Friday Faceoff – So lovely was the loneliness of a wild lake… #Brainfluffbookblog #FridayFaceofflakecovers

This meme was started by Books by Proxy, whose fabulous idea was to compare UK and US book covers and decide which is we prefer. This meme is being nurtured by Lynn’s Book Blog and this week we are featuring covers with LAKES. I’ve selected The Ghost Fields – Book 7 of the Ruth Galloway series by Elly Griffiths.

Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, May 2015

This cover was produced by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt in May 2015 and is my favourite – and it’s the cover that came to mind when I saw this week’s theme. I love the quirky font and the scene that accurately depicts a keynote event in this book. The overall design and font used works well with the branding for the rest of the series. I particularly approve of the clean, uncluttered look of the cover with no blurbs cluttering up the design – doesn’t it make a difference?

Quercus, March 2015

Published in March 2015, by Quercus, this is another contender, as far as I’m concerned. There is a strong sense of intrigue as the young woman walks away from us, though barn doors, or could it be old hangar doors? However, I don’t think the title or author fonts are as well handled, and I don’t like the block of blurb disfiguring the design.

Swedish edition, July 2015

This Swedish edition, published in July 2015 by Bokförlaget Forum is another visually striking effort. I think what initially appears to be a very simple design is cleverly constructed – our eyes are drawn along that rickety fence to look into the hazy distance, where the flat ground gives way to an expanse of water. The subdued lighting caused by the setting sun adds to the sense of atmosphere and I really like how the orange in the author font picks up and matches the distant skyline.

Quercus, June 2016

Published by Quercus in June 2016, this edition is another fence leading off into the distance, more or less in the same way as the above example. Perhaps it was inspired by the Swedish design, as it does look every similar. However, the only part of this cover that is completely in focus are the tussocks of grass, the nearest fence post and a couple of strings of barbed wire. And the rather cloudy sky. Because the image so quickly loses clarity, so the distant buildings are mere blurs, I don’t find this cover conveys all that much that makes me want to pick up this book.

German edition, August 2019

This German edition, published in August 2019, has probably gone too far the other way. Again, it starts with a fence in the foreground and the rundown building in the background – this time around, far more clearly depicted, which works far better. But I do think that black sky above is just a step too far. As is the vivid green lettering – it gives the book a horror vibe which it shouldn’t have, given that Ruth is an archaeologist struggling to bring up her daughter on her own and from time to time gets drawn into a number of murder mysteries. Do this one doesn’t do it for me – but what about you, which one is your favourite?