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Picture You Dead Book Review

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Picture you dead by Peter James

Summary

Harry and Freya, an ordinary couple, dreamed for years of finding something priceless buried amongst the tat in a car boot sale.

It was a dream they knew in their hearts would never come true – until the day it did…

They buy the drab portrait for a few pounds, for its beautiful frame, planning to cut the painting out. Then studying it back at home there seems to be another picture beneath, of a stunning landscape. Could it be a long-lost masterpiece from 1770? If genuine, it could be worth millions.

One collector is certain it is genuine. Someone who uses any method he can to get want he wants and will stop at nothing.

Detective Superintendent Roy Grace finds himself plunged into an unfamiliar and rarefied world of fine art. Outwardly it appears respectable, gentlemanly, above reproach. But beneath the veneer, he rapidly finds that greed, deception and violence walk hand-in-hand. And Harry and Freya Kipling are about to discover that their dream is turning into their worst nightmare. . .

Comments

This is a well plotted story with a range of interesting characters. As this is the 18th book in the Roy Grace series, some of the characters were familiar to those who had read previous titles in the series and whilst this was not essential to reading this story, it seemed to make a difference to understanding the existing relationships between many of the police.

A missing art masterpiece, which could be worth millions, is found by chance at a car boot sale. This sets off a wild ride into the art world where we meet a master forger, a reclusive art collector and some very unsavoury characters who are dealing in the darkest corners of the art world.

Detective Roy Grace and his team become engaged in tracking down the miscreants in the convoluted plot and ultimately, things are tidily brought together.

The writing has a ‘televisual’ style but some of us found it to be a very long read which we felt could have been condensed.

6.5/10

Read by Dundas Readers

Book Review This wild wild country

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This wild, wild country by Inga Vesper

About the book

Three women. An isolated town. A decades-old mystery.

1933. Cornelia Stover is not the kind of woman the men of Boldville, New Mexico, expect her to be. But, one day, she stumbles upon a secret hidden out in the hills . . .

1970. Decades later, Joanna Riley, a former cop, packs up her car in the middle of the night and drives west, fleeing an abusive marriage and a life she can no longer bear. Eventually, she runs out of gas and finds herself in Boldville, a sleepy desert town in the foothills of the Gila Mountains.

Joanna was looking for somewhere to hide, but something is off about this place. In a commune on the outskirts a young man has been found dead and Joanna knows a cover up when she sees it. Soon, she and Glitter, a young, disaffected hippie, find themselves caught up in a dark mystery that goes to the very heart of Boldville. A mystery that leads them all the way back to the unexplained disappearance of Glitter’s grandmother Cornelia forty years before . . .

Comments

We all found this book difficult to read. The story moves backwards and forwards in time, the multiple storylines are miserable and confusing. There are numerous characters whose lives and stories are based on murders, gold rush fever, 1970s hippy communes, drugs, bikie gangs, misogyny, wife abuse, secrets, lies and deceit.

There were too many unlikeable characters and themes to make this an enjoyable read.

Read by Dundas Readers – Rating 2/10

Book Review The Jane Austen Remedy by Ruth Wilson

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About the book

At the age of seventy, Ruth Wilson blew up her life. Confronting feelings of regret and unhappiness, she left her husband, bought a sunshine-yellow cottage in the Southern Highlands and resolved to re-read the books that had shaped her formative years: Jane Austen’s six novels.

Over the next ten years, as Ruth read between the lines of both the novels and her own life, she slowly began to reclaim her identity.

Now aged ninety, Ruth shares her beautiful, life-affirming lessons in love, self-acceptance and the curative power of reading, as well as a timely reminder that it’s never too late to seize a second chance.

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Book Review The Rising Tide by Anne Cleeves

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About the book

Fifty years ago, a group of teenagers spent a weekend on Holy Island, forging a bond that has lasted a lifetime. Now, they still return every five years to celebrate their friendship, and remember the friend they lost to the rising waters of the causeway at the first reunion.

Now, when one of them is found hanged, Vera is called in. Learning that the dead man had recently been fired after misconduct allegations, Vera knows she must discover what the friends are hiding, and whether the events of many years before could have led to murder then, and now . . .

But with the tide rising, secrets long-hidden are finding their way to the surface, and Vera and the team may find themselves in more danger than they could have believed possible . .

Comments

This book was enjoyed by all of our readers.

For a murder mystery there were many Red Herrings with multiple character storylines to keep readers enthralled and guessing as to who the “villain” was.

Each change of story line evoked another possible suspect and probable cause for the murders.

Most readers found the book compelling reading. The character development of the police investigation team was absorbing, and the exposure of each team member’s character flaws was enjoyed by our readers.

The sudden twist at the end of the book was found by all to be a real shock that nobody saw coming.

This book has encouraged many in our group to read more of the “Vera” books.

Read by the MJ Readers

Book Review A Song of Comfortable Chairs

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Alexander McCall Smith

Summary

THE ONE WHERE MMA POTOKWANI SAVES THE DAY

Grace Makutsi’s husband, Phuti, is in a bind. An international firm is attempting to undercut his prices in the office furniture market. To make matters worse, they have a slick new advertising campaign that seems hard to beat. Nonetheless, with Mma Ramotswe’s help, Phuti comes up with a campaign that may just do the trick.

Meanwhile, Mma Makutsi is approached by an old friend who has a troubled son. Grace and Phuti agree to lend a hand, but the boy proves difficult to reach, and the situation is more than they can handle on their own. It will require not only all of their patience and dedication, but also the help of Mma Ramotswe and the formidable Mma Potokwani.

Comments

This book was very much enjoyed by our group of readers.

This story is not fast paced! The narrative develops slowly in a way that beautifully illustrates the point that nothing moves fast in Botswana. Just because this book is slow paced it does not mean that the story is not engaging and entertaining.

“A Song of Comfortable Chairs’” is book number 23 in the No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency series of books by McCall Smith.

The main character, Precious Ramotswe, has a wise and unhurried approach to life. Throughout the story Precious has many wise internal musings that beautifully reflect her unhurried approach to life and her aim to do things that better improve the world, but more particularly, improve her beloved country of Botswana. Precious makes wise comments and observations on many themes such as feminism, body image, ageism, globalization and the different thinking between men and women and how to accommodate and respect the views of those others.

There are many delightful characters throughout the story that also bring their own wisdom, kindness, gentleness and humour to the story.

Precious conducts her investigations with bold planning and good sense. In this story she uses her investigative skills to help save the business of her good friend and fellow detective Mme Makutsis and her husband Phuti. Mme Makutsi and Phuti are also occupied in helping an old friend who has a troubled young son.

Our group felt this story left us feeling the need to read more of the “No 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency” book series and also investigating more of the work done by Alexander McCall Smith.

Read by MJ Readers