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…
Author: colingarrow
‘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…
‘Bob and Shirley’s Guide to Murder’ by Suzy K Quinn
Welcome to my stop on the blog tour for Bob and Shirley’s Guide to Murder, via Rachel at Rachel’s Random Resources Bob and Shirley run a lovely country pub. They also solve murders… A warmly funny, gloriously British cozy crime and murder mystery series that can be read as standalones or part of a series.…
‘The Crooked Medium’s Guide to Murder’ by Stephen Cox
Welcome to my spot on Book Birthday Blitz for The crooked Medium’s Guide to Murder, via Rachel at Rachel’s Random Resources Blurb London 1881. Can two crooked women stop a murder? Extravagant medium Mrs Ashton and her lover, blunt working-class Mrs Bradshaw, run a spiritualist scam. Mrs Ashton secretly reads minds. Believing that Mrs Ashton…
‘A Hymn to Life’ by Gisèle Pelicot
My Review (5 stars out of 5) (Audiobook) Called into the police station one day, Gisèle Pelicot discovered that her husband of fifty years had been caught by a supermarket guard filming up women’s skirts. But on his computer the police also found videos showing that for years he had been drugging and raping his…
‘Shuggie Bain’ by Douglas Stuart
My Review (5 stars out of 5) Abandoned by her husband in 1980s Glasgow, Agnes Bain hopes for a new start. But she soon seeks solace in alcohol, while her children do all they can to keep her from harm. Her youngest son, Shuggie, knows he’s different to other boys but if he can set…
‘Tangled Lines’ by LM Pirie
My Review (4 stars out of 5) Fisherwoman Isla MacLeod is caught in a net of isolation. Toiling alongside her grandfather, the work doesn’t give her time for relationships and it’s getting her down. Her friend Morag sets Isla up on Highland Hearts dating site, but Isla thinks there isn’t much chance of meeting anyone…
‘Solid State’ by Kenneth Womack
My Review (5 stars out of 5) In February 1969, the Beatles began working on their final album – Abbey Road. The album included ‘Come Together’ ‘Something’, and ‘Here Comes the Sun’, some of the band’s most memorable songs. Subtitled The Story of Abbey Road and the End of the Beatles, this is another of…
