2016 is not a year that I will recall with great fondness. Watching the news throughout the last twelve months, I have often found myself wondering whether the world, and specifically English speaking electorates, had gone stark staring bonkers. It has however, been a good year for books. (I can say this with all modesty because I did not publish one this year.)

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Here are my five great reads (in no particular order) that kept me going and you might also enjoy.

 

The Bloody Shoe Affair by Joy York

I was asked to recommend some YA fiction for an adult literacy class and this book stood out. Despite the fact that it is written for young adults (I am an old guy) and in the first person (I am not a fan) I found this story totally engaging.  http://amzn.to/2iLJIsn

 

Electric (series) by Carly Compass

Carly takes the reader on a significant journey from the quiet tone of Book 1, detailing the everyday life of a small town American housewife to a far more frantic pace of book 5 in which the character is hurtling towards calamity as she finds every detail of her life streamed online. This is a compelling series but my personal favourite is Book 3, The Resolution  http://amzn.to/2hBCWcJ

 

Threat by Hugh Fraser

This was the second of Hugh Fraser’s books I read in 2016. It is rare to find an author who can so ably capture the sights, smells and the very essence of the period in which a story is set. This one takes place in the 1960s and tells the story of Rina, a 20s something hired assassin.  http://amzn.to/2hTawqu

 

The Dead Dance Faster by Julie Ann Hacker

An unusual story with a very distinctive style that was both atmospheric and disturbingly claustrophobic.  http://amzn.to/2iwNuXm

 

Eyes of the Accused by Mark Tilbury

When an author creates a character so odious that you find it compelling, you know you are reading something good.  http://amzn.to/2iMph2p

 

 

and another one

 

From Australia to Germany by Gus Pegal

It is not often that I will read a book twice. I read this one again whilst on a long journey and actually enjoyed it even more the second time around. It tells the true story of a young man’s trip in a 4 x 4 from Australia to Germany, hence the title, and is utterly compelling.  http://amzn.to/2iePplF

 

 

A couple of other books I would like to mention because… they deserve it.

 

Gentlemen of Fortune by Evelyn Tidman  http://amzn.to/2hvX4Ij

 

Almana by Julayn Adams  http://amzn.to/2ioM8AG

 

Superhighway by Alex Fayman  http://amzn.to/2hT7LWp