Carole Johnstone - Mirrorland (Blog Tour) Mirrorland author Carole Johnstone Published by Borough Press, hardback £12.99. I received a proof copy of the novel from the publisher for review purposes. Many thanks to Anne Cater at Random Things Tours for inviting me to take part in the blog tour. First, the official blurb: No. 36 Westeryk Road, an imposing … Continue reading Review: Mirrorland
Category: Edinburgh
Review: Still Life
Val McDermid - Still Life Published by Sphere, paperback £8.99. My review is of the Little Brown hardback edition (£20), which I bought new. Still Life is the sixth Karen Pirie novel and Val McDermid's 34th novel, and who knows what number crime novel I've read, but opening the covers I know that I will face … Continue reading Review: Still Life
Review: What Will Burn
James Oswald - What Will Burn (Blog Tour) James reading from Bury Them Deep on his launch tour for the book in 2020 Published by Wildfire Books, hardback £16.99. I received a proof copy of the novel from the publisher for review purposes. Many thanks to Antonia Whitton at Headline for inviting me to join the … Continue reading Review: What Will Burn
Feature: Books of the year, 2020
My favourite reads of this <very special> year... I think we all need a wee dram to celebrate making it through 2020... It has been something of a year, hasn't it? Thank goodness for the armchair travel and general escapism of books! 2020 was also the year that I finally got this blog up and running … Continue reading Feature: Books of the year, 2020
Review: The Big Chill
Doug Johnstone - The Big Chill Published by Orenda Books, paperback £8.99. I received a proof copy of the novel for review purposes. Six months on from the events of A Dark Matter - which saw the Skelf women deal with death and betrayal, alongside running a funeral directors and a private investigation business after … Continue reading Review: The Big Chill
Review: A Dark Matter
Doug Johnstone - A Dark Matter Published by Orenda Books, paperback £8.99. I received a proof copy from the publisher for review purposes. I've long been a fan of Doug Johnstone's exquisitely crafted novels, whether on the breathlessly tumbling plot-heavy side such as Hit And Run or Crash Land, or the heartbreaking character work of … Continue reading Review: A Dark Matter
Review: Bury Them Deep
James Oswald - Bury Them Deep James Oswald on his book tour in February Published by Wildfire Books hardback £16.99. Paperback (due out 3 September) £7.99. I was loaned a proof copy by a friend. James Oswald celebrated the launch of this tenth Tony McLean novel with a mini tour of Scotland in February when … Continue reading Review: Bury Them Deep
Feature: Noir At The Bar
From a darkened room to Zoom... I always think of myself as an introvert, and happy in my own company, but during lockdown I've come to realise I also need the company of like-minded people at least now and again. So I have been very grateful for the online events that have popped up to … Continue reading Feature: Noir At The Bar
Review: Perfect Crime
Helen Fields - Perfect Crime Published by Avon Books, paperback £7.99. I bought this book new. For her previous book, Perfect Silence, Helen Fields did a pop-up signing at Bloody Scotland in Stirling. I snaffled a copy - new-to-me-author? yes please! - and while I felt the plot pushed the boundaries hard in terms of … Continue reading Review: Perfect Crime
Review: The Way Of All Flesh
Ambrose Parry - The Way Of All Flesh Published by Canongate Books, paperback £8.99. I received a free proof copy (of the hardback edition) from the publisher for review purposes. The Way Of All Flesh begins, as so many hackneyed crime novels have done before, with a man standing over the dead body of a … Continue reading Review: The Way Of All Flesh