20 December 2021

Crime fiction triple treat for Christmas wish lists

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A HYPOTHETICAL: what would make a good Christmas gift for an avid reader of crime fiction?  Faced by a pile of recent reads, I soon realised this was an almost impossible task. Too much choice; too many vying for the top spot. And such a broad range of  preferences among devotees of the genre. Much… Continue Reading

20 December 2021

Crime fiction triple treat for Christmas wish lists

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A HYPOTHETICAL: what would make a good Christmas gift for an avid reader of crime fiction?  Faced by a pile of recent reads, I soon realised this was an almost impossible task. Too much choice; too many vying for the top spot. And such a broad range of  preferences among devotees of the genre. Much… Continue Reading

2 December 2021

Snowbound Siberia, oligarchs and shamans

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IT has been a while – far too long, in fact – since I was last in the moody company of Arkady Renko, the rebellious investigator who is a perennial thorn in the side of Moscow prosecutor, the devious Zurin. Back then, in 1981, Arkady’s creator, Martin Cruz Smith, was announcing his arrival on the… Continue Reading

31 October 2021

So easy to be spooked in these scary times

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BE prepared to be afraid. Very afraid, for these are scary times. There are frighteners everywhere; and that’s not counting the heavy brigade and their standover mates. Those black-clad steroids on legs, eyes permanently hidden behind Ray Bans. The grunters and mumblers  who feature so large not only in real life but also in the bloodier… Continue Reading

15 October 2021

Chilling mystery among Sweden’s forest-dwellers

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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

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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

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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

19 July 2021

Mystery fun with criminals, bishops and barristers

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FOR those of a certain age (i.e. anyone born in the last century) one word will be sufficient to evoke fond memories of unmissable criminal court dramas. A reminder of tantalisingly clever tales rich in humour, wry comment and a panoply of credible and almost loveable rogues. And that word is Rumpole. Horace Rumpole, barrister…. Continue Reading

9 July 2021

Spy tale irritates more than it thrills

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BOOK lovers are a stubborn and peculiar breed. They will determinedly push on to the very last word despite all the negative vibes they are receiving from their current choice of reading matter. They plough relentlessly forward, deaf to a background noise about plot, characters, writing style, inconsistencies, typos (polite word for spelling errors), plodding… Continue Reading

5 July 2021

Have a cuppa with pride, not prejudice

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NEARLY choked on my afternoon cuppa. Spluttered and dribbled before disaster was eventually averted. Yorkshire’s finest it was, too. You know, the brew that guy with the accent as broad as the Dales is forever chuntering on about. Seems that the much adored novelist and regular tea drinker Jane Austen (pictured) has fallen foul of… Continue Reading

20 June 2021

When saying you are ‘fine’ is open to question

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A BOOK obtained by an accidental encounter; a volume I had never considered in the several years since it first appeared in 2017 and won the Costa First Novel Award. Not even as an impulse buy while browsing bookshop shelves. This intriguing, mesmerising and continually delightful tale was plucked from a box of unwanted items… Continue Reading

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