Whitcoulls Recommends: The Keeper and Bonfire of the Murdochs

The Keeper by Tana French, who is one of my all time favourite authors. This is the 3rd in a trilogy which began with The Searcher and then The Hunter but you can read this new one without needing to read the others (although they’re so good I would highly recommend it). Cal Hooper, the retired Chicago detective is back, with the village of Ardnakelty in crisis as a young woman is found dead just as a local big shot has plans for the town. Factions are rife, with many residents predicting housing developments, data farms or some other modern atrocity and Cal is caught up in a protest against plans which threaten their rural way of life. This is full of terrific characters, entirely believable themes, and some exceptional turns of phrase.  Bonfire of the Murdochs by Gabriel Sherman. It was widely known that Rupert Murdoch favoured his son Lachlan as the heir to his empire, to the point where he attempted to remove Lachlan’s three siblings from the trust which had been in place for years, in order to anoint him as the rightful successor - and paid his children a billion dollars each to go quietly, but they rebelled and took the case to court. This is the story of one of the world’s wealthiest and most powerful families caught up in lawsuits, betrayals, and revenge. It has been described as being Shakespearian in its tragedy - a family ripped apart by the very man who created their empire. It makes for a fascinating read.  LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.