
Welcome to my personal book blog - Brown Flopsy's Book Burrow!!
I am mad about books in all their forms - paper books, e-books and audio books.
I review books and share the bookish love. You may also see me talking about books on Twitter (X), Instagram and Threads (@brownflopsy).
I always give honest reviews of the books I have enjoyed, and the views expressed here are completely my own.
I am also a member of, and admin for, the SquadPod Collective bloggers group.
Search This Blog
Tuesday, December 31, 2030
Wednesday, August 20, 2025
The Burning Stones by Antti Tuomainen (Paperback Release)
The Burning Stones by Antti Tuomainen.
Published in paperback 14th August 2025 by Orenda Books.
From the cover of the book:
Love, murder, middle age, and a sauna to die for…A cold-blooded killer strikes at the hottest moment: the new head of a sauna-stove company is murdered … in the sauna. Who has turned up the temperature and burned him to death?
The evidence points in the direction of Anni Korpinen – top salesperson and the victim’s successor at Steam Devil.
And as if hitting middle-age, being in a marriage that has lost its purpose, and struggling with work weren’t enough, Anni realizes that she must be quicker than both the police and the murderer to uncover who is behind it all – before it’s too late…
From the international bestselling author of Little Siberia and The Rabbit Factor, comes a darkly funny, delightfully tense new thriller that showcases humanity at its most bare – in middle age, suspected of murder and, of course, in a sauna…
An Antti Tuomainen novel is always a breath of fresh Finnish air, beautifully combining a cracking crime story with dark humour and heart-felt emotion - and this is no exception. The story unfurls from the point of view of fifty-something Anni, who has spent the last twenty years working her way to the top by selling quality steam-stoves for the world's best saunas. And her job is a welcome respite from the cares of a marriage to a Formula One obsessed husband that is long past its sell-by date.
Finding herself in the spotlight as number one suspect in a very odd murder, as the likely successor to her boss, Erkki 'Stove King' Ruusula, Anni is up against it - but she is more of a Sherlock Holmes than she thinks herself to be. Digging into the shenanigans of her fellow employees at Stove Devil, she comes across some intriguing clues that might put her on the trail of the real killer... if she can stay alive long enough, of course.
All the delightfully absurd situations and characters I have come to expect in one of Tuomainen's books are here, cleverly sprinkled throughout the story to provide Anni with perplexing trials to overcome - cringe-worthy conversations; ridiculous planted evidence (I give you enchantingly named 'bumlets', and sauna ladles in places they were never intended to be); a steam-stove client fixated on true crime; awkwardly amorous, mambo-loving Erkki; and a police detective unable to let an old grudge about an enormous elk go... such fun!
The way Anni transforms herself in this story is so heart-warming, reigniting the fire in her belly to forge her way out of the middle-aged rut she has fallen into. It was lovely to be at her side as she battled the odds to banish her ghosts, and found the happiness she deserved.
In 2011, Tuomainen’s third novel, The Healer, was awarded the Clue Award for Best Finnish Crime Novel and was shortlisted for the Glass Key Award. In 2013, the Finnish press crowned Tuomainen the ‘King of Helsinki Noir’ when Dark as My Heart was published.
With a piercing and evocative style, Tuomainen was one of the first to challenge the Scandinavian crime-genre formula, and his poignant, dark and hilarious The Man Who Died became an international bestseller and has been released as a TV series, shortlisting for the Petrona and Last Laugh Awards. Palm Beach Finland (2018) was an immense success, with The Times calling Tuomainen ‘the funniest writer in Europe’, and Little Siberia (2019) was shortlisted for the Capital Crime/Amazon Publishing Readers Awards, the Last Laugh Award and the CWA International Dagger, and won the Petrona Award for Best Scandinavian Crime Novel. The Rabbit Factor, the prequel to The Moose Paradox and The Beaver Theory, will soon be a major motion picture starring Steve Carell for Amazon Studios.
About the translator:
David Hackston is a British Translator of Finnish and Swedish literature and drama. Notable publications include The Dedalus Book of Finnish Fantasy, Maria Peura’s coming-of-age novel At the Edge of Light, Johanna Sinisalo’s eco-thriller Birdbrain, two crime novels by Matti Joensuu and Kati Hiekkapelto’s Anna Fekete series (which currently includes The Hummingbird, The Defenceless and The Exiled, all published by Orenda Books). He also translates Antti Tuomainen’s stories.
In 2007 he was awarded the Finnish State Prize for Translation. David is also a professional countertenor and a founding member of the English Vocal Consort of Helsinki.
Tuesday, August 19, 2025
The Transcendent Tide (The Enceladons Book Three) by Doug Johnstone
The Transcendent Tide (The Enceladons Book Three) by Doug Johnstone.
Published 14th August 2025 by Orenda Books.
From the cover of the book:
It’s been eighteen months since the Enceladons escaped the clutches of an American military determined to exterminate the peaceful alien creatures.
Lennox and Vonnie have been lying low in the Scottish Highlands, Ava has been caring for her young daughter Chloe, and Heather is adjusting to her new life with Sandy and the other Enceladons in the Arctic Ocean, off the coast of Greenland. But fate is about to bring them together again for one last battle.
When Lennox and Vonnie are visited by Karl Jensen, a Norwegian billionaire intent on making contact with the Encedalons again, they are wary of subjecting the aliens to further dangers. But when word arrives that Ava’s daughter has suffered an attack and might die without urgent help, they reluctantly make the trip to Greenland, where they enlist the vital help of local woman Niviaq.
It's not long before they’re drawn into a complex web of lies, deceit and death. What is Karl’s company really up to? Why are sea creatures attacking boats? Why is Sandy acting so strangely, and why are polar bears getting involved?
Profound, ambitious and immensely moving, The Transcendent Tide is the epic conclusion to the Encedalons Trilogy – a final showdown between the best and worst of humanity, the animal kingdom and the Encedalons. The future of life on earth will be changed forever, but not everyone will survive to see it…
***********
Eighteen months have passed since the devastating events at the secret American military base, New Broom. The Enceladons have now fled Scottish waters in favour of a peaceful existence in the Arctic Ocean, off the coast of Greenland, and the humans that chose to go with them are adjusting to a new kind of life as part of Sandy's alien community - including Heather.
Ava yearns for some normality for herself and her daughter Chloe, while Lennox and Vonnie are hiding out in the highlands, keen to avoid any further attention. But their hopes for a quiet life are disrupted when Chloe suddenly becomes ill; and Lennox and Vonnie are approached by Karl Jensen, a Norwegian billionaire who knows far too much about their secrets.
The friends head to Greenland for a reunion with the Enceladons, where Heather has been questioning what is going on between the formerly peaceful aliens and the Arctic wildlife in the wake of strange animal attacks - something local woman, Niviaq, has also been wondering about.
Will the Enceladons be able to help Chloe? Can they trust the motives of a man who has made his fortune from exploiting others? Or are they just walking into another trap...?
Welcome to The Transcendent Tide, the blistering conclusion of Doug Johnstone's epic speculative trilogy, The Enceladons, which builds upon all the twists and turns of The Space Between Us, and The Collapsing Wave, to make a third instalment packed with all the action, excitement, and riveting themes that I was hoping for.
Fate brings humans and aliens face-to-face once more in Arctic waters, and Johnstone keeps the thrill level at max through the introduction of a new character, billionaire Karl Jensen, whose motives are unsettlingly murky... and by doubling down on the 'who can you really trust' factor, he takes the Enceladons in a more confrontational direction (hardly surprising given past events) which raises questions about their intentions too.
Through the combined perspectives of Heather, Ava, Lennox, Vonnie, and the fabulous Niviaq, Johnstone steers the plot through many shades of suspicion as the consequences of lies, deception, and starkly different philosophies propel the characters towards a final, violent showdown - with the people of Greenland slap bang in the centre of the battlefield.
Against the Arctic backdrop, a suitably stormy blizzard of themes about the environment, friendship and community juxtapose those around the short-sighted interest of greedy corporations, and I loved how Johnstone has a ball with notions of 'the enemy of my enemy' and 'it's just business' throughout. Prepare to have your emotions get a through work-out, and have you thoughts provoked...
I am bereft that this is the final book of the series, but applaud Johnstone for leaving these characters on a hopeful note. He has certainly showed his hand when it comes to speculative fiction that does exactly what it should, and I very much hope he will decide to write more novels like this. Every scene, whether quiet and tender, or brutally visceral, has its place in making for a story that is so beautifully cinematic that if this series does not get an adaptation, it will surely be a crime against humanity (which certainly needs to learn the lessons Johnstone aims to teach his readers).
The Transcendent Tide is available to buy now in paperback, ebook and audio formats. You can support indie publishing by buying direct from Orenda Books HERE.
Thank you to Orenda Books for sending me a proof of this book in return for an honest review, and to Random Things Tours for inviting me to be part of this blog tour.
About the author:
Doug Johnstone is the author of Fourteen novels, including The Great Silence, the third in the Skelfs series, which has been optioned for In 2021, The Big Chill, the second in the series, was longlisted for the Theakston’s Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year. In 2020, A Dark Matter, the first in the series, was shortlisted for the McIlvanney Prize for Scottish Crime Novel of the Year and the Capital Crime Amazon Publishing Independent Voice Book of the Year award. Black Hearts (Book four), was published in 2022, with The Opposite of Lonely (book five) out in 2023.Tuesday, August 12, 2025
The House At Devil's Neck (Spector Locked-Room Mysteries Book Four) by Tom Mead
The House At Devil's Neck (Spector Locked-Room Mysteries Book Four) by Tom Mead.
Published 14th August 2025 by Aries.
From the cover of the book:
This gripping locked-room mystery sees Joseph Spector investigate his most sinister case yet: murderous machinations at a haunted manor house.A former First World War field hospital, the spooky old mansion at Devil's Neck attracts spirit-seekers from far and wide.
Illusionist-turned-sleuth Joseph Spector knows the house of old. With stories spreading of a phantom soldier making mischief, he joins a party of visitors in search of the truth.
But the house, located on a lonely causeway, is quickly cut off by floods. The stranded visitors are soon being killed off one by one.
With old ally Inspector Flint working on a complex case that has links to Spector's investigation, the two men must connect the dots before Devil's Neck claims Spector himself as its next victim.
Friday, August 8, 2025
Home Before Dark by Eva Bjorg Aegisdottir
Home Before Dark by Eva Bjorg Aegisdottir.
Transalted by Victoria Cribb.
Published 27th July 2025 by Orenda Books.
From the cover of the book:
November, 1967, Iceland. Fourteen-year-old MarsĂ has a secret penpal – a boy who lives on the other side of the country – but she has been writing to him in her older sister’s name. Now she is excited to meet him for the first time.But when the date arrives, MarsĂ is prevented from going, and during the night her sister StĂna goes missing – her bloodstained anorak later found at the place where MarsĂ and her penpal had agreed to meet.
November, 1977. StĂna’s disappearance remains unsolved. Then an unexpected letter arrives for MarsĂ It’s from her penpal, and he’s still out there…
Desperate for news of her missing sister, but terrified that he might coming after her next, MarsĂ returns to her hometown and embarks on an investigation of her own.
But MarsĂ has always had trouble distinguishing her vivid dreams from reality, and as insomnia threatens her sanity, it seems she can’t even trust her own memories.
And her sister’s killer is still on the loose…
Thursday, August 7, 2025
We Live Here Now by C.D. Rose
We Live Here Now by C. D. Rose.
Published 7th August 2025 by Melville House.
From the cover of the book:
When a famous conceptual artist's installation project suddenly vanishes, the sinister aftershocks radiate outwards through twelve people who were involved in the project, changing all of their lives, and launching them on a crazy-quilt trajectory that will end with them all together at one final, apocalyptic bacchanal.C. D. Rose is the author of four previous books, including The Blind Accordionist and Walter Benjamin Stares at the Sea. His short stories have appeared in Gorse, 3AM, The Quietus, and Best British Short Stories. He currently lives in the north of England.
Wednesday, August 6, 2025
The Forgotten Garden by Kate Morton
The Forgotten Garden by Kate Morton.
This edition published 22nd May 2025 by Pan Macmillan.
Originally published 4th September 2008.
From the cover of the book:
Rediscover The Forgotten Garden, the breathtaking intergenerational mystery from the multimillion-copy bestseller, Kate Morton.Three women. Three generations. One spellbinding mystery . . .
Once upon a time, a little girl was found abandoned after a gruelling sea voyage from England to Australia. She carried nothing with her but a small suitcase of clothes, an exquisite volume of fairy tales and the memory of a mysterious woman called the Authoress, who promised to look after her but then vanished.
Years later, Nell returns to England to uncover the truth about her identity. Her quest leads her to the strange and beautiful Blackhurst Manor on the Cornish coast, but its long-forgotten gardens hide secrets of their own.
Now, upon Nell’s death, her granddaughter, Cassandra, comes into a surprise inheritance: an old book of dark fairy tales and a ramshackle cottage in Cornwall. It is here that she must finally solve the puzzle that has haunted her family for a century, embarking on a journey that blends past and present, myth and mystery, fact and fable . . .
Kate Morton grew up in the mountains of southeast Queensland and now lives with her family in London and Australia. She has degrees in dramatic art and English literature, and harboured dreams of joining the Royal Shakespeare Company until she realised that it was words she loved more than performing. Kate still feels a pang of longing each time she goes to the theatre and the house lights dim.
Friday, August 1, 2025
The Mercy Step by Marcia Hutchinson
The Mercy Step by Marcia Hutchinson.
Published 22nd July 2025 by Cassava Republic Press.
From the cover of the book:
Bradford, December 1962.A precocious Mercy makes her reluctant entrance into the world, torn from the warm embrace of her mother’s womb, to a chaotic household that seems to have no place for her. Her siblings do not understand her, her mother’s attention is given to the Church, and the entire family lives at the whims of her father’s quick temper.
Left to herself, Mercy finds solace in books, her imagination, and the quiet comfort of her faithful toy, Dolly. But escapism has its limits, and as the grip of family, faith and fear threatens to close in, Mercy learns she must act if she wants a different future; one where she is seen, heard, and her family set free.
The Mercy Step is a sharply-witted and tender portrait of a young girl’s quiet rebellion, and her refusal to be broken.
She was awarded an MBE in 2011 for services to Cultural Diversity. Moving to Manchester in 2012, she became a community activist and was eventually elected as a Labour Councillor in 2021. She is now a full-time writer and an active member of the Black Writers' Guild.
She is the co-author with Kate Griffin (under the pseudonym Lila Cain) of the historical fiction novel The Blackbirds of St Giles, which will be published by Simon and Schuster in 2025. The Mercy Step is her literary debut as a solo writer.
July 2025 Reading Round-Up
July 2025 Reading Round-Up
![]() |
Getting Away by Kate Sawyer |
![]() |
Divinity Games by Lou Gilmond |
![]() |
The Heretic Cypher by Murray Bailey |
![]() |
Murder In Mesopotamia by Agatha Christie |
![]() |
Havoc by Rebecca Wait |
![]() |
Seven Recipes For Revolution by Ryan Rose |
![]() |
The Secrets Of Dragonfly Lodge by Rachel Hore |
![]() |
The Mourning Necklace by Kate Foster |
![]() |
Edenglassie by Melissa Lucashenko |
Wednesday, July 30, 2025
Edenglassie by Melissa Lucashenko
Edenglassie by Melissa Lucashenko.
Published 3rd July 2025 by Oneworld.
From the cover of the book:
TWO UNFORGETTABLE STORIES. TWO FAMILIES. TWO HUNDRED YEARS OF HISTORY.1854: When Mulanyin meets the beautiful Nita in Brisbane – or Edenglassie, as it was once briefly known – his community still outnumbers the British settlers. Tensions are simmering just beneath the surface of a fragile peace, but hopes for independence are running high. Yet when colonial unrest tears through the region, Mulanyin's passion for his new bride clashes with his loyalty to a homeland in danger.
Two centuries later, fiery activist Winona meets Dr Johnny when her grandmother Eddie has a serious fall. Winona just wants the obstinate centenarian back on her feet, but a shrewd journalist has other ideas. Eddie becomes a local celebrity, dominating the headlines as 'Queensland's Oldest Aboriginal'.
Her time in the spotlight brings past and present crashing together, the legacy of Nita and Mulanyin's tragic past reaching into Winona and Eddie's lives with consequences they couldn't have predicted.
Melissa Lucashenko is a Goorie (Aboriginal) author of Bundjalung and European heritage. Her first novel was published in 1997 and since then her work has received acclaim in many literary awards. Her sixth novel, Too Much Lip, won the 2019 Miles Franklin Literary Award and the Queensland Premier's Award for a work of State Significance. It was also shortlisted for the Prime Minister's Literary Award for Fiction, the Stella Prize, two Victorian Premier's Literary Awards, two Queensland Literary Awards and two NSW Premier's Literary Awards. Melissa is a Walkley Award winner for her non-fiction, and a founding member of human rights organisation Sisters Inside. She writes about ordinary Australians and the extraordinary lives they lead.