‘Little Bones’ by Sam Blake. I really wanted to love this. I’ve wanted to read it for ages: I’ve heard nothing but praise for the author, and the idea of a baby’s bones sewn into the hem of a wedding dress is disturbingly intriguing. I bought a copy for a friend, and was delighted when […]
What if…the worst thing that ever happened to you wasn’t what happened, but not being believed? What if…that lack of belief in you left a killer free to kill again? This is Alex Taylor’s life. Will it also be her death? What’s it about? Usually, I like to give my own take on what a […]
Some books you choose; some books choose you. ‘The Lonely Life of Biddy Weir’ chose me; there’s no doubt about that. It wasn’t a book that held an immediate appeal for me, perhaps because the slightly odd name of the protagonist suggested a dated storyline, perhaps because of the floral cover design, or perhaps simply […]
It’s any parent’s greatest fear: losing their child. Unfortunately, such a devastating loss can also lead to couples losing each other, and that’s certainly the case with Lola and Duncan Drummond, the married couple at the center of Colette Dartford’s debut novel ‘Learning to Speak American’. What’s it about? Since they lost their young daughter, […]
Chris Whitaker’s debut novel, ‘Tall Oaks’, is a book I’ve wanted to get my hands on for ages. After waiting (im)patiently for a paperback copy to wend its way to me, I can happily confirm that it was well worth the wait. What’s it about? When three-year-old Harry first disappears, everyone is eager to help, […]
Sarah Beresford has forgotten everything: who she is, what happened to her and – crucially – why. Worse than that, Sarah is immersed in a coma, leaving her unable to communicate with those around her. She can hear, and what she hears is deeply disturbing. As her family bicker at her bedside, hinting at old […]
What’s the worst thing you’ve ever done to another person? If your actions resulted in catastrophe, could you bear to face the consequences? Journalist Rebecca Thornton’s debut novel, ‘The Exclusives’, explores the consequences when best friends Josephine and Freya betray one another in their final year at boarding school. What’s it about? Archaeologist Josephine Grey […]
Recently I was privileged to receive a copy of debut novelist David Young’s ‘Stasi Child’. It’s a darkly shocking tale set in East Berlin the 1970s – in the DDR – and is the first in a series featuring People’s Police detective Karin Muller. My full review can be found here, but I thought it […]
Recently I reviewed the beautifully handled debut novel that is G. J. Minett’s The Hidden Legacy. Even more recently, I have had the pleasure of quizzing the author about his work, so if you liked the sound of the book but haven’t yet picked it up, or loved it and can’t wait to read more […]
Secrets. All families have them. If you could choose, would you want to know your family secrets? Or would you rather seal any hints in a box you never open? This is Ellen’s dilemma. What’s it about? Mother of two, recently divorced Ellen Sutherland is stunned when she’s left a valuable Cotswold cottage in a […]