Last year I read and LOVED G. J. Minett’s debut novel, ‘The Hidden Legacy’. Since then I’ve been looking forward to reading his second novel, so I was delighted to be offered the opportunity to read it ahead of publication. ‘Lie in Wait’ is very different from Minett’s first novel – there’s an ongoing police investigation as […]
You might think this story is about a ring. That’s only the lure. It’s a story about deception, myth, manipulation and family feuds, and it positively seethes with blackmail and corruption. What’s the story? Tim Harding agrees to do a favour for a friend by bidding on his behalf at an auction for an ancient […]
Just look at that cover. Isn’t it pretty? I defy you to not judge this book by its gorgeous cover. It certainly seduced me into wanting to read the story, despite my mild aversion to historical fiction. What’s it about? Where to begin? Three time periods feature in this story of mystery and magic, romance […]
Sometimes you see a book and just know you’re going to love it. That’s how I felt when I spotted ‘Gooseberry’ by Michael Gallagher on Librarything. The fact that I had yet to read either Wilkie Collins’ ‘The Moonstone’, which is the inspiration and touchstone for Gallagher’s novel, or anything previously written by Gallagher himself, […]
Espionage, murder, romance and humour; this novel has them all. Considered by many to be the inaugural detective novel, Wilkie Collins’ nineteenth century novel ‘The Moonstone’ is a classic. What’s it about? A precious gem is stolen, a curse follows the thief and three Hindus sacrifice their caste to retrieve it. This brief précis gives […]
Like most people, I love a freebie. Free ebooks always seem like a great way to fill up my kindle, which I only tend to use when a bulkier book would be inconvenient to pack. Unfortunately, in my experience, these books are often free because no-one would buy them otherwise and very little money has […]
When a publisher chooses to distinguish a book from others by bragging on the front cover about how many awards it has (nearly) won I am always a tad sceptical. I can’t help but feel that a good book should sell itself, although I acknowledge the commercial realities publishers face. Longlisted for this award and […]