Wandering the world

British author, Lisa Jewell, is a prolific writer of psychological thrillers. I've only just started working my way through her collection. See my review of four other books by Jewell that I have read to date. I waxed lyrical about Jewell's cleverly crafted thrillers in that review, but I don't think None of this is true is on par with the other books of Jewell's that I have read to date. None of this is true | Published July 2023 | Read April 2024 None of this is true is ce

This post is a review of the 16th book in the VI Warshawski series by American author, Sara Paretsky. VI - Victoria Iphigenia - is a private detective in Chicago whom Paretsky has been writing about since the early 1980s. I'd heard about the series but had never taken the plunge. I'm not sure about the wisdom of starting with book 16 but I saw it on the shelves of my local library, so I thought I'd give it a go. Critical mass | Book 16 | Published October 2013 | Read December

Imogen Crimp's debut novel, A very nice girl, followed her studies in English at Cambridge and an MA in contemporary literature at the University College London. Crimp also briefly studied singing at the London conservatoire, an experience I assume she drew inspiration from for her first book. I get that A very nice girl is supposed to be a contemporary, feminist novel, but it just didn't vibe with me. Here's my review. A very nice girl | Published February 2022 | Read June 2

When I read and reviewed book 22 in Kathy Reichs's Bones series, I felt like I was just about done. I've been a longtime fan of the series, following Dr Tempe Brennan and her forensic anthropology work through all kinds of cases. I've been fascinated by the science and the crimes, both new and cold case, that Tempe and her police colleagues have investigated. The books used to be interesting and thought-provoking, but after 23 novels, I am sad to say that I'm tapping out. My

Brynn Kelly is a New Zealand author and former journalist. I picked up A risk worth taking at my local library and was drawn to the book from the cover and the legionnaire and conspiracy and computer hacking themes. I thought I'd give it a go, even though the book is categorised as romance-suspense (what does that even mean?) and that only feeds into 50% of my reading interests 😉. Was it a risk worth taking? Read on to find out! A risk worth taking | Published May 2018 | Rea

Australian novelist, Kelly Rimmer, takes real stories and events and weaves them into historical novels, set during and just after WW2. Her research is meticulous, and she does a great job of evoking the time period. I've also read Rimmer's The Paris agent , based on the lives of two women who were part of the Special Operations Executive (SOE) in France during the war. The German wife | Published June 2022 | Read September 2023 The German wife  is loosely based on the life o

Jack Reacher is my reading guilty pleasure. I've read all of the books in the series by Lee Child, and I look forward to each new instalment. Yes, they are formulaic, but there's something satisfying about a series that sticks to what it does best. Reacher is like an old friend to me now. He breezes into someone's life (with his toothbrush and single set of clothes😆) and dispatches the bad guys before heading off to save the day somewhere else. He does all that with his usua

I'd seen Gillian McAllister's books at my local library, but her 2022 novel is the first one I've read. McAllister is a British author of seven bestselling novels to date, several of which have been optioned for film and television. She has a degree in English from the University of Birmingham and a law degree, and previously worked as a solicitor before switching to writing full time. Update: I've since read a second McAllister book, Just another missing person.   Wrong plac

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 one of Moyes's historical novels, The giver of stars, in a separate post. I loved that book, as the kick-ass librarians outshone the touches of romance fiction. You can also check out my review of Someone else's shoes, Moyes's contemporary novel that started my jou

I've read four of Jane Corry's ten novels published to date. Corry is a British author with a background as a magazine feature writer and creative writing tutor. She was once a writer-in-residence at a high security male prison! I have loved the books I've read so far. Corry writes relatable but complex and flawed characters who are transplanted into dark, psychological thriller stories. Her stories have intricate plots but never stray too far into unbelievable territory. Cor

I am yet to review on my blog any of the books by American crime author, Lisa Gardner, as it's been a while since I've read one of her titles. I'm a huge fan of her books and have read pretty much all of them. That is no mean feat as Gardner is a prolific writer. She has written a bunch of standalone novels and three crime series: A pair of FBI profilers, a private investigator, and a Boston homicide detective. The Frankie Elkin books form the basis of Gardner's fourth and la

The giver of stars is the second novel by British former journalist, Jojo Moyes, that I read. Since writing this post I've read three other historical fiction stories in Moyes's catalogue. You can also check out my review of the only contemporary novel in the Moyes collection that I have read so far: Someone else's shoes . The giver of stars | Published October 2019 | Read March 2024 The giver of stars is based on the real life Packhorse Librarians of rural Eastern Kentucky

What a relief! Nicci French - writing duo Sean French and Nicci Gerard - are back to their best. I've reviewed their last two novels , disappointingly not up to their usual standard. I've been reading Nicci French's books for twenty years now and they have always been my one of favourite psychological thriller writers. If you haven't read the writing duo, I highly recommend their Frieda Klein series, named after days of the week. I suggest reading them in order as the books a

I'm a huge fan of Karen Perry,  the Dublin-based writing duo of Paul Perry and Karen Gillece. Their books are complex stories of human failings, full of clever plot twists, and tragic outcomes for those who allow messed up people to infiltrate their lives. Check out my review of the six other books by Karen Perry . I haven't read the first two books (published in 2014), but I'd give ⭐⭐⭐⭐+ to the authors overall for the books I have read. The strong theme is woven through all

I'd not heard of the author before I picked up The Russian doll at my local library. Marina Palmer is the pseudonym that British writer, Imogen Robertson, uses for her solo outings. Robertson has a degree in German and Russian and is a former film, television and radio director. She has co-written novels with a former Labour Deputy Leader, a screenwriter, and with Wilbur Smith. Awesome! I'll read anything that hints at corruption, spy shenanigans, or all-round dodgy stuff! Th

I had not heard of British author, Margie Orford, before I picked up her novel, The eye of the beholder, at my local library. Orford was born in London but raised in Namibia and South Africa. She is the author of the Clare Hart detective series set in Cape Town. There is not a lot to go by in the book's blurb and I quite liked that I went into it without too many expectations. Three women are central to the story - Cora, her daughter, Freya, and Angel - and they are entwined

Sophie Hannah is an award-winning British poet and novelist. Two of her novels have been adapted for television and her poetry is studied at senior high school levels across the UK. She lives with her family in Cambridge, where she is a Fellow Commoner at Lucy Cavendish College. Her current collection of works includes standalone stories and two series: Spilling CID and the New Hercule Poirot Mysteries. This post review two of the eleven books in the Spilling CID series publi

Former journalist at The Guardian, British author Libby Page writes stories that make one feel good about humanity, with uplifting endings that champion the power of female friendships. Her books are a nice escape from my usual dark and disturbing reads. The vintage shop of second chances is the third novel I have read by Libby Page. See my review of The lido and The island home here. The vintage shop of second chances | Published February 2023 | Read February 2024 There ar

I always get excited when I find a new author with a full catalogue that I can work my way through, having gotten on board with their writing from the outset. Lisa Jewell, prolific and best-selling British psychological thriller writer, is an author I have wanted to try out for some time. I took up a friend's Instagram recommendation to take the plunge. This post is my review of the four titles from Lisa Jewell's collection that I read in quick succession. You can also check

I am new to the Thursday Murder Club and I've come into the series at book 4, the latest in the series at the time of posting. Richard Osman is a British television presenter and producer in addition to his writing pursuits. His television work is largely in the quiz show domain. Osman's Thursday Murder Club series is an acquired taste and one I took some time to get used to. He has a unique writing style that I would describe as 'chatty' and irreverent. His approach may fall