The Paris Dancer by Nicola Rayner

 

The Paris Dancer by Nicola Rayner.

Published 13th February 2025 by Aria.

From the cover of the book:

Paris, 1938. Annie Mayer arrives in France with dreams of becoming a ballerina. But when the war reaches Paris, she's forced to keep her Jewish heritage a secret. Then a fellow dancer offers her a lifeline: a ballroom partnership that gives her a new identity. Together, Annie and her partner captivate audiences across occupied Europe, using her newfound fame and alias to aid the Resistance.

New York, 2012. Miriam, haunted by her past, travels from London to New York to settle her great-aunt Esther's estate. Among Esther's belongings, she discovers notebooks detailing a secret family history and the story of a brave dancer who risked everything to help Jewish families during the war.

As Miriam uncovers Esther's life in Europe, she realises the story has been left for her to finish. Grappling with loss and the possibility of new love, Miriam must find the strength to reconcile her past and embrace her future.

***********

June, 2012. Miriam (Mim to her friends) travels to New York from England to deal with her great-aunt Esther's estate as she requested. Struggling with the weight of her own issues, this is bound to add to the burden of grief she is already labouring under, but a serendipitous meeting on the plane with the handsome dancer, Lucky, might prove a distraction during her trip.

Mim begins to sort through Esther's possessions, and discovers a series of notebooks in which her great-aunt recorded her family history in Europe, during World War II. They tell of family secrets that Mim knows nothing about, especially Esther's connection to a brave music hall dancer who risked her own life to protect Jewish families like hers...

The story unfurls in two timelines flipping between Mim's time in New York in 2012, and Esther's story in worn-torn Europe through the handwritten volumes of the memoir she has left behind for Mim to discover - and both sides of the novel carry weighty emotional themes.

Mim's own story is one which has her bound by a paralysing state of guilt-ridden grief over her history with a former partner and the resulting tragedy that tore her best friend Frankie away from her. Loss and a sense of responsibility mean she cannot move forward, or allow herself to get close to another person, and Rayner keeps you guessing about exactly why with well-judged suspense. 

Weaving in and out of Mim's journey, Rayner immerses you completely in Esther's life in Paris of the late 1930s and 1940s, delving into the horror of Nazi occupation and the palpable fear of those of Jewish descent as the Holocaust plays out. Esther's tale is a heart-breaking one, but Rayner also brings alive the vibrant music hall scene of Paris through Esther's family and friends - particularly Annie, the Jewish dancer from Canada whose tale of resistance is based on the very real Florence Waren (you will find yourself diving down some rabbit holes about her).

Tying the two strands of the novel together, Rayner uses dance to absolute perfection. Lucky's quest to help Mim through finding the dance that speaks to her soul in the present, and all the atmospheric moments of time, place, and character-led loveliness in Esther's complicated history, fuse in a choreography all of their own to examine themes of love, friendship, guilt, sacrifice, reconciliation, family, sisters, and sexuality that echo through the novel. 

This book easily makes it on to my pile of 2025 stunners, and it is impossible to do it justice in a brief review. Rayner explores so much about a wealth of emotions, dealing with loss, and forgiveness, and the whole story thrums with the power of music and rhythm in a way that is hard to put into words. I loved it. Tears were shed...

The Paris Dancer is available to buy now in paperback, ebook and audio formats.

Thank you to Aria for sending me a proof of this book in return for an honest review.

About the author:

Born in South Wales, Nicola Rayner is a novelist and dance writer based in London.

She is the author of The Girl Before You, which was picked by the Observer as a debut to look out for in 2019, optioned for television and translated into multiple languages. Her second novel, You and Me, was published by Avon, HarperCollins, in 2020.

In her day job as a journalist, Nicola has written about dance for almost two decades, cutting her teeth on the tango section of Time Out Buenos Aires. She edited the magazine Dance Today from 2010 to 2015 and worked as assistant editor of Dancing Times, the UK's leading dance publication, from 2019 until 2022.

She continues to dance everything from ballroom to breakdance, with varying degrees of finesse.

The Alternatives by Caoilinn Hughes

 

The Alternatives by Caoilinn Hughes.

Published in paperback 6th February 2025 by Oneworld.

From the cover of the book:

OLWEN. NELL. MAEVE. RHONA. MEET THE FLATTERY SISTERS.

Olwen, Nell, Maeve and Rhona were plunged prematurely into adulthood when their parents died in a tragic twist of fate. Now in their thirties, the sisters barely speak, each too busy carving out impressive careers. But when Olwen – reluctant matriarch, lodestar and, of late, zealous consumer of gin – abruptly disappears, her sisters are cast back together to find her, whether she likes it or not.

When they eventually track Olwen down, she is holed up in a remote bungalow in rural Ireland, with little electricity and a patchy connection to the outside world. Together for the first time in years, the sisters vie to confront old wounds and diagnose new ills – most urgently, Olwen's.

Fiercely witty and unexpectedly hopeful, The Alternatives is an unforgettable portrait of a family perched on a precipice, told by one of Ireland's most gifted storytellers.

***********

Olwen, Nell, Maeve, and Rhona Flattery are four sisters who had to grow up fast when the tragic death of their parents left them orphans - especially the eldest, Olwen. Each has gone on to become an expert in their chosen field of study, making them a family of venerated PhD holders - Olwen as a geology lecturer; Rhona as a political activist; Maeve as a published chef exploring sustainable options; and the youngest, Nell, as a philosophy lecturer in the USA.

But despite the success they have garnered in their careers, their private lives are somewhat messy. When Olwen decides to up and leave her home, husband, step-children, and career behind by disappearing into the night on her bicycle, her sisters are shocked. She has always been the most grounded amongst them, and even though they have not seen each other for years, they feel her absence. The only thing to be done is for them to reunite and try to find her...

This is an unconventional novel in style, unfurling through the separate points of view of each of the sisters in the first third to give a glimpse of where they are at in their lives at the time of Olwen's disappearance, before morphing into a play script once they locate Olwen at her remote hideaway in the Irish countryside. This really threw me at first, but it works perfectly in terms of the quiet, but stirring themes of reconciliation, forgiveness, and finding a way to negotiate tricky futures in a hopeful state of mind, that Hughes explores in this story.

Essentially, each of the sisters has reached a point in their lives where they can only move forward by coming to terms with the past, and Olwen's disappearance is the catalyst for them to come together and address the emotional baggage they have carried since the family tragedy of their childhood. The first part of the novel paints an intimate picture of their personal and professional lives: Olwen suddenly finding herself at odds with the direction she has chosen; Rhona questioning the demands of her career now she is a single mother; Maeve caught between pursuing her own ethical agenda and the one which supports her financially; and Nell troubled by mysterious symptoms of an undiagnosed illness. 

Hughes throws them together in a way which has them confronting the barriers between each other, and the ones which stand in the way of the lives they want to be living, and the play format concentrates beautifully on the conversations that happen as they work through all their knotty issues. Their conversations are full of relatable moments of every day life in an odd situation, with alternating moments of harmony and discord, which I very much enjoyed. You find yourself caught up in the dissecting of past actions, current dilemmas, and future possibilities in a way that pulls you completely into their lives, simply by concentrating on their dialogue. It is very clever.

There are a lot of weighty intellectual themes discussed throughout the novel, as befits such a high achieving set of siblings, some of which went over my head when it comes to politics and philosophy. My favourite parts were definitely those about Maeve's views on sustainability and food, and in Olwen's passion for geology and environmental issues, but there is a lovely overarching theme about looking at alternative ways of living and taking stock of the legacy of the past that is reflected in all their voices, opinions, and aspirations that is very striking - and is echoed nicely in the book's title. 

I suspect this will be a slice of rich literary fiction that divides the crowd. There are moments of fathomless emotional poignancy cheek-by-jowl with sparkling scenes oozing delicious wit, conversations riddled with savage barbs standing side-by-side with those of playful banter, absurdly comic vignettes juxtaposing tender acts which pierce your heart, and the way the novel flips between them is certainly disorienting at times - especially given the high-brow ideas that weave amongst it all. However, there is something magical about the way Hughes puts them all together to create a compelling story that drops in on the lives of the Flattery sisters, and then simply leaves them to face the future with hope in their hearts. I will be thinking about this one for a long time to come.

The Alternatives is available to buy now in hardcover, paperback, ebook and audio formats.

Thank you to Oneworld for sending me a copy of this book in return for an honest review.

About the author:

Caoilinn Hughes is the author of THE WILD LAUGHTER (2020), which won the Royal Society of Literature's Encore Award, was longlisted for the Dylan Thomas Prize, and was a finalist for three other awards. Her first novel, ORCHID & THE WASP (2018) won the Collyer Bristow Prize, was longlisted for the International Dublin Literary Award, and was a finalist for four other awards. Her short fiction won the Irish Book Awards' Story of the Year, The Moth Short Story Prize, and an O.Henry Prize. She has been Writer Fellow at Trinity College Dublin and Maastricht University in the Netherlands, and a Cullman Center Fellow at New York Public Library. THE ALTERNATIVES is her third novel.

The Temple Of Fortuna (The Wolf Den Book Three) by Elodie Harper

 

The Temple of Fortuna (The Wolf Den Book Three) by Elodie Harper.

Published 9th November 2023 by Head of Zeus.

Audio book narrated by Antonia Beamish. 11 hours and 39 minutes run time.

From the cover of the book:

A courtesan in Rome. Playing for power. Haunted by her past. Her name is Amara. How will her fortunes fall?

Amara's journey has taken her far, from a lowly slave in Pompeii's brothel to a high-powered courtesan in Rome. Yet she is still drawn back to her past. For while Amara is caught up in the political scheming of the Imperial palace, her daughter remains in Pompeii, raised by the only man she ever truly loved. And although she longs for her family, Amara knows they are safest while she is far away.

But the year is AD 79, and Mount Vesuvius is preparing to make itself known...

The Temple of Fortuna is the dramatic final instalment in Elodie Harper's Sunday Times-bestselling Wolf Den trilogy, which reimagines the lives of women who have long been overlooked.

***********

September, AD 79. From an existence as a slave in Pompeii's Wolf Den brothel to life as courtesan to Demetrius, a powerful advisor to Emperor Titus in Rome, life for Amara has changed beyond all recognition. But she is still surrounded by dangers that threaten to overturn her plans to secure her daughter's future.

With the death of Emperor Suetonius, trouble is brewing between his sons Titus and Domitian, and Demetrius has been gathering as much information he can about Domitian's plotting against his brother using all means at his disposal, including the keen ears of Amara. She is now a target for Domitian's wrath.

Demetrius decides the best way to protect her is to send her back to Pompeii to arrange for their upcoming wedding, but even though Amara is delighted to be returning to her daughter, Rufina, Philos the man she still loves (Rufina's real father), and her friends, this is not a place of safety. Her old master, Felix, knows her secrets and is bent on vengeance. And in the background, Vesuvius is about to unleash its doom...

 Welcome to the third part of the fabulous Wolf Den trilogy, and the moment we have all been waiting for - the destruction of Pompeii from the catastrophic eruption of Vesuvius. From a beginning rich in power plays and intrigue in Rome, Amara finds herself back in Pompeii with those she loves best. In her absence, Philos has been caring for Rufina. All efforts to buy him his freedom have been in vain, and despite the protection of her friends (including the fierce gladiator, and fellow ex Wolf Den inmate Britannica) Felix could bring everything crashing down.

Pompeii is a city being plagued by earth tremors that its residents do not imagine will lead to what comes, and Amara is thrown into a complex mess of feelings about her daughter, Philos, her business interests, Felix's attempts to intimidate her, and the prospect of marriage to Demetrius. Harper builds delicious tension combining the stress of Amara's emotionally wrought worries with the ever increasing danger from the eruption that will change their lives for ever, creating an atmospheric feeling of time and place like never before. Eventually the time comes when all hell breaks loose, setting Amara on a path which will lose her dear friends, but also bring her to a future she never anticipated, if only she can confront her fears and take her fate into her own hands.

This story kept me on the edge of my seat throughout, with twists, turns, and oodles of fabulous detail about Rome, and the eruption of Vesuvius. I particularly loved how Harper weaves what we know about the factual events of the disaster with her fictional story, as this brings real power to the human side of the events that play out. History dwells so much on the impact of the eruption on Pompeii that I have not really thought about what happened to the people who survived, so I very much enjoyed the way Harper delves into how they dealt with the loss of their homes, livelihoods, and loved ones in the midst of these horrific events and in the aftermath - and the surprising opportunities that came with the tragedy, particularly for those who were enslaved.

I loved this book from beginning to end, as I have for the entire trilogy. Elodie Harper has such a talent for shining a light on the untold stories of women in history that makes her books an absolute joy to consume. I came prepared to be upset about leaving these characters behind, which in many ways I am, but I am also intrigued about what lies next. Her upcoming book, Boudicca's Daughter, promises to be be just as special as the Wolf Den books have been, following on from an emotional twist I did not see coming! I cannot wait!

The Temple of Fortuna is available to buy now in hardcover, paperback, ebook and audio formats.

About the author:

Elodie Harper is a journalist and prize winning short story writer. Her story 'Wild Swimming' won the 2016 Bazaar of Bad Dreams short story competition, judged by Stephen King. She is currently a reporter at ITV News Anglia in the East of England.

Elodie is the author of The Wolf Den, the first in a trilogy of novels set in ancient Pompeii. The second in the series, The House with The Golden Door, is out in the UK now. She is also the author of two thrillers, The Death Knock and The Binding Song.

The Thirteen Problems by Agatha Christie

 

The Thirteen Problems by Agatha Christie.

This edition published 9th November 2023 by Harper Collins.

Originally published 1932.

From the cover of the book:

A weekly dinner party
Ten amateur sleuths
The Tuesday Club murders

On a quiet Tuesday in St Mary Mead, a group of friends gather for dinner.

A policeman, a clergyman, a solicitor, an author, an artist, and an unassuming lady with a shrewd gaze – Miss Jane Marple. Conversation naturally turns to crime.

Each recounts a seemingly unsolvable mystery. Each thinks they know the answer.

But it’s the one they least expect who understands the true nature of each wicked act…

Never underestimate Miss Marple...

***********

This intriguing collection of linked short stories marks the earliest appearance of Christie's Miss Marple. I had not read them before, despite having consumed almost all of the Miss Marple novels, and was really struck by how much this collection makes for a wonderful showcase for her ability to apply her knowledge of human nature to the business of solving crime.

The first six stories take place at Miss Marple's home in St Mary Mead when a small gathering of friends and relations, including her nephew Raymond and the former head of Scotland Yard Sir Henry Clithering, fall into a discussion about crime. Each person goes on to tell about their own experience with a case which seemed to have no easy explanation, but which they later received enlightening information about, challenging the others to see if they can come up with the solution. Miss Marple's role in the proceedings is taken in a comic light, at first, given her position as an elderly lady with little experience of the world beyond St Mary Mead - however, as the evening progresses and she is able to identify the hows, whys, and wherefores about every single case, her guests are forced to reassess their opinion about her. The group dub themselves the Tuesday Night Club, and plan to meet again to delve into more knotty cases of dark deeds.

The next six stories are set during a dinner party at the home of Dolly and Arthur Bantry. Dolly is persuaded to invite Miss Marple by Sir Henry Clithering, which bemuses her somewhat, but when the conversation later turns to crime it becomes clear why he was keen to see a repeat performance of this deceptively fluffy old lady exercising her razor sharp intellect. Once again, each guest is called upon to relate a personal encounter with a tricky case, and the others are challenged to come up with the correct solution. In every one Miss Marple has the right answer, and she even heads off a potential crime in the process.

The final story foreshadows Miss Marple's future career as a sleuth extraorindaire, as it involves Sir Henry Clithering consulting her about the live case of a local girl who has been murdered. Miss Marple is reluctant to get involved, but she agrees to provide Sir Henry with details of who she believes the murderer to be... and yet again, she is proved right.

I absolutely loved this collection, The stories introduce not just Miss Marple, but other characters who appear in the books which later feature her talents, and they are all packed to the gills with Christie's favourite themes, complex motives, and devious methods of execution. If you have yet to read a Christie book in which Miss Marple stars, they are a fabulous introduction to her modus operandi too.

The Thirteen Problems (published in the USA as The Tuesday Club Murders) was my February choice for Read Christie 2025's theme of characters and careers - in this case the role of authors in her work (hello, Raymond West, Miss Marple's crime author nephew). I was delighted to discover that I already had this excellent collection in my Audible library, narrated by my favourite Miss Marple, Joan Hickson. This made listening to the book an absolute treat!  

The Thirteen Problems is available to buy now in multiple formats.

About the author:

Agatha Christie is known throughout the world as the Queen of Crime. Her books have sold over a billion copies in English with another billion in over 70 foreign languages. She is the most widely published author of all time and in any language, outsold only by the Bible and Shakespeare. She is the author of 80 crime novels and short story collections, 20 plays, and six novels written under the name of Mary Westmacott.

The Partner (Carver and Kramer Book Two) by A.A. Chaudhuri

 

The Partner (Carver and Kramer Book Two) by A.A. Chaudhuri.

Published 24th February 2025 by  Lume Books.

From the cover of the book:

A VIOLENT ABDUCTION. FOUR HOSTAGES. NO LEADS.

Two gunmen burst into the packed boardroom at an exclusive city law firm. Lawyer Maddy Kramer watches in horror as they snatch a popular partner and his young trainee.

Hours later, a tape is couriered to the offices. It shows the trainee, Charlotte Dempsey. She’s been brutally beaten. Her face is badly swollen and there’s a cigarette burn on her chest.

Tied up next to her are two more trainees from the same firm.

Detective Jake Carver leads the investigation. When he finds out Maddy is involved, he’s keen to get her sharp insights.

Then the ransom demand arrives. Time is running out.

But this isn’t just about money. The kidnappers know a shocking secret that could destroy the firm — and everyone who works there. And they’ll stop at nothing to get what they want . . .

This book was previously published as The Abduction.

***********

Lawyer, Maddy Kramer is finally back on an even keel after her traumatic experiences in The Lawyer, and is working for another top City legal firm, where she has been concentrating on getting ahead in her career. She has neither seen, nor heard from, DCI Carver since the police investigation that introduced them to each other, but she often thinks about him - and the chemistry that existed between them.

But Maddy is not destined for the quiet life just yet, as masked raiders burst into a boring lunchtime meeting at her new firm and abduct a young trainee and one of the partners. Events are further complicated when it appears that two more of the firm's young trainees have also been abducted... and the senior partner has been sent an incriminating video and some rather personal demands in terms of the ransom required.

Maddy is set reeling by this turn of events, but she is also more than a little interested in finding out what is going on here. And then, who should walk back into her life once more? Well, DCI Carver, of course.... and the attraction between them is as strong as ever.

Kramer and Carver are back in their second adventure together. In company with Carver's new team, and the ever faithful Drake, this time they are after a gang of kidnappers who appear to be on rather an unusual crusade. Can they get to the bottom of this twisty case? Can Kramer and Carver ignore the attraction that lies between them? That's for me to know, and you to find out - although I will say that some interesting things happen between Kramer and Carver, which made me very happy indeed, and I absolutely loved the feisty new team members.

A.A. Chaudhuri sets out quite a different crime adventure for Kramer and Carver this time around, but it is every bit as engaging and twisty as their first, and continues the delicious air of romantic suspense between two of them - you can positively feel the passionate sparks fly! 

From the outset, there is something a bit off about the nature of the kidnapping and the motives of the abductors, and this is what makes The Partner such a delight - for our villains are not your normal gangland thugs out for a bit of filthy lucre, and the best of intentions lie at the heart of their carefully plotted scheme. Of course, as the old adage goes, the road to hell is paved with good intentions, and things do not go quite as smoothly as they were hoping with Kramer and Carver on their tail.

One of the things I most enjoy about A.A. Chaudhuri's books is that she likes to play mind games with her readers, carefully leading you along with enticing little titbits that have you thinking you know exactly what is going on, when the truth is actually far more complex. Although the hints and clues are there to follow, there are always a few delectable surprises that blindside you.

At the heart of this thrilling tale, there are some very thought provoking themes involving sexual assault and the legacy of unresolved trauma. This gives the book an intriguing depth and complexity, and sometimes had me questioning quite how I wanted the story to unfurl. Sins of the past, guilt by association, and doing the right thing weigh heavily on many of the characters in this book, and the way things play out will have you asking some searching questions about whether it is ever right to take matters into your own hands in the pursuit of justice, however admirable your objective.

Oh, what a tangled web we weave, when first we practice to deceive... but not too tangled it seems for our perfect partnership of Kramer and Carver! I adored everything about this one - the relationships, the nicely crafted plot, the revelations, the moral dilemmas... and I cannot wait for book three!

***Review originally published in March 2021.

The Partner is available to buy now in paperback, ebook and audio formats. Previously published under the title The Abduction.

About the author:

A.A. Chaudhuri is a former City lawyer turned thriller writer, born and raised in Portsmouth, but who now lives in Surrey with her family. Once a highly ranked British junior tennis player, competing in the national championships and a member of the national squad, she went on to tour the women’s professional satellite circuit as a teenager and achieved a world ranking of 650.

THE SCRIBE and THE ABDUCTION, published by LUME BOOKS in July and December 2019, are her first crime book series, plunging readers into London’s glamorous legal world and featuring series’ heroine, Maddy Kramer, fiction’s first female City lawyer amateur sleuth, who teams up with charismatic DCI Jake Carver to solve a gruesome series of murders and a puzzling abduction. THE SCRIBE and THE ABDUCTION were published as audio books by Isis Audio on 1st January and 1st March 2021, both read by David Thorpe.

She has also contributed an original short story THE ENCOUNTER to crime anthology GIVEN IN EVIDENCE published by LUME BOOKS in May 2020, has written many articles and short stories for The Crime Writers’ Association.

Her first psychological thriller with HERA BOOKS, SHE’S MINE, was published in e-book, paperback and audio in August 2021, the second, THE LOYAL FRIEND, was published in all three formats in June 2022 and published in the USA by Canelo US on 20th June 2023. Her third, THE FINAL PARTY, was published on May 25th 2023. It was released in audiobook on 1st February 2024.

Her fourth psychological thriller - UNDER HER ROOF - was released in e-book, paperback and audio on 13th June 2024. Her fifth psychological thriller will be released in June 2025.

The Scribe, was re-published as THE LAWYER by Joffe Books on 7th October 2024 in e-book and paperback. The Abduction, has now also been republished as THE PARTNER by Joffe Books in February 2025.

Besides being an avid reader, she enjoys fitness, films, anything Italian and a good margarita!

Other People's Houses (DC Ffion Morgan Book Three) by Clare Mackintosh

 

Other People's Houses (DC Ffion Morgan Book Three) by Clare Mackintosh.

Published 27th February 2025 by Sphere.

From the cover of the book:

Even on the most desirable street, there's a dark side . . .

The Hill is the kind of place everyone wants to live: luxurious, exclusive and safe. But now someone is breaking and entering these Cheshire homes one by one, and DS Leo Brady suspects the burglar is looking for something, or someone, in particular.

Over the border in Wales, DC Ffion Morgan recovers the body of an estate agent from the lake. There's no love lost between Ffion and estate agents, but who hated this one enough to want her dead - and why?

As their cases collide, Ffion and Leo discover people will pay a high price to keep their secrets behind closed doors . . .

***********

When the body of an estate agent is dragged from a Welsh lake, DC Ffion Morgan has to put aside her own feelings about the profession and discover why someone would want to kill this young woman and stuff her in a kayak.

Meanwhile, over the border in Cheshire, her boyfriend DS Leo Brady is involved in another tricky case that is bringing him nothing but a headache. Someone has been breaking into the swanky homes in the desirable neighbourhood of The Hill, but there is something odd about the burglaries. Was the guilty party looking for loot to sell, or engaged in a much more sinister search?

Welcome to book three in the DC Ffion Morgan series, which has Ffion and Leo trying to crack two complex investigations in parallel, while they attempt to wade through their personal problems and relationship hiccups. 

Ffion's case takes her into the murky world of estate agents, which is poor timing for someone currently in the unhappy process of moving house. It is a case where everyone seems to have something to hide, and has Ffion bumping heads with her superiors as she goes off-piste following her hunches. At the same time, Leo becomes immersed in the select community living on The Hill, where the high-end properties house a group wealthy residents with secrets they are keen to keep hidden in the midst of a police investigation. 

The story unfurls through the points of view of Ffion, Leo, and Leo's ex-wife Allie who lives near The Hill and is desperate to social climb her way into the lives of its residents, broken up with sneak peeks of a true crime podcase about a double murder that took place in the neighbourhood some years ago (plus pertinent details to this case dropped via on-line chatter). The lovely police procedural elements follow the increasingly complicated cases of Ffion and Leo, and there is plenty of added emotional content about their personal relationship too. Themes of jealousy, money, deception, and off-kilter relationship dynamics run through the whole book; with a seductive side-order of stirring from the fantasist aspirations of Allie, as she tries to inveigle her way into The Hill set, and vents her spleen about Ffion and Leo's relationship.

The threads of the separate investigations eventually begin to cross-over, and the twists and turns come thick and fast, building up to an edge-of-your-set climax that is an absolute cracker! Ffion and Leo are great protagonists, and Dave the dog is a joy. Mackintosh misleads and misdirects to absolute perfection, weaving her storylines around characters, and setting, to create a devilishly devious plot that catches you up in a kind of Welsh Borders Desperate Housewives affair. I was here for it all!

I love it when you discover an author who you can feel in your bones is going to become a firm favourite, and Clare Mackintosh is definitely going a fixture on my reading pile from now on...I cannot wait to go back and read the first two books in the series!

Other People's Houses is available to buy now in hardcover, ebook and audio formats.

Thank you to Sphere for sending me a copy of this book in return for an honest review.

About the author:

Clare Mackintosh is a police officer turned crime writer and the multi-award winning author of seven Sunday Times bestselling novels, including I Let You Go, which was the fastest selling debut thriller of the year it was released.

Translated into forty languages, her books have sold more than two million copies worldwide, have been New York Times and international bestsellers and have spent a combined total of 68 weeks in the Sunday Times bestseller chart. In 2024 she published a memoir, I Promise It Won't Always Hurt Like This.

Clare is patron of the Silver Star Society, a charity based at the John Radcliffe hospital in Oxford, which supports parents experiencing high-risk or difficult pregnancies.

She lives in North Wales with her husband and three children.

Life Hacks For A Little Alien by Alice Franklin

 

Life Hacks For a Little Alien by Alice Franklin.

Published 13th February 2025 by riverrun.

From the cover of the book:

From her first words to her first day at school, Little Alien can't help but get things wrong. She doesn't understand the world the way others seem to, and the world doesn't seem to understand her either. Her anxious mum and meticulous dad, while well-intentioned, are of little help.

But when Little Alien sees a documentary about the Voynich Manuscript - a mediaeval codex written in an unknown language and script - she begins to suspect that there are other people who feel just like her. Convinced that translating this manuscript will offer the answers she needs, she sets out on a journey that will show her a delicious taste of freedom.

So begins this charming, witty, and profoundly moving novel about the power of language, the wonder of libraries - and how to find a path that fits, when you yourself do not.

***********

Little Alien feels out of step with the world around her. Many things simply do not make sense to her, and she struggles to communicate her own thoughts and emotions with the language she has at her disposal. She always seem to get things wrong, and her parents have no idea how to help, despite their good intentions.

When Little Alien sees a documentary about a mysterious manuscript called the Voynich Manuscript, a mediaeval codex written in an unknown language and script, she feels that it somehow represents her own experience. Perhaps if she can translate the manuscript it will be a way to embark on a voyage of discovery that will navigate her way through life?

Life Hacks For A Little Alien is a quirky and humorous novel about understanding a world which makes little sense to you, and which does not seem to understand you in return. It unfurls in unconventional style through the second person narration of an unnamed linguist offering advice to the neurodivergent (and equally anonymous) Little Alien about how she can expect her youth to play out, in a form of personally crafted fable that comes full circle. I wondered at times if this was actually Little Alien herself looking back on her own life in a speculative twist, but ultimately it does not really matter.

Although I am not generally a fan of a second person narration, this works very well here, and becomes a vehicle by which Franklin can drop into moments in Little Alien's life that show how the world can be bewildering to someone who thinks a bit differently. You do not need to be on the spectrum to relate to many of the scenes in this story, especially the discord between the things adults say (or leave unsaid) and how children comprehend their meaning, but Franklin also offers real insight into neurodivergence, particularly when it comes to having the resources (life hacks in this instance) to understand others and make oneself heard. It is easy to see how this is part-informed from her own experiences with autism.

I very much enjoyed how Franklin makes Little Alien's search for answers through her quest to decipher the Voyich Manuscript so engaging, making it into an adventure tale just as much as it is a life-affirming exploration of difference. The relationship she forms with her best friend Bobby is full of heart-warming tenderness. There are many comic moments to enjoy (the recommended reading suggestions are absolute gold). And if this story is not a drop-dead gorgeous love letter to books and the libraries that make them available to all., then I do not know what is.

Life Hacks for a Little Alien is available to buy now in hardcover, ebook and audio formats.

Thank you to riverrun for sending me a proof of this book in return for an honest review.

About the author:

Alice Franklin lives and works in London. She has an MA in Creative Writing from the University of East Anglia.

Life Hacks for a Little Alien is her debut novel. The characterisation of Little Alien is partly informed by her own experience with autism.

The Weekenders (Raskine House Trilogy Book One) by David F. Ross

 

The Weekenders (Raskine House Trilogy Book One) by David F. Ross.

Published 27th February 2025 by Orenda Books.

From the cover of the book:

Glasgow, 1966: Stevie ‘Minto’ Milloy, former star footballer-turned-rookie reporter, finds himself trailing the story of a young Eastern European student whose body has been found on remote moorland outside the city. How did she get there from her hostel at the Sovereign Grace Mission, and why does Stevie find obstacles at every turn?

Italy, 1943: As the Allies fight Mussolini’s troops, a group of young soldiers are separated from their platoon, and Glaswegian Jamesie Campbell, his newfound friend Michael McTavish at his side, finds himself free to make his own rules…

Glasgow, 1969: Courtroom sketch artist Donald ‘Doodle’ Malpas is shocked to discover that his new case involves the murder of a teenage Lithuanian girl he knows from the Sovereign Grace Mission. Why hasn’t the girl’s death been reported? And why is a young police constable suddenly so keen to join the mission?

No one seems willing to join the dots between the two cases, and how they link to Raskine House, the stately home in the Scottish countryside with a dark history and even darker present – the venue for the debauched parties held there by the rich and powerful of the city who call themselves ‘The Weekenders’.

Painting a picture of a 1960s Glasgow in the throes of a permissive society, pulled apart by religion, corruption, and a murderous Bible John stalking the streets, The Weekenders is a snapshot of an era of turmoil – and a terrifying insight into the mind of a ruthless criminal…

***********

Glasgow, 1966: Stevie 'Minto' Malloy's life is on the slide since a shattered leg brought his career as a professional football player to an end. In the midst of navigating a broken marriage and constant reminders of the future snatched away from him, he finds himself unexpectedly being given a job as sports correspondent for the Daily Star. Taken under the wing of veteran crime reporter Jock Meickle, Minto becomes obsessed by the investigation into the murder of a young Lithuanian exchange student from the Sovereign Grace Mission. When he discovers a link to local stately home, Raskine House, and the mysterious parties of 'The Weekenders', he uncovers a web of secrets, lies and corruption that lead him into danger.

Italy, 1943: The Allies land in Italy to battle Mussolini's troops. A group of disaffected young soldiers go rogue when they are separated from the invading army. Jamesie Campbell and his new friend Michael McTavish, a fellow Glaswegian, decide to follow their own brutal path - a path that continues on their return to Scotland, when Campbell becomes entangled with the Denton-Hall family of Raskine House.

Glasgow, 1969: Deeply religious, courtroom artist Donald 'Doodle' Malpas is shocked when a Lithuanian girl he knows from the Sovereign Grace Mission is murdered. As he follows the course of the trial of the man accused of her murder, he begins to question exactly what is going on at the mission run by his mentor, Pastor McTavish - especially when young constable joins the congregation and starts asking questions about the mission's link to parties at Raskine House.

The novel unfurls through these three linked timelines, beginning and ending in the Swinging Sixties, and throwing you back into the disturbing wartime past of central characters Jamesie Campbell and Michael McTavish in-between. In typical Ross style, each part of the intricate weft and warp of the whole literary tapestry brings you to severed threads, which then connect to new ones in a most disorienting way - something I always really enjoy about his writing.

Everything revolves around the enigmatic Raskine House, through the murky saga of the Denton-Hall family. Ross litters his story with little tit-bits about eerie goings on at the house, piquing your interest with violent shenanigans and links to tragedies that make it pretty clear this is a place where blood has seeped into its very foundations and evil reigns. For this first book he mostly focuses on the 1960s with the deaths of Lithuanian girls trafficked into Scotland as prey for the celebrities and pillar-of-the-community types who party hard as 'The Weekenders' - with a disturbing glimpse into brutal coming of age activities from the 1940s onwards.

This is Ross at his darkest, revelling in acts of debauchery that liken The Weekenders to the very worst of the Hellfire Club, with a side-order of psychedelic drugs. Some of this was pretty close to the knuckle for me, but I really enjoyed how time and place absolutely zings in this book - the music, popular culture, social conditions, and references to events happening in the background are pitched to atmospheric perfection. I also loved the use of dialect, and how Ross explores the interaction between permissive attitudes of the 1960s and behaviour (particularly of damaged individuals); wide-spread institutional corruption of the past; the incestuous relationships of the powerful on both sides of the law; religious fervour masking the most heinous of acts; and exploitation of the vulnerable. 

There is no doubt that this is a challenging read that pushes the boundary between gritty crime and horror, and I am still processing many psychological aspects of the story and Ross' intentions - particularly when it comes to the connection between evil acts, their perpetrators, and the places where they take place. I am intrigued about what comes next in this trilogy... 

The Weekenders is available to buy now in paperback, ebook and audio formats.

Thank you to Orenda Books for sending me a proof of this book in return for an honest review, and for inviting me to join this blog tour.

About the author:

David F. Ross was born in Glasgow in 1964 and has lived in Kilmarnock for over 30 years. He is a graduate of the Mackintosh School of Architecture at Glasgow School of Art, an architect by day, and a hilarious social-media commentator, author and enabler by night. His debut novel The Last Days of Disco was shortlisted for the Authors Club Best First Novel Award, and optioned for the stage by the Scottish National Theatre. All five of his novels have achieved notable critical acclaim and There’s Only One Danny Garvey, published in 2021 by Orenda Books, was shortlisted for the prestigious Saltire Society Prize for Scottish Fiction Book of the Year. David lives in Ayrshire.

That'll Teach Her by Maz Evans

 

That'll Teach Her by Maz Evans.

Published 27th February 2025 by Headline.

From the cover of the book:

As educators go, Claudia Stitchwell makes Miss Hannigan look like Miss Honey. But when the reviled headteacher drops dead in the school hall, a group of sceptical parents suspect the nut allergy explanation doesn't add up - they believe someone wanted to teach Miss Stitchwell a lesson.

Only four people could have killed Stitchwell: Hattie, the adored school cook; Kiera, the hard-working teaching assistant; Clive, the loathed school bursar and Ben, the popular deputy head. All of them are liars... but only one is the murderer.

Piecing together evidence from the daily drama and drudgery of the parents' group chat, local press, police reports, school newsletters, and good, old-fashioned gossip, the determined detective parents are doing their homework to crack the case.

Will you spot the clues? Can you deduce whodunnit? And for the love of all things holy, does anyone have this week's spellings?

***********

When Miss Claudia Stichwell, the universally disliked headteacher of St Nonnatus Primary School, drops dead in the school hall, no one is really sorry for her demise. However, a small group of parents are reluctant to believe this was the result of a nut allergy - instead, the Robocoppers group chat think she was murdered.

There are four people who could have committed the crime - Hattie, the school cook; Keira, the teaching assistant; Clive, the school bursar; and Ben, the deputy head - but who is guilty? Can the parents track down the killer?

This highly original little gem by Maz Evans unfurls through an unconventional mix of newspaper articles from the Flatford Gazette; transcripts of parent group chats; statements from police interviews with witnesses; Tickly Tiger's Diary; school newsletters; and narratives from the suspects that are as informative as they are misleading. Each provides pieces of the puzzle to discover the solution to the conundrum of who killed Miss Stichwell, and taken together make for a very enjoyable murder mystery caper.

This book is so much fun. Evans' sense of humour, and her considerable talents as a writer of engaging fiction for demanding younger readers, shine out in a crime story that is full of shenanigans pitched perfectly for a grown-up audience. Oodles of sharply observed minutiae about primary school life from staff, students, parents, and the wider school community make this story incredibly relatable - especially the content of the parent chats (the non-murdery bits, that is) and the adventures of Tickly Tiger. I found myself swinging between teary-eyed nostalgia about my own children's school days, and palpable relief that they left them behind along while ago!

I bowled merrily along with this tale, chuckling steadily at the same time as testing my little grey cells with a nicely contrived mystery. Funny, clever, and entertaining, this was an absolute joy. 

That'll Teach Her is available to buy now in hardcover, ebook and audio formats.

Thank you to Headline for sending my a proof of this book in return for an honest review.

About the author:

Maz Evans is the author of the bestselling Who Let The Gods Out?, Vi Spy, and Exploding Life Of Scarlett Fife series, which have collectively sold to 22 countries worldwide and received over 20 award nominations, including the Carnegie Medal, Branford Boase, Books Are My Bag, Waterstones Children's Book of the Year. Her acclaimed live events have featured at Hay, Imagine, Edinburgh, Bath, Cheltenham and countless festivals around the UK. That'll Teacher Her is her second crime novel.

Black Woods Blue Sky by Eowyn Ivey

 

Black Woods Blue Sky by Eowyn Ivey.

Published 4th February 2025 by Tinder Press.

From the cover of the book:

Birdie's keeping it together, of course she is. So she's a little hungover on her shifts, and has to bring her daughter to the lodge while she waits never tables, but it's a tough town to be a single mother, and Birdie just needs to get by.

And then Birdie meets Arthur, who is quieter than most men, but makes her want to listen; who is gentle with Emaleen, and understands Birdie's fascination with the mountains in whose shadow they live. When Arthur asks Birdie and Emaleen to leave the lodge and make a home, just the three of them, in his off-grid cabin, Birdie's answer, in a heartbeat, is yes.

Out in the wilderness Birdie's days are harsher and richer than she ever imagined possible. Here she, and Emaleen, will learn the whole, fearful truth about Arthur.

***********

Single mother Birdie is struggling to make ends meet, waiting tables in an Alaskan roadside bar and lodge house. She likes to party to knock the edges off her hard existence in a tough town, which makes her less than ideally suited for the responsibilities of motherhood, but she loves her daughter Emaleen fiercely. As much as she would love to give her daughter the kind of childhood she had in the wilds of the tundra, she is reluctant forgo her independence by relying on a man, no matter how messy her life is right now. Until she notices softly spoken loner Arthur Neilsen. 

Arthur, with his scarred face and deliberate way of speaking rarely visits town, preferring the solitude of the wilderness.. Rumours abound about his strange ways, but Birdie feels something stirring within her heart. When Arthur asks her and Emaleen to come and live with him at his cabin in the woods, Birdie is delighted to have the chance to create the life for them she has always wanted, with a man she can love. But real life seldom brings the happily-ever-after of a fairy tale.

Eowyn Ivey's Black Woods Blue Sky is a novel which combines a weaving tale of magical realism with the gritty reality of life in a remote Alaskan town, in an imaginative retelling of Beauty and the Beast. It is quite difficult to talk in detail about the story without giving away too much, but essentially, Birdie falls for a mysterious man who has secrets, and her picture of domestic happiness in the wilds takes a strange turn when she learns that life with Arthur brings danger as well as fulfilment.

In many ways I am still making up my mind about this book. It provokes some very complicated feelings, which are difficult to resolve given the course of the relationship side of the story. But I absolutely loved Ivey's writing. She brings the wilds of Alaska alive in such atmospheric detail, showing its beauty and its darkness in way that is truly impressive. I have never thought about this far away place in quite these terms before, but Ivey makes you see there is so much more to this place than snow, ice, desolation, and danger from Mother nature in all her 'red in tooth and claw' guise. 

Ivey plays beautifully with her themes throughout this novel, eliciting a tangled mix of feelings as the slowburn plot develops. By telling the story through the narratives of Birdie, Emaleen, and Arthur's father Warren, she delves into so many facets of the bonds of family, friendship, the responsibilities of parenthood, and what befalls us once love enters the equation. It is beautifully done. Expect emotions linger long after you turn the final page of this one...

Black Woods Blue Sky is available to buy now in hardcover, ebook and audio formats.

Thank you to Tinder Press for sending me a proof of this book in return for an honest review.

About the author:

Eowyn Ivey's debut novel, THE SNOW CHILD, was published in twenty-six languages, and became an international bestseller. It was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize 2013, and Eowyn won the International Author of the Year category at the 2012 National Book Awards. A former bookseller, Eowyn lives in Palmer, Alaska, with her family.

May All Your Skies Be Blue by Fiona Scarlett

 

May All Your Skies Be Blue by Fiona Scarlett.

Published 13th February 2025 by Faber Books.

From the cover of the book:

Summer, 1991.

Dean: sun-stung and sticky with cool ice-pop juice, walks to the middle of The Green to get a good gawk at the new salon. And at the owner's kid. Hands deep in his pockets, his jet-black mop of hair hides the tension in his face at the thought of going back home.

Shauna: stands well hid behind her ma - her eyes dark and haunted like the rest of her. The salon is theirs, a fresh start. The smell of her ma's Body Shop perfume clings to her jumper - Shauna can't be anywhere else other than here.

Instantly inseparable, their friendship blooms. But as time passes and tell-tale blushes and school fights develop into something deeper, conflicting responsibilities threaten to pull Shauna and Dean apart.

When all seems lost, will they find each other under the same blue sky?

***********

Summer, 1991. Dean and his friends stand on The Green peering into the new salon that has opened. Inside, Shauna hides behind her stylist mother and watches the teenagers looking on from outside, Dean catching her eye. 

A friendship blossoms between them, developing into something deeper as the years go by. But the responsibilities that lie on their shoulders are always there in the background, threatening to tear them apart...

This heart-wrenching story of love and friendship unfurls in two beautifully written timelines from Shauna's perspective, that play out in alternate chapters. The first begins in 1991 with the meeting of Dean and Shauna, and drops in on significant moments in their relationship over the years. The second follows Shauna over the course of one day in the present, when she is forced to confront harsh truths about her life, and come to terms with her regrets.

The storyline beginning in 1991 is full of nostalgia, and all the heart-aches of coming of age, with an extra lashing of poignancy from the family burdens that get in the way of Dean and Shauna's love story. Recurring characters appear, freewheeling between times of joy and tragedy, in past and present. You get to know them all intimately, which makes this story so darned affecting when you see them wading through the trials and tribulations that come with adulthood, and the consequences of their choices.

I cannot really say much more about how the story goes, but it is one that gets under your skin. Love, loss, and regrets about the road not taken are powerful themes that run deep through Dean and Shauna's tale, and Scarlett knows just how to write her characters to make them, and their sorrows, feel incredibly real - particularly given the way she writes their dialogue in appropriate dialect. 

This is an out and out sobber, and it left me in pieces. For a book of under two hundred and fifty pages, it certainly packs a punch. Poignant, and unforgettable.

May All Your Skies Be Blue is available to buy now in hardcover, ebook and audio formats.

Thank you to Faber Books for sending me a proof of this book in return for an honest review.

About the author:

Fiona Scarlett is the author of Boys Don't Cry, which was an international bestseller. She holds an MLitt in creative writing from the University of Glasgow and a masters in early childhood education. She was awarded the Denis O'Driscoll Literary Bursary through Kildare County Council in 2019 and a Literature Bursary through the National Arts Council Ireland 2020. She works full-time as a primary school teacher and lives in Co Kildare with her husband and two children.

Cover The Bones (Detective Nell Buchanan Book Three) by Chris Hammer

 

Cover the Bones (Detective Nell Buchanan Book Three) by Chris Hammer.

Published 4th January 2024 by Wildfire.

From the cover of the book:

A body has washed up in an irrigation canal, the artery running through Yuwonderie, a man-made paradise on the border of the Outback. Stabbed through the heart, electrocuted and dumped under cover of night, there is no doubt that detectives Ivan Lucic and Nell Buchanan are dealing with a vicious homicide.

The victim is Athol Hasluck, member of one of the seven dynasties who have controlled every slice of bountiful land in this modern-day Eden for generations.

But this is not an isolated incident. Someone is targeting the landed aristocracy of this quiet paradise in the desert. Secrets stretching back decades are rising to the surface at last - but the question remains, who stands to gain most from their demise?

Can Ivan and Nell track down a killer before the guilt at the heart of these seven families takes the entire town down with it?

***********

A body dragged from an irrigation canal brings detectives Ivan Lucic and Nell Buchanan to the idyllic town of Yuwonderie. Quite why accountant Athol Hasluck, a minor member of one of the seven powerful families who have controlled the town for generations, was electrocuted, stabbed, and dumped on the land of a prominent local politician, Otto Titchfield, is a mystery.

Ivan and Nell's investigation is hampered from the start by political interference and misinformation. It seems that Athol was up to something, and those involved are keen to protect their secrets from prying eyes. Ivan and Nell begin to suspect that his death is connected to murky goings-on at the heart of the Seven, and their questions are putting them in danger too.

Cover the Bones is the third book in the fabulous Aussie noir series featuring detectives Ivan Lucic and Nell Buchanan, that spins off from Hammer's earlier Martin Scarsden series. It continues very much in the vein of the first two gripping books, with oodles of beautifully wrought suspense and mystery. I actually picked this one up to refresh my memory before embarking on the latest book, The Broken River, but it soon sucked me in, and I could not rest until I had absorbed the whole novel once again... Hammer gets you like that!

The story lands Ivan and Nell slap bang in an extremely knotty case that brings them up against the power of the seven families who have shaped the town of Yuwonderie, and have become very powerful in the process. It unfurls in three compelling timelines, told from the perspectives of: Bessie Walker, a young woman of part indigenous heritage who comes to the region in 1913 to work for the Titchfield family, whose letters give us a glimpse of events around the creation of the irrigation scheme in  Yuwonderie; of Davis Heartwood, who in 1993 decides to abdicate from his future role as the head of one of the families of the Seven, in favour of his older sister Krystal, and whose thesis research uncovers secrets the other members of the Seven would very much like to remain buried: and of Ivan in the present, as the investigation into Athol's death gets very complex indeed.

This very much follows the immensely enjoyable Hammer pattern of weaving timelines that gradually reveal how the impact of crimes that have gone undetected have echoed through time- beautifully reflected in parallel by the slow dawning on Ivan that something is wrong about this 'perfect' town, and some of the people in it. 

This is definitely the most complicated plot of the series so far, as so much lies behind the stories of Bessie and Davis that connects to the present investigation, with a few lovely red herrings thrown in for good measure. There is a lot about the fascinating world of water politics in Australia, and how this fuels dodgy dealing, shady power games, underhand political manoeuvring, astonishing corruption, and bloody violence. You do have to pay close attention to the twist and turns throughout, but I promise the pay-off is well worth it, particularly when in comes to the way Hammer flawlessly misleads and misdirects.

As usual there is also a fair dollop of personal life to be waded through for our crime solving duo - this time very much about the family history of Ivan, and what this means for his peace of mind and his relationship with Nell. There are lovely themes running through the whole piece too about uncomfortable history, discrimination, privilege, money, and family legacy, which are very thought provoking. 

Every time I go to 'Hammer-world' I am in awe of how easy he makes storytelling of this calibre look. Superb, as always.

Cover the Bones is available to buy now in hardcover, paperback, ebook and audio formats. 

Thank you to Wildfire for sending me a proof of this book in return for an honest review.

About the author:

Chris Hammer was a journalist for more than thirty years, dividing his career between covering Australian federal politics and international affairs. For many years he was a roving foreign correspondent for SBS TV's flagship current affairs program Dateline. He has reported from more than thirty countries on six continents.

Chris's non-fiction book, The River, published in 2010 to critical acclaim, was the recipient of the ACT Book of the Year Award and was shortlisted for the Walkley Book Award. Scrublands, his first novel, was published in 2018 and won the CWA John Creasey (New Blood) Dagger Award, as well as being shortlisted for Best Debut Fiction at the Indie Book Awards, and Best General Fiction at the ABIA Awards. It has also been longlisted for the Ned Kelly Best Crime Novel of the Year. Scrublands was released as a TV series in 2023, distributed in the UK by BBC Four.

Chris has a bachelor's degree in journalism from Charles Sturt University and a master's degree in international relations from the Australian National University. He lives in Canberra with his wife, Dr Tomoko Akami. The couple have two children.

Persuasion by Jane Austen

 

Persuasion by Jane Austen.

This edition published 3rd November 2011 by Penguin. Originally published 1817.

From the cover of the book:

At twenty-seven, Anne Elliot is no longer young and has few romantic prospects. Eight years earlier, she had been persuaded by her friend Lady Russell to break off her engagement to Frederick Wentworth, a handsome naval captain with neither fortune nor rank. What happens when they encounter each other again is movingly told in Jane Austen's last completed novel. 

Set in the fashionable societies of Lyme Regis and Bath, Persuasion is a brilliant satire of vanity and pretension, but, above all, it is a love story tinged with the heartache of missed opportunities.

***********

As much as I love Pride and Prejudice, my favourite of all Jane Austen's works will always be Persuasion. For the uninitiated, it tells the story of Anne Elliot, the second daughter of baronet Sir William Elliot - a proud, conceited, spendthrift of a man, who has no real affection for his daughters beyond the eldest, Elizabeth, who is most like him in disposition. 

When we meet the family, middle daughter Anne is now twenty-seven, and valued little by her father and elder sister, even though she has qualities far above their comprehension. Eight years ago, she was courted by the dashing Captain Frederick Wentworth, but was persuaded to break her engagement by her late mother's dearest friend, Lady Russell, on whose advice she relies - a decision she has come to regret in the years that have followed, as he remains her one true love.

Sir Walter is now embarrassed financially, something he and Elizabeth seem unable to remedy given their reliance on status. The solution finally accepted by them is to let the family seat Kellynch Hall to one Admiral Croft and his wife, and remove themselves to Bath for the duration, where they can lord it about in style for a fraction of the cost - and where they subsequently reconnect with the estranged heir to the title, William Elliot, who is now widowed and the potential marital target of attractive, but aging, Elizabeth.

Meanwhile, Anne is sent to be of use to youngest sister Mary, while Elizabeth takes widow Penelope Clay, the daughter of Sir Walter's agent, with her as her companion (a woman with plans which Elizabeth seems oblivious to). Mary has married into the jolly Musgrove family in near-by Uppercross, and Anne will be staying with her before travelling to Bath at the convenience of Lady Russell. Mary possesses rather too much of the Elliot pride, which is out of keeping with her position as wife of the eldest son of the squire, amiable Charles Musgrove, and is peevish to boot. But Anne is fond of the warmth of the Musgrove family and their easy manners, and it is what happens at Uppercross that directs the course of the story - for who should be the brother of Admiral Croft's wife Sophie, but the very Captain Wentworth who captured Anne's heart in her youth. 

Wentworth's budding friendship with Charles Musgrove brings Anne back into his circle, and what follows is one of Austen's finest romances, but not before it goes all around the byways of Uppercross, the Cobb at Lyme Regis, and the the streets and salons of Bath, with flirtations, misunderstandings, a fateful accident, an acknowledgment of true feelings, and the finest love letter of all time. The characters are among my favourites of all Austen's books, there is plenty of her satirical eye in evidence, lots of gentle comedy, and dissection of Regency society in that way she does so well.

I have read this book over and over again, and it never fails to disappoint. One of the interesting things about it is that even though I know the story so well, there is always something new to admire in Austen's writing, and the subtle way she explores her themes. Yes, this is about persuasion, which you begin to notice more and more in the stories of other characters beyond Anne and Wentworth with each reading, but it beautifully showcases the effects of pride, vanity, folly, and nefarious scheming beneath an appearance of good manners in Regency society too. I do not think I have read a finer story about constancy, and enduring love either.

This is my latest revisit to the work of Austen after first rereading the marvellous Pride and Prejudice in December. As 2025 is the 250th anniversary of her birth, I will be taking in all her books again this year for the sheer pleasure of it - via the audio books. The charming narrations of Juliet Stevenson have kept me company for through Persuasion, and she will be by narrator of choice for my next reread as well, which will be Mansfield Park. Utter bliss!

Persuasion is available to buy now in multiple formats.

About the author:

Jane Austen, the daughter of a clergyman, was born in Hampshire in 1775, and later lived in Bath and the village of Chawton. As a child and teenager, she wrote brilliantly witty stories for her family's amusement, as well as a novella, Lady Susan. 

Her first published novel was Sense and Sensibility, which appeared in 1811 and was soon followed by Pride and Prejudice, Mansfield Park and Emma. 

Austen died in 1817, and Persuasion and Northanger Abbey were published posthumously in 1818.

A Room With A View by E.M. Forster

A Room with a View by E. M. Forster.

This edition published 7th April 2011 by Penguin.

Audio book narrated by Joanna David.

Run time 7 hours and 23 minutes.

From the cover:

A Room with a View is a 1908 novel by English writer E. M. Forster, about a young woman in the restrained culture of Edwardian era England.

Set in Italy and England, the story is both a romance and a humorous critique of English society at the beginning of the 20th century.

Merchant Ivory produced an award-winning film adaptation in 1985. The Modern Library ranked A Room with a View 79th on its list of the 100 best English-language novels of the 20th century (1998).

***********

Miss Lucy Honeychurch escapes from her rigid middle-class life, and the future mapped out for her, for a sojourn in Florence under the watchful eye of her fussy spinster cousin Charlotte Bartlett. Arriving at the Pension Bertolini (run by the incongruous Cockney Singnora), they find they have not been given the promised rooms 'with a view', which causes Charlotte consternation, especially when two complete strangers offer to swap with them - Mr Emerson and his son George. They are persuaded to accept by the Rev Beebe, a prior acquaintance from Tunbridge Wells.

Lucy's eyes are soon opened to the possibilities of wildly different opinions among the unconventional characters also staying at the Bertolini. She finds herself liking the unusual Mr Emerson and his son, despite it being clear from the comments of many of the Bertolini's residents that they are not quite the thing. She longs to be free of the tiresome Charlotte, and Charlotte's new found friend the exuberant romantic novelist Eleanor Lavish. and is often perplexed about the contrasts between the way of behaving she has been taught and what she sees around her. She is even more confused when an unexpected series of events results in a kiss from George in the Italian countryside. A hasty removal to Rome is organised by Charlotte as a result of this 'offence'.

Later, Lucy is back with her family in Windy Corner, in a quiet corner of Surrey, where Mr Beebe has taken up residence as the local clergyman. Lucy has become engaged to the stuffy Cyril Vyse, who seems to despise everything about her family and home life. Cyril is determined to shape Lucy into the wife he wants, and Lucy seems content to comply - until the arrival of Mr Emerson and George in the village causes disturbance in the status quo... and her heart.

A Room with a View is an absolute gem of a novel, set in the early 1900s, which explores repressed morals in upper middle class England through the eyes of the wonderful Lucy Honeychurch. It is one which I have read several times, and each time I love it a little bit more.

Lucy is a fabulous character whose senses are assaulted by the sights, sounds, smells and tastes of Italy, calling to the passionate soul she holds in check - unless she happens to be indulging herself with a little Beethoven on the piano. Her visit, and brush with different opinions (and the Emersons) awakens something inside her which is impossible to contain, even though she tries her utmost to be what her family expect her to be - hence her engagement to the terminally dull Cyril. 

I will not spoil the surprises for you, just in case you have not read this enchanting novel, but suffice to say the characters are a joy, and there are some incredibly well observed comic scenes that poke fun at Edwardian manners, repressed emotions, and the absurdity of the upper-middle classes (especially when abroad). It contains one of the loveliest romances within the pages of classic fiction... be still my beating heart.

Forster writes so atmospherically of Florence: its architecture, its environs, and its art come alive at his touch, and looking at it all through the eyes of Lucy is an emotional experience. He also captures time and place in genteel suburban England to perfection - there are glorious scenes that take place around Windy Corner that will have you chuckling, and punching the air with glee.

It has been too long since I immersed myself completely in this gem - something I have been promising I will do since I read the stunning Still Life by Sarah Winman (which makes a brilliant companion piece for many, many reasons). Utter bliss, and highly recommended if you have not discovered it charms.

I can highly recommend the excellent audio book narrated by Joanna David too, which kept me company when I had to put the book aside. 

A Room with a View is available to buy now in multiple formats.

About the author:

E.M. Forster (1879-1970) was an English author of novels, short stories and essays. Several of his works have claim to lasting fame, notably the novels Howard’s End, A Passage to India and A Room With a View.

Deeply concerned with human connection and the barriers created to it by class and social mores, Forster’s books were well received in his lifetime and several have gone on to be adapted as celebrated films.

One of the most esteemed authors of his generation, Forster never won the Nobel Prize in Literature but was nominated for the honour 16 times.

 

The Seventh Floor (Damascus Station Book Three) by David McCloskey

 

The Seventh Floor (Damascus Station Book Three) by David McCloskey.

Published 30th January 2025 by Swift Press.

From the cover of the book:

ALL YOUR LIFE YOU'RE CIA.
THEN YOU'RE NOT.

A Russian arrives in Singapore with a secret to sell. When the Russian is killed and Sam Joseph, the CIA officer dispatched for the meet, goes missing, Artemis Procter is made a scapegoat and run out of the service. Traded back in a spy swap, Sam appears at Procter’s central Florida doorstep months later with an explosive secret: there is a Russian mole hidden deep within the upper reaches of CIA.

As Procter and Sam investigate, they arrive at a shortlist of suspects made up of both Procter’s closest friends and fiercest enemies. The hunt soon requires Procter to dredge up her own chequered past in service of CIA, placing her and Sam into the sights of a savvy Russian spymaster who will protect Moscow’s mole in Langley at all costs, even if it means wreaking bloody havoc across the United States.

Bouncing between the corridors of Langley and the Kremlin, the thrilling new novel by David McCloskey explores the nature of friendship in a faithless business, and what it means to love a place that does not love you back.

***********

CIA Agent Sam Joseph is sent to Singapore to meet with a Russian who claims he has an explosive secret to sell, but the mission goes completely awry. The potential asset is murdered, and Sam disappears. Artemis Proctor, in charge of the Moscow X unit at Langley, is made the scapegoat for a very embarrassing series of events which were not her fault. What is worse, she forced out of the CIA by people she thought were her friends.

With her career in tatters, Proctor heads for Florida, she has no idea what the future holds, but it is going to contain mayhem and a whole lot of alcohol. However, her reckless binge is brought to an abrupt stop when Sam, recently repatriated in a spy swap, arrives on her doorstep with shocking information... the potential asset told him there is a Russian mole high-up in the CIA.

Proctor knows there can only be a short list of suspects, and the guilty party must be one of her former friends, even though this seems impossible. She and Sam set to work unearthing the mole in secret, but their efforts are discovered by a Russian spymaster desperate to protect the mole at all costs, even if this means taking extreme measures on foreign soil.

Welcome to part three of the gripping Damascus Station series, featuring the glorious ball-busting Artemis Proctor. This instalment brings Proctor and Sam back together, after their adventures together in Syria in the first book, and McCloskey weaves a first-class thriller around them that is full of oodles of espionage chicanery, combined with blockbuster action sequences to die for (literally in some cases).

Proctor and Sam are both in sticky spots in this story having fallen foul of the nefarious machinations of an anonymous mole on the Russian payroll, referred to by his masters as Dr B. The novel unfurls in a web of twisting storylines from the perspectives of Proctor, Sam, their Russian spy-master foe, and a couple of blood-thirsty characters introduced later down the line to spice up the peril factor for our investigative duo. 

This being a McCloskey tale, you do have to keep your wits about you. As a former CIA analyst, he spins as much intrigue within the rarefied environs of Langley as in the field, particularly when it comes to dizzy heights of the envied Seventh Floor. His plots are devilishly complex, and it does require a high level of concentration to stay on top of the twists and turns as they play out, but I promise you will be amply rewarded. This is wonderful stuff, full of double dealing, morally grey characters, and storylines that have as much to do with the foibles of McCloskey's enjoyable cast of players as they do with the murky side of global power games.

Proctor stands-out as a volatile, smart, and slightly unhinged protagonist once again, with past misdeeds that come back to bite her. I love her irreverence, her determination, and her fierce loyalty to those she cares about. Watch out if you get on her wrong side, because she takes no prisoners. Her partnership with Sam is so engaging, and it builds emotional context to this tale that makes the kicker of an ending all the more powerful, particularly given Sam's vulnerability after his haunting experiences.

I adored this from slow-burn beginning to the seductive little hook that promises more espionage fun and games to come in a different global arena. McCloskey is the real deal, and his books are utterly absorbing. I cannot wait for the next one!

The Seventh Floor is available to buy now in hardcover, ebook and audio formats.

Thank you to Swift Press for sending me a proof of this book in return for an honest review, and for inviting me to be part of this blog tour.

About the author:

David McCloskey is a former CIA analyst and former consultant at McKinsey & Company. While at the CIA, he worked in field stations across the Middle East and briefed senior White House officials and Arab royalty. He lives in Texas. He co-hosts The Rest is Classified podcast.