Book reviews

I love reading books and discovering new authors. I only post a review on books I finish. As I abandon any book that doesn’t grab me or suit my tastes, my reviews focus on those I enjoy, though there are occasional exceptions.

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

Me by Elton John

16th November 2020. Back in 1973, Goodbye Yellow Brick Road was the first album I bought, using money saved from my paper round. From the opening bars of the first ...
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If Fear Wins by Tony J Forder

13th November 2020. This is the third book in the DI Bliss series which begins with the particularly sadistic killing of an RAF officer. The racial overtones of the murder ...
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Dead of Night by Cheryl Bradshaw

3rd November 2020. This novella sees Sloane Monroe at odds with boyfriend and new police chief, Cade, as they both investigate the brutal murder of Wren Bancroft’s mother-in-law. Events take ...
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Killer Lies by Chris Collett

3rd November 2020. It all gets personal in this third outing for Tom Mariner. Faced with problems in his relationship, an explosion that could have killed him and a killing ...
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Head in the Sand by Damien Boyd

30th October 2020. When you wake up to learn that someone’s left a decapitated head in a bunker on a golf course, you know it’s going to be a difficult ...
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The Black Rose by BL Faulkner

28th October 2020. You might think that the world of horticulture is genteel, but a killer lurks among the greenhouses and plant displays in the latest case for the Serial ...
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Six Feet Under by Colin Garrow

27th October 2020. This is the fourth outing for part time taxi driver, part time private eye, Terry Bell and his partner Carol. This time they’re drawn to a disused ...
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No Past Forgiven by Valerie Keogh

21st October 2020. I thoroughly enjoyed the first two books in the series, featuring Dublin detective sergeant Mike West and Edel Johnson. This book follows on, with the first third ...
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Stolen Children by Michael Wood

16th October 2020. In DCI Matilda Darke’s sixth outing, she faces yet another intense, emotional investigation when a young girl goes missing. It brings back memories of Carl Meagan, a ...
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Smoke and Mirrors by Cheryl Bradshaw

11th October 2020. 5 stars. In her eighth adventure private eye Sloane Monroe finds herself in Australia, working for a senator whose sister has been murdered, as has her partner ...
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Murder at the University by Faith Martin

10th October 2020. 4 stars. The second DI Hilary Greene novel starts with the mysterious death of a French university student in Oxford. It takes a while to uncover the ...
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Dark Crimes by Michael Hambling

6th October 2020. 4 stars. I love it when a book surprises me. In this case it was the character of DCI Sophie Allen, who was fresh, original, charismatic and ...
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Murder Plot by Kevin McCarthy

24th September 2020. 3.5 stars. I found this entertaining cosy mystery buried among the books on my Kindle. The story's set in 1975. GP, Lance Elliott, becomes involved in a ...
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The Keeper of Secrets by ML Rose

21st September 2020. 4 stars. Someone is playing mind games with DCI Arla Baker, breaking into her flat, sending her items that suggest they know her secrets. Worst of all, ...
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The Scent of Guilt by Tony J Forder

20th September 2020. 5 stars. Having read and enjoyed Bad to the Bone, the first book in the series, I was keen to see what DI Bliss would face in ...
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Dead Inside by Noelle Holten

16th September 2020. 3 stars. The subject of domestic abuse can’t be an easy one to tackle, so full marks to the author for depicting the suffering women can endure ...
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The Murder at the Vicarage by Agatha Christie

15th September 2020. 5 stars. This is the first novel to feature Miss Marple. In her first appearance, she’s described as a bit of a busybody, who’s always right in ...
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The Third Rule by Andrew Barrett

9th August 2020. 4 stars. Let me first say how much I enjoyed this book. I wasn't sure this would be the case when I opened it on my Kindle ...
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