Review: THE LAST EMPEROR OF MEXICO by Edward Shawcross
Published by Faber & Faber – ISBN: 978-0-571-36057-4 @faberbooks Apologies for such a long period of silence – work has been keeping me from blogging for a while. Today I have to review a book which has held me completely spellbound for the last week. This book, subtitled “A Disaster in the New World” tells … Continue reading
Review: THE FIELDS by Erin Young, published by Hodder & Stoughton April 28th 2022
Review: THE FIELDS by Erin Young, published by Hodder & Stoughton April 28th 2022 ISBN: 978 1529 39755 0 My last review was about a couple of modern day thrillers written by a master of historical Roman warfare. Yet he managed to make the transition seamlessly, and now two superb modern titles by him confirm … Continue reading
Review: SHADOW SLEEPER by Madalyn Morgan
Just recently I have had a few historical books to read – but not books which are necessarily set a long way in the past. Tim Glister’s A LOYAL TRAITOR, for example, set in the 60s – and I’m shortly to review a quartet of some of my favourite spy stories, the LIQUIDATOR books by … Continue reading
Review: A LOYAL TRAITOR by Tim Glister, published by Point Blank on February 10th
ISBN 978 0 86154 166 9 Since I’m a child of the 60s, I’ve always been interested in books of the period. I love Graham Greene, Ian Fleming, John le Carré, John Gardner … all inspired me with my own writing, and they’re writing about a period I know well. It’s not just spy and … Continue reading
Review: MAN ON FIRE by Humphrey Hawksley, published by Severn House
ISBN: 978 0 7278 9034 4 There are some names which are immediately recognisable. When I hear certain names announced on the radio or on my computer, they instantly bring to mind something that makes me stop for a moment. Humphrey Hawksley is one such name. I seem to have known Hawksley for decades. As … Continue reading
Review: BOXING CLEVER by Andy Costello
There are few sporting stories that combine the achievement of so much, followed by utter collapse, as that of Andy Costello. I first met Andy some six or more years ago. He had called and asked me if we could get together over a coffee to talk about his life story. It sounded interesting, and … Continue reading
Review: BLACK BRICK by Jack Spittler
Many times over the years I have been asked to read over someone’s book. Usually it is a friend. Invariably it is a nervous character who sidles up with an easy to recognise expression of anxious anticipation. They have the twin fears: first that I will say I cannot make time to read their work. … Continue reading
Review: THE DA VINCI FRAUD, by Jack Dunn and Jonathan Coad, published by Silvertail Books
Phew. Where to start with this one? Okay. When I wrote THE LAST TEMPLAR, back in the far-distant days of March 1994, not only did I know that this would be the start of a glittering literary career, I also knew that my research had been impeccable, the characterisation superb and the plotting without fault. … Continue reading
Review: SLAVES AND HIGHLANDERS; Silenced Histories of Scotland and the Caribbean, by David Alston, Edinburgh University Press
Published October 2021 This is one of those books which leaves the reader thinking. It raises many questions, mostly about slavery and the British – which yes, means Scottish and English – responsibility for slavery, as well as the French, Dutch and other European nations who ran slave plantations. But this is much more. It … Continue reading
Review: Living With Shakespeare: St Helen’s Parish, London 1593-1598
History, as I learned at school, even at its very best and most exciting can, if a teacher or writer tries hard enough, become dull and tedious in the extreme. Which is why I picked sciences for A level and dropped history. I loved history as a subject, and had studied the medieval period, Victorian … Continue reading
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