Books that I’ve loved in ‘22

I’ve read lots of amazing books this year and here are a few of my standout titles. 

First up is Yes, I Killed Her by Harry Fisher

 For anyone who knows me, the fact that my initial response to reading Harry Fisher’s latest DI Mel Cooper thriller was a single word speaks volumes. What was that word? It was “WOW!” because it left me speechless at the sheer audacity of the premise and the masterful way it was written. I’m not giving away any secrets to say that you know who dunnit from the start and that’s a large part of what makes this book so unusual and compelling. 

In Edward Fuller we meet a man who is clever, ruthless and convinced of his own brilliance. When he concocts his plan to commit the perfect murder he is dogged in his research and has the patience to wait for the perfect moment to set his plans in motion. Fuller seemed to have thought of everything, even setting up someone else to be the fall guy. Will Mel and her team fall for it? There’s only one way to find out!

I loved the way that the story unfolds, giving you glimpses into the chain of events that preceded the murder, giving you just enough to whet your appetite but teasing you to continue reading. It worked, because I ignored the household chores and my family’s pleas for attention to keep turning those pages. 

Mel Cooper is now a fully formed and captivating character, if I loved her previous outings, I ADORED her in this one. She is utterly believable and doesn’t fall into any of the usual detective tropes. The story was an interesting form of police procedural & there are plenty of surprises along the way which is incredible, especially given that you know who the guilty party is from the beginning.

This is one that is ripe for a TV or film adaptation and I will break my “I don’t watch dramatisations of books that I have read” rule for this one. There can be no higher praise than that from me! Do NOT miss out on Yes, I Killed Her.