The Last Word Book Review with John Fish. Issue 33.

“Books are my passion. I have been passionate about all things literary since I was a small boy and one of my teachers saw something and encouraged me all those years ago. Back in the early 1980’s I set up a large Hospital radio network in London and ran this for many years and through this it enabled me to interview stars from stage, TV, music and also writers. One day I hope to get back behind the microphone. But also I have a real passion for natural history and this is why I love our wonderful of Somerset so much.

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​Now I write about books and interview writers on my blog. I get to work with publishers large and small and some of the best literary PR people. My love of books allows me to attend book launches across the country and also book prize events. I read on average 180 books a year nearly all before they are released into bookshops. Last year I launched a fund raising campaign called The Lost Words for Somerset Primary Schools. The aim was to raise enough money to enable me to get a copy of The Lost Words by Robert Macfarlane and Jackie Morris into every Primary School in Somerset. The target was achieved and this project is still going strong today.

With each issue of Word Gets Around I will select two books that I hope you the reader will enjoy in both fiction and non-fiction titles”.
John

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The Hunting Party
By Lucy Foley
Published HarperCollins

Set against the backdrop of the Scottish Highlands. The Hunting Party by Lucy Foley (Harper Collins) is a good old fashioned murder mystery with realistic characters. It is New Year’s Eve and a group of friends are together at a hunting lodge to celebrate Hogmanay. The lodge is in an isolated part of the Highlands and there is a blizzard setting in.

This group of friends have known each other since their Oxford University days and they always get together at New Year’s Eve, some of the friends have brought new partners with them all seems to be going well but just under the surface there are secrets and lies. Straight away the reader knows there is something very wrong. A body is discovered and it is clear this is murder. But who is the victim? The author is not going to tell and one by one each of the friends is going to tell their own story in each chapter. As the blizzard rages and they realise they are cut off so no-one is going to be leaving very soon and the police cannot reach them. A murderer is among them and could strike again.

Added into the story are the three members of staff who we also get to meet and they also have a story to tell.
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Atmospheric and as chilly as the snow storm raging around them The Hunting Party is a terrific murder mystery that will keep you guessing until the last page.

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The Cut Out Girl    
Bart van Es
Published by Fig Tree (Penguin Books)    

When Germany invaded the Netherlands on the 10th May 1940 there was in the region of 140,000 Jews living in the country with many arriving to escape from other European countries in fear of the Nazis. By the end of the war over 104,000 were murdered in the deaths camps such as Auschwitz.

The recently announced winner of the 2018 Costa Book Award, The Cut Out Girl by Bart van Es. (Fig Tree/Penguin Books) tells the story of Hesseline ‘Lien’ de Jong who was sent to live with another family just as the Nazis and the Dutch police started to round up the Jews in the country.

The author always knew that his grandparents sheltered some of the Jewish children from being taken away, Lien was one of those children. Lien was never to see her parents again. When the police raided the home of the van Eses, Lien had to escape to go and live with another family the van Laars during her stay Lien was abused and raped. Lien’s experiences during the war changed her and some years later she tried to take her own life. Soon after the van Es family decided to sever all ties with Lien. At the time the author contacted Lien she was living in Amsterdam. It was time to tell her story.

The Cut Out Girl is superbly written memoir that is also an historical account of the Netherlands during the war but also a story of hope.

Recently announced winner of the 2018 Costa Book of the Year.
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