Review of THE STORM by Rachel Hawkins (New Release)

 3.5 Stars

This book relies on the trope of “a storm is coming” in both a literal and figurative sense.

St. Medard’s Bay, Alabama, is known for its hurricanes. After Hurricane Marie in 1984, 19-year-old Lo Bailey is charged with the murder of her married lover, Landon Fitzroy, the son of Alabama’s governor. His body was found near the Rosalie Inn, a century-old seaside hotel. Though Lo is not convicted, many suspect that Landon’s death was not caused by the hurricane and that she used it to cover up her actions.

In 2025, Geneva Corliss, the current owner of the Rosalie Inn, plays host to August Fletcher, a journalist co-writing Lo’s memoir. He arrives with Lo for an extended stay while they work on the book. As Geneva gets to know Lo and August, she develops theories about what happened in 1984, but it seems obvious that the truth is more complicated than she expects.

There are some issues with narrative structure. There are alternating timelines with alternating points of view, and this approach can be confusing. For instance, Chapter One begins with a section where Geneva narrates some events (June 21, 2025), followed by an excerpt from a tabloid newspaper (1985), pages of an unfinished manuscript (Sept. 3, 2025), an excerpt from a book published in 1988, and then an email (Oct. 4, 1983). It’s not always clear what one is reading or whose point of view is being presented until attribution is given at the end.

Pacing is uneven. At the beginning, not much happens. There’s a slow build up to the approaching hurricane which the reader knows will be accompanied by a confrontation of some type. In the latter part, there are a lot of twists which feel rushed. Unfortunately, many of the twists are predictable. One character has early-onset Alzheimer’s and this inevitably means that she possesses an important secret. Another character is vague about her past and this signals she has secrets as well. Sometimes characters react strangely to each other or avoid each other and these reactions almost always indicate a hidden connection. These are all not-very-subtle clues that regular readers of mystery and suspense will notice.

Men are not portrayed positively. Men are either abusive (Linus Bailey), incompetent (plumber), alcoholic (the handyman), or domineering (L. B. Fitzroy). Even Geneva’s father, a good guy, seems to have been rather gullible. There’s more than one man who has a hidden agenda. It is Landon who is most unbelievable. He’s nothing more than a smarmy playboy using his handsomeness and charm to manipulate much younger women.

The book is entertaining, especially if one is willing to ignore its shortcomings, but it is not exceptional in any way.

Note: I received an eARC from the publisher via NetGalley.

Review of THE NANCYS AND THE CASE OF THE MISSING NECKLACE by R. W. R. McDonald

 4 Stars

This cozy crime story was a great way to begin the new year of reading.

Eleven-year-old Tippy Chan lives with her mother Helen in the small town of Riverstone in New Zealand. Tippy’s Uncle Pike and his boyfriend Devon arrive from Australia to look after her while Helen is on a Christmas cruise. Tippy is obsessed with her uncle’s Nancy Drew books and wishes she too could be an amateur sleuth. When the mutilated body of Tippy’s teacher, Ms. Everson, is found, Tippy and her minders form a detective club to investigate. The police arrest another teacher, Sally Homer, but Pike, having known her in the past, is convinced of her innocence. What begins as a bonding exercise and a way to help Tippy face her first Christmas without her father becomes dangerous. Tippy is even left symbolic messages to deter her from investigating what happened.

Tippy, the narrator, is a very likeable character. She’s inquisitive, observant, and intelligent and loyal to family and friends. She feels like an authentic pre-teen: she remains innocent in some ways as she tries to make sense of the world. There is, however, a vulnerability in her; because of the sudden death of her father earlier in the year, she needs reassurance and comforting.

I enjoy reading about dynamic characters and Tippy does grow in the course of the novel. With the help of Pike and Devon, she learns to open up about her feelings, something she has not been able to do with her mother who is overly protective. She also realizes that there is more to people’s lives than what they may publicly project. For instance, she learns that her uncle’s early life as a gay man in a small town was difficult, that teachers may be very different from what students see in the classroom, and that her father’s life was complicated.

There is also a motley cast of minor characters, Pike and Devon being the most memorable. Pike, for example, is definitely a unique personality; outrageous in his behaviour, he is anything but conventional in his interactions with his niece. He and the flamboyant Devon constantly banter back and forth. Tippy does not – fortunately – understand much of the sexual innuendo of their exchanges, though the reader will certainly be laughing. Some might question Pike’s approach to minding his niece, but there is no doubt that he loves her and wants to protect her. Pike and Devon also insert themselves into the life of Melanie, the neighbour’s teenage granddaughter. Melanie scares Tippy, but the men see beyond her spiky facade and reach out to help her. This decision speaks highly of the type of people the couple are beyond their campiness.

Though there is a mystery to be solved and a lot of comedy, the book also touches on some serious topics. It explores loss and grief and emphasizes the importance of family. Just like there is more to Pike and Devon than their appearance and audacious behaviour might suggest, there is more to the novel than just humour and suspense.

Anyone who grew up reading the Nancy Drew or Hardy Boys novels will enjoy this book. It’s witty and entertaining but also possesses some thematic depth. It is also heart-warming: at the end I reacted like Devon does when he receives Tippy’s Christmas gift.

Schatje's Favourite Books of 2025

 

Schatje’s Favourite Books of 2025

Of the 106 books I read and reviewed this year, here are among my favourite ones published in 2025. I divided my choices into two very broad categories: 25 novels classified as literary fiction, some with historical elements, and a dozen titles classified as crime drama, psychological suspense, mystery, thriller or gothic fiction. It was a great year of reading!

Favourite Literary (and/or Historical) Fiction

We Do Not Part by Han Kang https://schatjesshelves.blogspot.com/2025/01/review-of-we-do-not-part-by-han-kang.html

Three Days in June by Anne Tyler https://schatjesshelves.blogspot.com/2025/02/review-of-three-days-in-june-by-anne.html

End of August by Paige Dinneny https://schatjesshelves.blogspot.com/2025/02/review-of-end-of-august-by-paige.html

Nesting by Roisín O’Donnell https://schatjesshelves.blogspot.com/2025/02/review-of-nesting-by-roisin-odonnell.html

A House for Miss Pauline by Diana McCaulay https://schatjesshelves.blogspot.com/2025/02/review-of-house-for-miss-pauline-by.html

The Immortal Woman by Su Chang https://schatjesshelves.blogspot.com/2025/03/review-of-immortal-woman-by-su-chang.html

The Paris Express by Emma Donoghue https://schatjesshelves.blogspot.com/2025/03/review-of-paris-express-by-emma.html

The Boy from the Sea by Garrett Carr https://schatjesshelves.blogspot.com/2025/04/review-of-boy-from-sea-by-garrett-carr.html

The Lotus Shoes by Jane Yang https://schatjesshelves.blogspot.com/2025/05/review-of-lotus-shoes-by-jane-yang.html

Fox by Joyce Carol Oates https://schatjesshelves.blogspot.com/2025/06/review-of-fox-by-joyce-carol-oates-new.html

The Homemade God by Rachel Joyce https://schatjesshelves.blogspot.com/2025/06/review-of-homemade-god-by-rachel-joyce.html

The Heart of Winter by Jonathan Evison https://schatjesshelves.blogspot.com/2025/07/review-of-heart-of-winter-by-jonathan.html

The Lies They Told by Ellen Marie Wiseman https://schatjesshelves.blogspot.com/2025/07/review-of-lies-they-told-by-ellen-marie.html

Solitaria by Eliana Alves Cruz https://schatjesshelves.blogspot.com/2025/08/review-of-solitaria-by-eliana-alves.html

Bad Juliet by Giles Blunt https://schatjesshelves.blogspot.com/2025/09/review-of-bad-juliet-by-giles-blunt-new.html

Ripeness by Sarah Moss https://schatjesshelves.blogspot.com/2025/09/review-of-ripeness-by-sarah-moss-new.html

The Book of Guilt by Catherine Chidgey https://schatjesshelves.blogspot.com/2025/09/review-of-book-of-guilt-by-catherine.html

What We Can Know by Ian McEwan https://schatjesshelves.blogspot.com/2025/10/review-of-what-we-can-know-by-ian.html

Evensong by Stewart O’Nan https://schatjesshelves.blogspot.com/2025/11/review-of-evensong-by-steward-onan-new.html

Benbecula by Graeme Macrae Burnet https://schatjesshelves.blogspot.com/2025/11/review-of-benbecula-by-graeme-macrae.html

Listen by Sacha Bronwasser https://schatjesshelves.blogspot.com/2025/11/review-of-listen-by-sacha-bronwasser.html

Songs of Love on a December Night by David Adams Richards https://schatjesshelves.blogspot.com/2025/11/review-of-songs-of-love-on-december.html

Needle Lake by Justine Champine https://schatjesshelves.blogspot.com/2025/12/review-of-needle-lake-by-justine.html

Seascraper by Benjamin Wood https://schatjesshelves.blogspot.com/2025/12/review-of-seascraper-by-benjamin-wood.html

Flashlight by Susan Choi https://schatjesshelves.blogspot.com/2025/12/review-of-flashlight-by-susan-choi.html

Favourite Crime/Psychological Suspense/Mystery/Thriller/Gothic Fiction

The Quiet Librarian by Allen Eskens https://schatjesshelves.blogspot.com/2025/02/review-of-quiet-librarian-by-allan.html

Son by Johana Gustawsson and Thomas Enger https://schatjesshelves.blogspot.com/2025/03/review-of-son-by-johana-gustawsson-and.html

The Cure by Eve Smith https://schatjesshelves.blogspot.com/2025/04/review-of-cure-by-eve-smith-new-release.html

Dangerous by Essie Fox https://schatjesshelves.blogspot.com/2025/04/review-of-dangerous-by-essie-fox-new.html

Home Fires Burn by Anthony Bidulka https://schatjesshelves.blogspot.com/2025/06/review-of-home-fires-burn-by-anthony.html

Home Before Dark by Eva Björg Ægisdóttir https://schatjesshelves.blogspot.com/2025/07/review-of-home-before-dark-by-eva-bjorg.html

She Didn’t See It Coming by Shari Lapena https://schatjesshelves.blogspot.com/2025/08/review-of-she-didnt-see-it-coming-by.html

High Season by Katie Bishop https://schatjesshelves.blogspot.com/2025/08/review-of-high-season-by-katie-bishop.html

Gone in the Night by Joanna Schaffhausen https://schatjesshelves.blogspot.com/2025/08/review-of-gone-in-night-by-joanna.html

Venetian Vespers by John Banville https://schatjesshelves.blogspot.com/2025/11/review-of-venetian-vespers-by-john.html

Small Fires by Ronnie Turner https://schatjesshelves.blogspot.com/2025/02/review-of-small-fires-by-ronnie-turner.html

Jenny Cooper Has a Secret by Joy Fielding https://schatjesshelves.blogspot.com/2025/08/review-of-jenny-cooper-has-secret-by.html

Review of THE NAMES by Florence Knapp

 3.5 Stars

I listened to this book on my morning walks, but I wish I had read a physical copy.

Cora, though married to a well-respected physician, is trapped in an abusive marriage. As the novel begins, she has just had a second child, a son; their daughter Maia is nine years old. Gordon, Cora’s husband, wants their son to be given his name as is the tradition in his family. Cora dislikes the name and fears it will shape her son into another domineering man like his father and paternal grandfather. She favours Julian, a name meaning sky father, which she hopes will be an acceptable compromise because it honours Gordon’s paternity. Maia suggests Bear because it implies not only softness and kindness but also strength and bravery. At the registrar’s office, Cora picks one of these names, at which point the narrative divides into three, each showing how the lives of the son and his family develop differently as a consequence of the name choice.

The novel, set in England, begins in October of 1987 and covers a span of 35 years. Each section is set 7 years apart and each is divided into 3 sections, one for each name choice.

I found, however, that the book is not really about the impact of names but on the consequences of one’s choices. It is Cora’s decision and Gordon’s reactions to that decision which impact the son’s life and that of Cora and Maia as well. If Cora surrenders to her fear and acquiesces to her husband’s wishes and names their son Gordon, will he end up bullied as his father was bullied by his own and so perpetuate the pattern of behaviour? If she finds the courage to choose the name she most prefers, will it empower her and her son? If Cora chooses to be reckless and opts for a totally unconventional name, will that just escalate Gordon’s violence?

It is the effects of domestic violence that are explored. Regardless of the name Cora chooses for her son, the abusive environment in which he and Maia live shapes their lives. If the abuse continues, that will inevitably influence the children. If Cora were able to leave the relationship and take the children with her, the father’s absence would have an effect. If Gordon gained sole custody of the children, as Cora fears, the mother’s absence would have an effect. The message is that an abusive environment inevitably shapes children and even their removal from it is impactful.

As I mentioned, I listened to an audio version and that choice may explain my difficulty in keeping track of the three storylines. When the narrative returned to a particular storyline, I was hard pressed to remember what had previously happened. Furthermore, the 7-year gaps between chapters means that little of what happened in the intervening time period is explained. And that structure does not allow for development of minor characters. Orla and Lily, for example, remain vague.

Potential readers need to be warned that the marketing of the novel (as a book that asks whether a name can change the course of a life) is misleading. The book is more about the implications of one’s decisions and about domestic abuse and its long-term effects on family members. And some of the violence is described in horrific detail.

Review of THE HALLMARKED MAN by Robert Galbraith

 3 Stars

This is the eighth Cormoran Strike novel; it’s not the longest of the series but has over 900 pages.

A mutilated and dismembered corpse is found in the vault of a silver shop that specializes in selling Masonic artifacts. Police identify the victim, but Decima Mullins, a woman with loose family connections to Strike’s former fiancée, is convinced that the dead man is the vanished father of her newborn son. She hires Strike to prove her theory. Strike and his partner, Robin Ellacott, discover that there are other missing men whose descriptions match the corpse, so they need to find each of these men to eliminate or confirm him as the murder victim. And then their investigations uncover more victims.

As in the previous installments, the personal relationship between Cormoran and Robin plays an important role in the narrative. Robin is in an increasingly deepening relationship with CID Officer Ryan Murphy. Will Cormoran finally speak of his feelings for his partner before Ryan cements their relationship? I must say that Cormoran and Robin’s see-saw relationship is becoming tiresome. After 7 years, there has been no progress. I find myself becoming increasingly exasperated with Strike’s constant hesitating and Robin’s inability to be honest with herself and others. The pointless keeping of secrets causes unnecessary conflicts between the two.

Labyrinthine is the best adjective to describe the plot. There are so many characters in the convoluted investigation that it is difficult to keep track of all the characters and remember the relationships among the large cast. And on the topic of characters, am I the only one who thinks that Ryan is just another Matthew? Robin’s ex-husband was jealous of Cormoran and subtly manipulated Robin, and Ryan is equally guilty.

Parts of the book are predictable. The trajectory of the plot involving Kim Cochran is so obvious. She flirts with Cormoran and disrespects Robin so what happens is inevitable. An important question involves how the murderer got into the vault, yet neither Robin nor Strike investigate the solution that will occur to anyone familiar with crime fiction and dramas?!

As the series continues, my enjoyment of the books is lessening. I’m not sure how much longer I will continue. Perhaps I’ll just stream Strike.

Review of THE LAND IN WINTER by Andrew Miller

 3 Stars

I picked up this book because it was shortlisted for the 2025 Booker Prize and won the Walter Scott Prize for Historical Fiction. Unfortunately, I wasn’t as impressed as the judges of these awards.

Set in England’s rural West Country in 1962-63, the novel focuses on two couples, neighbours, who are discontented and whose marriages are emotionally disconnected. Eric Parry is a doctor married to Irene who has left behind London literary life. Bill Simmons is a rookie farmer married to Rita, a former showgirl, who is having difficulty adapting to the life of a farmer’s wife. The winter, with its historically cold temperatures and blizzard conditions with record snowfall, imposes physical isolation that exacerbates tensions and resentments.

Each of the four characters is developed in depth. Eric is not a pleasant person; arrogant and self-serving, he carries on an affair with a married woman while virtually ignoring Irene. Well-educated and sensitive Irene seems lost, passively accepting the role of doctor’s wife. Bill is an idealistic dreamer trying his hand at farming about which he knows little. He has doubts about his marriage “to a woman more suited to being a mistress than a wife, whose past he thought he would be better off not knowing too much about.” Rita is vivacious but scattered and also troubled; she misses the excitement of the big city. Irene and Rita become friends. Both are pregnant and so share similar concerns: their lives are about to be dramatically changed. Though the four protagonists have complexity, I felt disconnected from them. Perhaps this feeling is what the author strove to illicit in order to emphasize the disconnectedness of the characters’ lives. Unfortunately, because I didn’t feel invested, I didn’t much care about their fates.

The narrative begins very slowly. There is little plot and everything is described in great detail. The author excels at painting a picture but some of those descriptions feel unnecessary and certainly slow the novel’s pace. The final section, however, has so much action that it feels chaotic. There is more tension and suspense, but by then I didn’t really care about what happened to the characters. To state that the ending is abrupt is almost an understatement.

The book is bleak in many ways. Winter and darkness are not just part of the landscape, but deep within the lonely, empty lives of the four main characters. The tone is set early in the novel; it opens with the suicide of a young man and the birth of a stillborn calf. Even the writing, with its meandering prose, feels cold and dispassionate. The dialogue is stilted and unnaturally formal, mirroring the shallow and distant connections. World War II and the Holocaust still loom large. Not only is there repeated mention of the destruction in London which is still re-building, but there are also references to concentration camps like Bergen-Belsen and what was discovered there. More than one person has suffered war-time trauma.

Interestingly, the character about whom I would have liked to learn more is Gabby Miklos, Eric’s partner in the medical practice. He appears periodically and is the person who tries the hardest to connect with others. His conversation with Bill at the dinner party and Eric’s visit with him near the end are revealing. His would be an interesting story.

The author excels at creating the tediousness of dissatisfied people living isolated lives. But for me, the book was often a tedious read. I felt only a shallow connection to the characters and the plot left me dissatisfied.

Review of SEASCRAPER by Benjamin Wood

 4 Stars

This novel was brought to my attention when it appeared on the 2025 Booker Prize longlist.

The novel is set in the early 1960s in a coastal village in northwestern England. Twenty-year-old Thomas Flett earns his living as a shanker: he rides a horse up and down the beach scraping the sand for shrimp. His is a hard life that has taken its toll so he shambles along “with all the spryness of a nursing-home resident.” He yearns for more than his life which is “just a mindless trudge of work”; he dreams of performing folk songs in the local pub and courting a local young woman. Unfortunately, he lacks the courage to do either.

Thomas’ life changes with the arrival of Edgar Acheson, a fast-talking American who claims to be a film director scouting locations for a movie. Though Thomas is reluctant at first, he eventually agrees to act as Edgar’s guide. It’s not just the money: “It’s a bridge he wants – between Longferry and the world beyond – and Mr Acheson could be the one to help him build it.” But is Edgar all that he claims to be?

And that’s the reason why I found much of the novel to be suspenseful. Aspects of Edgar’s behaviour cast doubt on his claims. Perhaps I was overly skeptical of Edgar because the novel reminded of Whale Fall by Elizabeth O’Connor in which a young girl yearns for life in the wider world but ends up being manipulated by visiting ethnographers who lie to her and steal from her. I was concerned that he is being led down the garden path. And my concern increased as Thomas becomes more invested in Edgar’s plans: “He gets the sense that something’s turning in his fortunes. All those dreary shifts at sea, gone unrewarded. All his ma’s relentless praying before bedtime. Well, at last a table scrap of luck’s been thrown to them to gnaw the meat off.”

And then there’s tension because of the danger involved in Thomas’ work. There are sinkpits everywhere which can claim a person’s life yet Edgar insists on Thomas taking him out on a foggy night. I found myself even worried about Thomas’ horse: Thomas warns, “’The horse’ll tire out and catch a chill if we stay out in [the cold, deep water] too long’” but Edgar ignores him and even admires the horse’s colour when it has worked up a sweat: “’It’s got a lustre to it now it’s got a sweat on – really great.’”

It is impossible not to like Thomas. His intelligence is obvious. Unfortunately, he is forced to leave school in order to help his family, though he had “an awareness of his own capacity.” His life is difficult; the novel begins with details about his daily routine, details which emphasize how harsh and monotonous his life is. And all that work barely guarantees that he and his mother can survive. His comments about Edgar reveal such humanity; even when disheartened, Thomas is capable of understanding and compassion. His mother may be a nag but Thomas remembers her sacrifices for him so it’s obvious he could never abandon her.

The novel is a coming-of-age story. Thomas learns that he’s lost joy in his life: “most folk seem to carry on undaunted, just like children gaily sliding down a sand dune. When did he stop sliding for the fear of broken glass and bloody knees?” He also realizes the power of art. Edgar tells him that “’Art’s the only way I’ve ever had of making any sense of [life].’” Later Thomas thinks that though the sea provides his livelihood and he can respect himself for being steadfast to his work, “there’s no meaning in it any more,” but music would provide him “with a better purpose” because “a song belongs to someone. To whoever dreamed it up. Yesterday it wasn’t even born, and now it’s in the world.”

This is more a novella than a novel, yet it has so much in it. I can understand why it has been applauded so widely.