CANBERRA WEEKLY: EASTER READING!

This week in the Canberra Weekly I reviewed three books for reading over the Easter long weekend.

First up is Robert Gold’s Eleven Liars (Sphere, 28 March 2023). I really enjoyed Gold’s first solo novel, Twelve Secrets, and thought that Eleven Liars matched it in terms of twists and surprises, plus a good deal of poignancy.

In the Canberra Weekly I said:

“Robert Gold’s Twelve Secrets was one of the best British debuts of 2022 and his follow up mystery, Eleven Liars, is just as good.

Journalist Ben Harper is on his way home when he spots flames coming from a building in the local churchyard. When he investigates, Ben realises that someone is trapped inside. He helps them escape, but they flee before they can be identified. When a skeleton is discovered in the smouldering ruins, the police launch a murder investigation that has profound implications for Ben. Easy flowing and very enjoyable, this is a good criminal read for the long weekend.”

Eleven Liars was a really enjoyable mystery that delivered some good surprises all the way down to the final sentence. I particularly enjoyed the increased focus on PC Dani Cash this time around, and how her troubled past was woven into the contemporary storyline.

I did a longer review a week or so ago here: https://murdermayhemandlongdogs.com/lawyers-liars-old-secrets-and-victorian-seances-new-novels-by-robert-dugoni-robert-gold-charlie-donlea-and-sarah-penner/

David Baldacci’s novels are the ideal companions for a lazy long weekend, and his latest, Simply Lies (Macmillan,
28 March 2023), is another fun read.

In the Canberra Weekly I said:

“Also offering plenty of surprises and suspense is the latest thriller by David Baldacci, Simply Lies. Former New Jersey detective Mickey Gibson now works for a global investigation company that specialises in tracking down wealthy debt avoiders. A simple inventory task at the mansion of a former arms dealer goes wrong when a long decomposed body is found in a secret room, and Mickey finds that she has been set up by an unscrupulous criminal.

Baldacci can always be relied upon to produce an entertaining read, and Simply Lies is a fun way to pass a few hours this Easter. Recommended.”

Baldacci has been entertaining readers for over twenty five years now, and his books are popular throughout the world. They require a bit of suspension of disbelief at times, but they are always enjoyable. A good light, long weekend read.

Finally, for those after more serious, but still very entertaining reading, Lynne Olson’s biography of French archaelogist Christiane Desroches-Noblecourt, Empress Of The Nile (Scribe, 28 February 2023), is a fascinating book that covers some now largely forgotten aspects of our recent history. Although the focus is largely on Christiane’s efforts to save a dozen ancient Egyptian temples from the floodwaters of the Aswan Dam, Olson’s very readable account also provides interesting insights into other aspects of her life, including her role in the French resistance during World War II.

It is hard to imagine now the potential damage to the world’s historical record that the dam posed and the incredible effort by Christiane and other archaelogists to save the temples. Christiane showed great bravery and fortitude in her fight to save the monuments and the account of her turning point meeting with Charles de Gaulle is worth the cost of the book in itself!

In the Canberra Weekly I said:

“More serious fare is provided by Lynne Olson’s account of French archaeologist Christiane Desroches-Noblecourt and her efforts to save Egypt’s ancient temples from the floodwaters of the Aswan Dam.

The dam threatened a dozen temples and was left to a group of archaeologists to rescue them stone by stone, and move them to higher ground. It was a mammoth effort that was only made possible by Christiane’s efforts. Empress Of The Nile is the very readable story of Christiane’s overlooked role and her incredible life, which also saw her imprisoned by the Nazis and bravely standing up to world leaders, including de Gaulle.  Fascinating!”

Well worth reading!