My Review (5 stars out of 5) (Audiobook) An important book that charts the rise of secretive, extremist communities, tracing the roots of misogyny from men’s rights activists and pick-up artists to Men Going Their Own Way, trolls and the Incel movement, in the name of which some men have committed terrorist acts. If I’d…
Author: colingarrow
‘The Promise Tree’ by Elisabeth J Hobbes
My Review (4 stars out of 5) Eighteen-year-old Edwin lives with his grandfather – a man who appears not to like his grandson, though the reasons are unclear. Haunted by memories of a mysterious girl and a sycamore tree, Edwin is grateful when the old man allows him to escape to Yorkshire to stay with…
‘A Necessary Evil’ by Abir Mukherjee
My Review (4 stars out of 5) In 1920s India, Captain Sam Wyndham and Sergeant Banerjee of Calcutta Police embark on a murder investigation after witnessing the assassination of a maharaja’s son. Journeying to the kingdom of Sambalpore, they find that, aside from its diamond mines and beautiful palaces, the region is torn by conflict.…
‘Mister Slaughter’ by Robert McCammon
My Review (5 stars out of 5) In 1700s New York, apprentice problem solver and former magistrates clerk Matthew Corbett, is tasked with transporting murderer Tyranthus Slaughter from a Philadelphia asylum back to the New York City waterfront. Along with his companion Greathouse, Matthew manages the initial part of the journey well, but when Slaughter…
‘Wild Fire’ by Ann Cleeves
My Review (5 stars out of 5) Recent newcomers to Shetland—an English family with an autistic son—are shocked to find the body of a young nanny hanging in their barn. As the police begin their investigation, rumours quickly spread and the dead woman is linked to several individuals, prompting yet more stories and malicious gossip.…
‘The Sol 3 Agenda’ by Brian Kitchen
My Review (4 stars out of 5) On his way to Cornwall in 1969, John Trevaskis encounters a prehistoric stone which glows with a strange blue light. Finding himself teleported into some sort of alien craft, he encounters a robot. Meanwhile, John isn’t the only person to experience life-changing events. Discovering that Earth is in…
‘Beyond Evil’ by Nathan Yates
My Review (5 stars out of 5) In Soham in 2002, two ten-year-old girls, Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman, went out to go and buy some sweets, but they never came home. Among the volunteers who came forward to help in the search for the missing girls was school caretaker, Ian Huntley, who also put…
‘The Distant Echo’ by Val McDermid
My Review (5 stars out of 5) When four drunken students discover the body of a woman in an ancient Pictish cemetery, they soon find themselves suspected of her murder. With blood on their clothes, they struggle to maintain their innocence as they try to move on with their lives. When a cold-case review is…
‘The Riddle of the Sands’ by Erskine Childers
My Review (5 stars out of 5) (Audiobook) First published in 1903, The Riddle of the Sands influenced many spy stories by writers such as John Buchan, Ian Fleming and John le Carre. When civil servant Caruthers is invited on a duck-shooting holiday with his yachting enthusiast pal, Davies, he learns about his friend’s recent…
‘From Potter’s Field’ by Patricia Cornwell
My Review (5 stars out of 5) It’s Christmas in New York, and Dr Kay Scarpetta and her cop pal Captain Marino are dishing out blankets to those in need when they’re thrown into a murder investigation. The body of a woman is found by a fountain in Central Park, bearing all the hallmarks of…
