Long List Part 2
When this years long list came out, although I’d read several of them before, I’d not been able to put the reviews on for logistical reasons at this end, as one of my PA’s is off recovering from a hip operation, so the next few articles relating to Theakston’s will have multiple reviews on. Some fresh ones and links to earlier published reviews.
As I get close to the deadline to decide which 20 books I’m going to choose for the longlist, I decided to go for The Twyford Code, as it had appeared as a 2-1 option on Audible and I’d heard Janice speak about it on stage at Bloody Scotland. Also, knowing how I’ve written my own book through transcription, I was interested as to how a fiction using this would come across on the page.
As an audio reader, this was a fascinating listen, although somewhat confusing and frustrating as the book was only divided into 18 distinct chapters, which were gathered together as a group of audio files. As some of the chapters were an hour long, which meant it was hard to read at night in case you fell asleep, as how were you to know where you where if a lot of the audio files were under a minute long? Within the book there were hundreds of audio files and this meant that it was difficult to distinguish where you were if this happened and as a consequence I could only read it during the daytime, which made it difficult to read, but I was able to finish it at half four on the Tuesday before the deadline on Thursday and that was quite a challenge.
As the book concluded and the clues were explained, I did feel quite gratified by this. Although the book was created over fictional audio files, the visual reader would have had an easier time guessing the clues. I did get one, but won’t say which to avoid spoilers. As a crime reader, I love books I can solve myself, Most readers will enjoy this because of that and I can see why it has been nominated. With a hunt for treasure at its’ heart, this book probably has the most distinctive plot of those I’ve managed to read.
Janice has now written two distinct books, based around different formats, with a third out in March. I’m fascinated to see what she will do next. A deserved choice in the selection for me and other judges to choose from.
https://www.audible.co.uk/pd/The-Twyford-Code-Audiobook/B09NRW3XLK?eac_link=cMfhF0vq4rXI&ref=web_search_eac_asin_1&eac_selected_type=asin&eac_selected=B09NRW3XLK&qid=Gi011HBVKh&eac_id=262-1029712-1936627_Gi011HBVKh&sr=1-1
Lisa Jewell’s The Family Remains is the first book that I’ve read on the long list since it was released on Thursday. Although, I’ve read quite a few of the names on the list before and I’d heard a lot about Lisa, I was confused about which one of hers to start with, as I knew that she’d written loads before. So the list gave me the option to read her work alongside all of the other great nominees.
The Family Remains has been a great audio book with 5-6 narrators, including some big names as well. Each chapter is told from the point of view of each narrator, with a different actor voicing each part. This means that the audiobook is very distinctive and this allowed me to read it for longer, as my ears can become a bit too attuned to a single narrator’s voice and you can sometimes get that used to the voice you can drop off. With the change in narrators this is less likely to happen.
This story was highly complex with three different arcs to follow in the book. Bones are found on the bank of the Thames by a mud larker, but whose are they and how are they connected to the other two stories in there? This was a really interesting way of dealing with a detective story, as this element of the novel is just a small extract, but it’s really balanced well with the rest of the arc, giving you evidence as the detective uncovers it, but the readers know more as in any good novel.
I’m looking forward to reading more of Lisa’s work, and to say that this is the first of her books that I’ve read, I can see why everyone else likes her and why she was nominated as one of the authors on this years’ longlist. I’m looking forward to reading the rest of the authors as well.
https://www.audible.co.uk/pd/The-Family-Upstairs-2-Audiobook/1473597455?ref=a_library_t_c5_libItem_1473597455_4&pf_rd_p=7e7340a8-8768-4798-a0ce-83f879c09110&pf_rd_r=WMANPWYPEMHFGAW5Q65A&pageLoadId=iULOjPELCDunzBmL&creativeId=14d6a1c2-a3f8-499b-900a-1ae788c317b1
Into the Dark with Cummins
The chair may be Golden
