Kate VaneBesprekingen

On the whole, not a bad thriller, but it needs some tidying up.

Nat Keane was a young police officer when Sandie Thurston was murdered in her own bed and then found with her young daughter, Amy, asleep beside her. Amy was quite possibly the only person who could identify the killer. In her capacity as family liaison officer, Nat worked closely with the family through this awful tragedy. A man (well known to the family) was eventually convicted of the murder, but for some reason Nat didn’t feel it was the end of the matter. Ten years later, having left the police force to become a trauma counsellor, she is asked to work with Amy and her father, Martin, again. Amy is now a truculent and obstinate teenager. Some would say her behaviour is normal, perhaps a result of an overprotective father (not just her childhood trauma), himself overcome with grief...and guilt...of his own. Nat gets close to the family again. How much can a fifteen-year-old remember? Why is Martin so guilt-ridden? Is the right person in prison? So many secrets and lies.

A sub-story runs parallel to this, with Nat’s partner, Dylan, a criminal lawyer. The story lines touch just very briefly, as his client finds himself in the same cell as Sandie Thurston’s convicted killer.

The issues I had with this novel was that the sub-story wasn’t very neatly tied up, and I didn’t find myself fully convinced about Nat’s skill as a trauma counsellor or her commitment to her relationship with Dylan. It was all a bit ‘woolly’.

However, I did quite enjoy it: I certainly found myself avidly page-turning and Kate manages to keep the suspense right to the end. She certainly had me fooled. Amy was well conceived as the unsettled teenager, who tested those close to her with her behaviour. Far from being dislikeable, she made you want to give her a hug of security and motherly love. I think Nat, Dylan, and Martin needed a little more development, but they just about managed to hold the story together. The writing, although quite good, did need a buff and polish: there are some wearily long sentences connected with way to many ‘and’s. I desperately wanted to throw in some fullstops! A good/professional edit/proofread would iron this and other errors out nicely.

Conclusion? promising.

It was interesting, but not interesting enough for me to re-read. One of the romances in the story ended in an odd way that seemed to be just a way to end the romance. The mystery is solved by a single clue that is randomly placed within the last 5-10 chapters. There is no clear country for the setting. It could be Spain, England, or even Egypt for all I know. Everyone acts suspicious and the main character/narrator and the reader have no idea who to trust.

One character would make for a great story. Ron Royce, millionaire/billionaire, super salesman, major superstore (think Walmart or Target) owner, thief, god/devil...who is he? I think a book with him as the main character/narrator would be a much more interesting story.

Vicky, a young woman with a learning disability?
But, also, it is about the struggle of young people to find a house, and having to live with their parents in the meantime, even when they are living together or when they already have a child. About the struggle of parents to raise their children, their pride in them, which is sometimes unjustified, about the terrible mistakes younger people can make while trying to find out how things work in life, about the corruption of power, about ... Essentially about people trying to cope with their lives.
And all that, not written as an essay, but well interwoven into the mystery.
Yes, I liked the book very much, I am happy to see that this is the first part of a series.

This well written book has three notable aspects, each of which makes the book good to read: the characters, the mystery and the issues. The characters came across as real and authentic. They were interesting and each kept my interest to the end. The mystery was good for introducing the characters and the plot, and was satisfactorily tied up at the end, but was never a burning issue for me as I was too involved with what the characters were doing and had been doing. Nevertheless, I can see the mystery could be absorbing in book written without the rich depth this one had. Finally, I liked how issues permeated the book naturally without forcing me into discomfort.

I was sucked into each character and could not escape the unease. This story was perfect in plot, pace, writing and characters.

There are books you have to work at and then there are others like this that jump out from the page and hook you in from the start. I like the international feel, and the names sharpened my curiosity: Paolo, Mark, Salma, Freddie, a varied and well-drawn cast: journalists, students, undercover police, animal rights activists, even terrorists. Name changes also play their part, and keep you guessing. Also a good line in repartee. Perhaps because I am of that generation, for me the story had a seventies/eighties feel to it: sex and drugs (and rock and roll). I couldn't help wondering whether today's students are as free with sexual encounters (more so with drugs perhaps), because Paolo is married to Salma, not someone to be disregarded lightly. I say this without judgement - different times, different ways. I feel a certain nostalgia for those days. Unusually for me, I really wanted to know what happens here. This book would make a terrific film - a fast-moving plot and visually contrasting characters, never banal. This is the first of Kate Vane's books I have read but it certainly won't be my last.

This was tightly planned and executed, making an enthralling read. The characters, plot, pace and writing were good. I noticed only one typo and one lapse. I received this as a LibraryThing Member GiveAway. Thank you.

I received a copy of this book through LibraryThing's Member Giveaway scheme.

Sadly, I couldn't get into this book at all. The book is set in a Devon seaside town and I'd hoped the setting would be a draw. But it didn't work for me. The premise sounded intriguing: a body washed up on the beach links an ever-expanding cast of characters. And then there’s the painting… And yet there was no hook that pulled me in. I couldn't find a character or a setting that encouraged me to want to know more, which was disappointing. Perhaps the characters seemed too dark for my taste. The book’s opening seemed grey and depressing despite the bright colours on the cover. Perhaps I just didn’t get far enough in to find those colours.

I don’t like posting a negative review. I think it’s fair to say that this simply wasn’t to my taste.

Kate Vane's novel, Not the End, centers around the death of a former muse to a local painter in a shore town, perhaps a typical Devon vacation spot. Connected to this death, there is also a mystery: did the deceased, herself a painter, have a valuable painting by her then-lover painter, and if she did, where is it now? Several people are directly involved in the potential existence of this painting: the cemetery director who oversees the burial/cremation of the deceased, the probate officer who is supposed to assess the possessions of the deceased and find those who may be eligible to inherit them, and a local academic who is writing a career-defining book about the painter. In addition to some pertinent characters that surround these three, several that directly connect to the deceased painter, a young artists who was friends and neighbors with the deceased, the woman who discovered the dead body on the beach, and the widow of the famous painter, play important parts in the story. All in all, there are quite a lot of characters and storylines that weave in and out of the main plot, making Not the End a rich, at times a bit chaotic, novel.

Vane writes well, drawing out the sublime from the daily toils of ordinary people like cemetery directors, probate officers, divorcees and bachelors, and the elderly. The hopes, dreams, and failures of the young, middle aged, as well as the seasoned characters are laid bare in just a few well placed and aptly paced vignettes that always serve some purpose to further the plot or story. Perhaps the most profound observations come from Brenda, the woman who discovers the dead body on the beach on the day her husband of many years leaves her for unknown reasons. Her life, like the lives of the other main characters, is intimately sliced in transparent bits for close examination, but always with kindness and agility.

To tie it all in when there is so much going on is sometimes difficult, but Vane pulls it off. The end is more the continuation of life as we know it, while not much happens, but things happen all the time. Overall, Not the End strikes a balance between the contemplative and the impulsive.

Recommended for those who like real estate hunting, home improvement, swimming in the ocean, dogs, paintings, nosy neighbors, weddings and tea.

Thanks to LibraryThing and the author for a copy of the novel in exchange for my honest review. I thoroughly enjoyed it!

Thank you to Kate Vane for providing an e-copy of her novel "The Former Chief Executive" in exchange for an honest review. This short novel could be classified as psychological fiction at its best. Deborah is the title's former chief executive who left her position under a cloud of controversy. She has since then been widowed and finds she needs help with her husband's gardens. Luca, an ex-convict who was jailed for arson, applies and is accepted by Deborah to look after the gardens. He is unsure of his future and that of his young family's. A platonic relationship develops between the older woman and the young man. Secondary characters include the next door neighbor who is interested in receiving Luca's attentions and Deborah's daughter who returns to her mother's house to get her life back on track. The interactions between each character are not what I expected. Just when you think have a handle on this novel, the author turns the story on its end. The ending is breathtaking. I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys profound character studies. Well done.

Meh. I tried to get into this book, but it lacks a certain hook. An interesting story, but a strong editing finger is needed to punch up what is a very interesting look at death. There are a lot of people in this book to keep track of; and I'm still not sure how everyone is related. The wit and humour of a British writer is there, but a defined narrative is far from shown. Edit edit edit!