read

    A well-conceived historical novel is a fine thing indeed. Throw in some she-spies, shed loads of intrigue and the gritty, dark and turbulent world of mid-seventeenth-century Civil War England and surely you’re onto a winner? Well, Pete Langman’s enjoyable Killing Beauties has all those things, and more. Langman’s well-researched novel focuses on Susan … Continue readings →

Tags : Charles Stuart, Civil War, Edward Hyde, Killing Beauties, Parlimentarian, Pete Langman, Restoration, Royalist, seventeenth-century England, she-intelligencers, she-spies, Susan Hyde, women's history

    There’s an underlying claustrophobia to Francine Toon’s debut novel, Pine. Something I felt strongly even though I was reading it under blue, blue open skies, in tropical heat, in a landscape about as far removed as one could get from the book’s remote woody, Highland setting. Toon’s child protagonist, Lauren, lives with her … Continue readings →

Tags : Doubleday, Francine Toon, ghost, Gothic, Highlands, Pine, Scottish fiction

    If much-loved literary characters were to come to life, that really would be a dream come true for most book lovers. Not so much so for Charley Sutherland, the protagonist of New Zealander HG Parry’s fictional debut, The Unlikely Escape of Uriah Heep. Since childhood, Charley has had a special power, one that … Continue readings →

Tags : editor's choice, HG Parry, imagination, New Zealand, New Zealand Writer, The Unlikely Escape of Uriah Heep, The Wild One

  We periodically wax lyrical about independent presses and their lists and Karen Sullivan’s Orenda Books has had several such shout outs. She’s a canny publisher with a great eye, and the range and quality of her authors support that. So, no surprise then that wonderful Doug Johnstone’s latest novel, A Dark Matter, is published … Continue readings →

Tags : A Dark Matter, Doug Johnstone, Edinburgh, indie presses, Karen Sullivan, Orenda Books, Scottish noir, Scottish writers

  We like PI Bev Saunders. She’s feisty, funny and she has heart, so we’re delighted to meet her again in Backlash, author Marnie Riches’ latest entertaining offering. This time Bev’s tasked with going undercover to deal with a rowdy neighbour who’s driving her client insane. But as in all good crime-fiction, nothing is quite … Continue readings →

Tags : Backlash, Bev Saunders, Bev Saunders and Doc, Manchester, Marnie Riches, northern noir, PI Bev Saunders

  There are some cracking crime-fiction novels being published this year and Russ Thomas’ debut Firewatching sits snugly among them. A smartly plotted, tightly written book set over seven days, it introduces DS Adam Tyler to audiences. Working for South Yorkshire’s Cold Case Review Unit (or Sea-Crew as it’s also known), Tyler is a late … Continue readings →

Tags : British noir, crime fiction, debut writers, Firewatching, police procedurals, Russ Thomas, Simon and Schuster

  Nora Roberts is one of my Old Familiars, a writer whose work I go back to again and again, especially when I need comfort. And each time I do, her books don’t disappoint: they’re like catching up with old friends. In Sanctuary, one of Roberts’ older, longer form novels, the author does what she … Continue readings →

Tags : bestsellers, crime fiction, Desire, Hathaways, JD Robb, Little Brown, Mills and Boon, mystery, Nora Roberts, Piatkus, romance, Sanctuary

  We do like a good historical crime-fiction novel and David Young’s Stasi Winter fits perfectly into this category. It’s our first Young experience, yet the fifth in an existing series featuring Karin Müller, a detective in East Germany’s People’s Police. And as we can testify, it can be read as a standalone, although we … Continue readings →

Tags : Cold War, David Young, historical fiction, Karin Müller, Muller 5, Stasi Winter, the Stasi

  A tale of love in all its guises, Beth Miller’s The Missing Letters of Mrs Bright explores friendship, family and the joy of life. When protagonist Kay decides to up and leave her husband of 29 years, it’s a shock to her family and friends, even more so when she takes off to fields … Continue readings →

Tags : Australia, Beth Miller, Bookouture, contemporary women's literature, Sarah Hardy, The Missing Letters of Mrs Bright, women's literature

  Set in a remote part of the Lake District, Sarah Stovell’s remarkable The Home is a stark, beautiful and emotive novel that takes no prisoners. Focusing on three troubled young women in care, Annie, Hope and Lara all have traumatic pasts. While they have been let down by those meant to protect them, at … Continue readings →

Tags : 2020, crime fiction, Orenda Books, psychological thriller, sarah stovell, the home

  First review of 2020 and we start with a bang and not a whimper with Rose Black’s highly readable The Unforgetting. Set in Victorian England, the book pays more than a nod to classic Gothic literature. At its centre is protagonist Lily Bell who dreams of a sparkling career on the London stage. When … Continue readings →

Tags : ghosts, Gothic, historical fiction, Rose Black, The Unforgetting, Victorian London, women's literature

  There are certain times of year that lend themselves more to poetry, that inspire and evoke feelings of joy, happiness, kindness, loss, despair, the whole gamut of human emotion really. In her latest book, author Orna Ross has written twelve poems for deep mid-winter. ‘The hibernal solstice, the darkest day of the year, has … Continue readings →

Tags : Christmas, Font, Hindu, Irish, Jewish, Orna Ross, poetry, poetry collections, women writers

  In Deathly Affair, Leigh Russell’s latest procedural, protagonist Geraldine Steel takes her thirteenth bow, but it’s a Geraldine who, while somewhat shaken, is stirred enough to fight the good fight. A demotion from DI to DS and a move to York see Geraldine working with DI Ian Peterson again. Her change in circumstances doesn’t … Continue readings →

Tags : anne cater, Geraldine Steele, Leigh Russell, No Exit Press, police procedurals

  There are a lot of very good New Zealand writers around, particularly in crime fiction, and Nathan Blackwell is one of the newest kids on the block. The Sound of her Voice, published in paperback by Orion this month, is a very good, albeit dark read. No surprises then that it was shortlisted for … Continue readings →

Tags : Auckland, crime fiction, Nathan Blackwell, New Zealand, Ngaio Marsh, Orion

  ghoster   noun A person who ends a relationship with someone by suddenly and without explanation withdrawing from all communication.”   This is a year of original fiction and it’s a huge pleasure to review yet another novel that fits into this category, Jason Arnopp’s Ghoster. Funny, engaging, creepy, twisted, I could throw all … Continue readings →