Ruth Ware has a new book out this year, The Woman in Cabin 10, and it looks great. A proper Agatha Christie-esque mystery about a mysterious disappearance on board a luxury cruise ship. I’ll definitely be adding that to my never-ending to-be-read pile…
The Woman Who Went To Bed For A Year
21 April 2016 by Leave a Comment
As part of my coverage of the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee I reviewed Sue Townsend’s The Queen and I. I wasn’t entirely sold on it, it was fine but not brilliant. I was a huge fan of Adrian Mole when I was younger though so when my mum passed me her copy of The Woman who Went to Bed for a Year…
Dead Eyed
19 April 2016 by Leave a Comment
Publisher Carina has started a new online crime club, aimed at people who love crime fiction and who want to be able to interact with authors and other fans of the genre. Naturally I was completely sold on the idea and signed up straight away…
A Savage Hunger
6 April 2016 by Leave a Comment
In the past couple of years I’ve become something of a fan of Claire McGowan’s Paula Maguire series, crime novels with a forensic pathologist based in Northern Ireland. Last December I reviewed The Silent Dead, the third in the series and was desperate to find out what happened next …
Pitch Perfect 2
5 April 2016 by Leave a Comment
When I first watched and reviewed Pitch Perfect I wasn’t blown away by it. I liked it, I thought it was a lot of fun but I didn’t love it. In the three years since it was released I’ve seen it a few more times and become something of a fan. It’s easy viewing, cheerful…
One of Us
4 April 2016 by Leave a Comment
A few years ago I studied criminology and psychology at the Open University. I didn’t last very long because psychology got the better of me but the criminology aspect was fascinating. Trying to understand the motivation for crime intrigues me…
The Birthday That Changed Everything
5 March 2016 by Leave a Comment
I turned 40 a couple of months ago. Between Christmas and New Year I hit my fifth decade and you know what? It was fine. No trauma, no tears, no wailing about getting old. Just a lovely day with friends and family, lots of champagne and an absolutely fabulous cake…
Jihadi: A Love Story
4 March 2016 by Leave a Comment
Last autumn I was lucky enough to take part in the cover reveal for Yusuf Toropov’s debut thriller Jihadi: A Love Story. At the time I didn’t know much about the book other than its provocative title, striking cover and the fact it was being published by the always impressive Orenda Books…
Tsunami Kids
23 February 2016 by Leave a Comment
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Most of the books I read are fiction but every now and then I like to read a factual book and in particular I enjoy memoirs. Celebrity memoirs are (to my slight shame) a favourite but every now and again I come across the story of an “ordinary” person…
Viral
22 February 2016 by Leave a Comment
A few weeks ago I read a blogpost by author Helen Fitzgerald on the use of bad language in her latest novel Viral. Specifically the use of the word “cock” and how it spooked her publisher, booksellers and supermarkets, effectively scuppering any large-scale sales…