Janet Gordon is married, retired, obsessed with her Westlake Terrier, Rollo – and books are her passion. She reads multiple books a week across all genres and reviews them for Rest Less.
This month’s round-up features Lost London, The Pool, The Suspect, The Wild Isle series, Deluge, Our Holiday, and The Death Watcher.
Note: Prices can change often, so you may notice some variations on the providers’ websites. Prices and availability are accurate as of the 9th of July, 2024.
Were you glued to the 80th Anniversary D-Day coverage? I’m not ashamed to say that I was in tears watching the veterans talk about their lost pals and how the true heroes were those who never made it home.
I have such a personal interest as my Dad was a veteran. He was 29 when he landed on D-Day – older than many of the other men since his Corp (the Pioneer Corp) was made up of those who’d originally been turned down for the draft. Dad had a lazy eye (something I’ve inherited) and so initially wasn’t fit for service. But, as Operation Overlord approached, they needed to call up every able-bodied man, no matter how bad their eyesight!
He attended the 60th Anniversary commemorations and received his Legion of Honour medal from the French Mayor but, to be honest, he never really spoke about his experience.
Although, when interviewed about how he felt getting off the landing craft, he described how as there was nowhere else to go, he jumped off the boat and into the water with his rifle held above his head. He landed with one of the first waves and ended up laying tracks for the tanks.
I know this is stupid, but I find myself scanning all the newsreels to see if I can catch a glimpse of Dad on a landing craft.
One of my favourite publications focused on the D-Day landings is D-Day: The Unheard Tapes by Geraint Jones. It’s packed with voices from the past telling it like it was.
And Rest Less has a copy to be won! Keep reading to find out how to enter…
But first, here are some of the best books I’ve read recently.
Lost London by Tim Brown (Amazon £12.43, Kindle £12.43, Amberley £15.99)
Speaking of all things historical, I just love looking at old pictures of London and seeing how it’s changed.
My father grew up in London’s East End; I’ve been back to visit his old address but the street has disappeared – it just simply doesn’t exist any more. A bit like 10 Rillington Place, the notorious London address of serial killer John Christie which was demolished in the early-1970s.
Anyway, Lost London is crammed with photographs showing what London used to look like.
The Pool by Sarah Edghill (Amazon £9.99, Kindle £1.99)
After it was stipulated in their late mother’s will, sisters Hannah and Lizzie are forced to go on a summer holiday together. However, when they arrive in the south of France with their husbands and children, young Jimmy rushes over to the pool only to discover a dead body.
What follows isn’t quite a slapstick comedy of errors, but a series of events which fuel family fault lines and leave them wondering what’s going on. Ineffective French police, photographers, and all sorts of voyeurs descend on their isolated holiday home. Obviously, the youngsters love the way their social accounts go viral, but the adults – not so much.
This is a lovely family tale about consequences, which explores just why the sisters can’t get along. I loved this and read it in one sitting.
The Suspect by Rob Rinder (Amazon £9.99, Kindle £9.99, Century £20)
I’m sure Rob Rinder will be a familiar name to some – not only is he well-known for being television personality Judge Rinder, but he’s also currently wandering around Italy with Rylan Clarke (even more watchable!).
Last year, the wonderful Rinder published his first novel, The Trial, which introduced us to trainee barrister Adam Green and featured lots of marvellous dialogue between him and his Jewish mother (think Maureen Lipman as Beattie in the BT ads!).
Now, some people are convinced that Rinder has had help from a ghost writer. Personally, I don’t know and, to be honest, I don’t really care. Rinder seems such an intelligent and chatty person that I’m convinced he’s quite capable of writing such a scintillating read.
He’s back with his second novel about Adam Green – now a junior barrister in Stag Court. The story follows Green as he attempts to solve the murder of a popular television presenter who dies on air. The only suspect is a celebrity chef.
There’s sparky dialogue and lots more great interaction between Adam and his Mum (who’s desperate to find him a girlfriend). I loved it!
The Wild Isle series by Karen Swan (Amazon £8.23, Kindle £4.99 for The Last Summer)
There are many of us who don’t live near a bookshop and have to rely on the local library, the supermarket, or, of course, ordering online. But, luckily, wherever you are you can normally find Karen Swan’s books on sale.
The Wild Isle series features three books: The Last Summer, The Stolen Hours, and The Lost Lover.
This trio of novels are set on the remote Scottish island, St. Kilda (which I’ve always wanted to visit). We start off with Effie’s story as she falls in love with Lord Sholto, a handsome visitor and heir to the Earl of Dumfries.
The Stolen Hours is set in 1929 as Mhairi (anyone know how that’s pronounced?), the eldest of nine, is looking for a husband. And with a matchmaking friend and a bachelor on the next island, she’s soon engaged.
Then, The Lost Lover tells Flora’s story; she catches the eye of a wealthy businessman and becomes the toast of Paris – until tragedy calls her home.
If you enjoy these wonderful reads, there are two more due to be published in the series.
Deluge by Richard Doyle (Amazon £10.99, Kindle £1.79)
For those interested in historical fiction, you might like Richard Doyle’s novels.
Deluge tells the story of a flooded London from before the Thames Barrier was installed. It was originally published in 1976 and is now available on Kindle Unlimited.
The 2002 sequel, Flood, begins after the Thames Barrier is there to protect London.
If you love disaster movies and novels, these are terrific nostalgic reads.
Our Holiday by Louise Candlish (Amazon £4.99, Kindle £5.99, HQ £9.99)
Louise Candlish is an award-winning author; Our Holiday is her 16th novel.
Husband and wife Charlotte and Perry own a holiday home up on the cliff tops in Pine Ridge. When their friends Amy and Linus buy a neighbouring (albeit rundown) property almost next door, they’re all looking forward to a wonderful summer.
But with growing resentment towards second homeowners, small acts of vandalism are escalating and the summer isn’t going to be the happy families playground ride they were expecting. I didn’t want to put this down!
The Death Watcher by Chris Carter (Amazon £10.50, Kindle £11.99, Simon and Schuster £20)
There are so many online book groups (and, of course, Rest Less has its own very successful book club – hello Mahalia!) and people are always talking about Chris Carter’s novels.
The Death Watcher is Carter’s 13th novel featuring Robert Hunter and his sidekick Carlos Garcia.
Carter is known for his uber gory reads – and they’ve just been getting gorier and gorier with each novel. Though, in The Death Watcher, Carter has toned it down somewhat.
Starting off with what seems like a straightforward hit and run, it turns out that the victim was actually dead before he was hit. The sharp-eyed coroner conducting the post-mortem immediately contacts Hunter with her suspicions, and so the mystery begins…
I wouldn’t say that this one was a change of pace to his previous books, but it’s definitely not quite so action-packed (although wait till you get to the last few chapters!).
For all Chris Carter fans – and there are legions – this is a must read.
Win!
To win a free copy of D-Day: The Unheard Tapes, please answer the following question…
What date was D-Day?
- 7th June 1934
- 6th June 1944
- 5th June 1945
Terms and conditions
The giveaway will close at 11.59pm on 18th July 2024 and the winners will be chosen at random in a prize draw on 19th July 2024. Winners will be connected with Janet via email for the fulfilment of their prize.
For more reading inspiration, head over to the books, literature, and writing section of our website. Or, for further book and literature discussions, you might be interested in joining the thriving book club or short story club over on Rest Less Events.
Have you read any of these books? Or have you added any of them to your reading list? We’d love to hear from you in the comments below.