BOOK REVIEW - FORTY DAYS WITHOUT SHADOW

Olivier Truc – Forty days without shadow

A debut novel by this young French writer now translated into English.  A journalist based in Stockholm who produced a TV documentary called The Reindeer police and it is Reindeer Police officers that feature in this new novel.

Set in the frozen north of Lapland amongst the taciturn, isolated, hermit like reindeer herders of the Sami people.

A gruesome murder and a stolen priceless Sami drum seem to be unconnected crimes until Detective Klemet Nango and his new recruit assistant Nina Nansen start investigating.

The icy landscapes and lonely nomadic lifestyle of the Sami herders is so well described that you feel yourself reaching for a fur rug to snuggle into and feel some comfort.

The modern advances in technology and transport are starting to appear but many of the old school herders stick to the old ways and herd with skis and little or no communication.

There is a dream like quality to the vast wasteland descriptions and the gripping crime details are sharply in contrast.

The modern police officers and the age old traditional peoples are both struggling to keep the old culture alive.

Sub plots include a UN conference on indigenous peoples and shady gold mining deals but it is the Sami peoples and Lapland itself that star in this novel.

Wolf Strait is to be the next instalment of Detectives Nango and Nansen.

 *"Forty Days without Shadow" is now available in the shop.

Meryll Williams

Rainy Day Books

1301 Mountain Hwy, The Basin

Catch me on my blog www.rainydaybooksofthebasin.blogspot.com

MOTHER'S DAY

Mother's Day is a special day, a special time, a special celebration where we say "thank you" for everything she does for us.   Everything that she is to us.   Everything that she means to us.

So this Mother's Day, as well as taking her breakfast, or meeting with the family for lunch or dinner, take time to choose a special gift.   Gifts don't have to have $100 vouchers or hampers you know.  A small trinket will be as well received as a Ferrari!   (Joking, of course!)

However, why not choose a special book for Mum.   A book by a favourite author, a new author even. A beautiful antique-looking photograph album.   A vintage collectible.    A book of any subject that she has a special interest in.   Cookery, Native Wildlife, History, Crafts, Novels, Mystery, Gardening, Fiction, Non-Fiction, Picture Books, the list goes on and on.

Visit Rainy Day Books and you'll be thrilled with your choices.   You'll also experience a warm welcome.   Children have their own little nook to spend time in while you're choosing a book for your Mum and they in turn can choose something for you.   The best of all worlds.   The world of the printed word and photo.

Meryll also has some absolutely beautiful, one-off, greeting cards created by a local photographer.  Why not get Mum a uniquely different card this Mother's Day.

There's always something "different" to find at Rainy Day Books.    Visit soon.

MARY'S MYSTERY BOOKSHOP

Mary Fisher has found the perfect place to retire - right where she started.  She's moved back to Cape Cod to open Mary's Mystery Bookshop in Ivy Bay, a quaint coastal village flanked by meandering marshes and silvery beaches.  It's the perfect place to relax with a good book on a summer day.  But Mary soon discovers that this small town is full of secrets.  Escape to a charming seaside town, get to know the lively characters who call this community home, and discover the mysteries in Mary's Bookshop.

(Secrets of Mary's Mystery Bookshop is a trademark of Guideposts, New York, USA.  www.Guideposts.org)