THE LOWDOWN

The Nesting by CJ Cooke, Harpercollins, £12.99

Distance: 8km/5 miles

Ascent: 250m/820ft

Time: 2-3 hours

Grading: Woodland tracks and paths, steep but steady ascent, suitable for all ages. Can be muddy, good footwear recommended.

Start/finish: Moncrieffe Hill woods parking area (Grid ref: NO 153192) near Easter Moncrieffe.

Map: OS 1:50,000 Landranger Map 58 (Perth & Alloa); Ordnance Survey 1:25,000 Explorer sheet 369.

Tourist Information: Visitscotland, Perth icentre, 45 High Street, Perth, PH1 5TJ (Tel 01738 450600).

Public transport: Buses and trains to Perth, but no public transport to start of walk.

The Hidden Spring is a tough one to tackle. Although author and scientist Mark Solms does attempt to explain his new theory of consciousness in an accessible way, the lengthy journey from the dawn of neuropsychology and psychology to the cutting edge of contemporary neuroscience requires a very careful and considered reading – and the occasional re-reading. The crux of Solms’s take on consciousness is to consider its connection with emotion and feelings, but it’s when he gets on to exploring the future of the artificial intelligence industry and how exciting and troubling it has the potential to be, that things get particularly intriguing. The book raises questions that make you rethink your own subjective experience – but it’s definitely a workout for the brain.

6/10

This haunting new read from CJ Cooke combines psychological and thriller tropes with Nordic folklore to create a truly hair-raising, atmospheric novel.

The protagonist Lexie has hit a rough patch. After a failed suicide attempt and being dumped by her boyfriend, she longs to start anew. An opportunity presents itself as she overhears a conversation between two strangers on the train.

One of the women, Sophie, has been offered a nanny position but tells her friend she is unlikely to take it. As an aspiring writer, Lexie is immediately interested upon learning that the role is in Norway, which happens to be the setting of her latest novel.

Determined to change her luck, Lexie steals Sophie’s identity and credentials to track down the employer and take the nannying job herself.

Lexie, now presenting herself as Sophie, finds herself working for a widowed architect Tom, who needs someone to look after his two little girls. The family are living in the fjords of Norway as Tom tries to finish building an environmentally-friendly house to honour the memory of his late wife Aurelia.

Despite her initial fear of getting caught, Lexi finds herself relishing her new role thanks to the two little girls Gaia and Coco.

However, her happiness does not last for long, as strange things begin to happen.

Gaia recalls her chilling visions of a strange, sad lady, and a mysterious diary shows up in Lexi’s room, seemingly belonging to the children’s dead mother.

Admittedly, one does require a strong suspended sense of disbelief as the narrative begins to gather momentum, but I found myself unable to put the book down, caught in a permanent state of heightened suspense until the very final pages.

The author beautifully conveys the mystique of the atmospheric Norwegian hinterlands, which are the perfect setting for this dark story. There is often a tendency for authors who write thriller novels to present their readers with one-dimensional characters with little personal development – thankfully this is not the case in The Nesting, as CJ Cooke provides us with plenty of context for each character, and neatly interweaves this throughout the prose.

The paranormal element to the story adds to the theme of Nordic mythology, and combined with the author’s writing skills, results in a well-constructed plot that still contains plenty of mystery and an element of surprise. A genuinely unsettling thriller with a clever storyline that provides plenty of spinechilling moments.

V Today’salentine’s Day will be celebrated tomorrow over the world by those of a romantic nature. selection of photographs looks at Valentine’s Day cards – and also the company that produced so many of them, Valentines of Dundee.

The history of Valentine’s Day – and the story of its patron saint – is shrouded in mystery. It is known that February has long been celebrated as a month of romance. The day as we know it in modern times, contains vestiges of both Christian and ancient Roman tradition.

The firm who produced the cards to show one’s affection was founded in 1851 by James Valentine. It became the biggest company of its kind in Europe producing 100 million greeting cards every year.

Do any of the photographs bring back memories for you? Did you work in Valentines? Please email craigie@thecourier.co.uk

Lydia Halmers, left, and Gwen Kiddie, who worked in the every day Line Planners Department at Valentines, check cards for quality. The photograph was taken in 1984.

Former Dundee United star Dave Bowman’s daughter Rebecca, aged 2, shows her affection for her bearded collie dog Toddie, with a Valentine’s Day card.

A young lady, sadly unnamed in the caption, with a selection of Valentine’s Day cards.