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The Night Book
by
From the author of the bestselling Some Day I’ll Find You comes a novel of dark suspense set in the Lake District where, beneath the inviting water of the lakes, danger and death are waiting.
The summer of 1976 was unprecedented in living memory. Days of blazing sunshine bled into weeks and months. In the Lake District, Cumbria’s mountains and valleys began to resemble a ...more
The summer of 1976 was unprecedented in living memory. Days of blazing sunshine bled into weeks and months. In the Lake District, Cumbria’s mountains and valleys began to resemble a ...more
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Paperback, 464 pages
Published
June 30th 2016
by Simon & Schuster UK
(first published June 2016)
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4.5 stars
This was a lot better than I expected. I was reluctant about reading this because just looking at the title I thought it was going to be a shallow and corny horror story involving monsters lurking under the lakes. I only bought the book because I was drawn to the cover and of course it was on sale so why not? When will I ever learn about judging books by their cover?
But indeed, the story does talk about monsters except they do not wait 60 feet deep in the water, they come in the form ...more
This was a lot better than I expected. I was reluctant about reading this because just looking at the title I thought it was going to be a shallow and corny horror story involving monsters lurking under the lakes. I only bought the book because I was drawn to the cover and of course it was on sale so why not? When will I ever learn about judging books by their cover?
But indeed, the story does talk about monsters except they do not wait 60 feet deep in the water, they come in the form ...more
This was fantastic! A really unique and clever plot set against the heady backdrop of the hottest summer the UK ever saw. With beautiful descriptions of the Lake District and questionable characters and actions, The Night Book is definitely one of my favourite books of the year so far.
Whilst Mr Madeley is never going to win any awards for writing a literary masterpiece, I have to say I was pleasantly surprised by The Night Book.
After listening to the author talk about the topic of this unassuming and interesting tale I was more than excited to read my first Madeley novel.
Meriel Kidd, a more than famous and very likable Agony Aunt is trapped in a marriage to the rich but old Cameron Bruton. He treats her badly and to him she is nothing more than 'arm candy' young, pretty and a ...more
After listening to the author talk about the topic of this unassuming and interesting tale I was more than excited to read my first Madeley novel.
Meriel Kidd, a more than famous and very likable Agony Aunt is trapped in a marriage to the rich but old Cameron Bruton. He treats her badly and to him she is nothing more than 'arm candy' young, pretty and a ...more
I won this in the giveaways in exchange for an honest review.
Set in the Lake District in the hot summer of 1976, this is the story of radio agony aunt Meriel and how she took advantage of a recent spate of drownings to rid herself of her abusive husband. Most of the characters in this were kind of annoying but it kind of drew me in to the storyline. I've heard older people talk about the long hot summer of 76 so I found that aspect interesting. Good read but not great. ...more
Set in the Lake District in the hot summer of 1976, this is the story of radio agony aunt Meriel and how she took advantage of a recent spate of drownings to rid herself of her abusive husband. Most of the characters in this were kind of annoying but it kind of drew me in to the storyline. I've heard older people talk about the long hot summer of 76 so I found that aspect interesting. Good read but not great. ...more
One of the best books i’ve ever read!
I actually was pleasantly surprised by this, the first book I have read by Richard Madeley. It was quite simply written and easy enough to read. and it flowed quite well. I was only young but I do remember the Summer of 1976 and the heatwave something we have sadly never seen again. I was a little disappointed the Lakes didn't hold anything more sinister but it was used as a backdrop for this storyline. I suppose it was a bit corny including the ending but would make a good watchable TV drama. D
...more
Having purchased this novel for a dollar in a second-hand bookstore, I was not really expecting much. I wasn't even sure whether this was a horror or a murder mystery at first.
But the story turned out to be an interesting, exciting and eventually memorable read. The thrill you get is uncommon; it is in hoping that an appealing protagonist would not get caught for something she did. A bonus is the lovely and picturesque Lake District setting, which I added to my bucket list of places to visit, t ...more
But the story turned out to be an interesting, exciting and eventually memorable read. The thrill you get is uncommon; it is in hoping that an appealing protagonist would not get caught for something she did. A bonus is the lovely and picturesque Lake District setting, which I added to my bucket list of places to visit, t ...more
While the writing didn't lack talent, I found the characters to be boring and very unrelatable, unless of course you are a upper middle class person who owns a boat and works in the communication industry. The story itself was quite bland, everything seemed to have a pretty easy solution, but were ignored to heighten tension. I also felt like I was peeking into the author, Richard Madley's, sexy fantasies. A lot seemed to have been borrowed from his true life and I couldn't stop imagining him an
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Jul 17, 2016
Kym Hamer
rated it
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review of another edition
Shelves:
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reading-challenges-book-clubs
This is an enjoyable, lightweight read probably best suited for dipping in and out of as you laze by the pool.
Just finished this book, I thoroughly enjoyed it. It was such a lovely easy read . I couldn't read quick enough! Definitely a page turner.
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Really liked this, hadn’t a clue what it was about when I started but easy to read, liked the characters and good satisfying well explained ending x
It's set in the hot summer of 1976, and focuses around Sebastian, a news reporter for Lake District FM and Meriel, an 'agony aunt' for the same radio station. There is a spate of drownings in the various lakes of the Lake District and Seb has his big break in reporting them. Meriel is a successful woman with a wealthy husband, but her relationship isn't all it seems. Her husband is aggressive and violent, but Meriel has to put up with it for the sake of her public appearance. How are her relatio
...more
From the author of the bestselling Some Day I’ll Find You comes a novel of dark suspense set in the Lake District where, beneath the inviting water of the lakes, danger and death are waiting.
The summer of 1976 was unprecedented in living memory. Days of blazing sunshine bled into weeks and months. In the Lake District, Cumbria’s mountains and valleys began to resemble a Grecian landscape. People swam in delightfully tropic waters to cool off. But, barely three feet below the surface, the te ...more
The summer of 1976 was unprecedented in living memory. Days of blazing sunshine bled into weeks and months. In the Lake District, Cumbria’s mountains and valleys began to resemble a Grecian landscape. People swam in delightfully tropic waters to cool off. But, barely three feet below the surface, the te ...more
I wasn't expecting much from this book if I am honest, I am not a fan of the author, that said I have never read one of his books before and I do like the Richard and Judy book club.
I found this an easy read, I could whizz through it and manage a number of chapters a day. I found the story did keep me interested from the start. As the story progressed I became a captured reader, I empathised with the characters and found myself discussing the plot with my husband who is not interested in books. ...more
I found this an easy read, I could whizz through it and manage a number of chapters a day. I found the story did keep me interested from the start. As the story progressed I became a captured reader, I empathised with the characters and found myself discussing the plot with my husband who is not interested in books. ...more
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
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It's 1976 and the hottest summer in memory. What better way to cool off than with a swim in the lakes? But just below the inviting surface a layer of icy water remained, and that's when the drownings began. What better way to stage a murder?
The beginning was a little slow but once the story got going I found I couldn't put it down. Tying the plot into the 1976 heatwave was very clever. The descriptions of the lake were wonderful, I could really picture them. We have been enjoying a heatwave whil ...more
The beginning was a little slow but once the story got going I found I couldn't put it down. Tying the plot into the 1976 heatwave was very clever. The descriptions of the lake were wonderful, I could really picture them. We have been enjoying a heatwave whil ...more
The story was reasonably interesting but I found the style of writing really quite difficult to read. There is something about the way the sentences are structured and the lack of punctuation that meant I genuinely had to concentrate to understand things, which seems odd with such a light book. Also, the fact that one of the main characters is named 'Seb' meant that I quite frequently misread it as 'She' at the beginning of a sentence and was then very confused and had to reread the whole paragr
...more
Im not qualified in any way to be a critic but this read like a novice writer with some big words thrown in here and there to fluff it up (I confess I didn't know what some of them meant!!). Also the plot was pretty obvious almost straight away. Holding my hands up...………..I did read it all and sort of enjoyed it for its easiness of reading but I wouldn't read another book by this author. Sorry Mr Madeley but not for me.
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It was a pleasant surprise to find I actually enjoyed this. It was a nice easy going read and I found myself speeding through it. A very nostalgic look back to the summer of 1976 (although I cannot remember '76) to where a radio star tries to use innocent drownings in the Cumbrian lakes to their advantage but does she get away with it ? I will be taking a second look at Richard's other books now.
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Good storyline!!!
I was very impressed by this storyline, totally different to what I was expecting.
It tells the story of how an abusive husband eventually gets his comeuppance in a most spectacular but totally uncontrived way!!!
I was very impressed by this storyline, totally different to what I was expecting.
It tells the story of how an abusive husband eventually gets his comeuppance in a most spectacular but totally uncontrived way!!!
Enjoyed it. My first by Richard Madeley and was pleasantly surprised. About drownings in the Lake District in the summer of 76. Good plot, and most characters not completely good or bad, making it difficult to decide who you liked and what you hoped may happen.
I really liked this book. Took it on holiday with me. An easy read but a surprisingly enjoyable one. Even though it was set in the 1970’s it had a 1930’s British crime classic feel to it. Good setting and good characters.
This was a good book, but it wasn’t anything special. I didn’t mind it and the story was good, it just wasn’t thrilling. It could have been so much more! However I would absolutely love to read the book that Meriel had written!! The extracts of that sounded amazing!
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
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I rarely like a book where the heroine is "stunningly beautiful" and the hero is the male equivalent. This was no exception. There is no depth to any of the characters and the plot was entirely predictable.
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I didn't know what to expect from Richard Madley but I got a nice surprise. The characters were good and the story had lots of twists and turns. I loved how romantic this book was and Richard's use of language really painted a picture of the area.
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A great read - the plot unfurled at a perfect pace and kept me steadily turning the pages. I recently took a holiday to the Lake District and it was lovely to be reminded of some of the places I had visited, too.
Found this book in my work book swap. I was curious what Richard Madeley would come up with and I was very pleased to find this book. Very enjoyable characters and plot. You felt you were there in that heatwave. This was a great read thoroughly mesmerising.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It was an easy read, with no complicated plotline and it kept me gripped. It didn't end how I expected it to though. I particularly liked the relationships between the characters and the way her thoughts are described.
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Not what I expected but I still really enjoyed it!
Read my full review on my blog here: https://tonythereader.blogspot.co.uk/.... ...more
Read my full review on my blog here: https://tonythereader.blogspot.co.uk/.... ...more
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