Book club

Fans of Martina Cole will not be disappointed with this, her 20th published novel to date, and if you haven’t read any of her page-turning thrillers before, Revenge would be a good place to start.

Written in her unique, uncompromising, hard-hitting style, this is a tale full of twists and turns set in the East end of London and centring around Michael Flynn; a man at the top of his game who demands nothing but total loyalty and dedication from colleagues and family alike.

He has fought hard to get where he is, murdering and seeking absolution for his sins along the way and as far as business is concerned emotions have no place. Risen to heights beyond anything the criminal underworld has ever seen, the novel starts as the unthinkable happens and his daughter disappears from the face of the earth.

A powerful piece of family drama, we witness Flynn’s rise to power, marriage to Josephine and despair in remaining childless until the birth of Jessie. Then the past returns to haunt him and he learns that sometimes you can’t protect your children no matter how much you want to: Without the shedding of blood there can be no forgiveness of sins.

* Read it now in paperback

An Officer and a Spy (Richard Harris) Transworld, 9780099580895 £6.99 (BD3.900 for Gulf Weekly Book Club members)

A gripping historical thriller from Robert Harris based on the ‘Drefus’ affair. Paris, 1895: an army officer, Georges Picquart, watches a convicted spy, Alfred Dreyfus exiled for life to Devil’s Island. But when Picquart discovers that secrets are still being handed over to the Germans, he is drawn into a dangerous labyrinth of deceit and corruption that threatens not just his honour but his life.

* My favourite read-of-the-week

Five Days (Douglas Kennedy) Random, 9780099509691 £6.99 (BD3.900 for Gulf Weekly Book Club members).

This is a modern ‘Brief Encounter’ novel for the 20th Century. For 20 years Laura has been a good wife and mother, but a chance meeting with a man in a hotel lobby, and the five days that follow, remind her of the young woman she used to be. A deeply interesting book, it’s likely to have everyone examining their ‘might-have-beens’.

The Bookcase has teamed up with GulfWeekly to launch a regular Book of the Week column with Robert Jennings reviewing the non-fiction and business and Linda Jennings checking out the latest fictional, cookery and wildlife titles.

Readers can join the Gulf Weekly Book Club by emailing editor@gulfweekly.com with their names and contact details.

It will entitle them to free membership to The Bookcase Reward Scheme, normally costing BD1, which gives 10 per cent off every day and 20 per cent discount on Mondays if the customer has ‘liked’ the store’s Facebook page.

Yes, and on top of that, we will be offering Gulf Weekly Book Club members ONLY a special 25 per cent discount from the shop price of all books featured on the page throughout the entire month during which they were reviewed.

* READERS can continue to pick up a FREE copy of the travellers’ guide 101 Thing to See & Do in Bahrain by joining the FREE Gulf Weekly Book Club while supplies are available.

This essential read, published by Arab World Tours and retailing at BD2, is a must for newcomers to the island and anyone hosting visitors and includes a useful pull-out map. It also has facts, information, common phrases, contact numbers and fascinating features about the history of the island and a whole lot more.

Join the Gulf Weekly Book Club by sending your name and contact details to bookclub@gulfweekly.com

We have a limited supply left of free books available and the first 200 replies will be contacted and told where to collect their prize.