April Book Reviews

In the Name of the Family by Sarah Dunant
Virago £8.99
Italy 1502, and the its most notorious family, the Borgias, is on the move. Pope Alexander VI, also known as Rodrigo Borgia has newly come to power. Ruthless and filled with lust for power, riches, women and food, he is nonetheless a fond and tender father devoted to his children and their ascent through Renaissance society. His son Cesare, nominally a Cardinal, and a brutal and brilliant strategist and soldier is rampaging through the central states of Italy, seizing power and furthering the Borgia project by force, while his sweet, clever sister Lucrezia charms her way to the city of Ferrara and a dynastic third marriage. Meanwhile in Florence, a young diplomat named Niccolo Machiavelli is moving into the Borgias’ orbit…
Dunant wears her historical research lightly and immerses the reader in the world of Renaissance Italy, bringing her extraordinary subjects to life with earthy immediacy and some beautiful writing.
Sarah Dunant appears at the Steyning Festival on Saturday 26th May 7pm.

Force of Nature by Jane Harper
Little Brown £12.99 hb
Jane Harper’s debut novel The Dry, an atmospheric and expertly executed thriller set in Australia’s outback, was Sunday Times Crime Book of the Year 2017. It is with some trepidation that one approaches a successful author’s second novel, but this one does not disappoint. Federal Agent Aaron Falk returns, as part of an investigation into the disappearance of a member of a group on a team building exercise. With a deft control of tension and unfolding character development, Jane Harper has produced another riveting thriller.

After the Fire by Will Hill
Usborne £8.99
A gripping story for teenagers by the author of the very successful Department 19 and its sequels. In this new novel, inspired by reading about the Waco siege in the USA, Smith has produced a taut and perceptive tale featuring a feisty young heroine rescued from the fire that destroyed the camp where she lived under the control of the Lord’s Legion cult. Told in flashback and the present, the narrative grips throughout, harrowing at times but not without flashes of humour.
“Genuinely different. Thrilling and inspiring.” Patrick Ness.

Supersaurs: Raptors of Paradise by Jay Jay Burridge
Bonnier Zaffre £6.99
On a remote Indonesian island, dinosaurs still roam the jungle… welcome to the world of the Supersaurs! When Bea Kingsley is taken by her aunt to the islands of Aru to see the elusive Raptors of Paradise, she starts asking questions. And she has a lot of them, for this is where her parents disappeared eleven years ago…
Action packed dinosaur sci fi for children of 8+, written and illustrated by a children’s TV presenter, artist and dinosaur enthusiast!
Jay Jay Burridge is at the Steyning Festival on Friday 4th June at 2.30pm

Cake by Sue Hendra and Paul Linnet
Macmillan £6.99
The dynamic creators of Supertato have done it again! Great illustrations zing from the page and a knowing tale keeps us smiling but also on the edge of our seats. Cake has been invited to a party. What to wear? Goldfish gives advice and Cake sets off full of eager anticipation wearing a lovely new hat. I wonder what happens? Don’t worry too much - you are in safe hands!