Books 91-100

Whisky From Small Glasses D.A. Meyrick (Ringwood Publishing). A crime novel, set in a small Scottish rural town thinly disguised as Kinloch, 'Whisky From Small Glasses,' reveals the seething cauldron of sex, drugs, violence, corruption and murder that lies beneath the dour surface of Kinloch life. The book starts with one body found in the sea. Two more bodies are quickly added as it becomes clear a serial killer is at large. Further ramifications include police and harbour staff corruption and the involvement of a Latvian drugs smuggling ring.

The Marrying of Chani Kaufmann by Eve Harris (Sandstone Press). 19-year-old Chani lives in the ultra-orthodox Jewish community of North West London. She has never had physical contact with a man, but is bound to marry a stranger. The rabbi's wife teaches her what it means to be a Jewish wife, but Rivka has her own questions to answer. Soon, buried secrets, fear and sexual desire bubble to the surface in a story of liberation and choice. The Marrying of Chani Kaufman was longlisted for the 2013 Man Booker Prize.

A Capital Union by Victoria Hendry (Saraband Books). Edinburgh, World War II. Ayrshire lass Agnes Thorne, just seventeen and newly wed, is gamely trying to be the dutiful wife and fine Edinburgh lady, but aloof city folk are testing her spirit, as is her husband, Jeff. Increasingly drawn into the Scottish independence movement and in awe of its charismatic leader, Jeff’s refusal to sign up for the British Army in such turbulent times threatens both his own liberty and his wife’s loyalty. Agnes thinks Jeff should stop worrying about Westminster and get on with fighting Hitler, and so do their disapproving neighbours. When fate brings the war closer to her home than she could ever have imagined, Agnes realises that she will have to fight for her future.

A Tale for the Time Being by Ruth Ozeki (Canongate). Ruth discovers a Hello Kitty lunchbox washed up on the shore of her beach home. Within it lies a diary that expresses the hopes and dreams of a young girl. She suspects it might have arrived on a drift of debris from the 2011 tsunami. With every turn of the page, she is sucked deeper into an enchanting mystery.

An Exquisite Sense of What is Beautiful by J. David Simons (Saraband). An eminent British writer returns to the resort hotel in the Japanese mountains where he once spent a beautiful, snowed-in winter. It was there he fell in love and wrote his best-selling novel, The Waterwheel, which accused America of being in denial about the horrific aftermath of the Tokyo firebombings and the nuclear destruction at Hiroshima and Nagasaki. As we learn more about his earlier life, however – as a student in Bloomsbury, involved with a famous American painter – we realise that he too is in denial, trying to escape past events that are now rapidly catching up with him. An Exquisite Sense of What Is Beautiful tells the story of a Scot living abroad and his experiences of some of the major events that shaped the twentieth century and beyond. It is a sweeping novel of East and West, love and war, truths and denials.

The Woman Who Walked Into the Sea by Mark Douglas-Home (Sandstone Press). Cal McGill watches the young woman through the dirty windscreen of his Toyota. There's something compelling about her stillness, about the length of time she has been standing there erect, staring out to sea. But why, 26 years earlier, did another young woman stand on the beach, before walking in to the sea.

A Saga. The Story of Ganga & Kaveri by Ranji Naidu (Witherby Publishing). Gangadhar, or ‘Ganga’ as he was popularly known, had just relinquished his position as Chief Minister of one of the states in Southern India. He had been a very popular leader and both the party men and the general public were very upset and not inclined to let him go. Kay, or ‘Kaveri’, who he had met while they were living in England, had been his wife for forty years. After a brief courtship, they had married and decided to make England their home, but fate intervened. At the behest of his father, who was a political activist, they returned to India. After many tribulations and much intrigue, he had become the leader of his party. Kay, who came from a completely different background and upbringing, had stood by him through all his ups and downs and had borne him three children, two boys and a girl.

The Folded Man by Matt Hill (Sandstone Press). In 2018 Manchester is a rotten city propped up by a few bad men. After the cuts, the toppling of its flagship tower, the riots and the terror, the promise of a prosperous North is gone. The first industrial city is dying, its people left to themselves, and with the rise of nationalism, it's only getting worse. Now, the only currency is trust, and Brian Meredith - addict, depressive, wheelchair-bound - has new trouble with old problems. It doesn't help that Brian is a mermaid - or at least thinks he is.

Unfashioned Creatures by Lesley McDowell (Saraband Books). Mary Shelley's real-life friend Isabella Baxter Booth is seeing ghosts and meeting mysterious strangers. To escape her increasingly violent, deranged husband and her own murderous impulses towards him, she flees London for Scotland. There she meets a young doctor, Alexander Balfour.

Redlegs by Chris Dolan (Vagabond Voices). Elspeth is a young Scottish actress, seduced by promises of fame and theatrical acclaim who leaves her home for Barbados. After a storm destroys her theatre she takes up a temporary role at Lord Coak's plantation.