Review: PARIS REQUIEM by Chris Lloyd

Published by Orion from 23rd February ISBN: 978 1409 1903 0 1 hardback price £16.99 Note: this is the cover of the proof copy. The actual novel will have the title on the front! Many thanks to Orion books for sending this through for review by Shots e-zine Chris Lloyd is a new author to … Continue reading

REVIEW: THE SNIPER by Simon Conway

Published by Hodder and Stoughton for £20 ISBN hardback: 978 1 529 33434 0 Okay, I have waxed lyrical about Simon’s books before. The first of his I read, RAGE, had me entirely engrossed. The next I read was A LOYAL SPY, which cemented his position as a top-flight thriller writer in my view. But … 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: 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: IN THE WOODS by Tana French, published by Hodder

ISBN 978 1 444 75834 4 Paperback £8.99 If you fancy a copy, here’s a link: https://amzn.to/3i6uFaR This is a book I read early this year. It was recommended to me while I was on a Smithsonian Journeys tour last October. I was the Smithsonian Expert for the trip, and one of the clients, an … Continue reading

Back to Work

It’s been a hectic year, again. I suppose I ought to apologise for the radio silence in the last few months, but … well, there’s not enough hours in the day. My YouTube channel has been taking off in recent months. It suffered last year (as did this blog) because my family has had the … Continue reading

Review: THE WANDERER, by Michael Ridpath, published by Corvus Books

ISBN:781782398738 Michael Ridpath is one of those writers who consistently managed thoughtful, entertaining, deeply atmospheric stories. He was originally a bond trader in the City of London, but after eight years and the massively successful thriller FREE TO TRADE, he gave up that job and turned to writing full time. I am very glad he … Continue reading

Review: The Sons

Review: THE SONS, by Anton Svensson, published by Sphere, Hardback £18.99 ISBN:978 0 7515 57777 0 This is a book by authors I had not heard of. Anton Svensson is a writing partnership between Stefan Thunberg, a celebrated screenwriter, and Anders Roslund, an investigative journalist.Their first book, “Father”, achieved rave reviews, and I was keen … Continue reading

Review: Origin by Dan Brown, published by Bantam

Review: Origin by Dan Brown, published by Bantam Hardback edition: £20, ISBN 978-0-5930-7875-4 I have had a firm policy for many years not to be rude about other writers’ work. In part it is a principle based on the fact that although I may not like a specific book, other people may well enjoy it. … Continue reading

Pinkerton’s Great Detective – The Amazing Life and Times of James McParland, by Beau Riffenburgh, published by Penguin Group.

  I found this book while researching the early 20th Century. It was not the book I was expecting. In the 1800s, there was a furious series of battles, more or less, between Miners in different coal and steel areas, and the companies that owned the mines, the railways, and smelting works. It was a … Continue reading