The Mystery of Mercy Close by Marian Keyes

 

Sypnosis :

Helen Walsh doesn’t believe in fear – it’s just a thing invented by men to get all the money and good job – and yet she’s sinking. Her work as a Private Investigator has dried up, her flat has been repossessed and now some old demons have resurfaced.

Not least in the form of her charming but dodgy ex-boyfriend Jay Parker, who shows up with a missing persons case. Money is tight – so tight Helen’s had to move back in with her elderly parents – and Jay is awash with cash. The missing person is Wayne Diffney, the ‘Wacky One’ from boyband Laddz. He’s vanished from his house in Mercy Close and it’s vital that he’s found – Laddz have a sell-out comeback gig in five days’ time.

Things ended messily with Jay. And she’s never going back there. Besides she has a new boyfriend now, the very sexy detective Artie Devlin and it’s all going well, even though his ex-wife isn’t quite ‘ex’ enough and his teenage son hates her. But the reappearance of Jay is stirring up all kinds of stuff she thought she’d left behind.

Playing by her own rules, Helen is drawn into a dark and glamorous world, where her worst enemy is her own head and where increasingly the only person she feels connected to is Wayne, a man she’s never even met. 

This is what I say :

It's been a long while since I read any titles by Marian Keyes.  I used to love her books and have almost all her titles at one point in time.  I actually have quite a lot of her titles in my collection which I intend to keep and re-read them again.  That was my plan once upon a time.  As at now, am not sure if I would have get round to doing that.

Anyway, I have been wanting to get hold of a copy of The Mystery of Mercy Close for quite a few years already. Published almost 9 years ago, it's about the youngest (I think) of the Walsh sisters, Helen Walsh.  There are five sisters in the Walsh family and each sister has their own story.

Claire's story is in Watermelon, the only title that I have reviewed.  Rachel's story is in Rachel's Holiday, Margaret in Angels, Anna in Anybody Out There and we have here Helen with The Mystery of Mercy Close.

Each title also has a social issue and in The Mystery of Mercy Close, Anna actually has to deal with depression and suicidal thoughts.  Marian handles such issue in a very delicate manner, neither play up or play down the issues but treated them importantly but not too heavily.  That's what I like about Marian's writing throughout most of her books.

Just for the record, I am also currently another of her title, The Other Side of The Story which I think I read previously but I cant remember.

Her other titles that I read and reviewed are Last Chance Saloon, Sushi for Beginners and This Charming Man.

Back to Mystery, it's quite quaint and I do like it but I can't really relate to Helen (I never have even when she made appearance in her sisters' stories).  I was glad she finally has a own title.  She really needs help and her family are supporting her in their own way, the best they know how but she has to deal with a lot of issues on her own but she does it the Helen Walsh way so good for her.

It was quite enchanting to read Marian Keye's titles again.

Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) by Sarah J Maas

 Synopsis :

Chaol Westfall and Nesryn Faliq have arrived in the shining city of Antica to forge an alliance with the Khagan of the Southern Continent, whose vast armies are Erilea's last hope. But they have also come to Antica for another purpose: to seek healing at the famed Torre Cesme for the wounds Chaol received in Rifthold.

After enduring unspeakable horrors as a child, Yrene Towers has no desire to help the young lord from Adarlan, let alone heal him. Yet she has sworn an oath to assist those in need—and will honor it. But Lord Westfall carries shadows from his own past, and Yrene soon comes to realize they could engulf them both.

In this sweeping parallel novel to the New York Times bestselling Empire of Storms, Chaol, Nesryn, and Yrene will have to draw on every scrap of their resilience if they wish to save their friends. But while they become entangled in the political webs of the khaganate, deep in the shadows of mighty mountains where warriors soar on legendary ruks, long-awaited answers slumber. Answers that might offer their world a chance at survival—or doom them all . . . 

This is what I say :

Finally this series is about to come to an end. This would be the second last book.  This book also brings readers away from the war and from Aelin Galathynius.  Instead, this title allows readers to journey with Chaol Westfall, the previous Captain of the Guard and the current Hand of the King to another Kingdom in the South.

There Chaol met with Yrene Towers, the healer who's attempting to heal Chaol of his injury. His companion to the Southern Kingdom was Nesryn Faliq who instead spent a lot of time with Prince Sartaq, heir to the Southern Kingdom.

While some readers was upset of this deviation from the main story, I rather like it as I am keen to see where the story will bring Chaol to as I do see him as a main character in the series. While he wasn't really well liked by some fans, I quite like him as I feel he's a rather misunderstood character and I am glad he has a book to himself.

There are news about Aelin and the battle in Skull Bay being mentioned as part of the story line but it wasn't the main story.  The main story is about Chaol and Yrene as well as Nesryn and Sartaq and there's not prize to see where the plot is heading.

I also enjoyed Tower of Dawn as it's acts as the calm before the storm...before the finale battle in Kingdom of Ashes. Can't wait to start on the final book.

The Peach Keeper by Sarah Addison Allen

 

Synopsis :

It’s the dubious distinction of thirty-year-old Willa Jackson to hail from a fine old Southern family of means that met with financial ruin generations ago. The Blue Ridge Madam—built by Willa’s great-great-grandfather during Walls of Water’s heyday, and once the town’s grandest home—has stood for years as a lonely monument to misfortune and scandal. And Willa herself has long strived to build a life beyond the brooding Jackson family shadow. No easy task in a town shaped by years of tradition and the well-marked boundaries of the haves and have-nots.

But Willa has lately learned that an old classmate—socialite do-gooder Paxton Osgood—of the very prominent Osgood family, has restored the Blue Ridge Madam to her former glory, with plans to open a top-flight inn. Maybe, at last, the troubled past can be laid to rest while something new and wonderful rises from its ashes. But what rises instead is a skeleton, found buried beneath the property’s lone peach tree, and certain to drag up dire consequences along with it.

For the bones—those of charismatic traveling salesman Tucker Devlin, who worked his dark charms on Walls of Water seventy-five years ago—are not all that lay hidden out of sight and mind. Long-kept secrets surrounding the troubling remains have also come to light, seemingly heralded by a spate of sudden strange occurrences throughout the town.

Now, thrust together in an unlikely friendship, united by a full-blooded mystery, Willa and Paxton must confront the dangerous passions and tragic betrayals that once bound their families—and uncover truths of the long-dead that have transcended time and defied the grave to touch the hearts and souls of the living.

This is what I say :

For many years this title was in my shelf and many times I wanted to read it but many times I decided not to too.  I do not know and can't really remember why I decided so but it was recently that I took out a couple of titles that I told myself I must read for this year and The Peach Keeper was one of them.

I wasn't disappointed. The Peach Keeper was a rather pleasant read.  The words flow quite well and the characters rather complements the simple storyline.  Was there an element of paranormal?  The author seems to hint that there could be but she neither confirms nor denies it so your guess as as good as mine.

That aside, I quite like the way the story was narrated and the way it flows.

I never read any title by Sarah Addison Allen so I have nothing to benchmark this title.  Anyways, if I do get hold of another title by the same author, I do not mind giving it a go.

The Whole Truth by David Baldacci

Synopsis : 

Nicolas Creel is a man on a mission. He heads up the world's largest defense contractor, The Ares Corporation. Dick Pender is the man Creel retains to "perception manage" his company to even more riches by manipulating international conflicts. But Creel may have an even grander plan in mind.

Shaw, a man with no first name and a truly unique past, has a different agenda. Reluctantly doing the bidding of a secret multi-national intelligence agency, he travels the globe to keep it safe and at peace.

Willing to do anything to get back to the top of her profession, Katie James is a journalist who has just gotten the break of a lifetime: the chance to interview the sole survivor of a massacre that has left every nation stunned.
In this terrifying, global thriller, these characters' lives will collide head-on as a series of events is set in motion that could change the world as we know it. 

An utterly spellbinding story that feels all too real, THE WHOLE TRUTH delivers all the twists and turns, emotional drama, unforgettable characters, and can't-put-it-down pacing that readers expect from David Baldacci-and still goes beyond anything he's written before.

This is what I say :

It's been a while since I last read a title by David Baldacci.  It's been a while since I finish reading a book actually.  I think I can safely say that this is the first book for the year!

Anyway, it was a good book to start the year. I enjoyed a David Baldacci thriller once in a while and this was good in both the story line and also thrilling factor.  The starting was quite exciting but it kinda mellow down a bit before it picks up again.

I have read better titles by David Baldacci and my all time favourite are still The Camel Club and The Collectors.  Both are from the same series although they are stand alone titles. I haven't had a chance to read characters from this series subsequently.  Must go on a look out for them. 

In the meantime, do enjoy The Whole Truth.

Book Purchase #2 - Finally my Harry Porter Collection is complete!

I bought a pre-loved book via an online seller towards end of January.  It's a title that I already have but what I have was the American version and what I want is actually the British version.

The book I am referring to is Harry Porter and the Philosopher's Stone, Bloomsbury edition.

Yes, finally my collection is complete...with the right edition and covers. Took me a while. 

I am happy.

p.s. It will be my second buy for the year.  I have to start reading again if I am going to start buying again.

Book Purchase #1 for 2021

 

I bought a book recently.

It's my first purchase of the year.

I was very pleased to have bought this as a pre-loved copy.. It was still in very good condition.

It would be the last book in the series by Carlos Ruiz Zafon, a Spanish writer.  The series was originally written in Spanish and translated to English. It's one of my favourite series.

It took me a few years to complete this series.

I am very happy.

Happy Chinese New Year 2021

 

image from freepik.com

It's going to be a real different Chinese New Year celebration this year.  Because of the pandemic and due to movement control imposed, celebration this in is really limited.

No matter what, i am grateful for the break and just taking the opportunity to chill over the next few days. 

Here's wishing you and your family, a very Happy Chinese New Year 2021.

Stay safe and be healthy. Gong Xi Gong Xi