Monthly Archives: January 2019

Ninth Step Station – a review

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My third ‘cloak and dagger’ read of 2019 was a new approach for me – serialized fiction released in episodes week after week. The publishers, Serial Box offered me an ARC as I had read and reviewed a novel by one of the four writers, back in September 2017: Ascension by Jacqueline Koyanagi. I am grateful and glad I agreed to read the ARC for Season 1 of Ninth Step Station.

Ninth Step Station: The Complete Season 1

(Ninth Step Station Series #1.1-1.10)

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Malka Ann Older (Goodreads Author), Fran Wilde (Goodreads Author), Jacqueline Koyanagi (Goodreads Author), Curtis C. Chen (Goodreads Author)

A local cop. A US Peacekeeper. A divided Tokyo.

Years of disaster and conflict have left Tokyo split between great powers. 

In the city of drone-enforced borders, body-mod black markets, and desperate resistance movements, US peacekeeper Emma Higashi is assigned to partner with Tokyo Metropolitan Police Detective Miyako Koreda.

Together, they must race to solve a series of murders that test their relationship and threaten to overturn the balance of global power. And amid the chaos, they each need to decide what they are willing to do for peace.

Review 4.4 stars

I was pleased to receive this serialised fiction as an ARC from Serial Box Publishing as it was an exciting read.

This police procedural set in a near future Tokyo consists of ten engrossing episodes written by different authors, including at least one, Jacqueline Koyanagi whose debut novel I’ve read and reviewed.

The style is reminiscent of US crime series, but with its own interesting approach as the sense of an imminent future pervades but doesn’t take over the plots. This could be ‘tomorrow’ with China occupying part of Japan and a sector of Tokyo, and with the US playing what is meant to be peacekeeper. Ninth Step Station has some fascinating characters, interesting plots, futuristic tech and very real political intrigue.

US peacekeeper Emma Higashi (Japanese-American) is assigned to partner with Tokyo Metropolitan Police Detective Miyako Koreda at Nine Step Station, one of the key TMP stations. The cases they are tasked with solving are standalone, but there are overarching events that carry through the novel/series with the usual TV-style cliff-hanger to lead into Series 2.

The crimes in the ten episodes vary from suspected suicide and domestic violence to assassination and terrorism with differing levels of technological involvement such as body-mods, drones, data mining, and data sleeves – all realistic evolutions of existing tech. The data sleeves especially play a key role in enabling people to instantly communicate and interface – although this is also a city troubled by regular power-cuts/blackouts. However, the war and the gangs/Yakuza make solving crimes challenging with some data irretrievable and some information obscured by human evasiveness.

Each of the writers gives an individual feel to each episode, yet together they create a seamless story with consistent and evolving characters, a realistic-feeling Tokyo post-occupation and those building overarching events. The TV-style structure means the episodes are formula to some degree, but they are enjoyable – although not as complex as some mysteries I read.

Both the two main characters and the supporting players are distinctly portrayed, and there are developing attributes and discoveries as the episodes unfold. The misunderstanding and conflicts arising between the two protagonists due to cultural differences, personal secrets and political agendas create a more complex relationship than an instant crime-fighting partnership and that relationship has room to grow. I was also pleased to see that the issues of gender bias and sexuality were addressed – although not as suspected.

Not knowing Tokyo, I assume that the world-building does build on the present city, although I realise that the format only allows the setting to receive less attention than the stand-out characters who are what will pull me back here.

I look forward to the sequel as there is plenty to build on in Ninth Step Station.

Story – four stars

Setting/World-building – four stars

Authenticity – four stars

Characters – five stars

Structure – four stars

Readability – five stars

Editing – five stars

The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle – a review

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As intended, my reading in 2019 is leaning towards mysteries and crime – although there will be a few other genres to break the pattern a little. This mystery read is one of the stranger entries, but still highly enjoyable.

The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle

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Stuart Turton (Goodreads Author)

The Rules of Blackheath

Evelyn Hardcastle will be murdered at 11:00 p.m. 

There are eight days, and eight witnesses for you to inhabit. 

We will only let you escape once you tell us the name of the killer. 

Understood? Then let’s begin…

Evelyn Hardcastle will die. Every day until Aiden Bishop can identify her killer and break the cycle. But every time the day begins again, Aiden wakes up in the body of a different guest. And some of his hosts are more helpful than others…

The most inventive debut of the year twists together a mystery of such unexpected creativity it will leave readers guessing until the very last page.

            Review 4.7 stars

This was a ‘must buy’ from the blurb and from reviewers I follow – and I was not disappointed to bump this ahead of other books.

Lost in a forest and unsure who he is, not recognising his body or exactly what’s going on, is where the protagonist and the reader find themselves. An opening that enticed me in as I discovered where ‘I’ was and why – well, not exactly. At first, we meet the first host body for the first-person protagonist that needs to identify the killer of Evelyn Hardcastle to break a cycle that he has become trapped in.

This is Groundhog Day meets Cluedo with Agatha Christie pulling the strings of a cast that echoes the Golden Age of Mystery. Except this world feels darker with death not limited to one-time only. Although the mystery elements are classic and the basic plot may seem easily solved by some readers, it is not the mystery that makes this novel, but the intricacies caused by a repeating day with the hosts and other players evolving with the unravelling of the secrets.  

This is the mysterious world that is Blackheath, a crumbling country house with characters hiding as many secrets as the plot. Everyone seems to be guilty of something or hiding their past. The faded grandeur was evocatively described in a language smeared with decay and dread. A mystery convention twisted by the theme. This was a house of layers that Aiden had to uncover with his host bodies.

Host bodies that added their own idiosyncrasies to the investigation. He must work with their limitations such as ageing bodies or their own agendas. This is no simple body-hopping as he must pull their minds to his task – or in some cases use their own intelligence. And as he hops there are dangers from shadowy antagonists to losing his mind to his host’s.

Each character is distinct especially the hosts, whom the reader gets to experience from their perspective and Aiden’s – in a clever way…without spoiling the gameplay. Full marks to the author for painting such amazing portraits and evolving their behaviour as the day repeats. Some seem to be tortured by their own actions – their consciences perhaps.

I’m trying to avoid spoilers so I’m sounding as devious as the author. There are clever twists to catch out everyone – even readers, even if some are ahead of the game. But I was surprised although I had my suspects. With a sprinkling of clues – and red herrings – to mystify hosts and readers, I enjoyed the ingenious plotting that must have taken a wall of sticky notes. The author’s notes clarify the process and added to my admiration.

My only minor quibbles were ‘shooting’ described as ‘hunting’ – I come from a shooting-hunting country house background – and a few unnecessary dialogue tags where the speaker was obvious.

The ending was unexpectedly artful with even ‘the puppet master’ stunned. After reading this novel, I’d recommend this to mystery readers looking for something different from the norm and open to other genre elements sneaking in. Or are you afraid of getting trapped re-reading this tome?

Story – five stars

Setting/World-building – five stars

Authenticity – four stars

Characters – five stars

Structure – five stars

Readability – four stars

Editing – five stars

The Must-Have Thesaurus

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Hi everyone! Today’s an exciting day because I’ve been helping Angela and Becca at Writers Helping Writers keep a BIG secret: what the next book in their thesaurus series will be.

It might seem strange for an author to not tell their readers about the book they plan to release…unless your names are Becca and Angela. They are known for writing books on showing, not telling, and couldn’t pass up a chance to do just that by waiting for the cover reveal, which is today!

So, without further ado, I give you…

emotion-thesaurus-2nd-edition-400

The Emotion Thesaurus Second Edition!

You might have heard of The Emotion Thesaurus before, or even have a copy. The original released in 2012 and quickly became the go-to guide on expressing character emotion. The book’s lists of body language, thoughts, and visceral sensations for 75 unique emotions made brainstorming character expressions and reactions so much easier.

The Emotion Thesaurus is one of my primary writing resources – well-thumbed in my quest to improve my characters’s emotional behaviour.

In this second edition, the authors have added 55 entries, bringing the total to 130 emotions.

That’s not all, either. This book is almost double in size with lots of new content. You can find a full write up for it HERE and a list of all the entries (plus some samples!) HERE.

Plus, this book is available for pre-order! You can find it on Amazon, Kobo, Apple Books (iTunes), and Indiebound.

One last thing I wanted to mention…

Angela & Becca are giving away a free webinar recording of one of their popular workshops on Emotion, so head over if this is an area of struggle for you. It might really help!

I’m off to pre-order my copy of The Emotion Thesaurus Second Edition now before I tackle another scene.

2019 Cloak and Dagger Challenge

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Yesterday, I posted my 2018 books and hinted at another Challenge as well as the Goodreads Reading Challenge. While the Goodreads target includes all genres, this other one is restricted to the genres that my writing falls into. My current WIP is a police procedural but the Cloak and Dagger Challenge encompasses other related genres.

If you want to learn more, visit the sign-up site at: https://www.booksmoviesreviewsohmy.com/2018-cloak-and-dagger-challenge-sign-up/

However, here are the rules copied from the site:

Challenge Rules:

  • You can read any book that is from the mystery/suspense/thriller/crime genres. Any sub-genres are welcome as long as they incorporate one of these genres.
  • You don’t need a blog to participate but you do need a place to post your reviews to link up. (blog, goodreads, booklikes, shelfari, etc.)
  • Make a goal post and link it back here with your goal for this challenge.
  • Books need to be novellas or novels, please no short stories. (At least 100 pages +)
  • Crossovers into other challenges are fine.
  • The Challenge will be from Jan. 1st to Dec. 31st. (Sign up ends March 15th)

This year we are doing the link up a little different. Both Barb and I keep forgetting to do the link ups each month so I thought it would be easier on us if we did Quarterly link ups, so there will be four review link-ups. (Jan-March, April-June, July-Sept and Oct-Dec)

There will be a monthly link up so that others can check out your progress and look at your reviews. At the halfway mark and at the end we will have a giveaway for those participating.

If you tweet about your progress or reviews please use the hashtag #CloakDaggerChal so others can see it.

Levels:

5-15 books – Amateur sleuth

16-25 books – Detective 

26-35 books – Inspector

36 – 55 – Special agent

56+ books – Sherlock Holmes

My 2019 Cloak and Dagger Books

Looking back at my diverse 2018 reads according to Goodreads, I managed to read 11 ‘Cloak and Dagger Books last year – that made me an Amateur sleuth.

But I’m not aiming to read any Cozy Mysteries in 2019, so my aim is to reach the Detective level. Is that realistic?

This is my current list of ‘eligible’ books based on the paperbacks on my desk and on my US & UK Kindles. However, the ones on the UK Kindle, I am unable to access except on the Kindle Cloud reader – such as the rest of the brilliant Fiona Griffiths series. Plus, I am likely to see some tempting reviews that I have to act on as well – and I have some unbought ‘wants’ at Amazon.

  1. The Things You Didn’t See by Ruth Dugdall – read and reviewed: https://rolandclarke.com/2019/01/09/the-things-you-didnt-see-a-review%EF%BB%BF/
  2. The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle by Stuart Turton – I’m currently reading this unusual mystery that feels like Cluedo crossed with Groundhog Day with Agatha Christie pulling the strings.
  3. Murder Keeps No Calendar by Cathy Ace – a short story collection from Welsh Canadian author, Cathy Ace whom I first discovered when I picked up a paperback in a Welsh market.
  4. The Pot Thief Who Studied Edward Abbey by J. Michael Orenduff – 8th in the Pot Thief Mysteries series but can be read out of order. I won this in an author giveaway.
  5. The Fake Date by Lynda Stacey – a psychological thriller that received excellent reviews, especially from a reviewer I follow. Plus, the protagonist has amnesia like my detective.
  6. A Beautiful Poison by Lydia Kang – one of my January free Prime reads with an unusual premise.
  7. Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier – the February/March selection for the Insecure Writer’s Support Group Book Club and an overdue read.
  8. Hunter’s Chase by Val Penny – a ‘well plotted’ crime novel reviewed by an author I rate.
  9. No Life Until Death by Garry Rodgers – Vancouver-based police procedural from a retired RCMP homicide detective whose informative blog I follow.
  10. The Silent Dead/Death in the Lakes by Graham Smith – first in police procedural series set in the Lake District, UK.
  11. The Frame-Up by Meghan Scott Molin – the premise of a female comic book writer tackling crime and the sample hooked me.
  12. The Good Knight by Sarah Woodbury – a historical mystery set in 12th century Wales so three reasons to tempt me.
  13. The Lady of the Lakewood Diner by Anne R. Allen – a comedy whodunnit with Woodstock era characters and more. And a writer that I follow and admire.
  14. The Inside Passage by Pendelton Wallace – first in the Ted Higuera suspense thriller series.
  15. Scared to Death by Rachel Amphlett – set in an area of the UK, Kent, that I know well, plus this is the first book in the Kay Hunter series.
  16. This Thing of Darkness by Harry Bingham – a must-read as I’m a fan of Welsh detective Fiona Griffiths; this is the fourth novel in the series.
  17. Montbel: A French Murder Mystery by Angela Wren – another visit to the Cevennes is due so I must read this Jacques Forêt Mystery, the third outing in enjoyable series. See my review of Book 1 at https://rolandclarke.com/2017/09/12/messandrierre-a-review/ .
  18. Shallow Waters by Rebecca Bradley – police procedural by a retired police detective set in Nottingham, UK. Second in the D.I. Hannah Robbins series.
  19. Marred by Sue Colettta – the first in a series by the respected crime writer that deals realistically with the attempt to bring a serial killer to justice.
  20. The Spy’s Bedside Book by Graham Greene (Editor), Hugh Greene (Editor), Stella Rimington (Introduction) – collection of short stories.
  21. A Noise Downstairs by Linwood Barclay – it’s about time I read another novel by one of my favourite authors, and this one involves memory loss as well.

This feels like a daunting list, but it’s only mid-January so there’s no reason to panic, Jonesy. If you have any suggestions as to books I should add, comment away.

I might have a larger task with the fourteen additional books that I need to read for the Goodreads Reading Challenge. Children’s books, and novellas?

2018 Reads and Beyond

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As a writer, reading is an important part of the process. Reading teaches me many writing lessons while entertaining me. I hope that it’s making me a better writer.

Inspired by some of the writers and readers that I follow, here is my 2018 reading list and top books of the year. Most were not published in 2018, but that’s when I read them so that’s what counts.

First, the list as I reviewed them – with links:

Avalanche (A Stone Mountain Mystery #3) by Kristina Stanley – 5 stars

The Warrior’s Path (When Women Were Warriors #1) by Catherine M. Wilson – 5 stars

For The Winner (Golden Apple Trilogy #2) by Emily Hauser (Goodreads Author) – 5 stars

A Journey of the Heart (When Women Were Warriors #2) by Catherine M. Wilson – 5 stars

A Hero’s Tale (When Women Were Warriors #3) by Catherine M. Wilson – 5 stars

Death in Dulwich (London Murder Mystery #1) by Alice Castle – 4.7 stars

Apricots and Wolfsbane by K.M. Pohlkamp – 4.9 stars

Air and Ash (TIDES #1) by Alex Lidell – 4.3 stars

The Shepherdess of Siena by Linda Lafferty – 4.3 stars

The Last Wish (Saga o Wiedźminie #1) by Andrzej Sapkowski – 5 stars

Lord of the Flies by William Golding – 4.5 stars

The Secret Keeper by Kate Morton – 5+ stars

The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (The Chronicles of Narnia) by C.S. Lewis – 4.4 stars

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button by F. Scott Fitzgerald – 4.3 stars

Sword of Destiny (Saga o Wiedźminie #2) by Andrzej Sapkowski – 5 stars

Look the Other Way by Kristina Stanley – 4.6 stars

The Death of Mrs. Westaway by Ruth Ware – 5 stars

Never on Saturday by Sue Barnard – 4.4 stars

Heathcliff: The Unanswered Questions Finally Answered? by Sue Barnard – 4.4 stars

Horsemanship by Gina McKnight (Editor) – 5 stars

Mr Churchill’s Secretary (Maggie Hope Mystery #1) by Susan Elia MacNeal – 3.7 stars

The Strange Death of Fiona Griffiths (Fiona Griffiths #3) by Harry Bingham – 5 stars

Code Name Verity (Code Name Verity #1) by Elizabeth E. Wein – 5+ stars

Joseph Barnaby by Susan Roebuck – 4.6 stars

Method Acting For Writers: Learn Deep Point Of View Using Emotional Layers by

Lisa Hall-Wilson – 5 stars

The Ragged Edge of Night by Olivia Hawker – 5 stars

What Child Is This by Rhys Bowen – 5 stars

Eadric And The Wolves: A Novel Of The Danish Conquest Of England by David K. Mullaly – 4 stars

I’ve missed a few books – the Children’s ones – but these are the majority. On reflection, there are more five stars awarded than memorable books, and I’ve tended to be unfair to the authors I interact with. Why? Reverse favouritism?

Anyway, thinking back over the year and looking for memorable reads, here’s my top three for each of the genres that I lean towards:

Thrillers- Mystery- Suspense-Crime:
The Secret Keeper by Kate Morton – 5+ stars

The Strange Death of Fiona Griffiths (Fiona Griffiths #3) by Harry Bingham – 5 stars

Avalanche (A Stone Mountain Mystery #3) by Kristina Stanley – 5 stars

Fantasy:
The Warrior’s Path (When Women Were Warriors #1) by Catherine M. Wilson – 5 stars

The Last Wish (Saga o Wiedźminie #1) by Andrzej Sapkowski – 5 stars

For The Winner (Golden Apple Trilogy #2) by Emily Hauser (Goodreads Author) – 5 stars


Historical Fiction:

Code Name Verity (Code Name Verity #1) by Elizabeth E. Wein – 5+ stars

The Ragged Edge of Night by Olivia Hawker – 5 stars

Apricots and Wolfsbane by K.M. Pohlkamp – 4.9 stars


Some of these cross genres and showed that is achievable seamlessly. These lists lead into my top five reads of 2018 – well fiction reads – in order.

Top Five Reads of 2018
1.             Code Name Verity (Code Name Verity #1) by Elizabeth E. Wein – 5+ stars

2.            The Secret Keeper by Kate Morton – 5+ stars

3.            The Warrior’s Path (When Women Were Warriors #1) by Catherine M. Wilson – 5 stars

4.            The Strange Death of Fiona Griffiths (Fiona Griffiths #3) by Harry Bingham – 5 stars

5.            Avalanche (A Stone Mountain Mystery #3) by Kristina Stanley – 5 stars

Top Non-fiction has to be my ‘desk-bible’ – Method Acting For Writers: Learn Deep Point Of View Using Emotional Layers by Lisa Hall-Wilson. By the use it has already got, that 5 stars rating is low.

Keeping track of my reading has been my Goodreads account. I’ve now taken part in the Goodreads Reading Challenge for the last three years and passed my modest goal each year. I set the bar low as there are days when I struggle to read more than a few pages; not because the books are bad but because of health issues.

In 2018, I read 45 books and passed my target of 3o – call that figure 42 as three books got counted twice. Only 28 got reviewed – as above – but Goodreads did keep tally so I must have some reviews outstanding.

However, despite reading 41 books in 2017, I have kept my goal for 2019 low at 35. I am ahead as I type this, but I’m now reading a chunky 500-page book.

In my next Book Review post, I will list some of the books that I plan to read – with another Challenge as the target.

Finish the Damn Book! – a review

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Time for another book review in this new style post that’s not on a Thursday. And this was one of the few non-fiction reads planned for 2019. Plans are like rules, of course.

Finish the Damn Book!: An Inspirational Guide to Writing

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Martin McConnell (Goodreads Author)

This isn’t about grammar or syntax, it’s a wake up call for anyone wanting to write a book, create artwork, or craft lyrics and poetry.

Write faster, improve faster, and create poetic prose through this iterative process.

New writers often struggle at first. Experience enhances writing ability. The only way to improve is to write more, edit more, and iterate. McConnell puts you on the fast track to developing your writing skills and gives you the motivation needed to overcome not only writers block, but to boost your productivity in all aspects of life.

The biggest obstacle to becoming an author is finishing the first draft, and that monster known as ‘writers block’ is usually the scapegoat. This book will show you how to put that monster in the corner while you crank out chapter after chapter.

It’s short, fun to read, and will leave you reaching for an ink pen by the time you’re done. Put away the distractions and excuses and finish that damn book!

Review 3.5 stars

 Finish the Damn book! is a short motivational book that was what I needed to get me back to the keyboard of creativity – well almost. It might be focused on new writers, but writers struggling with monsters like ‘writer’s block’ and ‘prevarication’ will get a kick out of the forthright lessons – a kick in the ass as the author says.

McConnell doesn’t mince his words in delivering his honest message, albeit one that some of us have heard often – and ignored. The book is neatly divided into two parts: ‘The First Draft’ and ‘Post Draft’ with useful appendices for further digging. Getting your first draft down without distractions, excuses, and evasions, is the primary goal in simple suggestions that rang true for me. Only when that first draft is finished can a writer tackle the editing phase – harder but fun.

This isn’t a writing guide with detailed steps on what to do, but a series of motivational kicks to keep you on the path of getting a book finished. Like me, other writers might find that McConnell’s productivity is daunting and some of his suggestions questionable. Yet, he advises taking what we need and discarding things that don’t fit with our approach. But there are warnings of dangers when we wander. Just don’t expect everything claimed on the tin.

This isn’t a desk-bible for me, but when I wander off-piste I will dip back in. Four stars minus 0.5 for irritating editing mistakes – like ‘reigns’ for ‘reins’. Given the author’s editing suggestions, I was surprised.

I won this book in a NaNoWriMo-related competition with no obligation to write anything – but I am grateful to Martin McConnell for sending me a copy. And my NaNo wins prove to me that there is value here.