Seven Billionth of the World's Opinion

A well crafted thriller that plays little tricks with the reader. But the manipulation really lies in the reader’s oblivion to this fact until halfway through the story. Nick has been accused of foul play after his wife, Amy goes missing. All clues would appear to lead to an eventual discovery of a body, but no body is found. This confounds the police, particularly Boney who can read situations beyond what is apparent. Something doesn’t add up. Buy from Amazon Diary of a Psychopath Alternating chapters tells Amy’s story via a secret diary up to the point of her disappearance. Nick apparently has been an unpleasant husband, spending all her money and growing more moody and selfish. The final straw is when Amy discovers Nick is having an affair with the local bimbo. It would seem Amy had sacrificed her life as a writer and her friends in New York to live in the Deep South where she grows increasingly isolated and disillusioned. The story really drew me in and I enjoyed ...

Matriarchal figure, Ouma is found drowned in the pool of a small African village and at first everyone thinks it was an accident. But footprints are found near the site as well as mysterious substance beneath the fingernails. Investigator Jannie is sent to solve the mystery and instead opens a can of worms within the locals. South African  Whodunit Buy from Amazon The people are grief stricken after the death of a figurehead who also acted as a doctor, counsellor and psychological anchor. But Ouma’s death is not what it seems. There are hidden grievances, jealousies and desires. Yes, an interesting sounding story but the fact was, the pace was far too slow. Large chunks of the book simply described the sluggish pace of the community where little happens. It is only at around the final third of the book that anyone gets to examine the mysterious footprints near the body. Solving the Mystery There is a lot of grimness and misery. Klein Samson’s love is never ...

Tony Hill is a psychologist who sets a task for his team of budding police officers: to look for a pattern in the mysterious disappearances of young girls across the UK. Officer Shaz is the brightest button of the crew, pitches her theory a high-profile celeb, Jacko Vance is the killer. This propels her colleagues into laughing fits. Only when she starts probing deeper and making enquiries does something shocking happen that demonstrates Vance’s prowess as a truly chilling killer. Buy from Amazon But with this revelation early in the novel, there are few other surprises in store, other than learning some of Vance’s backstory, which Tony’s team does to get a conviction. McDermid’s character and community descriptions are vivid, and I love some her turns of phrases, which brought clear imagery. But the plot got tediously hampered by two big-footed plods who decide to freeze the task force on suspicion of murder, simply because the victim ‘knew’ her colleagues. Both plods ...

Young auctioneer, Catherine is about to start a new life working for Osberne’s Valuers and wants to prove her worth by inspecting the collections of now dead mad genius M H Mason. His niece, Edith, now in her nineties, is the sole heir at the Red House. But Catherine has a past she wants buried. We glimpse unsettling memories of Ellyll Field, of her childhood, also known as the Hell. And we also learn about the disastrous end to her TV career, due to a bullying boss. Gothic Horror But Catherine is about to face her biggest challenge yet. Old Edith is anything but a pushover as she takes Catherine on a nightmare tour of her uncle’s horrible collection of nasty taxidermy and creepy old doll’s faces with eerie gazes. Nevill throws in some sinister imagery of Seventies Britain of child abductions and unsettling lullabies of ice cream vans that leaves an unsavoury taste in the mouth. Catherine soon sees a connection between her childhood ‘hell’ and the Red House. Nevill has ...

Peter Straub is a slightly off the wall thriller writer. Kobo and Ghost Story are  among  my favourites. And Mystery doesn’t disappoint – one third of the Trilogy about the Blue Rose murders. This thriller could stand on its own. Sleuth Mystery A polished, if a little complex plot, Mystery is worth sticking with and remembering the numerous characters. The tale begins with young Tom who, after a near death accident that renders him in a wheelchair for months, takes an interest in the crimes of Mill Walk, a small Caribbean island where he lives. But his grandfather, Glen doesn’t take to Tom’s pastime too warmly, and neither does other influential figures of the island, namely his doctor. But this doesn’t stop sleuth Tom, who collects paper clippings and interviews of the underdogs of the island. He learns how Magnate family, the Redwings virtually own the island and keep the police force and officials in their pockets. Glen wastes no time in sending Tom to...

Natty, perfectionist and workaholic owns a hotel owner in Windermere along with her husband Sean, when their daughter Felicity is taken to hospital to have her appendix out. And in steps old university friend, Eve to save the day and run the business while Natty is tending to her daughter. Readable thriller That’s when Eve sets to work seducing Natty’s husband by giving him a blowjob to win his heart. And it seemed, he had fallen heavily for this creepy usurper of their 16 old family home. From that point, I couldn’t care for his fate as he didn’t feel real. Daly has an easy to read writing style that is a irresistible, even when some of the events left me dissatisfied. Natty’s silly decision to lie to the police about an altercation in the car park despite it all being caught on camera for instance. What was the point of lying? And then not being discrete enough about her secret enquiries about Eve’s past. Natty seemed to have chucked in logic for total meltdown. Natt...

Why do radio stations play the same one-hundred or so oldies over and over when there are so many lovely classics that hardly get an air play? Here is a list of old pop songs I would happy never have to hear again for my entire lifetime: the same chords, repetitive, cheesy, whatever. I don’t hate them, I simply don’t want to hear them anymore. Anything by Spandau Ballet Buy from Amazon Gold (forever played in events involving gold, Olympics), True, I’ll Fly for You, to Cut a Long Story Short, Communication, Lifeline, yes, even Through the Barricades. Their tunes do the opposite to making the hairs stand on the back of my neck. Spandau’s make the hairs on the back of my neck flatten right down. Banshee Wails to Chuck in the Slush Not so much overplayed, I simply don't want to hear them anymore: Smalltown Boy by Bronski Beat, Seven Days by Craig David, Dry your Eyes by The Streets, Earth Song by Michael Jackson, Mull of Kintyre by Wings, You’re Beautiful by James...

Shops stocking lingerie seem to be sending the message that all women want bigger boobs. Er, no. Some women simply want a bra that offers support and comfort. What do I see when I venture into the high street shop stocking lingerie? Racks and racks of padded bras. No non-padded bras to be seen. Doreen Bra non padded Click to buy from Amazon Bras with a Padded Big Cup I decided to try George at Asda the other day to be confronted with further racks of padded bras, every colour, support and style. I couldn’t find a normal bra anywhere. Yes, I could find sports bras, but you have to be a contortionist to get them on), and I could find kid’s bras (some of these were padded! Padded bras for twelve-year-olds, I ask you). But no other choice of bra. When I asked the shop assistant where I could find a non padded bra for adults, she said the padded bras were what the ‘younger generation’ wanted. I see. So us over-thirties don’t count, in the consumer demographic? So...

Has the taste of chocolate in the UK chocolate bar grown increasingly insipid? I used to like the chocolate bars displayed on the shop counters: Kit Kat, Twix, Minstrels and so forth, but nowadays, I eat them for the sugar rush, floundering for the chocolate  flavor , then immediately regret eating them for the disappointment. Has the Recipe of Chocolate Bars Changed? Yum. Click2buy from Amazon These high street chocolate bars taste more like sweet milk, bland. And as for the ‘layer’ of chocolate over the nougat or biscuit, about as thick as one micron, could you really technically call it a ‘chocolate’ bar? More like mostly-milk-sugar-biscuit with one milligram of chocolate included. I can still taste other foods like I used to, but now find myself opting for the posh chocs like Thornton’s , (I luv them Sevilles)   Green & Blacks or Marks & Spencer’s selection rather than touch the bars on offer at the supermarket counter. But of the bad bunch,...