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: 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: EMPIRES OF CRIME by Tim Newark, published by Pen And Sword History

ISBN:  1526713047 I have to admit, I picked this up with a degree of trepidation. There are so many books published which blame the British Empire for everything from famine, slavery, warfare and xenophobia, that I am forced to select my reading with care, just to avoid damage to my blood pressure. I need not have … Continue reading

Smoking Rears its Head Again

It seems as though all my time just now is spend blogging about various legal or illegal substances. Last week it was illegal drugs – this week it’s been announced that the UK doctors are asking that smoking in private cars should also become illegal. There are good reasons why British doctors should feel that … Continue reading

Drugs again

Drugs – Yet Again Ach, I really, really dislike returning to this, but really, what is the point of the anti-drugs policy? I saw this today http://chapman.dailymail.co.uk/2011/11/your-best-friend-calls-you-and-tells-you-heshes-really-sick-how-do-you-show-you-care-1.html and felt the irritation rising again. A nice picture needed to calm me down now. Let’s see. Ah, water. That’s good. Is there a purpose to our “War … Continue reading

Crime and punishment revisited

I find it really sad to listen to the radio sometimes. Today I heard so much twaddle, I had to turn it off. Again. There are politicians who are honourable and quite bright, but they do appear to be few and far between. Some, like Ken Clarke, are pretty unambiguous in their opinions, and he … Continue reading