Hilary Norman

Advantages: pacy, psychological thriller
Disadvantages: none

...This is the third book I have read by Hilary Norman and she is fast becoming one of my favourite thriller writers! 'Too Close' tells the story of Nick Miller and what happened after he allowed himself to get too close to the girl next door, Holly Bourne! When the story starts both Nick and Holly are children. Holly has a bit of a 'holier than thou' reputation, but underneath this facade she is secretly very adept at causing trouble and getting other people to take the rap for her! First, it is her brother Eric who allows her to get away with it, and then, after he tragically drowns, Nick moves in next door and takes the place of Eric. As they move into their teenage years, things continue in the same vein, until Holly's parents discover one of their misdemeanours and absolutely forbid them from seeing each other. This is actually... Read review

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Advantages: full of suspense, gripping
Disadvantages: none!

...I am a really big fan of the author Hilary Norman, especially if I want to scare myself witness with my bedtime reading. Having read a few of her books previously I already knew she was a master of suspense and tension, but nothing had quite prepared me for what a scary read 'Compulsion' would be. In fact when I was about three quarters of the way through, and was reading it late at night, I actually had to stop because I could hear my heart thumping so much! So, if you too like to be scared out of your skin, read on... 'Compulsion' tells the story of Frankie, a woman suffering from OCD (obsessive compulsive disorder) She is a fanatic about cleanliness, so much so, that her whole life is governed by it. In an ideal job for her, she works as a cleaner, but through working in all these rich ladies houses she starts to covet what... Read review

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Advantages: Addictive reading, intelligent observations and new information on Matisse.
Disadvantages: Asolutely none.

...Matisse the Master: A Life of Henri Matisse: 1909-1954 v.2 by Hilary Spurling. This biography of the 20th centuary painter and artist Henri Matisse is simply the best I've come across. The writing style is easy to get on with. Art books are often bogged down with art style writting full of incomprehensible language and theory. Not the case here! This book is clear cut and very informative. The author really wants you to understand what Matisse is about as a person and as an artist. Matisse is an artist who was and is surrounded by a negative myth created by critics and ill wishers in his time and this to some extent carried on after his death. This book is a successful attempt to destroy the lies and the myth that Matisse was inferior to Picasso and was somehow just a decorative arist not seriously contributing to Modern art... Read review

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