My Review (4 stars out of 5) In 1983, 21-year-old Amy Edelstein began a solitary 500-kilometer journey in Zanskar, the highest valley in the world and the westernmost corner of the Tibetan plateau. Sleeping in caves, meeting other travellers, high lamas and monastics, she explored an ancient culture in her quest for wisdom, insight, and…
‘Shatter the Bones’ by Stuart MacBride
My Review (5 stars out of 5) Aberdeen mother and daughter singing sensation Alison and Jenny McGregor make it through to the semi-finals of a TV talent show. But their growing popularity rockets when the pair are kidnapped. A ransom demand calls for money – lots of it – and if the target isn’t met,…
‘Three Sisters’ by O J Mullen
My Review (4 stars out of 5) Businessman Lewis Stone has a few issues with his business partner, but the firm’s Christmas party isn’t the place to thrash them out. Desperate to escape and try to enjoy the festive break, he jumps into his car and sets off for home. Having turned down the offer…
‘A Killing at Smugglers Cove’ by Michelle Salter
My Review (4 stars out of 5) This is book 4 in the Iris Woodmore Mysteries series and is the first I’ve read by this author. When Iris and her pals, Millicent and Percy, are in Devon for a wedding, Iris is a bit put out. It’s her father who’s about to be married and…
‘And What Do You Do?’ by Norman Baker
My Review (5 stars out of 5) In this unsentimental analysis of the British royal family, Norman Baker uncovers their excessive use of public money, an unerring ability to avoid the law, and a questionable history of bad behaviour in relation to pretty much everyone else on the planet. Ex Lib Dem MP Baker holds…
‘Rita Hayworth and the Shawshank Redemption’ by Stephen King
My Review (5 stars out of 5) Convicted of murdering his wife and her lover, Andy Dufresne is sent to prison where he meets up with Red: a man who can get pretty much anything into the jail. But Andy’s needs are simple – all he wants is a small rock-hammer for carving stones and…
‘Masquerade: The Lives of Noel Coward’ by Oliver Soden
My Review (5 stars out of 5) (Audiobook) As a playwright, Noel Coward is best known for his most popular stage plays ‘Private Lives’, ‘Hay Fever’ and ‘Blithe Spirit’, though he wrote many works that are largely unfamiliar to the theatre-going public. He also wrote novels, screenplays and serious and comic songs, such as ‘Mad…
‘Punishing the Innocent’ by Joy Mutter
My Review (5 stars out of 5) Book 3 in the Nuru and his Crows series is another dark erotic thriller. Warring family members Jenna Doyle and her stepmother, find themselves under the influence of African Nuru Malonga, when he adds them to his list of women he must punish for crimes committed by their…
‘Cold Earth’ by Ann Cleeves
My Review (5 stars out of 5) During a funeral on a rainy Shetland day, a landslide sweeps across the road and into an empty croft house. But when Inspector Jimmy Perez checks the damage, he discovers the body of a woman. As an investigation begins in a bid to learn the woman’s identity, it…
Writing Routines and Other Challenges
One of the things a lot of writers will press upon would-be authors, is the necessity of writing every day. As I often remind myself, Stephen King says, If you want to be a writer, you must do two things above all others: read a lot and write a lot. However, for those of us…
Colin Garrow 