Book Review - The House of Smoke by Sam Christer ('What's in a Name' Challenge #2)

'Sherlock Holmes' greatest nemesis unleashes Victorian London's deadliest assassin...'

I'm going to have to be honest here...until about 1/2 way through this book I wasn't sure I liked it. It's not that I found it heavy going (it's not), it's not that it doesn't immediately grab your attention (I mean, holy smokes, it begins by the aforementioned assassin honestly describing himself as 'the manservant of Death' and beginning the countdown to his execution!) it's just, well, something wasn't sitting right with me.

The author does a great job of evoking Newgate Gaol at the turn of the 19th into the 20th century. I could really sense the damp, cold, dark and stench of the gaol.

Simeon Lynch, the novel's central character, is also effectively portrayed and I think this is part of the problem I initially had with this book. By this I mean that I think I was having a hard time dredging up empathy for a self-confessed murderer and this was perhaps colouring my 'enjoyment' of the novel. Having said that, as the plot progresses we do indeed learn more about Simeon's background (the story is told in flashbacks - not necessarily in chronological order) and are able to build up a fuller picture of this 'manservant of Death' and are able to understand how he ended up on a path to become an assassin. We can, at times, sympathise with him and, at other times, be disgusted with him.

I do not want to give away too much of the plot here so will attempt to give you some of the basics. We start the novel knowing Simeon has a murder conviction and is to hang for it in 17 days time...but we do not know, until a good way into the story, who he is convicted of killing. We then, in flashbacks, follow Simeon's path from workhouse child, through his recruitment by Brogan Moriarty (brother of Sherlock Holmes' nemesis, James Moriarty) to his career as Moriarty's 'protector' and assassin. The flashbacks are interspersed with Simeon's narrative of his final days in Newgate Gaol, including a couple of visits by the great detective himself, Sherlock Holmes.

All in all I did enjoy this book (if enjoy is the right word when reading about a trained assassin!), in particular the last third of the book when things seemed to rev up speed towards the conclusion. Definitely worth a read if you like fiction with a Victorian-era crime theme.

I would probably award this book 3/5.

Book Review - '2am at the Cat's Pajamas' by Marie-Helene Bertino ('What's in a Name' Challenge #1)

'Madeleine Altimari is a sassy, smart-mouthed nine-year-old and an aspiring jazz singer, inwardly mourning the recent death of her mother. Little does she know that she is about to have the most extraordinary day - and night - of her life.'

I received '2am at the Cat's Pajamas' in my Book and A Brew subscription box for December 2016 and, whilst I didn't manage to get around to reading it before Christmas (it is set during a Christmas Eve Eve), it proved to be a most enjoyable read to start 2017 with.

Now, before I get around to reviewing the book, I must confess that I cannot get on with jazz. Apologies to all of you who appreciate this musical style but, to me, the majority of jazz is as impenetrable as a maximum security prison. So let's just say I had some slight misgivings on reading the book's blurb. Having said that, whilst the book is peppered with references to jazz musicians/songs, this did not make the book any less readable for a non-jazz bod like myself. 
As the blurb suggests the story revolves around a day in the life of 9 year-old Madeleine who is desperate to be given the opportunity to sing in public. Unfortunately she is consistently denied her time in the spotlight due to 'an unfortunate incident at the Winter Assembly'. Madeleine is not your typical cute 9 year-old - she's had (and has) a lot to deal with at home and is not afraid of doling out the odd curse word (or several!). Can't say as I blame her though, to be honest! 

Madeleine's narrative is complemented by narratives by:
* her teacher, Miss Greene,
* Lorca, owner of The Cat's Pajamas - a once famous jazz club which is struggling due to the music's decline in popularity and its owner's flouting of city codes
* Ben, Miss Greene's disastrous prom date of yesteryear (& who still holds a torch for her)
* as well a several other characters whose story/location intersect with these narratives 

Each narrative is distinct but come together in the finale at The Cat's Pajamas.

If I had one slightly negative criticism it would be that, occasionally, within a narrative the voice would skip to a completely different person - at times even to one who we had not been introduced to - and then back to the narrative we'd been following and this had a jarring effect whilst I was reading. Overall though this was a great little read to start the year with. I would give it 3/5.

You can also read my reviews on Goodreads!

I've written this review as part of The Worm Hole's 'What's in a Name 2017 Challenge' - why not check it?

2017 Reading Challenge - What's in a name?

When my friend Jen forwarded me a master list of reading challenges (as compiled by http://www.girlxoxo.com/the-master-list-of-2017-reading-challenges/) my initial thought was 'There. Are. So. Many. Brain. Cannot. Cope.' After rebooting myself with a nice cuppa I set about selecting one to work my way through during 2017.

 Now, I know some of you out there might be reading purists who shun the idea of a manufactured challenge when it comes to the books you read - and I must confess to having had leanings towards this way of thinking - however, over the past couple of years I've made a concerted effort to try and read outside of my comfort zone (e.g. crime/thriller/mystery types) and I like the idea something that will encourage me to continue to do that. Last year I took out a Book and a Brew subscription precisely to aid in my quest for new reading pastures (you can read about my initial impressions of the subscription here) and I fancied supplementing this with an additional challenge.

After having a peruse of the list my friend sent me I plumped for the 'What's in a Name' challenge courtesy of The Worm Hole. The idea is that people taking part in the challenge need to register over on The Worm Hole and then read books which fall into the following categories and then post links to reviews on the special 'What's in a Name' gateway post:

• A number in numbers (84, Charing Cross Road; 12 Years A Slave; 31 Dream Street)
• A building (The Old Curiosity Shop; I Capture The Castle; House Of Shadows; The Invisible Library; Jamaica Inn)
• A title which has an ‘X’ somewhere in it (The Girl Next Door; The Running Vixen)
• A compass direction (North and South; Guardians Of The West; The Shadow In The North; NW)
• An item/items of cutlery (The Subtle Knife; Our Spoons Came From Woolworths)
• A title in which at least two words share the same first letter – alliteration! (The Great Gatsby; The Luminous Life Of Lilly Aphrodite; Gone Girl; The Cuckoo’s Calling)
  This text is taken from http://wormhole.carnelianvalley.com/whats-in-a-name-2017-sign-up-page

I really like this because the challenges are all so random! I've already started to line up this year's reads...and, yes, I am  even managing to include a few which have been hanging around on my backlist/TBR pile for a bit :) Stay tuned for my first review.