My Review (4 stars out of 5) The Green Viper is book 4 in the James Ryker series, and the first I’ve read by this author. Following a mysterious message, Ryker sets out to track down the son of his dead boss, who has got himself embroiled in a dangerous world of drugs and gangster…
‘A Very Important Teapot’ by Steve Sheppard
My Review (3 stars out of 5) Out of work and out of money, Dawson pursues the woman of his dreams – Rachel Whyte. But Rachel is otherwise engaged to someone who isn’t out of work and money. Then a job offer drops into Dawson’s lap which involves Australia, the underworld, the police and various…
‘The Lost Queen’ by Carol McGrath
My Review (4 stars out of 5) Berengaria of Navarre is destined to be the wife and queen of King Richard I (Richard the Lionheart). This story relates how Berengaria’s future mother-in-law, Eleanor of Aquitaine, took her on a journey to meet up with the young woman’s future husband, Richard. I’d never heard of Berengaria,…
‘The Shadow of Death’ by Philip E Ginsburg
My Review (5 stars out of 5) (Audiobook) During the 1980s, a killer stabbed six women in the Connecticut River Valley, between New Hampshire and Vermont. Despite rigorous investigations, the murderer has never been caught. Author Philip E. Ginsburg reveals the pioneering forensic methods police and FBI agents used to track the killer. The only…
‘We Should All Be Feminists’ by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
My Review (5 stars out of 5) Best-selling author Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s book is based on her 2013 TEDx Talk of the same name. It explains what it means to be a feminist using examples from her own experiences and her understanding of sexual politics. This is a short and enlightening read that describes in…
‘Passageways’ by Lisa Fox
My Review (5 stars out of 5) This is a collection of twenty-seven speculative short stories exploring the idea of journeys. A mix of science fiction, fantasy, and horror, they are peopled by characters whose hoped-for destinations take them on a variety of strange and disturbing routes. With any collection of stories, there are always…
‘Silent Voices’ by Ann Cleeves
My Review (5 stars out of 5) Following her doctor’s orders, DI Vera Stanhope makes the effort to take regular exercise by swimming a few lengths of the pool in her local gym. When she discovers a body in the sauna room it looks as though the woman died of natural causes, but ligature marks…
‘Chase – The Hunt for the Tsar’s Treasure’ by Thomas Dellenbusch
My Review (4 stars out of 5) The Chase team’s IT specialist Andree is drawn into a new adventure when an old classmate asks for his help. An encrypted data carrier may hold clues to Russian treasure but before Andree’s friend can tell him more, she is kidnapped by a gang of motorcyclists. Translated by…
‘The Fells’ by Cath Staincliffe
My Review (5 stars out of 5) In the summer 1997, Vicky Mott leaves the cottage where she’s staying with her friends and walks off into the early morning light. Her disappearance is put down to the serial killer known as the Fellside Strangler but when Vicky’s body is discovered twenty years later, the possibility…
‘The Custard Corpses’ by MJ Porter
My Review (5 stars out of 5) (Audiobook) Birmingham, 1943. A twenty-year-old murder sets Chief Inspector Mason on the trail of a killer. Along with his sidekick Constable O’Rourke, he investigates the death of a boy – Robert McFarlane – who was murdered in 1923. Weirdly, although the body was discovered on dry land, the…
Colin Garrow 