and richly descriptive style, the author explores the theme of exploitation of the Yorkshire Dales by wealthy, pleasure-seeking hunters. The difficult backstories of the two dedicated police officers are woven through the investigation. Perfect for fans of sombre, gritty police procedurals with a strong sense of place.
With thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an early copy in exchange for an independent review.
A sunshine suspense story that revolves around a typical premise for this type of thriller. Fans of the genre will love it.
With thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an early copy in exchange for an independent review.
From the blurb:
Ellie has wanted to be an actor since she was a child so, when a role in a blockbuster film presents itself, she grabs it.
On the plane to location in Abu Dhabi, Ellie overhears something she shouldn't – two people discussing their plans to murder someone.
Unsure if what she heard was even real, and not wanting to ruin her big break, Ellie remains quiet. Then ten members of the crew become nine...
Ellie needs to be careful – it's more than just her career on the line.
Because she isn't who she says she is.
And liars are always the prime suspect.
This novel about the preoccupations of a group of middle-class neighbours doesn’t just peel back their layers, it sharpens the claws of the big cat sighted in the street and sinks them into the protagonists’ shady secrets, ripping off their skin. Exposed are several unpleasant, immoral individuals, with one considerably crazier than the others.
Ideal for fans of literary storytelling and character study. The descriptions of the panther are exquisite.
With thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an early copy in exchange for an independent review.
As the title My Book Reviews for May 2025 (Part One) suggests, I have more reviews to come this month and I’ll be posting Part Two later in May.