My top reads of 2020
While this year of enforced isolation has been dreadful in many respects, it has been a highly productive one for me. Until last week I’ve been spending nearly all of my time redrafting and editing my debut crime novel (the first to focus on a police investigation).
That, thank goodness is now done. During the summer I realised I needed to significantly rewrite the novel I’d thought was finished. In the process I turned my gang crime thriller into a psychological thriller blended with a police procedural, unashamedly influenced by TV’s Line of Duty and The Sinner. Finally, the novel is (I hope) what I wanted to write in the first place – a crime novel that includes many elements of a psychological thriller – but shied away from, thinking it would be too much of a challenge. This is an intense relief after the pain of indecision, and nearly 400 pages! I have a feeling this one is going to be something special, anyway…
Back to the reason for this post. Before the year ends, I want to share my favourite books out of those I managed to ‘read’ in 2020 – or listen to, in many cases, while out walking. You’ll notice a leaning towards crime and thrillers. They aren’t the newest books, though mostly were published in the past few years.
In a very rough order, here’s my top ten books…
Breakers by Doug Johnstone (Orenda Books, 2019)
Plot in a sentence:
A vulnerable youth and his sister who live with their pretty useless addict mother in a desolate high-rise tower on the wrong side of town are coerced into robbing the house of an underworld king – who’s not best pleased.
My take:
This is my first Doug Johstone book but I doubt it will be my last. Gritty, atmospheric and tense, this is a powerful story set in Scotland told with spare, compelling prose. I cared about the main characters and what might happen to them.
The Women by SE Lynes (Bookouture, 2019)
Plot in a sentence:
With the help of two attendees on her creative writing course, a young woman with a small child starts to see the true, chilling nature of the narcissistic older man who swept her off her feet…
My take:
The Women is beautifully observed, the settings were spot on. The central character’s situation pulled me in, along with the journey she goes on (though she is not the most astute of women at the start). The theme of women standing up to male dominance and oppression resonated with me as I’m sure it has for many women. I found the ending both startling and satisfying.
Unquiet Souls (a DI Gus McGuire case) by Liz Mistry (Bloodhound Books, 2016)
Plot in a sentence:
An injured, traumatised detective desperate to get back to work finds himself hunting a powerful, super-secret ring of child traffickers in West Yorkshire (northern England) who are set on avenging the woman who betrayed them, years before – then starts to suspect a colleague may somehow be involved.
My take:
I admit I had one or two difficult moments as a reader – (brief) descriptions of neglected/trafficked children and cruelty to a child – and it took me a while to get into the swing of the structure (past/future strands and various points of view). But I was won over by dreadlocks-swinging DI McGuire his mental and physical infirmities, and by halfway was eager to read on.
Unquiet Souls, despite its subject matter and references to chilling crimes, is sensitively written with plenty of gritty, realistic observations of police work and the impact of crime on victim’s lives. I especially liked the interplay and humour between the police characters and the building intrigue as to the ringmaster’s (The Matchmaker) identity. The ending is tense, to say the least! If you can cope with some nasty though not at all gratuitous moments, I’d highly recommend this first police procedural in a series involving this detective. I’m going to be checking out what Gus is up to in Liz Mistry’s next book, for sure.
Blood Orange by Harriet Tyce (Wildfire, 2019)
Plot in a sentence:
Criminal barrister with a serious alcohol problem who’s having issues with her husband embarks on the defence of a woman who’s accused of murdering her husband, unleashing a series of disturbing parallels between the two women…
My take:
Blood Orange is another book that I finally got around to listening to this year. An excellent portrayal of a woman pushed to the brink, struggling to cope with her family, marriage and a demanding career, and who’s hooked on grim encounters with a selfish guy (her colleague) and unable to discern the truth under her nose.
In the first half I found myself quite frustrated with her for her repeated self-destructive behaviour (basically getting drunk and having humiliating encounters/illicit liaisons) which perhaps could have been made more understandable to the reader. Psychological suspense with strong shades of Apple Tree Yard, as is mentioned in the blurb – clever, absorbing, memorable, dark, witty and twisty – highly recommended.
Hell Bay by Kate Rhodes (Simon & Schuster UK, 2018)
Plot in a sentence:
A detective (and his dog) arrives on a small island in the Scilly Isles to take a break after the death of his police partner – but after a young woman is found dead on the rocks he decides to help the useless local police and gets drawn into the tightly-knit community, one of whom is the girl’s killer…
Strong writing, a great sense of mood and place, well drawn characters, plenty of mystery with an edge of menace – Hell Bay has a lot going for it. The story is centred on a guilt-ridden detective who’s pulled between his role as SIO and his role as a friend and returning member of the community. He’s not resistant to the lure of a mysterious pretty woman, in between taking his independent-minded hound on long windswept walks to smugglers’ haunts… As far as the ending goes, all I will say is bravo Fido 
