2 Books Like Molly & the Captain

This crime/fantasy blend swept me in straight away, with the brooding cop called to investigate a bizarre crime scene. I don't dare say any more: you need to read it and find out for yourself. I was a bit worried whether the fantasy element would work - after all, how can you guess what motive an alien might have. I shouldn't have worried; just as in a conventional crime novel, we had all the clues. I loved the originality of the plot and the humour in the writing, especially Abidemi's 20s slang and her attempts to make sense of our world, and Holly's attempts to make sense of Abidemi. Dazzlingly original, and the ending had me in tears.

We all heard about the horrors of Canadian schools for indigenous children - torn from their parents, their culture denied them, many killed and buried in unmarked graves. Churches were burned by angry protesters, and Pope Francis visited Canada and apologized on behalf of the Catholic church. Except, as this book shows in meticulously researched essay after essay, the whole story began with one archaeologist suggesting the possibility of graves in the orchard, and was picked up by the media. After that it snowballed; then went quiet. No bodies were ever found. Record-keeping by the institutions showed that no children went missing. School log books showed teachers had to be fluent in indigenous languages, and children shared native crafts, songs and dances. This book was a welcome reminder of the power of media and the dangers of instant indignation culture. In this case, the lie really did get right round… show more.