I’ve been a huge fan of Armstrong’s various series over the years – particularly the Cainsville and Otherworld books but the standalone stories are rarely as strong. Every Step She Takes is one of her better one-off stories although it does take a little while to get going. Genevieve leads […]
Estimated reading time: 2 minutes
The queen of the RomCom, Kelk returns with the story of Ros. She has spent three years working away in Washington and now that she has returned she wants to pick up her old life in London just where she left it. Unfortunately her family and friends have other ideas […]
Estimated reading time: 2 minutes
It is that time of year when thoughts turn to the perfect sunbed by a pool or failing that a nice comfy deckchair in a sunny park or garden. It is summer-time and as we slap on the factor 30 sun cream we can dream about an idyllic sunshine holiday […]
Estimated reading time: 2 minutes
Bryony Masters has been looking for her sister Hannah for years. Hannah ran away from home at sixteen and hasn’t been seen since. When their father has a stroke and becomes dangerously ill Bryony decides that she needs to pull out all the stops and make a last ditch attempt […]
Estimated reading time: 1 minute
Hawkins was the biggest author on the psychological thriller scene when The Girl on the Train hit bookshelves around the world in 2015. It must have been incredibly daunting launching the equivalent of the difficult second album with Into the Water. Jules is swamped by feelings of guilt. She ignored […]
Estimated reading time: 2 minutes
The Futures is described as a New York Love Story but for most of the book the main characters Julia and Evan seem to be almost the antithesis of love. Their relationship is a convenience, a habit. Julia and Evan get together at college where Evan is a Canadian ice […]
Estimated reading time: 2 minutes
The debut novel from a London journalist, The Plus One is a bit like eating candy floss when you know that you should be eating salad. It is a romp very much in the style of an early Jilly Cooper novel updated for the noughties. Polly works for a society […]
Estimated reading time: 1 minute
For Father’s Day I’ve chosen a book from a series that might appeal more to Dads out there. The Pope of Palm Beach is the latest in Dorsey’s Serge Storms series. Set in Florida, Serge and his sidekick Coleman are travelling through the state on a Literary tour. Irreverent and […]
Estimated reading time: 1 minute
Kim Slater has really carved a niche for herself in the crowded psychological thriller genre. If you enjoyed her previous novels then The Mistake will surely be on your reading list. In a little mining village Rose and her family live a quiet life. Her art course at college fills […]
Estimated reading time: 2 minutes
Challenging. That is probably the best way that I can describe The Book of Luce. I imagine that its a bit like reading a biography of a musician while you are on an acid trip. The story weaves and winds as a journalist – known only to us under a […]
Estimated reading time: 2 minutes
Something a little bit different this time. The new book by Tom Winter is a sweet story and one that strikes a chord especially with the current focus on mental illness. Alice and Ben have a chance meeting in Grosvenor Square in London and don’t realise that the encounter will […]
Estimated reading time: 2 minutes
Liar is the third psychological thriller from Kim Slater. I found it a little harder to connect with the characters in this one and I’m not entirely sure why. Ben is a single father looking after his two young sons after the death of their mother. He has had a […]
Estimated reading time: 1 minute
Molly knew that Alex was the man for her as soon they met. He was kind, considerate and romantic. Everything that she wanted a partner to be. When he suffers devastating head injury their life is turned upside down. Alex has become a completely different person. An angry impatient man […]
Estimated reading time: 1 minute
Tracy Chevalier’s new book is the latest in the Hogarth Shakespeare series of modern day retellings of classic Shakespeare plays. Telling the story of Othello in a more contemporary setting, New Boy was always going to be a bit edgier than some of the others that have preceded it. It […]
Estimated reading time: 2 minutes
Obsession is the debut novel from Amanda Robson. It is a story of two couples. Rob is a GP married to Carly. On a drunken night on a camping holiday in France he is pressed by Carly to tell her who he would be unfaithful with if he could. Such […]
Estimated reading time: 2 minutes
Apologies that there has only been one book review this week but The Shadow Land is a real beast of a book. I have a bit of a love/hate relationship with Elizabeth Kostova’s books. She writes the most incredible stories but I feel like I have lived this journey back […]
Estimated reading time: 3 minutes
It is hard to describe how I felt about this book. There were times when I was so frustrated with it that I almost gave up on it but there was always enough going on to make me keep reading, to persevere. Mags is a wealthy and successful lawyer in […]
Estimated reading time: 2 minutes
Billed as a psychological thriller this is very different to the standard novels with a twist out there. I have to confess that about a third of the way through I almost gave up on it and was ready to start something else. Erin Kelly has crafted an excellent anatomy […]
Estimated reading time: 2 minutes
I don’t get much contemporary American fiction coming my way so it was interesting to have the latest Peter Swanson to review. I had some preconceptions because of the inevitable hype around this book but found myself enjoying it a lot more than I expected. Kate Priddy agrees to a […]
Estimated reading time: 2 minutes
If you are finding it a struggle waiting for the next Fifty Shades movie to hit the big screen you can console yourself with Lara Adrian’s latest novel. This is the second book in her “100” series and they really do need to be read in sequence otherwise there are […]
Estimated reading time: 2 minutes