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…
‘Arsenic at Ascot’ by Kelly Oliver
My Review (4 stars out of 5) This is book four in the Fiona Figg and Kitty Lane Mystery series, and the first I’ve read by this author. Well-known mistress of disguise and wartime spy, Fiona Figg, finds herself shunted around the war office dealing with mundane tasks, rather than getting to grips with espionage…
‘Shamus Dust’ by Janet Roger
My Review (5 stars out of 5) A Christmas crib. A nurse lighting candles in a church. A dead body. In snowy post-war London, City Police has a murder to deal with, and a frightened councillor hires investigator Newman to look into the killing. But Newman soon finds he has more on his plate than…
‘The Infirmary’ by LJ Ross
My Review (5 stars out of 5) (audiobook) A serial killer stalks the streets of Newcastle, apparently targeting his victims at random. But when the female DCI in charge of the case goes missing, the ante is well and truly upped for DCI Ryan as he takes over the hunt for the killer. With each…
Colin Garrow 