Crooked House by Agatha Christie

 

Crooked House by Agatha Christie.

This edition published 9th February 2017 by Harper Collins.

Originally published 1949.

From the cover of the book:

A wealthy Greek businessman is found dead at his London home…

The Leonides were one big happy family living in a sprawling, ramshackle mansion. That was until the head of the household, Aristide, was murdered with a fatal barbiturate injection.

Suspicion naturally falls on the old man’s young widow, fifty years his junior. But the murderer has reckoned without the tenacity of Charles Hayward, fiance of the late millionare’s granddaughter…

***********

At the end of World War II, Charles Hayward is stationed in Cairo, where he falls in love with Sophia Leonides, a successful young woman working for the Foreign Office. It is two years before he returns to England, but their reunion is bittersweet. Sophia's grandfather, wealthy tycoon Aristide Leonides, has just been murdered, and she is unwilling to consent to marriage until the guilty party has been found.

Charles, who is conveniently the son of the Assistant Commissioner of Scotland Yard, finds himself at the Leonides' family estate, Three Gables, in the company of Chief Inspector Taverner, to see if he can help with the investigation from the inside - as Sophia's fiancé.

Three Gables is home to several generations of the Leonides family, including Aristide's much younger widow Brenda, who is very unpopular with them all. One of them is guilty of poisoning Aristide, and Brenda is the prime suspect...

This gorgeous stand-alone mystery by Agatha Christie is one I have not read before, and was a delight from start to finish. It is one of Christie's family-focused stories, delving into the dysfunctional goings on in the Leonides dynasty, who live cheek-by-jowl in the curious building known as 'the crooked house'. The presence of a young widow (rumoured to be rather friendly with the grandchildren's tutor) is the prime suspect in the case, but Charles feels sympathy for Brenda, and is not convinced she did it.

Very likeable Charles sets to work sluething out the facts, aided by cryptic clues provided by Aristide's youngest granddaughter, the very odd Josephine, who sneaks about the house writing everyone's secrets in a little black book. The story twists and turns beautifully, and is full of delicious psychological meanderings about the family members' motivations, and their relationships with late Aristide - who it seems was as crooked as his house. Clever old Christie misleads and misdirects as only she can, and even though I though I had solved the mystery, of course, I had not. What a little cracker! 

I enjoyed this immensely via the voice talents of my favourite Hugh Fraser, and it was the perfect vehicle to explore this month's #ReadChristie2025 theme of Amateurs.

Crooked House 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.

Murder Tide (Stella Blomkvist Book Three) by Stella Blomkvist

 

Murder Tide (Stella Blomkvist Book Three) by Stella Blomkvist.

Translated by Quentin Bates.

Published 4th July 2025 by Corylus Books.

From the cover of the book:

The ruthless businessman left to drown by the rising tide at the dock by Reykjavik's Grotta lighthouse had never been short of enemies. The police have their suspect, and he calls in Stella Blomkvist to fight his corner as he furiously protests his innocence. Yet this angry fisherman had more reason than many to bear the dead man a grudge.

It's a busy summer for razor-tongued, no-nonsense lawyer Stella. A young woman looking for a long-lost parent finds more than she bargained for. An old adversary calls from prison, looking for Stella to broker a dangerous deal with the police to put one of the city's untouchable crime lords behind bars at long last.

Is the mysterious medium right, warning that deep waters are waiting for Stella as well?

***********

A ruthless businessman is found drowned, tied to the dock beside Reykjavik's Grotta lighthouse, after having been left at the mercy of the rising tide. The police believe he is the victim of someone with a very personal grudge. When their eyes are directed to an angry fisherman with good reason to dislike him, he asks no nonsense lawyer Stella Blomkvist to help him prove his innocence - a task that will not be easy given the weight of evidence against him.

Meanwhile, Stella has two other challenging cases to deal with - a young woman keen to discover the identity of her father, who discovers a lot more about her family connections than she is prepared for; and a career criminal with dubious intentions, who wants Stella to act as a negotiator for him in a drug trafficking investigation, despite their troubled history.

As Stellla gets to grips with the investigations she sniffs out the stink of corruption in worrying places. She is used to operating in the grey areas, but when a medium contacts her with a warning, Stella begins to wonder if the risks she is taking might drag her down to her doom. 

Ballsy lawyer Stella Blomkvist is back in her third gripping adventure to be published in English by the excellent Corylus Books - courtesy of one of my favourite translators, Quentin Bates, who does an excellent job once again. The mystery behind the identity of the author, masquerading as a real life Stella Blomkvist, continues to add an intriguing thrill to the whole Nordic Noir proceedings.

As ever, Stella is up to her eyes wading through complex investigations on behalf of clients attracted by her devil may care reputation, and true to form she is ruffling feathers left, right and centre from the off. Three seemingly very different cases put her up against a choice selection of dodgy opponents on both sides of the law, and as the threads of the story become entangled, Stella finds herself in serious danger. Stella being Stella, she confronts her problems head-on in her characteristically unapologetic way, which makes the story very enjoyable. 

The pace is fast and furious, with twisting storylines that pivot on some very juicy reveals, and there is more tension than you can throw a russett-brown briefcase at (if you know, you know). Blomkvist uses unfathomable depths and shifting currents well in this book, mixing in the extra spice of police corruption, crime families at war, and a religious cult made up of criminals. There is a lovely thread about fathers and daughters too, which runs through the whole story, and touches on Stella's own life.

This is definitely my favourite of the series so far.  I love Stella's 'wily lawyer meets classic noir private investigator' persona, which has developed nicely over the three books in the series. This time we also get to see some surprising aspects of her character, with some interesting developments in her personal life. I cannot wait to see what happens next!

Murder Tide is available to buy now in paperback and ebook formats.

Thank you to Corylus Books for sending me an ecopy of this book in return for an honest review, and to Ewa Sherman for inviting me to be part of this log tour.

About the author:

Stella Blomkvist has been a bestseller in Iceland since the first books appeared in the 1990s, and has attracted an international audience since the TV series starring Heida Reed aired. The books feature unforgiving, razor-tongued, Reykjavik lawyer Stella Blomkvist, with her taste for neat whiskey, a liking for easy money and a moral compass all of her own - and who is at home in the corridors of power as in the city's darkest nightspots.

The books have been published under a pseudonym that still hasn't been cracked. The question of Stella Blomkvist's identity is one that crops up regularly, but it looks like it's going to remain a mystery...

About the translator:

Quentin Bates escaped English suburbia as a teenager, jumping at the chance of a gap year working in Iceland. For a variety of reasons, the gap year stretched to become a gap decade, during which time he went native in the north of Iceland, acquiring a new language a new profession as a seaman and a family, before decamping en masse for England. He worked as a truck driver, teacher, netmaker and trawlerman at various times before falling into journalism, largely by accident.

He is the author of a series of crime novels set in present-day Iceland (Frozen Out, Cold Steal, Chilled to the Bone, Winterlude, Cold Comfort and Thin Ice which have been published worldwide.

He has translated all of Ragnar Jónasson’s Dark Iceland series.

Making It So: A Memoir by Patrick Stewart

 

Making It So: A Memoir by Patrick Stewart.

Published 10th October 2023 by Simon and Schuster.

Narrated by Patrick Stewart. Run time 18 hrs 50 mins.

From the cover:

The long-awaited memoir from iconic, beloved actor and living legend Sir Patrick Stewart.

From his acclaimed stage triumphs to his legendary onscreen work, Sir Patrick Stewart has captivated audiences around the world and across multiple generations in a career spanning six decades with his indelible command of stage and screen.

No other British working actor enjoys such career variety, universal respect and unending popularity, as witnessed through his seminal roles – whether as Captain Jean-Luc Picard of Star Trek fame, Professor Charles Xavier of Marvel's X-Men hit film franchise, his more than forty years as part of the Royal Shakespeare Company and in such critically lauded roles for Hamlet and The Tempest on the West End and Broadway, his unforgettable one-man show adapted from Charles Dickens's A Christmas Carol, or his comedic work in American Dad!, Ted, Extras and Blunt Talk, among many others.

Now, he presents his long-awaited memoir, Making It So, a revealing portrait of a driven artist whose astonishing life – from his humble and hardscrabble beginnings in Yorkshire, to the dizzying heights of Hollywood and worldwide acclaim – proves a story as exuberant, definitive and enduring as the author himself.

***********

Making it So is available to buy now in hardcover, paperback, ebook and audio formats.

About the author:

From his acclaimed stage triumphs to his legendary onscreen work in the Star Trek and X-Men franchises, Sir Patrick Stewart has captivated audiences around the world and across multiple generations with his indelible command of stage and screen. Now, he presents his long-awaited memoir, MAKING IT SO, a revealing portrait of an artist whose astonishing life―from his humble beginnings in Yorkshire, England to the heights of Hollywood and worldwide acclaim―proves a story as exuberant, definitive, and enduring as the author himself.

Book Boyfriend by Lucy Vine

 

Book Boyfriend by Lucy Vine.

Published 19th June 2025 by Simon and Schuster.

From the cover of the book:

Jemma has lived a thousand lives through books. The only life she isn’t living is her own.

That is, until the day she finds a note from a stranger in her favourite library book. When she replies, the pair begin a longhand conversation about their love of novels that sees Jemma finally coming out of her shell. Is she ready to fall in love for the first time – with someone she’s never met?

Clara has always run away from her problems, but this might finally be one she can’t escape.

Everyone wants to know what happened to Clara in America – but Clara isn’t talking. Instead she’s focusing all her energy obsessing over a hot new actor, starring in the TV adaptation of her twin Jemma's favourite book. Soon, Clara is reading every interview, trawling his social media, and following him to showbiz parties in the hopes he’ll notice she’s The One.

As the sisters fall hard for two men they’ve never met, it’s time to ask the question: Can either relationship survive the real world?

***********

Jemma is happiest when lost in a book, especially her favourite romance about fictional characters George and Julianna, Too Good to be True. It is a book she has reread many times, but her most recent revisits have become something much more - for within the pages of her beloved library book edition, a mystery person has been sending her letters, and their shared love of novels has helped Jemma to come out of her shell in a way she never thought she would... to the point where she thinks she might be open to a romance of her own.

But then Jemma's quiet life is disrupted by the arrival of her chaotic twin sister Clara, who has been foisted upon Jemma and her flatmates, Harry and Salma. The sisters have never been close, and have hardly spoken for five years after Clara characteristically ran off to America to escape from her problems. Everyone is desperate to find out what she has been up to, and why she has suddenly reappeared, but Clara is set on another new start and is keeping her secrets to herself.

When Too Good to be True is adapted for television, Clara insists that the flatmates all sit down to watch it. In Jemma's eyes, everything about it is wrong, especially the choice for leading man, Milo Samuels. But Clara is smitten, and becomes obsessed with finding out all she can about him - and how she can meet the man she is certain is The One.

Told in perfectly pitched alternating chapters from twins Jemma and Clara, a pair who could not be more different, Book Boyfriend is a joyously uplifting rom-com crammed with luscious literary references - and it has a really nicely crafted mystery at its heart too.

I loved Jemma from the beginning, as her passion for novels is deliciously relatable for any dedicated book lover. Her secret correspondence with the mystery letter writer is beautifully woven into the story, and I really did not have a clue where the trail would lead until the heart-warming ending! 

Whirlwind Clara takes a bit more getting used to, and I did find her a bit much for most of this story. But as usual, Vine knows what she is about. As the layers of story are peeled away, you learn how both sisters have been shaped by their experiences, and how this impacted their relationship. Clara gradually grows on you, and when the moment comes where her heart really lies, I was just as swept away by her happy ending as I was for Jemma's.

There is a fabulous supporting cast in this book, and the interactions between the characters provide so many golden moments of heart and humour. Vine does a great job of portraying the complicated relationship between sisters too, and I really enjoyed how the story explores how they have both been hiding from life in different ways. 

This was a light and entertaining book, perfect as a summer read. It was such fun spotting the book references sprinkled throughout, and the theme about book adaptations totally missing the mark spoke volumes - I am overjoyed to see that the 'correct' version of Pride and Prejudice gets a mention... thank you Lucy Vine! 

Book Boyfriend is available to buy now in paperback, ebook and audio formats.

Thank you to Simon and Schuster for sending me a copy of this book in return for an honest review, and for inviting me to join this blog tour.

About the author:

Lucy Vine is a writer, editor and columnist. She's the best selling author of Hot Mess (2017), What Fresh Hell (2018), Are We Nearly There Yet? (2019), Bad Choices (2021), Seven Exes (2023) and Date With Destiny (2024).

Broken by Jon Atli Jonasson

 

Broken by Jón Atli Jónasson.

Translated by Uentin Bates.

Published 12th June 2025 by Corylus Books.

From the cover of the book:

Two broken cops. One irretrievably damaged and the other an outcast.

Dora struggles to cope with life after taking a bullet to the head. Rado is the child of refugees, his career shunted off the tracks due to his family conenctions to an organised crime gang. But they're the only ones available when a troubled teenager vanishes from a school trip, and the trail gets darker the further they pursue it.

Broken takes place in a side of Reykjavik no visitor would ever want to see, as the mismatched pair tread on all the wrong toes in the search for the missing youngster. This takes place against the backdrop of a vicious vendetta and price on Dora's head. A brutal turf war embroils Rado's family as he and Dora follow the threads of corruption higher and higher, to the top of the exclusive apartment block on the outskirts of the city.

The first novel by award-winning screenwriter Jon Atli Jonasson to appear in English, Broken is the first of a razor-edged crime trilogy shot through with black humour and characters who leap off the page.

***********

When rookie cop, Dora, and her partner, Ellioi, attended an incident at a swanky house in Reykjavik late one night, there was no knowing that it would change the course of Dora's life. Years later, the brain injury she received that night from a stray bullet keeps her desk bound, and distant from her fellow officers who are uncomfortable with her strange ways. But Dora's unusual way of looking at the world also gives her an edge when it comes to solving crime.

Rado, born of refugee parents, has worked his way up the police ranks, but his connection to organised crime through his wife's family has derailed all his hopes of a successful career. With a major investigation underway into his father-in-law, Rado feels himself an outcast.

When a call comes in about a missing girl, the only officers available to answer are the two outsiders - Dora and Rado. Determined to prove their worth, they are willing to work together to the bitter end to solve this case, even though they make for an ill-matched pair. It is an investigation that takes them deep into the dark underbelly of Reykjavik, and to the dizzying heights of an exclusive new apartment block built to house the city's elite, and at every turn they are making powerful enemies...

Broken is the first novel from award-winning screenwriter Jon Atli Jonasson to appear in English, focusing on two very different detectives who are bound by their status as outsiders within the Reykjavik police department. 

Dora's life-altering brain injury has caused a shift in the way she perceives the world. It often puts her at odds with those around her who find her compulsions and vocal ticks unfathomable, but gives her an intriguing advantage when it comes to looking at cases from a different angle - something which her boss Ellioi seems to be the only one who appreciates. In contrast, Rado's family situation is less than ideal for a serving police officer, and no one wants to be associated with him. His position is made worse when a power struggle in Reykjavik's underworld drags him in.

And so the scene is set for an unlikely buddy story, which has a spectacular cinematic feel - perhaps unsurprising given Jonasson's pedigree as a screen writer. The plot soon thickens as the missing person investigation gets ever more complicated, corruption rears its ugly head, and threads from Dora and Rado's personal lives add deliciously gritty grist to suspenseful Nordic Noir mill. Both characters are written with such lovely depth,  and they make a formidable partnership - just as well since Jonasson throws substantial trials and tribulations at them in the course of the story. I adored Dora, and enjoyed how Rado gradually wins you over as you get to know him.

Jonasson packs this cracking police procedural with juicy themes, particularly when it comes to exploring different facets of outsiders through neurodivergence, race, immigration status, sex, and gender. I promise your thoughts will be well and truly provoked.

Another absolute stunner from the translated fiction genre, which is exactly what I have come to expect from Corylus Books, with bags of pitch black humour, and a kicker of an ending,  Beautifully translated by Quentin Bates too, who always pulls out the stops to keep you totally immersed in all the twists, turns, and nuances of every book he works on.

I cannot wait to meet Dora and Rado again in the next part of the trilogy!

Broken is available to buy now in hardcover and ebook. Thank you to FMcM Associates for sending me a copy of this book in return for an honest review, and for inviting me to join the blog tour.

About the author:

One of Iceland's foremost playwrights, Jon Atli Jonasson has made a significant contribution both on stage and screen. He started out in experimental and political theatre working with independant theatre groups. His plays have since gone on to be performed in major cities including London, Paris, Berlin, Stockholm, Copenhagen and Athens.

He has also written a number of film scripts, most notably The Deep, produced by 101 Studios Iceland and based on his own play, which was shortlisted for Best Foreign Feature at the 85th Academy Awards in 2015. In addition to his theatrical and film achievements, he has been nominated for the Nordic Film Prize three times and was named the Nordic Radio Dramatist in 2011.

His literary work includes four novels, a short story compilation, and a novella. His crime novels all take place in modern-day Iceland and focus on themes such as corruption within the police force, changing dynamics in Iceland's society, the evolving underworld and shifting power structures in politics and business.

Kill Them With Kindness by Will Carver

 

Kill Them With Kindness by Will Carver.

Published 19th June 2025 by Orenda Books.

From the cover of the book:

Compassion may be humanity’s deadliest weapon…

The threat of nuclear war is no longer scary. This is much worse. It’s invisible. It works quickly.

And it’s coming.

The scourge has already infected and killed half the population in China and it is heading towards the UK. There is no time to escape. The British government sees no way out other than to distribute ‘Dignity Pills’ to its citizens: One last night with family or loved ones before going to sleep forever … together. Because the contagion will kill you and the horrifying news footage shows that it will be better to go quietly.

Dr Haruto Ikeda, a Japanese scientist working at a Chinese research facility, wants to save the world. He has discovered a way to mutate a virus. Instead of making people sick, instead of causing death, it’s going to make them... nice. Instead of attacking the lungs, it will work into the brain and increase the host’s ability to feel and show compassion. It will make people kind.

Ikeda’s quest is thoughtful and noble, and it just might work. Maybe humanity can be saved. Maybe it doesn’t have to be the end.

But kindness may also be the biggest killer of all…

***********

In the wake of a shocking pandemic, the world faces a threat even more deadly. A poisonous cloud is heading for the UK and there is no way to escape the devastation it brings. In a desperate attempt to ease the passing of its population, the UK government has issued a 'Dignity Pill' to its citizens - better to fall into a sleep from which you will not awake than face the alternative...

In China, Japanese scientist, Dr Haruto Ikeda, has been trying to save the world's suffering in quite a different way - by mutating a deadly virus into one which makes people nicer. However, his noble cause has not gone quite the way he expected... Can humanity be saved by an outbreak of kindness, or will it prove to be the biggest killer of all?

Following his grisly visits to the Beresford, in his excellent last two books, Will Carver is back to his dark and twisted imaginings in the world at large with the intriguing Kill Them With Kindness. Carver, being Carver, this is a difficult book to sum up. However its inspiration clearly lies in the horribly real global pandemic that marked all our lives in recent years, and it is rather difficult to separate out fact from fiction when it comes to many of the events in this story - particularly given hindsight.

The story unfurls mostly via two slow-burn, supremely twisted threads, flipping between dodgy political circles in the UK, and the world of science via to Dr Ikeda in China. It also ranges far and wide to drop in on moments in the lives of a disparate cast of characters, in that way Carver does so well. The premise is brilliant, building on our fears to create a speculative tale about those determined to hold power at the cost of unhinged levels of collateral damage. Themes of control, corruption, and  gob-smacking amounts of spin-doctoring run riot through the story - and at no time do they seem unrealistic, given what we now know about the things that can happen, and how some take advantage for their own ends (spot the disgusting prime minister and his cronies).

This is by far the most disturbing book I have read by Will Carver, which is saying a lot. Carver's philosophical social commentary about humanity is powerfully hard hitting, and the real world parallels leave a bitter taste in the mouth. However, this is not a book without hope, as the best intentions of Dr Haruto Ikeda to make the world a nicer place have interesting consequences - even if they are not quite the ones he foresees. There are golden moments of Carver's typical pitch black humour throughout too.

I am not sure I can truthfully say I 'enjoyed' this book, because it touches an unsettling nerve, but I could not look away from it. Will Carver's dark magic does the trick once more...

Kill Them With Kindness is available to buy now in paperback, ebook and audio formats. You can buy direct from Orenda Books HERE.

Thank you to Orenda Books for providing me with an ecopy 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:

Will Carver is the international bestselling author of the January David series.

He spent his early years in Germany, but returned to the UK at age eleven, when his sporting career took off. He turned down a professional rugby contract to study theatre and television at King Alfred’s, Winchester, where he set up a successful theatre company. He currently runs his own fitness and nutrition company, and lives in Reading with his two children.

His previous title published by Orenda Books, Hinton Hollow Death Trip, was longlisted for the Not the Booker Prize, while Nothing Important Happened Today was longlisted for the Theakston’s Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year. Good Samaritans was book of the year in Guardian, Telegraph and Daily Express.

Double Room by Anne Sénès

 

Double Room by Anne Sénès.

Translated from the French by Alice Banks.

Published 19th June 2025 by Orenda Books.

From the cover of the book:

London, late 1990s. Stan, a young and promising French composer, is invited to arrange the music for a theatrical adaptation of The Picture of Dorian Gray. The play will never be staged, but Stan meets Liv, the love of his life, and their harmonious duo soon becomes a trio with the birth of their beloved daughter, Lisa. Stan’s world is filled with vibrant colour and melodic music, and under his wife and daughter’s gaze, his piano comes to life.

Paris, today. After Liv’s fatal accident, Stan returns to France surrounded by darkness, no longer able to compose, and living in the Rabbit Hole, a home left to him by an aunt. He shares his life with Babette, a lifeguard and mother of a boy of Lisa’s age, and Laïvely, an AI machine of his own invention endowed with Liv’s voice, that he spent entire nights building after her death.

But Stan remains haunted by his past. As the silence gradually gives way to noises, whistles and sighs – sometimes even bursts of laughter – and Laïvely seems to take on a life of its own, memories and reality fade and blur…

And Stan’s new family implodes…

***********

London, late 1990s. Promising French composer, Stan, arrives in London to write the music for a ground-breaking stage adaptation of The Picture of Dorian Gray. The troubled production fails to open, but during his time in London he meets the love of his life, make-up artist, Liv. The two become a contented couple, and when their daughter, Lisa, arrives it seems that they could not be happier. Stan finds himself entering the most creative period of his life as a composer, surrounded by intense sensations inspired by domestic bliss.

France, present day. After the tragic death of Liv, Stan has returned home to reside in the house left to him by his aunt - the Rabbit Hole. The family now includes lifeguard Babette and her son, a boy of Lisa’s age, and Laïvely, an AI machine Stan invented to get himself through the dark nights after Liv's death - traces of Liv live on through the device he has endowed with her voice.

Stan tries his best to face the future, but he is haunted by his past. Memories blur with reality, and Laïvely seems to be acting strangely, taking on a consciousness that she was never designed to have...

Double Room is one of those novels that defies easy explanation, as it is so much more than the sum of its parts. Sénès somehow combines a domestic drama, eerie speculative yarn, a twisty mystery, and a literary exploration of difficult emotions, all within a debut novel that spans no more than 300 pages - it is quite a feat of masterful writing, especially for a debut.

The novel unfurls in two compelling timelines, following the years of Stan's domestic bliss in London, and the present day in France, following Liv's death. There could not be a greater contrast between the man and his music in former, happy times, and in the latter iteration of his existence, where he is now a shadow of his former self and unable to write a single note, despite the love of Babette - woman very different from the complicated Liv.

As the chapters flow, flipping back and forth between present and past, Sénès unveils an unexpected mystery around Stan's marriage to Liv and the tragedy that tore her from him, hinting at why he is so fixated on the virtual presence of Laïvely. Ever so gradually the ideas you have formed about what is going on here shift and remake themselves into a rather different picture, culminating in a devastating revelation that stops you dead in your tracks. It is a truth so completely jaw-dropping, that when I finished the story I immediately went back to the beginning and read it all over again, to spot the subtle clues Sénès hides so cleverly within the text! A note here about the excellent translation by Alice Banks, which keeps you immersed so utterly in all the lovely misdirection and emotional melodrama conjured by Sénès in her original novel. I was floored!

There is no doubt that this is an unsettling book, which leaves images and ideas lingering long after you have turned the final page, but it is so rewarding. Sénès positively crams theme upon delicious theme into this story. The way she examines love, loss and obsession is superb, with all their messy associations with desire, expectation, and human frailty. She also explores synesthesia so vividly through Stan's experience of sight, sound, smell, taste and touch, particularly when it comes to memory and music. What a cracker!

Double Room is available to buy now in paperback, ebook and audio formats. You can buy 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 join this blog tour.

About the author:

Anne Sénès was born in Paris and studied at the Sorbonne, where she obtained a PhD in English Studies.

Her passion for Anglo-Saxon literature and culture has taken her all over the world, from London to Miami, passing through the south of France. She is currently based on the Mediterranean coast, where she works as a journalist and translator.

Chambre Double (Double Room) is her first literary novel.

Secrets Of The Bees by Jane Johnson

 

Secrets of the Bees by Jane Johnson.

Published 5th June 2025 by Head of Zeus.

From the cover of the book:

Time has forgotten this remote corner of West Cornwall, and left its many secrets undisturbed. Until now...

Ezra Curnow has lived in the little cottage on the Trengrose estate all his life. He was born there, as was his father, and his grandfather before that. It is his own little Cornish paradise.

Then the mistress of the estate, Eliza, dies without leaving a will, putting the cottage's ownership into question. London financier Toby and his wife Minty are soon enticed by Trengrose's charm and, worse still, see a lucrative rental opportunity in Ezra's cottage.

But Ezra is prepared to battle to save his beloved home, and has a number of secret weapons in his armoury. What Ezra doesn't know is that Eliza also took some secrets to her grave - and she doesn't intend to rest quietly until they come to light...

A sumptuous Cornish tale packed with heart, relationships and mysteries from the past, from the bestselling author of The Sea Gate.

***********

In a quiet corner of West Cornwall, Ezra Curnow has lived in a cottage on the Trengrose estate all his life - just like his father and grandfather before him. Surrounded by his garden and orchard, and the wildlife that inhabits them, he is content to live out his days in the only home he has ever wanted.

But changes are afoot. Miss Eliza, mistress of the estate, has passed away without leaving a will, and having kept her family secrets hidden. His beloved Trengrose is now in the hands of newcomers from London, financier Toby Hardman and his aristocratic wife Minty, who have big plans - including removing the ancient Celtic cross that marks gateway to Trengrose, inviting 'glampers' on to the land, and worst of all, renting out Ezra's cottage to holidaymakers.

Ezra may be getting on in years, but he is not about to go down without a fight. He has impressive resources that make him a worthy adversary, and, unknown to him, the aid of a spirit from beyond the grave who will not rest until the truth is known...

What an absolutely fabulous book, full of many-layered storylines and themes about glorious Cornwall! 

The story begins with elderly Ezra communing with only remaining hive of bees on the once thriving Trengrose estate, telling them of the death of Miss Eliza, last bastion of the Rosevear family. He is unsure about what the future holds, but is determined to hold onto the little paradise he has fostered around him, come what may. And what comes is a battle with the boorish Toby and somewhat otherworldly Minty as they set about their scheme of 'improvements' that rip the heart out of Ezra's beloved Trengrose. But Ezra is not to be underestimated: a veteran of combat, starting with the rough and tumble that comes with being half of a set of twins, and honed by haunting experiences in the British Army during Cypriot unrest in 1957 (brought to bear through intense flashbacks), he is ready to defend his 'castle' in a variety of ingenious ways.

I was invested in this story from the first beautifully written page to the last. In a delicious mix of emotional family drama, environmental odyssey, gentle romance, and historical gold-mine, Johnson excels at bringing her characters and setting alive, and my goodness, does she put your heart through the wringer in the process. A difficult stand-off leads to burgeoning threads about Ezra's family; the Hardmans and their children; and the secret history of Trengrose, which is gradually revealed through a captivating mystery about Eliza Rosevear and her mother. 

In the telling, Johnson makes you fall in love with Cornwall in all its natural splendour, and revels in its flora and fauna (especially bees and the plants needed to sustain them) through the wise old eyes of wily Ezra, who I adored (along with Bucca the grumpy cat). She also cleverly shines a light on the tragic fate of rural communities under attack from property developers, holidaymakers, and second homers, in a way that hits you hard.

I laughed and cried my way through this incredible story, completely invested in the fate of Trengrose, and a happy ending for the characters worthy of rescue and redemption (and a suitably fitting ending for those that deserve neither). I closed the cover with my heart full. A book to treasure.

Secrets of the Bees is available to buy now in hardcover, ebook and audio formats.

Thank you to Head of Zeus for sending me a copy of this book in return for an honest review, and to Sophie Ransom PR for inviting me to be part of this blog tour.

About the author:

Jane Johnson is a British writer and publisher who writes historical fiction set mainly in Cornwall and Morocco. Her novels include The Tenth Gift, The Salt Road, The Sultan’s Wife, Pillars of Light, Court of Lions and The Sea Gate.

The School Gates by A.A. Chaudhuri

 

The School Gates by A.A. Chaudhuri.

Published 5th June 2025 by Hera Books.

From the cover of the book:

First comes gossip … then comes revenge.

When single mum Lola Martinez’s son, Luca, starts school, she feels that she’ll never fit in with the yummy mummies in the playground. Confident, married to wealthy men, with ample free time, they are everything she isn’t.

However, Lola is invited into the inner circle, surrounded by seemingly friendly people, even if Lola’s silence about her child’s father puzzles them. Despite herself, Lola quickly becomes involved in playground politics, making as many enemies as friends.

But then Lola is brutally murdered, her death rocking the close-knit community. As the police investigate the case, they discover that Lola was hiding many secrets – as are the mums in her new social circle. But who had the most reason to kill her? And who else might unwittingly hold the answers to what happened that night?

***********

Devoted single mum Lola Martinez cannot help but be nervous amongst all the yummy-mummies in the primary school playground on her son Luca's first day in Reception at St Xavier's, in leafy Kingston-upon-Thames. Lola is worried she will never fit in with these confident, affluent women, so she is delighted when she finds herself being invited to join the most desirable clique of them all.

But being part of this inner circle soon has Lola out of her depth. Navigating the complex rules of playground politics while keeping the truth about her past hidden from their prying eyes is a nightmare. Unguarded moments result in secrets being spilled, and as tongues begin to wag, friends become enemies... 

When Lola is brutally murdered after events turn ugly at the class Christmas party, it falls to DI Banner to discover if one of these vengeful mums has it within them to be a murderer.

This twisty new thriller from A.A. Chaudhuri sees her returning to the format of slick ensemble piece, that plays out in a very familiar setting - the clique-riven, rumour-mill-fuelled crowd that rocks up to the primary school gates.

Thruming with a delicious Mean Girls vibe, Chaudhuri inserts anxious single mum Lola into a group of seriously complicated women, and tells the story of her demise, flipping back and forth between the times before and after her murder. Lola's voice (through her first person narrative, and the transcripts of conversations she has in an on-line forum with a mysterious character called 'Tracy') blends with alternative accounts of events from multiple perspectives, and vivid flashbacks to moments where shocking secrets are revealed. 

The plot thickens with parallel threads around Lola's murder, all manner of domestic dramas, and the actions of a rapist stalking Britain's college campuses. Luckily, you have canny DI Banner (truly a rose amongst entitled thorns) to help you solve this many-layered mystery. Banner is adept at feeling out the cracks and cover-ups in the testimonies of the other mums and their partners... and blowing their lies wide open.

As usual with a Chaudhuri thriller, she has a ball plumbing the psychological depths of her characters, especially when it comes to seething jealousy, creepy obsession, and back-stabbing betrayal. She misleads and misdirects with skill, and then hits you broadside with an orgy of twists, and you will love every single second. She explores weighty themes along the way too, delving into the way the secrets we keep shape our lives, make us vulnerable to the manipulation of others, and can feed a desire to manipulate in turn.

A page-turner to be consumed in a single tasty bite!

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

Thank you to the lovely A.A. Chaudhuri for sending me a copy of this book in return for an honest review.

About the author:

A. A. Chaudhuri is a former City lawyer. After gaining a degree in History at University College London, she later trained as a solicitor and worked for several major London law firms before leaving law to pursue her passion for writing. She lives in Surrey with her family, and loves films, all things Italian and a good margarita!

 May 2025 Reading Round-Up

A bit of a slow month on the reading front, but every one of these was a cracker!

You can find my thoughts on this lovely mix of books/audio books by clicking on the images below.

Human Remains by Cat Callaghan

Sun Trap by Rachel Wolf

A Beautiful Way To Die by Eleni Kyriacou

Under The Lemon Tree by Emma Cowell

Cat Fight by Kit Conway

Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen

The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald

Shatter Creek by Rod Reynolds

Mrs Spy by M.J. Robotham

The Secret of Chimneys by Agatha Christie

A Beautiful Family by Jennifer Trevelyan

Ghost Wedding by David Park

June is already off to a brilliant start on the book front, so keep you eyes peeled for more fab recommendations.

If you have enjoyed my pics above, come and give me a follow on Instagram at @brownflopsy for more.

Ghost Wedding by David Park

 

Ghost Wedding by David Park.

Published 8th May 2025 by Oneworld.

From the cover of the book:

When George Allenby is put in charge of building a lake in the grounds of an imposing Irish manor house, he intends to do the job as swiftly as possible and return to Belfast. Allenby is still wrestling with his time as an officer during the First World War, burdened by the many things he could have done differently.

Almost a century later, Alex and Ellie are preparing for their wedding, sparing no expense to hire a venue overlooking the very lake Allenby built all those years ago.

Like Allenby before him, Alex is haunted by decisions he made in the past. Now, with the wedding drawing ever closer, he is at a crossroads. Telling the truth might free him from his guilt; it might also take away everything he cares about, including Ellie.

In this masterful portrait of love and betrayal, David Park reveals the many ways the past seeps into the present: destructive, formidable, but also hopeful, in the moments of fragile beauty that remain.

***********

1920s. George Allenby has the unenviable task of constructing a lake and boat house in the grounds of the newly wealthy Remington family's estate. Poor weather, and too much mud makes the job hard going for a man plagued with the ghosts of his time in the trenches of the Great War. He longs to be done and be able to return to his isolated existence in Belfast, but then he meets housemaid Cora and finds comfort in her arms, but he fears to confess the secrets he is keeping.

A hundred years later, Alex and Ellie have booked the Boat House of the Manor House, now a hotel, for their wedding. Alex is finding his role working for his property developer father increasing difficult, despite the life if allows he and Ellie to live. He is also feels burdened by an act he sorely regrets, which plagues him with guilt he feels coming between him and his bride. Should he confess what he has done, even if it means he might lose the woman he loves?

The story unfurls in two interconnected timelines, Allenby in the past, and Alex and Ellie in the present, and is wreathed in themes that echo through time. Park reflects the haunting burden of guilt, regret and the impact of the choices the two central characters Allenby and Alex have made, cleverly flipping the story on its axis to look at aspects of their lives like two sides of a coin.

As an aficionado of between-the-wars tales, Allenby's side of the story was my favourite - even if it the most heart-breaking. He is a man unable to reconcile his experiences from the trenches, preferring to keep himself apart from emotional entanglements. The glimmer of romance between him and Cora is quite lovely, for as long as it lasts... On the other hand, Alex is much more difficult to take to your heart, because of his past, but there is intriguing light and shade in his character that makes his dilemma all the more through provoking.

The most beautiful thing about this book is the way Park uses the recurring presence of spirits tied to buildings and places, lingering on to look upon the actions of the living who cannot see them, but feel their presence. This works so well with the way Allenby and Alex are haunted by their own ghosts, born of the choices they have made. 

An unforgettable novel, which broke my heart. I will be thinking about this one for a long time to come.

Ghost Wedding is available to buy now in hardcover, and ebook formats. Audio book coming soon.

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

About the author:

David Park is the author of ten novels, a novella and two collections of short stories. The Healing won the Authors’ Club First Novel Award, and his novel Travelling in a Strange Land won the Kerry Group Irish Novel of the Year. The Light of Amsterdam was shortlisted for the International Dublin Literary Award.

His work has been shortlisted for the Irish Novel of the Year four times. He has received a Major Artist Award from the Arts Council of Northern Ireland and an Honorary Fellowship in the Seamus Heaney Centre at Queen’s University, Belfast.

A Beautiful Family by Jennifer Trevelyan

 

A Beautiful Family by Jennifer Trevelyan.

Published 19th June 2025 by Mantle.

From the cover of the book:

In the past, we had always spent our summer holidays in remote places. That had always been my mother’s preference. This year was different . . .

As the long summer holiday stretches ahead, ten-year-old Alix wants to spend every second on the beach and in the water. But, with her parents unusually distracted and her older sister now more interested in boys, she finds herself alone.

Then she meets Kahu at the beach and he tells her about The Mystery. Two years ago, a girl went missing and none of the adults could find her. So the new friends decide to investigate – because people don’t just disappear.

But, as Alix and Kahu search for clues, they stumble upon secrets they wish they’d left alone. Is Alix's holiday house as safe as it seems? And is her sister putting her trust in the wrong people?

***********

Mid 1980's, New Zealand. In an uncharacteristic move, Alix's mother decides this year's summer vacation should be spent in a popular beach resort. Ten-year-old Alix longs to spend every minute on the golden sand and in the water, but her parents are preoccupied, and her older sister, fifteen-year-old Vanessa, is much more interested in boys than spending time with her annoying sibling.

Feeling lonely, Alix strikes up a friendship with Kahu, who is also on holiday for the summer. He tells her about the girl who went missing without a trace, and the two of them decide to search for her body around the town's murky lagoon. But as they ferret out clues, they end up discovering far more than they bargained for - particularly when it comes to Alix's family.

This glorious 1980's coming of age story is the incredibly impressive debut novel of Jennifer Trevelyan, whose writing captivated me from the very first page. The story is told from the point of view of ten-year-old Alix, whose summer holiday is rather different from normal this year for a number of unsettling reasons. 

Trevelyan does an incredible job of portraying the events of this slow-burn thriller meets poignant family drama through the eyes of a ten-year-old, creating a story that works beautifully on two levels - one which immerses you in the bemused thoughts of a child as she tries to make sense of perplexing events within her own family, and in the world around her; and another in which you, as the reader, understand the real significance of her experiences.

Knotty themes run beautifully throughout around family, friendship, marriages in trouble, the growing pains of adolescence, and the way adult motivations and behaviours are inexplicable to a child. They weave cleverly through the chilling thriller elements about the fate of a missing young girl in a very accomplished way. Trevelyan pulls a blinder by using the menacing presence of a creepy neighbour in the house next door to Alix too, who may, or may not be, an innocent old man.

I loved how Trevelyan floods this novel with 80s nostalgia, and how she uses names sparsely in keeping with the level of knowledge of a child. In fact, you actually only learn Alix's real name (rather than her nickname, Ally-Pally) at a crucial point in the climax of the story - which chimes with a watershed moment between her loss of childish innocence and an understanding about the horrors of the grown-up world.

Absolutely one of my favourite books of 2025, with shades of The Lovely Bones. This strings you along with your heart in your mouth, caught up in Alix's intensely palpable fears and bewilderment, but it is not without a full complement of tender moments too. Superb! I predict a great future for Jennifer Trevelyan...

A Beautiful Family is available to buy now in hardcover, ebook and audio formats.

About the author:

With a background in photography and children’s publishing, Jennifer is now a full-time writer living in Wellington, New Zealand, with her husband, son, daughter, dog and cat. When not at her writing desk, Jennifer can be found in the garden.

The Secret Of Chimneys by Agatha Christie

 

The Secret of Chimneys by Agatha Christie.

This edition published 20th April 2017 by Harper Collins.

Originally published 1925.

From the cover of the book:

A young drifter finds more than he bargained for when he agrees to deliver a parcel to an English country house…

Little did Anthony Cade suspect that a simple errand on behalf of a friend would make him the centrepiece of a murderous international conspiracy.

Someone would stop at nothing to prevent the monarchy being restored in faraway Herzoslovakia. The combined forces of Scotland Yard and the French Surete can do no better than go in circles – until the final murder at Chimneys, the great country estate that yields up an amazing secret…

***********

After an accidental meeting in Bulawayo, drifter Anthony Cade agrees to a favour on behalf of an old friend - taking a memoir manuscript to a publisher in London, and returning a parcel of letters to their owner at a house in the country. How hard can it be?

Well, much more complicated than he knows, because the manuscript is actually at the centre of a power struggle in troubled Eastern European country Herzoslovakia, and both sides of the conflict are desperate to get their hands on them. And as for the letters, they offer the additional complication of a blackmail plot involving one of Europe's most wanted criminal masterminds...

As soon as Cade arrives in England, all sorts of bizarre shenanigans play out, embroiling him in a situation of national importance at famous country house Chimneys, where a secret lies waiting to be discovered. Along the way, Anthony meets the vivacious socialite Virginia Revel (by way of an unexpected incident involving the letters and a dead body), who is his ticket to Chimneys - where he coincidentally arrives on the night of another inconvenient murder. 

Enter stage right, the enigmatic Superintendent Battle of Scotland Yard in his first Christie adventure, who is tasked (along with secretive Monsieur Lemoine of the French Sûreté) with getting to the bottom of all the messy goings on at the home of the delightful Lord Caterham and his plucky daughter Lady Eileen 'Bundle' Brent. 

This is one of Christie's devilishly complicated mysteries. The intricately weaving plotlines centre on political intrigue about the fictional Herzoslovakia, and the cast of players is drawn from an international setting as befits one of her more adventurous capers. There is a lot going on at any one time, which really kept me guessing about who was at the bottom of the interconnected dark deeds - and there are a lot of likely characters for you to suspect!

Many of these characters reappear in the follow-up Battle story, The Seven Dials Mystery, but this is a very different beast in nature, as it it much heavier in terms of its international plot, and not nearly as humorous as its sequel - despite the best efforts of the adorable Lord Caterham and Bundle (and her younger sisters). There are many fun elements though, particularly in the way Christie uses hidden identities (lovely twist on this theme at the end), and the romance between perfectly matched Anthony and Virginia is charming.

This was a great book to explore this month's #ReadChristie2025 theme of Detectives, with its mix of professional and amateur sleuths, and I very much enjoyed discovering it through the delightful voice talents of my favourite narrator Hugh Fraser, in the excellent audio book.

The Secret of Chimneys 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.

Mrs Spy by M.J. Robotham

 

Mrs Spy by M.J. Robotham.

Published 15th May 2025 by Aria.

From the cover of the book:

Maggie Flynn isn't your typical 1960s mum.

She's a spy, an unsuspecting operative for MI5, stalking London's streets in myriad disguises.

Widowed and balancing her clandestine career with raising a Beatles-mad teenage daughter, Maggie finds comfort and purpose in her profession - providing a connection to her late husband, whose own covert past only surfaced after his death.

But Maggie's world spins out of control when a chance encounter with a mysterious Russian agent triggers a chilling revelation: he knew her husband. And what's worse, the agent suspects someone on home soil betrayed him.

As Maggie searches for answers, she'll question everyone - and everything - she thought she could trust. In the murky and perilous world of espionage, can she outsmart those determined to keep her silenced?

***********

Maggie Flynn may look like your average 1960's mum, but appearances can be deceptive - something very apt given her career as an operative for the security services, a profession she has fallen into following the jaw-dropping news that her late husband was a spy working for Queen and country.

Grieving for the loss of a husband she feels she never really knew, Maggie now works as a lowly 'Watcher', part of a team tasked with keeping tabs on persons of interest on behalf of her shady paymasters. It is a job that is less than thrilling, and bunion-inducing hard on the feet, but it allows her to support herself, her teenage daughter, and her unconventional, born-again free-spirit mother.

Maggie's belief that her husband's death was an accident is called into question when a chance encounter with a Russian defector reveals that there was a lot more behind his demise than she has been told. It appears that he was actually investigating someone within MI5 itself, and a shocking betrayal led to his murder. Maggie is determined to find out the truth, so with 'Mary Poppins' bag in hand, a variety of quick-change disguises at her disposal, and a rudimentary knowledge of spy lore, she embarks on a dangerous mission of her own,  following the trail of clues her husband has left for her  - all while trying to track down some elusive Beatles' concert tickets for her daughter.

Robotham does an excellent job of bringing the Swinging Sixties alive, in all its popular culture glory, in this quirky espionage adventure, spinning a tale which is equal parts authentic Cold War spy caper as it is humorous family drama. 

Maggie is a most unconventional 'spy' in a scandal-ravaged MI5. She flips between hours trudging around London in disguise, hot on the heels of possible enemies of state, and chaotic domesticity. The two sides of her life are not easy bedfellows, given the need for secrecy, and Robotham creates many a humorous, and heart-wrenchingly poignant scene as Maggie does her best to balance the different parts of her life.

I loved Maggie from the first page. Her inner monologue is a delight - as are the characters Robotham creates around her who aid her in her endeavour to achieve a measure of justice for her husband's betrayal, especially the adorable Frank, and her helpfully placed pal Vivien. 

As befits a grand espionage thriller of the era, motives are as murky as a London pea-souper, and loyalties are not easy to ascertain until some surprising twists reveal who Maggie's real friends are within the corridors of power. You can tell Robotham loves a gritty spy story, as there is plenty of excitement to be had alongside the emotional, and hilarious content, which somehow manage to fit seamlessly together to make a real page-turner of a novel. There are fabulous themes running through the whole piece too, especially when it comes to the role of women both within the post-war, old school tie dominated security services, and in wider 1960's society where changes are afoot.

I cannot tell you how much I adored this book. It zings with period charm, characters to love and loathe, and a story that keeps you on your (hopefully bunion-free) toes. Absolutely one of my books of 2025, and it has real legs for a sequel that I am dying to read! More please!

Mrs Spy is available to buy now in hardcover, 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:

M J Robotham saw herself as an aspiring author from childhood, but was waylaid by journalism, birth, children and life. After twenty years as a midwife and a Creative Writing MA, she is a full-time author, writing historical fiction as Mandy Robotham. She lives in Gloucestershire with her partner.