Welcome to my Stop on the Blog Tour for Avalon Sky, via Rachel at Rachel’s Random Resources Blurb Some secrets should never be told. Some crimes should never be forgiven. Following a private tragedy, TV historian Kit Pevensey and his wife Lissa seek respite in the quiet of rural Somerset to compile a village history…
Category: Writing
‘A Wordsmith’s Guide to Writing Authentic Dialogue’ by Elizabeth M Hurst
My Review (5 stars out of 5) Elizabeth M Hurst has written much about the craft of writing, as well as study guides, critical essays and novels, so it’s fair to say she knows what she’s talking about. This book is about dialogue – what it should do, what it shouldn’t do, and how to…
‘Blue Lights Dark Mind’ by Ryan MacDonald
My Review (4 stars out of 5) Former senior police officer Ryan MacDonald has worked in frontline operations, covert surveillance, intelligence, counterterrorism and as a crime scene manager. In this book he reveals the details of his work both in the police service and in the military, and how the job took a toll on…
‘Hearsay Testimony’ by Jake Needham
My Review (5 stars out of 5) Lawyer Charlie Trust has his view of California’s Carbon Beach spoiled one morning when sheriff’s deputies march across to the house of one of Charlie’s neighbours. Soon, two bodies are carried away in black bags. Arnie Duncan and his wife have been shot in their living room. The…
‘On Creating a Series…’
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…
‘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…
Colin Garrow 