2 July 2020

Taut teaser a good introduction to German crime fiction

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AND now for something completely different with a truly gripping thriller from a source not previously sampled. After years of immersion in the tide of Scandi Noir, I am stepping out into fresh fields with a switch to German Noir. Well, completely different and fresh for this reader, although no doubt it has been flourishing… Continue Reading

2 July 2020

Taut teaser a good introduction to German crime fiction

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AND now for something completely different with a truly gripping thriller from a source not previously sampled. After years of immersion in the tide of Scandi Noir, I am stepping out into fresh fields with a switch to German Noir. Well, completely different and fresh for this reader, although no doubt it has been flourishing… Continue Reading

22 June 2020

Perverse persistence of parents of the past

OKAY, so we know you cannot teach an old dog new tricks. For verification, just ask any woman who has tried to persuade a man to stop wearing the same old grey and switch to something brighter, cheerier. Anything to make a change. Further supporting evidence comes by way of that other cliche that a… Continue Reading

21 June 2020

Signs of the times unread and ignored

EDUCATION standards are definitely slipping. Casual observation of  the dosy dawdlers slowly refilling out streets indicates that this is so. So many citizens  are showing an inability to read.  To them, the inscribed shapes appearing all around them are nothing more than heiroglyphics. And those who have passed the brain-straining next step of transforming these… Continue Reading

13 June 2020

Unexpected intruders in pandemic dreamtime

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Hi Mum, everything all right? No reply. Morning Dad, how’s tricks? Silence, not a word. And why should I expect one? It’s been such a long time since we last spoke. Something like thirty years or more in dad’s case, probably going on for even lo ger. More recently with mu, almost in this century…. Continue Reading

12 June 2020

McDermid delivers another twisting tale

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IN these uncertain times (I write in the era of Covid-19) there is little better than delving into a book knowing that satisfaction is guaranteed. Plot, characters and dialogue will meld into a teasingly enjoyable story of good fighting evil with at least some measure of justice being served. The good guys will at times… Continue Reading

5 June 2020

Crime rules along the library shelves

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BRITISH readers’ love affair with all things dark, murderous and mysterious shows no signs of waning. Crime continues to come first choice among public library users, with children’s books a valiant second and daylight to all other genres. Thrillers, mysteries and crime fiction take eight out of the ten top places in the British Library’s… Continue Reading

2 June 2020

Coming soon preview: Crossing the Line

Our sleuth is called back to head office to be sent on a dangerous mission to face a ruthless foe in deepest rural England. Continue Reading

31 May 2020

Crime or no crime; a book that enthralls

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CRIME fiction is probably the broadest of all literary genres. And nowhere in my recent reading is this better demonstrated than by this beautifully crafted novel. Fine writing from a Grand Prix Litteraire de l’Heroine winner that mystifies and intrigues from the appealing title all the way through to its haunting other worldly conclusion. Whether… Continue Reading

29 May 2020

Even humble hummus can become too much to bear

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IT appears that waste is good. More than that, it is to be encouraged rather than discouraged, despite the extent to which it is universally decried. This is proved time and again on my regular excursions to buy the necessities of life. The recent panic buying epidemic – caused by an even greater pandemic –… Continue Reading

23 May 2020

Down to the pub for Gramp’s jug of beer

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A CLICHE it maybe, but the saying that “everything old is new again” is one that has stood the test of time. As reliable as ever as each generation “discovers” something that was commonplace to their parents or grandparents. It rushed to mind as today’s papers splashed on the “innovative” ways public houses were coping… Continue Reading

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