+ crime fiction, Detective novel, fiction, kidnapping, murder mystery, mystery, police drama, police procedural, psycopath, review, serial killer, writing
Written in Blood by Chris Carter
A serial killer will stop at nothing…
His most valuable possession has been stolen. Now he must retrieve it, at any cost.
Angela Wood wanted to teach the man a lesson. It was a bag, just like all the others. But when she opens it, the worst nightmare of her life begins.
A journal ends up at Robert Hunter’s desk. It soon becomes clear that there is a serial killer on the loose. And if he can’t stop him in time, more people will die. If you have read it. You must die….
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Los Angeles, December 4th – exactly three weeks until Christmas day. Angela Wood, a master in the art of the pickpocket, has just finished for the day – six hundred and eighty-seven dollars – not bad for less than fifteen minutes work.
As she celebrates her profitable day with a cocktail, one of the patrons in the lounge she’s in catches her attention by being rude to an old man. Angela decides to teach him a lesson, and steals the man’s expensive-looking leather bag.
Inside is no money … no laptop computer … nothing of any value … at least not to Angela. Just a black, leather-bound book, surprisingly heavy. Curiosity takes over and in the comfort of her apartment, Angela quickly leafs through the pages.
That is when the worst nightmare of her life begins. This is no ordinary book. Read it at your own peril.
My Review
Welcome to post number eleven on this fab #blogathon. I have been reviewing one book per month.
I have to confess that I have already read book 11 in the series and it was my favourite at the time. So here is my original review.
I wouldn’t normally give 5 stars to a police drama about a serial killer as there are so many out there, but this was better than most of the ones I have ever read. Up there with Silence of the Lambs and Seven, this is outstanding story telling and excitement, though as someone already said it’s ‘not for the squeamish’.
The action never stops. The police characters are well rounded and mostly likeable, especially Robert Hunter and his sidekick Carlos Garcia. And I adored the feisty pickpocket Angela with her put downs and one liners. She’s a badass with a softer side and a traumatic incident from her childhood that shapes everything she does.
The serial killer is maybe a little over-the-top but then so was Hannibal Lecter, and that didn’t stop him becoming the most famous serial killer of the eighties and nineties. ‘I ate his liver with some fava beans and a nice chianti‘ anyone?
The killer hears ‘voices’ that tell him what crimes to commit, who to pick as his victims (it’s all in his journal and sometimes the instructions are very specific – height, age, ethnicity etc) and Hunter and co need to work out exactly what these ‘voices’ mean. Also why the journal is so important. Is it just his record of the murder and torture of his victims or is it something more? Who is this person and why is he doing it? There always needs to be a good reason to make the story work. It’s not enough for him to be a nutcase.
Written in Blood is the work of an experienced and accomplished writer with a background in criminal psychology and this is evident in his work. It’s what makes the killer more realistic and terrifying. Have the team finally met their match? You’ll have to read it to find out.
Many thanks to @Tr4cyF3nt0n for inviting me to be part of the #CompulsiveReaders #blogathon.
About the Author
Born in Brazil of Italian origin, Chris Carter studied psychology and criminal behaviour at the University of Michigan. As a member of the Michigan State District Attorney’s Criminal Psychology team, he interviewed and studied many criminals, including serial and multiple homicide offenders with life imprisonment convictions. He now lives in London. Visit his website www.chriscarterbooks.com
+ childhood, fiction, folklore, Historical fiction, List, Magical realism, review, supernatural, superstition, USA, whimsical
My Top 5 Books of 2025
I’m a bit late this year with my reflection on my favourite books of 2025.
It’s always hard. There weren’t obvious instant standouts as in previous years. I have tried to include a mix of genres and although I read a lot of crime fiction, which occasionally make my quarterly selections, my top books of the year tend to be something a bit different, so here we go.
I have included two audio books in this list. The Mermaid and Mrs. Hancock isn’t necessarily one of my top favourites, but I’ve included it because it’s unique in its premise. I’ve never read anything quite like it.
The Light a Candle Society by Ruth Hogan
As I have said before, I’ve read all of Ruth’s novels, my favourites being The Wisdom of Sally Red Shoes and The Keeper of Lost Things (in that order or maybe joint first). But nothing could have prepared me for The Light A Candle Society and the emotion it stirred up in me. I listened to it on Audible and at first I wasn’t sure about the male narrator, but I grew to love him with his great voices and impressions.
Having had a busy Christmas Eve and a quick drink in the pub on Christmas Day morning, I had the rest of the day free – dinner notwithstanding. Not particularly interested in the repeats on TV, I listened to the last two hours of the book and spent most of it in tears. It’s not because of the funerals themselves – the Light A Candle Society is a beautiful idea – but because we learn so much about the people who supposedly die without freinds and relatives, and the interesting lives they had before they found themselves alone. There but for the grace of God etc…. Arthur and Captain in particular stole my heart along with crisp-eating Sailor the dog (all my dogs have loved eating crisps in the pub so I can identify).
For my full review click here
The Clockmaker by Roxan Burley
The Clockmaker is only a short novella but I loved every minute, every page. It’s a bit Evie Woods and The Lost Bookshop, which is one of my favourite books.
I loved the character of Elenora – we know she is escaping from something or someone – but as this is a short read, we only get a gist of her back story. But my favourite character was the clockmaker himself, who appears one day after Elenora moves into the bookshop. There is something magical and unreal about him, but we don’t find out until much later on. There are lots of other unexplained happenings, like the notes that appear in the till each day with requests for specific items.
For my full review click here
A Council of Dolls by Mona Susan Power
When I was in my teens in 1970 I saw the film Little Big Man with Dustin Hoffman. What stuck with me was a scene in which a fleeing Native American woman was shot from behind by the US troops, killing the baby she was carrying on her back. It has never left me. I fear the horrendous scene with Blanche at school will be the same.
While Little Big Man is set decades earlier (mid 1850s), the treatment of Native Americans hadn’t changed by the last century. Regarded as savages who needed to be ‘civilised’, they were forced to adopt Catholicism with all its cruelty and prejudice. They were sent to ‘Indian’ schools, forced to go to church and were not allowed to speak in their own language.
The level of cruelty is astonishing, as is the lack of respect for their culture. It was virtually wiped out. In The Council of Dolls, we follow three women – grandmother Cora at the start of the century, her daughter Lillian in the 1930s and Sissy, growing up in the 1960s.
For my full review click here
Small Fires by Ronnie Turner
I know it’s supposed to but Small Fires really freaked me out. All those horrific folk tales. It’s like nothing I’ve ever read before.
Sisters Lily and Della killed their parents (allegedly though it was never proved) and fled to a remote Scottish island, a place filled with superstition, folklore, and belief in the Devil. I was waiting for Christopher Lee to appear and start building a Wicker Man.
Everyone who lives there appears to be mad, but in reality it is fear. Some of the stories – many based on Celtic/Cornish folklore – are horrifying, as children’s folk tales often are. The Boy at the Bottom of the Sea, Aine’s Well, The Poor Maidens etc have all been written by the author to enhance the back stories. Others you may recognise, like the stories of Gaia, Charon the Ferryman, the Dryads, the Pleiades. They are often told to children as a warning, like the story of Baba Yaga from my Polish heritage.
For my full review click here
The Mermaid and Mrs. Hancock by Imogen Hermes Gowar
Let me just say that you will need to be patient. It’s a long book which meanders along, sometimes not knowing exactly where it is going, and I occasionally struggled to follow the intertwining plot strands. So why 5 stars I hear you ask? Many reasons. The stories are richly woven, the characters beautifully drawn, and the language both masterful and poetic. And then there’s Juliet Stephenson’s narration which is always amazing.
The main strands include the story of widower Jonah Hancock, a merchant whose ship has been sold in exchange for a mermaid. At first he is horrified, but then he sees the potential. He is ably helped by his niece, 14-year-old Suki, probably my favourite character.
For my full review click here
You think you know what happened that day… But what if you’re wrong?
Everyone remembers where they were when they heard that AJ Silver had died. In summer 1996, there was no avoiding the story that America’s biggest teen pop sensation had plunged to his death on a roller-coaster at a family-run amusement park in rural England.
Now, 27 years have passed, and – even if you’re too young to remember the event – you’ve probably heard AJ Silver’s songs topping the charts again. So what better time to take a forensic look at what happened that summer?
I’ve spent hundreds of hours interviewing everyone who was there that fateful day: workers, friends, family… the people who gained from his death, and the people who lost everything.
But you’re going to want to pay attention. Because I’ve found out a secret. One you’re all going to want to know… Perhaps it wasn’t such an accident after all?
My Review
A few years ago I read a book that was totally written in emails between the characters. I even wrote my review in a similar format. I’m not going to try and do that here.
What Happened That Summer is written in a series of weekly podcasts. Initially I wasn’t sure if it would work, especially as the podcaster (who reminded me a bit of Danny Robins of Uncanny fame) seems to have managed to get hold of and interview so many of the people involved. I’m surprised they all agreed, particularly AJ’s mother who doesn’t come out too well. But then neither does AJ, except he’s not here to defend himself.
Basically the premise of the story is that spoilt brat teenage pop star AJ Silver had decided that he wants to stay at a theme park during his UK tour twenty-seven years ago. But not staying at Alton Towers for instance, and getting VIP treatment on the rides. Oh no. He wants the whole park to himself and his entourage, in other words it needs to be closed to the public for the duration. The big parks aren’t interested, but then his manager Maggie offers £2 million to a small, struggling theme park in the Midlands.
How AJ became a global sensation is quite a revelation – pushy mother and a diva being created on the back of her inability to instigate her own fame when she had children. The rest of the family – dad and brother Zak – pushed to the back. And Zak is lovely. He’s not really jealous of his younger brother. He wouldn’t want any of it, he wants to be a journalist.
When Zak, AJ and Maggie come to the UK to visit the park, Zak is smitten with the park owner’s daughter Pea. But she’s barely sixteen and he is three years older. She also has a brother, and while her mum is OK, her dad is permanently stressed and resorting to alcohol.
All this comes to light during the podcast, as each of the characters tells their story, then and now. But ultimately what really did happen in the weeks preceding AJ’s fatal accident? And was it an accident?
I really enjoyed the book. It’s very inventive and unique in its telling. I’ve read other books by this author, but this was definitely my favourite.
Many thanks to @lovebookstours for inviting me to be part of #WhatHappenedThatSummer blog tour.
Author bio
Laura Pearson is the author of the #1 bestseller The Last List of Mabel Beaumont. She founded The Bookload on Facebook and has had several pieces published in the Guardian and the Telegraph.
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+ crime fiction, gothic, gothic horror, Gothic mystery, Historical fiction, List, murder mystery, mystery, supernatural, superstition, thriller, Victorian Britain
My Top 10 Books of 2025 – Part Four
Here are my favourite ten books of 2025 Part Four, including audiobooks, of which there are quite a few. As usual a disparate selection, though somewhat heavy on the Gothic.
One Tiny Cry by Christina Delay
This was crazy bonkers at times and I loved every minute. Anything to do with religious cults is up there with my favourite genres, and One Tiny Cry is one of the best I’ve ever read. But it did get more out there as we progressed. No-one believes Darla that there is something weird going on in the town she left sixteen years ago, though as the reader we never doubt her for a moment. Nothing indicates that she might be an unreliable narrator.
I really wanted to slap Darla’s ‘best friend’ Emmie, who starts out on her side, but then starts to agree that she needs therapy for her imagined threats. And as for her other friends? As they say – with friends like that who needs enemies .
For my full review click here
The Butterfly Bush by Josephine DeFalco (Book 1 of The Butterfly Series)
I loved Leandra as a character. I felt every sympathy for her living a life that is totally out of my experience. It’s the early 1950s, just before I was born, and Leandra is still a child. Her father was killed in the war and she lives with his parents, whom she calls Papaw and Mamaw, and her mama. She has a little brother Ray, who is a bit ‘slow’.
Everything is fine until mama starts dating, and finally decides to marry Roger, and move with him to New York. The children are understandably devastated. They don’t want to leave their grandparents, their home or the butterfly bush which means so much to them.
For my full review click here
The Mermaid and Mrs. Hancock by Imogen Hermes Gowar
Let me just say that you will need to be patient. It’s a long book which meanders along, sometimes not knowing exactly where it is going, and I occasionally struggled to follow the intertwining plot strands. So why 5 stars I hear you ask? Many reasons. The stories are richly woven, the characters beautifully drawn, and the language both masterful and poetic. And then there’s Juliet Stephenson’s narration which is always amazing.
The main strands include the story of widower Jonah Hancock, a merchant whose ship has been sold in exchange for a mermaid. At first he is horrified, but then he sees the potential. He is ably helped by his niece, 14-year-old Suki, probably my favourite character.
For my full review click here
The Household by Stacey Halls
Another audiobook, this time from Audible, and my fourth by this author. I eagerly await her next offering.
In The Household, it is 1847, when we meet a group of women who have fallen on hard times, and ended up in prison, or working the streets. Martha is the first to arrive and seems too good and innocent to be there. I was never really sure why she was, but I adored her. Then we have Josephine and Annie, who met in prison and became really close. About to be released, they are chosen to go to Urania Cottage, where they will learn skills like baking, sewing and playing an instrument. But after a while they will travel to Australia to begin new lives. Who will want to go?
For my full review click here
Behind A Locked Door by Sarah A Denzil
I shouldn’t really give this five stars as a lot of it is so far-fetched, but I adored it. In the second half, it was so exciting I had to keep listening until the end (this was on Audible). It’s got everything, murder, psychopaths, kidnapping, mystery, secrets, suspense…
Psychology teacher Lucy Foster is a single mother to fifteen-year-old Theo. His dad is in prison for drug-related offences. He was Lucy’s teen sweetheart and she hasn’t really dated since. When Lucy rescues Alice and new born baby Jess from the basement of her friend Miriam’s house, where they have been locked up, Theo becomes a bit obsessed.
For my full review click here
House of Splinters by Laura Purcell
I’ve loved all of Laura’s books, but The Silent Companions has always been my favourite. I couldn’t believe we would be revisiting spooky house The Bridge, where it was set, in her latest novel House of Splinters.
There is something very creepy about the whole concept of ‘silent companions’. Each of these strange wooden figures resembles someone who lived at the house many years before, from the murdered footman Roberts and Wilfred’s late father, to Henrietta Maria, a supposedly wicked child who committed a series of heinous crimes and was eventually killed by her own mother, Anne Bainbridge.
For my full review click here
The Clockmaker by Roxan Burley
The Clockmaker is only a short novella but I loved every minute, every page. It’s a bit Evie Woods and The Lost Bookshop, which is one of my favourite books.
I loved the character of Elenora – we know she is escaping from something or someone – but as this is a short read, we only get a gist of her back story. But my favourite character was the clockmaker himself, who appears one day after Elenora moves into the bookshop. There is something magical and unreal about him, but we don’t find out until much later on. There are lots of other unexplained happenings, like the notes that appear in the till each day with requests for specific items.
For my full review click here
The Last Orphan by Carly Schabowski
It was interesting at the end of the book to read what the author had to say about trauma, grief, guilt, and the effect of alcoholism on many of those who had survived the war. My Romanian-Jewish mother, diagnosed with agoraphobia and chronic anxiety, I now believe was suffering from PTSD following her escape from the Nazis in Vienna in 1938.
My father on the other hand, was Polish. He lived in the countryside, not in the city, and by the time the Germans had taken Warsaw, he had joined the army and was taken to a prisoner-of-war camp north of Siberia. Like some of the orphans in the book, he ended up in the UK, where he remained.
For my full review click here
Hunting Evil by Chris Carter (Robert Hunter #10)
I’m conflicted with this one, though I still gave it 5 stars. It’s again very different as it’s a sequel to An Evil Mind, but it doesn’t follow the usual pattern of the other books in the series. We still have a psychopathic serial killer, but this time he has an agenda – revenge.
Lucien Folter – Robert Hunter’s ex-best mate from university – has escaped from prison, killing a number of guards along the way. He’s angry that he spent three and a half years in confinement, but also because the FBI took away his research papers, all 53 books of them. His life’s work, detailing his emotions while killing someone.
For my full review click here
The Light a Candle Society by Ruth Hogan
As I have said before, I’ve read all of Ruth’s novels, my favourites being The Wisdom of Sally Red Shoes and The Keeper of Lost Things (in that order or maybe joint first). But nothing could have prepared me for The Light A Candle Society and the emotion it stirred up in me. I listened to it on Audible and at first I wasn’t sure about the male narrator, but I grew to love him with his great voices and impressions.
Having had a busy Christmas Eve and a quick drink in the pub on Christmas Day morning, I had the rest of the day free – dinner notwithstanding. Not particularly interested in the repeats on TV, I listened to the last two hours of the book and spent most of it in tears. It’s not because of the funerals themselves – the Light A Candle Society is a beautiful idea – but because we learn so much about the people who supposedly die without freinds and relatives, and the interesting lives they had before they found themselves alone. There but for the grace of God etc…. Arthur and Captain in particular stole my heart along with crisp-eating Sailor the dog (all my dogs have loved eating crisps in the pub so I can identify).
For my full review click here
It’s been a successful year for reading. I’ve read some brilliant books. My reading challenge was 150 and I didn’t quite make it this time.
All the darkness in the world cannot extinguish the light of a single candle.
George McGlory – recent widower, part-time librarian, pub quiz enthusiast and lover of loud shirts – witnesses a public health funeral and is deeply moved by the sight of the lonely coffin with no flowers and no mourners in attendance.
He joins forces with Elena, a florist, Edwin, an undertaker, Sid, the owner of a bric-a-brac and second-hand furniture emporium, and Roxy his library colleague to form The Light a Candle Society and banish lonely funerals for good.
As they honour the dead together, George reflects on his own life and the rifts within his family. Can he find the courage and humility to face the demons of his past and repair his broken relationships before it’s too late?
My Review
As I have said before, I’ve read all of Ruth’s novels, my favourites being The Wisdom of Sally Red Shoes and The Keeper of Lost Things (in that order or maybe joint first). But nothing could have prepared me for The Light A Candle Society and the emotion it stirred up in me. I listened to it on Audible and at first I wasn’t sure about the male narrator, but I grew to love him with his great voices and impressions.
Having had a busy Christmas Eve and a quick drink in the pub on Christmas Day morning, I had the rest of the day free – dinner notwithstanding. Not particularly interested in the repeats on TV, I listened to the last two hours of the book and spent most of it in tears. It’s not because of the funerals themselves – the Light A Candle Society is a beautiful idea – but because we learn so much about the people who supposedly die without freinds and relatives, and the interesting lives they had before they found themselves alone. There but for the grace of God etc…. Arthur and Captain in particular stole my heart along with crisp-eating Sailor the dog (all my dogs have loved eating crisps in the pub so I can identify).
So how did the Light A Candle Society come to exist? Librarian George McGlory is a widower who visits his late wife Audrey at the cemetery once a week. He always takes flowers from Elena’s flower shop. It is at the cemetery that he meets undertaker Edwin and learns about public health funerals. It’s when people with no relatives or friends are given a funeral with only a member of the council present. George finds this very sad. So he decides one day to ‘gatecrash’ a funeral and even starts singing The Lord is My Shepherd. This attracts the attention of newly appointed council employee Niall, who reprimands George for ‘interfering’ as he didn’t know whether Derek, the deceased, was even a Christian.
George works part time at the Library with Roxy who is almost forty and still unmarried or in a relationship – her mother is in a care home. Together with journalist Briony, the small group start to attend all the public health funerals, trying to find missing friends and relatives of the deceased and even having a wake at the Dog and Donkey pub where they are also a regular quiz team.
As anyone familiar with Ruth’s books will know, there is always a cast of slightly eccentric, colourful characters in addition to our main protagonists. I just adored this book and I shall miss them all.
About the Author
From Ruth herself: ‘I was born in the house where my parents still live in Bedford: my sister was so pleased to have a sibling that she threw a thrupenny bit at me. As a child I read everything I could lay my hands on: The Moomintrolls, A Hundred Million Francs, The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe, the back of cereal packets and gravestones. I was mad about dogs and horses, but didn’t like daddy-long-legs or sugar in my tea.
‘I studied English and Drama at Goldsmiths College which was brilliant, but then I came home and got a ‘proper’ job. I worked for ten years in a senior local government position (I was definitely a square peg in a round hole, but it paid the bills and mortgage) before a car accident left me unable to work full-time and convinced me to start writing seriously. It was going well, but then in 2012 I got cancer, which was bloody inconvenient but precipitated an exciting hair journey from bald to a peroxide blonde Annie Lennox crop. When chemo kept me up all night I passed the time writing and the eventual result was The Keeper of Lost Things.
‘I live in a chaotic Victorian house with an assortment of rescue dogs and my long-suffering partner (who has very recently become my husband – so I can’t be that bad!) I am a magpie, always collecting treasures, and a huge John Betjeman fan. My favourite word is ‘antimacassar’ and I still like reading gravestones.’
About the novel: 11 Minutes is a crime novel inspired by Melbourne’s infamous 1976 Great Bookie Robbery, one of the most audacious unsolved heists in modern history.
In eleven minutes, six men vanished with the equivalent of $80 million — no arrests, no recovery — but within a decade, all were dead.
The novel blends true-crime detail with noir fiction, focusing not on the mechanics of the robbery but on the psychological aftermath: paranoia, loyalty, and the cost of a “perfect” crime. It has recently been featured in The Age (Australia) by crime reporter John Silvester.
So let’s look deeper into novels based on true crime. I am no expert so I asked the author of 11 Minutes, Gregory M Carroll, to provide me with his take on this blended genre.
Writing My Brother’s Ghost by Gregory M Carroll Guest Post – The Moral Line Between True Crime and Fiction
There comes a point in every crime story where the facts run out.
Police files end. Court transcripts stop mid-sentence. Newspaper clippings repeat themselves. What’s left isn’t evidence, It’s atmosphere. That’s the space fiction steps into.
For many readers, the joy of crime fiction lies in the “whodunnit,” the clever puzzle and the satisfaction of a case closed. But I didn’t set out to write a crime novel. I started writing a biography. My brother’s. I thought if I gathered enough material, archives, inquiries, old reporting, the shape of the story would settle. It didn’t. There were gaps everywhere.
Not gaps in dates or names. Gaps in why. In tone. In how people carried themselves before and after things happened. Gaps that official records don’t acknowledge because they can’t.
Fiction gave me a way to work inside those gaps without pretending they weren’t there.
The Weight of the Aftermath
That distinction matters. True crime is bound to what can be proved. That’s its strength, and its limitation. It can tell us what happened, and sometimes how. It rarely tells what it cost. Fiction, done carefully, can.
But being careful is the difficult part.
Writing around real crimes, especially crimes that still live in memory, comes with responsibilities that are easy to underestimate. There’s a temptation to tidy things up. To draw straight lines where none existed. To make meaning where the truth is that people acted badly, impulsively, or without thinking it through.
I resisted that. Not because I’m high-minded, but because anything else would be dishonest.
I was careful in how I approached true crime not to turn violence into a commodity. That mistakes consequences for drama; charisma for depth. Real criminal worlds don’t work like that. They grind people down. Slowly. Quietly. Often off-stage.
In my experience, the crime itself is rarely the point. The aftermath is.
Paranoia. Fractured loyalties. Men who stop sleeping properly. Families who sense something is wrong long before they know what it is. Those things don’t make headlines, but they shape lives.
The Logical End
There are also ethical issues that must be addressed. Writing, even in a fictionalised form, requires understanding that real families will be impacted. Children grow up. Histories don’t sit neatly in the past.
I’ve been careful not to make allegations. Public-record events stay intact. Everything else is clearly framed as interpretation. To leave readers with possibilities, not conclusions; a story, not a verdict.
That framing wasn’t legal caution. It was moral clarity.
I don’t believe in the idea of a “curse” attached to crimes like the one at the centre of my novel. Nothing mystical happened. What happened was predictable. Men operating in a violent economy eventually meet its logical end. As Hemingway put it, the fish has to be the fish.
Times were changing. Old codes broke down. What once held people together stopped working. That’s not tragedy in the classical sense. It’s erosion.
What Lingers After the Noise
Fiction allowed me to show erosion without needing to resolve it. That’s why I followed the characters beyond the event everyone remembers.
The robbery took minutes. The after effects took years. This is where the real story lies.
I have been asked if I think that this kind of writing is exploitative. I don’t believe so, or at least, that was not my intention. If anything, it’s an attempt to remove the myths that have grown up around such events, like the Great Train Robbery.
These men weren’t monsters. Nor were they heroes. They weren’t one-dimensional; they were complex, charming, and reckless. They were smart in some moments, and short-sighted in others. But their decisions had impacts, and those impacts continued to weigh long after the headlines had gone.
Fiction allows this to be handled in a way journalism can’t. It leaves questions unanswered, ends without resolution. It can accept that some things are not meant to be known.
For readers who enjoy crime narratives but feel uneasy about sensationalism, this kind of fiction offers a different trope. Quieter. Slower. More reflective. It doesn’t ask you to admire anyone. It doesn’t ask you to judge them either. It asks you to consider what lingers after the noise is gone.
That, to me, is where the blurring of true crime and fiction can reach an “emotional truth”.
About the Author
Gregory M. Carroll is not just the author of 11 Minutes – he lived it. Born and raised in the same tough world as the men in his story, he was more than a witness. He was a brother. Ian Carroll was his brother, his best man, and the man whose body he had to identify. Now retired, he writes from the Gold Coast, Australia, bringing lived experience to the page with sharp insight and unflinching honesty. Just like the lives that shaped it.
Where books are borrowed, friendships are forged and secrets uncovered…
As a beautiful summer unfolds in the Croatian islands, Ana Meštrović embarks on a new venture – transforming her beloved catamaran into a floating library.
Joined by crew members Lloyd, a widower whose past threatens to overshadow everything, and Natali, a young mechanic afraid of her own shadow, the newly formed trio all have their own powerful reasons for needing the travelling library to be a success.
As they explore stunning coastlines and visit picturesque harbours, they learn that, sometimes, the most profound changes happen not just in the pages of a book, but in the bonds formed along the way…
My Review
As with Eva’s other novels, of which I have read and reviewed two, The Croatian Island Library is a delight. Our three main protagonists are likeable, particularly shy, withdrawn Natali. I have to admit that Ana got on my nerves at times, with her indecision about virtually everything and her ‘what would others think’. She’s not a teenager, she’s in her mid-thirties, time to find herself I think.
Widower Lloyd is an inspiration and seems more capable of running the library than Ana. He has amazing ideas which probably saves the venture, but he does have his own secrets, which could also derail the project altogether.
Then we have my two favourite characters – Obi, a terrier of indeterminate breed, who provides the most heart-stopping moment in the book (and yes I flipped to the end to make sure the dog is OK). And Baka, the old lady who befriends Natali and changes both their lives.
The Croatian Island Library is filled with emotion, and characters who are beautifully written. We are rooting for all three, in spite of their flaws, which simply makes them human. I look forwartd to Eva’s next book.
Many thanks to the author and to NetGalley for a review copy.
About the Author in her own words
“I love to write emotional women’s fiction inspired by beautiful places and the stories they hide. My passion is to travel (when possible, of course), but luckily I find inspiration can strike just as well at home or abroad.
“My last holiday before lockdown was a trip to Croatia, and the country’s haunting histories and gorgeous scenery have proved fertile ground, driven by my friendship with a tour guide I met there. His wartime story provided the inspiration for The Olive Grove and his help in creating a realistic portrayal of Croatian life has proved invaluable. My second and third novels set in the country, An Island of Secrets and The Collaborator’s Daughter are dual timelines looking back to World War 2. My books are published by One More Chapter, a division of Harper Collins.
“I am also inspired by the work of my own favourite authors, who include Victoria Hislop, Rosanna Ley, Angela Petch, Jenny Ashcroft and Elizabeth Buchan.
“Although I am Welsh I am now happily settled in Cornwall, and I’m lucky enough to have been married to the love of my life for more than twenty-five years. I also write as Jane Cable.”
Bibi sees problems as chances to do good.
Bursting with curiosity, a school outing to a forest reserve fills the intelligent girl with respect for every life-giving pine, maple and oak. So her heart breaks upon discovering her family’s favourite picnic spot has been cleared by saws and axes.
Genre: Children’s Picture Book
Ages: 5-8 years
Pages: 38
Publisher: Aya Press
Inspired to restore the land, her eyes grow bright as she gets a brilliant idea. And approaching her teacher and classmates, she crosses her fingers that they’ll be excited about the project and jump at the chance to pitch in.
My Review
Once again I’m giving this book 5 stars. It’s not just a great story with beautiful illustrations, it’s about the message and it’s one we need to take very seriously. I learnt so much from the story, which I can pass on to my granddaughters, particularly the two youngest, as the older two are already learning about this at school.
Bibi and her friends are really enjoying their school trip to the forest. They are learning all about deforestation and why it is bad for the earth. They are also learning about our precious ecosystem and making lots of notes and drawing pictures of the wildlife in their scrapbooks. They chat with the ranger about reforestation – replanting trees to replace the ones that have been cut down.
So Bibi is horrified to discover that her favourite picnic spot has been decimated, the area all bare and dry. We must do something to save the trees she thought, so the next day at school she went to the teacher and asked if they could organise a tree planting event.
There was so much to do but the day was a great success with everyone helping, including the community and the local garden centre. They even got a TV station to report on the event.
If you want to do the same thing or something similar, there is a section at the end which explains how. It’s very important that you read it and follow the instructions. There is also a glossary of terms used in the book.
Bibi Saves The Trees is so informative and tells children all about climate action and how involving the community can really help. Everyone should read this book and take note before it’s too late.
Many thanks to @lovebookstours for inviting me to be part of the #BibiSavesTheOcean blog tour.
Author bio
Judith A. Ewa is the award-winning author of the new children’s book Bibi Saves the Ocean. Her international career as a finance professional, currently working in the area of climate change, has spanned the areas of humanitarian assistance, sustainable development and peacekeeping. The focus of her career has been on improving the lives of children around the world, especially in developing countries. Her latest work is the second book in the Preserve the Planet Series. Through her books she aims to bring awareness to children about the importance of preserving the environment. Each book also offers a simple solution that children can actively carry out to bring about small changes today, to make a big difference tomorrow. Judith holds an MBA from the University of Leicester. She enjoys listening to jazz, is an avid football and tennis fan who currently resides in Switzerland. Find out more about Judith at www.judithaewa.com
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Your past is right behind you . . .
Jo has always kept her head down and surrounded herself with strangers who know nothing about her mum’s murder. But fifteen years after the killing she receives a box of unopened letters addressed to her – sent from the prison.
But before she can read them, they’re stolen, and soon Jo realises that someone must have a terrible secret to hide.
Book Tour & Charity Promo: 1st – 14th December
Genre: Psychological thriller | Thriller | Scottish Crime
Publisher: Mountain Leopard Press
Determined to protect her new life from the violence of her past, she embarks on a mission to find out the truth. But can Jo find the sender, before they find her?
A pacy, twisty thriller about secrets and betrayal, set amongst the historic streets of Edinburgh. Perfect for fans of B.A. Paris and C.L. Taylor.
My Review
This was brilliant. I really couldn’t put it down. I was so out of my comfort zone as I have no experience of this kind of life.
The book is written in two timelines. Jo is working in a charity shop with the lovely Jean, who looks after her wellbeing. Jo’s mum was murdered fifteen years earlier and Jo watched her die. Noew everything is going as well as can be expected until a box of old letters is delivered to the shop. On the side the box is stamped HMP. Jo has a good idea who sent it but doesn’t open any of the letters. And then they are stolen before she can read them. Someone wants to make sure she doesn’t see the contents. That same night Jo is at the pub with the staff and volunteers from the shop when she bumps into Ali from her previous life. What is the connection?
The other timeline revolves around Tink and Spider, two young teenage girls. Spider has a bad reputation and is a bit older than Jo. When her father dies in an accident, Tink finds refuge with Spider. But Tink’s mother has spiralled out of control into an alcoholic fugue and treats Tink appallingly. She hates Spider and numerous arguments follow.
There are two twists in the story – one is pretty obvious from the start – while the other is devastating and I would never have guessed. I felt so sorry for Jo, though sometimes it was hard to like her as she is not the most sympathetic character. I felt she needed to shed her guilt and find salvation, but it was very hard for her and she is often defensive and unapproachable. But Jean is always her biggest supporter.
The book is a triumph of survival against adversity. I would highly recommend it.
Many thanks to @lovebookstours for inviting me to be part of the #WatchYourBack blog tour.
Love Books Tours Charity Support
Annually, Loves Books Tours is happy to support charities in a variety of ways including donating our time and free tours to promote charitable causes. This is our final charity tour of 2025, in support of The Brain Tumour Charity, which is very close to Emma Christie’s heart.
The Brain Tumour Charity is the world’s leading brain tumour charity and the largest dedicated funder of research into brain tumours globally.
Committed to saving and improving lives, they are moving further, faster to help every single person affected by a brain tumour. They are set on finding new treatments, offering the highest level of support and driving urgent change. And they are doing it right now. Because they understand that when you, or someone you love, is diagnosed with a brain tumour – a cure really can’t wait.
Website: www.thebraintumourcharity.org
About the Author
Emma Christie writes psychological thrillers set in Portobello, Edinburgh’s thriving seaside neighbourhood. Her debut novel The Silent Daughter was shortlisted for the McIlvanney Prize for Scottish Crime Book of the Year 2021, shortlisted for the Scottish Crime Debut of the Year 2021 and longlisted for the Crime Writers’ Association John Creasey (New Blood) Dagger Award 2021. It was followed in 2022 by her highly acclaimed novels Find Her First and In Her Shadow. When she’s not travelling in her campervan, Emma lives in Barcelona with her girlfriend Mari and far too many plants.
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Murder, mince pies, and mayhem—a family Christmas takes a deadly turn.
For veteran lawyer Leo, Christmas Day is going according to plan. His vegetarian Wellington has been well received; his beloved partner Marion has finally introduced him to her dress-wearing brother Harold, who seems very happy with his partner Julian; Leo’s granddaughter Jazz is behaving impeccably; and his oldest friend Dennis, the doyen of crime journalists, is being kept under control by his wife Susan, helped by large quantities of wine. Even Leo’s dog Pumpernickel joins in the fun.
Until Julian, a reluctant player of charades, lies down to enact his last word, and fails to get up again. Suddenly, the festive mood turns dark. Was it a heart attack, something he ate, or could it be murder?
As they wait for the police to turn up, the tension isn’t eased by the arrival of Leo’s sister Becky with her husband and moody son. Family rows erupt and secrets jostle to the surface.
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Why did the victim hide away a box of champagne truffles?
Who was really meant to receive Harold’s glittering bracelet?
Was Pumpernickel right in detecting the presence of poison?
Answers are provided in this romp of a story featuring all the main characters of Peter Buckman’s romantic cosy crime series The Pumpernickel Mysteries. This novella is a tale of love, greed, death, devotion, and brandy butter.
My Review
I love a book that is totally bonkers and Dead Festive really hits the mark. It’s part of a series that involves four septuagenarians (as am I), and a very perceptive poodle called Pumpernickel. I also have a very perceptive pooch (she knows where ALL the treats are hidden), so I can identify in so many ways.
It’s Christmas Day and lawyer Leo (owner of aforesaid Pumpernickel), his partner psychotherapist Marion, oldest friend Dennis ‘the world’s most fearless crime reporter’ and his wife Susan are celebrating together. They have been joined by granddaughter Jazz, the eccentric cross-dressing Harold, who happens to be Marion’s brother, and his partner Julian. So far so good. Do keep up!
They are playing charades, which I love, but Julian hates. He reluctantly acts out the film Dead Man Walking and promptly drops down dead. In actual fact he sits down and doesn’t get up again, but ‘drops down dead’ sounds much more dramatic.
The police are called but they can’t attend for at least an hour so our intrepid foursome and co carry on eating and drinking – drinking mainly – as it would be a shame to let it all go to waste. They are joined by Leo’s younger sister Becky, who swears like a trouper and says the most inappropriate things, her husband Graham, and their moody-but-handsome son Jonathan.
So basically the story revolves around how Julian died and why, and what’s the importance of Harold’s bracelet? Pumpernickel thinks it’s poison – he has the nose after all – but why would anyone want to murder Julian? It’s all very irreverent – in a good way – and hilarious. I just love the way they carry on as normal with a dead body lying under a sheet, which hasn’t started to smell yet as someone observes.
Many thanks to @annecater for inviting me to be part of #RandomThingsTours
The Pumpernickel Mysteries series
Publisher: Word of Mouth Books
Available as Amazon Kindle and PB
PB ISBN: 978-1-0683333-6-1
Leo Wengrowski runs a one-man-and-a-dog legal practice in London’s Soho. Pumpernickel, a standard black poodle, is the dog. They are both in their seventies; the dog has more hair. Leo’s partner is Dr Marion Fitzwalter, a psychotherapist with an international reputation who is a couple of years older, and a couple of inches taller than Leo, though as he says it makes no difference when they’re lying down.
Leo’s oldest friend is Dennis Arbuthnot, ‘the world’s most fearless crime reporter’, who has extensive contacts among both the police and the criminal world.
Leo provides legal advice to victims and those suspected of violent crimes, Marion helps people with messed-up minds, Dennis rubbishes Leo’s attempts to act like a detective but occasionally provides inside information. Pumpernickel acts as a sounding-board for Leo’s ideas, offers reassurance to his nervous clients, and can sniff out drugs, disease, and dishonesty.
Four veterans who are still working, still learning, still arguing, still loving life and each other, and still able to surprise the younger generations who come to them with their problems. Problems that are often in today’s headlines, including the oldest headline of all: murder.
Also in the series:
Dead Early
Dead Honest
Dead Rich
Dead Famous
Dead Religious
Dead Unpopular
About the Author
Peter Buckman was one of the youngest editors in publishing and is now one of the oldest literary agents still practising. In between he was a full-time writer, producing books, plays, scripts for films, television and radio, articles and reviews. The Pumpernickel Mysteries are his first crime series, and feature a quartet of characters in their seventies (including the dog) who are still working, still learning, and still enjoying life with all its problems. Peter and his wife Rosie have lived in the same Oxfordshire village for over fifty years; they have two daughters, two grandchildren, and a black cockerpoo called, amazingly, Pumpernickel.
Can Siggy keep his word?
Will this sweet little sausage dog be able to resist his favourite tasty temptations, stay true to his pledge, and save a big birthday surprise?
Age Range: 5-7 Years
Pages: 32
Publisher: Tiny Tree Books (Insta, X, TikTok, Threads @tinytreebooks )
Join Siggy, as he learns about the happiness that comes from keeping promises, during his romp through a fast and fabulous adventure that ultimately takes him into the deep dark woods, where magic sometimes happens…
My Review
I have a one year old Jack Russell called Patch who loves Dachshunds. Probably because at her socialisation play sessions she met one called Arlo and they became best friends. I’m sure she’d adore Siggy as much as we do.
Mrs Chana has lost her bag.
“Oh no! My bag!” she cried.
“Help me! It’s my daughter’s surprise birthday present!”
So Siggy gave chase. He ran past Vivian the artist. He told her that he was in a hurry.
“No problem, Siggy,” she called.
“Come back later. I’ll have some Hortobagyi for you.”
Hortobagyi are pancakes stuffed with all sorts of delicious things that sausage dogs like.
And so it went on, until Siggy caught up with the bag. He was so pleased that he could give it back to Mrs Chana. There was so much food he loved, and Siggy decided that he liked Hortobagyi pancakes, and he adored Fairy Cake, but in the end there is only one thing a sausage dog likes best and that is, of course, sausages.
This is such a lovely book for children and dog lovers alike. The illustrations are whimsical and delightful, and perfectly suit the magical elements of the story.
About the Author
Children’s book author Brian Frederick was an insatiable reader from an early age, becoming particularly inspired by the Narnia books. After that, he always wanted to be a writer and began creating his own fictional worlds, winning praise and awards for his early stories.
Brian grew up in Northern Ireland, during “the Troubles” and went to a posh school where CS Lewis was once a pupil, and Samuel Beckett briefly taught. A young Brian made the sports page headlines as a champion swimmer and he admits he may have been more dedicated to training than to his studies at times.
After school, a legal career beckoned and he pursued it, but it turns out that Brian likes being a writer more than being a lawyer. “I much prefer writing stories to writing writs,” he quips.
WHAT DO I CARE ABOUT SAYS BRIAN?
“I don’t know if stories for children can change the world, but I hope they can make it a little better – certainly for my readers.
“I hope I can bring a little more joy into the world, and a little more truth and kindness.
“I do care that these and other important things are often in short supply when they needn’t be. Maybe we can change that together…”
To get sneak a peek at upcoming books, visit brianfrederickauthor.com
Many thanks to Iddy Biddy Book Tours for inviting me to be part of the #SiggyLovesSausages #blogtour
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