My Review (5 stars out of 5) In the garden of Doctor and Mrs Bickleigh during the inter-war years, a tennis party brings together friends and neighbours. But socialising is not on the henpecked doctor’s mind. Instead, he has his sights on the young Gwynyfryd Rattery whose charms he hopes to surmount under the guise…
Category: Writing
‘The Savage Altar’ by Asa Larsson
My Review (5 stars out of 5) On the floor of a church in the frozen wastes of northern Sweden, a body lies oozing blood. Stabbed, slashed and with its eyes gouged out, the gruesome discovery will leave church members and the local community horrified. On discovering the murder, the victim’s sister quicky becomes the…
‘The Accused’ by Owen Mullen
My Review (5 stars out of 5) Glasgow gangster’s wife Kim Rafferty seeks out PI Charlie Cameron with a plea for help, but Charlie has history with her husband, Sean Rafferty, and knows that keeping well clear of the viscous thug is the best way to stay alive. When another woman comes to him for…
‘The Babysitter’ by Gemma Rogers
My Review (4 stars out of 5) When babysitter Brooke is attacked and the child she’s caring for abducted, the police are quick to respond. But as Brooke recovers from her injuries it seems she knows more about the abduction than she’s letting on. As questions are asked and interviews carried out, Brooke’s deceit spirals…
‘The Unmaking of Ellie Rook’ by Sandra Ireland
Review (5 stars out of 5) When a phone call interrupts her gap year to bring her home to Scotland, Ellie Rook is faced with the news that her mother has perished after plunging over an infamously dangerous waterfall. Without a body, Ellie and the rest of the family try to make sense of the…
‘The Great Escape’ by Paul Brickhill
My Review (5 stars out of 5) The classic wartime adventure story that tells how 600 men worked on a plan that would eventually result in 76 men escaping from a prisoner-of-war camp. With men engaged in digging, forging passports and other documents, making suitable escape outfits and keeping the Germans occupied when they got…
‘A Passion for Poison’ by Carol Ann Lee
My Review (5 stars out of 5) In post-war Britain, teenager Graham Young developed an interest in poisons. Reading and researching everything he could about his soon-to-be obsession, the fourteen-year-old landed himself in court after trying out his experiments on people. Charged with poisoning a schoolfriend and members of his own family, he was diagnosed…
‘Pretty Evil New England’ by Sue Coletta
My Review (5 stars out of 5) Exploring murder in nineteenth century New England, crime writer Sue Coletta tells the stories of five female serial killers – Jane Toppan, Lydia Sherman, Nellie Webb, Harriet E. Nason and Sarah Jane Robinson. Delving into their individual backgrounds, she looks at the events that drove these women to…
‘High Risk’ by Ben Timberlake
My Review (5 stars out of 5) (Audiobook) Ben Timberlake delves into his various careers and non-careers as an archaeologist, Special Forces soldier, combat medic and drug addict, emerging in one piece, though perhaps not quite the same man as he once was. From a truly scary near-death experience in a very dodgy bar in…
‘Sherlock Holmes of Baking Street’ Nancy Holder and Margie Deck (Eds)
My Review (5 stars out of 5) This is a compilation of essays, personal reflections and short stories using the general theme of baking as a starting point. As with any anthology, some pieces are more appealing than others but for fans of the detecting duo Holmes and Watson, there’s definitely something for everyone. Several…
Colin Garrow 