A couple of years ago I went to a storytelling evening on Orkney. I persuaded others to come along with promises of a dram by a peat fire, squishy leather chairs and some magnificent Orcadian folklore. I have never been so wrong about anything in my life…
Tenacity
29 July 2015 by Leave a Comment
One of my main bugbears with a lot of police procedurals is that the main character is always “damaged” in some way. Alcoholic, bad with the opposite sex, poor family life – no fictional top cop is ever well balanced and happy with their life. I understand completely that it offers an extra dimension to the narrative…
How I Lost You
19 June 2015 by 2 Comments
Imagine being told by your husband, medical staff, police and the courts that you have killed your baby – despite having no memory of the event, would you believe what you were told? Susan Webster was convicted of the post-natal depression related manslaughter of her 12-week old son Dylan…
The Versions of Us
12 June 2015 by Leave a Comment
I’ve often wondered what would have happened with my life if I had attended the girls’ school that my mum wanted me to go to rather than the local comprehensive that I did. Would I have gone to college and met my best friend? Would I have studied law or medicine…
The Killing of Bobbi Lomax
4 June 2015 by Leave a Comment
It is Hallowe’en 1983. Prom queen and teenage bride Bobbi Lomax lies dead on her front lawn, killed by a bomb placed by an unknown assailant. Just a few minutes later Peter Gudsen is also killed, a nail from a bomb piercing his brain. Within a few more minutes, a third explosion…
Disclaimer
21 April 2015 by Leave a Comment
Imagine you’re reading a book and you slowly begin to realise that the story is about you and events in your life that you’ve hidden for over two decades? How would you cope? Would you want to know how the story ended and would you search for the author?
Jakob’s Colours
20 April 2015 by Leave a Comment
Regular readers will know that I have an especial interest in the Holocaust and genocide. I’ve been lucky enough to work in Holocaust remembrance and with Holocaust and genocide survivors. I’m not an expert by any means but even though I’ve moved on from that job I’m still fascinated by stories of the Holocaust…
Hausfrau
30 March 2015 by Leave a Comment
It’s not easy moving to another country, I only moved from Glasgow to Weymouth when I left home after university and it was a huge culture shock. It took me a while to get used to my new home. Even now, 15 years on, England is still a bit of a foreign country…
I Let You Go
25 March 2015 by 4 Comments
The other day I reviewed Clare Donoghue’s brilliant crime novel No Place to Die and declared it to be my favourite book of the year so far. It really was, until the very next book I read. Clare Mackintosh’s amazing I Let You Go is not just my favourite book of this year (so far) but one of the best I’ve read in a very long time…
Black Lake
24 June 2014 by Leave a Comment
One of the things that I particularly enjoy during the summer is visiting Stately Homes and Gardens. I love wandering round the houses and taking a glimpse into Britain’s past. I imagine the lives of the aristocratic families who lived in the house for generations, the parties that took place…