The following are my best reads from February:
Wendy Walker - Blade
This fast-paced thriller attracted me because I've always been a fan of figure skating (I even learned to figure skate as an adult). The author writes from knowledge, having been on a special program for elite skaters as a teenager in the USA. The novel is told in two timelines - the heroine, Ana, is a lawyer working on defending children accused of serious crimes. She's called upon professionally to return to The Palace, the elite skating programme in Colorado that she had attended years earlier, to defend a young student there. The body of one of the coaches, Emile, has been found frozen in a nearby field. All the clues point to thirteen-year-old skater Grace, who turns out to be the daughter of one of Ana's former fellow skaters on the programme. The girl hotly denies the accusasions. When Ana begins to question Grace and build her defence, we see flashbacks to her own time training there. There are many people she remembers from her teenage years, both on the staff and former students who now work at the facility. Dark secrets begin to emerge, and as the threads of the past intertwine with the present, there are some buried matters that must be faced by all as the truth finally emerges. A fascinating and heart-racing read.
Angela Britnell - Arlette's Story
This novel is an intriguing depiction of what it was like to live in France during the Nazi occupation in World War II. Arlette lives on her family's farm in the south of France with her widowed father and brother. When Marshal Petain surrenders the north of the country to Hitler's occupation, they are subject to increasingly strict rules, but believe they are better off than their compatriots. Saul, a young Jewish medical student is assigned to them as a farmhand, as he is no longer allowed to pursue his studies. Arlette soon finds her feelings for him deepening. But as the Nazi restrictions become more severe, the produce and the livestock from the family's farm are requisitioned, leaving them with little. When they receive a decree for Saul to report to the railway station, they are aware of the rumours about the nightmarish work camps where other Jewish people have been sent. Arlette's brother is off fighting for the Resistance, but she and her father are determined Saul won't be surrendered to their occupiers. A novel of courage, resilience, tragedy and defiance in the face of a cruel occupying force, well-written with page-turning pace which makes it a compelling read.
Marc Levy - The Heart of Everything
This is the first time I've ready a book by acclaimed French author Marc Levy, and I can say that it definitely won't be the last. I was utterly charmed by the book. Concert pianist Thomas's life is totally turned upside down by the unbelievable appearance of his father, Raymond, who died five years previously. Only Thomas can see him, and he doesn't look like a ghost. He pops up in unusual situations - even sitting on the lap of someone in the audience when Thomas is performing a concerto, throwing him off his stride. Raymond has an unusual request - the secret love of his life, Camille, has just died, and he needs his son's help to be reunited with her for eternity. Despite his parents having been divorced, this is an astounding revelation for Thomas. Eventually he's persuaded to make a quick trip to the USA with his father's ashes, to Camille's funeral, with instructions of how to achieve his father's last wish. To complicate matters further, he has to hide his true identity from Camille's daughter. Funny and touching, it's a tale of a father and son trying to mend their relationship beyond the grave, making up for lost time, and looking to the future. A thoroughly satisfying read.
