With some spare time this week, I've read a couple of crime novels in very different styles and moods so this is by way of being one of those "compare and contrast..." exam questions in a way, though to me it's a reflection of the fact that even within a genre I enjoy different types of books according to the atmosphere in which I'm reading.
The first book is Noose by Bill James. I took this one on holiday on my kindle, which was a mistake in a way because the book is quite a complex one and (sorry, Amazon) it's very difficult to follow a plot which moves backwards and forwards in time if one can't flip back the pages to ascertain exactly what is happening to characters. Without giving away any of the plot to those who haven't read this title yet, it is very different from other books I have read by this author, having political themes and linking events from the childhood of the main character, a journalist named Ian Charteris, with issues of national security. The counterpoint of past and present was, in places, quite clunky in using period details such as "Think of this new play by John Osborne, Look Back in Anger" while I'm not sure how many modern readers are going to be familiar with the reputations of the real people who inhabit the story, such as Tom Driberg and Anthony Eden. So if you are interested, try this title but don't assume that it's a typical Bill James story and do read it in hard print!
The second title is a new M.C. Beaton title from the Agatha Raisin series and this one is titled Something Borrowed, Someone Dead. M.C. Beaton is a very interesting lady and an amazingly prolific writer of historical, crime and romantic fiction as well as having been a major figure on Fleet Street. Having been resident in the USA for a large part of her life it has been good to welcome her back to the British crime writing festivals circuit where she is always an excellent panel member. I really enjoy the light style she uses for the quirky Agatha Raisin, a bizarre lady of a certain age who gets involved in the most unlikely adventures set in idyllic Cotswold locations. Don't be fooled by the cozy locations though - Agatha can find herself in the midst of serious gore! If you haven't tried this series, you could start with any title and you will soon familiarise yourself with the cast of recurring characters - perfect for a read-in-a-sitting evening by yourself!
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