Book Review: Hurt by Brian McGilloway

“Hurt” is the second novel in the DS Lucy Black series by McGilloway and it is just as brilliant and gripping as the first one “Little Girl Lost”

The story begins in late December when a sixteen-year-old is found dead on the train tracks and DS Lucy Black is called to identify the body and is part of the investigation team to find out what exactly happened to the young girl.

Using the girl’s mobile phone to try and get clues to her death, Black and her colleagues stumble upon information on her social medical account which shows that this was no accidental death and something bigger is in play. And it looks like they are right when another girl goes missing.

Running alongside the main story is the story of Lucy herself and her struggles with the past which keep haunting her, as well as her relationships with her parents.

McGilloway’s writing just grabs you into the story and makes you as the reader feel part of it. And he leaves you wanting more from the story. 

Book Review: Elephant Moon by Julie Sweeney

Elephant Moon is set in Burma during the Second World War as the Japanese Imperial enters the country and the British rulers prepare to flee. It follows the journey of the teachers and students (of which there are 62) of an orphan school in Burma.

One of the teachers, Grace Collins is a young English woman and by refusing to join the European evacuation herself she decides to get the orphans safely out of the country to India. This is an impossible job due to the thousand miles of jungle, mountains, rivers and the constant threat of the Japanese. They are helped by a group of soldiers and also a herd of 53 Elephants who in their own way are real characters with distinct personalities.

Elephant Moon is a great book featuring an incredible journey which is filled with adventure, tragedy, and love during the terror of war and the need for survival. And an interesting fact about this book is that it is based on a true story, which makes it even more real when reading it. 

Book Review: Bongo Fury by Simon Maltman

Bongo Fury is a novella in two parts which follows Jimmy Black, a 42-year-old who runs a music shop in Bangor, Northern Ireland and is married with a son.

Bongo Fury is written in the first person, so Jimmy is telling his story which sees him end up in some hot water just by helping his friend try to fix his problems.

It tackles the issues of drugs which is and always has been a big problem in Bangor and it’s a story of friendship and family sticking by each other in the thick and thin.

The Bongo Fury books are interesting short stories and are a great set up for a bigger novel and one I would definitely read as Maltman has the knack of getting you interested in his characters.