Staff holiday reading

Summer reading 2002

Brookner, Anita
Undue influence

Claire is a young single woman who is almost smug in her firm belief that she can see through the motives of other people. She is attracted to a man married to a beautiful and manipulative invalid who dies suddenly, leaving the way open for Claire. Or so she thinks. A beautifully written and perceptive novel.
PSYCHOLOGICAL RELATIONSHIPS FAMILY

Cook, Robin
Shock

Two student friends decide to improve their financial situation by donating eggs at a local fertility clinic. When they later decide to investigate the institution they find themselves in some pretty serious trouble.
As usual, the author has hopped on a current bio-ethical bandwagon. All who have lapped up his other medical thrillers will not be disappointed by this chilling little tale.
MEDICAL THRILLER

Drabble, Margaret
The peppered moth

A young woman attends a lecture on genetic inheritance in a depressed little English town which has been the home of her family for generations. The lives of her mother, grandmother and herself are skilfully interwoven in this totally absorbing and exceptional novel. It is thought-provoking, moving and quite delightful to read. Highly recommended.
RELATIONSHIPS FAMILY WOMEN

French, Nicci
Land of the living

Abbie wakes up to find that she is bound, gagged and hooded in a dark room. She has no idea where she is or how she got there, and the man who is holding her captive assures her that he will kill her. She manages to escape, but remains in terror as she tries to remember and retrace the previous fortnight.
CRIME MYSTERY THRILLER PSYCHOLOGICAL

Goddard, Robert
Dying to tell

Lance Bradley’s laid-back life is turned completely upside down when he begins a search for an old childhood friend. It turns out to be a very risky undertaking as he visits London, Berlin and Tokyo. You will be guessing to the very end. Another twisted if not absolutely convoluted mystery novel from a master storyteller.
MYSTERY THRILLER

Hill, Justin
The drink and dream teahouse

When the state-run factory closes down in a small country town in China, the workers and their families are faced with the reality of a new and changing China. All the characters are memorable, many of them delightfully eccentric. The novel is full of fascinating insights into China and the Chinese people, covering customs, the bureaucracy and the family in a very satisfying story.
An unexpectedly enjoyable read!
CHINA FAMILY

Jin, Ha
In the pond

Shao Bin has amazing skills and talents as an artist and a calligrapher. Yet the more he tries to better himself, the more he is blocked by unsympathetic and corrupt Party officials. When he takes extreme measures to push his cause, he finds his troubles are only just beginning. This is a very funny book!
CHINA

Moncrief, Sean
Dublin

When a gangland execution takes place in the centre of Dublin, the unmotivated cocaine-addicted Simon Dillon becomes involved in finding those responsible and in sorting out who is double-crossing whom.
CRIME THRILLER

Pyper, Andrew
Lost girls

Barth is a lawyer who is sent to a small Canadian lakeside town to defend a teacher who has been accused of murdering two of his students. The bodies have never been found, but it is assumed that they are at the bottom of the lake. As Barth starts unearthing past secrets, he discovers aspects of himself he would rather overlook. A gripping novel.
GHOST MYSTERY CRIME PSYCHOLOGICAL

Shreve, Anita
The weight of water

Jean is a photojournalist sailing with her family to an island to investigate the story of a murder in the 19^th century. Two immigrant Norwegian women were brutally killed and the case was never satisfactorily solved. When she stumbles across the memoirs of the woman who survived she becomes conscious of her own suspicious and possessive attitudes.
CRIME PSYCHOLOGICAL MYSTERY

Shreve, Anita
Eden Close

When a young man returns to the town of his childhood for his mother’s funeral, he is overwhelmed by terrible memories from the past. A violent murder involving a family and the blinding of a young woman was never satisfactorily resolved. Andrew’s flashbacks draw him towards the discovery of the truth.
MYSTERY

Walters, Minette
Fox Evil

When an elderly member of the landed gentry dies on the terrace of the house, others in the community are spiteful enough to suggest that her husband is responsible. A group of gypsies or travellers with a particularly sinister leader lay claim to a piece of land nearby and matters soon come to a head. Who is related to whom and what are the underlying reasons for a bewildering series of events? The author has the knack of showing how deep-seated bitterness and pettiness can have such terrible consequences.
CRIME MURDER MYSTERY

Books read and reviewed by Jenni van Wageningen

Back to Staff holiday reading

Brookner, Anita Undue influence	Claire is a young single woman who is almost smug in her firm belief that she can see through the motives of other people. She is attracted to a man married to a beautiful and manipulative invalid who dies suddenly, leaving the way open for Claire. Or so she thinks. A beautifully written and perceptive novel. PSYCHOLOGICAL RELATIONSHIPS FAMILY
Cook, Robin Shock	Two student friends decide to improve their financial situation by donating eggs at a local fertility clinic. When they later decide to investigate the institution they find themselves in some pretty serious trouble. As usual, the author has hopped on a current bio-ethical bandwagon. All who have lapped up his other medical thrillers will not be disappointed by this chilling little tale. MEDICAL THRILLER
Drabble, Margaret The peppered moth	A young woman attends a lecture on genetic inheritance in a depressed little English town which has been the home of her family for generations. The lives of her mother, grandmother and herself are skilfully interwoven in this totally absorbing and exceptional novel. It is thought-provoking, moving and quite delightful to read. Highly recommended. RELATIONSHIPS FAMILY WOMEN
French, Nicci Land of the living	Abbie wakes up to find that she is bound, gagged and hooded in a dark room. She has no idea where she is or how she got there, and the man who is holding her captive assures her that he will kill her. She manages to escape, but remains in terror as she tries to remember and retrace the previous fortnight. CRIME MYSTERY THRILLER PSYCHOLOGICAL
Goddard, Robert Dying to tell	Lance Bradley’s laid-back life is turned completely upside down when he begins a search for an old childhood friend. It turns out to be a very risky undertaking as he visits London, Berlin and Tokyo. You will be guessing to the very end. Another twisted if not absolutely convoluted mystery novel from a master storyteller. MYSTERY THRILLER
Hill, Justin The drink and dream teahouse	When the state-run factory closes down in a small country town in China, the workers and their families are faced with the reality of a new and changing China. All the characters are memorable, many of them delightfully eccentric. The novel is full of fascinating insights into China and the Chinese people, covering customs, the bureaucracy and the family in a very satisfying story. An unexpectedly enjoyable read! CHINA FAMILY
Jin, Ha In the pond	Shao Bin has amazing skills and talents as an artist and a calligrapher. Yet the more he tries to better himself, the more he is blocked by unsympathetic and corrupt Party officials. When he takes extreme measures to push his cause, he finds his troubles are only just beginning. This is a very funny book! CHINA
Moncrief, Sean Dublin	When a gangland execution takes place in the centre of Dublin, the unmotivated cocaine-addicted Simon Dillon becomes involved in finding those responsible and in sorting out who is double-crossing whom. CRIME THRILLER
Pyper, Andrew Lost girls	Barth is a lawyer who is sent to a small Canadian lakeside town to defend a teacher who has been accused of murdering two of his students. The bodies have never been found, but it is assumed that they are at the bottom of the lake. As Barth starts unearthing past secrets, he discovers aspects of himself he would rather overlook. A gripping novel. GHOST MYSTERY CRIME PSYCHOLOGICAL
Shreve, Anita The weight of water	Jean is a photojournalist sailing with her family to an island to investigate the story of a murder in the 19^th century. Two immigrant Norwegian women were brutally killed and the case was never satisfactorily solved. When she stumbles across the memoirs of the woman who survived she becomes conscious of her own suspicious and possessive attitudes. CRIME PSYCHOLOGICAL MYSTERY
Shreve, Anita Eden Close	When a young man returns to the town of his childhood for his mother’s funeral, he is overwhelmed by terrible memories from the past. A violent murder involving a family and the blinding of a young woman was never satisfactorily resolved. Andrew’s flashbacks draw him towards the discovery of the truth. MYSTERY
Walters, Minette Fox Evil	When an elderly member of the landed gentry dies on the terrace of the house, others in the community are spiteful enough to suggest that her husband is responsible. A group of gypsies or travellers with a particularly sinister leader lay claim to a piece of land nearby and matters soon come to a head. Who is related to whom and what are the underlying reasons for a bewildering series of events? The author has the knack of showing how deep-seated bitterness and pettiness can have such terrible consequences. CRIME MURDER MYSTERY