My book list for June

 I started the month as I did in May, with a Richard Osman book.

It was good to read it so soon after the last one as the characters were all fresh in my mind.  This book deals with some emotive subjects and there were some thought provoking chapters in amongst the mystery.  

An old friend of the Thursday Murder Club has been killed and a mysterious package that he had received has gone missing.  While trying to solve the 'why' of his death and the 'where' of the missing parcel, the group get involved in the antique business, art dealerships and even online romantic fraud.  

I think this may be my favourite book of the series so far and I have no doubt that book five will be downloaded in the not too distant future!

This book caught my eye as I wandered around Stansted Airport before our trip to Italy.

I had already read a couple of Claire Douglas' novels before so felt confident that I would enjoy this.  I was correct in that assumption!  Lena overhears a conversation between her new neighbours which sounds suspiciously like they are planning to commit a crime.  Her friends and family are sure she must have heard something out of context as Henry and Marielle seem such nice, ordinary people.  

But something niggles in her mind and she decides to investigate further.  The previous owners of the house had left a spare key with her in case of emergencies and had not asked for it back when they moved out.  When Lena is sure that the couple have gone away for a weekend she lets herself into their house to see if there is anything there to verify her suspicions.  All seems perfectly normal until she opens the door to a room which has a wall covered with newspaper cuttings.  This leads her to investigate further.  

The answer lies back in the late 90s when Lena was fresh from school and completing her nursing training.  Something that happened then is the catalyst for the new neighbours strange behaviour.

Did I enjoy this? Yes, very much!  I read it in two days!  

I also took with me a totally different book

Now I thought that this may be a bit predictable but it had a clever variation on a theme.  Two women from polar opposites of the social spectrum, both members at the same gym, a mix up with gym bags ...  

Sam is shocked to find that she has picked up a bag with designer clothes in it rather than her comfortable work wear, but not quite as shocked as Nisha who opens the wrong bag to find high street clothing.  Where is her Chanel jacket?  What about her Laboutin sandals?  She travels home in gym flip flops and a dressing gown, gets in the lift to the rooftop penthouse suite and finds her way barred by her husband's bodyguard who tells her that she is not allowed back into her home and that he is seeking a divorce.  

Nisha's journey from living the highlife to finding herself homeless and having to find work cleaning the rooms in the fancy hotel rather than living there is cleverly written. Her divorce settlement is dependent on her returning her fancy sandals to her husband who does not believe her when she says she doesn't know where they are.  What importance do they have and how will she track them down?  All is revealed with several twists along the way.  

This was a great holiday read and was not as 'chic lit' as I thought it would be!