It’s the first Saturday of the month which means it’s time for another Six Degrees of Separation, hosted by Kate of Books are my Favourite and Best. The idea is that Kate chooses a book to use as a starting point and then we have to link it to six other books of our choice to form a chain. A book doesn’t have to be connected to all of the others on the list – only to the one next to it in the chain.
This month we’re starting with I Want Everything by Dominic Amerena. I haven’t read it, but here’s what it’s about:
You all know this, of course, but years and years ago, acclaimed Australian novelist Brenda Shales went missing. After two explosive, controversial books that would shape the literary canon of the country for decades to come — and that terrible legal scandal about plagiarism, of course — she was simply gone.
That was, right up until a frustrated young writer sees an elderly woman swimming at his local pool in Melbourne. She looks familiar…very familiar in fact. No. It couldn’t be. Stunned, he returns home to confirm the impossible truth; it’s Brenda Shales, now in her old age and stranded in a retirement home. He’s determined to pursue her, to discover what happened to her all those years ago, and to possibly fulfil his dreams of literary stardom through a tell-all biography. But when he finds her, a case of mistaken identity and Brenda’s own terrible secrets begin to derail his ambitions, and ultimately, his entire life.
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I’m going to begin this month’s chain with another book about an author who goes missing. In Death of an Author by ECR Lorac (1), the reclusive crime writer Vivian Lestrange disappears without trace, leaving the police questioning whether he ever really existed in the first place. This is the only book I’ve read by Lorac so far and I enjoyed it, although I think it probably wasn’t the best one I could have started with – I must read another one soon!
Now a simple link using the word ‘Death’. Death in Cyprus by MM Kaye (2) is one of a series of romantic suspense novels set in different parts of the world. In this one, Amanda Derington visits Cyprus while accompanying her uncle on a business trip. Before the ship even arrives at the port, a murder has taken place and Amanda finds herself the next target. The books are all standalone stories and can be read in any order – this is one of my favourites.
Another book set in Cyprus is The Sunrise by Victoria Hislop (3). The story takes place in Famagusta in 1974, when a luxury hotel, the Sunrise, is evacuated during a Greek military coup and Turkish invasion. Although I found the book quite unevenly paced, I did love the setting and the descriptions of the abandoned city in the aftermath of the invasion.
Amor Towles’ A Gentleman in Moscow (4) is another book with a hotel setting. It tells the story of a Russian Count who is sentenced to spend the rest of his days under house arrest in Moscow’s Metropol Hotel. I loved this book and found it very inspiring to see how the Count managed to lead such a fulfilling life during his confinement.
Room by Emma Donoghue (5) also deals with confinement. It’s narrated by five-year-old Jack, who is being held captive with his mother inside a single room and has never seen the outside world. Although the plot is quite disturbing and it also took me a while to get used to Jack’s narrative voice, I eventually became gripped.
Like Room, Andrew Martin’s Soot (6) has a four letter title with a double o in the middle. This is the only similarity, though, as this book is a mystery set in 18th century York and revolving around the murder of a painter of silhouettes. I really enjoyed this book, so it’s a good place to end my chain!
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And that’s my chain for this month. My links have included: missing authors, the word ‘death’, Cyprus, hotels, confinement and four letter titles.
In November we’ll be starting with We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson – at last, a book that I’ve actually read!
She Reads Novels 
I know two of these – A gentleman in Moscow which nearly made it into my chain though I can’t recollect why now, and Room, which I haven’t read. Soot sounds interesting. I know silhouettes were popular in 18th and early 19th century England but don’t know a lot about them and their creators.
Soot was fascinating. I loved the details of silhouette painting, which I hadn’t known much about either.
Nice chain here. I haven’t read any of these, although I did see the TV series of A Gentleman in Moscow.
I haven’t seen the TV series yet, but I would like to as I loved the book!
Great chain, Helen. I’m yet to read MM Kaye’s mysteries though I have read her Far Pavilions. Cyprus is also a setting I haven’t explored in my reading yet!
Thank you. The MM Kaye mysteries are great and all have interesting settings including Cyprus, Kenya and Zanzibar.
I enjoyed reading your chain. I’ve read The Sunrise and enjoyed it. Although I haven’t read Death of an Author I’ve read some of Lorac’s books and really liked them. I’ve got A Gentleman in Moscow on my Kindle but haven’t read it yet
I really need to read more books by Lorac as everyone seems to enjoy them! A Gentleman in Moscow was one of my books of the year a few years ago, so I would definitely recommend that one.
I must have a couple of feet of the BLCC series on my shelves – yet to read a single one, but Lorac gets a lot of praise. Glad to see Towles in your links – love that book.
I’ve read some great BLCC books and would like to read more by Lorac as she seems to be one of the most popular authors in the series. I’m glad you like the Towles book too!
Enjoyable chain, Helen! I do enjoy a hotel setting. Lots of scope for interesting characters.
Thanks! Yes, I’ve read a lot of interesting books set in hotels. They do tend to have great characters.
I have A Gentleman in Moscow and Room in my TBR pile. I guess I’ll get to them one day..
They’re both great, particularly A Gentleman in Moscow!
I love the link between the last two – why not?
Here’s mine for this month: https://portobellobookblog.com/2025/10/04/6degrees-of-separation-for-october-2025-booksky/
Glad you liked that one!
I love your logical jumps. I struggle to find connections. Sometimes we have to look at easier things like the letter count of the titles!
My #6Degrees Chain
Yes, it can be difficult! I prefer to link through plot or setting, but sometimes have to use titles or author names instead.
I thought Room was fabulous, too! I’ve added A Gentleman in Moscow to my list, based on your comment about him managing to live a fulfilling life during his confinement.
The ‘doube oo’ connection made me smile – it’s genius!
A Gentleman in Moscow is a great book and I did find it very inspirational. Glad you liked the double oo – I was just going to use any four letter title until I noticed I had one with similar letters!
Great links! Death of an Author is on my TBR
Thanks! I enjoyed Death of an Author – hope you like it!