The Search Party by Simon Lelic

 

They Said:-

'HUGELY GRIPPING' Mark Billingham
'HEART-STOPPING' Elly Griffiths
'CLEVER AND ATMOSPHERIC' Mark Edwards

16-year-old Sadie Saunders is missing.

Five friends set out into the woods to find her.

But they're not just friends...

THEY'RE SUSPECTS.

You see, this was never a search party.

It's a witch hunt.

And not everyone will make it home alive...

THE CHALK MAN meets THE HUNTING PARTY in this gripping story; witness four suspects as, alongside DI Fleet, you attempt to discover the truth about what happened to Sadie..

What I thought:-

Such an intensely suspenseful, twisty and engrossing story this is.  I have been in thrall to Simon Lelic's writing for the last few days, enjoying the images he creates of the woodland setting and experiencing events from the viewpoints of his well-drawn characters.  

The situation of a missing teenage girl is the nightmare of most parents and it is easy to suspect the worst  possible outcome; yet with no body, there is no certainty and there is also the possibility of other explanations for the disappearance.  Sadie is popular, but within her group of friends there is ambivalence which surfaces when we follow the narrative via their different perspectives. Each relationship has its strengths and weaknesses, and these are not adults. An added twist is that the primary detective involved in the investigation has had past experience of a missing family member of his own, and he also has powerful instincts for truth.  Further, the parents of the missing girl are not the most involved or caring.  So many different strands present themselves, the truth is elusive, and the story is truly a web of possibilities.  Gradually what happened is revealed and the conclusion is poignant, surprising and moving.  The plot has been very cleverly crafted: Simon Lelic has created a stupendous novel which deserves to be widely read and enjoyed.  I really hope that this is not the last time we meet  DI Fleet and Nicky, his DS work partner, because I would love to spend more time alongside them on another case.

Just Like The Other Girls by Claire Douglas

 

This was a really engrossing story, set in my local area so I can confirm that the locations are authentic and well-drawn.  Ageing but spry Elspeth feels safer with someone living in as a carer/companion in her Clifton mansion, and recruits Una to this role.  It is a strange set up - Aggie comes in daily to cook and there is a gardener and a cleaner, too.  Newly bereft Una is in need of a home and the good rate of pay is attractive so that she can save up to realise her dreams.  She is to have two days off per week, and on those two days Kathryn, Elspeth's daughter, who lives nearby with her husband and sons, provides the support that Elspeth requires.  She also manages Elspeth's art gallery in the arcade in Clifton Village, so she's a busy lady.

Una is thrilled to find that her room is in fact a suite of rooms in the attic and has never enjoyed so much space to herself.  However, it soon transpires that this household also holds secrets and all is not as it seems.

This psychological thriller is probably Claire Douglas's finest work so far, an absolute joy to read as the suspense and mystery increase and danger threatens.  There are twists and surprises as the story unfolds and the characters are interesting and engaging.  I am very happy to recommend this book and look forward with pleasure to reading Claire Douglas's next offering.

Supper Club by Lara Williams

They said:-

SUPPER CLUB by Lara Williams is publishing in paperback on the 16^th July. This is a joyful, empowering story about speaking up, fighting back, and reclaiming your space. It is really wonderful lockdown reading. At a time where people are exploring the escape, comfort and joy of eating and cooking more than ever, Supper Club’s visceral and seductive exploration of the psychology and pleasure of food will be the perfect companion.

Twenty-nine year old Roberta has spent her whole life hungry - until the day she invents Supper Club. Supper Club is a secret society for hungry women. Women who are sick of bad men and bad sex, of hinted expectations to be thinner, smile more, talk less. So they gather at night to feast and drink and dance, seeking the answer to a simple question: if you feed a starving woman, what will she grow into? This is a story about the hunger that never goes away. It is a story about friendship, food and female rage. Above all, it is about the people who make us who we are – who lead us astray and ultimately save us.

Lara Williams is the author of the short story collection Treats, which was shortlisted for the Republic of Consciousness Prize, the Edinburgh First Book Award and the Saboteur Awards and longlisted for the Edge Hill Short Story Prize. Her debut novel Supper Club has been translated into five languages, won the Guardian 'Not the Booker' Prize and was listed as a Book of the Year 2019 by TIME, Vogue and other publications. Lara Williams lives in Manchester and is a contributor to the Guardian, Independent, Times Literary Supplement, Vice, Dazed and others.

What I thought:-

At first, this story and Roberta reminded me of Eleanor Oliphant: someone adrift in their own life.  Then I was reminded of "I May Destroy You", and Michaela Coel's character, Arabella.  These resemblances were not strong, but there is something of a theme, perhaps a sort of coming of age story.  We  emerge into the world at eighteen or twenty-one, independent and responsible for ourselves, but it is in our twenties that we really explore who we are and what we want from our lives.  This is an extraordinary, genre-defying book, with its themes of self-exploration, identity and appetite, learning what we want and need and being ready to commit to a path.  It is also about family and friendship, and how sexuality fits in.  Roberta learns to feel entitled to seek what she wants and the agency to say no to what is not right for her.  She explores her place in the world and her right to take up that space.  And there is also food, glorious food aplenty: but can there be too much of a good thing?  I very much enjoyed reading this tale.

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