Books read in September

Assegai. Wilbur Smith. Based in Africa before the First World War the story revolves around Leon Courtney, a professional hunter, who guides rich and powerful men on big game safaris. One client is Count Meerbach, a German industrialist whose company builds aircraft and vehicles for the Kaiser's army. Leon is recruited to spy on Meerbach and falls in love with the Counts’ beautiful mistress, Eva Von Wellberg. Leon stumbles on a plot by the Count to raise a rebellion against Britain on the side of Germany amongst the survivors of the Boer War in South Africa. He finds himself left alone to frustrate Von Meerbach's design. A good read. 4 Stars
Hard Girls. Martina Cole. A serial killer of prostitutes is hunted by Kate, the girlfriend of Patrick, ‘the Face’ in criminal parlance. The killer is eventually detected (I guessed correctly) but not before Kate and Patrick fall out big style and most of the dialogue is about them and their feelings. Too much dialogue for my liking. To really understand the books storyline you should have read her previous books involving Kate and Patrick. With a bit of luck this will be the last as they both head of for retirement at the end. A nice read 3 Stars.
The Hanging Garden. Ian Rankin. Another Rebus novel set in Edinburgh, This one involving a gang war with Rebus’s daughter caught up in the war. The novel has Rebus himself, involved in a War Crime, A hit and run on his daughter and the gang war. All coming together in a gripping finale. The novels are getting longer and better as I read my way through the series. Looking forward to the remainder. Excellent and worth 4.5 Stars.

Untold Stories. Alan Bennett. Without doubt one of the best story tellers of this age. I listen again and again to the Talking Heads audio tapes. This book stories about his life is brilliantly observed and written, funny, sad, poignant memoirs of his family and excerpts of his diaries from 1996 – 2004. Matchless, timeless, engaging I was sad when it ended. 5 stars.
Dissolution. C. J. Sansom. I bought this book on a whim and was delighted to find a new author I hope to read much more of. The book itself is a great murder mystery - plenty of twists, without losing its credibility, and simply a superb story. Based around the dissolution of the Catholic Church during Henry VIII reign, it's a great picture of a time of enormous change in England - although I knew the basics of the dissolution of the monasteries, this really brings everything to life, and although there is plenty of detail for those who like their history, it never becomes dry or boring. Quite simply, this is one of the most readable books I've picked up for quite a while. I recommend it. 4 stars.