Book reviews

An enjoyable, fast-paced detective story/thriller that sets the scene for a strong series to come.It begins when casino worker Esther thinks she's spotted a man with a gun, and becomes convinced he's about to murder someone. She calls the police with her concerns, and...

Children of Strife is the fourth book in a complex series - and I wouldn't recommend jumping in here. Tchaikovsky is an excellent writer, but this particular series builds up in layers. If you don't understand where the story's come from, you won't understand where...

I really enjoy the Forgotten series from Wes Markin, and book 6 was no exception, though I did find this one sadder than most. As always, it begins with a cold case, this time a body discovered in a disused railway tunnel. As Frank and Gerry investigate, they also...

Six Strikes is a dark and twisty tale.I'm not always a dark and twisty sort of reader, but I was for this book. Main character Maddie has had a horrendous youth, and she carries the trauma with her forward, going after wretched abusive men she calls 'fleas'....

A charming, cosy crime novel with an intriguing mystery.Bookshop owner Beth Cunningham has been embroiled in crimes before (please note here this is book 2 in the series, but I hadn't read book 1 and could still follow everything), but it's still a shock when her...

A clever title that might give the wrong impression.It's not chick-lit, and it's not a thriller about serial killer middle-aged women, either.Instead, Middle Rage is a slowburn contemplation of life as a woman in four different forms. There's Clover, the retreat...

A fun new outing from the author of the incredible Dungeon Crawler Carl series.Operation Bounce House follows the fate of some young farmers on the recently(ish) colonised planet New Sonora. Oliver Lewis and his sister are the last surviving members of their family,...

As you'd expect from the title and cover (it's always nice when these things align), this is a darkly humorous story of a sociopath and a body or two that get in her way. Lalla Rook is an ambitious sociopath, with a husband she needs to make partner, a rebellious...

A cult that isn't a cult springs up. Groups of people standing still, trying to become trees.Bren and his partner Caelyn encounter a group early on, an eerie group of strangers who believe they can become part of nature when they're ready. Bren and Caelyn walk away,...

A hard book for me to rate because it creeps up on you.It begins with two boys leaving a house party in 1999. Another boy's body discovered. Police who don't know where to look in a small town. Then there's a twenty year gap, another body, and finally progress can be...

The third book in this series, which I’d recommend reading in publication order if you want to make the most of it. At first glance this book feels like quite a departure from the previous two. The main character is bookseller Fern instead of loveable orc Viv. Instead...

The Shattering Peace is a fun, almost cosy tale about the possible extermination of a colony. I know, it sounds all wrong, but I'm right about this. Add in some super intelligent aliens and tricky politics, and you're in for quite the ride. This is part of the Old...

A humorous crime caper laser-focused on the world of sauna retail. Anni Korpinen is our main character. When Ilmo Raty is murdered in the opening pages, in his very own sauna, no less, she becomes both next in line to run the Steam Devil Stove Company (once Erkki...

This is a thoughtful novel about family, memory, and what makes us who we are. Cat lives in a flat with her teenager Ruby, when she takes her mum Minnie in. Minnie has Alzheimer's and her decline is sadly worsening. So when Cat uncovers a life-altering secret of her...

This is an extremely clever, well-written novel about every side of a court case - one that's focused on the murder of an old man in an alleyway, the accused three teen boys who are more likely to throw shade on one another than tell the truth. It's also slightly...