Month: September 2022
+ childhood, coming-of-age, family, feminism, fiction, girl's school, Historical fiction, literature, London, love, music, piano, relationships, review, sisters, twins, World War Two
The Crooked Little Pieces: Volume 1 by Sophia Lambton
Lost are the creatures destined never to be understood. 1926. Professor Josef van der Holt obtains a post at an all women’s college overseas. Stuffy London suddenly becomes the site for the unseemly exploits of his half-Dutch and half-German daughters Anneliese and Isabel. When tragedy carves out a hollow in their lives, an ailing soul sends the sororal twins along a jagged path: while … Read More The Crooked Little Pieces: Volume 1 by Sophia Lambton
+ coming-of-age, family, fiction, history, literature, love, memoir, motherhood, piano, relationships, review, World War Two
Lessons by Ian McEwan
When the world is still counting the cost of the Second World War and the Iron Curtain has descended, young Roland Baines’s life is turned upside down. 2,000 miles from his mother’s protective love, stranded at an unusual boarding school, his vulnerability attracts his pianoteacher Miriam Cornell, leaving scars as well as a memory of love that will never fade. Twenty-five years later Roland’s … Read More Lessons by Ian McEwan
+ brothers, crime fiction, Detective novel, family, fiction, friendship, haunting, Historical fiction, kidnapping, literature, London, love, murder, police corruption, prostitution, revenge, review, secrets, sisters
Shrines of Gaiety by Kate Atkinson
1926, and in a country still recovering from the Great War, London has become the focus for a delirious new nightlife. In the clubs of Soho, peers of the realm rub shoulders with starlets, foreign dignitaries with gangsters, and girls sell dances for a shilling a time. The notorious queen of this glittering world is Nellie Coker, ruthless but also ambitious to advance her … Read More Shrines of Gaiety by Kate Atkinson
+ audio drama, Cat on a Piano, dark humour, fiction, humour fiction, podcast, radio play, Theatrephonic
Pearly Gates by Cat On A Piano / Theatrephonic
Pearly Gates But hey! They survived! ‘Sorry I wasn’t here to welcome you. I was having a comfort break. You know …. as you get older.’ says St Peter. And it turns out that Satan is responsible for identity theft. Who knew. Sylvester is addicted to watching cartoons. It’s called bi-toonism. Is that anything like bi-curious, asks St Peter? No that’s something completely different. So … Read More Pearly Gates by Cat On A Piano / Theatrephonic
+ childhood, family, fantasy, female friendship, feminism, fiction, forgiveness, friendship, grief, haunting, loss, love, magic, review, sisterhood, supernatural, witchcraft, witches
The Witches of Moonshyne Manor by Bianca Marais
The House in the Cerulean Sea meets The Golden Girls in this funny, tender, and uplifting feminist tale of sisterhood featuring a coven of aging witches who must unite their powers to fight the men determined to drive them out of their home and town. A coven of modern-day witches. A magical heist-gone-wrong. A looming threat. Summoned by an alarm, five octogenarian witches gather … Read More The Witches of Moonshyne Manor by Bianca Marais
Case Files: Short Crime Fiction Stories by @RachelAmphlett
Crime fiction author Rachel Amphlett has created a plot twist for mystery fans – a short story podcast. Inspired by research from Bookwire that revealed Gen Z enjoys listening to crime stories as much as reading them, Rachel headed to the recording studio. If you love audio drama or true crime podcasts, then Case Files: Short Crime Fiction Stories is just for you. With … Read More Case Files: Short Crime Fiction Stories by @RachelAmphlett
The Turkey Shed Gang by Ruth Young
Joe had a bad day at school. Everything went wrong…FIRSTLY, he had to read to the class and that was his worst nightmare, reading in front of everyone. THEN, he scored an own goal in football. LATER, after eating three chocolate eclairs at Gran’s house, she tells him about a raid in the bank this morning. The robbers had guns and monster masks! To … Read More The Turkey Shed Gang by Ruth Young
+ Australia, crime fiction, fiction, friendship, literature, murder, murder mystery, relationships, review, secrets, stalker, story within a story, USA, writer
The Woman in The Library by Sulari Gentill
In every person’s story, there is something to hide… From award-winning author Sulari Gentill comes a mischievous, twisty crime novel in the vein of Only Murders in the Building and White Lotus. Four strangers in the Reading Room at Boston Public Library are introduced by a scream. Caught up in the subsequent murder investigation, each one finds themselves revealing more than they intended about … Read More The Woman in The Library by Sulari Gentill
+ crime fiction, dark humour, Detective novel, fiction, haunting, history, murder, murder mystery, police drama, police procedural, review, superstition, witchcraft
Beneath The House of Sin (DCI Mike Saxby #1) by David Field
17 Cavendish Square. The home of the Pelican Club – a notorious upmarket brothel. Now the scene of a murder. DCI Mike Saxby is the officer in charge. He’s straight-shooting and by-the-book. There are no grey areas – Saxby is called in to investigate the death of the madame, Linda Clifford but the case throws up more questions than answers, as well as a … Read More Beneath The House of Sin (DCI Mike Saxby #1) by David Field
The Other Side Of Night by Adam Hamdy
The Other Side of Night begins with a man named David Asha writing about his biggest regret: his sudden separation from his son, Elliot. In his grief, David tells a story. Next, we step into the life of Harriet Kealty, a police officer trying to clear her name after a lapse of judgment. She discovers a curious inscription in a secondhand book—a plea: Help me, he’s … Read More The Other Side Of Night by Adam Hamdy
+ audio drama, Cat on a Piano, cosy mystery, fiction, podcast, private investigator, radio play, review, Theatrephonic
The Private Investigator by Cat On A Piano / Theatrephonic
The Private Investigator – Winter RepriseWhen a dame gets under your skin… The first time Mrs Tierney hired PI Webster, he was surprised to find that her missing ‘person’ Maurice was actually her cat. But when she asks him to work for her again, it’s quite different. This time it’s serious and Mrs Tierney also happens to be very attractive. Written by Barbara JenningsDirected … Read More The Private Investigator by Cat On A Piano / Theatrephonic
+ child abduction, childhood, community, fiction, forgiveness, loneliness, loss, love, motherhood, review
Safe With You by RM Ward
It used to be more of a community round here. I was going to say something like this wouldn’t have happened then, but it would, wouldn’t it? Maybe a lot of it was kept quiet. But was it really any safer? Is anywhere safe? Kath has lived on the same London estate for decades. Lately she’s become friendly with the little girl next door, … Read More Safe With You by RM Ward
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