Tag: mystery
+ art, fiction, literature, love, Magical realism, Paris, review
The Purple Shadow by Christopher Bowden
In the years before the war, Sylvie Charlot was a leading light in Paris fashion with many friends among musicians, artists and writers. Now she is largely forgotten. Spending time in Paris during a break in his acting career, Colin Mallory sees a striking portrait of Sylvie. Some think it is a late work by Édouard Vuillard but there is no signature or … Read More The Purple Shadow by Christopher Bowden
+ abuse, child abuse, childhood, family, fiction, horror, loss, motherhood, mystery, relationships, review, secrets, sisters, thriller
Sundial by Catriona Ward
You can’t escape what’s in your blood… All Rob wanted was a normal life. She almost got it, too: a husband, two kids, a nice house in the suburbs. But Rob fears for her oldest daughter, Callie, who collects tiny bones and whispers to imaginary friends. Rob sees a darkness in Callie, one that reminds her too much of the family she left behind. … Read More Sundial by Catriona Ward
+ fiction, Gothic mystery, horror, jealousy, literature, love, mystery, obsession, review, secrets, supernatural, superstition, witchcraft
The House of Footsteps by Mathew West
It’s 1923 and at Thistlecrook House, a forbidding home on the Scottish border, the roaring twenties seem not to have arrived. But Simon Christie has – a young man who can’t believe his luck when he gets a job cataloguing the infamous art collection of the Mordrake family. Yet from the moment he gets off the train at the deserted village station he can’t … Read More The House of Footsteps by Mathew West
+ Cornwall, family, fiction, Gothic mystery, Historical fiction, literature, loss, love, marriage, mystery, review, secrets, World War One
The Key in the Lock by Beth Underdown
I still dream, every night, of Polneath on fire. Smoke unfurling out of an upper window and a hectic orange light cascading across the terrace. By day, Ivy Boscawen mourns the loss of her son Tim in the Great War. But by night she mourns another boy – one whose death decades ago haunts her still. For Ivy is sure that there is more … Read More The Key in the Lock by Beth Underdown
+ fiction, France, friendship, humour fiction, List, Magical realism, mystery, mythology, novel-in-emails, relationships, review, secrets, sisters, supernatural, twins, whimsical, writers, writers group
My Top 3 Books of 2021
It’s January 1st 2022 and it’s time to reflect on my three favourite books of 2021. Last year it was hard but not impossible. There were instant standouts. This year I have found it much harder. I have tried to include a mix of genres but I’ve definitely failed. Maybe I should simply call them all slightly ‘whimsical’. And if that is not where … Read More My Top 3 Books of 2021
+ community, crime fiction, dark humour, diary, family, fiction, jealousy, journal, marriage, mystery, obsession, review, secrets, thriller
I Know What You’ve Done by Dorothy Koomson
What if all your neighbours’ secrets landed in a diary on your doorstep?What if the woman who gave it to you was murdered by one of the people in the diary? What if the police asked if you knew anything? Would you hand over the book of secrets? Or … would you try to find out what everyone had done? I Know What You’ve … Read More I Know What You’ve Done by Dorothy Koomson
+ child abduction, demon, family, fantasy, fiction, haunting, kidnapping, loss, love, mystery, Psychological fiction, review, supernatural, thriller
Mr Jones by Alex Woolf
Ben hears noises in his basement and witnesses weird goings-on in his local park. His eight-year-old daughter Imogen starts receiving messages from someone claiming to be her missing mother. And then there is Mr Jones —the man who haunts the imaginations of the children at Imogen’s school. But they are just stories, surely? Ben soon develops a creeping suspicion that someone is out to … Read More Mr Jones by Alex Woolf
+ crime fiction, Detective novel, Dogs, fiction, Historical fiction, love, murder, murder mystery, mystery, police drama
Songbird (Jax Diamond Mysteries#1) by Gail Meath
It’s all fun and games, until someone gets killed. Meet Jax Diamond, a sharp, sophisticated, skilled, no-nonsense private detective. Or is he? Glued to his side is his canine partner, Ace, a fierce and unrelenting German Shepherd whose mere presence terrorises criminals into submission. Well, maybe not. But the two of them are a whole lot smarter than they look. And they have their hands full … Read More Songbird (Jax Diamond Mysteries#1) by Gail Meath
+ adventure, anarchists, crime fiction, feminism, fiction, Historical fiction, London, love, murder, murder mystery, mystery, obsession, review, suffragette movement, World War One
Death in The Last Reel by Paula Harmon
Does the camera ever lie? 1911: After the violent murder of three policemen in the line of duty, tensions between London constabulary and Whitechapel anarchists simmer. Meanwhile accusations and counter accusations of espionage further weaken relations between Germany and Britain. Can Margaret Demeray and Fox find out which potential enemy is behind a threat to the capital before it’s too late? In the shadow … Read More Death in The Last Reel by Paula Harmon
+ audio drama, Cat on a Piano, fiction, Halloween, haunting, mystery, podcast, radio play, review, supernatural, Theatrephonic
No Harm Done by Cat on a Piano Productions / Theatrephonic
It’s almost Halloween so it must be time for a spooky story. And this was certainly spooky. When Elliott starts to tell James about his horrific experiences in his aunt’s apartment in Edinburgh, James is unsurprisingly suspicious. After all, he knows Elliott is not the most trustworthy of friends. But after a while he starts to wonder if it might just be true. Really … Read More No Harm Done by Cat on a Piano Productions / Theatrephonic
+ adventure, crime fiction, dark humour, family, fiction, germany, haunting, Historical fiction, holocaust, horror, List, literature, loss, love, marriage, murder, mystery, nazi germany, political thriller, Psychological fiction, relationships, review, secrets, sisters, stalker, supernatural, thriller, World War Two
My Top 8 Books of 2021 – part three
Here are my favourite eight books of the third quarter of 2021. So far this has been a good year for books if for nothing else, so it was a really difficult decision. The Beresford by Will Carver Firstly let me just say one thing – don’t get too attached to the characters, they may not be around long enough. Apart from Mrs May that … Read More My Top 8 Books of 2021 – part three
The Last Minute Play by Cat on a Piano Productions / Theatrephonic
When you are really busy it’s time for the actors to improvise. And they really do. Absolutely hilarious The Last Minute Play has some of my favourite lines. “Is that a new car…”“….lime green….really brings out your eyes Pitrum.”“Shame I’ve only got the one really.”“Beautiful eye though.” “It’s always easier to recover from grief when it makes you filthy, stinking rich.” And of course … Read More The Last Minute Play by Cat on a Piano Productions / Theatrephonic
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