MICHELE GIUTTARI: A Death in Calabria, Little Brown, 323 pp

Although this book is a work of fiction, author Michele Giuttari writes from years of experience as the former head of the Florence Police Force, a post he held for eight years. During his time on the force he was responsible for reopening the Monster of Florence case which led to the arrest of several much sought after Mafia key figures.

Giuttari’s novel starts off in the bustling city of New York; the city that never sleeps including the crime. However the bulk of the story is set in the wild, beautiful region of Calabria, home to the deadly ‘Ndrangheta – an organised Mafia crime operation who deal in drugs, arms and almost anything else that is illegal.

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ROBERT NEWBY GRECH: Exploring Malta – 1565 The Great Siege; SUE HUBAND: Exploring Malta – World War II; VICTOR PULIS: Exploring Malta – An Activity Book, Miller Publishers, Approx. 40 pp.

Colourful covers and fun illustrations are a great way to attract children’s attention, especially to a subject such as history which is often considered to be boring (although more often than not is just taught in a boring manner).

The Exploring Malta series comprises three books, two of which tackle a different era of Maltese history being the Great Siege and Malta’s role in World War II while the third is an activity book.

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CAROLINE SMAILES: Like Bees to Honey, Friday Fiction, 425 pp

A Cisk bottle, Maltese stamps and a reference to Valletta, Malta, Phone 25014 adorn the cover of Caroline Smailes’ Like Bees to Honey; images recognisable to any Maltese person and enough to evoke curiosity about the book.

The story’s protagonist is Nina, a Maltese woman who left her beloved island to marry Matt, her English boyfriend, after she fell pregnant by him out of wedlock. Her father disowns her for bringing shame to family and she feels that she has abandoned her roots by leaving Malta.

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ANNA-MARIA BUHAGIAR: A Very Decent Exposure – 42 Short Stories with a Maltese Complexion, MINT Editions Ltd, 2010, 184 pp

I’m not an avid reader of Maltese literature; that’s both literature written in Maltese as well as literature written by Maltese; however, I was very interested to see what Anna-Maria Buhagiar’s book ‘A Very Decent Exposure – 42 Short Stories with a Maltese Complexion’ had to offer. Admittedly the cover was a major attraction as the book is illustrated by Kenneth Zammit Tabona whose style is instantly recognisable and a definite favourite of mine.

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LORI LANSENS: The Wife’s Tale, Virago, 371 pp, RRP €19.54

Having read Lori Lansen’s first novel, ‘The Girls’, I immediately knew that the characters in this book were going to be multifaceted and full of meaning – and I wasn’t disappointed. Her characters are three-dimensional; their experiences are heartfelt and meaningful, their characteristics are recognisable and you could see yourself or your friends in their shoes.

Mary Gooch is a glutton and fully aware of it; her 302 pounds of flesh are evidence of her eating habits, “she apologized for the way she ate, with a disturbing lack of discrimination”. When she was a little girl her mother took her to the doctor regarding her weight. The doctor classified her as being ‘obese’, a word that Mary doesn’t recognise and translates to ‘obeast’ – a beast that she believes lives inside her and makes her want to eat all the time.

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