The Lost Blackbird by Liza Perrat
I’ll willingly admit to an interest here: Liza Perrat is an Australian writer married to a Frenchman and living in France, and I’m a fan. What you get with Liza is an Australian straightforwardness that draws you into her …
The Second Time Around by Gloria Antypowich
I know there are people in the UK who look down on the Romance genre. There are also people who look down on the horror, sci-fi, fantasy and religious/inspirational genres. I think this has to do with the snobbery that …
The Darkness by Ragnar Jónasson Translated by Victoria Cribb
It’s a broccoli book – and I hate broccoli
If, like me, you were raised in a book loving family, one of the things you were taught at an early age was that books, once started, should be finished. You …
Killing the Girl by Elizabeth Hill
I’m a long-time admirer of William Trevor. I like the way, as an outsider (a Protestant in Catholic Ireland, and someone who had moved often in his childhood), he observed the people around him and presented them accurately in his …
The Silent Kookaburra by Liza Perrat
The Silent Kookaburra is not an easy read. Extremely well written, it demands to be read with the same concentration as went into writing it. And it repays the effort. What this book does is to trace the evolution of …
5 Stars for The Wedding Speech Handbook by Michael J McMahon
However much or little experience you have, this book has something to teach you
I received a free copy of this book in return for an honest opinion. I’ll be frank: I didn’t expect to learn much. How wrong I …
4½ Stars for Rules for Perfect Murders by Peter Swanson
This is a very clever book on a number of levels. Peter Swanson has pulled off two very difficult tricks in one book:
- He has made us care about a character who, if not actively dislikeable, has nothing to commend
Old Filth by Jane Gardam
Old Filth by Jane Gardam
5 Stars. Stunning. Brilliant. A tour de force by a brilliant writer
Just occasionally, you read a book that has attained absolute perfection. It doesn’t happen often – once a year if you’re lucky (and …
Towards the Vanishing Point by Jan Turk Petrie
Before reading this I read all three of the author’s Eldísvík novels and before that I read Too Many Heroes, so I guess you could call me a Jan Turk Petrie fan. What I like most is the way …