Time

 

This New Year I've decided to take part in Five Minute Friday again. It's been a while but I used to join in every week. It involves writing for five minutes without pausing to edit on a given topic.

This week's topic is: time.

With the events of 2020, time has become more precious to me. So many things have changed. 

I was chatting with my practice nurse this afternoon about the fact that now if I want to do something, I do it. I try not to procrastinate. I am too aware that things can change at any moment. One day I could be well, the next not.

I'm not being morbid or negative. But I came face to face with my own mortality last year and it has made me think differently about things.

I love walking and now, if there's a side path I fancy exploring, I go down it. Before, I would have thought, 'Oh, I'd like to explore that at some point, I wonder where it goes.' 

If there's a letter to be written, I write it.

I wonder if actually, I've made life less stressful for myself? I'm now getting on and doing those things that I used to put off indefinitely but which can end up weighing on your mind.

I'm also taking time to give priority to the things I love doing like the aforesaid walking and also reading, baking and watching favourite television series like Downton and Porridge. Spending time with God has become precious rather than a chore. I really want to connect with Him and to hear Him speak to me.

Nemesis

 

Nemesis is one of my Agatha Christie favourites. Miss Marple is the sleuth so that's a winner to start with for me. But the whole story is intriguing and atmospheric with both historic murders and a new one with the potential for more. 

Miss Marple receives a letter from a firm of solicitors notifying her of the death of Mr Rafiel whom she briefly met in the Caribbean and who has a quest for justice for her. Despite minimal information, she takes up the challenge and sets off on a coach trip which leads her to key people who can help her solve the quest, including three weird sisters.

Verity Hunt who was about to married to the disreputable Michael, son of Mr Rafiel, is brutally murdered. Who did it and why? Was it Michael? Or someone else?

The characters are fascinating. The three sisters who live together in the Old Manor House provide most of the atmosphere in the book. There is a sense of danger and strangeness as well as deep sorrow about them. 

Who are Miss Cooke and Miss Barrow? Are they who they seem to be? 

And Elizabeth Temple: murdered or was it just a tragic accident?

Even the two solicitors are full of character and give a sense of the time in which the book was written.

I love this book and give it 5*.

Stories from the Streets

 

This is the inspiring account of the work of Street Pastors by Dr Luke Randall and Sue Shaw.

Stories from the Streets explains how Street Pastors started and what they do including many stories of helping vulnerable or potentially violent party-goers and the homeless. I had already heard of Street Pastors and how they hand out water, space blankets (foil blankets like those marathon runners are given), lollipops and flip-flops. I hadn't realised how valued and respected the teams are or the big difference they make in making our city centres a safer place.

The teams are linked to the CCTV headquarters in each town/city as well as to the police and other organisations. They are useful in preventing potential violent situations from escalating, crime and assaults taking place, and ensuring drunken/high party-goers get home safely. They also provide a listening ear to depressed and vulnerable people as well as signposting when appropriate to night shelters and other charities and organisations.

They are trained in first aid including CPR and are often the first people at a city centre incident on Friday and Saturday nights. They work closely with the police and ambulance service.

I didn't know that Street Pastors get intimately involved with people affected by terror attacks and national tragedies such as Grenfell. They provide on-the-ground practical support to survivors as well as a safe space for emergency responders to open up and talk about what has happened and how they feel.

Linked to Street Pastors are Rail Pastors who provide voluntary pastoral support for rail workers and suicidal individuals. There are School Pastors who do invaluable work in schools. 

Street Pastors are also helping where they can during the current COVID-19 pandemic.

Every time a team goes out, there are Prayer Pastors praying in the background. There is one funny story where taxis were needed outside a particular nightclub so the team radioed in and asked the Prayer Pastors to get praying. After a few minutes they had to radio back to ask them to stop: they had too many taxis! Prayer is a vital part of the work.

I found myself gaining a new respect for these selfless volunteers. I had no idea how integral they are to the fabric of society. No doubt we would be a poorer country without their work.

I enjoyed this book; it reminded me of volunteering with a Christian project providing practical and pastoral support to women in the sex industry. I saw firsthand some of the sights recorded in this Street Pastors book. I would happily recommend it and am planning to buy it for a friend's birthday.

The only slight criticism I have is that it became rather repetitive with similar stories from different areas. That could have been condensed and still had the same impact. But that is a very small negative for a great book and a fabulous organisation.

I am awarding this book 4* and am grateful to Instant Apostle for providing me with a complementary copy for the purpose of reviewing it. 

A Caribbean Mystery

 

I love Agatha Christie's writing and ordered some of her books with my Christmas money/vouchers. This was the first to plop onto the doormat.

I prefer Miss Marple to Hercule Poirot (sorry Poirot fans!) and I like this particular story because it leads on to one of my favourites: Nemesis.

In A Caribbean Mystery, Miss Marple's nephew has treated her to a holiday in the tropics to help her recover from pneumonia. While chatting to a fellow guest, she is intrigued by his story of a murderer which is accompanied by a snapshot from his wallet. The next day, that guest is dead. 

Miss Marple does a bit of sleuthing and ends up joining forces with Mr Rafiel, a wealthy businessman who is also there for his health. Between them they prevent another murder from taking place.

I enjoy the characters in this book. Miss Marple, obviously. But also Miss Prescott and her canon brother. The accounts of the two ladies' conversations especially when the canon is around illustrate the era perfectly. Men were always to be seen as right and to be respected as such, even if the respect was more lip service than heartfelt. It amused me.

I like this easy-read book and happily give it 4*.

Hide and Secret

 

Hide and Secret follows the story of Ruth and her mum as they move from Egypt where her mum has been working as an expat nurse until the hospital closes. They return to her mum's home city of Edinburgh.

Ruth's parents - before her dad died - worked in various places in the Middle East. One of the friends they made was a man called Joe though they lost touch as they moved around.

As Ruth and her mum settle into life in Scotland, a Syrian patient is brought onto her mum's ward in the hospital. He speaks very little English and is suffering from amnesia and various physical injuries. Ruth's mum recognises him as her husband's old friend Joe. She is concerned that he is in Scotland illegally and is reluctant to entrust him to the immigration system while he remains mentally and physically vulnerable. 

She finds Joe a flat to stay in while he recovers and young Ruth is sworn to secrecy.

Meanwhile, Ruth is beginning to make friends of her own, including a lad called Chris. She tries hard to keep the secret of harbouring an illegal immigrant without resorting to lies but it slips out. Chris, too, is sworn to secrecy. The pair of them spend time with Joe, teaching him English and helping him settle down in Scotland. 

But the secret weighs on all of their minds. Especially when the church youth group Ruth and Chris attend discuss the importance of telling the truth. What should they do? Do they tell the authorities about Joe when that may mean him being sent back to Syria? Or should they lie to protect him, knowing they are doing wrong? 

Helen Parker has written a gripping and thought-provoking young adult book which has biblical truth at its heart with its threads of caring for the vulnerable, honesty, bravery, love and friendship. I enjoyed reading this review copy sent to me by Instant Apostle and award it 4*.

The Art Fiasco

I love Fiona Veitch Smith's Poppy Denby series and eagerly read her latest novel The Art Fiasco. 

It is set about three years after Poppy's adventures in The Cairo Brief. Poppy is on annual leave, back home in the Newcastle area for her father's 60th birthday. While there she gets involved in famous artist Agnes Robson's art exhibition. But it is far from straightforward. Agnes has a hidden past and local rumour has it that she murdered her art teacher as a youngster and then fled to Paris. Agnes' past has come back to haunt her and before Poppy knows where she is, she is up to her eyes in Agnes' murder investigation.

I very much enjoyed this gentle whodunnit which reminded me of Agatha Christie's writing. The back story is intriguing and the plot engaging. It kept me turning the pages. It was fun to 'meet' the delightful characters of Poppy's friends and colleagues again: Rollo and Yasmin, Delilah, Aunt Dot and Grace, among others.

The ending was reminiscent of Hercule Poirot with the murderer being induced to confess to a select group how and why the murder had been committed. For me, that part was a little weak with unexplained threads but it didn't spoil the book for me.

I have given The Art Fiasco 4* and hope Poppy goes on to have more adventures. I do enjoy Fiona Veitch Smith's books.

Lion Hudson sent me a paperback copy of the book for the purposes of writing an unbiased review.

The Healing Knife

Ms Rachel Keyte is an up and coming cardiothoracic surgeon. 100% focused on her career, she is intent on saving lives, though her bedside manner needs a little work.

When Rachel's senior colleague has a bicycle accident, she is asked to cover an urgent operation on a young teenage boy. What should have been fairly routine open heart surgery turns into tragedy and the boy dies in ITU. His obsessive mother loses her mind with grief and blames Rachel for his death. The mother vows to make Rachel physically feel the pain she is going through.

Various unpleasant things happen to Rachel that she suspects are due to the grieving, demented mother. In the end she is forced to move to another hospital for her own safety. Except she isn't safe....

The obsessive mother is determined to have her revenge on Rachel and finally succeeds.

Will Rachel's physical wounds heal well enough for her to continue her surgical career? What about her mental and emotional scars? As Rachel's past finally catches up with her, will she be able to face it? And will she ever be able to forgive?

I couldn't put this book down from the opening sentence to the final word. It is intriguing and satisfying. Being a medical secretary I particularly enjoyed the occasional jargon that was dropped in here and there.

I'm awarding 4* to this Christian fiction novel and will look out for more of Sue Russell's books.