***** During a summer night in 1860, a terrible crime is committed. When the Kent family of Road Hill House wake up the next morning, they learn that three-year-old Saville is missing and soon discover he has been brutally murdered. As local police fail to track down the killer, Jack Whicher of Scotland Yard is…
‘Stranger Still’ by Michaelbrent Collings
***** Legion has a purpose – to teach, to avenge and to murder. Witnessing a married couple kidnapped at the side of the road, he follows them, knowing he’ll have to make choices about his actions—who to save, who to kill. But with a Russian crime syndicate involved, there are a lot of decisions to…
Guest Post Q and A with Tim Walker
With the launch of his latest book, I invited Tim Walker along to talk about writing, research and all things Roman… Tell me about your latest book. Hi Colin – thanks for having me on your blog. My new book is ‘Arthur Rex Brittonum’, book five in ‘A Light in the Dark Ages’ series. It…
‘The Tempus Project’ by Antony Johnston
**** When a hacker targets politicians with a ransom-ware attack known as Tempus, MI6 officer Brigitte ‘Bridge’ Sharp is tasked with tracking down the source. While picking up a journalist in Paris, Bridge finds other agencies are hot on her tail and is forced into a crazy car chase across the city in a bid…
‘The Bowery Slugger’ by Leopold Borstinski
**** Arriving in America in 1915, Alex Cohen is tagged with an unusual name, courtesy of a dull-witted official. Moving into a tenement apartment with his family, Alex’s reputation as a fighter (Slugger) secures him work in one of the many gangs who use extortion and muscle to make their money. This is book 1…
‘Fog of Doubt’ by Christianna Brand
***** When Belgian paramour Raoul Vernet is found with his head bashed in on the night of a particularly dense fog, suspicion naturally falls on members of the house he was visiting at the time. While no-one appears to have been in the immediate vicinity when Vernet was killed, Inspector Charlesworth is certain someone in…
‘So Anyway…’ by John Cleese
***** (Audiobook) From his earliest memories of school, to the Monty Python O2 show in 2014, John Cleese reveals the intricacies of his life and career, and how studying for a degree in law led him into such iconic shows as the Cambridge Footlights, TW3, At Last it’s the 1948 Show and of course, Fawlty…
‘Evil Relations’ by David Smith, with Carol Ann Lee
***** At the trial of Myra Hindley and Ian Brady in 1966, David Smith acted as chief prosecution witness. But his evidence did him no favours. Due in part to the insistence by Hindley and Brady that Smith took part in the murders, he was reviled and vilified by the press for years afterwards—even after…
‘The Mile End Murder’ by Sinclair McKay
***** (Audiobook) When wealthy and eccentric widow Mary Emsley is found dead at her home on 17th August 1860, the resulting murder inquiry grips the nation. Faced with several suspects, the police home in on two individuals, finally narrowing it down to one man – James Mullins. Convicted and hanged for the killing, the Mullins…
‘Blade Runner’ by Philip K Dick
***** (Audiobook) Classic sci-fi novel originally published as ‘Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?’ Set in 2021, after World War Terminus has killed millions, living creatures are coveted by everyone. While most individuals can only afford fake animals, the few remaining real ones go for very high prices. As well as animals, a range of…
Colin Garrow 