In the early stages of this novel it is difficult to work out whether the focus will be on June Bloom, a 29-year-old, broke junior comedy writer who believes she is a complete failure or Hugo Best, late-night chat show host who has just completed the last episode of his…
Have you ever read Dracula by Bram Stoker? For some, it is perhaps one of the best examples of classic gothic literature ever written and if this is a genre that appeals, then Dracul, the prequel to Dracula, written in part by Dacre Stoker, the great grand-nephew of the famous…
Whisper Network was the July pick for Reese Witherspoon’s Hello Sunshine Book Club and while I don’t particularly choose to read along with all of her recommendations this was one that jumped off the page, screaming that I needed to read it. Neither would I have classed myself as a…
Picking up a copy of The Case, I was unsure what to expect. I enjoy reading novels from authors that I have never heard of before because I have no preconceived ideas about how good the book is going to be. Sometimes, I read books recommended by others and while…
From the author of The Couple Next Door, An Unwanted Guest is the third novel by Canadian author, Shari Lapena. Once a lawyer and a teacher, I think it is fair to say that Shari is making big waves in the crime writing world with her inventive, gripping stories, and…
Where the Crawdads Sing was a Reese Witherspoon top pick for her book club, Hello Sunshine, back in September 2018 and is still, at the time of writing this review, at the top of the New York Times Hardcover Fiction Best Sellers List so I almost have to question why it…
Set in the fictional town of Flinstead-on-Sea in North Essex, The Rumour is the first book by author Lesley Kara, but fingers crossed it won’t be her last. The Rumour: The Story It all starts with a silly rumour. A passing comment or two at the school gates but before she…
I can’t imagine growing up in a country today where electricity is not guaranteed; where cockroaches in the kitchen don’t shock and where education is often missed due to the constant striking of teachers. It is difficult to comprehend having to live during a time of military rule, where they…
I remember sitting in the audience listening to Laura Lippman speak at the Theakston Old Peculier Crime Writing Festival in Harrogate some years ago whilst she was interviewed about how she gains inspiration for her novels. At the time, all I could think about was how one day I wanted…
Sometimes you will read the prologue of a book and instantly know what the story is about and how it will end, with Snow Job however, reading this really gave nothing away. I got the sense that someone was either suffering or going to suffer; that something tragic was going…