Book reviews

Authors are readers too. Avid readers.

We also know what it’s like to write a book, so I only post reviews for books I finish. If a book’s not for me, I stop reading and move on.

At all times I aim to be constructive and fair, but it’s only my opinion. I no longer give ratings or stars, except on Amazon, Bookbub and Goodreads.

My tastes are almost exclusively crime fiction, though I venture beyond murders from time to time.

I hope the reviews will help you discover new authors and novels to enjoy.

Bit Player by Janet Dawson

25th May 2022. The Jeri Howard series keeps getting better as the private investigator delves into an investigation that’s both close to home and further back in time than she’s ...
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Cut Throat by Bill Kitson

24th May 2022. This is another terrific, twisting and compelling entry into the DI Mike Nash series, which shows no signs of flagging or running out of exciting and complex ...
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The Aura by Carrie Bedford

23rd May 2022. I thoroughly enjoyed this cosy mystery, featuring architect Kate Benedict, who discovers she has a gift that often seems to be more of a curse. She can ...
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The Busy Moms Guide to Novel Marketing by Jamie Foley and Angelo Castillo

15th May 2022. I loved the conversational, upbeat style from the moment I started reading this excellent guide. It was like having a discussion with friends. Having read several books ...
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The Corfe Castle Murders by Rachel McLean

15th May 2022. An archaeology assistant is murdered at a dig at Corfe Castle, Dorset. The three people she shared a house with become suspects in Lesley Clarke’s first investigation ...
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Hillary’s Back by Faith Martin

4th May 2022. In the 18th book of a consistently entertaining and enjoyable crime series, Hillary’s life has changed. She’s mourning the death of her partner and trying to break ...
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Deficit of Diligence by Peter Rowlands

22nd April 2022. In the second novel of the series, journalist Mike Stanhope has relocated to Cornwall to be close to Ashley and Latimer Logistics. But if he thought the ...
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The Haunting of Roderick Usher by Colin Garrow

20th April 2022. Like all good spoofs, this sixth outing for Watson and Holmes is witty, irreverent and hugely entertaining. From the saucy Mrs Watson, who’s more than a match ...
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Perilous Trust by Barbara Freethy

18th April 2022. From the opening paragraph, this story drew me in, promising an intriguing thriller which didn’t disappoint. It starts with FBI Agent Alan Parker, leaving a heartfelt apology ...
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Hillary’s Final Case by Faith Martin

18th April 2022. The story continues where the last one finished. Jake, who works for Hillary, is prepared to risk his life to find out what happened to his missing ...
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The Dirty Dozen by Lynda la Plante

17th April 2022. Jane Tennison joins the Flying Squad, or the Sweeney as they’re better known, to become their first female detective. Not that the all-male squad, used to roughing ...
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Chain Reaction by Bill Kitson

12th April 2022. Another intriguing novel in the Mike Nash series begins with the discovery of two severed fingers in a hotel. As the team start their investigation, a spate ...
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Mystery on Hidden Lane by Clare Chase

8th April 2022. Eve Mallow is a freelance obituary writer who likes to visit the subject’s home and interview those who knew him best. When she arrives in the quiet ...
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What She Left by H.K. Christie

5th April 2020. When I started this first novel in the PI Martina Monroe series, the main character seemed a little far-fetched with her childhood links to the grieving daughter, ...
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Murder in Mind by Faith Martin

6th April 2022. In the 16th book in the series, events within her team occupy Hillary Greene as much as the murder of Sylvia Perkins, an elderly woman with no ...
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Murder Mile by Lynda la Plante

4th April 2022. This is another gripping instalment in the Jane Tennison series. She’s now a detective sergeant, keen to investigate two murders which happened within a few yards of ...
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Ruthless Cross by Barbara Freethy

29th March 2022. When a federal judge and friend is murdered, FBI Agent Flynn MacKenzie must investigate. While there’s a possible conflict of interest, his knowledge of the art world ...
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Guardian of Lies by John Pye

26th March 2022. In the third Doug Taylor novel, the death of a former scientist sets off a chain of events that take him into the murky world of the ...
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