Time for another of these catch-up posts, with a real mixed bag of treats this time.
Some Hope by Edward St Aubyn. Book number three in the Patrick Melrose sequence, and a bit of an odd one, in that Melrose himself takes very little part in the proceedings, leaving the floor vacant for a whole cast of ghastly rich people attending a dreadful house party. Still, according to Zadie Smith on the front cover, the book has the wit of Wilde, the lightness of Wodehouse and the waspishness of Waugh, so it must be OK, right? Well, at this point I refer you to the book’s title. The question now is: do I give in to my completist urge and still get books four and five? God knows.
HHhH by Laurent Binet. I remember this being very big a few years back and now I know why. Extraordinary piece of storytelling. Is it non-fiction or a novel? Does it matter? I’m very keen to read more of his stuff now.
The Enemy Within by Adam MacQueen. I read the first book in this series, Beneath the Streets, a while back (might have been a freebie from the publisher) and really enjoyed the clever way that MacQueen inserted his protagonist into recent historical events – specifically the Wilson years and the Thorpe scandal. This continues in the same vein, this time against the backdrop of the Thatcher years, and it’s almost as entertaining, even if the events are somewhat grimmer.
The Decagon House Murders by Yukito Ayatsuji. Another slice of Japanese crime fiction, from the author of The Mill House Murders. This time we have a slightly warped version of And Then There Were None. It’s nice to see that there are writers still following in the Christie tradition.