More of wot I have read…

Tears of the Giraffe by Alexander McCall-Smith

This was an interesting book mostly for the author’s ability to portray the characters voice in such a convincing way. I felt that I had been exposed to a culture and world that I knew little of in such a way that I believe I have now learned something about it and can better appreciate it. It is a short and gentle read that is sweet and witty that makes me want to read the rest of the books in the series. I first became aware of the author several years ago from his Scotland Road stories which are also quirky and interesting.


‘In this instalment of the charmingly entertaining adventures of Botswana’s premier female detective, it’s going to take all Precious Ramotswe’s intuition and eminent sensibility to crack her toughest case yet: the decade-old disappearance of an American on the edge of the Kalahari.

What’s more, she must attend to concerns closer to home: the promotion of her secretary Mma Makutsi to the dizzy heights of Assistant Detective; her impending marriage to the wonderful Mr J. L. B. Matekoni; the trouble caused by his unscrupulous maid; and the unexpected arrival of not one but two additions to the Matekoni family.’



Exit Music by Ian Rankin

This is the first book by this author that I have read as it was given to me by a colleague at work and would not necessarily have been my choice of reading material. It is also the last of the Rebus series which has been going for some time spawning a TV series which I have also managed to miss. As it was I found myself being drawn into the story and enjoying the detailed and lovingly portrayed description of the city as the engaging characters moved around it.


‘It's late autumn in Edinburgh and late autumn in the career of Detective Inspector John Rebus. As he tries to tie up some loose ends before retirement, a murder case intrudes. A dissident Russian poet has been found dead in what looks like a mugging gone wrong. By apparent coincidence a high-level delegation of Russian businessmen is in town, keen to bring business to Scotland. The politicians and bankers who run Edinburgh are determined that the case should be closed quickly and clinically.

But the further they dig, the more Rebus and his colleague DS Siobhan Clarke become convinced that they are dealing with something more than a random attack - especially after a particularly nasty second killing. Meantime, a brutal and premeditated assault on local gangster 'Big Ger' Cafferty sees Rebus in the frame. Has the Inspector taken a step too far in tying up those loose ends? Only a few days shy of the end to his long, inglorious career, will Rebus even make it that far?’