Review: MIRACULOUS MYSTERIES edited by Martin Edwards

Published by British Library; ISBN 978 0 7123 5673 2 Rather too many years to think of, when I first created Medieval Murderers, and later, when we decided to collaborate on a novel, one of the very first decisions we made was, that no matter how things went, we would avoid a collection of short … Continue reading

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: TARGET ZERO by Tony Riches, published by Head of Zeus

I have just finished TARGET ZERO, which is the second in the superb The Protector series by Tony Riches.  Please check my last post for a review of NEMESIS, the first in this series. In this second book, Michael Bale, now no longer a policeman, has returned from a year-long escape to Thailand. He lost … Continue reading

Review: NEMESIS by Tony Riches, Published by Head of Zeus

I have found over the years that there are several authors who basically give me big problems. Some I will never look at again – because they put safety catches on a revolver, or on a Glock, for example, which drives me potty. Others because … well, think of Terry Pratchett. Every time he wrote … Continue reading

REVIEW: A DEVON NIGHT’S DEATH by Stephanie Austin, published by Allison and Busby

ISBN: 978 0 7490 2892 3 This is one of those books that arrived without my expecting it.  Usually, books I don’t expect have one thing in common – they aren’t the sort of books I’d ever think of buying. I am, after all, a crime writer.  There is a strange thing about publicists in … Continue reading

Review: TRAITOR IN THE ICE by KJ Maitland, published by Headline Review

ISBN: 978 147 227 5479 There are times when you pick up a book and just know you’re in the hands of a brilliant story-teller.  Karen Maitland is an old friend, but don’t let that get in the way of things. She has been a writer of superb stories for some years, first of all … 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