Brother Kemal by Jakob Arjouni

Brother Kemal

By Jakob Arjouni

(translated by Anthea Bell)

This book was a little different from the things I usually get asked to review. Firstly, it is a translation, from German. Secondly, the author is sadly no longer with us, having died of pancreatic cancer, aged only 48. This is therefore, unfortunately, his last book.

Although I found the first chapter slightly slow to get started, once I'd got into the story, I was gripped. And, incidentally, once I got to the end of the book, it became clear why some of the information at the beginning of the story that felt superfluous actually needed to be there.

Private investigator Kemal Kayankaya gets involved in two investigations in the course of this novel and although one involves a missing teenager, and the other involves the protection of an author at the Frankfurt Book Fair, it's only a matter of time before the two enquiries overlap and cause chaos.

By the end of the book, I felt that I was in very good company with Kemal Kayankaya, and all the other well-conceived characters, and would have been happy if the book had gone on longer.

The story has humour, grit and suspense and I found it an interesting read. It is actually the fifth in the Kayankaya series, so there are plenty more to read if you wish!

Thanks very much to the publishers for a review copy of this book.

You can find out more here.

Hunting Shadows by Sheila Bugler

Hunting Shadows

By Sheila Bugler

This is a dark tale, and the darkness works on a number of levels. Firstly, it's about a missing child and the terrible repercussions on her family that her absence causes. But it's also dark because the main character, DI Ellen Kelly is battling to cope with the death of her own husband and the damage this has done to her family.

It also turns out that Ellen has to live with the fact that she took the law into her own hands and confronted her husband's killer. There's a lot of back story here, and I assume it will continue to be explored in future Ellen Kelly mysteries. I hope so, anyway.

Possibly one of the most moving, and disturbing, aspects of the story is that concerning Rob York, father of Molly - a previous missing child whose story had the most tragic of endings. Rob's misery, and the extremes it leads him to, become instrumental in the case, and yet another thing Ellen has to deal with on top of her family problems and the, sometimes equally serious, issues of her colleagues.

On top of this we have a twisting and turning plot, and a genuinely gripping race against time.

I recommend this book to thriller lovers, and look forward to more in the series.

Thanks very much to the publishers for a review copy of this book.

You can find out more here.

Any Writing Competition Organisers Out There?

As I mentioned a while ago, I'm now writing the competitions column for Writers' Forum magazine. Every month I'll be looking for interesting competitions to share with our readers.

I'm looking for all sorts of competitions: short stories; novels; poetry; non-fiction; plays and scripts - anything that's writing related. So do get in touch if you're an organiser or judge and want to spread the word about competitions you have coming up in 2014.

As we work quite a long way ahead, I need a three month lead in time for things to be included in the column.

Thanks, and I look forward to hearing from you.

You can contact me at competitiveedge(at)writers-forum(dot)com.

Charity Event - Brother Kemal

This has just come through to me from Oldcastle Books. It looks like a great event, so do get in touch with them if you're interested.

Woman Walks Into A Bar by Rowan Coleman

Woman Walks Into A Bar

by Rowan Coleman

A while ago I did a post about Rowan Coleman releasing 'Woman Walks Into A Bar' in order to raise money for Refuge.  You can see that post here.

I've since read the book and just wanted to tell you a bit about it.

'Woman Walks Into A Bar' is the story of Sam, a woman who has survived an abusive relationship and is now looking for love again, aided and abetted by her friends and her daughter. Can she find love again, and will she need to face up to her past first?

In that sense it is a story of abuse, surviving it, and rebuilding your life. But it explored a lot of other issues tied up with abuse as well. An important theme was self esteem and all the ways this can be knocked, leading to vulnerability. I found this one of the most fascinating aspects of the story.

I also loved Sam's relationship with her daughter, Beth, and the way she watches over her - looking out for signs that she may also suffer a blow that will knock her self esteem and make her vunerable. The family relationships between these two, and Sam's own mother are delightfully drawn.

So as well as being for a great cause, this book is also a fabulous read that covers some really important issues, but still manages to be upbeat and entertaining.

As an added extra, you also get a taster of Rowan's upcoming novel The Memory Book, which looks heartbreakingly good. I can't wait to read that one!

You can find out more about 'Woman Walks Into A Bar' here.

Confessions Of An Undercover Cop by Ash Cameron

Confessions Of An Undercover Cop

By Ash Cameron

This is the sixth book in the bestselling ‘confessions’ series from The Friday Project. I haven’t read any of the others yet, but I was very happy to get a chance to read this one.

‘Confessions Of An Undercover Cop’ is warm and authentic. It captures the life and work of a female police officer, starting in the 1970s, in all its hectic, challenging, and sometimes uncomfortable, glory.

The book has a good balance of light and shade. Some of Ash’s experiences were hilarious, and she isn’t scared to laugh at herself, but some of them are heartbreaking. In particular, her accounts of child protection work are not for the fainthearted.

It also gives an interesting social commentary on the times she lived and worked through. Life as a young woman making her way in the police force of the 1970s could not have been easy.

What shines through most is her love of ‘the job’ and concern for the people she served.

I recommend this to anyone who’s interested in an honest account of life as a professional working with some of the most damaged, and some of the most damaging, people you’re ever likely to hear about.

Thanks very much to the publishers for a review copy of this book.

You can find out more here.

M J Hyland Writing Course

I've been sent the following information, which may be useful to anyone who can get to Cambridge and fancies an intensive writing course. Follow the links at the bottom for more information.

Booker-nominated author- M J Hyland, will be in Cambridge at the end of the month for the Festival of Ideas - she will appear on a literary panel discussing genre and digital publishing (Oct 31st). She will then run a small writing workshop at a special festival rate. We currently have a couple of spaces available and are looking for keen writers to join the class - details below.  Writers working on short stories or novels are all welcome. 

 M J Hyland in Cambridge - Fiction Workshop 

November 2-3rd

Inspiring and transformative workshop that will bring out your very best writing. Each writer will have 2,500 words of their fiction reviewed, work-shopped and edited by M J Hyland. 

During this workshop, you'll learn every important trick. You'll find out how to write compelling fiction: how to begin, how to structure, how to build a story, how to create a strong narrative, how to write memorable and credible characters, how to write plausible dialogue, how to cure writers' block, and much more. The atmosphere will be fun and energetic, with plenty of in-class writing exercises. There will also be  practical advice to help writers polish and hone their work to publication standard.

Visit the website for more course information www.editingfirm.com or email info@editingfirm.com 

Price: £275.00 (Unique Festival of Ideas Price - usual Masterclasses £400.00)