Like many writers, I’m a big fan of Stephen King, and have taken on board most of his advice about storytelling, character development and the routine of writing. However, his suggestion that ‘Stopping a piece of writing just because it’s hard, either emotionally or imaginatively, is a bad idea,’ doesn’t always work for me. Having…
Category: Characters
‘Finders Keepers’ by Stephen King
My Review (5 stars out of 5) Obsessed with the books of author John Rothstein, Morris Bellamy breaks into the writer’s house with a view to stealing a stash of notebooks that could contain an as-yet unpublished novel. Years later, as Bellamy is coming to the end of a jail sentence, schoolboy Pete Saubers discovers…
‘Unnatural Exposure’ by Patricia Cornwell
My Review (5 stars out of 5) A series of murders committed thousands of miles apart sets Kay Scarpetta on a path to find the connection. But discrepancies with the most recent corpse suggest someone else may be behind the killings. When another body is found, however, the body points to a sinister and deadly…
‘Mystic River’ by Dennis Lehane
My Review (5 stars out of 5) Three childhood friends – Sean, Dave and Jimmy – are thrown together again when the daughter of one of them is murdered. Now a cop, Sean is part of the investigation and finds himself regurgitating an incident from the past involving Dave, while Jimmy struggles to get his…
‘The Complete Raffles – 1’ by EW Hornung
My Review (3 stars out of 5) Cricket-loving and thrill-seeking A. J. Raffles and his old school pal ‘Bunny’, embark on a series of burglaries in a bid to stay financially solvent. This is the first of two collections of 16 stories, including The Ides of March, Nine Points of the Law, and The Fate…
‘The Fells’ by Cath Staincliffe
My Review (5 stars out of 5) In the summer 1997, Vicky Mott leaves the cottage where she’s staying with her friends and walks off into the early morning light. Her disappearance is put down to the serial killer known as the Fellside Strangler but when Vicky’s body is discovered twenty years later, the possibility…
‘The Custard Corpses’ by MJ Porter
My Review (5 stars out of 5) (Audiobook) Birmingham, 1943. A twenty-year-old murder sets Chief Inspector Mason on the trail of a killer. Along with his sidekick Constable O’Rourke, he investigates the death of a boy – Robert McFarlane – who was murdered in 1923. Weirdly, although the body was discovered on dry land, the…
‘Impostor’ by LJ Ross
My Review (5 stars out of 5) Forensic psychiatrist, Doctor Alexander Gregory, explores the darkest minds to expose the secrets underneath – skills which place his name at the top of the list when a murder investigation team seek help tracking down a killer. Journeying to County Mayo, Ireland, Gregory finds a quiet community torn…
‘Friends in Need’ by Joy Mutter
My Review (5 stars out of 5) Taxi driver Andrew Southgate has no problems bedding women. Short of cash, he’s not short of happiness. Until, that is, he starts lusting after Viviana – wife of his best pal, Mike. While Mike often helps Andrew financially, he begins to suspect there may be something going on…
‘Where There’s Doubt’ by Terry Tyler
My Review (4 stars out of 5) Café owner Kate doesn’t want much out of life. Aside from a tiring but successful business, a little dating site flirtation would be nice. Making an online connection with the apparently charming Nico, she agrees to meet, and despite warnings from friends, soon finds herself falling for him.…
Colin Garrow 