S.R.White: White Ash Ridge, Headline, paperback 

I have a weakness for crime novels set in foreign countries such as Australia for example. S.R.White's detective Dana Rosso does not quite match Garry Disher's Hirsch or Chris Hammer' Nell Buchanan but it's a close call.

 White Ash Ridge is the name of a hotel in the Australian wilderness where the body of a guest is discovered during a heatwave. The hotel only had 5 guests who attended a meeting of a charity plus the hotel owner and his daughter, so Dana Rosso knows when tasked with the investigation that the murderer is most likely among these 6 people. It does not help that Rosso investigated the murder of the charity founders son which did not go too well caĺling for a tense first meeting between the media savvy mother and Rosso.

 I found the unraveĺling of the case  very well done, it certainly kept me guessing whose motive was enough for such an act, a very atmospheric portrait of the surroundings and an excellent crime novel.

 Chris Chibnall: Death at the White Heart, Penguin, 9781405959513

Chris Chibnall is an award winning screenwriter, playwrite and producer, of Broadchurch fame. 

His debut crime novel "Death at the White Heart" shows all the signs that this too could be turned into a series. I really liked this excellent whodunnit novel, with a stellar cast of characters and a very solid plot.  All the ingredients a good crime novel should have. 

Would love to read more of DS Nicola Bridge and her sidekicks Harry and Mel who swiftly solved the murder of pub owner Jim Tiernan who was found dead and naked, tied to a chair, in the middle of a road with stag antlers on his head.   

 Yanis Varoufakis: Raise your soul, Bodley Head, pub date Oct 2, 2025

Most of us probably remember Yanis Varoufakis, an economist, as the former charismatic finance minister of Greece.

 "Raise your soul" with the undertitle " A personal history of resistance" tells the fascinating story of his family, from the 1920ties to the present, with resistence to existing political systems seemingly being a  part of his families DNA.

 Through the biographies of the women in his family who influenced him the most, starting with his grandmother Anna who lived in Egypt and whom I was particularly drawn to,  this is a  portrait of tumultous years of Greek history, Nazi occupation, Communist uprising, Civil and Cold war. The personal suffering these political developments caused his family are vividly portrayed through the lives of Anna, Trisevgeni, Elina, Georgia and Danae. His father Yorgos is also an exceptionaly strong human being who had to suffer inprisonment and torture for his political conviction.

I found this an absolutely captivating, personal book and it is easy to see how his familiy history has shaped Varoufakis to this day. 

 Patrick Ryan: Buckeye, Bloomsbury UK, c format paperback,  9781526689320, ebook available

Patrick Ryan's novel "Buckeye" is one of my favorite books of the year. I just loved this wonderful story, 464 pages, often heartbreaking but also funny, at it's heart how our longings and one single action can cast a shadow over several peoples lives forever.. Loved his writing, reminding me of John Irving and Ann Patchett's work but with its own distinct voice. I fell in love with all the four main characters and their flaws very quickly. The book follows their lives and interactions from childhood in the 1920ties in small town America until the 70ties.

Cal Jenkins, born with a short leg, his future wife Becky Hanover, a bit of an oddball who can see the spirit of dead people, stunning redhead Margaret, who grew up in an orphanage marrying handsome Felix Salt. Their marriage is full of secrets yet provides a stability they had both longed for. When WWII breaks out, wheels are set in motion altering their previous conception of themselves seriously. 

Highly recommend this great story,  was sad when i turned the last page.

 Eva Garcia Saenz: Die Stille des Todes, S.Fischer, Taschenbuch

Dieser 570 Seiten Schmöcker war ein Geburtagsgeschenk, dass ich gespannt anging, der erste Band in einer  Krimi Trilogie um Inspector Ayala in Vitoria, Baskenland. 

Am Anfang ein wenig langatmig, hielt ich doch durch und stürzte mich täglich in die Welt von Inspector Ayala und seiner Kollegin Esti, die sich mit der Aufklärung eines seltsamen Mordes beschäftigen, der sehr an eine Serie, die 20 Jahre zurückliegt, erinnert. Ein Paar wird nackt, sich innig zugewandt und mit einer Hand auf der Wange des anderen,  in der Kathedrale aufgefunden. Nur... der Täter der damaligen Morde sitzt immer noch im Gefängnis.... Tasio de Ortiz gehörte einer wohlhabenden aristokratischen Famile an und sein Zwillingbruder Ignatio war Chef der Polizei und liess seinen Bruder damals verhaften.

Der Roman erinnerte mich mit seinen vielen Irrungen und Wirrungen und fast surrealen Rückblicken und Entwicklungen teilweise an den magischen Realismus lateinamerikanischer Literatur von Garcia Marquez und Isabel Allende.  Die Dynamik, die sich im Laufe des Buches entfesselt, wird sehr spannend und die Beschreibung der liebevollen Beziehung von Ayala zu seinem Grossvater fand ich besonders rührend. Band 2 der Trilogie ist so gut wie gekauft.

 Daniel Silva: An inside Job, July, Harper Collins, i read the ebook

I am glad Daniel Silva has resurrected Gabriel Allon as an art restorer, now residing in Venice,  with connections to the Vatican and the pope. It is precisely that connection that gets him involved when the body of a young female student restorer working in the vatican is discovered floating in a lagoon. Of course this being Silva one thing leads to another with Leonardo da Vinci playing a major role and corrupt Vatican bankers and cardinals. Solid thriller,  atmospheric, with some factual background. Perfect for summef.

 Liz Moore: The God of the Woods, Borough Press, 9780008663834,

Paperback,

Just finished this.  I am always sceptical about books that are hyped but The God of the Woods is ace and a literary thriller i just could not put down after the first 100 pages !! It delivers on all fronts, writing, plot, characters  and a story told through various time lines by several people  sucking you in.  Highly recommend , very deserving of all the praises. 

At the center is the disappearance of Barbara Van Laar at Camp Emerson, run by the aristocratic, fridgid Van Laar's. The family had lost another child years before, Bear, Barbara's brother.  Told from the perspective of several people and several time lines, this novel is a masterclass in plotting. 5 stars