Carol Naylor's REVIEW it...

  The opening chapter "  Bitter and Twisted " ( nicknames given to two of the crime specialists) gives the reader a sickening insight into illegal immigration and people smuggling. Set in Tenerife. The first victim, Rafi, bled to death. Seventeen African illegal immigrants between the ages of eighteen and thirty had just arrived on the island. Rafi was "one of our men"  and had been planted amongst the men in order to attempt to crack a major people smuggling ring from the inside. "He felt like a farm animal up for sale-or slaughter."  Dramatic irony. His knee cap is shattered, his hand cut off ( "too smooth") and stuck in his mouth as a warning to the police and guardia civil. The action moves to Los Cristianos where we meet Lieutenant Vargas and protagonist Andrew Kirby who works for CITES-Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species such as tigers, leopards, rhinos and walruses. They are carrying out surveillance of forty-four Afric...

  "Wouldn't it be a blessing to forget some of our memories forever, erased from the mind as if they'd never happened?" We begin in September 2016 when 30 year old Lizzie seems to be having a nightmare-standing alone by a dark lake feeling "helpless, aimless and without memory of what has happened."  It is atmospheric with present continuous verbs of shaking and shudder[ing], naked feet sinking into a graphic image of mud, followed by a desperate scream. A hooded giant had chased Lizzie, caught her, dropped her into the water and pushed her under. Over the course of the novella, Leuschel's first, the opening is ominous and complete with pathetic fallacy. This, in effect, is the end, the nightmare being the " remnants of confusing, unsettling years." She has survived three very difficult years being controlled, manipulated by Morag, a neighbour and a "surrogate" mother as well as a husband verging on the narcissistic who relishes hav...

                                  C RUEL SUMMER by Bernard Jan. " I'm lost in a world I do not understand and I'm trying to find myself." It's mid-August and NYC is established as the main setting to this tragic and disconcerting story about Michael Daniels a 17 year old, suffering grievously from the recent death of his mother Melanie, losing the will to live. We are plunged into a cold NYC suggesting that America is experiencing a new climatic disorder and establishing pathetic fallacy to set the scene for some shocking revelations. It is " a perfect setting for his {Michael's} gloomy feelings and depressing thoughts." "Cruel Summer" is an apt title, ominous, reflecting Michael's mind and life. Young adults will understand and appreciate the intensity, dark moods and melancholic tones. His relationship with his step-father, Hank is a brutal one. He works at RIRL-Roosevelt Island Research Institute wh...

                  Fragments of a Dream by Ruth Larrea. "If only Angelos and I could rewrite our lives on a blank page equipped with fresh wisdom and insight." Describing Larrea's debut novel as a simple love story doesn't quite do it justice. Considering the ageing population, marriages that collapse in later years and the need to be loved, it is refreshing that the protagonist is in her senior years, close to retirement. It is a romantic story of people in the third age of life rediscovering themselves and their loved ones. Rosie Burden is a survivor and the novel has a positivity about it in spite of the setbacks. "A lifetime of sacrifices" is how she described putting Harry first. No tell-tale signs that he would leave Rosie for a younger woman. There were tensions throughout their marriage which affected their offspring, Lisa and Matthew but nothing unusual compared to other families. Rosie had se...

                        The C Word.TV Drama. "Losing someone to cancer really resets your perspective. It makes me value life, cherish my loved ones and be grateful for every day I have with them."(Sheridan Smith) 4.2 million people recently tuned in to watch an outstanding and powerful performance by Sheridan Smith (recently seen in Cilla) and whose credits include the sitcom Gavin & Stacey, Two Pints of Lager & A Packet of Crisps, Quartet with Maggie Smith and Michael Gambon to more highbrow Ibsen. A versatile actress and an accomplished singer. Staring cancer in the face may be construed as a bravado act but it takes a lot of courage. Smith, affectionately known as the queen of the biopic agreed to play Lisa Lynch, a journalist, or more specifically a magazine editor. Lynch was adamant that her alter ego should be played by Smith and only Smith. ...

White Nights by Ann Cleeves. "It's the time of year. The light nights. It makes us all go a little bit mad." Sounds like Shakespeare? A Midsummer Night's Dream? This is Cleeves' second book in the Shetland series. Tourists are streaming ashore in Lerwick, mainly Americans to enjoy the beauty and tranquility of Shetland. In one breath we are told of how safe the place is then we are confronted with a clown wearing a sinister mask giving out flyers as the tourists disembark. It's midsummer when the birds sing at midnight and the sun never sets. It's a crazy time of the year when night blurs into day and nothing is quite as it seems! Jimmy Perez has his own down-to-earth style of detective work in between pursuing Fran Hunter, his love interest for the past six months. It's still early days and he is treading carefully. Bella Sinclair, described as being rather unapproachable, intimidating and rich was exhibiting her art work at Herri...