The Perfect Murder: The First Inspector Ghote Mystery by H.R.F. Keating

The Perfect Murder was originally written and published in the 1960s, but has recently been re-released with a shiny new cover.  H.R.F. Keating was an unknown name to me when I picked up this book, but now I’ve started recommending him to people who I think will appreciate the book’s light, amusing and very British tone.  This isn’t a heavy literary masterpiece, but it’s a lovely, enjoyable read.

Having just said that the book has a British tone, the setting is also a sensory delight of Indian culture, people and city life.

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The Gargoyle by Andrew Davidson

A strange book this one.  I suppose I’d have to describe it as magical realism with a really brutal kick.  It reminded me of Angela Carter’s novels and fairy tales, which allow the reader to live in two different versions of the same story – one set in the ‘real world’, where the narrator’s or a character’s sanity is called into question, and the other set in a fantastical place where absolutely anything can happen.  What’s great about these types of novels are that you’re never sure who or what to believe, and that is the case with The Gargoyle.

The Best of Everything by Rona Jaffe

Welcome to my first post, dear reader!

I’m not quite sure what I’m doing here yet so please hold my hand for a little while along my blog journey…

The first book I want to tell you about is The Best of Everything by Rona Jaffe.  Before I started reading I really wasn’t sure that I was going to like it at all – to be honest, I was half expecting superficial “chick-lit”.  However, I was more than a little delighted that the book offered so much more than that.  I loved it.  From the very first page I was hooked, and I was so caught up in the story I very nearly missed my stop a few times on the commute home!