I hope you've had a lovely Christmas and are enjoying a lazy Boxing Day morning. Pity me, because I've got to go to work this afternoon. Whatever you're doing today I hope you have time to check out my top ten books released in 2017.
I've included links to my original reviews in the information for each book if you want to know more about each one.
These are in no particular order.
The Roanoke Girls by Amy Engel
This book deals with some very disturbing subjects but manages to do so in a subtle manner that makes it all the more unsettling. Engel handles family dynamics perfectly in this story, where Lane Roanoke revisits the home she left behind to find out what happened to her cousin and discover the truth behind the famous Roanoke girls.
Swimming Lessons by Claire Fuller
A beautiful cover and a beautiful book, though one filled with sadness and frustration. 12 years after her mother's disappearance Flora returns to her family home and her ailing, once brilliant father to try and find out the truth. Swimming Lessons isn't a thriller so much, but more an exploration of a family and a relationship, told in letters written by the missing Ingrid, hidden in her husband's books.
The
Bear and the Nightingale by Katherine Arden
Russian folklore and dark fairy tales are brought to life in The Bear and the Nightingale by Katherine Arden. It mixes historical fiction and fantasy and tells the story of Vasilisa and the danger approaching her family in the Russian wilderness, and the powers Vasilisa has that make her an outsider.
It may sound odd to say I laughed at a book about a serial killer, but Sweetpea was so funny yet so dark that it enthralled me. Rhiannon keeps a diary cataloging her work and romance strife, all very Bridget Jones, except for the fact that she's also a serial killer who's keeping a woman prisoner in her family home.
Sweetpea by C.J. Skuse
It may sound odd to say I laughed at a book about a serial killer, but Sweetpea was so funny yet so dark that it enthralled me. Rhiannon keeps a diary cataloging her work and romance strife, all very Bridget Jones, except for the fact that she's also a serial killer who's keeping a woman prisoner in her family home.
The Twelve Lives of Samuel Hawley by Hannah Tinti
Thriller and coming of age story come together in The Twelve Lives of Samuel Hawley. The father daughter story has parallel narratives, one explaining how Hawley got his scars, while in the present his daughter Loo deals with growing up and finding out who her father really is. Slightly dramatic in parts, but go with it, the larger than life aspects work well with the 'normal' troubles of a teenage girl and single father.
Reservoir 13 by Jon McGregor
Reservoir 13 explores the effect of a missing girl on a small rural community. If you're expecting a whodunnit then this isn't for you, rather McGregor examines life in a small village and the ripple effect of a major incident on the residents.
The History of Bees by Maja Lunde
Fictional, yet could be terrifying fact, The History of Bees follows three beekeepers from the past, present and future as they discover the importance of bees. It has a dystopian feeling combined with historical fiction and excellent character portraits.
The
Upstairs Room by Kate Murray-Browne
The Upstairs Room is difficult to pin down, it's part ghost story, part family drama and part thriller. I starts with a fairly classic haunted house premise; young family moves into new home, only to discover something strange in the attic, but it has more depth and explores relationships a little more. It's sinister but hard to put down.
A Pocketful of Crows by Joanne M Harris
The Seagull by Ann Cleeves
The latest in the Vera Stanhope series did not disappoint. The Seagull continues Northumbrian detective Stanhope's story as she delves into a missing persons cold case which has ties to her own past. It is brilliantly told and Cleeves' writing is both blunt yet poetic as always.
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