My Review (4 stars out of 5) (Audiobook) Originally written as a series of new introductions to special editions of his books, Lee Child expounds on the ideas and inspirations behind the Jack Reacher novels from Killing Floor to Blue Moon. Like Stephen King, Child is a pantser (an author who doesn’t plot their novels),…
Author: colingarrow
‘Embouchure’ by Archibald Fitz
My Review (4 stars out of 5) An American artist, jazz buff and sci-fi writer lives with his Italian muse in Quebec’s Bohemian enclave of De Lorimier. When his business partner is killed by a bomb, he finds himself in the spotlight as a suspect in the investigation. But hints of French terrorism, the Mafia,…
‘End of Watch’ by Stephen King
My Review (5 stars out of 5) Now running a detective agency along with his side-kick Holly Gibney, ex-detective Bill Hodges is intrigued to learn that the letter Z has been written at the scene of the crime. Hodges discovers the evidence suggests the culprit to be Brady Hartsfield, the notorious ‘Mercedes Killer’. But with…
‘No Oil Painting’ by Genevieve Marenghi
My Review (4 stars out of 5) This is the first book I’ve read by this author and it’s an entertaining and light-hearted read. Set in the real 17th-century National Trust property of Ham House, we meet a team of mature volunteers who, in some cases, feel somewhat invisible to the public in general. However,…
‘Elm Brook Manor’ by Iwan Ross
My Review (4 stars out of 5) Author Coby McTavish, also known as Mister Jones, hopes to reinvigorate his life by moving into historic Elm Brook Manor. But the house harbours secrets from the past, including the restless spirit of a murdered woman. Digging into the house’s history, Coby becomes entwined with a scorned mother…
‘A Mind of My Own’ by Kathy Burke
My Review (5 stars out of 5) (Audiobook) From her childhood in Islington, where she was often left to fend for herself, to success in theatre and film, actor, writer and director Kathy Burke tells her own story in this occasionally heart-breaking but often hilarious account of her life. From difficult beginnings to her first…
‘The Glass Room’ by Ann Cleeves
My Review (5 stars out of 5) DI Vera Stanhope’s nearest neighbours give her something to think about when one of them is suspected of murder. Having abandoned her husband to run off to a writing retreat, hippyish Joanna is found standing over a dead body with a knife in her hand. The fact of…
‘Delicious Longevity’ by Sara Redondo
My Review (4 stars out of 5) This book starts off by asking lots of questions, such as Should I eliminate gluten from my diet? And Can vegetarians and vegans get all the nutrient they need? The author proposes to answer these questions and many more, focusing on creating good habits that will transform the…
‘Making Contact and Other Short Stories’ by Joy Mutter
My Review (5 stars out of 5) This is Joy Mutter’s third collection of short stories and once again it demonstrates her ability to mix light-hearted topics with more sinister themes. Having read most of her books, I’m more than familiar with her writing style and this one is stamped with all her usual hallmarks.…
‘The Secret Sauce’ by MJ Porter
Welcome to my stop on the blog tour for The Secret Sauce, via Rachel at Rachel’s Random Resources Blurb Birmingham, England, November 1944. Chief Inspector Mason of Erdington Police Station is summoned to a suspicious death at the BB Sauce factory in Aston on a wet Monday morning in late November 1944. Greeted by his…
Colin Garrow 