A thrilling page-turner, and a tight plot? This really is the best of both worlds If you want to read a book that has a detailed, and superbly executed plot, there are plenty of crime and psycholog…

Fiction, for true fans of police procedure There are two types of instance when having a more detailed knowledge of a certain subject doesn’t feel all that beneficial. The first is when you t…

How to enjoy some time with people you despise? Just ask Sue Watson When I happened to be fortunate enough to meet up with Sue Watson earlier this year, I was drawn to the title of this book for on…

I’m delighted to be welcoming another guest author to my cosy book nook for a drink and a natter, having previously had the pleasure of meeting her at Harrogate. She’s the author of the crime…

An uncertain ending. But that doesn’t spoil the main event There are some authors who, if you were to meet them before reading their books, you’d wonder how on earth they have it in the…

The start had my brain struggling. Thankfully, the end had it celebrating Imagine if you will that one of your best friends had invited you to a party they were hosting. You accepted the invitation…

Need to make a rainy evening fly by? Look no further Having, inexplicably and somewhat miraculously, managed to find a campsite with availability for the August Bank Holiday weekend at about a week…

Whether you’re ready to embrace the autumn with a warm drink and a comfy blanket, or still dreaming of a few more warm late summer days whilst sipping your favourite cocktail, you’re ve…

A beautiful portrait of post-war England. The murder mystery is a bonus I’m writing this having been rudely awakened by my cat, as she pressed her claws into my bare forearm. Thinking she mig…

I’ve just realised it’s been almost a year since I invited any authors round for drinks! So I’ve slapped my wrist and decided to rectify the situation. My guest this evening is the author whose fir…

I’ve taken one more step to becoming a Harrogate veteran … maybe I knew that, bar nothing short of a catastrophic natural disaster, I was going to attend the 2026 Harrogate Crime Writin…

Like a child, or a pet, this is something to love despite its imperfections I’m writing this having just taken my dog for her morning walk. During which, she threw herself into a lake to go s…

Here’s more proof, were it needed, that the Queen knows best Reader, I have a problem. It’s a very first-world problem, admittedly, but a problem nonetheless. I’ve finished readin…

Here’s proof that familiarity can breed excitement Call me fickle if you will. But there are times when I love to try new things. Such as finding holiday destinations that I haven’t pre…

It tells a wonderful story. But there’s a time and a place for a moody teenage daughter … I need to begin with an apology to Bookouture, for posting my review three days after the date …

Exciting and effortlessly absorbing, this is my kind of binge-read Natali Simmonds’ last book but one, While My Baby Sleeps, tells the story of a young mother’s severe sleep deprivation…

This book was almost perfect for this week If I tell you that I’m writing this whilst reclined on the sofa, a glass of wine on the coffee table and my dog curled up next to me, I hope that gi…

I’m cursing my own expectations Imagine if you will that you’ve just been told you’ve won a holiday to a ‘subtropical paradise’. Stop for a minute and think of what co…

Who’s it for? Who cares, it’s lovely If I read a book by one of my favourite authors, or buy a new book that I know is in one of my favourite genres, writing a review, at least in princ…

Here’s a book that you – literally – shouldn’t judge by its cover I saw a post on social media this morning that included photographs of the covers of three crime fiction no…

I loved my first book by this author. Which means that this one has a harder job When you listen to a piece of music, or have a meal in a restaurant you’ve just discovered, or read a book by …

Oh, yes. Here’s a breakthrough moment At the risk of repeating what is essentially the same intro that I’ve written many times before, I’m somewhat hard to please when it comes to…

The perfect packaging contains very nearly the perfect package Today’s overcrowded consumer market, where shops fight with the internet for sales, and television and radio fight social media …

It can’t cure a chest infection. But it can help you to forget it exists I’ve seen several posts on social media today about how January feels like the longest month of the year, by mil…

Thank you Jess for inviting me to take part in the cover reveal of your latest book – sorry it’s so late in the day! The Secrets of Strangers will be published globally in ebook and aud…

A little piece of joy I don’t suppose I’m the type of reader that Lucy Stubbington had in mind when she wrote, and illustrated At the End of the Day. It’s a children’s book,…

This is the book I didn’t know I needed to read I’ve been trying to think about what it was that made me even click on the email from Zooloo’s Book Tours regarding Freed by Dr Kat…

Another crime fiction novel that I enjoyed. It’s the epitome of first world problems I’ll admit, and apologise here and now that this is not the most interesting intro of all time. But …

This is the downside of being a crime connoisseur I’m writing this having just received a text from my local Indian restaurant, offering a 20% discount on takeaways ordered and collected this…

The lesson here? Who knows where pressing send might lead Back in June, I read that Jess Kitching would be travelling from her current homeland of Australia to her native UK and launching her lates…

I’ve been had. And this time, I’m thrilled Last weekend, having managed to return a faulty car and receive a refund, I found myself once again in need of some personal transport. So I w…

Call me a spoilt brat if you will … Imagine for a minute that you’d recently been on the holiday of a lifetime. Basking in blazing sunshine, swimming in crystal clear water, going for w…

Even the best can’t always please the unpleasable Two weeks ago, I have to admit to a small lump in throat moment when I sold the car that had been my comfortable, capable and faithful compan…

I feel like I’ve come in a bit too late If I were to turn on the TV to watch a Formula 1 Grand Prix – pretty much the only sport that I make a habit of watching – the chances are …

A book to save for, and then savour on a rainy day Sometimes, even if you’re doing something that you know you should enjoy, circumstances can dictate otherwise. Like, for instance, when your…

Celebrate the launch of Jess Kitching’s stunning new novel The Life Experiment at Press Books and Coffee! A poignant love story about two strangers brought together by a daring experiment that predict...

Not my typical genre, but it still held my interest If I were to pause and think about the best decisions I’ve made in my life, there’s no question that getting my dog, a now three-year…

Possibly the wrong genre for me, or maybe it was just my wrong mood It all started so well. Last Monday treated us to the sort of blazing sunshine that tradition says is strictly not allowed on ban…

Sorry, sleep, but when the Queen’s around, you’ll just have to wait At some time around last Christmas, I wrote about certain things that there is no shame in not doing if, for whatever…

I’m as delighted as ever to be welcoming another author to my cosy book nook for a drink and a natter … this time it’s the turn of the wonderful Jade Lee Wright! Jade is the autho…

To clarify – those are not my nails! Wonderfully, delightfully and – crucially – memorably chaotic An alarming email landed in my inbox the other day. It was from an author who sh…

Harrogate 2025, you’ve broken me … and I love you for it This was the third time in as many years that I’d parked my caravan at the beautiful Cud Life campsite in the aptly named …

Readers or aspiring writers: just read and admire I’ve just found, somewhere deep in the realms of Internet-land, a short list of things to avoid doing whilst writing a novel. The first point…