#michaeljospeh

New Post has been published on http://www.tiggerreviews.com/when-you-get-lost/

When you get lost

A sad story of a family loss. and the on-going impact of just what happened five years before, and how the parents of Audrey coped.

I am not always a fan of literature set in the 1950s as it is some ways not far enough away to count as historical, but not near enough to be contemporary, yet this novel was so well written that it got over that reluctance. It described the Cotswolds well –  I have visited often and so am familiar with it, and even contemplated living in one of its villages, but far too expensive now!

New Post has been published on http://www.tiggerreviews.com/who-is-to-be-believed-thats-what-the-trial-is-for/

Who is to be believed? That's what the trial is for....

This is a heart-rending tale of a small baby dying and the subsequent trial when the post-mortem shows that she could have been murdered.

Two sisters are divided here as one was baby-sitting for the other, and it was in her care that the baby died, and thus she is on trial.

Would you believe that your sister deliberately killed your baby?

This book tells the struggle of the mother as she sits through the trial and the evidence mounts against her sister.

The trial felt very real to me.

The questioning of the witnesses and the way small things were built up into an overwhelming case of guilty.

A book where you need to keep on reading to find out what the verdict was and does she admit what really happened? Or do we never find out?

New Post has been published on http://www.tiggerreviews.com/when-the-ghosts-are-tangible/

When the ghosts are tangible?

A disturbing but strangely compelling story.

I kept not wanting to read further, but yet I did, because I could not stop myself.

The narrator is seriously flawed/damaged from the disappearance of her older sister and her journey with the man she believed killed her sister is such a strange thing to do. she is truly paranoid – but who does she think is following her?

New Post has been published on http://www.tiggerreviews.com/when-your-letter-gets-lost/

When your letter gets lost

A slow burn story of the small (ish) lives we can allow ourselves to lead, where everything irritates and is no longer an amusing trait.

“was real romance just persevering when times were hard, hidden in the daily domestic rituals of a shared life.”

This element of the book was beautifully portrayed.

But.

Overall, I found the book to be slightly disappointing form the hype. I expected to love it and award it 5 stars, But I don’t and I haven’t.

A nice read but by the end I found the whole ‘Winter’ concept to be annoying especially after William ignored the big clue with the photographs. And I found the denouement unsatisfactory.

New Post has been published on http://www.tiggerreviews.com/exhibiting-who/

Exhibiting Who?

I’ve been trying to read this book for several days now and keep getting side tracked into reading something else. The style is pleasant but the storyline is not gripping. In some ways it is too familiar – someone goes missing. They are being held by an unknown person in a basement/locked room. The food is bad. The family are worried especially the young children and the husband finds it difficult to cope.

Can I be bothered to read further? I got as far as 23% and still not gripped.

New Post has been published on http://www.tiggerreviews.com/not-so-much-a-break-as-a-hiatus/

Not so much a Break as a Hiatus

I loved this book and read it and read it and read it. So much happened and the writing style engaged me and encouraged me to just keep on reading.

I am not normally a fan of Irish family dramas, but this was different and a grand exception.

This is a very modern mixed-up family. the children from many marriages and even one not ‘belonging’ to them. All provided for in a rather ramshackle way by Clare and then with her husband helping out – but not her previous husband at all… or the parents of the ‘not theirs’ child.

I am not sure how i would have coped with all her responsibilities. flying to and fro London and Ireland. running a commission based business with 2 lovely partners but still effectively self-employed. and not earning that much after expenses – which are high in the PR world. still establishing a business name, still trying to manage her wayward clients, still trying to help her girls through school and exams and business start-ups. and then there is her father with Alzheimer’s and her mother wanting help.

New Post has been published on http://www.tiggerreviews.com/jo-jo-starts-here/

Jo Jo starts here

So a new life for our favourite Lou. In New York and with a very upper crust family, even down to uniforms.

Lou finds herself in a new place with lots to find out about her new life and is excited for her new job.

New Post has been published on http://www.tiggerreviews.com/how-to-write-on-bones/

How to Write on Bones

A taut and complex police procedural where the solution is not what you expected.

Whilst there are references to previous occurrences – this is the 7th book in the series – this did not distract from, or impede the current story.

This was my first book by this author and I was very taken by the clean style and concise method of storytelling.

I liked the characters but did guess the mystery illness quite early on as I recognised the symptoms! What I also suspected was what the drug was that was used as I have come across this in other stories.