Joseph Kanon: Shanghai, 9781398519787, Simon & Schuster UK, large paperback 

I seem to be reading quite a number of books about Nazi Germany lately. 

Joseph Kanon's excellent, atmospheric spy thriller featuring Daniel Lohr, starts in 1939 Berlin, who with great luck,  manages to escape by securing a passage on a ship heading for Shanghai thanks to his uncle Nathan's connections. He is a big player in pre war Shanghai's night life owning several clubs and pulling many business strings in this multi facetted, complex city. Several of the people Daniel meets on board  remain fatefully connected to him in Shanghai when he starts working for his uncle, particularly Leah with whom he begins an affair.  

The Chinese, Japanese, British,  Russian and German business connections are cleverly constructed  in this fab thriller.   I was intrigued by the web of plots Kanon spins, learning some history at the same time. Really loved Kanon's short, carefully crafted dialogues, his clipped sentences, the very colorful characters, a great literary spy novel.  

 Rebecca Godfrey & Leslie Jamison: Peggy, 9781473605756, Penguin Random House, pub date: August

This fresh,  fictional and quite literary interpretation of Peggy Guggenheim's well documented life was a wonderful read. 

I enjoyed Rebecca Godfrey's different approach to tell Peggy's life through her voice from early childhood up until she decides to collect avantgarde art. It is  a very different picture from the men consuming legendary art collector she is mostly portraited as. The novel sees her as a shy, spoiled, wealthy child used to a sheltered upper class Jewish life, with two sisters and an anxious mother until her beloved father dies on the Titanic. Tragedy remains part of their family life but after Peggy marries and has two children, her actions become bolder and more daring particulary after she realizes that she feels best in the company of artists and writers.  Her affair with the young Samuel Beckett has a special place in the novel. 

Its an interesting fictional biography that made me see Peggy Guggenheim from a very different perspective.  Sadly the author died when 2/3 of the book was finished,  Leslie Jamison did a great job finishing the novel according to the outline left behind. 

 Garry Disher: Sanctuary, Profile/Viper, 9781805222620, paperback, pub date: August 15, 2024

As far as Australian crime noir novels go, Disher is my favorite author. "Sanctuary", his upcoming standalone novel, took some time to get into, a string of story lines confused me in the beginning but of  course everything makes sense eventually.

Grace, the chief protagonist and most lieable character, is a very skilled thief on the run until she finds refuge and a job with Erin, a somewhat strange antique shop owner. Before too long Grace feels  at home but senses that someone is watching her.  Could it be Adam, a former boyfriend from her conflicted past whom she loved but betrayed or are other elements involved since she has not completely given up stealing while working for Erin who behaves strange at times as well.

Not one of my favorite Disher novels but a very solid crime noir novel as one would expect from him.

 Colm Toibin: Long Island, Picador, 9781035029440, hardback

What a delight to read Colm Toibin's latest fabulous  novel " Long Island", a follow up to " Brooklyn" which I also loved...but this is even better, i love how he writes, the quiet flow of the book  makes the events and the tone of the dialogues even more powerful as the plot comes to a head, i was completely hooked from start to finish.

Toibin is a brilliant storyteller as he picks up Eilis' life where "Brooklyn"  ended.  Now married to Tony with two teenage kids, Eilis is living in an enclave of Italien relatives on Long Island, when one day a man shows up at her door claiming Tony impregnanted his wife and he is going to hand over the baby to them when it is born. 

Eilis makes it clear to Tony that she will never tolerate this child in her household and when she receives no support from her Italian relatives or Tony,  she sets off to visit her mother in Ireland where she not only left her family but also Jim, her Irish love, who is still living in the village.  What unfolds in Enniscorthy, is a masterclass in storytelling.

Loved this book with all its characters from start to finish. 

 Abir Mukherjee: Hunted, 9781787302723, Harvill Secker, hardback

Abir Mukherjee's  wonderful historical mysteries set in India featuring the Sam Wyndham/ Bannerjee's duo are one of my favorite crime reads. But the man can also write nail biting, fast paced modern thrillers, as documented with  "Hunted".

 Set in London and mostly the US, the novel has multiple story lines  eventually coming together in a fast paced climax. Two parents from very different cultures, Saijd and Carrie, are on a hunt to find their adult children Alijah and Greg before the FBI does, both having fallen under the spell of a charismatic terrorist group who are carrying out suicide bombings. Agent Shreya Mistry is closing in on the group,  trying to avoid a desaster. 

My only negative is that the novel is so fast paced that it left me breathless at times. 

Named thriller of the month by the Sunday Times , I am sure "Hunted" will be up for more prizes.

 Laura Dave: The night we lost him, Century, 27.1.25 pub date, paperback

 

The proof to Laura Dave's " The night we lost him" was a perfect holiday read for me, enjoyed the puzzle of half siblings Sam and Nora trying to uncover, whether their wealthy father's fall from a cliff near his California home was accidental or not. It's a rich family drama filled with secrets, several twists and turns and a love story/ mystery at the same time.

 William Boyd: Gabriel's Moon, Viking, 9780241542057, pub date: September 5, 2024

One of William Boyd's great talents is that he has so many different types of stories to tell. "Gabriel's Moon" falls into the category of a spy novel during the time of the Cold War.  

Reminding me at times of "Waiting for sunrise", travel writer Gabriel Dax does the odd little courier job for his brother who works for the government. When Faith Green, a ruthless M16 handler, asks him for similar well paid favours, he gets slowly sucked into becoming one of her spies without really realizing  what is happening. Boyd is so brilliant in describing these subtle developments with so many odd characters entering Gabriel's life, confirming to me yet again why he is one of my favourite writers, absolutely loved this early proof, 5 stars!