The Austrian Bride My Review (4 stars out of 5) Austria, 1938. Longing for a better future for her fellow Austrians, Ella is caught up in the excitement when Hitler marches into Linz. But her enthusiasm fades as she witnesses the Nazis methods. Encouraged to join the Reich Bride School by her boyfriend Max and…
Author: colingarrow
‘Under the Dome’ by Stephen King
My Review (5 stars out of 5) A small New England town is suddenly wrenched from the rest of the world when an invisible forcefield drops over it. Cars, planes, and people smash into the dome causing horror and panic. Iraq War veteran Dale Barbara is on his way out of the town when the…
‘Out of Africa’ by Karen Blixen
My Review (3 stars out of 5) This is Karen Blixen’s account of her time in Africa from 1914 up until 1931 when she left to return to Denmark. Arriving in Kenya to run a coffee farm, she describes her love for the land and the people, her affection for the landscape and animals, and…
‘Sight Unseen’ by Sandra Ireland
My Review (5 stars out of 5) Struggling with the demands of her work as a shop manager, part time storyteller, and witch-tour guide, Sarah Sutherland must also deal with looking after her elderly father. Living in a house once occupied by Alie Gowdie – a woman executed as a witch during the time of…
‘Hidden Depths’ by Ann Cleeves
My Review (5 stars out of 5) Following a night out, a mother arrives home to find her son strangled, his body laid in the bath and decorated with flowers. The murder sets Inspector Vera Stanhope on an investigation but she soon has another body to deal with – one that replicates the stylized setting…
‘Into the Uncanny’ by Danny Robins
My Review (4 stars out of 5) Sceptic and would-be ghost believer Danny Robins has been spooking us with his award-winning podcasts, Uncanny and The Battersea Poltergeist, as well as his recent BBC version of Uncanny. In this book, he relates more creepy stories from ordinary people who’ve had extraordinary encounters. I first heard of…
‘Into the Void’ by Geezer Butler
My Review (5 stars out of 5) Following in the footsteps of two of his former bandmates, Black Sabbath bassist and lyricist Geezer Butler adds to the biography of the world’s first heavy metal band. Selling more than 70 million records, the band influenced thousands of musicians, including Judas Priest, Metallica, Guns ‘n’ Roses, and…
‘Dead Man’s Time’ by Peter James
My Review (4 stars out of 5) Detective Superintendent Roy Grace must investigate a vicious robbery at a Brighton mansion, which soon turns to murder when an old woman dies. The search for valuable antiques stolen from the house pits Grace against the dead woman’s brother, who is keen to recover one particular item, as…
The Write-a-Book-in-a-Month Challenge
One of the nuggets of advice sometimes given out to Indie authors, focuses on the number of books we write each year. The consensus seems to be that less is not more, and rather, the greater number of new books we put out, the better chance we have of attracting new readers. With this in…
‘The Pottery Cottage Murders’ by Carol Ann Lee and Peter Howse
My Review (5 stars out of 5) In January 1977, escaped prisoner Billy Hughes entered the home of Gill Moran and her family, threatening their lives. Keeping them in separate rooms, he secretly murdered five members of the family one by one. After three days, Hughes took Gill with him to flee, but by then…
