My Review (4 stars out of 5) Days before a huge New Year’s party in Edinburgh, a young homeless girl is found dead. The police suspect arson and forensic scientist Dr Rhona MacLeod is called in to investigate links between the death and that of similar ones in Glasgow. Unfortunately, paired up with straight-talking fire…
Category: Animals
‘Out of Africa’ by Karen Blixen
My Review (3 stars out of 5) This is Karen Blixen’s account of her time in Africa from 1914 up until 1931 when she left to return to Denmark. Arriving in Kenya to run a coffee farm, she describes her love for the land and the people, her affection for the landscape and animals, 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…
‘Burning Ridge’ by Margaret Mizushima
My Review (4 stars out of 5) (Audiobook) Police officer Mattie Cobb and her police-dog partner, Robo, discover a burned body on an isolated ridge in Colorado. But as the investigation into the death gets underway, Mattie finds she has familial links to the dead man, throwing her whole life into a tailspin. When three…
‘Leopard at the Door’ by Jennifer McVeigh
Leopard at the Door Returning to Kenya after six years in England, eighteen-year-old Rachel has high expectations on her arrival at the family farm. But finding her father’s new partner and son are now living there, and with the memory of a horrible incident still haunting her, the young woman struggles to…
Amateur Sleuth, Animals, Audiobook, Book Reviews, Children's Books, Classic, Crime, detective, Indie Authors, murder, mystery, Psychological
Best Reads of 2019
Over the course of the last twelve months, I’ve read 97 books. This includes paperbacks, eBooks, hardbacks and a few audiobooks, but doesn’t include those where I gave up after the first couple of chapters. What follows is a list of some of the more memorable reads, though isn’t intended to be definitive or in…
‘Schmuck the Buck’ by Exo Books
Schmuck the Buck A new take on the Rudolph-the-red-nosed-reindeer story, featuring Larry the Jewish caribou, who gets bullied at school. Treated badly by pretty much everyone, he nevertheless saves the day in time for Christmas with a shrewdly sent message. Written by someone called Exo Books, this is both a curious and charming little tome…
‘Akea’ by Elizabeth Jade
Akea Born into a family of huskies, Akea soon realises that she is no ordinary dog. When the wolf Kazakh begins to visit her, Akea feels strangely drawn towards him and the wolfpack. Elizabeth Jade is a young author who has a talent for writing stories. She has created a sensitive and heartening story that…
Colin Garrow 