28) Dead At Daybreak by Deon Meyer Deon Meyer is a great South African thriller writer: one of those who consistently rises above the 'genre' of police procedural and standard crime thriller to create memorable, involving characters, complex plots and insight to the country they are based in. In this instance, Dead At Daybreak doesn't feature… Continue reading Year 2 / Book 28: Dead at Daybreak
Author: nicktemple1
Year 2 / Book 27: Late Fragments
27) Late Fragments by Kate Gross The subtitle to this book is 'Everything I Want To Tell You (About This Magnificent Life)', which gives you an indication of what it is about. It's a memoir written by a high-flying woman who gets diagnosed with terminal colon cancer when she is 34 and who dies two… Continue reading Year 2 / Book 27: Late Fragments
Year 2 / Book 26: Hillbilly Elegy
26) Hillbilly Elegy by J. D. Vance Hillbilly Elegy is a memoir written by someone from a poor white family in the middle of America, who 'got out' and made a success of themselves (going to a prestigious university and ending up at a venture capital firm. It became a bestseller in the US and has… Continue reading Year 2 / Book 26: Hillbilly Elegy
Year 2 / Book 25: Hostage
25) Hostage by Kristina Ohlsson I've read the first three novels by Kristina Ohlsson, and they've all been pretty gripping - with a nice central double act of Alex & Fredrika as the grizzled / talented detectives solving a variety of grisly crimes. In this novel, Ohlsson moves beyond the bleak Scandinavian tundra into a… Continue reading Year 2 / Book 25: Hostage
Year 2 / Book 24: Rupture
24) Rupture by Ragnar Jonasson It continues to feel like a time to escape from the reality, to turn the rolling news and speculation off and pick up a book you can lose yourself in. So that's what I've been doing, continuing on the thriller treadmill with some authors I know and trust. In this instance,… Continue reading Year 2 / Book 24: Rupture
Year 2 / Book 23: The Wrong Side of Goodbye
23) The Wrong Side of Goodbye by Michael Connelly Another week, another long-running series of crime novels. I've lost count of how many Michael Connelly novels I've read, featuring either Harry Bosch or Mickey Haller...but Wikipedia says it would be around 23. Connelly's a hugely reliable writer, with a great ear for dialogue, believable plots… Continue reading Year 2 / Book 23: The Wrong Side of Goodbye
Year 2 / Book 22: Cold Earth
22) Cold Earth by Ann Cleeves I've never been to Shetland, so most of my knowledge about it has been gleaned from Ann Cleeves' series of police procedurals set on the island. They all feature Jimmy Perez, and this is the seventh in the series (apparently there is one more to come) - and I… Continue reading Year 2 / Book 22: Cold Earth
Year 2 / Book 21: All Out War
21) All Out War by Tim Shipman Of late, I've largely been trying to avoid in-depth political reading, as politics feels mostly depressing but also inward-looking, divisive and energy-absorbing. But then this book by Sunday Times political correspondent Tim Shipman popped up in my eyeline, and I was suddenly diving headlong into the referendum of last… Continue reading Year 2 / Book 21: All Out War
Year 2 / Book 20: The Last Act of Hattie Hoffman
20) The Last Act of Hattie Hoffman by Mindy Mejia There are few things that I hate more than the descriptions on Amazon that say 'the most psychologically twisty and suspenseful thriller you'll read this year' as part of the book title. Though they clearly work, as they are becoming more and more commonplace. So… Continue reading Year 2 / Book 20: The Last Act of Hattie Hoffman
Year 2 / Book 19: The Descent of Man
19) The Descent of Man by Grayson Perry For too long, I thought of Grayson Perry as 'that artist that wears a dress who won the Turner Prize'. It was his set of Reith Lectures which alerted me to the fact that this was also someone thinking deeply and clearly and brilliantly about modern life… Continue reading Year 2 / Book 19: The Descent of Man
Dog-eared Man: a book a week 