Maggie O'Farrell

I have just finished reading After you'd gone by Maggie O'Farrell. I tried it because I have recently read The distance between us also by her and enjoyed it. We have the second title in the library but I borrowed the first one from East Ayrshire Libraries. They are both absorbing reads dealing with male/female relationships and are similar in style. They both feature short chapters and jump about in time and in place, so the reader has to concentrate and focus on the details, which is partly why they are so absorbing. Both heroines are young women who have been hurt in their lives, but things happen for them completely differently. I found I was very emotionally involved with the fate of both the heroines. I don't want to mention any more about the storylines as I think it would spoil the pleasure of reading them both. Highly recommended.

War crimes

I have just finished reading Dan Fesperman's The small boat of great sorrows. It is a gripping mystery set in modern Europe featuring a Bosnian refugee who becomes involved in investigation a World War 2 war crime because of his previous career as a policeman in Sarajevo. The book won an award and I am not surpirsed as I thought it was terrific. It gave insights into the wars in Bosnia combined with interesting plotting and suspicious Americans.

Michael Connelly writes the Harry Bosch crime thrillers. I have read a couple and quite enjoyed them, so I was feeling positive about starting The Narrows which is quite a new one. However, I found it a bit of a disappointment and rather predictable, but I did find it sufficiently appealing to finish it.