If You Could Read My Mind: Four riveting novels feature in today's #IYCRMM. The f irst one is written in 18th century style but with a knowing wink at the reader of today. The next three are crime-fiction-related but differ from each other in scope and style. Of riddles and mysterious murders 'The...
If You Could Read My Mind : The four novels today deal with social conduct and mores with a light touch, even when the subject matter is the extinction of the species via murder, male mid-life crisis, suicide, and AI. To the authors’ credit, these four are wonderfully rendered comedies. Two...
If You Could Read My Mind: Two novels today, ‘The Echo Chamber’ and ‘Little Siberia,’ are humorous and playful. ‘The Sweetness of Water’ is a dramatic depiction of post-Civil War and ‘The Plot’ is about literary fraud and the consequences paid. ‘The Echo Chamber’ and ‘Little...
IF YOU COULD READ MY MIND: An interesting meditation on physical loss and impermanence, and three varying versions of the American Dream, imbibing the Past, the Present, and the Future. These are the four novels reviewed here. Mistakes? 'An Inventory of Losses' by Judith Schalansky Here is a very...
IF YOU COULD READ MY MIND: European Crime Fiction takes the spotlight via the debut novel of a Swedish author, a French graphic novel, and one set in the UK. And we have a sci-fi alt-history tale set in Germany 1945. ‘La Grande Odalisque’ and ‘Geiger’ ‘Geiger’ by Gustaf Skördeman...
IF YOU COULD READ MY MIND: From the Hamptons to upstate New York, it’s the criminal life in that state for two of our novels. Then two from London or the nearby outskirts. Set in the streets of New York ‘The Disappearance of Stephanie Mailer’ by Joël Dicker If you’re looking for sleepless...
IF YOU COULD READ MY MIND: The four novels today are a mixed bag of delights. We have the latest from crime fiction luminaries Mick Herron and Chris Brookmyre, a newly hailed author from India, and the new one from the author of “The Martian.” ‘Slough House’ by Mick Herron This is the...
IF YOU COULD READ MY MIND: Today, we have books that “play” in the world of words, dictionaries, and libraries. And there are two novels from Japanese authors, from opposite ends of the writing spectrum. ‘The Dictionary of Lost Words’ by Pip Williams I’ve always been partial to fiction...
Here are four fine novels with women in the lead role. One is a fine example of contemporary crime fiction, and one is a double helix narrative set in today’s London and the late 18th century. The third novel deals with dissociative identity disorder, while the fourth is a stirring account of...
The four novels today come from all points of the globe. From India to the UK, and from North America to South Korea. What unites these four novels, is the impeccable quality of the writing, no matter how different their genres are. ‘Death in the East’ by Abir Mukherge A double-locked room...
With these four novels, our intrepid quartet of authors dig into the past or speculate on the future in order to create insightful commentary on what we’re like as members of the human race. The best part is they do this while still entertaining. ‘Hurdy Gurdy’ by Christopher Wilson This...
BOOK REVIEWS: Four titles that redefine how one should read comedy If there’s a common thread running through the four novels today, it’s how gentle comedy can be a most effective way for bringing home a message. From examining our fascination for the occult, to thinking up a near-future,...
