further reading

hello reader


and so i have read a couple more books, to be sure. not just one, or as many as three, look you see, but the standard, rudimentary two that i would before sharing observations here.

there is absolutely nothing as comfortable (or comforting) in this world as consistency, and so i shall be consistent. as usual, an image of the two books what i have most recently read, followed by some spoiler free oversights, for those either in a rush or who wish to discover the mysteries of the novels directly.

in starting where i did, and indeed moving from left to right as our reading brains have been conditioned to over the years (with apologies to them what are used to reading from right to left), The Family by Louise Jensen eerie, creepy and dark as i had expected, but not in the way that i had anticipated. not for all tastes and perhaps a few extra contrived twists which were needless, but if you can handle darker and disturbing books then get stuck in. meanwhile, Valley Of Death by Scott Mariani is another Ben Hope adventure. you know what you are getting, and this one sits in a fair to middling just above average on the scale.

right, then, please note that from here on out to be safe a *** SPOILER WARNING *** is most decidedly in place. i shall do my best not to give away too much information, of course, but these things happen. proceed with this in mind.

as mentioned just moments ago, the first of these two i read was The Family, so that is where the look in more detail commences, then.

provenance of my copy? well, the sticker says Tesco. sorry, no idea who or what a Fern Britton is, although i am sure it is a who, as they seem to have in some way endorsed this novel. in respect of how much i spent on this, well, it will have been one of their £2.50 or £3.50 or even flat £3 books of the week deals, as it is rare that i would pay either there flat £4.50 or £8 for two fee. not sure when i last paid such.

the plot? a widowed mother of a teenage girl finds her life falling apart. the recent death of her husband left certain questions and was possibly connected to some trouble with his building business. on top of that, her own business is failing, and she faces eviction. fate or co-incidence somewhat intervenes, and a compassionate soul suggests that she and her daughter move, for the short term, to a reclusive farm where people who need help and are looking to "get away from things" go to live for a while. despite some reservations and a couple of warnings, from a lack of choice she agrees to move there until things get better.....

if you are thinking that this sounds like one of them "doomsday cult" type of set ups, or some form of tree hugging hippie commune, well, that was my thinking too. to say whether or not it is or is not either or both, or a mix, can only be summed up as yes, no, maybe. certainly, there is (what seems) to be an enigmatic "leader" at the helm. but, saying more might give things away, so let me say no more, squire.

often reading The Family is as uncomfortable and disturbing as it is intriguing and compelling. the story twists and turns (perhaps a little too much here and there) to some rather dark places. i would say that, overall, it is worth delving into the dark for a most excellent read.

perhaps, possibly, hopefully, after a somewhat darker book being read it felt like time to go for lighter and less complicated. there is very little in the world of literature which ticks this particular box with the skill and sheer force of will quite like how a Ben Hope book off of Scott Mariani does. so, Valley Of Death was the next read.

a bit of an usual provenance here. well, different. normally i pick these Scott Mariani novels the moment they come out. however, i never spotted this one on the shelves when it was published, back, i think, in May of this year (2019). so, with winter creeping in and me thinking a Ben Hope novel would be perfect for crawling up in bed with, off to the internet i went and bought a used copy for somewhere just north of £4. or somewhere around that price.

plot? really? ok. Ben Hope is contentedly teaching people how to twat terrorists and kidnappers one at his special twatting school in France when an unexpected person from the past reaches out. in quite a short space of time, Ben is off to India to do a fancy kidnap rescue mission, with some very convenient and contrived access to planes, guns, money and a no questions asked embracing of his rather direct methods.

yes, all preposterous and implausible sure, but entertaining. calling this series of books "formulatic" is disingenuous. the same can be said of, say, James Bond or The Avengers And Other Comic Book Things films. which is exactly how and why they work, and why they are successful with people who wish to have straightforward entertainment. which is a lot of us.

one thing i liked in particular about Valley Of Death was the tagline on the back. it says, as you can see below, "this time it's personal.......". somewhere out there i imagine this is concluded with the line ".....just like 327 of his last 328 adventures have been". but, you know, it's all good fun reading, if you like that sort of thing. which i do. and now that i think, on the subject of my regular reads, i suspect i am not far off a new John Connolly or John Grisham in paperback, let me browse.

well, there you have it. i suspect that i have said more about how and why i purchased the books than i have about the books themselves, but such keeps spoilers to a minimum.

anyway, as ever i can but hope that this has been of some interest, or use, to someone somewhere!




be excellent to each other!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!