My Review (5 stars out of 5) Obsessed with the books of author John Rothstein, Morris Bellamy breaks into the writer’s house with a view to stealing a stash of notebooks that could contain an as-yet unpublished novel. Years later, as Bellamy is coming to the end of a jail sentence, schoolboy Pete Saubers discovers…
Author: colingarrow
‘The Stepford Wives’ by Ira Levin
My Review (4 stars out of 5) In the town of Stepford, Connecticut, the population appears happy with their lot – satisfied husbands and beautiful house-proud wives. Moving to the town with her husband, Joanna Eberhart finds the perfect image projected by the women is a little too much to take. Along with her new…
‘The Best of Me’ by David Sedaris
My Review (5 stars out of 5) This is a collection of David Sedaris’s best stories. From the absurd and the bizarre, to the touching and profound, we learn about his family, his relationships, and his often-hilarious insights into the human condition. I’ve read several of this author’s books already so, unsurprisingly, some of these…
‘The Mirror and the Light’ by Hilary Mantel
My Review (5 stars out of 5) England, May 1536. Following the execution of Anne Boleyn, Thomas Cromwell continues his climb to power and wealth, while Henry VIII settles into a brief marriage with Jane Seymour. Cromwell strives to keep his head unparted from his body, dealing with threats of invasion, plots against himself and…
‘The Loneliness of the Long-Distance Runner’ by Alan Sillitoe
My Review (4 stars out of 5) Thought to be a groundbreaking work on its first publication, The Loneliness of the Long-Distance Runner is a collection of short stories describing the lives of working-class people in the Midlands during the fifties and sixties (the title story relating the thoughts of a Borstal boy who finds…
‘The Wicked of the Earth’ by AD Bergin
My Review (5 stars out of 5) Newcastle, 1650. Parliamentarian spy James Archer travels back to the city of his birth in search of his sister Meg, missing in the aftermath of Newcastle’s witch trials. Amid an atmosphere of treachery, deceit and lies, Archer strives to find someone he can trust who might lead him…
‘Afua’ by Karl Drinkwater and Christoffer Petersen
My Review (4 stars out of 5) This is the second book I’ve read by Karl Drinkwater, though I’m not familiar with Christoffer Petersen’s work. Set in the Lost Solace universe, this is a sci-fi story featuring a strongminded heroine in the form of Afua. A fairly short read, the world of Lost Solace is…
‘Something Wicked’ by Carol Ann Lee
My Review (5 stars out of 5) (Audiobook) In 1612, ten people from Pendle were executed as witches. Most of the information known comes from Thomas Potts’ Wonderfull Discoverie of Witches, but now true-crime author Carol Ann Lee takes an in-depth view of the case, exploring the lives of the people involved, their backgrounds and…
‘Unnatural Exposure’ by Patricia Cornwell
My Review (5 stars out of 5) A series of murders committed thousands of miles apart sets Kay Scarpetta on a path to find the connection. But discrepancies with the most recent corpse suggest someone else may be behind the killings. When another body is found, however, the body points to a sinister and deadly…
Best Reads of 2024
A little while ago, I shared some of my all-time favourite murder mysteries on Shepherd (now Book DNA), while at the same time promoting one of my own books. The service is free for authors, so it’s worth giving it a go. You can see my page here: The best murder mysteries featuring unusual amateur…
Colin Garrow 