Reading for pleasure

Divorce Turkish Style

Esmahan Aykol (Bitter Lemon Press: £8.99; e-book £8.54)

This column has met Ms Aykol before, when we reviewed her last novel, Baksheesh. Appropriate then that our latest encounter was a chance, unplanned, unexpected envelope popping through the letterbox sort of thing. For that seems to be the way of life for Kati Hirschel, central character in these agreeable crime fiction novels.

Had Hirschel, in a previous existence, lived in England some 90 years ago her surname might well have been Marple. Although her business is the running of a bookshop specialising in crime fiction, she too stumbles on dead bodies in the oddest of ways, and she too has an ambivalent relationship with homicide detectives. To be frank, the basis upon which she gets involved in the current case is plain silly. Someone whom you see from time to time eating salad at your local restaurant dies in circumstances which the authorities describe as an accident, yet you feel involved to take on an “investigation” entirely off your own back. Hmmm. And of course solve it after a journey involving environmental pollution, pressure groups, corporate corruption and pop stars. But the meandering route is a pleasant one, and Hirschel is an engaging companion. A gentle read, less frantic in pace than the style we are more used to these days.

Last Resort

Quintin Jardine (Headline Publishing Group: £13.99; e-book £6.99)

Twenty two years have elapsed since Quintin Jardine introduced us to Bob Skinner, then a detective chief superintendent. This is the 25th Skinner novel, his enduring popularity reflected in the fact that this paperback will set you back a hefty £13.99. That’s the law of supply and demand for you. The question posed – is the reputation justified?

I wondered some years ago where the character would end up. While his leadership qualities made it certain he would never spend long other than at the very top of the command chain, what mileage could there be in the adventures of a chief constable, a role which is anything but hands-on policing? When Skinner, having achieved that rank in Glasgow, made known his absolute opposition to the creation of a single Scottish police force, his future (along with that of the series of novels) was clearly at a crossroads. That is the decision which he faces during a quiet trip to his villa in Cataluña. As Skinner’s life is never quiet, it will come as no surprise to learn that a favour for a friend, involving a missing person, escalates into a high speed, high stakes journey through Spain and Andorra, resolving not just the matter in hand but also his future.

One never tires of Jardine’s stories. His is one of the more energetic and fecund imaginations in the trade. One does weary, however, of his one dimensional Edinburgh police officers and their stilted dialogue, generally compensated for by their interesting private lives. It looks as though they are principally behind us. So too, it appears, is that glamorous citizen of the world, Primavera Blackstone, née Phillips. One suspects that the international aspect of the excitement which Jardine generates will be resuscitated by our hero’s new role. To answer the first question posed above – definitely yes. Not only is this the best Skinner book for ages, it whets the appetite for the next one.

An Event in Autumn

Henning Mankell (Vintage: £9.99; e-book £6.29)

This is the latest and, the author writes, the last Kurt Wallender story. It is a novella, written as part of a project to encourage reading. This is a short, crisp, focused story but of the highest order. A colleague, aware Wallender is looking for a house, offers him that of his father in law, now in a home. It is in the area where Wallender's recently deceased father lived. This brings a pause for hesitation, but not as much as the one when two bodies that turn up in the garden. The discovery brings the history of the area under the microscope and leads to and expected and unforeseen killer being identified. A slim volume, but one not to be missed.