Books: the story of a holiday in Ibiza gone horribly wrong
This week there’s a lot of murder about. There’s also a historical novel focused on Rembrandt and there’s the story of a holiday in Ibiza gone horribly wrong.
Date with Destiny, Julia Chapman, Pan, €14.50
If ‘cosy crime’ is your thing, and it’s a genre that’s really taken off, then you’ll enjoy this story, which is Chapman’s 10th and final novel in her Dales Detective Agency series, featuring intrepid sleuths Samson and Delilah (I kid you not). Samson has proposed to Delilah and she has said yes, but she doesn’t seem to be worried that with only three weeks to go, she hasn’t yet got a wedding dress and no invites have been posted. And then to further complicate things, Delilah seems to be particularly smitten with their newest client, reality TV star Tyke, who’s been receiving death threats and wants to find the culprit. But a murder at a nearby retirement complex puts things in perspective as the couple have to catch a killer. It’s great fun.
Death at the White Hart, Chris Chibnall, Michael Joseph, €20.00
Chris Chibnall is a multi-award-winning TV writer whose credits include Broadchurch, Doctor Who, Life on Mars and Torchwood. This is his first novel. A man’s murdered body is discovered in the middle of the road, strapped to a chair and with a deer’s antlers attached to his head. Such a gruesome scene isn’t what one would expect to find in this small, rural community and DS Nicola Bridge, newly relocated to the area, is assigned the case. Nicola is dismayed by the lack of resources she’s been given for the case but does her best with her rookie cop partner. Digging into the dead man’s past, they discover a rich tapestry of secrets, lies and long-held grudges, as well as a community that’s not terribly interested in helping the police. Strong characters and a real sense of place in rural Dorset make this a winner, and unsurprisingly, it would make for great TV.
The Bureau, Eoin McNamee, Riverrun, €17.99
In a housing estate in Drogheda in the 1990s, the bodies of Paddy Farrell and Lorraine Farrell (the surnames are coincidence, they’re not a married couple, although they are a couple) are found shot dead in Lorraine’s bedroom. Is it an execution related to the Troubles, or is it a murder-suicide? Paddy Farrell was a cross-border crime boss and Lorraine was his mistress. There are other players in this novel, based on fact and focused on a time in the author’s life that was turbulent and frightening, not least because his father, Brendan McNamee, was a disgraced lawyer who took to operating on the shadier side of the law to make a living. The McGlincheys also figure here, along with Brendan Fegan and other infamous characters. That the story is based on fact is incredible, and at times it’s a challenging read, but McNamee’s prose is so precise and almost poetic, it’s difficult to put down.
Rembrandt’s Promise, Barbara Leahy, Eriu, €16.99
This is a historical novel, based on fact, which – if you’ll excuse the pun – does not paint the famous artist in a good light. In fact, the ‘master of dark and light’ is portrayed as an embittered man, intent on wreaking revenge on his former lover. In 1642, Geertje Dircx’s brother arranged a job for her as nanny in the employment of the famous painter. Geertje had suffered tragedy in her life and indeed so did Rembrandt. After the death of Rembrandt’s wife Saskia, Geertje and he became lovers and at one point there was, Geertje thought, the promise of marriage. But after eight years, Geertje was replaced by a newer, younger model. She decided she wasn’t leaving without a fight. So, the great painter had her incarcerated in the House of Corrections in Gouda, an experience she barely survived and one that was to damage her greatly for the rest of her life. Meticulously researched and beautifully written, it’s an astonishing debut.
Story of a Murder, Hallie Rubenhold, Doubleday, €14.99
For anyone who might think that the past was a gentler and more romantic time for women, this book should dispel any misty-eyed nostalgia. In 1910, Hawley Harvey Crippen, an American homoeopath living with his wife in London, poisoned his wife Cora, who was a music-hall singer. He killed her to allow him, possibly, to marry his mistress although that theory was never confirmed and Crippen insisted on his innocence. When Cora’s friends in the entertainment business reported to police that she had disappeared, the police searched his house but found nothing. But they persisted and on their fourth search, in a case that sounds eerily like a case currently before the courts, Cora’s body was found buried under the brick floor in the basement. But there’s a lot more to this true story than the bare bones outlined here and this book is a chilling but completely absorbing read.
The Girls’ Trip, Zoë Miller, Hachette, €16.99
In 2007, four young women, all friends, took a week’s holiday in Ibiza. They returned home with some dark secrets that they agreed would never be uncovered. They also agreed not to stay in touch with each other. Ever. They needed to forget all about this holiday. Almost 17 years later, one of the women, Anna, is being sought by her sister Kim. Kim has always felt that Anna’s abandoning her life was connected to that Ibiza holiday. She finds an old photograph and decides she’s going to seek out the other three friends, determined to find out what happened. When the others get wind of Kim’s quest, Julia, Faye and Cora are forced to come together in the interests of self-protection. And how far these women will go to keep the truth hidden makes for a tense and suspenseful read.
Footnotes
Dublin’s great International Literature Festival takes place from May 16 to 25 featuring some big names in the world of books. Some events still have tickets, so it’s worth checking out ilfdublin.com to see what’s on.
The annual Fastnet Film Festival in Schull takes place from May 21 to 25. See fastnetfilmfestival.com for details.