When I first got my Kindle I went through a period of downloading many, many free and cheap books. More than I could possibly read in a decade and with no quality control whatsoever. There was a flurry of mindless downloading of books onto my new and special machine. I was, I admit, greedy. In some cases I discovered gems that I would previously never have found…
Soulseeker
19 February 2013 by Leave a Comment
Just over a year ago I reviewed Sinclair Macleod’s The Reluctant Detective, the first in his series of crime novels set in Glasgow with an insurance investigator who gets caught up in murders. I mentioned in that review that while The Reluctant Detective wasn’t by any stretch of the imagination a cosy mystery nor was it quite dark enough to be categorised as a “tartan noir”…
The Hangman’s Daughter
24 May 2012 by Leave a Comment
One of the books I meant to read before the end of last year was Oliver Pötzsch’s The Hangman’s Daughter, but being me and having my butterfly like mind and appalling time management skills I didn’t get round to it…
Catch Your Death
28 March 2012 by Leave a Comment
The rise of the ebook has led to an explosion in self-published authors. I must admit I have a shiver of nervousness each time I see a self-published book, I tend to assume that if an author doesn’t already have a book deal there’s probably a good reason…
Sleepyhead
9 March 2012 by 1 Comment
I’m delighted to have been chosen as one of this year’s World Book Night givers. I didn’t get my first choice, The Book Thief, but I’m still really pleased to be able to give away 24 copies of Cormac McCarthy’s The Road…
A Cold Snow In Castaway County
1 March 2012 by 1 Comment
I’ve not yet visited America but I have a strong sense of what different areas are like. New York City is a place of 24 hour excitement, Los Angeles is glamorous…
The Reluctant Detective
29 November 2011 by Leave a Comment
I was first drawn to Scottish crime novel The Reluctant Detective by the tweets of its author Sinclair Macleod who uses social media to promote this book and its follow up The Good Girl. He claims that his novels are as “Scottish as Irn-Bru and Haggis” and offer “Crime with a Scottish accent” …
Agatha Raisin and the Quiche of Death
10 November 2011 by Leave a Comment
My favourite genre of fiction is, without a shadow of a doubt, crime. I love a good, gory murder and a hard-bitten detective who’s out to solve the crime. The bloodier the better as far as I’m concerned. I’m not averse to something a little gentler either – I adore Agatha Christie …