The Diamond Device by M.H. Thaung

 

⭐⭐⭐

You can buy The Diamond Device...Here

You can follow MH Thaung...Here

The Blurb...

After diamond power promises to replace steam, an unemployed labourer and a thieving noble unite to foil an international plot and avert a war.

Alf Wilson resents the new technology that cost him hibuy s factory job, especially as his clockwork leg bars him from army enrolment. He daren’t confess his unemployment to his overbearing mother. Desperate over the rent, he ends up in a detention cell with a hangover.

Impoverished Lord Richard Hayes maintains his expensive parliamentary seat by a mixture of charm and burglary. During a poorly planned break-in, he inadvertently witnesses a kidnapping. To cap it all, the police arrest him for the crime. At least he's using a fake identity. The real criminals make off with not just the professor who discovered diamond power, but her plans for a diamond-fuelled bomb.

When Rich encounters Alf in the neighbouring cell, he sees an opportunity to keep his noble reputation intact. He persuades Alf he's a secret agent who needs an assistant. This chance association will take them to the oddest locations. But law-abiding Alf’s first assignment? Break Rich out of jail.

My Review...

So... my first steampunk novel. 

What is steampunk? Basically a tale set in a fictionalised Victorian type era with some wacky technology eg a diamond powered, clockwork prosthetic leg or steam powered handsome cabs.

There are several plotlines including an aristocrats parents go missing, a culture clash between working class Alf and upper class Rich (who is actually so poor he resorts to theiving), a kidnapping of a prominent scientist, industrial espionage, a maid who may be more than she seems, a cold War between two countries, so there is a lot going on. In fact on occasion I felt like a lion trying to pick out one wildebeest out of the herd to chase down.

The characters were an interesting ensemble. Alf seemed honourable but not too savvy and Rich seems savvy but not too honourable. Also they don't particularly get along. A partnership of inconvenience from across the social divide.

I found the reasons why Rich's parents abandoned him without resources to be odd as was his nonchalance when he finds out.

The relationship between the scientist and her husband was an odd one as well. She seemed caring to others while he did not, and yet he was devoted her.

The strength of this novel was the world building. The author has created a vibrant environment that is very familiar yet very different at the same time.

There is a sense of adventure in the narrative rather than fear, or impending doom and while the multi plots may be a problem for an old git like me, I feel that there is plenty to capture the attention. In addition to the above reasons I believe the pace of the book and the author's world building aptitude may lend themselves to a YA audience.

Selected Quotes...

"Silhouetted in the doorway were two figures. One was female, her curves beginning the slow decline towards sagginghood."

"But the amused dimples and long dark lashes brought back memories of passing notes in class. And trading boiled sweets. And imaginative dreams."

"While nobles might invest, or direct, or be consulted for advice, they didn’t actually work for pay. That distinguished them from the lower classes,"

"It was clearly a misunderstanding, and these tabloid papers don't always concern themselves with accuracy.”“That’s understandable, but they’re worryingly influential, even among our enlightened citizens."

About the Author...

M.H. Thaung was born in Scotland and has moved progressively southwards throughout her career. She now works in a biomedical science research institute in London, England. She loves her job and academic writing (where she publishes as C. Thaung). She also enjoys wondering "What if...?" and seeing what might happen in alternate worlds. Her creative writing is split between novels and Twitter microfiction

Murder in the Valleys by Pippa McCathie

⭐⭐⭐⭐

You can buy Murder in the Valleys...Here

The Blurb...

Out walking near the rain-swelled river running past her small Welsh town, she comes across the body of Amber Morgan. Fabia’s police training tells her instantly that the death is the result of foul play. But no longer in the force, all she can do is call it in.

Yet she has mixed feelings when she discovers it is her former colleague, Matt Lambert, newly promoted to chief inspector, who will head the investigation into the girl’s death.

Despite this, having known the victim, and bored with her new job as an illustrator, Fabia can’t help probing into the murder. However, her inquiries further upset the quiet of the town. Not least her neighbour, busybody Rhona Griffiths, who was seen arguing with the victim the day before her death.

Fabia’s activity bothers Matt Lambert but time and time again Fabia’s instincts are proved right. He can’t help leaning on her in order to progress the investigation but that will also involve confronting why she left the force years ago.

Can they put their differences aside and work together to bring the perpetrator to justice despite Fabia’s painful past being brought up again? Or will Fabia’s moonlighting get her into further danger?

MURDER IN THE VALLEYS is set in the fictional town of Pontygwyn in the Welsh valleys under the shadow of the Black Mountains. It will appeal to readers who like traditional whodunnits, those who like the landscape, atmosphere and people of South Wales, and everyone who likes a good read that keeps you turning the page.

My Review...

First of all, lets get the misconception out of the way. When one thinks of the valleys it conjures up gritty, working class areas that are often socially deprived. So the title Murder in the Valleys would conjour up an abrasive, visceral backdrop. The murder takes place in the fictional village of Pontygwyn which as far as I can make out is somewhere between Rhymney and Blaenavon which would fit the hard nosed, valley setting. In actuality Pontygwyn is very twee and middle class. It is very Agatha Christie, Midsomer Murders. Apart from dropping the odd place in and one "butt" and one "bach" the novel could have been set anywhere.

I found the spelling of "hallo" through out the book to be a bit odd. I have always used "hello."

Having said that the cosy crime caper gently drags you  in and is quite enjoyable. It is not a difficult read and is softly welcoming. It is actually two mysteries. One is the murder of a young, promiscuous woman and a subsequent murder of a nosy old crone. The other mystery is the original reason for the fall from grace from the Police Force of our protaganist Fabia Havard. We are fed a diet of red herrings in the shape of several potential (stereotypical?) suspects before the culprit is revealed. 

A nice example of a comfortable genre. Enjoyable but I don't think it's ever going to make my top 10.

About the Author...

South Wales has played a big part in Pippa’s life, two of her three sons were born in Swansea and she visits close friends near Newport as often as she can. Brought up in Mauritius, she’s spent a lot of her life travelling, to Guernsey, London, South Africa, South Wales, Iran and back to Guernsey. She began writing in school exercise books to entertain her friends, which resulted in dubious exam results but much laughter. She’s had many poems and short stories published and, once her boys had been packed off to school, started on the novels. For 17 years she taught a creative writing class, and in her spare time she’s worked as a volunteer with a national charity, helped run Guernsey’s local Eisteddfod, and looked after a gorgeous husband and a cowardly cat. All these activities have helped her avoid time wasting activities such as housework and gardening. Her series of crime novels, Murder in the Valleys, Murder at the Old Abbey and Murder by the River Usk and Murder in a Welsh Town, are all published by The Book Folks, and feature two of her best (fictional) friends, Fabia Havard and Matt Lambert. She has now written a romantic thriller, Liberation Day, which is based in Guernsey and is full of adventure and interesting characters, and has just published another romantic thriller based in London and Mauritius. Now it's time to get back to the fifth book in the Havard & Lambert series, which has been slightly delayed by a move to Hampshire to be nearer her sons and grandchildren.

1984 by George Orwell

 

Reviewed by Guest Reviewer

 Owen Powell

First published in 1949 by acclaimed novelist George Orwell, 1984 is an iconic piece of fiction that serves as an ominous glimpse into a dystopian future where freedom of speech, and indeed of thought, has been outlawed. 

Airstrip 1 (formerly known as Great Britain) is now governed by the all-powerful and seemingly untouchable political party known as INGSOC. The Party’s means of maintaining complete control over it’s citizens, as to avoid them thinking for themselves, are quite extreme to say the least. Utilizing bone-chilling methods such as observing the population’s every move through the use of telescreens hidden throughout London (they are constantly reminded of this by the mass of posters depicting the face of the Party’s seemingly omniscient leader known only as Big Brother, with a caption reading ‘BIG BROTHER IS WATCHING YOU’ running beneath it.)Reforming language itself into ‘Newspeak’ in order to discourage political debate, and “removing” those who dare to act of their own accord.

We experience what nightmarish effects this totalitarian regime has on London society through the eyes of Winston Smith, a low-ranking member of the outer-party who begins to have doubts about his superiors, a dangerous act indeed, seeing as The Party has outlawed all negative thoughts about itself, Big Brother, and its seemingly perfect history as a ‘thoughtcrime’. 

Unlike most novellas that harbor an external conflict between differentiating characters, the conflict in 1984 exists within the confines of Winston’s own mind. We see first-hand the internal struggle Winston suffers as he experiences these illegal doubts about The Party, which contrast greatly with everything that he was indoctrinated to believe.In true Matrix-like fashion, Winston must decide whether to continue to live his bleak and depressing life as a member of the Party, swallowing every lie that he is fed and regurgitating them out to the general public, or to break free from the illusion and discover what’s really on the other side of the curtain.

Whilst reading 1984, I (much like many other readers, I’m sure) could not help but to compare the striking similaritiesof the dystopian society created by George Orwell to our own modern-day society. For example, the telescreens he describes as being almost everywhere to ensure that the general public remain docile bare a striking resemblance to the CCTV cameras of our time. Who’s to say Big Brother isn’t at the other end of those cameras as well? 

There are also many other similarities that crop up throughout the book, such as the way media and politicians alter the truth to influence the minds of the general public. Although, whilst I recognize and appreciate the importance of this masterful piece of literature, it does focus rather heavily on the setting and the exposition of this dark world more than anything else.

 As a result of this, I believe the story to be somewhat lacking. This is by no means a bad read, far from it, but for me 1984 could have benefited from a little more depth in it’s somewhat basic story and a little less exposition and world-building.

1984 is divided into three parts, I found part one to serve simply as an observation of this dystopia through the eyes of someone who lives at the center of it. To me, little happens story-wise throughout these first nine chapters, although they do serve a purpose as to introduce the foundations of this world and how everything works under the oppressive rule of The Party. The lack of story, however, is my only minor gripe with the novel. It remains a compelling read throughout, the way Orwell constructs this futuristic nightmare through the use of masterful literature will fully immerse you into it’s world and will keep your attention throughout. You need only look at some of the iconic quotes from this novel to truly appreciate it’s significance as one of the greatest works of fiction of all time. Quotes such as ‘Who controls the past controls the future, who controls the present controls the past’, ‘Until they become conscious they will never rebel, and until after they have rebelled they cannot become conscious.’ And ‘Freedom is the freedom to say that two plus two make four. If that is granted, all else follows.’ As well as it’s numerous screen adaptations and influence on popular media to this day, prove that this novel is regarded highly around the world for good reason.

Although somewhat dissatisfied with the minimal story, I found 1984 to be a very compelling and engaging read which succeeded in captivating my attention throughout.I akm glad to have read it and I would definitely recommend it to fans of the dystopian-future genre, if they have not yet read it already.

About the Author...

Orwell was born Eric Arthur Blair on 25 June 1903 in eastern India, the son of a British colonial civil servant. He was educated in England and, after he left Eton, joined the Indian Imperial Police in Burma, then a British colony. He resigned in 1927 and decided to become a writer. In 1928, he moved to Paris where lack of success as a writer forced him into a series of menial jobs. He described his experiences in his first book, 'Down and Out in Paris and London', published in 1933. He took the name George Orwell, shortly before its publication. This was followed by his first novel, 'Burmese Days', in 1934.

An anarchist in the late 1920s, by the 1930s he had begun to consider himself a socialist. In 1936, he was commissioned to write an account of poverty among unemployed miners in northern England, which resulted in 'The Road to Wigan Pier' (1937). Late in 1936, Orwell travelled to Spain to fight for the Republicans against Franco's Nationalists. He was forced to flee in fear of his life from Soviet-backed communists who were suppressing revolutionary socialist dissenters. The experience turned him into a lifelong anti-Stalinist.

Between 1941 and 1943, Orwell worked on propaganda for the BBC. In 1943, he became literary editor of the Tribune, a weekly left-wing magazine. By now he was a prolific journalist, writing articles, reviews and books.

In 1945, Orwell's 'Animal Farm' was published. A political fable set in a farmyard but based on Stalin's betrayal of the Russian Revolution, it made Orwell's name and ensured he was financially comfortable for the first time in his life. 'Nineteen Eighty-Four' was published four years later. Set in an imaginary totalitarian future, the book made a deep impression, with its title and many phrases - such as 'Big Brother is watching you', 'newspeak' and 'doublethink' - entering popular use. By now Orwell's health was deteriorating and he died of tuberculosis on 21 January 1950

Single Cell by Phil Rowlands

 

You can buy Single Cell...Here

You can follow Phil Rowlands...Here

The Blurb...

Deputy Prison Governor, Giles Lawson, has doubts concerning the suicide of a lifer. No one listens to him, so he begins to rattle cages. He is suspended after ignoring orders from his boss to drop it. Convinced his suspicions are valid, he enlists the help of the Prison Chaplain, and through him, an investigative journalist.As they edge closer to the truth, they are dragged into a dark world of retribution and murder, which threatens not only their lives but also those of Giles’ wife and teenage daughters.

My Review...

Deputy Prison Governor Giles Lawson  has trouble at home with his wife and teenage daughters. He also has nagging doubts about the suicide of an evil killer, hung in his own cell. The more he pushes the more his boss pushes back. 

He enlists the help of his friend and Prison Chaplain Peter Sattori, but Peter is not all that he seems. He has a shadowy past and contacts in the underworld (the criminal kind not the biblical kind) They set off in pursuit of the victim's cell mate and thus begins an adventure of  betrayal, revenge, vigilante justice and murder. 

After reading the blurb one could be forgiven for thinking that this would be a gritty, prison drama full of screws and grasses and claustrophobia, which it is for the first few chapters before it develops into a sort Roman Catholic spy adventure. Quite unexpected but nonetheless entertaining.

There were a couple of things that threw me off a little. A lot of similar characters were introduced, all around the same time, near the start of the book. By chapter 6 my pen and notebook was out trying to keep track, but before long most had been bumped off. Notepad back in the drawer after a few chapters. 

Also I struggled a little to appreciate the motivation of some characters. Notably the villain in setting up the organisation that Giles and Peter uncover and the motivation of one his associates near the denouement. 

The pace fairly rattled along, probably a little too quickly for me. I read that the author has a history of writing screenplays and I can see why, the rhythm of the book resembles a tv thriller. However, I often feel  the beauty of a book is in lingering and developing. I realise these minor stones in the shoe are probably mine and mine alone. Reading is a very subjective pastime🤷.

Minor quibbles apart I did enjoy the story. The main crux of (POSSIBLE SPOILER) a secret society of powerful relatives of victims ensuring that old school eye for an eye justice is applied in spite of our legal system not because of it is a very good one. 

Also the character of Peter and  a Papal spy network is intriguing and ripe for future books. 

Selected Quotes...

"Patty, who was not looking at him with the warmth that he had hoped. It was more the way you would look at cat shit that had squeezed through your bare toes."

"Only use the weapon when the words fail."

"...were members of the same club as him and it left a bad taste in the mouth when something like this happened. Almost as an afterthought he said that they had better be seen to take the families of the dead policemen to their hearts and give them a full ceremonial burial. It was the kind of emotional response the people liked and it would be good for the government’s flagging popularity if there was a serious slice of authority on show; Troakes could now ‘piss off and do what he was paid a fucking good salary to do."

"Go straight in Giles," Deborah, snake protector of the inner sanctum hissed at him as she sat coiled behind her desk"

About the Author

Phil is a screenwriter, author and producer.
After many years as a ‘safe pair of hands’ actor, mainly in film and television, he moved into the production side as a freelance writer and producer. He has written feature films, TV and radio dramas, documentaries and animation series and worked on productions as a script doctor and consultant.
In 2009 he was one of the co-founders of Funky Medics, a production company focussing mainly on innovative health education. Their projects have included heart disease, diabetes, smoking and drug abuse,
Siena, his first novel, has recently been republished by new indie publisher Diamond Books along with his second, Single Cell. A third TimeSlip will be released in August 2021. He writes in a small shed at the bottom of his garden.
Originally from Pembrokeshire in West Wales, he now lives near Cardiff and has British nationality and Canadian citizenship.

The Man Who Died Twice by Richard Osman

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

You can buy The Man Who Died Twice...Here

The Blurb...

The second novel in the record-breaking, million-copy bestselling Thursday Murder Club series by Richard Osman.

It's the following Thursday.

Elizabeth has received a letter from an old colleague, a man with whom she has a long history. He’s made a big mistake, and he needs her help. His story involves stolen diamonds, a violent mobster, and a very real threat to his life.

As bodies start piling up, Elizabeth enlists Joyce, Ibrahim and Ron in the hunt for a ruthless murderer. And if they find the diamonds too? Well, wouldn't that be a bonus?

But this time they are up against an enemy who wouldn't bat an eyelid at knocking off four septuagenarians. Can The Thursday Murder Club find the killer (and the diamonds) before the killer finds them?

My Review...

Sometimes people in the media turn to writing books as an extra income stream. Well, they already have some notoriety/audience but do not have a writers gift. Richard Osman is not one of those. Mr Osman does have a gift for writing, especially "cosy comedy" His first book "The Thursday Murder Club" sold in its millions and was very entertaining. Although it did use the trick of defeating dead end plot lines by getting ex spy Elizabeth just to phone her ex colleagues to gain some nugget of vital information.

I think TMWDT is even better. Elizabeth's ex husband, still with MI5, steals some diamonds from a crime financier and along with his young, still wet behind the ears handler has to hide out in Coopers Chase retirement home under the watchful eye of our four OAP amateur sleuths and an ever growing cast of helpers. 

The plot is paced perfectly with twists at just the spots. Clever enough to be interesting but not overwhelmingly complex. It will keep you thinking to the end.

The four main characters have very distinct personalities. My favourite is Joyce the retired but a bit dippy ex nurse, whose razor sharp instincts are hidden deep within a vastness of triviality and gossip. Her depth is hidden by her shallowness, and that takes some writing. The growing supporting cast are all colourful and vivid also. I never struggled to remember each one, which I think is a very good sign in an ensemble book.

The partner of comedy is, as always, tragedy, and this is where the author really excels. The segue from jolly hockey-sticks to impending sense of ending and back is handled beautifully. The sections on dementia are heartbreaking as is the aftermath of an OAP struggling with mental health after a brutal mugging. Reading my last two sentences, one could be forgiven for thinking that this is a sad book. It is not, It is joyous and heartwarming. Given the series immense popularity, no doubt there will be a TV show soon.

If you reading this Mr Osman. Give up the day job son! You've cracked it. 😁

Selected Quotes...

“People love to sleep, and yet they are so frightened of death.”

“I am learning that it is important to stop sometimes, and just have a drink and a gossip with friends, even as corpses start to pile up around you. Which they have been doing a lot recently.”

"More women are murdering people these days…If you ignore the context, it is a real sign of progress.”

"Death hangs about her like a fine mist. It is in her hair and in her clothes. Surely everyone around her can tell"

About the Author...

Best known as the creator and co-presenter of the beloved BBC quiz show Pointless, Richard Osman’s career in television and comedy spans more than two decades. Osman studied Politics and Sociology at Trinity College, Cambridge, and began his career in television by producing numerous shows, including Deal or No Deal. Since 2009, he has co-presented Pointless with Alexander Armstrong and made various appearances in programmes such as Have I Got News for You and QI. Osman has also written several quiz and trivia books, including A Pointless History of the World(2016).

In 2020, Osman broke records with his debut novel The Thursday Murder Club – a deliciously humorous detective romp featuring a group of pensioners sleuthing in a sleepy retirement village in Kent. As well as becoming the fastest selling adult crime debut in recorded history, it was widely praised by critics.

 

Slow Horses by Mick Herron

 

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

You can buy "Slow Horses".....Here

You can follow Mick Herron....Here

The Blurb....

You don't stop being a spook just because you're no longer in the game.

Banished to Slough House from the ranks of achievers at Regent's Park for various crimes of drugs and drunkenness, lechery and failure, politics and betrayal, Jackson Lamb's misfit crew of highly trained joes don't run ops, they push paper.

But not one of them joined the Intelligence Service to be a 'slow horse'.

A boy is kidnapped and held hostage. His beheading is scheduled for live broadcast on the net. And whatever the instructions of the Service, the slow horses aren't going to just sit quiet and watch . .

My Review...

Wow, what a book. Le Carre for the modern age. 

I chose this book after hearing Mark Billingham recommend it on a pod cast.

Slough House is where MI5 keep the "slow horses," operatives who have been black balled but for some reason or other but can't be sacked. A departure lounge where MI5 give them mind-numbingly dull tasks until they quit the service of their own accord. Their number include River Cartwright grandson of a once senior MI5 operative.

 

The head of Slough House is Jackson Lamb a disgraced senior veteran, who eventually sort of acts as Cartwright's mentor in a dysfunctional way. 

The Slow Horses have some minor involvement in a watching brief operation that blows up in their faces and the motley crew of the has beens, never was and never will be realise they are being set up. They must work together to save the victim and themselves.

This is a really good book. If Le Carre was a young man now, this is what he would be writing. I read Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy and Smiley's people by Le Carre when I was in school and thoroughly enjoyed being in that world with it's own jargon of "moles," "lamplighters" and "the Circus" etc. Herron achieves the same immersion in the world of spies but with an updated vocabulary "dogs, achievers, Joes" and it is still fascinating but I think Herron offers a more modern, even more cynical and sardonic edge than the Master Le Carre. 

When I read this book it reminded me of when Daniel Craig took over as James Bond in Casino Royale. A well worn old favourite genre suddenly had new life blasted right through it. 

The plot is fascinating, all double crosses, back up plans and surprises. The characters are great too. Jackson Lamb is likely to answer a question from the head of the Security Services with a fart. What can I say, He is my type of guy. I saw on twitface that Gary Oldman was to play him in a forthcoming Netflix thingee. Obvs a great actor but Lamb is packing a bit of timber. Had a think and came up with an extensive list! Robbie Coltrane, Stephen Fry, Nick Frost, Tom Wilkinson, Hugh Bonnevile.

The top brass are wary of him, the Slow Horses loathe him. In a progressive work environment he would be fired for bullying and not even the passive aggressive kind! A proper grumpy old man of an anti hero. 

If you like spy novels (or even if you don't) I thoroughly recommend this book

Selected Quotes...

"Half of the future is buried in the past. That was the prevailing Service culture. Hence the obsessive sifting of twice-ploughed ground, attempting to understand history before it came round again." 

"If Moscow rules meant watch your back, London rules meant cover your arse. Moscow rules had been written on the streets, but London rules were devised in the corridors of Westminster, and the short version read: someone always pays. Make sure it isn’t you."

"Lamb’s laugh wasn’t a genuine surrender to amusement; more of a temporary derangement. Not a laugh you’d want to hear from anyone holding a stick."

"When she held the compact closer to her face, she could trace damage under the skin; see the lines through which her youth had leaked."

About the Author...

Mick Herron is a British novelist and short-story writer who was born in Newcastle and studied English at Oxford. He is the author of six books in the Slough House series (Slow Horses, Dead Lions, Real Tigers, Spook Street, London Rules, and the novella The List) and four Oxford mysteries (Down Cemetery Road, The Last Voice You Hear, Why We Die, and Smoke and Whispers), as well as the standalone novels Reconstruction, Nobody Walks, and This Is What Happened. His work has won the CWA Gold Dagger for Best Crime Novel, the Steel Dagger for Best Thriller, and the Ellery Queen Readers Award, and been nominated for the Macavity, Barry, Shamus, and Theakstons Novel of the Year Awards. He currently lives in Oxford and writes full-time.