Category: dark humour
Sixty Is The New Assassin by Shesh
WAS AN ASSASSIN’S ROLE AKIN TO A CEO’S ROLE? BOTH NEEDED SOME SUSPENSION OF MORALITY, A WILLINGNESS TO DO THINGS THAT MOST WOULD NOT, OR COULD NOT. After retiring from active corporate life, sixty-year-old Ishmael Dollah keeps himself busy with regular runs around the city, tennis at the club and his book club meets. Life is good—a bit staid maybe, but good. That is … Read More Sixty Is The New Assassin by Shesh
+ audio book, childhood, dark humour, family, fiction, ghosts, grief, Ireland, loss, Magical realism, mystery, psychic, review, supernatural, superstition
Himself by Jess Kidd
Blending strange kindnesses, casual violence and buried secrets: an unforgettable debut from a dark new voice in Irish fiction. When Mahony returns to Mulderrig, a speck of a place on Ireland’s west coast, he brings only a photograph of his long-lost mother and a determination to do battle with the village’s lies. His arrival causes cheeks to flush and arms to fold in disapproval. … Read More Himself by Jess Kidd
+ audio book, childhood, dark humour, family, fiction, grief, Ireland, loss, Magical realism, mystery, psychic, review, supernatural
The Hoarder by Jess Kidd
Maud Drennan – underpaid carer and unintentional psychic – is the latest in a long line of dogsbodies for the ancient, belligerent Cathal Flood. Yet despite her best efforts, Maud is drawn into the mysteries concealed in his filthy, once-grand home. She realises that something is changing: Cathal, and the junk-filled rooms, are opening up to her. With only her agoraphobic landlady and a … Read More The Hoarder by Jess Kidd
In Judgement of Others by Eleanor Anstruther
A satirical novel which makes a serious point about mental illness and the way we treat it. Set in the polite society of a market town in the south of England which, below the surface, is rife with prejudice and hypocrisy. A story which examines the traits, addictions and failings of the English middle classes. #InJudgementOfOthers X/Twitter @ellieanstruther #RandomThingsTours @annecater @RandomTTours #booktwitter #bookX Instagram @eleanoranstruther @randomthingstours #blogtour #bookstagram The Midhurst Amateur Dramatic Society … Read More In Judgement of Others by Eleanor Anstruther
An Ethical Guide To Murder by Jenny Morris
THE DARKLY TWISTED DEBUT THRILLER OF THE YEAR How to Kill Your Family meets The Power in this entertaining and thought-provoking read, that asks: If you had the power between life and death, what would you do? Thea has a secret. She can tell how long someone has left to live just by touching them. Not only that, but she can transfer life from … Read More An Ethical Guide To Murder by Jenny Morris
The Axeman’s Carnival by Catherine Chidgey
In this darkly comic work of literary satire by New Zealand’s most acclaimed and best-selling novelist, Tama, a talking magpie and social media influencer, is the sole witness to a marriage in freefall. Tama is just a helpless chick when he is rescued by Marnie. ‘If it keeps me awake,’ says Marnie’s husband Rob, a farmer in the middle of a years-long drought, ‘I’ll … Read More The Axeman’s Carnival by Catherine Chidgey
+ 1950s, 1960s, 1970s, cosy mystery, crime fiction, dark humour, Historical fiction, humour fiction, List, murder mystery, psychiatric hospital, Sci-Fi, superstition, thriller, time travel
My Top 10 Books of 2024 – Part Four
Here are my favourite ten books of 2024 Part Four, not counting audio books. Quite a disparate selection for a change. The Portrait Girl by Nicole Swengley I had no idea what to expect when I started reading The Portrait Girl. What we know is that Freya’s mother has just died and Freya needs to clear out her cottage and then decide whether to sell it, … Read More My Top 10 Books of 2024 – Part Four
+ brothers, bullying, child abuse, childhood, dark humour, depression, fiction, journal, loss, love, mental illness, obsession, psychiatric hospital, psychiatrist, review, therapy
The Funeral Portrait by Vincent Viñas
Guy doesn’t smile easily. He could be described as fundamentally glum. Tallulah doesn’t die easily. She could be described as annoyingly immortal. What if you wanted to die but were unable to? Such is the case with Guy Edwards and Tallulah Leigh, who want to end their miserable lives for different reasons. The only problem is, she’s been stricken with an unexplained (and unwelcome) … Read More The Funeral Portrait by Vincent Viñas
The Burning Stones by Antti Tuomainen translated by Don Bartlett
Saunas, love and a ladleful of murder… A cold-blooded killer strikes at the hottest moment: the new head of a sauna-stove company is murdered … in the sauna. Who has turned up the temperature and burned him to death? The evidence points in the direction of Anni Korpinen – top salesperson and the victim’s successor at Steam Devil. #TheBurningStones X/Twitter @antti_tuomainen @OrendaBooks #RandomThingsTours @annecater @RandomTTours #bookX #booktwitterInstagram @anttituomainen @orendabooks @randomthingstours #blogtour #bookstagram … Read More The Burning Stones by Antti Tuomainen translated by Don Bartlett
+ crime fiction, dark humour, feel-good, gothic, gothic horror, Gothic mystery, Historical fiction, humour fiction, List, Magical realism, murder mystery, mystery, supernatural, superstition, thriller, Victorian Britain, World War Two, WW2
My Top 10 Books of 2024 – Part Three
Here are my favourite ten books of 2024 Part Three, not counting audiobooks. Quite a disparate selection for a change. Audiobooks to follow. Gallows Wood by Louisa Scarr I read this in ten staves with the Pigeonhole online book club. It was almost unbearable waiting for the next instalment. The book was so exciting, the suspense nail-biting. While this is the first in a … Read More My Top 10 Books of 2024 – Part Three
+ alcoholism, childhood, dark humour, domestic noir, family, fiction, forgiveness, haunting, lies, loss, love, mental illness, motherhood, psychiatrist, review
The Guests by Charlotte Stevenson
They weren’t invited. But they refuse to leave… Tamsin is being haunted by unwelcome visitors in her house she calls The Guests. Nobody knows about their presence but her. After confiding in her husband, he left, and she won’t make that mistake again. Genre: ThrillerPublisher: Bloodhound But now her relationship with her teenage daughter Summer is starting to suffer. As each day passes, the … Read More The Guests by Charlotte Stevenson
+ abuse, alcoholism, child abuse, childhood, dark humour, female friendship, fiction, murder, Psychological fiction, revenge, review, secrets, thriller, twins
Don’t Tell A Soul by Jessica Huntley
She thinks she’s safe. She couldn’t be more wrong. Elle, desperate to escape her abusive home, runs away to a seemingly cute small town where she gets a job as a waitress. And meets Vera, who offers her an attic room in her large house. For the first time in years, Elle feels something like contentment as she bonds with Vera who becomes almost … Read More Don’t Tell A Soul by Jessica Huntley
