My Review (5 stars out of 5) Robin Odell has produced a fascinating and very readable book that lifts the lid on a case which resulted in the first solicitor in England to be hanged for murder. Hay on Wye solicitor Major Herbert Rowse Armstrong became known as the Hay Poisoner following an investigation into…
Category: Historical
‘The Sun’s Shadow’ by Stephen Wiseman
My Review (5 stars out of 5) Étienne de Vaurain – Gentleman of the Bedchamber to Louis XIV – has spent years developing his role as the right hand of the Sun King. But his ambition and sharp wit are about to be interrupted. The fountains of Versailles fall silent and something unseen and mysterious…
‘How to Kill a Witch’ by Claire Mitchell and Zoe Venditozzi
My Review (5 stars out of 5) (Audiobook) In Scotland in the 1500s, witch hunts ripped through the country for over 150 years. More than 4,000 women were accused, many of whom were executed by strangulation and burning. Campaigners and writers Claire Mitchell, KC, and Zoe Venditozzi, explore what happened and why, revealing the process…
‘A Granite Silence’ Nina Allan
My Review (5 stars out of 5) A Granite Silence explores a real-life murder that happened in Aberdeen, Scotland, in 1934, when eight-year-old Helen Priestly was killed by one of her neighbours. During her school dinner break, Helen’s mother sent her to the shop for a loaf of bread. The little girl was never seen…
‘Shuggie Bain’ by Douglas Stuart
My Review (5 stars out of 5) Abandoned by her husband in 1980s Glasgow, Agnes Bain hopes for a new start. But she soon seeks solace in alcohol, while her children do all they can to keep her from harm. Her youngest son, Shuggie, knows he’s different to other boys but if he can set…
‘Solid State’ by Kenneth Womack
My Review (5 stars out of 5) In February 1969, the Beatles began working on their final album – Abbey Road. The album included ‘Come Together’ ‘Something’, and ‘Here Comes the Sun’, some of the band’s most memorable songs. Subtitled The Story of Abbey Road and the End of the Beatles, this is another of…
‘House of Thieves’ by Rachel Walkley
Welcome to my spot on the Blog Blitz for House of Thieves, via Rachel at Rachel’s Random Resources Blurb At Terrington Hall, objects are treasured while people are forgotten. Chief conservator Amy is restoring the Hurly family’s guilt-stained hoard when a theft forces her to hire Harrison, a security adviser on a personal quest to…
‘A Jury of His Peers’ by Jake Needham
My Review (4 stars out of 5) For lawyer Charlie Trust, 1994 begins with a bang when the Northridge Earthquake devastates a massive area of LA. As Charlie and everyone else deal with the aftermath, a well-publicised trial collapses with a hung jury, and Charlie and Sandy find themselves in line for representing one of…
‘Time and Time Again’ by Ben Elton
My Review (5 stars out of 5) Former soldier and celebrated explorer, Hugh ‘Guts’ Stanton, embarks on an adventure that could change history. Summoned to Cambridge University by old friend Professor McCluskey, Stanton learns of the secretive Order of Chronos and their collection of documents submitted to the university by Sir Isaac Newton. Stanton is…
‘Unruly’ by David Mitchell
My Review (5 stars out of 5) (Audiobook) From legendary (and non-existent) King Arthur to Elizabeth I, this is a book that charts the rise and fall of England’s Kings and Queens. Revealing who did the job well and who didn’t, David Mitchell lifts the lid on the royal highnesses of history without ever letting…
