Tag Archive | Rachels Random Resources

Golden Girls On The Run by Judy Leigh

Dec6

All Is Grand

Golden Girls On The Run by Judy Leigh is a contemporary feel-good novel that will charm and delight you. It is part of the Golden Girls series but can be read as a stand-alone. The novel is set in the run up to Christmas but is a perfect read for any time of year.

Familiar characters once more amuse the reader as light-hearted banter volleys back and forth.

The leading ladies are octogenarians who ‘borrow’ their grandson’s Ferrari and take a road trip from Southern Ireland to Devon as they flee from the local bobby! They are a couple who know how to have fun and they never fail to amuse the reader.

Extended family follow the ladies and they all get caught up in pre-Christmas activities.

We join the characters at a local animal rescue centre that needs a cash injection. All the characters put their heads together to think up ideas to fund raise.

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No Oil Painting by Genevieve Marenghi

Dec6

Cosy Crime

No Oil Painting by Genevieve Marenghi is a contemporary cosy crime novel that will grab your attention from the start.

The novel is set in the National Trust property of Ham House, where the author volunteers her time. As such, her knowledge is vast. Comprehensive descriptions enable the reader to ‘walk’ through the house and gardens.

The volunteers are mainly women and elderly. The lead character is in her seventies and feels passed over and unseen. This is a distinct advantage when it comes to committing the perfect crime. There is forward planning but the heist does not run smoothly.

The whole novel is light-hearted. There is a friendly banter between the characters which makes them easily relatable and likable. There is much tongue-in-cheek humour, and I loved the reference to old television programmes such as Porridge.

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The Garden Of Shared Stories by Clare Swatman

Dec5

Ripples Through Time

The Garden Of Shared Stories by Clare Swatman is the most delightful timeslip novel that I absolutely loved and never wanted it to end.

The book is unique as the leading man and lady meet – but are twenty years apart. It is a magical meeting of two hearts beating as one. Both are grieving the loss of the loved ones of their lives. “He understood because he was grieving too.” They are two sides of the same coin. United by loss, held together with love.

Grief is very raw. “How it feels every single day as though you need to remind yourself to get up, get dressed, carry on while all the time it feels as though you’re being pressed down by a heavy weight.” The grief journey can be lonely. It may be accompanied by guilt. “After he died… I tortured myself, thinking about what I should have said or done differently.” The past is gone. Re-hashing it won’t alter a thing. We need to learn to put guilt to bed.

Clare Swatman writes with sensitivity. The emotions leap from the pages and into the reader’s heart. We really empathise with the characters.

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The Corpse Bell by Ian McFadyen

Nov28

Highly Entertaining

The Corpse Bell by Ian McFadyen was a gripping contemporary crime novel that consumed me from the start. It is the eleventh book in the Carmichael series but can be read as a stand-alone.

The plotline is extremely well thought out and executed. It is a thinking-mans novel as you needed to be able to join the dots and in order to solve the murders. I failed miserably as I tried to guess the perpetrator.

All the characters were well drawn, believable and likable.

The law enforcement officers all had their individual roles to play, working like a well-oiled machine as they doggedly tried to solve the case.

We see that the past will sooner or later catch up to the present. Characters go to extreme lengths in order to keep their pasts hidden.

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