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Almost completed the #WinterCleardown Ebooks card. Again, thanks to @Puddlejumper for hosting.

23-year-old student Tadhg Kelly & his twin brother, Declan, are about to head off for a weekend getaway. Declan will be joined by his girlfriend Katie but Tadhg recently split with his boyfriend when he caught him cheating so he will be third-wheeling & not looking forward to it. As they get near to their destination they stop at a rundown petrol station for supplies & the man there is friendly until they tell him where they are headed.

It's been a while since I read this the first time, probably about 20 years. Since the film I find it really difficult not to picture Denzel Washington as Rhyme so I just went with it. I found it a really good read back then, but since I've read a lot more crime fiction now, this time it wasn't quite as good as I remember. The case & the clues were fine but I found Amelia intensely irritating for the first half of the book. (continued)

Poirot receives a telephone call from Sir Claude Amory, a rich inventor who feels certain that someone in his household has stolen his new scientific formula & asks Poirot to investigate. Shortly before Poirot arrives Amory gives the thief one chance to return the formula anonymously whilst the lights are out, but when they are switched back on, Amory is dead. Everyone was in the same room & no-one heard anything so how was he killed & by whom?

This is not really a straightforward memoir about being a dancer, but a series of average length chapters which deal with the pressures & pitfalls of both ballet & modern life for women & girls. I think many young girls are enthralled with the world of ballet as children - I certainly was, but any dreams were dampened by being markedly above average height.

2025 Re-Read:

18-year-old Chloe Emery unexpectedly returns home from her father's house. Inside the house is covered in blood & the cat has been confined to one room for several days but is otherwise OK. Chloe's mother meanwhile is nowhere to be seen but no-one can survive losing that much blood. Newly promoted DS Maeve Kerrigan is one of those investigating the case, & soon learns that the missing woman, Kate Emery, had made a lot of enemies.

Ever since Theo Mackey's mother died in a house fire, Theo has been living with the guilt of a secret only he knows - he lit the match that accidentally caused the fire although he can't remember it clearly. Now his father is also dead, & his grandfather is drinking himself into a stupor most nights. Still, Theo is keeping it together: good grades & captain of the school's diving team, (continued)

The village of Chipping Cleghorn is surprised by a very unusual newspaper announcement. This week, amongst the furniture for sale, the local gazette's announcement page contains an advertisement which reads: ‘A murder is announced and will take place on Friday October 29th, at Little Paddocks at 6.30 p.m.‘

Unsure if it is a practical joke or one of those new 'murder mystery games', the neighbours gather at the house on Friday evening (continued)

The offbeat friend group from the first book consisting of reluctant medium Claire, the ghost of her forever-17-year-old murdered friend Sophie, nonbinary Alex, & gay ex-police detective Sebastian (aka Bash) go on a cheap minibreak to Spike Island, off the Irish coast. There they encounter a second group of friends on a yoga retreat who aren't particularly happy that the accommodation has been double-booked. (continued)

30th Sept this year is the 70th anniversary of the tragic death of James Dean at just 24 years old. This book is a look back at his short life & career, a reminiscing & a wondering of what could have been.

Even though Dean died several decades before I was born, one of my favourite films ever is 'Rebel Without a Cause' & I've always been fascinated with him. This book has some fantastic photographs of Dean & reproduced some handwritten (cont'd)