“The Man Upstairs” by P. G. Wodehouse – Review
As a Wodehouse aficionado I have read many of his books multiple times. But the man was so prolific that no matter how voraciously you read his stuff, it seems […]
Theatre & Literature
“Factfulness” by Hans Rosling – Review
It feels to me like everything is getting worse. Brexit. Trump. Growing inequality, a resurgent right-wing. It didn’t used to be like this, it used to feel like the world […]
“He Said/She Said” by Erin Kelly – Review
This suspense novel was our February book club book. Psychological thrillers are not normally my thing, but this is well constructed, concerning a couple with secrets living incognito apparently for […]
“Lost Hills” by Lee Goldberg – Review
This is the first in a new series by Lee Goldberg about deputy Eve Ronin, a young homicide detective with the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department.
“The Case of the ‘Hail Mary’ Celeste” by Malcolm Pryce – Review
Pryce’s Aberystwyth Noir series (beginning with 2001’s Aberystwyth Mon Amour) is a wonderful treat for anyone who has any familiarity with Raymond Chandler (and his ilk) or Aberystwyth, or (like me) […]
“A Dangerous Man” by Robert Crais – Review
Somewhere between a decade or two ago, knowing I’m a fan of Robert B. Parker’s Spenser, JP recommended a favourite PI to me: Robert Crais’ Elvis Cole.
“Sal” by Mick Kitson – Review
We read this for book club. Sal is a 13 year old survivalist nut. Anticipating that her mum’s boyfriend who has been abusing her will start on her sister, the […]
“The Salt Path” by Raynor Winn – Review
This is one of those “walking the South West coast path” accounts. Having enjoyed Mark Wallington’s Five Hundred Mile Walkies (almost as much as Boogie Up the River) I wasn’t […]
“Middle England” by Jonathan Coe – Review
Jonathan Coe’s Brexit novel is a sequel to The Rotters Club and Closed Circle, each of which were set in the Midlands a couple of decades apart. So besides taking the nation’s […]
“The Runaways” by Fatima Bhutto – Review
We read for book group this tale of three young people who are in various ways dissatisfied with their lives – in Karachi and in Portsmouth.
“Rotherweird” by Andrew Caledcott – Review
For book group we read this forgettable if moderately entertaining fantasy which borrows a hodgepodge of ideas with very little discrimination.
“Lethal White” by Robert Galbraith – Review
I’ve enjoyed Robert Galbraith’s series of London-set private investigator books from the outset, The Cuckoo’s Calling, and in general they have improved as the series has gone on.