I've got a double bill of monthly favourites in this post as I was away when I'd usually post my September Favourites and was too lazy to schedule it. So, this will be quite a long post with a lot of books in it but I'll try and keep the descriptions succinct and not ramble as much as I usually do.
Also, most of the books were either ebooks or library books which have since been returned so there's not much of a photo.
The Adversary by Emmanuel Carrère
It feels like ages ago since I read this book (read the original review here) but it has stayed with me. It's the true story of Jean-Claude Romand who, after 20 years conning everybody into thinking he's a doctor, killed his entire family and almost himself. The subtlety of Carrère's writing contrasts with the brutality of the true life crimes.
Dark Fire by C.J. Sansom (Matthew Shardlake #2)
I'd read the first in the Matthew Shardlake series, Dissolution, several years ago but, despite it being right up my street with Tudor mystery, I didn't enjoy it much. I felt it was a little stilted. But, I'd read that the second one is better so I tried Dark Fire and definitely enjoyed it more than the first. Sansom seems to get into his stride with this one, the character of the hunchback lawyer Shardlake is well drawn and I enjoyed the intrigue in the Tudor London setting. I will read the next one.
Death on the Nile by Agatha Christie (Hercule Poirot #17)
I love a bit of Poirot to break up the new releases. I think Death on the Nile is one of my favourites so far, excellent setting, brilliant intrigue and an great cast of characters. And of course Poirot generally being brilliant and pompous as usual.
The Sundial by Shirley Jackson
I love The Haunting of Hill House and We Have Always Lived in the Castle but have not read many of Jackson's other novels, so I gave The Sundial a try. While it's definitely not overtaken my love for the previous two, I found The Sundial had Jackson's usual humour and creepiness combined, but with a less tuned writing style here. The story of a group of people trapped in a house believing the world is going to end is surreal and told almost in small scenelets. It's an excelent study of characters and builds up the tension well, but what I most admired was the humour in everyone trying to put up with everyone else while also plan a successful hierachy and breeding program.
Nutshell by Ian McEwan
I really enjoyed this one. A rather snobbish fetus over hears it's mother's plot to murder. Unique and well done by McEwan, it looks at how really banal and ugly murder is and how it comes about by seemingly 'normal' people. I heard about this book in a video by Ruth Crilly of A Model Recommends (can't find the link, sorry) and she said she imagined the fetus talking as Stewie from Family Guy, so that's what I heard all the way through.
The Seagull by Ann Cleeves (Vera Stanhope #8)
If you've been following Reading, Writing, Booking for a while you'll know that I love Ann Cleeve's Vera series, and the newest one is just as good as the others. In The Seagull Vera has to delve into her own past as she investigates an old murder that ties in with her father. Read my full review here.
A Pocketful of Crows by Joanne M Harris
I recently reviewed this story of folklore and seasons. If you think it sounds a bit cutesy don't worry, Harris manages to combine darkness and mythology in this story of a wild girl who takes revenge on the man who broke her heart.
Faithful unto Death by Caroline Graham (Chief inspector Barnaby #5)
This is the last Midsomer Murders book I have to read (not the last in the series, I've just been reading them out of order) and I'm a little sad as I've been enjoying them. Faithful unto Death is one of my favourites I think. The lead characters are already well developed and we jump right in with a murder and kidnapping. There's the usual countryside characters who seem like caricatures but have depth and humour added by Graham. Plus, a good and complex mystery which kept me guessing.
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