The Swimmer: Quick Reads 2022

Very quick read. Ideal for a journey. Murder? Mystery and Middle age fantasies all get a look ,plus a feeling of resolution and family love.

The Swimmer is a really atmospheric and engaging read, with a whole lot of mystery packed into such a short book. Relishing in finally having a bit of peace and quiet, Helen takes a moment to herself to sit and watch the ocean just outside her front door. As she watches, she sees a stranger swim out into the ocean, a trip from which he never returns. Missing, presumed dead, there is something that doesn't quite sit right with Helen about his disappearance ...From the start, Graham Norton sets us up with a really keen sense of time, place and character, and with a wonderful flow to the narrative, the book really held my attention. I found myself at once warming to the character of Helen and becoming as intrigued as she was about what was going on. Being slightly older as a character, she is quite steady and you feel that immediate trust in her instincts, as well as having the odd spidey-sense of my own tingling away. Did I perhaps guess where this story was heading. Certainly there were some suspicions - probably natural under the circumstances, and especially as more clues start to be revealed. Did I expect or anticipate everything that came to pass? Most definitely not, the author keeping vital information hidden until just the right moment in time to feed the mystery and my desire to know more of what was going on.For a short taster of the author's writing this has certainly made me want to read more. With a mystery on the cosier side of crime, it still really makes a mark and with some moments of humour in amongst the sadness, and authentic voice in Helen and those around her, it's definitely worth a read

I read Graham Norton’s biography some time ago and thoroughly enjoyed his writing so when he started writing novels I couldn’t resist. I have now read all four of his novels and found all of them written to an incredibly high standard. So well written with characters that come to life on the pages, you really should give them a try.The Swimmer is a short read but there is so much on offer, great characters, an atmospheric read and an intriguing mystery.The main character Helen is sitting looking out at the ocean, enjoying some time to herself when she spots an unknown swimmer. The stranger never returns from the ocean and is assumed to have died in the sea. For some reason Helen does not feel comfortable with this assumption and won’t let things lie.The characters are the real plus point for me in Graham Norton’s novels, interesting and easy to imagine. A quick read but so enjoyable.

Book is brilliant but the cost of £3.48 for a £1 book is a bit too much. Greed on behalf of the seller

I am not the biggest fan of short stories but I am a fan of this author, having read and enjoyed all his novels released to date so I gave this a go. And I really wasn't disappointed.Usually I find that shorts lack something - maybe plot, character development, connection to what I am reading, and often leave me unsatisfied and wanting more. But here, the author has done a bang up job of delivering me a story that both interested and intrigued, holding me captive for the duration, and keeping me guessing all the way through. But a plot is nothing without some characters to play it out. And here again, the author has excelled with his expertise of creating characters that are not only well drawn but also both are east to connect to and which develop well throughout the book. No mean feat in my opinion with a short. Usually I only read shorts which contain characters I already know and have some connection to - lie an inbetweenie in a series. But I suffered nothing like that here.All in all, a quick and easy read that I recommend to everyone no matter how much, or little, you usually read...

Very nice book. Very relaxing although had a good twist st the end

A good introduction to Graham Norton as a novelist.

An intriguing short story about a mysterious disappearance off the coast of Ireland.A retired teacher, never married, now living with her widowed sister get caught inadvertently in a case of missing person, mistaken identity and murder. Quite a tale.