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…
Book Titles vs Synopses
As a reader, I’ve never liked knowing what’s going to happen in a book before it happens. Those troubled individuals who have to read the last page before reading the rest make my head spin. With writing, it’s exactly the same. Way back in the summer of 2013, when I began to write novels seriously,…
‘Queen of Eventide’ by Matthew Ward
My Review (5 stars out of 5) (Audiobook) Back in her childhood home, Maddie Lincoln tries to take control of her life. But when a series of strange events befall her, she finds herself drawn into a mysterious other world that lingers in a dense mist on the edge of the town. A bizarre meeting…
Book Reviews and the Coming of Wisdom
Having always been an avid reader, it wasn’t until I started publishing my own books that I realised the importance of having them reviewed on sites like Amazon and Smashwords. When I started writing reviews of the books I read, the early ones were either books I’d wanted to read for a while, or those…
‘No Easy Answers’ by Robert Crouch
My Review (5 stars out of 5) As the festive season approaches, ex-environmental health officer Kent Fisher has a lot on his mind, and another murder investigation is the last thing he needs. Torn between his new wife Gemma, who has distanced herself from him until he can accept her past (and give up his…
Colin Garrow 