The Ice Cream Girls by Dorothy Koomson and The Husband's Secret by Liane Moriaty

June 2014

The Ice Cream Girls by Dorothy Koomson

At only eighteen years of age, Poppy and Serena were the only witnesses to a tragic event. Amid heated public debate and scrutiny, the two glamorous teens were dubbed ‘The Ice Cream Girls’ by the press and forced to go their separate ways and to lead very different lives.

Twenty years later, Poppy is keen to set the record straight about what really happened, while married mother-of-two Serena wants no one in her present to find out about her past. But some secrets will not stay buried - and if theirs is revealed, their lives will start to unravel all over again . . .

Gripping, thought-provoking and heart-warming, The Ice Cream Girls will make you wonder if you can ever truly know the people you love.

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I bought this book and could not put it down - which is why I recommended it to the group.  The book shows how easily our teenage crushes can go seriously wrong and what people will put up with for what they think is love.  A surprising twist at the end!

The Husband's Secret by Liane Moriaty

At the heart of The Husband's Secret by Liane Moriarty is a letter that's not meant to be read . . .

Mother of three and wife of John-Paul, Cecilia discovers an old envelope in the attic. Written in her husband's hand, it says: to be opened only in the event of my death.

Curious, she opens it - and time stops.

John-Paul's letter confesses to a terrible mistake which, if revealed, would wreck their family as well as the lives of others.

Cecilia - betrayed, angry and distraught - wants to do the right thing, but right for who? If she protects her family by staying silent, the truth will worm through her heart. But if she reveals her husband's secret, she will hurt those she loves most . . .

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I found this to be a real page turner.  I thoroughly enjoyed it.  Very well written.

Mortimer's Deep by Simon Taylor & The Collini Case by Ferdinand von Schirach

August 2014

Mortimer's Deep by Simon Taylor

To the medieval island priory of Inchcolm, in the early middle ages, comes Martin, seeking the truth about the magnetic, dangerous Simon de Quincy. His machiavellian story is unfolded to Martin by Simon's former lover, Brother Michael, now blind and disfigured.

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most people enjoyed it, amazing when you think of the distances travelled by the monks from Scotland to Rome.  Interesting story obviously based on true events  It got complicated trying to work out who everyone was, which did make reading a bit slower.

The Collini Case by Ferdinand von Schirach

From one of Europe's bestselling writers comes a spellbinding and utterly compelling court room drama, which will stay with you for a long time. Ferdinand von Schirach's The Collini Case has been at the top of the German charts since publication and will be loved by all fans of Bernhard Schlink and John le Carré.

A murder. A murderer. No motif.

For thirty-four years Fabrizio Collini has worked diligently for Mercedes Benz. He is a quiet and respectable person until the day he visits one of Berlin's most luxurious hotels and kills an innocent man.

Young attorney Caspar Leinen takes the case. Getting Collini a not-guilty verdict would make his name. But too late he discovers that Collini's victim - an industrialist of some renown - is known to him.

Now Leinen is caught in a professional and personal dilemma. Collini admits the murder but won't say why he did it, forcing Leinen to defend a man who won't put up a defence. And worse, a close friend and relation of the victim insists that he give up the case. His reputation, his career and this friendship are all at risk.

Then he makes a discovery that goes way beyond his own petty concerns and exposes a terrible and deadly truth at the heart of German justice . . .

The Collini Case is a masterful court room drama that will have readers on the edge of their seats from start to finish.

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A quick read.  Some said the ending was predictable, but I disagree.  Certainly worth reading.