I’ve written elsewhere about my habit of standing up to write, but it’s always useful to reconsider ways of working to see if they’re still effective. For the last ten years my day job has been in occupational therapy, a role which involves a bit of driving and a bit of desk work. Long-standing back…
Category: Writing
‘The Summer House’ by Keri Beevis
My Review (3 stars out of 5) Following their grandmother’s sudden death, twins Lana and Ollie are back at the old woman’s house. But the place brings back bad memories. The murder of the siblings’ older sister Camille occurred in the summer house. While Lana identified the killer, it was her brother who discovered the…
‘The Lonely Lake Killings’ by Wes Markin
My Review (3 out of 5 stars) This is book 2 in the Yorkshire Murders series, and is the first I’ve read by this author. The story centres on the murder of a barmaid who is found dead by a lake. The proximity of the body to the home of a local recluse seems to…
On Creating a Series
I assume that other authors, like me, create a series of books (ie a sequence featuring the same characters or setting/location) so the expectation that whatever readers loved about the first book will prompt them to read the others. But do we do it simply to have the same group of characters ready and waiting,…
‘Dancing with the Devil’ by Matthew Jones
My Review (4 stars out of 5) Offered a job as an engineer at a boat yard, Danny realises he’s being asked to spy on the workers by the firm’s wealthy business partner, Conrad Szekely. But things get off to a bad start and Danny finds himself an unpopular and unwanted addition to a failing…
‘In Ice’ by Dave Sivers
My Review (5 stars out of 5) DI Nathan Quarrel and his team uncover a horrific scene in an apparently empty house in a Hertfordshire village. Finding three chest freezers in the basement, they discover the bodies of five naked women. As the investigation gets under way, the team realise they have a serial killer…
‘The Automobile Assassination’ by MJ Porter
My Review (4 stars out of 5) In 1940s Britain, Chief Inspector Mason of Erdington faces a seemingly impossible case when an unidentified corpse turns up at the mortuary. Clues lead to an aerodrome where Mason suspects members of the RAF may be hiding something. With an old mystery hanging over his head and Superintendent…
‘Warrior and Protector’ by Peter Gibbons
My Review (5 out of 5 stars) As Viking longboats head for the shores of England, Saxon Thegn Beornoth has little to look forward to – charged by the farmers of Knutsford to track down a bunch of masterless men, he must locate them and make them pay for their crimes: stealing, looting and killing.…
‘Thief’ by Owen Mullen
My Review (5 stars out of 5) When Charley Glass tracked down her brother and sister in London, there were things she didn’t tell them – like the property she stole from New Orleans crime gang the Giordanos, or the fact that the Giordanos are still after her and want her dead. While Luke hobnobs…
‘Underrated’ by Morwenna Blackwood
My Review (4 stars out of 5) Five young guys try to improve their lot in the world, exploring love, drugs and friendship. Set in Liverpool and Devon, their lives intertwine as they experiment with cocaine. This is the first book I’ve read by this author and her third publication so far. The book takes…
