Recent Reading

 Only three books read so far from the library books collected in September

  

Helen Cox - A Body in the Bookshop. This is the second in a series and the results of the first are mentioned several times so I should have read that one before this.

An interesting story about the theft of valuable second-hand books which I mostly enjoyed although it gets a bit into "cosy crime" and very unbelievable with the amount of involvement of the main character - Kitt Hartley - and her friends in the police investigation. The book is set in York and Kitt is a university librarian whose new boyfriend is DI Malcolm Halloran. There are 6 books in the series now, but I'm not sure about reading more.  (With apologies to 'Northriding' who left a comment on the library book photo page saying Helen Cox is her Niece!)

I like to read a children's book now and again having missed out on so many as a child but although Noel Streatfield wrote books for several years before WWII, she didn't write this one until 1974. "When the Siren Wailed" is about the 3 Clark children who are evacuated from London before the Blitz starts. They end up in Dorset and are billeted with "The Colonel" and looked after by his housekeeper and former batman - Mr and Mrs Elk. It's a huge change from their London home but they soon settle and are treated very well.

But when the Colonel dies unexpectedly they run away back to their Mother in London, except their house is gone and no-one knows where their Mother is. 

Thank goodness this is a story with a happy ending even after their Father is invalided out of the war after having to have his leg amputated!

Robert Harris writes really well and I've enjoyed all of his books that I've read so far. Acts of Oblivion is set in the 1660s/70's - in both the America and England.

1660 England and General Edward Whalley and his son in law Colonel William Goffe board a ship bound for the New World. They are on the run, wanted for the murder of King Charles I, the execution that marked the end of the English Civil War  between the Roundheads (parliamentarians) and Royalists - loyal to Charles.

Now 10 years after the beheading Charles II is in power and the 59 men who signed the death warrant and took part in the execution have been found guilt of treason under the Act of Oblivion. Some are already dead and others have been captured and hung. But Edward and Willam have escaped.

Richard Naylor secretary of the Regicide Committee is given the job of finding them - dead or alive.

Much of the story involves how the two men hid in the homes of sympathisers in America, sometimes having to stay in attics or cellars for months at a time.

The story ends in 1679 when Richard Naylor had more or less given up searching for the men he gets one last chance to catch them. 

As often with Robert Harris's books it is based on facts known, with fiction added to make a good story of religious fanaticism, cruelty and the beginnings of a new country.

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