The Virgin of the Wind Rose While probing the murder of her missionary boyfriend in Ethiopia, rookie State Department lawyer Jaqueline Quartermane discovers a strange word square in an underground church. Teaming up with the elusive Elymas she follows the ancient clues to Rome, Nova Scotia and Sumatra. Running alongside the main story is a…
Month: September 2016
‘The Lights Went Out and Other Stories’ by Fiona Cooke Hogan
The Lights Went Out and Other Stories Taking the ordinary and everyday, Ms Hogan weaves her fictions around seemingly unexciting people and commonplace occurrences, creating recognisable and occasionally extraordinary stories, that reflect the feelings and obsessions we all encounter from time to time. From the petty arguments and disagreements in ‘Table By the Window’ and…
How to Turn an Idea into a Novel…
All writers are asked where they get ideas from and whenever I start a new project, I often find myself wondering about the process I go through from that first spark to the finished novel. For instance, with Death on a Dirty Afternoon, I know very well where the original idea came from but I’m…
‘Killing Ways’ by Alex Barclay
Killing Ways FBI Special Agent Ren Bryce and the Safe Streets Task Force get more than they bargained for when they begin an investigation into what looks like the work of a serial killer. When the murderer’s modus operandi appears to change, the team face an ever-increasing body count and precious little evidence. Ren studies…
‘The Husband’s Secret’ by Liane Moriarty
The Husband’s Secret This isn’t the sort of book I’d normally read. I only picked it up because it was in a pile of paperbacks someone had brought in to work that had been sitting on top of a filing cabinet for a few days. ‘The Husband’s Secret’ was the top one. I read the…
‘The Pink Beetle’ by Caspar Vega
The Pink Beetle When I agree to review a book, my decision is usually based on several factors, including the quality of the writing, the blurb, the page length and the genre, but in this case, it was mostly based on the cover. (Yeah, I know, what can I say – image is everything). The…
‘Horse Flesh’ by Tina Sugarman
Horse Flesh A brilliant harness horse driver risks losing everything because of a drug habit, while the Director of Racing struggles to rid the industry of its dirty tricks and dodgy practices. In this epic tale from the world of competitive Standardbred horse racing, this is a story of riders, trainers, mounties and mysterious strangers.…
‘Wildflower Bay’ by Rachael Lucas
Wildflower Bay Hair stylist Isla’s dream job in an exclusive Edinburgh salon takes a nosedive when she drops a clanger while colouring a customer’s hair. Given two months ‘gardening leave’ by her boss, she suddenly finds herself without a job and without a future. With few friends and not much to look forward to, a…
‘NYPD RED’ by James Patterson
NYPD Red Hollywood film mogul Sid Roth gets more than he bargained for when he orders a tomato juice at a top New York hotel. Within minutes, the man is dead, but the killer has already moved on to his next victim and has no intention of stopping. As part of the elite NYPD Red…
Colin Garrow 