Veronika Jordan's Blog, page 87

Flight of the Shearwater (The Sturmtaucher Trilogy #2) by Alan Jones

Flight of the Shearwater is the second book in the Sturmtaucher Trilogy: a powerful and compelling story of two families torn apart by evil.

‘With Poland divided between Hitler’s Germany and Stalin’s Union of Soviet Republics, the increasingly confident Third Reich flexes its military muscles northwards into Denmark and Norway, while the rest of Europe watches anxiously over its shoulders.

General Erich Kästner, in his key role in the Abwehr, is fast becoming aware of the mass expulsion of Jews and other minority groups from Germany and from northern Poland, to the new ghettos of the Generalgouverment area of southern Poland, and has an inkling of what the National Socialists’ have in mind for Europe’s Jews.

As Holland and Belgium fall, and the British are routed at Dunkirk, barely escaping across the channel, the seemingly impregnable France collapses under the Wehrmacht Blitzkrieg, sealing the fate of millions of Jews, now trapped under Hitler’s rule.

The Nussbaums, thwarted in their attempts to escape to Denmark, desperately seek other routes out of Germany but, one by one, they are closed off, and they realise they have left it all too late…’ 

My Review

What an incredible book!

For me this was less personal as by now my Jewish mother was safely in England, evacuated with her mother to Cheltenham for the foreseeable future. My Polish father was in a POW camp in Siberia, from which he would eventually escape to join RAF Polish Bomber Squadron 300 in England, so I have no experience of relatives left behind as far as I know.

Flight of the Shearwater continues the journey of the Kästners – the relationship between Erich and youngest daughter Antje and their mother Maria and sister Eva declining all the time. This disagreement revolves around the relationship with their lifelong friends and housekeepers – the Nussbaums who happen to be Jewish. While I do understand that Maria and Eva are afraid of repercussions – who can say if any of us would have been brave enough in the face of the SS or the Gestapo – I can’t help feeling that in their case it was more about their standing in society and Maria’s relationship with the Countess and finding Eva a well-connected husband.

In the meantime son Major Franz Kästner is hatching a plot with his father and sister Antje, to remove the Nussbaum’s two children Ruth and Manny from Nazi Germany to a place of safety eg England. By sheer (or should it be shear) coincidence, Franz and younger brother Johann are asked by a friend of their father’s if they would sail his boat The Shearwater to Norway. What an opportunity this presents! Just two problems – how to smuggle the children on board and keep them hidden, and how to involve Johann in the plot. Franz, like Erich, has seen first-hand the unbelievable cruelty dished out to the Jews in Germany, as they are systematically stripped of all their rights, their homes, their savings, are forbidden to travel or work and frequently shot, tortured and shipped to relocation ‘camps’ in Poland. And we all know what that meant. But Johann is still torn between helping Franz and remaining with his comrades in the army.

We knew in book one that Poland had been annexed, along with Austria, Czechoslovakia and the Sudetenland, but Holland and Belgium have also fallen, the British have been routed at Dunkirk, and France has collapsed under the Wehrmacht Blitzkrieg, sealing the fate of millions of Jews, now trapped under Hitler’s rule. But Hitler has set his sights even higher. He’s determined to invade the Soviet Union – this is not yet known publicly – but Erich has inroads into the Reich’s future plans through his friend Admiral Wilhelm Canaris, head of the Abwehr. **

Without saying too much more or giving anything away, Franz and Johann begin the journey to Norway, hoping to detour to England and get captured or ‘lost at sea’. This will mean being picked up as deserters by the Royal Navy and spending the rest of the war in a POW camp. But at least Ruth and Manny will be safe. Both Erich and Antje will help but Maria and Eva must never know the truth. Unfortunately, they encounter the worst storm in a decade and so the flight of the Shearwater begins in earnest.

But that’s not all! We are introduced to two of the most hateful characters I have ever encountered in literature – even worse than SS Officer Rudolph Mey who viciously beat and raped his wife Lise in book one. They are Gestapo Kriminalassistant Heinrich Güllich and his sidekick, the snivelling rat Carl Meyer. Obsessed with proving that Ruth and Manny were smuggled out of Kiel on the Shearwater, Güllich will go to any lengths to find some evidence. But even more so he is determined to bring down the ‘Jew-loving’ General Erich Kästner, because if there is one thing he hates more than Jews it’s over-privileged rich people with friends in high places who think they are untouchable. I just wanted someone to shoot them both.

Just one final point. Some twenty or so years ago I attended the funeral of my wonderful and adored Aunt Joan. After the ceremony, I had a discussion with the Rabbi about my ‘Jewishness’, She told me that of course I was Jewish as Jewishness was passed down through the mother. When I asked her why she said it was because so many Jewish women were raped that their children often didn’t know who their father was. Now I know this is not the only reason. and I can’t fully substantiate what she told me, but I think she may have been referring to the Ashkenazy Jews in Europe and their treatment by the Nazis.

Rape of Jewish women plays an even bigger role in the second book and will remain the most harrowing aspect for me (and I suspect for all women). Some were prepared to allow themselves to be taken by soldiers of the SS to stay alive, while others would rather have died. However, in many cases, rape, often in front of the husband and children was used as a means of torture and I can’t bring myself to go into further details – it’s too upsetting.

**Canaris is a fascinating and real character. Initially he was attracted to the National Socialists because of their stand on communism, but eventually, together with his friend Hans Oster, they were trying to prevent another war in Europe. He was disillusioned by Hitler’s fanaticism – seeing Warsaw in flames brought him to tears – and hatred of Jews and other minorities, so he began to diarise events in a journal which he hid in a safe, along with all the incriminating memos he received from the party – his fear being that his wonderful country would be demonised by the rest of the world for decades to come. His ‘apparent squeamishness’ was noted by Heydrich and added to his file on the “political unreliability” of the Abwehr, which would eventually be disbanded in 1944. We now know that Canaris was a double agent, having a mistress who was a Polish spy based in Switzerland, Halina Szymanska, who passed information from him to the Polish government-in-exile based in London and he is also have thought to have met with MI6. This is how he was able to pass on information about the invasion of the Soviet Union – Operation Barbarossa – to Erich Kästner (in the book). He has also been linked to Valkyrie, the plot to kill Hitler on which the film of the same name was based, but sufficient evidence was not found against him.

About the Author

Alan Jones is a Scottish author with three gritty crime stories to his name, the first two set in Glasgow, the third one based in London. He has now switched genres, and his WW2 trilogy will be published in August 2021. It is a Holocaust story set in Northern Germany.

He is married with four grown up children and four wonderful grandchildren.

He has recently retired as a mixed-practice vet in a small Scottish coastal town in Ayrshire and is one of the RNLI volunteer coxswains on the local lifeboat. He makes furniture in his spare time, and maintains and sails a 45-year-old yacht in the Irish Sea and on the beautiful west coast of Scotland. He loves reading, watching films and cooking. He still plays football despite being just the wrong side of sixty.

His crime novels are not for the faint-hearted, with some strong language, violence, and various degrees of sexual content. The first two books also contain a fair smattering of Glasgow slang.

He is one of the few self-published authors to be given a panel at Bloody Scotland and has done two pop-up book launches at the festival in Stirling.

He has spent the last five years researching and writing The Sturmtaucher Trilogy.

Into The Lake by LK Chapman

Can she find the truth in time?

When Natalie reluctantly agrees to attend a school reunion, she hits it off with former classmate Josh – a boy she barely spoke to while they were at school together – and finds herself swept up in a whirlwind romance with him.

Then she receives the message: you can do better than marrying a murderer.

#IntoTheLake @LK_Chapman @annecater @RandomTTours #RandomThingsTours

As Natalie pieces together the tragic story of the teenage girl who drowned at Chedford Lake, she realises she has the perfect opportunity to clear Josh’s name. But it will mean putting herself in serious danger – and betraying someone she loves.

With Josh spiralling deeper into despair, and her own life torn apart by lies, can Natalie unravel what really happened before it is too late?

My Review

Well this turned dark! If you hadn’t read the blurb you’d think it was just another mystery romance, with sad goings on in the past.

Natalie was a model with a promising career. Then she had a car accident that left her physically and mentally scarred.

She is invited to a school reunion and reluctantly goes. She meets Josh who she barely remembers from school, but they are instantly attracted. They soon fall in love and move in together, planning to get married.

Natalie works with her sister-in-law as a wedding planner and life appears to be happy. She also has her own Vlog where she posts lifestyle stuff and photos of fashion. She never shies away from talking about her scars. Then one day it all goes horribly wrong. She receives the message: you can do better than marrying a murderer. And the messages get worse and more scathing, not just about Josh but about her scars and her appearance. Someone really has it in for her.

When Josh was in his teens, he was party to a tragic event when a young girl drowned at Chedford Lake and he was a suspect. Together with a difficult childhood – his mum and dad divorced and his mum re-married. Josh has to share a room with his step-brother Toby who bullies him relentlessly and also happens to be in a relationship with the girl who drowned.

So far so good. Natalie is determined to discover the truth, but then things start to get much darker until by the final few chapters, secrets are revealed that I never would have guessed. And there are people involved that you would never have suspected.

I loved Natalie. She is a very strong character who stays together through whatever life throws at her. Not so sure about Josh. Sometimes he was exasperating and I wanted to shake him. You wouldn’t want him to be your only friend in a crisis. I would just like to say that I am not sure that the way his mental illness is portrayed actually invites our sympathy, which is a shame. Reading other people’s reviews, they found him whiny and spineless, which in today’s world is a sad indictment of our attitude to mental health. I think he needed a more sympathetic touch. But Natalie loves him. The other characters, particularly Toby and Gareth were well-drawn and full of character.

What started off as a relatively slow burn exploded at the end and I loved the twists and surprises.

Many thanks to @annecater for inviting me to be part of #RandomThingsTours.

About the Author

LK Chapman writes psychological thrillers and suspense. She published her first psychological novel, Anything for Him, in 2016.

A chilling thriller about obsession, jealousy and revenge, Anything for Him has now become a three book series with two sequels (Found You & Never Let Her Go) creating the No Escape trilogy.

She has also written two standalone psychological novels, The Stories She Tells, and Into The Lake.

LK Chapman’s books are inspired by her studies in psychology, and she has always been fascinated by the strength, peculiarities and extremes of human nature.

As well as working as a psychologist, Chapman volunteered for mental health charity Mind before starting her journey as an author. It has been an incredibly exciting journey and she is so grateful for the support of her readers!

Website www.lkchapman.com

Twitter @LK_Chapman

Black Reed Bay by Rod Reynolds

When a young woman makes a distressing middle-of-the-night call to 911, apparently running for her life in a quiet, exclusive beachside neighbourhood, miles from her home, everything suggests a domestic incident.

Except no one has seen her since, and something doesn’t sit right with the officers at Hampstead County PD. With multiple suspects and witnesses throwing up startling inconsistencies, and interference from the top threatening the integrity of the investigation, lead detective Casey Wray is thrust into an increasingly puzzling case that looks like it can have only one ending.

#BlackReedBay #BlogTour #MeetCasey @Rod_WR @OrendaBooks @annecater @RandomTTours #RandomThingsTours

And then the first body appears, and Casey’s investigation plunges her into a darkness she could never have imagined…

Black Reed Bay introduces a breathtaking, powerful and addictive new series, fronted by the fantastic Detective Casey Wray, from the CWA-nominated author of Blood Red City and The Dark Inside.

My Review

Just amazing! I read so many crime thrillers that it takes something really special to earn five stars and this is it. I just couldn’t stop reading – shame I had to go to work!

As I said, there are so many crime books out there that it must be almost impossible to come up with something original. The format of Black Reed Bay is well-known – female police officer ie Detective Casey Wray, buddy and partner Dave Cullen, boss Lt Ray Carletti is her mentor and his boss Robbie McTeague is a twat. Then there’s a missing girl, a dodgy lover, dodgy boyfriend, even dodgier brother and alcoholic mum. And then the first body is discovered.

But don’t let any of that fool you. The format may be familiar but the intricate plot is quite different. This book has so many twists and is so fast paced and exciting that you won’t be able to put it down. And the location of the crimes is creepy and scary and let’s just say that you wouldn’t want to get lost there in the dark at 4 o’clock in the morning.

Black Reed Bay literally piles on the sub-stories, the intrigue and the evidence and then all of a sudden you know you’ve got it all wrong and you have to start again. How are they connected? Who is good and who is bad? Casey thinks she knows but even she can get it wrong. And put herself in danger.

This is one of the best crime thrillers out there and I take my metaphorical hat off to the author for coming up with something totally new.

Many thanks to @annecater for inviting me to be part of #RandomThingsTours

About the Author

Rod Reynolds is the author of five novels, including the Charlie Yates series. His 2015 debut, The Dark Inside, was longlisted for the CWA New Blood Dagger, and was followed by Black Night Falling (2016) and Cold Desert Sky (2018); the Guardian has called the books ‘pitch-perfect American noir ’.

A lifelong Londoner, Rod’s first novel set in his hometown, entitled Blood Red City, was published by Orenda Books in 2020. Black Reed Day is his fifth novel.

Rod previously worked in advertising as a media buyer, and holds an MA in novel writing from City University London. He lives with his wife and family and spends most of his time trying to keep up with his two young daughters.

Follow him on Twitter @Rod_WR.

The Chateau by Catherine Cooper

They thought it was perfect. They were wrong…

A glamorous chateau
Aura and Nick don’t talk about what happened in England. They’ve bought a chateau in France to make a fresh start, and their kids need them to stay together – whatever it costs.

#TheChateau @catherinecooper @fictionpub @HarperFiction @annecater  @RandomTTours  #RandomThingsTours

A couple on the brink
The expat community is welcoming, but when a neighbour is murdered at a lavish party, Aura and Nick don’t know who to trust.

A secret that is bound to come out…
Someone knows exactly why they really came to the chateau. And someone is going to give them what they deserve.

My Review

Aura and Nick are a mismatched couple. Married in their early twenties, they have two young children named Sorrel and Bay. This probably says a lot more about Aura than it does about Nick.

Aura is like a poor man’s Gwyneth Paltrow with all her new age beliefs, some of which I agreed with (healthy food, no plastic toys) and some of which I didn’t (children sleeping in the same bed as their parents, homeopathic remedies for everything). And a brain like a sieve. She is training to be a counsellor. Of course she is. I’m saying nothing.

The couple have moved to France, where they have purchased a run down chateau which they plan to do up and run as a posh B & B. Unfortunately their decision to move to France was far from romantic – it was driven by something awful which involved Nick and this was a last-ditch attempt to save their marriage. Personally I wouldn’t have bothered, but I guess they thought it was worth trying for the sake of the kids.

Just to make it worse, Aura has agreed for a documentary crew (Seb and Chloe) to come in and film them 24/7 for a TV programme called French Fancy. Oh dear, I hear you say, this can only end in disaster. Anyone less naive than Aura knows all about editing. They can make you appear like a loving couple on a life-changing journey, or they can show you as a constantly arguing pair of idiots. You can guess which one applies here.

The story takes place in two locations – partly in France at the chateau and partly in London before they ‘had’ to move. But it’s not long before things start to go wrong in their new home. Dead bunnies, strange noises and things that go bump in the night, coupled with some seriously odd neighbours including the slightly pervy Frank and glamorous hostess Thea with her ‘special’ parties. Then there is Helen who gets free board and lodging in exchange for being an unpaid au pair. She’s great with the children but she could be an axe-murderer (or bunny boiler) for all Aura knows.

The Chateau is one of the most entertaining books I have read this year. It gallops along, full of tension, twists and excitement. In fact there are so many possibilities, you’ll be sent down dead end after dead end thinking you’ve worked it out – and haven’t. I loved it.

Many thanks to @annecater for inviting me to be part of #RandomThingsTours and  to The Pigeonhole and my fellow Pigeons for making this such an enjoyable read.

About the Author

Catherine Cooper is a freelance journalist writing for many national newspapers and magazines,
specialising in travel. She also makes regular appearances as a talking head on daytime TV. She lives in France with her husband and two teenage children. Her debut thriller THE CHALET was a top five Sunday Times bestseller and spent three weeks in the Kindle top 100. THE CHATEAU is her second novel.

Ilsa by Cat on a Piano Productions / Theatrephonic

Ilsa – I should like to know more about you.

This is a play where you the audience can decide what’s happening. It’s very interesting and in many ways quite sad. I have listened to the views of the actors but here is my take. Please note this is just my humble interpretation.

For me this is set at the very end of the Second World War in Nazi Germany. At first Hitler promised a better future for Germany, but for Ilsa and her husband Daniel, the cost was too high. Daniel gave himself up to save his wife, but ultimately it was for nothing. Now it is Ilsa’s turn to be tried as a traitor and probably executed. I guess Stefan has also betrayed his country in some way, but he is less forthcoming.

I love this play because it really makes you think, though I had to listen twice.

Written by Victorine Pontillon
Directed by Emmeline Braefield

Starring
Heath Netherton as Ilsa
and
John Cooper-Evans as Stefan

Music: Just Us League by RKVC
Produced by Cat on a Piano Productions

The Theatrephonic Theme tune was composed by Jackson Pentland
Performed by
Jackson Pentland
Mollie Fyfe Taylor
Emmeline Braefield

Cat on a Piano Productions produce and edit feature films, sketches and radio plays.

Their latest project is called @Theatrephonic, a podcast of standalone radio plays and short stories performed by professional actors. You can catch Theatrephonic on Spotify and other platforms.

For more information about the Theatrephonic Podcast, go to catonapiano.uk/theatrephonic, Tweet or Instagram us @theatrephonic, or visit our Facebook page.

And if you really enjoyed Ilsa listen to Theatrephonic’s other plays and short stories and consider becoming a patron by clicking here…

I Have Something To Tell You by Susan Lewis

High-flying lawyer Jessica Wells has it all. A successful career, loving husband Tom and a family she adores. But one case – and one client – will put all that at risk.

Edward Blake. An ordinary life turned upside down – or a man who quietly watched television while his wife was murdered upstairs? With more questions than answers and a case too knotted to unravel, Jessica suspects he’s protecting someone…

Then she comes home one day and her husband utters the words no one ever wants to hear. Sit down… because I’ve got something to tell you…

Now Jessica must fight not only for the man she defends, but for the man she thought she trusted with her life – her husband.

My Review

I want to say I loved this book but I am afraid I didn’t, which is a real shame as I loved My Lies, Your Lies. But this was too predictable. I guessed the twist right at the beginning and I was waiting for other great reveals which just didn’t happen.

The secondary stories felt like padding (even Tom’s story – I have something to tell you) and I didn’t really get the relevance. Susan Lewis is a great writer and the writing itself is flawless, but the story lacked originality and the main characters were all such dumbasses one wonders how they ever became so successful. Especially Jay, poor love. It was like kicking a puppy (apologies Pigeons).

The sad part is that it had the potential to be so good. As I said, the twist was predictable, but it could have hinted at the twist, made it the only possible answer, and then turned it on its head with something totally ‘wow – I didn’t see THAT coming.’ Even far-fetched is preferable to predictable. However, as one of my fellow book club readers pointed out, it would make a great TV show – Keely Hawes as Jay, David Tennant (of course) as Tom and – I’m still working on Edward Blake. Suggestions please.

Unfortunately, I feel that there are so many psychological thrillers and crime novels out there that it must be virtually impossible to write something original. So praise to those that do it – I just think it’s time for something totally new.

Many thanks to The Pigeonhole and my fellow Pigeons for making this such an enjoyable read.

About the Author

Susan Lewis is the bestselling author of over forty books across the genres of family drama, thriller, suspense and crime. She is also the author of Just One More Day and One Day at a Time, the moving memoirs of her childhood in Bristol during the 1960s. Following periods of living in Los Angeles and the South of France, she currently lives in Gloucestershire with her husband James, stepsons Michael and Luke, and mischievous dogs Coco and Lulu.

The Whistling by Rebecca Netley

Alone in the world, Elspeth Swansome has taken the position of nanny to a family on the remote Scottish island of Skelthsea.

Her charge, Mary, is a troubled child. Distracted and secretive, she hasn’t uttered a word since the sudden death of her twin, William – just days after their former nanny disappeared.

With Mary defiantly silent, Elspeth turns to the islanders. But no one will speak of what happened to William. Just as no one can explain the hypnotic lullabies sung in empty corridors. Nor the strange dolls that appear in abandoned rooms.

Nor the faint whistling that comes in the night . . .

As winter draws in and passage to the mainland becomes impossible, Elspeth finds herself trapped.

But is this house haunted by the ghosts of the past?

OR THE SECRETS OF THE LIVING..?

My Review

Following the deaths of both her father and her beloved sister Clara, 24-year-old Elspeth Swansome leaves her life in Edinburgh to take up a position as nanny to nine-year-old Mary on the windswept, remote Scottish island of Skelthsea. A withdrawn, silent child, Mary has lost both her parents and then her twin brother William died just days after her nanny Hettie disappeared without telling anyone she was leaving.

Mary is being cared for and educated by her aunt Miss Gillies. But there is no affection there and poor Mary is starved of love and emotional support. Hopefully Elspeth will be able to help her to overcome her grief and start to speak again.

The Whistling is a classic, Gothic ghost story and I loved every minute. We’ve read this story many times – new nanny has charge of quiet child in a sinister house full of secrets, strange noises, shadowy figures and possible hauntings – but it never fails to chill. Who is standing in the attic window at night, lit only by a candle and who is humming a haunting lullaby outside Elspeth’s bedroom door? What is that faint whistling sound carried on the wind? And what is the meaning of the pebbles, and the dolls without faces, bound in human hair. The fear is stealth-like, creeping up on you, minute by minute, night after night.

“Iskar itself seemed to watch me from its shadows, seemed imbued with death and all that was wicked,” says Elspeth.

It’s a slow burn of a read, unworldly, spooky and full of creepy characters, both seen and unseen. Do you believe in ghosts? Elspeth is far too sensible, her father told her there were no such things, but anyone can be pushed to the limit by fear.

Many thanks to NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

About the Author

Rebecca Netley grew up as part of an eccentric family in a house full of books and music and these things have fed her passions. Family and writing remain at the heart of Rebecca’s life. She lives in the UK with her husband, sons and an over-enthusiastic dog, who gives her writing tips.

Be Guid Tae Yer Mammy by Emma Grae

Kate and her Granny Jean have nothing in common. Jean’s great claim to fame is raising her weans without two pennies to rub together, and Kate’s an aspiring scriptwriter whose anxiety has her stuck in bad thought after bad thought.

#BeGuidTaeYerMammy @emmagraeauthor @annecater  @RandomTTours  #RandomThingsTours

But what Jean’s Glaswegian family don’t know is that she dreamed of being a film star and came a hairsbreadth away from making it a reality. Now in her nineties, Jean is a force to be reckoned with. But when the family starts to fall apart Jean must face her failings as a mammy head-on – and Kate too must fight her demons. Either that or let go of her dream of the silver screen forever…

My Review

I have never read any Scottish literature and my only experience of Scotland is Inverness and the Isle of Skye in the 1970s, and the Edinburgh Festival in 2006. So when I read the opening chapter I just gawped. How in the world was I going to translate any of it? I was so relieved when we got to Kate’s point of view and I could finally understand what was going on. But hang on – it gets better – and better still.

Granny Jean is married to Donald, who earns good money, but they are always broke because he drinks like a fish. Jean has spent her life looking after her ‘weans’ (kids) and she is still resentful that her best friend Lizzie went to Hollywood instead of her.

Youngest daughter Stella-Marie who was born on the ferry and should have been a boy, has a stoma and also a lung disease. Jean treats her like a scivvy and her sisters think she is lazy because she doesn’t work. The sisters Cathy and Sandra treat her like dirt, while Cathy’s daughter Leanne is even worse. I felt so sorry for Stella-Marie – the way the others regard her is so awful – especially her mum, but she is a good Catholic and she and Jean believe you must be guid tae yer mammy to win your place in heaven.

Stella-Marie’s two daughters are Kate, who wants to be a script-writer, but is crippled by her anxiety and OCD, while Isla dreams of being a nurse.

As a second generation Jewish/Catholic Eastern European immigrant living in the Cotswolds, I cannot pretend that I can identify with any of the characters. It’s a bit like some years ago when discussing The Royle Family with a workmate and he said to me, ‘so-and-so is just like my gran and so-and-so is like my cousin….’ I just nodded and pretended I understood, but I didn’t.

But the more I read Be Guid Tae Yer Mammy, the more I got to grips with the language until it became second nature (well almost). The book is full of family feuds, arguments, pathos and love, but it is also very funny – I laughed out loud many times. Some of the descriptions of Stella-Marie’s childhood are heart-breaking – the story of one birthday for instance – and I have to admit I read the ending with tears rolling down my face.

This is an amazing book, especially as it is a debut and I hope we hear more from this new author.

Many thanks to @annecater for inviting me to be part of #RandomThingsTours.

About the Author

Emma Grae is a Scottish author and journalist from Glasgow. She has been writing in Scots since she was a student at the University of Strathclyde, tipsily co-authoring poems with fellow writer Lorna Wallace before moving on to write fiction in the language. She has published fiction and poetry in the UK and Ireland since 2014 in journals including The Honest Ulsterman, From Glasgow to Saturn and The Open Mouse. As a journalist, she writes under her birth surname, Guinness, and has bylines in a number of publications including Cosmopolitan, the Huffington Post and the Metro. Be Guid tae yer Mammy is her first novel.

NOTLondon Anthony Dawton

When photographer Anthony Dawton realised how dramatically homelessness had increased in London, he took to the streets with his camera. For years he had taken photographs in areas of need worldwide, but after spending some time in his home city, he noticed how many people were living on its streets. He embarked on a new project to raise awareness for a city he no longer recognised: NOTLondon.

Anthony Dawton photographs his subjects with a beauty and dignity that many of them are often denied. His portraits capture the strength and power of humanity as well as its vulnerability. By accompanying the image with the person’s name and their story, Anthony gives voice to the voiceless and attempts to offer the homeless a place, a home on the page. Governmental institutions turn a blind eye to the homeless, leaving the work up to charities. Homeless shelters are rife with substance abuse, making them a dangerous place for those trying to overcome addiction. Homelessness becomes a vicious cycle and many find it difficult to break free. Since the start of the pandemic, over 70,000 households in the UK have been made homeless. Dawton’s photographs are mesmerising, and as we stare into the eyes of their subjects, we’re faced with reality: this is a problem that’s getting worse and needs urgent attention.

NOTLondon is a provoking campaign to help the city’s most vulnerable and to address the fact that, despite its wealth, the city is not providing for those most in need. NOTLondon includes an introduction by Leilani Fahra, former UN special Rapporteur on the Right to Housing and the Global Director of The Shift. Having dedicated her life’s work to changing attitudes to homelessness and attacking the governmental systems and structures which perpetrate homelessness, she shares her thoughts in NOTLondon, highlighting the importance of Dawton’s project.

My thoughts

“ALL HUMAN BEINGS ARE BORN FREE AND EQUAL IN DIGNITY AND RIGHTS. Universal Declaration of Human Rights (Article 1, 1948)“

In her introduction to the book Leilani Farga, Global Director, The Shift and former UN Special Rapporteur on the Right to Housing (2014 – 2020) tells us that the homeless: “…are not victims. They are human rights defenders. Every tent erected, sleeping bag rolled out, toilet constructed is a claim: a distilled, human rights claim for survival and dignity. Cognizant that their living conditions are not acceptable, understanding they are part of a global trend, wanting their governments held accountable.”

NOTLondon is a moving portrayal of homelessness on the streets of London in photographs by Anthony Dawton.

I live in Cheltenham, in the Cotswolds. where we have a population of around 116,000. In spite of being a small town and Cheltenham having a reputation for being rather ‘posh’ and affluent with its racing, music and literature festivals, you will still see homeless people on the streets – in doorways, in parks, sleeping on benches or under cardboard boxes. It’s heartbreaking. It’s 2021 – how is this still happening? I know people who think it’s OK because they are ‘all drug addicts’ (their words, not mine), but it’s not. These are people like you or me, and as they say, there but for the grace of God….

This ordinary-looking woman below with her dog could be me…or you.

Antony Dawton’s photographs are stunning. What really struck me are the ones where other people are passing in front of them, walking quickly and taking no notice.

“If you don’t look at them, they don’t exist.”
“Just walk on.”
“Don’t give them money, they’ll spend it on drugs.”
“It’s not my problem.”
“I’m too busy. I have my own issues.”
“I can’t help.”

But homelessness is a problem that is not going away. In fact it’s getting worse. The pictures above are just a few of my favourites from this powerful collection.

Many thanks to Grace Pilkington Publicity @GracePublicity for inviting me to give an unbiased review of NOTLondon.

Click here to buy

A Slow Fire Burning by Paula Hawkins

‘What is wrong with you?’

Laura has spent most of her life being judged. She’s seen as hot-tempered, troubled, a loner. Some even call her dangerous.

Miriam knows that just because Laura is witnessed leaving the scene of a horrific murder with blood on her clothes, that doesn’t mean she’s a killer. Bitter experience has taught her how easy it is to get caught in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Carla is reeling from the brutal murder of her nephew. She trusts no one: good people are capable of terrible deeds. But how far will she go to find peace?

Innocent or guilty, everyone is damaged. Some are damaged enough to kill.

Look what you started.

My Review

Laura is a strange protagonist. Having been knocked down by a car when she was 10, she has been left with a degree of brain damage, anger management issues and a pronounced limp. But the emotional scars go much deeper than the physical ones. She makes bad choices and believes nothing is her fault.

Miriam lives on a houseboat next door to the scene of a horrific murder. In fact it was Miriam who found the body. She also saw Laura leaving the scene of the crime, blood on her clothes. But that doesn’t necessarily make her a killer, does it.

Theo Myerson is a crime writer. His book The One Who Got Away was a runaway success, but not everyone was a fan. Some considered it to be misogynistic, others simply called it rubbish. One person believes it was based on her own memoir and accuses Theo of plagiarism.

Theo’s wife Carla is the aunt of the victim. Her late sister Angela was his mother. She died after falling down the stairs. But then she was an alcoholic, an accident waiting to happen.

Everyone in A Slow Fire Burning is damaged, but are they damaged enough to commit murder? And who has a motive? They all had opportunity. All except Angela’s widowed neighbour Irene. At eighty years old, everyone treats like an aged idiot. Except Laura, who swears in her presence and calls her ‘mate’.

I read this book in two sittings. It’s twisty and full of tension, suspense and surprises, but that’s what you’d expect from Paula Hawkins. I loved The Girl on the Train, but I loved this more.

About the Author

The Girl on the Train (2015) is one of the top 5 fiction hardbacks since records began: 23 million copies worldwide, 50 countries and 40+ languages, and a No.1 global bestseller. In the UK it broke the all-time record for the number of weeks at No.1 on Bookscan. Into the Water (2017) was also a global No.1 bestseller, spending twenty weeks in the Sunday Times HB fiction Top 10 and six weeks at No.1. It has sold 4 million copies worldwide.

PAULA HAWKINS worked as a journalist for fifteen years before turning her hand to fiction. Born and brought up in Zimbabwe, Paula moved to London in 1989 and has lived there ever since. Her first thriller, The Girl on the Train, has been a global phenomenon, selling 23 million copies worldwide. Published in over forty languages, it has been a No.1 bestseller around the world and was a No.1 box office hit film starring Emily Blunt.

Into the Water, her second stand-alone thriller, has also been a global No.1 bestseller, spending twenty weeks in the Sunday Times hardback fiction Top 10 bestseller list, and six weeks at No.1.