Annette Shaw is a freelance journalist with 30 years of experience, and has a regular column in Devon Life, sharing her pick of brilliant books with Devon connections. With her reputation for championing books and authors around the county, we’re delighted to have the opportunity to showcase her reviews here.

Breakpoint by T. Orr Munro
Set in Devon. Tick. Author lives on site so to speak. Tick. Unsettlingly creepy. Most definitely. And the cover has that air of seaside scenic allure laced with lethal, rocky outcrops. “I wanted several elements in this book,” says Tina. Firstly, there’s Ally Dymond, a civilian Crime Scene Investigator as opposed to a person in blue. Secondly, the murderer at the heart of this had to be truly evil and my aim, by tracking his personal life alongside his quest to kill, was to ensure that readers were not going to have the slightest sneaking admiration.” His façade is flawless – outwardly genial and helpful – yet preying on the vulnerable. As a former CSI, Tina knows what she’s talking about. She currently works as a police and crime journalist, and this inside knowledge makes for a debut novel that has all the feeling of it could happen, including exposing corruption in the ranks.

When Fishes Flew: the story of Elena’s war by Michael Morpurgo
The publicity advice on readership age is eight-nine. However, as with so much of Michael’s work, it has such broad appeal. We read at the level of not just our experience, but also with reference to our own and the world’s place in time. That’s another way of saying I cried at the end. Set in both Australia and the legendary island of Ithaca, the home of Homer and Odysseus, When Fishes Flew weaves together two lives – Nandi and her great- aunt Elena. Michael says: “The story is about Ithaca and thousands of years of Greek history, imaginary and actual. It’s an adventure to a place where myth and reality meet – my version of the Odyssey with a modern twist at the end.” The illustrations are by award winning reportage artist George Butler. He specialises in current affairs, war zones and refugee camps. And therein lies the clue.

The Chestnut House by Anna Valencia
We made love as equals, friends, partisans, soulmates. I think this sums up the essence of Anna’s debut novel, combining romance, grief, family secrets and history in a way that is both tender and devastating, yet still factually informative. Speaking from her present home on Dartmoor she explains. “When we bought and renovated an Italian farmhouse, my husband and I took our family on an extended adventure to the North Tuscan village of Montaltissimo in Garfagnana.” Through talking to her elderly neighbours Anna discovered how much the area had suffered in WWII. “In the winter of 1944 the territory was at the epicentre of the Gothic Line, occupied by Italian fascists still loyal to Mussolini, local partisans fighting for the Resistance and the Allies, as well as Germans. As personal stories unfolded in this evocative land, all I had to do was sit down and write.” Very much a dream come true for Anna.

100 Piers: Paintings at the Water’s Edge by Paul Tracey
The award for coffee table book of the summer most definitely goes to 100 Piers. Devon is well represented with Plymouth Promenade, Paignton, Torquay and Teignmouth. They’re funny things, piers. And no doubt we each have our own quirky memories from fear of walking over the gaps in the wood to the ecstasy of winning a handful of coins in a shove halfpenny machine. Then there’s the thrill of walking out to sea and the family enjoyment of a show at the theatre. Paul Tracey combines his skill as a draughtsman with his creative flair as an artist to capture the very essence of these structures and to provide snapshots of their individual stories. Plymouth was opened in 1884 to the sound of the Band of the Royal Marines playing to 30,000 people.

Natural Skincare For All Seasons by Silvana De Soissons
Dynamite with a degree in economics is my first impression of Silvana. Watch out chemicals! “The face is the most vulnerable part of the human body – constantly touched and the front line against sprays, creams and serums that eventually wash into the sewage system.” Apparently, the average woman lathers 2.5 kilos of products, many toxin bearing, on her body each year. Silvana’s new book is a comprehensive guide to small batch production that embraces the seasonality and richness of nature’s offerings. “My bathroom cabinet is empty. I use only the skincare that I make – so I know what’s in it.” Herbs and flowers are grown locally and she sources sea salt and seaweed from the shores of the Jurassic Coast. This passionate return to simple, yet effective, beauty therapy is more than timely and Silvana is already supplying 220 shops in the UK and Europe.

More Sauce Madam: The Adventures of a Hotel Manager by Geoffrey Paris
The press release begins as follows: Lifting the lid on the hospitality industry – a true behind-the-scenes account of working in hotels and restaurants – with cockroaches, naked guests and meat-cleaver-wielding chefs. Many of the events in this memoir take place in the West Country, notably Torquay and Torbay. All life is here! There are tips on how to be a considerate guest and the staff certainly deserve every respect and courtesy. Also, how do holidaymakers figure out if the establishment is up to standard? All is revealed. At 393 pages it’s certainly an insight, packed with anecdotes. As a career, hospitality is not a walk in the park, and Geoffrey covers some of the more colourful experiences. “You have to deal with drunks and tolerate verbal abuse.” Does make you wonder how people behave at home. On the plus side, he adds: “I wouldn’t have missed a minute of it!”