Tuesday Intro: Wolfsangel by Liza Perrat

First Chapter First Paragraph Tuesday Intros hosted by Bibliophile by the Sea - every Tuesday, sharing the first paragraph (or a few) of a book you are currently reading or thinking about reading soon. Visit the blog here to join in.

I'm reading Wolfsangel by Liza Perrat.

I really enjoyed Spirit of Lost Angels, by the same author, and I've found myself drawn into this story very quickly too and keen to see what happens next. 

First paragraph

'We gather in the cemetery, before the ossuary, with the straggle of other remaining survivors and their families. Our heads dipped, the mayor beings his memorial speech to commemorate the tragedy that became a legend around these parts; the evil that part of me still believes was the result of my own reckless actions.'

Synopsis

Seven decades after German troops march into her village, Céleste Roussel is still unable to assuage her guilt.

1943. German soldiers occupy provincial Lucie-sur-Vionne, and as the villagers pursue treacherous schemes to deceive and swindle the enemy, Céleste embarks on her own perilous mission as her passion for a Reich officer flourishes.

When her loved ones are deported to concentration camps, Céleste is drawn into the vortex of this monumental conflict, and the adventure and danger of French Resistance collaboration.

As she confronts the harrowing truths of the Second World War’s darkest years, Céleste is forced to choose: pursue her love for the German officer, or answer General de Gaulle’s call to fight for France.

Her fate suspended on the fraying thread of her will, Celeste gains strength from the angel talisman bequeathed to her through her lineage of healer kinswomen. But the decision she makes will shadow the remainder of her days.

A woman’s unforgettable journey to help liberate Occupied France, Wolfsangel is a stirring portrayal of the courage and resilience of the human mind, body and spirit.

Our Little Village Library/Book Exchange

Old telephone box converted to a village book exchange

I posted about this on twitter a little while ago, but then it occurred to me that I don't think I mentioned it on my blog. So I thought I'd rectify that now. 

I'd noticed a village nearby where the residents had turned their old unused red telephone box into a little book exchange, and I thought it was really wonderfully done. Then I realised we had the self same thing standing unused in our village and how wonderful it would be if we could convert ours too! Several enquiries to various authorities and a bit of lovely signage and shelf-building later, and we now have our very own little village library! I help keep it neat and tidy and it's a lovely thing to be involved with. As you can see from the picture above, Daisy pup was intrigued by it too and was having a good look at the book selection! The idea is to bring along a book you've finished with, leave that one, and then take a book that you fancy reading. There's no obligation to then return that book, though I've noticed some readers do indeed do that. 

There's a couple of photos below of some of our early stock, it's changed around several times since then. But it gives a flavour of the variety we've got, from Wodehouse and Kafka and Homer, to Anita Shreve and Ian Rankin, from Anne Fine to Jo Nesbo, from Cecelia Ahern to Stieg Larsson and from Hilary Mantel to Nick Hornby - there's a really nice variety being donated and swapped. There's romance, historical, adventure, biographies and children's books too. 

A selection of the reading material on offer

It's interesting to see the variety of books that people read and donate. It seems a popular way of sharing the books you've bought and enjoyed and want to pass on, plus a chance to discover something that you may never have thought about trying before. And in places where there may be people who can't get to the nearest actual library building,  or can't get there very often, it gives another option for borrowing books. 

We also have a little noticeboard inside, where I've placed a pen and some notepaper, and people can write requests and ask if there's anything in particular they are looking for which someone else might have and be happy to pass on. 

More of the books that have been donated/swapped

Do you think this is a good idea? Have you seen one of these, or a similar type of scheme near you? Would you like one?

The Back Road - Rachel Abbott

I was impressed by Rachel Abbott's addictive debut novel, Only the Innocent - you can read my review here - I found it a genuine page-turner, hard to put down, and I wrote at the time that I was excited to see what she would create next. Having heard that she had completed her second novel, The Back Road, I was therefore very keen to get between the pages and discover the secrets contained within.

The Back Road introduces us to half-sisters Ellie Saunders and Leo Harris. Ellie is living with her family in what was the sisters’ childhood home, now fully converted from the place it once was. We learn that there were dark times in the sisters’ pasts, and returning to the village of Little Melham is a major step for life coach Leo considering the deep unhappiness she recalls from her time there when she was younger; the girls share starkly conflicting feelings as to the role their father played in their lives.

Then the author introduces us to a wider cast of characters who come together for a dinner party at Ellie’s home. Prior to this though, there is an intriguing opening to the novel and we learn of a desperate flight be a fourteen-year-old local girl Abbie and know that someone is in pursuit. She is knocked down and left for dead in a hit and run incident, which happens on the significant back road in the town. Ellie is a nurse and was called to tend to the girl when she arrived in hospital.

The scene is very nicely set-up for us to observe and get to know the dinner guests as they interact with each other, and various aspects of their behaviour and personalities began to arouse my suspicions. Several of their stories don’t necessarily seem to ring true and I started to question who amongst them I could trust; what secrets are hidden behind the beautiful façade of this home and village?

‘The mood around the table was strange. To Leo it seemed as if everyone was acting a part that was different from any version of themselves she had ever seen. As an observer of this intriguing phenomenon she had the best seat in the house…’

There is a welcome return for the character of Tom Douglas who featured in Only the Innocent as a police detective. This time he appears in a civilian capacity as one of the neighbours who attends the dinner party. We catch up with him having moved to be nearer to his daughter, and it’s interesting to see him in this different role. 

Rachel Abbott has created a clever scenario and written an intriguing crime story here, incorporating twists as the tale progresses, and created some highly suspicious characters; she does a good job of making them open to question by the reader, with the secrets and rumours that abound. She is skilled at showing insight into the motives and psychology behind her chracters’ behaviour, and had me thinking about each of them as I read; what were their motives, their secrets, their relationships, who was concealing what here, I wondered, as I tried to decipher whodunit from amongst the lies, looking for the hints and gradual revelations. A clever psychological crime and mystery novel. 

Thanks to the author for kindly providing an early ebook copy of this novel to read and give an honest review.

You can follow the author on twitter @_RachelAbbott  and visit her website here.