My Review (5 stars out of 5) Robin Odell has produced a fascinating and very readable book that lifts the lid on a case which resulted in the first solicitor in England to be hanged for murder. Hay on Wye solicitor Major Herbert Rowse Armstrong became known as the Hay Poisoner following an investigation into…
Month: October 2026
‘The Sun’s Shadow’ by Stephen Wiseman
My Review (5 stars out of 5) Étienne de Vaurain – Gentleman of the Bedchamber to Louis XIV – has spent years developing his role as the right hand of the Sun King. But his ambition and sharp wit are about to be interrupted. The fountains of Versailles fall silent and something unseen and mysterious…
‘How to Kill a Witch’ by Claire Mitchell and Zoe Venditozzi
My Review (5 stars out of 5) (Audiobook) In Scotland in the 1500s, witch hunts ripped through the country for over 150 years. More than 4,000 women were accused, many of whom were executed by strangulation and burning. Campaigners and writers Claire Mitchell, KC, and Zoe Venditozzi, explore what happened and why, revealing the process…
‘A Granite Silence’ Nina Allan
My Review (5 stars out of 5) A Granite Silence explores a real-life murder that happened in Aberdeen, Scotland, in 1934, when eight-year-old Helen Priestly was killed by one of her neighbours. During her school dinner break, Helen’s mother sent her to the shop for a loaf of bread. The little girl was never seen…
