The Wonder by Emma Donoghue

After Room, how can Emma Donoghue possibly astound again? And yet astound she does, in her beautifully crafted latest novel, "The Wonder". Rich, poetic prose. Believable characters. Story that tugs at your heart and compels you to turn the pages. Themes of motherly love and being confined to a room. :-)

Into the water

"Into the water" by Paula Hawkins:

• Reader, it's good.
• It's nothing like her debut, "The girl on the train".
• The number of characters may be daunting at first, but the book will make you think.
• As in, _really_ think.
• I didn't expect the twist.

A Mother's Reckoning

A Mother's Reckoning by Sue Klebold was surprisingly easily to read, given that it's about the Columbine High School shooting on 20 April 1999, and written by the mother of one of the shooters. It's also surprisingly difficult to review.


So many thoughts. So many questions. So much sympathy.


If you ever thought the parents were to blame in this tragedy, read the book. Read the book if you want to learn to recognise signs of depression in your loved ones. The author wrote it hoping she could help prevent another disaster.

Love Like Blood

"Love Like Blood" is Mark Billingham's latest thriller (2017), again featuring both Thorne and Tanner. I liked the ratio in this one (his previous book was a bit Thorne-poor), I was intrigued by the topic of honour killings, and I enjoyed the non-predictable plot twists.


5/5. This one's a winner.


Warning: the official blurb contains a spoiler (IMHO).
DI Nicola Tanner needs Tom Thorne’s help. Her partner, Susan, has been brutally murdered and Tanner is convinced that it was a case of mistaken identity—that she was the real target. The murderer’s motive might have something to do with Tanner’s recent work on a string of cold-case honor killings she believes to be related. Tanner is now on compassionate leave but insists on pursuing the case off the books and knows Thorne is just the man to jump into the fire with her. He agrees but quickly finds that working in such controversial territory is dangerous in more ways than one. And when a young couple goes missing, they have a chance to investigate a case that is anything but cold.

The Dry

The Dry is the debut thriller of Australian author Jane Harper. Atmospheric, quick-paced, and written with a lot of heart. I loved it. Can't wait for the next book.




Blurb:
A small town hides big secrets.

After getting a note demanding his presence, Federal Agent Aaron Falk arrives in his hometown for the first time in decades to attend the funeral of his best friend, Luke. Twenty years ago when Falk was accused of murder, Luke was his alibi. Falk and his father fled under a cloud of suspicion, saved from prosecution only because of Luke's steadfast claim that the boys had been together at the time of the crime. But now more than one person knows they didn't tell the truth back then, and Luke is dead.
Amid the worst drought in a century, Falk and the local detective question what really happened to Luke. As Falk reluctantly investigates to see if there's more to Luke's death than there seems to be, long-buried mysteries resurface, as do the lies that have haunted them. And Falk will find that small towns have always hidden big secrets.

Watching the Detectives

Watching the Detectives by Julie Mulhern is the fifth book in the Country Club Murders series. IT's probably my favourite, because it deals with gender equality. Hard to imagine that this was still an issue as late as the 1970s, and yet.