Wandering the world

If you've read my other Michael Robotham reviews, you'll know that I am a diehard fan of his books. I am continually in awe of his masterful storytelling and character building. This post review his latest series, featuring PC Philomena McCarthy, a London Metropolitan police officer with a dodgy at best criminal at worst family. I absolutely love Phil! Read on for my thoughts on books 1 and 2 of the series. You can also read my reviews of Robotham's two other series, Joe O'Lo

I have to admit, I love a good revenge story. S**ty people getting their comeuppance is totally my jam! That's what led me to pick up Her sweet revenge at my local library. I'd not heard of author Sarah Bonner before. I looked her up and her bio says that she grew up dreaming of a career as a writer but instead became an accountant. She cites the pandemic as the watershed that led her to pursue her passion. Her first novel, Her perfect twin, was published in 2022. I read it p

British author Gilly Macmillan studied Art History and was formerly a photographer before becoming a writer. She is now the author of seven thriller novels and a two-book detective series. I found Macmillan in my Kobo library subscription and have read four of her thrillers so far and the first one in the detective series. I suggest giving Macmillan's books a go as she's a clever and accomplished writer who manages to unsettle the reader with her intelligent approach to the g

Claire McGowan grew up in a small village in Northern Ireland. She earned a degree in English and French from Oxford then moved to London to work in the charity sector. Her first novel was published in 2012 and she has been writing full time ever since. I'm a huge fan of McGowan's Paula Maguire series. I've read all six books, one published each year from 2013 until the wrap up in 2018. Paula Maguire is a forensic psychologist specialising in missing persons cases. The books

I felt like I was in the middle of an Idris Elba movie when I was reading Hostage. The book seems quite similar to Elba's first Hijack series on Apple TV. I'm not sure if Idris took inspiration from Clare or the other way around, but either way, Hostage is a cracking story, perfectly written for a television or film adaptation. You can also read my review of Mackintosh's Ffion Morgan series and her deeply personal story of impossible choices about a couple's child's serious

Karin Slaughter is a hugely successful American crime writer who has written 24 novels to date, selling over 40 million copies. If ever there was someone destined to become a crime writer, it would be someone called Slaughter! I've read all of Karin Slaughter's books. I think she's a gifted storyteller and one of the few American crime and thriller writers I like. I don't think I've ever guessed the outcome of any of her books. The endings aren't bonkers, but they are pretty

Slaughter by name, Slaughter by nature! Check out my introductory post on prolific American crime writer, Karin Slaughter, and my review of her four standalone books to date. You can also read my review of the Will Trent and Sara Linton series. There's a new series for Slaughter to pour her considerable storytelling expertise into, this time featuring a woman with the same name as me, Andrea (Oliver). I say this because my name hardly ever appears in literature and I've not

I feel it's important to start this review of three books that I have read in recent months on Palestine by giving a little context and making my standpoint clear. I freely admit that I previously had only a basic understanding of the history of Palestine, the formation of Israel, and of the events that shaped where we are today. I have a degree in History and I have always thought of myself as a social historian. I have a passionate interest in the impact on people of import

I'm at a stage in my life where I can read social, geographical and political history texts for pleasure - the nerd that I am - rather than for academic studies. I'm embracing the opportunity to enhance my understanding of the world and how we got to where we are now. I can see that this shift to non-fiction has also come about as the latest offerings from several of my long-standing favourite fictional authors have been less than stellar. I recognise, too, that I am filling

I was fortunate enough to meet Professor Chelsea Watego, author of Another day in the colony, at a reconciliation symposium I attend in Cairns in March 2025 as part of my work on the Australian government's mental health in education initiative. Professor Watego gave an insightful and unapologetic presentation at the symposium and I eagerly lined up afterwards to buy her book and have it signed. The book is not an easy journey for a non-indigenous reader, but it's a powerful

We need new stories was recommended to me by a colleague and I was sufficiently intrigued by her recommendation to buy my own copy of the book and dive into it. We need new stories is written by Sudanese-born British journalist, Nesrine Malik, who writes for The Guardian. Malik tackles old frames of reference by exploring six toxic myths: gender equality, political correctness, free speech, identity politics, virtuous origin, and the reliable narrator. These myths were selec

I picked up a copy of Maiden voyages from this super bookshop I discovered, The Book Grocer, on a work trip to Melbourne. The book appealed to the social historian in me. I was keen to read about women's experiences on board ocean liners travelling between Europe and North America in the first half of the twentieth century. Author Sian Evans has a personal interest in the stories she writes about in Maiden voyages: Her great-great uncle was the Cunard Chief Officer on the Aqu

It's been three years since the last Christian White novel was published so I was keen to read The ledge when I finally got my hands on a copy. I've already made a Christian White appreciation post , to give my thoughts on this masterful storyteller's previous three books. It's hard to review his books as their power lies in part in their mind-blowing (but entirely believable) twists and there's no way as a reviewer I would want to spoil the experience. White's fourth outing

As noted in my post on Shrines of gaiety , British author, Kate Atkinson, can do no wrong in my eyes. I have read all of her books after falling in love with her writing in 1995's Behind the scenes at the museum. Atkinson is the consummate storyteller of unashamedly British stories, full of dry wit and fleshed out and beautifully eccentric characters. You can also read my review of the latest in her detective series, Death at the sign of the rook , superbly brought to life

Romantic comedies aren't my jam at all, but I was intrigued by More confessions of a forty-something f**k up from the Bridget Jones reference on the front cover. British author, Alexandra Potter, has written a bunch of novels in the same vein that have been rather successful. More confessions is the second of two novels set in London that follow the ups and downs of Nell Stevens's life. More confessions of a forty-something f**k up | Published August 2023 | Read June 2025 Th

British author, Jojo Moyes, has an extensive catalogue of contemporary novels and historical fiction. Moyes was a journalist with The Independent for 10 years and has been writing novels since 2001. I've reviewed three of Moyes's historical novels in one post , and another, The giver of stars,   in a separate post. You can also check out my review of Someone else's shoes,   Moyes's contemporary novel that started my journey through her works. It's one of my favourite books of

British author, Kate Atkinson, can do no wrong in my eyes. I've read all of her books but have only reviewed her 2022 historical fiction, Shrines of gaiety , and her collection of short stories so far on my blog. I fell in love with Atkinson's writing with my first read, Behind the scenes at the museum, published in 1995. Her books are superbly British, full of vivid characters, and simply beautifully written. The Jackson Brodie books are among by favourite British crime nov

You'll know that I am a fan of Alice Feeney is you've read my Alice Feeney round up post where I review the six books the author had written at that point. Other than I know who you are, I've given all top ratings. I like Feeney's novels as they are a unique take on the dark and complex thriller genre. They're sometimes a little bonkers, but mostly just intelligently written. Feeney's novels are one example of why I love the genre: I admire writers who can come up with cleve

My daughter gave me Clytemnestra to read as it's one of her favourite books set in Ancient Greece. I've always been intrigued by Ancient Greece so I dove into the book with interest. The author, Costanza Casati, was born in the US but grew up in Northern Italy. She studied Ancient Greek and Ancient Greek literature and has an MA in Writing from Warwick University. Clytemnestra is Casati's debut novel. Clytemnestra | Published May 2023 | Read March 2025 First of all, here's t

I've now read four of the five books published to date by British thriller writer, Lesley Kara. See my post on the first two I read ( The apartment upstairs and The other tenant ) and for some background on the author. See also my review of Who did you tell? The three books I'd read previously were cracking reads, but I found The dare to be mediocre in comparison. Here are my thoughts. The dare | Published February 2021 | Read March 2025 First of all, I am not sure why the