My favourite reads of 2020 were really hard to narrow down, but here goes. This a bit of a mixed reading bag from mysteries and thrillers (of course) to historical fiction and some lighter reads (and who didn’t need those this year?).
Code Name Helene by Ariel Lawhon
Code Name Helene is a fabulous fictional account of the exploits of real-life socialite turned spy, Australian Nancy Wake, known by several codes names, including the White Mouse, by the Germans who hunted her. Forced to escape from France, leaving her French husband behind, Nancy joins the Special Operations Executive (SOE) in England and is soon dropped back behind enemy lines to help prepare the resistance for D-Day. This is a page-turning story of love, courage and unwavering determination.
Troubled Blood by Robert Galbraith
Troubled Blood is the fifth instalment in the Cormoran Strike series. The books are great, as is the TV series, C.B Strike. Cormoran and Robin, his partner in their London detective agency, take on a 40-year old cold case involving the disappearance of a London doctor involving tarot cards, unreliable witnesses and a serial killer. I loved the way the mystery unfolded alongside the development in the relationship between the two main characters. I’m eagerly awaiting the next book.
The Night Tiger by Yangsze Choo
The Night Tiger is a page-turning murder mystery set against the colonial backdrop of 1930s Malaysia. Jin Li, working as a dance hall girl to repay her mother's Mahjong debts finds a mummified finger in a specimen jar. Ren, an 11-year-old orphan is looking for his dead Master's severed finger. The tale weaves a mix of folklore, ghosts, and a mysterious deadly tiger stalking the colony as their lives intertwine. This is a beautifully written story of love, loss, greed, and murder.
The Paris Secret by Natasha Lester
Natasha Lester has made writing dual timeline, World War II women’s fiction something of an art form and following on from her best-selling novel The Paris Photographer, The Paris Secret doesn’t disappoint.
When a Sydney fashion conservator discovers a wardrobe full of Dior gowns hanging in her grandmother’s vacant cottage in England, she uncovers in her family’s past, a group of brave and daring aviatrix working for the Women’s Auxiliary Air Force during World War II, ferrying aircraft to and from factories to airbases in Britain, often under extreme circumstances. A story of love, bravery and sacrifice, the courage of the SOE and the French Resistance shines through along with the little known story of Christian Dior’s war hero sister Catherine.
What Goes on Tour by Gillian Scott
Imagine that Bridget Jones had been a tour guide in 1990s Europe…
What Goes on Tour is a fun, entertaining romp through Europe in 1996 as Shaz, with cassette tapes at the ready, leads a busload of partying young travellers whilst trying to make fellow tour guide RHR (ridiculously handsome Roger), realise that she is the one for him, and attempting to not mess up and lose her job in the process. But, as Shaz quickly discovers, the road to true love has a few unexpected twists and bumps along the way.
A light-hearted, funny book which will bring back memories for anyone who travelled in Europe in the 1990s!
Wife After Wife by Olivia Hayfield
Wife After Wife is a modern retelling of the life of King Henry VIII. What if Henry VIII was a 21st-century media magnate living in London? And his wives? - divorced, murdered, died, divorced, departed, survived! This was a quick, fun read.
