Last Act (by Jane Aiken Hodge)

(Amazon UK link)

I'm not generally keen on thrillers, but I do enjoy Jane Aiken Hodge's genre. They tend to be light thrillers - often in a historical setting - with an underlying romance. Her writing style is crisp, her suspense is just scary enough to keep me reading, but not unpleasant enough to stop me sleeping at night!

'Last Act' is set in the 1960s. It features Anne Paget, a singer who has just learned that she has an unspecified illness. Her doctor informs her that she has - at most - six months to live. The same day, she receives an invitation to be understudy in a newly-discovered opera in the small European town of Lissenburg.

With nothing to lose, Anne decides to take up the offer, and finds herself rapidly involved in intrigue, scandal, and extreme danger. Also, of course, she finds romance.

It was a pleasant light read. It's not my favourite novel by this author, and somehow I didn't find myself deeply involved with any of the characters although they were mostly believable enough. But it certainly kept me interested for a couple of days and I enjoyed reading it.

Recommended in a low-key way.