As advertised, the batteries were charged on arrival. They work fine, though since I only use batteries in low drain equipment it will be some time before I'm able to judge how well they last between charges. So five stars so far - I'll update the review should I discover any problems when I need to recharge.

However, since this is a 'green' item I was disappointed to discover that the batteries come wrapped in plastic. Since they are inside a cardboard box that fits them perfectly, the plastic is entirely unnecessary. So 1-star deducted, until Amazon realise that 'fuss-free' packaging should be matched by being 'waste-free'.

Deep within him, Gordon has always carried the horrific memories of his time in Vietnam but his love for his wife Katy has allowed him to put those days behind him. But now Katy has died and Gordon is old and alone, and all the guilt and fear has returned - along with the voices in the rain, whispering, calling. Gordon's nightmares of a night long past are now seeping into his daytime world and he can't ignore them any longer.

Dark, frightening and blood-soaked, this novella length story won't be for everyone. But it is superbly written and builds a truly nerve-racking atmosphere of horror. What really happened that night? Are the things Gordon sees and hears real? Or feverish, guilt-induced hallucinations? Where is the line between light and dark, nightmare and reality?

Told in the third person, we see the story unfold through Gordon's eyes. As we see flashes of the memories that torture him, we get to know him and to understand the things that haunt him. But like him, we don't know where the truth lies, and his story is morally ambiguous enough that we can't know whether the sympathy we feel for him is deserved. But we feel it nonetheless.

I admit this is considerably darker than my usual fare, but within a couple of chapters I was completely hooked and read it in one rapid sitting. I would say it's the best ghost story I've read in years, except that it may or may not be a ghost story at all. It is, however, an extremely well-constructed psychological study of a man haunted to the brink of madness, whether by supernatural forces or by his own demons of grief and guilt. If it's your sort of thing, I highly recommend it. And if it isn't your sort of thing at all, you might still find, like me, that it's well worth stepping out of your comfort zone for.

NB This e-book was provided for review by the publisher.

This is one of those books that I so wanted to like but simply couldn't. A BBC crew filming a documentary in an experimental prison village in India promised drama and emotion in an interesting location. Instead we have stereotyped and cardboard protagonists, a group of indistinguishable prisoners trotting out their clichéd sad stories of injustice on demand and, despite every piece of landscape, clothing and food being described in minute and sometimes florid detail, absolutely no sense of place.

There are three in the film crew. Serena is the uncaring, unfeeling professional who is only interested in making the film dramatic and doesn't care who gets hurt along the way. The presenter Nathan, macho chauvinist and egoist, could not possibly be any more stereotyped. Shallow, unlikeable and unconvincing as these two are though, they pale into insignificance beside our chief protagonist, Ray. Of Indian descent, she wants to fit into this culture she is visiting, but honestly I can't imagine Ray fitting in anywhere successfully. Annoying, unprofessional, self-obsessed and very, very tedious, Ray is liked by no-one - neither villagers, nor colleagues, nor indeed me. At one point Serena says to her 'You are one draining piece of work, you know that? Dealing with you is like walking through cement.' I agree, but it made me wonder - if the author sees that her main protagonist is this annoying, why does she believe the reader will be able to empathise with her in any way? It's not as if she is changed by her experiences; there's no growth or character development which, had it happened, may have given the book the much-needed focus and point that it lacked.

I haven't bothered to mention the Indian characters because the author failed to give any of them a well-rounded and distinctive personality. They are ciphers - there merely to provide a hazy and undefined background for Ray to play out her internal angst against. The writing itself is technically proficient - i.e. grammatical - but the endless repeated descriptions ultimately convey nothing. Yes, they dress differently; yes, they're not white (!); yes, they eat different food...but none of this gives any sense of what life is like for the villagers, what their thoughts and feelings might be. The text is littered with Hindu words without explanations; sometimes it's possible to get the meaning from the context but not always. This doesn't give a sense of place - just a sense of irritation.

I really dislike slating a book, especially from a relatively new author (even if she was longlisted for the Booker for her first book), but although I've tried hard, I can't find anything positive to say about this one except that plenty of other people seem to be finding it a much more enjoyable read than I, as you will see if you look at some of the other reviews. But unfortunately I can't recommend it.

NB This book was provided for review by the publisher.

Labour peer Andrew Adonis gives us his account of the negotiations that followed the UK General election of 2010, when no party won enough seats to form a Government alone. Although not published till now, Adonis explains that the book was written near-contemporaneously and that shows through in the anger and frustration that seeps from the pages.

The book is short and the main part concentrates entirely on the negotiations - Adonis assumes that readers understand the background and the main political and economic questions of the time. We get a vivid, sympathetic view of the Labour team and of the much-maligned Gordon Brown. The Conservatives are only in the background (since Labour obviously wasn't negotiating with them) and the Lib-Dems don't come out of the whole sorry episode well - Adonis (once a Lib-Dem himself) can't stop some of his bitterness showing through at their turn to the right. It's a very readable account, not bogged down with some of the self-aggrandising that can be a feature of political memoirs, and the reader gets a real feel for the stress and exhaustion in the Labour camp.

In the last 40 pages, Adonis looks back at his account with the benefit of distance and is endearingly honest about his own bias in the first, contemporaneous section:

'5 days in May was written in the heat of battle. Re-reading it after nearly three years, it reminds me of a general's despatch after one of Britain's all too common defeats in the Napoleonic wars, dictated while the smoke was still swirling and the dead and maimed being taken off the field. It is vivid, partisan, and angry about the perfidy of Albion's supposed allies, in this case Nick Clegg and the Lib Dems.'

Adonis assesses why the Lib-Dems acted as they did, concluding that both Clegg and David Laws (their chief negotiator) were always more right-wing than they seemed or than the rest of their party. He also discusses the benefits or otherwise of coalition and concludes that Labour must keep the door open to a future coalition with the Lib Dems, however bitter that pill would be to swallow, but must first and foremost try to win outright.

I found this an excellent read, biased yes (but then I'm on the same side as Adonis so that didn't bother me too much) but revealing and blessedly short and to the point. Is it still a democracy when one man (in this case Nick Clegg) gets to decide who will govern for five years regardless of pre-election promises? A question that will become more and more relevant in Britain as the old two-party system fades further into the distance with each passing year. Highly recommended for left-leaning UK political nerds - not sure how interesting it will be to other people though!

PS I had to laugh at the subliminal advertising on the book jacket - Brown faded into the background, then Clegg, then Cameron; and finally, right at the front, Ed Miliband! A triumph of hope over experience, perhaps?

When a residential unit for disabled people is burned down, all the residents are killed bar one. Jakob has Downs Syndrome and a grievance - he never wanted to be placed in the unit and he doesn't like it there. It seems to be an open and shut case but, because of his disability, Jakob is sent to a secure psychiatric hospital rather than prison and it looks like he'll stay there for life. At least, until one of the other inmates asks lawyer Thóra Gudmundsdóttir to try to get the case reopened...

This is a very well written entry into the field of Nordic crime - Iceland, on this occasion - and the translation by Philip Roughton is first-rate. Apparently this is the fifth in the series, but it's the first I've read. The characterisation throughout the novel is particularly strong and Thóra herself is a likeable lead, strong and capable but with a soft centre. As well as dealing with the case, she's having to juggle home life as her parents move in on a temporary basis to a house already filled with Thóra's children, grandchild and partner, Matthew.

In the course of her investigation, Thóra has to deal with people with a variety of severe disabilities. Sigurdardóttir handles this well, managing to convey the difficulties they face without becoming overly mawkish or sentimental. Thóra's dealings with the relatives of the victims show her sensitivity, particularly when dealing with Jakob's mother. And her aversion to Jósteinn, the psychopathic child abuser who has hired her, grows steadily as she wonders what his motivation is for wanting to help Jakob. A sub-plot concerning a possible haunting is cut in to short sections between chapters and Sigurdardóttir's excellent writing makes this part of the story chillingly atmospheric and decidedly creepy. There's also a real sense of place in the novel, as the culture, weather and recent economic woes of Iceland all play their part.

Overall, a very satisfying read that, together with Läckberg's The Stranger, has reawakened my enthusiasm for Nordic crime. Highly recommended, and I look forward to backtracking through the rest of the series.

A year or so ago, I was pretty much ready to give up on Nordic crime. Harry Hole was too drunken, Salander was too weird, and frankly the whole genre seemed too angst-ridden and downright miserable to be enjoyable...and I say that as someone hardened by years of dealing with drunks and screwed-up mavericks - all fictional, of course! At the time of my disillusionment, a fellow Amazon reviewer tried to get me to read Läckberg, promising that she was different. Finally, I've followed that advice - and I'm so glad I did! Patrik Hedström is that rare and precious creature - a sober, likeable, intelligent detective who works within the rules and has a happy home life. And in this story he proves that that can be considerably more interesting and much more enjoyable than reading yet one more description of binge-drinking, hangovers and cowboy policing.

When Patrik is called to the scene of a fatal car accident, it looks like a straightforward case of drunken driving. But the woman driver was teetotal and Patrik suspects that there may be more to the accident than meets the eye. Meantime the town has been invaded by a reality TV show starring a group of C-List celebs whose claim to fame is that they are willing to get outrageously drunk, party all night and have sex as often as they can, and all with the cameras rolling. This is problem enough, but when one of the celebs turns up dead in a bin, Patrik has two cases to deal with. So it's lucky there's a new member of the team - Hanna, an experienced and efficient officer has transferred to the district - especially since more deaths are on the way...

Well written, and well translated by Steven T Murray, this is an intriguing police procedural with a dark and complex plot and a satisfying conclusion. Although Patrik is the lead character, we get to know the members of his team too and their interactions add an extra layer of depth to the story. The picture Läckberg paints of contemporary Sweden is as misery-laden and angst-filled as the most ardent Nordic fan could desire, but is lightened by Patrik's family life as he and Erica prepare for their forthcoming wedding. Although there's clearly a running story in the background about Patrik and Erica's relationship, this book works well as a standalone for anyone who, like me, hasn't read the previous ones in the series - an omission I now intend to rectify. Recommended.

NB This book was provided for review by the publisher, Open Road.

This is an academic analysis of crime fiction looking at how it has evolved since its inception, which Messent dates back to Poe's Dupin tales. Messent discusses the different types of crime fiction which he categorises as Classical, Hard Boiled, the Police novel and Transgressor fiction and shows how each category affects and is affected by wider aspects of society such as gender, race and politics. He gives particular importance to the increasing urbanisation of society in the development away from the straightforward murder mystery of early crime fiction towards the more noirish approach of many writers as the 20th century progressed. In the final section, Messent looks in depth at certain books in each of the categories, relating them to his previous analyses.

The book is interesting if a little dry at times. While occasionally I felt that Messent was over-analysing or reading things into the texts that weren't completely justifiable, on the whole his arguments were convincing and well supported with evidence. His analyses are based largely on American fiction with a substantial minority of British writers, especially from the classical era, but with very little from other countries. Messent accepts this himself as a weakness of the book, pointing out that there is so much crime fiction that an exhaustive analysis would be difficult. He expresses the hope that the work he has done in this book will be seen as a jumping off point for future academics to extend the arguments beyond the authors he has chosen.

Overall, I enjoyed the book, particularly the final part with Messent's reading of specific texts such as The Big Sleep, The Murder of Roger Ackroyd etc. Any crime fiction enthusiast will be familiar with the majority of the texts he has chosen and this helps to put his analyses into context. Recommended for anyone who would like to look a little more deeply into the place crime fiction has carved out for itself in literature and, indeed, in the wider context of society as a whole.

Sea Haven is a 'sunny, funderful' place - or at least so the advertising claims. But when Officer Danny Boyle breaks up a fight between nurse Christina and her employer, he doesn't know he's just got himself involved in a case that will lead to murder. Danny and his incorruptible, straight as a die boss Ceepak have to negotiate their way through family feuds, local gossip and dodgy funfair rides in this cosy but with an edge crime thriller. Still, looking on the bright side, it gets Danny off the beat and onto playing detective for a while, and gives him an opportunity to drive around in Ceepak's brand new 'Batmobile'.

This is the eighth book in the John Ceepak series, but it's the first I've read. It took me a few chapters to get into it - at first it seemed a bit too cosy, and Ceepak seemed a bit too incorruptible. But once the story really got underway, I found this a really enjoyable read, fast-paced, full of humour but with a strong plot and leading up to an exciting climax. The story is told by Danny in the first-person and he's a very likeable character. Being a laid-back kind of a guy with a liking for arcade games and pretty women, he enjoys life in this beach resort. And he hero-worships his boss, Ceepak (I suspect there's a back-story there but it really wasn't necessary to know it). The investigation is complicated by Danny's attraction to the chief suspect, while Ceepak has to deal with the return of his drunken and bullying father.

While the overall tone is light and sunny, there is enough meat in the story to make for a satisfying read and the ending was suitably dramatic. Well-written and with agreeable, well developed protagonists, I can see why Grabenstein seems to have a loyal following in the US. I'm certainly looking forward to spending some more time in Sea Haven in the future.

NB This book was provided for review by the publisher.

Simplicity is the thing I most look for when buying technical stuff and this neat little Blu-ray player is beautifully simple.

It arrived well packaged - secure but without tons of excess packing and plastic. Of course, Amazon had then destroyed this effect by sticking it in a huge box surrounded by masses of paper, but that's not Samsung's fault. Out of the box, it is tiny and suitably sleek and shiny - about 10 ½" x 7 ½" by 1", easily small and light enough to put on top of another box. The controls are on the top and there are no LCD displays or lights at all - I rather like that.

Connection was a breeze, as you'd expect, and as soon as it was connected to the TV it went into its auto-setup mode. Pressed OK on the remote a couple of times, shoved in a disc and ready to go within less than five minutes from opening the box. The remote (batteries supplied) is small and well laid out. The buttons are big enough to use comfortably and are clearly marked. The disc loads very quickly and picture quality is excellent - I also tried it with a DVD and it seemed to me to upscale well.

I haven't yet looked at the 22-page instruction booklet and may never, though this apparently has the capacity to connect to a network via Ethernet. Since that's way beyond my technical skill level (and something I can't ever imagine me wanting to do), I haven't tested it. But as a Blu-ray/DVD player, this has provided all the functionality and simplicity I need at a reasonable price. Recommended.

Agatha has married James and is just beginning to realise that she may have made a big mistake. He is critical of everything she does and Agatha's self-esteem is suffering. And then she finds out he's been having an affair. So when James suddenly disappears, her feelings are mixed. On the one hand, she gets her life back - but on the other hand she really wants to find him so she can give him a piece of her mind! But the police are looking for him too - his mistress Melissa has been murdered and James is the prime suspect...unless, of course, Agatha has done away with them both. Agatha sets out to prove her innocence, find James and catch the murderer...

I'm not Agatha's biggest fan and have struggled to enjoy her adventures in the past. But when I saw that this unabridged version is narrated by Penelope Keith, I thought this might be a way to get a better appreciation of the books. Keith gives a sterling performance, breathing life into each character and showing her ability to do a range of accents and personalities, and not all of them to the manor born.

Despite Keith's best endeavours, however, I still found Agatha a rather annoying character - she spends all her time either in a state of rage and rudeness or on the verge of self-pity. The cast of suspects was very small so we kept going over the same ground again and again, and the dénouement felt contrived and unconvincing. However, Keith managed to bring out the humour in the book and her narration added enough to make this a reasonably enjoyable listen, even for me. I'm sure this reading would give a lot of pleasure to dedicated Agatha fans, of whom I know there are many. The running time is 7hrs 15 mins.