JESS JUST READS

A BOOK REVIEW BLOG

The Other Side of Night by Adam Hamdy

David Asha wants to tell you a story about three people: Elliott Asha, his son, broken by a loss that will redeem him.

Ben Elmys, a surrogate father and David’s trusted friend, a man who might also be a murderer. Harriet Kealty, a retired detective searching for answers to three mysterious deaths, while also investigating a man who might turn out to be the love of her life.

Every word David tells you is true, but you will think it fiction . . .

Adam Hamdy’s thriller The Other Side of Night is a genre-defying novel about how far a person might be willing to go to spend more time with the ones they’ve lost. Exploring love, loss, family and expectation, The Other Side of the Night tests the limits of the space-time continuum to present a reality far from our own.

Incorporating a range of mediums such as articles, columns, court reports, interview transcripts and letters, alongside standard prose and dialogue, Adam offers a complex yet rewarding tale of family, relationships, grief and time.

“Harri hadn’t been able to concentrate after finding the message. She hadn’t been able to sleep much either. The words could have been a cruel prank, but something about them touched her finely honed instincts as a detective.”

The Other Side of the Night is largely centred around dishonoured police detective Harriet Kealty, who conducts her own private investigation into the deaths of physicists Elizabeth and David Asha, and the man who adopts their orphaned 10-year-old son.

Harriet suspects Ben Elmys, who Harriet once dated briefly, could be responsible for the deaths of Elizabeth and David, and over the course of the novel she stumbles upon unexplainable events that indicate some kind of other-worldy, science fiction element to the story.

Adam’s writing is accessible and highly readable – despite quite an intricate plot and quite a complex ending, at its heart, this book is a character exploration. We’re invested in the Asha family and their young son, and we’re also rooting for Harriet as she attempts to salvage her career and prove that there’s more to the Asha deaths than previously known.

“She would never forget how she’d felt that day and even the memory of what had followed couldn’t entirely tarnish the joy of their first encounter. She hoped she’d feel that way again, but right now there was no sign of romance on the horizon, and she wasn’t sure she wanted it after running into Ben.”

The Other Side of the Night is described as a thriller, but it’s also science fiction and perhaps dystopian fiction, alongside a police procedural, poetry, court report and high-tension, suspense mystery.

With quite a small cast of characters, the novel feels deliberately claustrophobic. We’re swept up into a rather emotional story that bounces between the same core characters, amidst quite a limited setting as well, allowing the reader to maintain focus on the story and its movements.

“After he was gone, Harri stood in the little flat for a moment, listening to the distant sounds of the city, where thousands of lives far more productive than hers were being played out.”

A unique and impressive mind-bending science fiction read, Adam Hamdy’s The Other Side of Night is for readers of thriller and genre-bending novels. Readership skews 25+

Thank you to the publishing company for mailing me a review copy in exchange for an honest review.

The Other Side of Night
Adam Hamdy
September 2022
Pan Macmillan Publishers

Paper Cage by Tom Baragwanath

Masterton isn’t a big town. The community’s tight, if not always harmonious. So when a child goes missing it’s a big deal for everyone. And when a second kid disappears, the whole town’s holding their own children that little bit tighter.

Lorraine doesn’t have kids, but she has a nephew. She’s holding him a bit tighter, too, because she works for the police, and she knows they don’t have any idea.

Lo’s not a cop, she’s a records clerk. She sits out back among the piles of paper, making connections, remembering things. Working things out that the actual cops don’t want to hear about.

Until the new investigator, Hayes, arrives from Wellington, and realises Lo’s the only person there with answers to any of his questions. Which is just as well—because the clock is running down for the children of the town.

Set in a secluded New Zealand community, Tom Baragwanath’s Paper Cage is a suspenseful crime thriller about a string of disappearances, with police department records clerk Lorraine taking centre stage.

After a couple of children go missing in a small, close-knit New Zealand town, Lorraine takes the case under her wing. Her colleagues seem incompetent and unable to connect the clues, and so when someone in Lorraine’s family is abducted, she takes matters into her own hands – using her intelligence and determination to crack the mystery.

“He sets a hand to my arm; his expression is like light through murky water. He’s close enough for me to see my reflection in his eyes: a round grey woman held in miniature.”

Lorraine is a rather unexpected protagonist in a small-town crime story. Usually, it’s the troubled detective driving the story – often male – and it was refreshing to read a different perspective in this genre. Lorraine rises above what others expect of her, ignoring the distrust and the snide remarks and focusing on the case. As such, there is a definite feminist undertone to the novel.

From NZ-born writer Tom – now living in Paris – Paper Cage is a slow-burn thriller, presenting quite a large but three-dimensional set of characters that orbit around Lorraine. The second half of the novel is much more fast-paced, when Lorraine starts to become more involved in the case and lead us toward the culprit.

“I climb to my feet and head into the hall, feeling their eyes follow me. Truth be told, it’s a relief to get out of that room, even if it means a long morning scouring through the files.”

While on the surface this is a mystery about the disappearance of a few children in a close-knit New Zealand community, at its core Paper Cage explores racism, violence, drugs and alcohol abuse in small suburban towns.

This is quite an expansive list of themes to underpin a crime novel and as such, the plot does deviate quite a bit in the middle of the book and the story became a little convoluted and difficult to engage with. The disappearances of the children felt a little on the backburner while Lorraine’s attention is distracted by Sheena (her niece) and Keith (Sheena’s partner).

“A flicker of hesitation shoots across the detective’s face. We come in through the back, into the anonymous crackle of radio from the communications room. Hayes unlocks the interview room, and I do what I can to make Sheena comfortable.”

With descriptive, vivid writing and recommended for crime and thriller readers, Paper Cage’s readership skews 25+

Thank you to the publishing company for mailing me a review copy in exchange for an honest review.

Paper Cage
Tom Baragwanath
September 2022
Text Publishing

Daisy Darker by Alice Feeney

Daisy Darker’s family were as dark as dark can be, when one of them died all of them lied and pretended not to see . . .

Daisy Darker is arriving at her grandmother’s house for her eightieth birthday. It is Halloween, and Seaglass – the crumbling Cornish house perched upon its own tiny private island – is at one with the granite rocks it sits on.

The Darker family haven’t all been in the same place for over a decade, and when the tide comes in they’ll be cut off from the rest of the world for eight hours. When the tide goes back out, nothing will ever be the same again, because one of them is a killer . . .

In Alice Feeney’s psychological thriller Daisy Darker, a fractured family congregate on a secluded and isolated island to celebrate their grandmother’s 80th birthday. But with no way to escape the island and no way to communicate with the outside world, it’s the perfect conditions for a killer to strike.

One by one, members of the Darker family are murdered in incredibly personal and specific ways. With nine hours to go until low tide and the possibility of escape, who will still be alive come morning?

“She looks over her shoulder, then creeps nearer to the crib. We all seem to lean closer to the TV, as little Rose leans down over the baby, before checking over her shoulder one last time. We hang off her every word as she sings a sweet-sounding lullaby.”

Alice has set up the classic elements of an engaging psychological thriller – a secluded setting with no way to communicate with external parties, a series of murders, and a group of characters known to each other and all harbouring horrific secrets. It’s the perfect concoction for a page-turning mystery.

Whilst at times I found the dialogue to be unrealistic and over-the-top, and pretty much all of the characters to be wildly unlikeable, the strengths of the story lie in its twists and mysteries. There seems to be very little emotions in how Daisy Darker reacts to her family members’ murders, but she functions more as a narrator from afar, allowing us the chance to understand all members of the party so we can make our own opinions on who might be the killer.

Admittedly, I wish the characters possessed more agency to uncover the killer. They seem a bit slow to catch on in the beginning, happy to watch videos and wait for things to happen rather than harnessing some agency and driving the story forward themselves.

“He leaves the lounge and none of us know what to say. My father has always held his feelings hostage. His inability – or unwillingness – to express himself seemed to make my mother voice her own feelings on any subject twice as loud and twice as often.”

The ending makes up for any flaws the precede it. Because truthfully, the suspense and tension in the lead-up to the twist were starting to wane. Flashbacks break the pacing and lull the flow of the book. For a long time, I couldn’t make sense of the wacky storyline, odd murders and the seemingly non-existent motive. I was struggling to tell some of the characters apart, found the flashback videos to be a bit redundant and the poetry a little pointless.

But that twist is a redeeming element to the story and was an actual gasp-aloud moment for me as the reader. Suddenly, a motive is clear and so are Alice’s stylistic devices and plotting choices.

“My father is the first to arrive. Being punctual is his only way of saying I love you. For as long as I can remember he has expressed emotions through timekeeping, unable to demonstrate affection in the ways most other fathers do.”

Utterly compelling with a cracker of an ending, Daisy Darker is recommended for fans of psychological thrillers and murder mysteries. Readership skews 20+

Thank you to the publishing company for mailing me a review copy in exchange for an honest review.

Daisy Darker
Alice Feeney
September 2022
Pan Macmillan Publishers

Cobalt Blue by Matthew Reilly

For 35 years, the United States and Russia each had their own superhero.

Three days ago, America’s hero died.

Today will be bad.

In the face of an overwhelming attack, one young woman – unassuming and anonymous – might be America’s only hope.

Her codename … COBALT BLUE

Matthew Reilly returns with another action-packed thriller in his latest novella, Cobalt Blue. Filled with trademark Matthew Reilly action and conflict, Cobalt Blue is another ‘save the world’ story after America comes under attack following the death of their key superhero.

Rather quickly, we see America and Russia at war with each other. Each of them had their own superhero to defend the country, but when America’s superhero passes way, suddenly there’s nothing stopping Russia from taking advantage of an undefended America.

“Cobalt couldn’t have been more different. For one thing, Dr Chris Cobalt had been 44 at the time of their infection, twenty years older than Furin, and a highly respected astrophysicist. Where the Fury was all strength and rage, Cobalt was thoughtful and reserved.”

Matthew Reilly certainly seems to have a formula he follows, and he brings quite an interesting premise to this new release and positions it firmly within the superhero genre. There are some flashbacks in the story to add depth to some of the characters and provide context to the present-day storyline.

Fast-paced and a compact, easy read at 200 pages, Cobalt Blue will find its audience in Matthew Reilly fans and young, male readers. It’s an accessible read for reluctant readers as well – short chapters and paragraph, with brief, stripped back prose. The pacing accelerates at a quick rate, engaging readers with each passing chapter.

“When he arrived there, he decapitated the Statue of Liberty – flew right through her neck – and impaled her head on top of the One World Trade Center. New Yorkers screamed in terror and fled the streets.”

There is quite a high production value to this one – hardback, jacketed, coloured font. It certainly stands out on a bookshelf, and I like the clean, suave cover.

Admittedly, if you’ve read quite a few Matthew Reilly books in the past, then you’ll find this latest one a bit predictable. He does follow a similar kind of structure with his books, so you’ll know what to expect as you progress through the story. At times a little silly and over-the-top, readers will need to lean into the fun of the story and cast any doubts aside.

“As the superfast rolling fight moved along the length of Fifth Avenue to the airspace in front of the New York Public Library, White even managed to dent the Fury’s facemask and he sprang back in surprise.”

Punchy and pacey, Matthew Reilly’s Cobalt Blue is recommended for thriller and action readers, and fans of Reilly’s previous works. Readership skews male, 15+

Thank you to the publishing company for mailing me a review copy in exchange for an honest review.

Cobalt Blue
Matthew Reilly
August 2022
Pan Macmillan Publishers

Truly Darkly Deeply by Victoria Selman

Twelve-year-old Sophie and her mother, Amelia-Rose, move to London from Massachusetts where they meet the charismatic Matty Melgren, who quickly becomes an intrinsic part of their lives. But as the relationship between the two adults fractures, a serial killer begins targeting young women with a striking resemblance to Amelia-Rose.

When Matty is eventually sent down for multiple murder, questions remain as to his guilt — questions which ultimately destroy both women. Nearly twenty years later, Sophie receives a letter from Battlemouth Prison informing her Matty is dying and wants to meet. It looks like Sophie might finally get the answers she craves. But will the truth set her free — or bury her deeper?

Victoria Selman’s Truly Darkly Deeply is a psychological thriller about a man convicted of multiple murders, and how the revelation ripples through his family – even twenty years later, as he reaches out to the family on his death bed.

The book regularly switches perspectives between present-day Sophie and a 12-year-old Sophie who is retelling the story of how Matty entered and then later left their lives. For the most part, she refuses to believe a negative word against Matty – he’s the father she never had. But even a 12-year-old has to acknowledge at some point that something doesn’t quite add up with Matty. He’s mysterious, vacant, and disappears for long stretches of time. He seems to always be available, but at the same time seems to be absent during key moments. Selman navigates Sophie’s naivety and innocence rather well in these flashback scenes.

“I knew all about Diana’s dress. I’d been keeping a wedding scrapbook of magazine cut-outs, every detail about the big day stuck in, from how many bridesmaids the soon-to-be princess was having, to the number of beads on her ivory satin shoes. I don’t remember why Matty didn’t watch the ceremony with us.”

Truly Darkly Deeply presents an interesting perspective, focusing on the family members left behind in the wake of a shocking revelation such as murder. Would you recognise if someone in your family was a serial killer? The premise is quite the hook to bring readers in and it actually reminded me a bit of Dirty John.

The pacing and the tension build are two of the strengths in the novel – Sophie’s present-day visit to see Matty does well to anchor the story, and across the course of the book you find yourself really desperate to get to that moment and find out what Matty has to say.

Additionally, I liked that there are a small number of the characters in the book, keeping the atmosphere quite claustrophobic and contained. It means there’s plenty of time in the book dedicated to understanding the dynamic between Sophie and her mother, and then Sophie and Matty.

“I wasn’t keen on spending any more time with the girl than was strictly necessary, but I’d been taught never to turn down an apology. So I thanked her and accepted her invitation graciously.”

There were a few elements of the novel that I felt could’ve been tightened – it wasn’t always clear when we were in the past or the present, so it would’ve been helpful and would’ve saved a lot of confusion if each chapter perhaps had the year dated underneath it, or even said PAST or PRESENT.

A lot of the novel is tied to this idea that Matty might not have actually been the killer, but it seems pretty clear from the beginning of the novel and so the concept of ‘is he guilty’ doesn’t really hold the value it’s intended to. And finally, Sophie’s character progression hits a bit of a snag for me towards the end. For most of the novel, she is completely against the idea that Matty could be a bad person – she is so happy he’s in her life that it’s understandably clouding her judgement. However, when she does change her mind on this, it’s too quick a decision and the thought process behind it doesn’t seem present. Suddenly, she’s changed her mind and she’s trying to convince her mother he’s a bad guy. It’s rather jarring for the reader.

“By the time we listened to his answerphone message, something in my mother had disappeared too. The despair that had plagued those first weeks of his absence had gradually eased and in its place came a sort of acceptance.”

Despite its flaws, this is a rather gripping novel and I did find myself reading it in two sittings. The premise is intriguing and compelling and regardless of its holes, readers will enjoy the journey. Recommended for readers of psychological thrillers – great for book club reads, as I think the twist at the end of the book would spark much debate. Readership skews 25+

Thank you to the publishing company for mailing me a review copy in exchange for an honest review.

Truly Darkly Deeply
Victoria Selman
July 2022
Hachette Book Publishers