My Review (5 stars out of 5) Roseanna is the first of the ten books in the Martin Beck detective series written by husband-and-wife team Maj Sjowall and Per Wahloo. When the body of a young woman is discovered in Sweden’s Lake Vattern, the police investigation soon grinds to a halt. After three months, Inspector…
‘Black Dahlia Avenger’ by Steve Hodel
My Review (5 stars out of 5) The murder of Elizabeth Short (known as the Black Dahlia) has remained unsolved for more than fifty years. Now, former LAPD detective Steve Hodel believes he has uncovered the killer. Following a death in his family, Hodel found documents that set him off on a murder hunt, unearthing…
‘She’ll Never Tell’ by Maggie James
My Review (5 stars out of 5) When her mother dies suddenly, Olivia Gilchrist’s world crumbles. But following the post-mortem, Olivia hears news that challenges everything she has known about herself and her mother. At first disbelieving, Olivia decides she must discover the truth and sets out to trace anyone who might be able to…
‘Burke in the Land of Silver’ by Tom Williams
My Review (4 stars out of 5) Taking on the role of a spy, soldier James Burke reinvents himself as a Buenos Aires leather merchant, and with his trusty assistant William, sets off to aid efforts to free Argentina from Spain. Caught between two warring factions, Burke is faced with a difficult task and soon…
‘The Great Escape’ by Paul Brickhill
My Review (5 stars out of 5) The classic wartime adventure story that tells how 600 men worked on a plan that would eventually result in 76 men escaping from a prisoner-of-war camp. With men engaged in digging, forging passports and other documents, making suitable escape outfits and keeping the Germans occupied when they got…
‘A Passion for Poison’ by Carol Ann Lee
My Review (5 stars out of 5) In post-war Britain, teenager Graham Young developed an interest in poisons. Reading and researching everything he could about his soon-to-be obsession, the fourteen-year-old landed himself in court after trying out his experiments on people. Charged with poisoning a schoolfriend and members of his own family, he was diagnosed…
‘The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo’ by Stieg Larsson
My Review (5 stars out of 5) (Audiobook) When sixteen-year-old Harriet Vanger disappears from a family gathering, the very fact of her living on an island owned by her family – the powerful Vanger clan – has huge implications for the police investigation. Forty years later, the girl’s body has never been found, but her…
‘The Watermen’ by Patrick Easter
My Review (4 stars out of 5) 1798 – the Port of London. Villainous Irishman Boylin gets the opportunity to take revenge on his nemesis, Captain Tom Pascoe, the man responsible for giving Boylin 200 lashes on board ship. When Pascoe is offered the position of River Surveyor in the newly formed marine police, he…
‘Looking Good Dead’ by Peter James
My Review (5 stars out of 5) When the body of a woman is found in a field in Brighton, Detective Superintendent Roy Grace is reminded of the disappearance of his own wife. However, identifying the corpse proves difficult as the dead woman’s head is missing. Meanwhile, on his train journey home, struggling businessman Tom…
‘The Talented Mr Ripley’ by Patricia Highsmith
My Review (5 stars out of 5) Striving to avoid his debts, Tom Ripley is given an opportunity when a businessman offers him a free trip to Europe to track down the man’s errant offspring. With money in his pocket and a talent for forgery, Ripley sets out to create a new life for himself…
Colin Garrow 