28 October 2021

Teen waif a heart-breaker hero of gripping crime tale

, , , ,

THE joys of reading are many and varied. Too many delights exist to be contained within a strictly defined list. And always they are dependent on time, place, purpose and  numerous further variables. It’s a statement clearly not made to broadcast some newly discovered truth. But uttered in the hope of spreading light into dark… Continue Reading

28 October 2021

Teen waif a heart-breaker hero of gripping crime tale

, , , ,

THE joys of reading are many and varied. Too many delights exist to be contained within a strictly defined list. And always they are dependent on time, place, purpose and  numerous further variables. It’s a statement clearly not made to broadcast some newly discovered truth. But uttered in the hope of spreading light into dark… Continue Reading

15 October 2021

Chilling mystery among Sweden’s forest-dwellers

, , , ,

A BOOK with a cover claiming the contents are “eerie, unnerving and buckets of fun” presents a puzzle before a single page is turned. Unnerving and fun? Such an odd mix. Especially for what is also billed as “a thriller”, and involves “one kidnapping, one liar, one chance”. Where are “the buckets of fun” going … Continue Reading

29 September 2021

Bad night’s good for thrill-seeking readers

, , , ,

IT is one of those titles that says it all. Well, almost. The cover picture of menacing clouds hanging low over the French capital leaves little room for doubt about the content within. Everything is explained in five short words: A Long Night in Paris. And not one of gaiety and revelry such as those… Continue Reading

22 September 2021

Osman overkill’s murder for fellow authors

, , , ,

CAN’T help thinking we have reached peak Osman. Urgent action is needed; metaphorically, it is time to paddle for the beach before being engulfed in the succession of tidal boomers  heading our way. Nowhere will be safe. Hide under a rock if you wish, but that offers no guarantee of escape. Osmania is sweeping the… Continue Reading

29 August 2021

Devious mix of students, spies, voyeurs and fishermen

, ,
Val McDermid book cover

CATCH-up time, trying to reduce the pile of recent reads that have provided a mixed bag of distraction, intrigue, twisting plot-lines and unreliable narrators. Two old favourites and one comparative newbie among a clutch of authors with an unfailing ability to grip and taunt with narratives that leave you guessing to the very end. The… Continue Reading

8 August 2021

Saddened by surgeon stalker’s nasty story

, ,

STARTING a previously unread book is a journey into the unknown, but one full of hope and expectation. Perhaps it’s sparked by an intriguing review, or an enthusiastic word of mouth recommendation. Maybe fellow book bloggers – at least those with no axe to grind or promoters to please – have heaped praise on the… Continue Reading

24 June 2021

Disher sets gold standard for Outback crime

, , ,

WHEN trawling through the innumerable Facebook pages devoted to crime fiction it seems as if Australia has resumed its status of more than two hundred years ago; a distant, unknown, almost unheard of land in danger of falling off the edge of the world. And this was before Covid-19 persuaded its dithering ensemble of state… Continue Reading

11 June 2021

Benched! Meghan’s woeful paean to mediocrity

, ,

FAME is a wonderful thing; it overrides ability in so many fields of endeavour. But nowhere more so than in the world of publishing. There the principle is simple: names sell. Celebrity is everything. Much to the chagrin of authors who have spent years honing their craft. Facebook “likes”, Instagram followers, Twitter retweets; these are… Continue Reading

15 May 2021

Sad times for pedants and purists

, , ,
Poor use of apostrophes: Pie's Pasty's Sandwich's + Cakes

SAD times for the pedants among us. To start with, the man who waged a lifelong war against misuse of the apostrophe has met his own full stop. Then, as if to add insult to injury, that weird Californian couple who once were royal have continued  their verbose mangling of the English language. The first… Continue Reading

3 May 2021

The lights are on but no one’s home

, , ,
Now where was I. Picture - Rad Cyrus, Unsplash

SOMETHING’S not right. I already had my suspicions but chose to ignore them. Now I fear that is no longer possible; recent events have convinced me so. Time to face the fact: incidents of going into another room and not remembering why you did so are commonplace in one’s more senior years. At first, they… Continue Reading

End of content

End of content

Receive my ‘Read. Write. Run. Repeat.’ newsletter

Regular updates of my reviews and commentary direct to your inbox.