Wandering the world

I've been reading books by writing duo Nicci French for about 20 years now. Their psychological thrillers are beautifully executed and fascinating to read, providing insight into the dark side of human nature. I love their Frieda Klein series - one book for each day of the week - which explores the psychologist's consultant input into criminal cases in London. I would also count some of Nicci French's earlier standalone novels as my favourite psychological thrillers. Ordinar

I know it's you is the first book I've read by prolific British author, Susan Lewis. Apparently the book is number 50 in the author's repertoire. Sadly, I won't be reading the other 49. Read my review to find out why. I know it's you | Published August 2023 | Read September 2023 The premise of I know it's you is interesting, I just don't think it is well executed. The novel is one of two parallel stories, a story within a story. Marina, a publisher, is sent a novel to revie

I've always been interested in cold case stories. There is something about the historic nature of the crimes and the dogged pursuit of justice for the victims that fascinates me. Someone has gotten away with murder for a long time, and is just out there living their life. That's hard to reconcile. These ideas form the premise for Val McDermid's Karen Pirie series. DCI Pirie heads up a Historic Cases Unit in Scotland and battles to keep the unit going with police interest in c

I picked this first novel by Sarah Pearse up at my library thinking the premise was right up my alley. The sanatorium of the title is an old tuberculosis facility in the Swiss Alps that has been converted into a posh hotel. There's a blizzard, the staff and guests are cut off, and murders ensue. Sounds like the perfect backdrop for a tense, creepy thriller, right? The sanatorium | Published January 2020 | Read February 2022 Disappointingly, I found the book almost unreadable.

I'd already read most of Michael Robotham's novels by the time the Cyrus Haven series came out. I love his standalone novels and the Joe O'Loughlin/Vincent Ruiz stories. There is something about the author's writing that draws me in and makes me feel comfortable from the first page. Robotham nicely balances characterisation with tense plotting and disturbing crimes simultaneously, revealing thoughtful insights into human behaviour. I would count Michael Robotham as one of

The Creed series is a spin-off of sorts by American author, Alex Kava, based on the separate set of novels featuring Maggie O'Dell's crime solving pursuits for the FBI. The Creed and O'Dell series sit in parallel but you can read each series independently from the other. The Creed books in order to date are: Breaking Creed (2015) , Silent Creed (2015) , Reckless Creed (2016) , Lost Creed (2018) , Desperate Creed (2019) , Hidden Creed (2020) , and Fallen Creed (2022) and Midni

I'm an avid reader of Val McDermid, the Scottish author who penned the Wire in the Blood novels, made into a successful TV series with Robson Green and Hermione Norris. I love the darkness in those stories, the psychological angles of the crimes, and the relationship between Tony Hill and Carole Jordan. I also love the Karen Pirie novels that follow a Scottish cold case investigation unit, now also made into a television series. Val McDermid has started a new series featuri

I'm not normally a lover of Australian writers, but Christian White is unique. His books are unlike anything I have read before. This is my Christian White appreciation post 💞. I wrote this post after I'd finished Wild place , Christian White's third novel. If you haven't read the former screenwriter's books, then go out and find them. Why? He's an Australian author and all three of his novels are knee-deep in Ozness. I admit I usually gravitate towards stories set in Britai

I've read seven of the nine books written to date by Karen Perry. The 'author' is actually the Dublin-based writing due of Paul Perry and Karen Gillece. I have found their books to be cleverly written and well-paced with fascinating yet flawed characters. I love compelling reads that keep me guessing as the story unfolds, exploring the consequences of ordinary and believable yet compelling characters. Most of Karen Perry's novels have a similar theme and format: ordinary peop

Jonathan Kellerman's Milo and Alex LA-based detective series has been part of my reading life since...forever. The series began in 1985 and there has been at least one new novel published each year since then. The books combine police procedural with psychological insights. Detective Milo Sturgis solves homicides for the LAPD with the help of consultant and friend, Dr Alex Delaware, a psychologist specialising in child custody cases. Milo occupies an unconventional place in t