Published by HQ Publication date – 26 May 2022 Source – review copy Will the truth be buried with the dead? When DS Joe Romano first meets Ana Dobrescu she’s nervous, in serious danger, and clearly needs help. The next time Romano sees her, she’s dead. There was nothing more he could have done, but…
Month: May 2022
Jinny Alexander – Q&A
Jinny Alexander’s book, Dear Isobel, was published on 14 March 2022. Jinny kindly answered a few of my questions. 1. Tell us a little about Dear Isobel. Dear Isobel tells the aftermath of the married narrator’s affair with her business partner, Charles. It includes flashback scenes that detail moments of the affair, and charts the…
20 Books of Summer 2022 – the choices
So it’s that time of year again. Devised by Cathy at 746Books the aim is to read 20 books between 1 June and 1 September. I have taken part for the last five years. I think I’ve only made it once! You can read about the challenge on Cathy’s excellent blog here. Because I’m a mood…
Jane’s Country Year by Malcolm Saville – review
Published by Handheld Press Publication date – 18 January 2022 Source – review copy At last she reached the brow of the hill … now the country opened out below her and she looked down into a wide and lovely valley … Still patched with snow the little fields spread like a carpet below her…
Carys Jones – Q&A
Carys Jones is the author of We Are All Liars which was published by Orion on 9 December 2021. Carys kindly answered a few of my questions. 1. Tell us a little about We Are All Liars. We Are All Liars is a standalone thriller about five friends who have drifted apart in later life…
Small Things Like These by Claire Keegan – review
Published by Faber Publication date 21 October 2021 Source – gift It is 1985, in an Irish town. During the weeks leading up to Christmas, Bill Furlong, a coal and timber merchant, faces into his busiest season. As he does the rounds, he feels the past rising up to meet him — and encounters the…
Black Water Sister by Zen Cho – giveaway
Zen Cho’s books include Sorcerer to the Crown, The True Queen and Spirits Abroad. Her latest novel, Black Water Sister, is published today in paperback by Pan Macmillan. Her grandmother may be dead, but she’s not done with life . . . yet. As Jessamyn packs for Malaysia, it’s not a good time to start…
Death and Croissants by Ian Moore – review
Published by Farrago Publication date – 1 July 2021 Source – review copy Richard is a middle-aged Englishman who runs a B&B in the fictional Val de Follet in the Loire Valley. Nothing ever happens to Richard, and really that’s the way he likes it. One day, however, one of his older guests disappears, leaving…
Even the Darkest Night by Javier Cercas, translated by Anne McLean – review
Published by McLehose Press Publication date – 22 February 2022 Source – review copy When Melchor goes to investigate the horrific double-murder of a rich printer and his wife in rural Cataluña nothing quite adds up. The young cop from the big city, hero of a foiled terrorist attack, has been sent to Terra Alta…
Under the Reader’s Radar – celebrating the quiet novel
There are thousands upon thousands of books published each year. Only a small percentage of those make it to the best-seller list. That doesn’t mean that the rest aren’t worthy of reading. It may be that they are written by self-published authors who don’t have the marketing knowledge or a small independent publisher who doesn’t have…
From First Page to Last 