May Reading List

So May is finished and I managed to read 6 books and there were all interesting!

For my own reading challenge which is to read crime novels set in different countries I have 2 more countries, Turkey and Sierra Leone, so let`s start with those books!

River of the Dead by Barbara Nadel is set in Istanbul, Turkey. Although in this story it is also set in different cities and areas in the country. It involves Inspector Cetin Ikmen and his team who investigate escape of a convicted murderer and drugs baronYusuf Kaya. This is the 11th book in the series and the first one I have read.

The Secret Keeper by Paul Harris this story in set in war-torn Sierra Leone, Danny Kellerman a journalist was reporting from Freetown during the war and met and fell in love with an aid worker Maria Tirado. He has to leave the country and doesn`t hear from Maria again until 4 years later, she sends a letter saying she is in danger. He then returns to Sierra Leone to help her but the letter is 3 weeks old and he is too late to help her, But he then tries to find out the truth behind her death! I really enjoyed this story!

The English Spy by Daniel Silva as the title say it is a spy novel and continues the trials and tribulations of master spy Gabriel Allon. A member of the Royal family is murdered and the suspicion falls on an old IRA member. Gabriel and Christopher Keller are tasked to find the man and kill him. I do like this series and in general spy novels.

Life After Life by Kate Atkinson this was definitely a strange book, I did enjoy it but it took a bit of time to get used to the going backwards and forwards. In 1910 Ursula Todd is born but then sadly dies, on the same night Ursula Todd is born but this time she lives. She is proceeds to live and then repeatedly dies, yes I know it is a bit complicated!

Frozen Grave by Lee Weeks set in England, a woman`s body is found and then another and another. Could it be a serial killer? DI Carter and DC Willis are on the case to found out who is the murderer! It was a good read but nothing special.

Lastly I read The Lives of Stella Bain by Anita Shreve, an American woman with no memory is found in France in near the battelfields during WW1. Suffering from shell shock she is taken in by surgeon August Banks and his wife. He has an interest in the mind and tries to help his houseguest. This story goes from France, England to America, it was very good!