Creating a new series is a bit of a challenge for any author – not only must you come up with a bunch of brand-new characters, but you also need to know where they live, what work they do and any interesting pasts they’ve had before appearing fully-formed in a new adventure. I’m not a…
Category: Writing
‘Grace’ by AM Shine
My Review (4 stars out of 5) This is the first book I’ve read by this author, and it gets off to a great start. Finding she’s been left a house in her birth-mother’s will, bookshop owner Grace sets off for a mysterious island. Before she even arrives, the creepiness sets in, establishing a sinister…
‘The Locked Room’ by Holly Hepburn
Purchase Link My Review (4 stars out of 5) In her basement office within the Baker Street Building Society, Harriet (Harry) White responds to letters addressed to Sherlock Holmes. Spotting something in The Times that challenges her fictional hero to prove his worth, propels Harry on a mission to locate the mystery writer, who titles…
‘Poole of Light’ by RJ Verity
My Review (4 stars out of 5) This is book 1 in the Poole Legacy, with book 2 due out in 2026, and Bright Light, an already-published short story prequel also available. Beginning in Spennymoor in the North of England during the first half of the 20th century, we follow Jeremiah Poole from his poverty-stricken…
‘Reacher – The Stories Behind the Stories’ by Lee Child
My Review (4 stars out of 5) (Audiobook) Originally written as a series of new introductions to special editions of his books, Lee Child expounds on the ideas and inspirations behind the Jack Reacher novels from Killing Floor to Blue Moon. Like Stephen King, Child is a pantser (an author who doesn’t plot their novels),…
‘Witch Hunt’ by BD Spargo
My Review (4 stars out of 5) Harbouring delusions that a young woman is a witch, former psychiatric patient Will Perkins is the first port of call when the woman in question is found murdered. But DCI Liam Doyle and his team find little evidence to back up Will’s arrest. To make things worse, Doyle’s…
‘The Trials of Arthur Whitty’ by Tim Walker
My Review (4 stars out of 5) Retired accountant Arthur Whitty is a fantasist, but his vivid imagination helps him deal with a series of challenging situations. Allowing his alter-ego to take over, he dreams up adventurous settings where he is the hero – Art the Racing Driver, Major Whitty of the Royal Dragons, intrepid…
‘Goodbye, Mr Boogie’ by Jake Needham
My Review (5 stars out of 5) Nicknamed the Boogieman, an assassin responsible for a string of high-profile murders, comes to the attention of a colonel in the Royal Thai Police. Keen to stop the man before he notches up another killing, the colonel needs someone to track the killer down. Meanwhile, former Detective Inspector…
‘Salt and Honey’ by Candi Miller
My Review (5 stars out of 5) In 1950s South Africa, Koba’s tribe are hunter-gatherers, following the traditional ways of life of an ancient culture. But when her family clashes with a group of white people, the outcome is tragic, leaving her orphaned. Taken to their home, the girl grudgingly learns to speak their language…
‘Rattle’ by Fiona Cummins
My Review (5 stars out of 5) Someone is on the hunt for new items to add to a grotesque museum – items that have something in common. A child with an unusual medical condition is in the killer’s sights, just waiting for the parents to make a mistake and leave their offspring at risk.…
Colin Garrow 