Work for Idle Hands

• Cairo Gambit by S W Perry
  I am familiar with Perry’s Elizabethan “Jackdaw” mysteries and have liked them a great deal, but this book, set in 1938, proved to be perfectly aligned with my personal penchant for 1930s suspense novels.
  The story concerns “Prim” (Primrose), who rather impulsively sets off for Egypt in search of her estranged father, Archie, who has suddenly disappeared from his comfortable life as an executive in the oil industry and owner of a local theatre. She is not the only one looking for him, but she is the only one with his best interests at heart – the others seemingly not really caring whether they find him dead or alive.
  Once in Cairo, she is deliberately befriended by Harry Taverner, an intelligence agent operating under the usual flimsy cover of representing the British Council. He has his own agenda, of course: is Archie selling secrets to the Nazis? Fortunately for Prim, this means that he is keen to assist her, despite her initial suspicions and reluctance to accept his help.
  There is plenty of action and suspense as they follow Archie’s trail, and the denouement is both poignant and, given Prim’s rather over-romanticised view of her father, perhaps not entirely unexpected.*
  Despite reservations expressed by some other readers, I really liked Prim and thought she was a very well-drawn character. She comes from a well-heeled family that has fallen on hard times and is also tainted by its previous association with National Socialist sympathies. Unlike, I would suggest, many women of her class, she leads an independent life in London, earning her own living. I am sure that her privileged background gives her the confidence to do this – and also, perhaps, the somewhat naïve confidence to set off alone for the Middle East – but she comes across as strong and determined without ever turning into an untrained, all-action heroine.
  If, like me, you have an appetite for a mystery set against the turbulent political landscape of the Middle East in the years between the wars, then this sharp and atmospheric espionage thriller should definitely appeal.
  
  [* Bright Day by J B Priestley has always been an unusual favourite of mine, and it resonates with me here in its exploration of idealised lives and the expectations we build around the people we love.
  What I particularly like about Bright Day, though, is that it is ultimately rather hopeful. We don't need to yearn for some unattainable perfection, because the perfect life doesn't actually exist. What we have may be more real than any ideal we have constructed in our minds. It seems especially pertinent now, when social media can make everyone else's life appear impossibly perfect.]


• The Shadow Step by Mark Billingham [Read by David Threlfall]
  Continuing the Declan Miller (professional DS and amateur ballroom dancer) series, with a title referencing a ballroom technique. However innocuous the title (even though it might sound a bit creepy!), the cut-throat murderous double-dealing of the criminal underworld is fully in evidence – a long way from the pleasant group of ballroom dancers meeting in the pub after practice and amusing themselves as “golden age” sleuths, discussing Declan’s all-too-contemporary cases.
  The protagonist could be considered to be the hapless, accident-prone ex-squaddie “Bad Luck Barry” as much as Declan himself. Barry is a very appealing character and provides the jeopardy and suspense which can often be lacking in police procedurals, where you can be fairly confident that your major DI will not end up in the morgue. From the outset, though, Barry seems to be inevitably destined for such a fate...
  The plot itself is neatly complicated – not complex and not convoluted – but unfolds splendidly at a good pace as the story progresses. The expected dry, black humour is as hilarious as ever, once again brilliantly narrated by David Threlfall.


• A Death in Diamonds by S J Bennet [Read by Samantha Bond]
  I approached this as an “easy” listen, but found that I liked it better than the previous outings of Queen Elizabeth Investigates.
  I think I found it easier to accept this idea of the young Queen (Elizabeth II in 1957) needing to unravel a mystery affecting both her reign and her own household. Her nervousness at her relatively new role as monarch, her love for her husband and family, and her sense of fun, as well as her strong sense of duty, are all very credibly described and thoroughly delightful. In addition, I liked — or perhaps simply enjoyed — the other supporting characters more than I have in the previous books.
  Despite the fact that I was barely alive at the time, and that, again, I view 1957 as a contemporary setting, I found the factual — and presumably highly researched — descriptions of ER’s official visit to Canada and New York a splendid historical read.


• Joy in the Morning
  Complex machinations during a weekend of hell in the village of Steeple Bumpleigh, where Bertie Wooster tries to opt for the path of least resistance without spoiling his friend George "Boko" Fittleworth's hope of marital bliss - while at the same time avoiding the renewal of his own past engagement to Florence, and escaping the wrath of Aunt Agatha. Much fun is had by all, with a troublesome boy scout, an enthusiastic representative of the law, and a missing birthday brooch.
  A two part dramatisation by Archie Scottney from the 1946 Wodehouse novel, starring Freddie Fox as Wooster and Martin Jarvis as Jeeves (plus a cameo by Ian Ogilvy as Lord Worplesdon). Produced by Rosalind Ayres, and directed by Martin Jarvis.
  

Posted by Christina at 9:19 am | Category: Art and Culture, Books of the Month | Permalink

We went to see Martin Simpson at Kings Place celebrating the release of his new album Some Kind of Jubilee. As well as being a true master as a folk guitarist, he's also a great story teller so it was altogether a very entertaining evening. Of course, Rob was straight in there buying the album!.

Before the show, we chose (from a wide range of eateries!) the Granary Square Brasserie at Kings Cross - I had conventional fish and chips, while Rob ate the Massaman duck curry.

Posted by Christina at 11:46 pm | Category: Art and Culture, Days Out, Friends | Permalink

We went to celebrate at Barnes - a lovely "summer" day in autumn. There were quite a few snipe - utterly invisible unless they moved - and we enjoyed good views of a hobby on the wing.

Posted by Christina at 5:11 pm | Category: Days Out, Friends, Red Letter Days | Permalink