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…
Category: Writing
‘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.…
‘Troubled Times for Tilly’ by Kay Seeley
My Review (4 stars out of 5) This is book 2 in the Water Gypsy series, though you don’t have to have read the first one to understand what’s already happened. Tilly and Sam strive to make a safe home for themselves and their children, though Tilly’s older son—Joey—is the offspring of a wealthy father,…
‘Summer Paths’ An Anthology
Welcome to my spot on the blog tour for Summer Paths, via Rachel at Rachel’s Random Resources The Blurb This, the fourth and final selection of stories, completes the Seasonal Paths series created by a consortium of best-selling and award-winning North Atlantic writers. In this anthology you will encounter unintentional consequences, love in later life,…
‘Men of Iron’ by MJ Porter
My Review (4 stars out of 5) This is the first book in a new series titled The Dark Age Chronicles. With little historical documentation to fall back on, the story is instead inspired by archaeological evidence, though the author’s knowledge of the period (real or imagined) does shine through. The plot revolves around several…
‘The Woven Lie’ by Liz Harris
My Review (4 stars out of 5) This is the first book I’ve read by this author, so I wasn’t sure what to expect. I lived in Suffolk for several years, so it was interesting to come across places I’m familiar with, such as The Angel, in Bury St Edmunds, where Charles Dickens stayed while…
Giving up the Ghost – the Agony of an Unfinished Novel
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…
Colin Garrow 