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I See You by Clare Mackintosh

Posted on 9th October 2016 By Nicola

This is Clare Mackintosh doing what she does best: a tense story with many twists and turns so you never know who to trust. She […]

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shortbookandscribes

UK book blogger (Sheffield), Bookstagrammer and lover of all things bookish.
Just one person trying to read all the books.
Physical books only.

The Morland Dynasty Series by Cynthia Harrod -Eagl

The Morland Dynasty Series by Cynthia Harrod -Eagles
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Over the past 20 months I have been engrossed in the Morland Dynasty series which numbers 36 books. I’ve read them every day since January 2025 as eBooks on my phone (and I love them so much I have the full set of physical books too).
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I had been on the lookout for a series of books that followed a family, not just through a few generations but through centuries, witnessing all the changes both for the family and for the wider world. I’d considered the Morland series but was a tad put off by the starting point in the 1400s which I didn’t think was a time that particularly interested me (in this case I was wrong).
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So I embarked on the series and have been through births, deaths and marriages with the Morlands, through civil wars in America and Spain, the War of the Roses, the Napoleonic wars and the First World War, through royal upheaval from Richard III to Edward VIII, through happy times and sad times, love, friendship, betrayal, illness and disease. I’ve witnessed the fight of the Suffragettes, I’ve been to the Crimea, I’ve visited the perilous court of Henry VIII, observed the industrial revolution, sailed on Titanic and witnessed the advent of flight. Like any family, some members have stayed close to home and others have moved away, starting new branches of the family tree, but the grand fortified manor house with moat and drawbridge called Morland Place is still at the heart of the family.
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I shed a tear when I finished the final book but I know I’ll read them all again in the not too distant future. Whilst these books are beloved by fans of the Morlands, I never see them mentioned anywhere which is a shame because they are the historical fiction lover’s dream and come highly recommended by me.
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#MorlandDynasty #bookseries #historicalfiction #5starreads #shortbookandscribes

Spot the interloper 😐
The books have had several cover changes over the years. As you can see, mine all match until book 36 which is completely different.

Ad/PR product. Book review: A Curious Ending by Sa

Ad/PR product. Book review: A Curious Ending by Sally Page. Published by Harper Fiction and out now.
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A Curious Ending is Sally Page’s fifth published book but the first one she wrote. It has an unusual premise in that the main character, Lara, whilst trying to work out whether her good friend, Lady Porter, was murdered or not, is assisted by a 200 year old ghost, or kindred spirit as she dubs herself, called Abigail. Due to the circumstances of Abi’s own death, she is stuck in a sort of loop of having to help other people solve murders.
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It’s a great premise and Abi is a great character, both quirky and astute. Lara is a lovely character too, and I particularly enjoyed reading about her flower shop. Lara is fairly new to the village and is struggling to fit in but with Abi’s help she flourishes, makes new friends and begins to leave bad decisions behind. The village was described beautifully, giving picturesque and alluring vibes that made me wish I could visit, although some of the characters were ones I’d rather not run into.
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I did find that the story didn’t hold my interest quite as much as I would have hoped. It worked better for me when I read larger chunks and was able to become more absorbed in what was happening. The mystery of Lady Porter’s death itself is nicely resolved and there are a few unexpected twists to come out of it. Whilst not my favourite by this author (step forward The Book of Beginnings), there was still much that I liked about this charming cosy mystery.
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Thank you to the publishers for the proof copy.
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#BookReview #ACuriousEnding #cosycrime #cosymystery #shortbookandscribes

Ad/PR product. New review: Our Noble Selves by Kat

Ad/PR product. New review: Our Noble Selves by Kate Atkinson. Published by Doubleday and out now.
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Our Noble Selves is set around the Festival of Britain in 1951. The main character is Harry Flynn, a man who had a difficult war on the Burma Railway and has been recruited to be a part of the festival team, in the planning office. This largely involves him sitting in a dingy basement room with his quirky colleagues, sorting out an anthology of dreadful poetry, or getting out and about and running into trouble left, right and centre.
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I did struggle a bit with this book in the beginning but, I thought, this is Kate Atkinson and I love Kate Atkinson’s work so I persevered and I’m glad I did. The festival detail is plenty, much of which seems amazing and bizarre. In modern day terms it seems astonishing that people would want to see mock up parlours but this was in the post-war austerity era when I suppose folk were just glad to have something to visit and enjoy. It’s when Flynn is accused of murder that it gets really interesting. This is not the sort of book where readers are invited to try and solve the mystery, more one where the reader is invited along to witness Flynn’s hapless attempts to evade the traps that are being set for him.
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Whilst the detail is fascinating, it’s really the colourful characterisations, the witty and dry dialogue and the wry observations that stand out and where I think Atkinson excels. I really liked Flynn and the mysterious Maud Ogilvie from his office and I particularly loved Terence, aka ‘the Boy’, who runs errands and is a bit of a Cockney chancer and Veronica, Flynn’s 13 year old stepdaughter who turns up on his doorstep with Mrs Betty (the dog) and turns out to be just what he needs in his life.
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It did take me a bit of getting into Our Noble Selves but I ended up really enjoying it and I laughed out loud a lot. It also gave me an insight into life behind the festival scenes.
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Thank you to the publishers for the proof package.
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#bookreview #historicalfiction #FestivalOfBrit

Happy publication day to these three books which o

Happy publication day to these three books which once again just happen to make up my #lastnownextreads. All this proves is that I'm always reading at the last minute.

🔸Last - The Agatha Christie Cure by Cathy Rentzenbrink
This is definitely one for Christie fans but there's still plenty of Cathy's beautiful and honest writing too.

🔸Now - Our Noble Selves by Kate Atkinson
This book is set around The Festival of Britain and you can't beat this author for wry observations and colourful characterisations.

🔸A Curious Ending by Sally Page
I enjoy Sally's writing and I'm looking forward to this mystery story.

Ad/PR products with thanks to the publishers for the proof copies.
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#LastNowNext #memoir #historicalfiction #shortbookandscribes

Ad/PR Product. The Agatha Christie Cure by Cathy R

Ad/PR Product. The Agatha Christie Cure by Cathy Rentzenbrink. To be published on 10th September by @canongatebooks
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Unlike Jennie Godfrey, who is quoted on my proof copy of The Agatha Christie Cure as saying ‘Come for the greatest crime writer in history and stay for Cathy’s beautiful writing’, I actually came for Cathy’s writing, not being (shhh, don’t tell anyone) much of a Christie fan.
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Rentzenbrink most definitely is a fan of Christie and at a time in her life when she was struggling with several things that threatened to overwhelm her, she decided to undertake a reread of the detective novels, including the very well-known ones like the Poirot and Miss Marple stories. I particularly enjoyed the sections about the author’s own life and her relatable trials and tribulations, which are interspersed with some fairly in-depth descriptions of the plots of Christie’s books and details of her life and how parallels can be found between what she was writing and what was going on behind the scenes.
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I think this is a book that will appeal massively to Agatha Christie aficionados who share an obsession with her life and her books. For me, I just enjoyed the beauty and honesty of Rentzenbrink’s writing and observations over the duration of the project. She’s an author whose work I will always want to read.
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My thanks to the publishers for the proof copy.
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#BookReview #TheAgathaChristieCure #memoir
#nonfictionbooks #shortbookandscribes

📚 August 2026 - Book Post - Books Bought 📚 📖The G

📚 August 2026 - Book Post - Books Bought 📚

📖The Girl Who Took Flight by Lizzie Page
📖For Thy Great Pain Have Mercy on My Little Pain by Victoria MacKenzie
📖If I Were You by Helen Matthews
📖The Derbyshire Detective by Peter Yates
📖Swept Away by Beth O'Leary
📖May We Feed the King by Rebecca Perry
📖The Countdown Killer by Sam Holland
📖Island Calling by Francesca Segal
📖Unseen by Heather Critchlow
📖Crime on the Fens by Joy Ellis

Have you read any of these or do you like the sound of them?
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#BookPost #historicalfiction #crimefiction #contemporaryfiction #shortbookandscribes

And I took a fancy to the Mermaid Collection, books published by @michaeljbooks to champion forgotten voices. I picked these two up from Vinted and have another on the way.

📖Lucy Carmichael by Margaret Kennedy
📖 Through a Glass, Darkly by Helen McCloy
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#BookPost #MermaidCollectuon #historicalfiction
#forgottenbooks #shortbookandscribes

📚 August 2026 - Book Post - Review Books Received 📚

📖Most Ardently Yours by Freya Sampson
📖The Day Our Lives Collided by Laura Pearson
📖The Domino Man by Helen Jones
📖On This Spot Fell One Tear of Love by Louise Doughty
📖In Her Defence by Philippa Malicka
📖The High Island by Lin Anderson
📖The Tango Chain by Linda MacDonald
📖The Ruins by Becky Docton
📖A Fatal Love by Louisa Treger
📖Under Story by Chloe Benjamin
📖Outside by Charlotte Levin

Unusually for me, I've already read two of these and am reading a third. Who even am I? 🤔

Ad/PR products with thanks to the tagged publishers and authors.

Do you like the sound of these?
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#BookPost #reviewbooks #reviewer #booklover #shortbookandscribes

📚 August 2026 Reads 📚 🚂The Railway Girls by Maisi

📚 August 2026 Reads 📚

🚂The Railway Girls by Maisie Thomas
This is the first in a new (to me) series about a group of women, and three in particular, who worked on the railways during WWII. I really loved this story and the characters.

🐢Welcome to Glorious Tuga by Francesca Segal
For a while I put off reading this because I didn't think it was one I would enjoy but I was wrong and I really enjoyed this story of a vet going to live on a very remote island and all the things that happen to her there.

👩🏻‍✈️The Airline Girl by Lizzie Page
Lizzie Page is one of my favourite authors and I loved this story of Audrey, who gets a job as one of the first commercial flight attendants. It's a fabulous story and I appreciated the dry humour.

🌊An Ocean and a Day by Hannah Richell
This is the utterly heartbreaking memoir of writer Hannah Richell, whose beloved husband Matt died in a surfing accident. I was struck by the eloquent writing on loss, grief and love.

📝My Name is MacKenzie Bly by Lissa Evans
MacKenzie, or Philip to call him by his real and very ordinary name, is 14 and this is a series of accounts about his life. He's rather hapless and very funny.

💔A Fatal Love by Louisa Treger
A fictional retelling of the case of Ruth Ellis, who killed her lover and became the last woman to be hanged in Britain. Beautifully written and impeccably researched.

💧On This Spot Fell One Tear of Love by Louise Doughty
I haven't read a memoir in ages and then, like buses, two come along at once. I absolutely adored this evocative book which is a daughter's love letter to her parents and also tells of their own love story.

🐦‍🔥The Phoenix by Cynthia Harrod-Eagles
This is book 35 and the penultimate book in the Morland Dynasty series. Normally I would have read two of them in a month but I wanted to take my time and eke out the last instalments. In this one, Polly Morland has returned from America determined to restore Morland Place and the estate to its former glory.
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#August2026Reads #monthlywrapup #historicalfiction #memoir #shortbookandscribes

Ad/PR product. Book review: On This Spot Fell One

Ad/PR product. Book review: On This Spot Fell One Tear of Love by @louisedoughtyauthor
Published by @phoenix_bks and out now.
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The cover and title of On This Spot Fell One Tear of Love sold it to me in an instant but I felt that on reading the synopsis that this was a memoir I would love and I was right. So very right. This is an absolutely wonderful book.
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Louise Doughty is a well-known author (Apple Tree Yard, Platform Seven etc.) but this is her first memoir and, as she herself admits, the only love story she will probably ever write. It tells of the lives of her parents, Ken and Avis, in reverse, beginning with the ways in which she loses them and then, after finding a suitcase of letters, right back to the beginning of their relationship. Doughty offers a very well-rounded portrayal of her parents. They had their flaws, as do we all, but it’s also very clear how much she and her siblings loved them and the huge roles their parents played in their lives.
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This is my favourite kind of memoir, one about ordinary people living ordinary lives but with that splash of the unexpected. It’s not that what the author finds in the suitcase is earth-shattering; the revelation is that it reinvents them as people in their own right, not just mum or dad. The writing is beautiful, moving and at times, heartbreaking, but it’s also a love letter from daughter to parents and a love story between Ken and Avis that could never have been guessed at. What an absolutely superb book this is. I feel privileged to have read such a personal and evocative account. Thank you to the author for sharing what has become one of my favourite memoirs.
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Thank you @francescamain for sending me a review copy.
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#BookReview #OnThisSpotFellOneTearOfLove #memoir #5starreads #shortbookandscribes

Ad/PR product. Book review: A Fatal Love by @louis

Ad/PR product. Book review: A Fatal Love by @louisatreger. Published by @bloomsburypublishing and out now.
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The story of Ruth Ellis, the last woman to be hanged in Britain, is well known but A Fatal Love delves deep into Ruth’s thoughts and feelings and what ultimately led her to kill her lover, David Blakely, in what appeared to be cold blood. It’s a timely novel as very recently Ruth was granted a conditional pardon with an acceptance that domestic abuse and coercive control can lead to diminished responsibility, a defence that wasn’t available to Ruth at the time.
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I thought A Fatal Love was absolutely brilliant and completely gripping from beginning to end. It concentrates mainly on the years from when Ruth met Blakely until the day of her death, but it also takes us back to show a bit more about Ruth’s background, her family life, her children and her marriage to George Ellis. It illustrates how Ruth (and so many other women besides) got into a spiral of abusive relationships that eventually led to her downfall.
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Louisa Treger also imagines the life of Kitty Carrington, assistant to Ruth’s lawyer, and through her is able to give a voice to a fellow female in the middle of a male-dominated legal world. Although Kitty doesn’t play a huge role in the story, I really enjoyed her sections and I feel like she was going to go on and do amazing things.
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This is such a sad and moving story, beautifully written and portrayed by Treger. The research felt impeccable and where events and conversations were imagined, they felt authentic and true to the period and the characters. A Fatal Love is an empathetic story of a toxic love and a woman driven to the edge of madness. I thought it was superb.
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Thank you to the publishers for the review copy.
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#BookReview #AFatalLove #historicalfiction #5starreads #shortbookandscribes

Happy publication day to these four books which ju

Happy publication day to these four books which just happen to make up my last, now and next reads.

🔸Last - An Ocean and a Day by Hannah Richell which is a beautiful memoir about love and loss.

My Name is MacKenzie Bly by Lissa Evans which is a laugh out loud story of a rather hapless 14 year old.

🔸Now - A Fatal Love by Louisa Treger which is fiction about Ruth Ellis, the last woman to be hanged in Britain. I'm finding it compelling reading.

🔸Next - On This Spot Fell One Tear of Love by Louise Doughty which is a memoir about the author's parents. I've been looking forward to this one since I first heard about it.

Ad/PR products with thanks to the publishers and authors for the review copies.
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#LastNowNext #lastnownextreads #historicalfiction #memoir #shortbookandscribes

Ad/PR product. Book review: My Name is MacKenzie B

Ad/PR product. Book review: My Name is MacKenzie Bly by @lissakevans. To be published on 27th August by @doubledayukbooks.
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Our protagonist is MacKenzie Bly. Except it’s not, it’s 14 year old Philip Stephens. He just liked the sound of the name and thought his own to be pretty run of the mill. In his own words, he’s built like a vending machine which means that he can sometimes be a bit clumsy. He lives with his two mums, mum A and mum B, and sees his feckless and unreliable father on occasion.
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This book takes the form of a series of accounts of Philip’s life as told to the author, Lissa Evans. I’ve read Evans’ books before and love her dry humour but I’m not sure I would have naturally gravitated towards this book and that would have been a massive shame because I absolutely loved it. It was originally planned to be a young adult book but it’s turned into one that will appeal to everyone. There are inevitable comparisons to be made to Adrian Mole (whose diary I also loved) but the only real similarities are Philip’s age, his hapless behaviour and his chaotic family life.
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Philip is a bit of a bumbling sort but so likeable and so (unintentionally) funny. I sniggered a lot. He’s the sort of person who finds himself in awkward situations, but who isn’t often the cause of them. He’s just a bit unfortunate in many ways, but also rather sweet. I raced through this book which is very easy to read with short, punchy chapters that made it hard to put the book down.
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The upshot of all this is that I had a rip-roaring time reading about Philip’s life, his friends, his classmates and his family. I’d love to read another volume (please, Lissa Evans!).
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Thank you to the author for sending me a review copy.
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#BookReview #MyNameIsMacKenzieBly #funnybooks #humour #shortbookandscribes

Ad/PR product. Book review: An Ocean and a Day by

Ad/PR product. Book review: An Ocean and a Day by Hannah Richell. To be published by @bedfordsq.publishers on 27th August.
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In July 2014, Hannah Richell’s husband Matt died in a surfing accident in Australia. Devastated and with two small children to take care for, she started to write down her feelings and experiences and An Ocean and a Day is Hannah’s memoir, not only of the years that followed and how she dealt with her overwhelming grief, but also of how she and Matt met and their life together before the accident.
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An Ocean and a Day is an exquisitely written, honest and incredibly moving memoir. It’s a love story, the story of a marriage to a soulmate, of moving halfway across the world, having children and making a life there. From page 1 I was stunned by the beauty of the writing. I’ve read some of her fiction so I know how good a writer she is, but in this book Hannah Richell is so very eloquent on love and loss. The tears sprang to my eyes often as she tried to learn how to manage the effects of the sudden of shocking news, not only on herself but on her children too, whilst somehow navigating her way into a new and unwanted life without Matt.
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This book is unflinching in its portrayal of the rawness of grief but it’s also inspirational in many ways, the bravery and strength of the author shining through from every page. I thought it was beautiful and profound.
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Thank you to the publishers for the proof copy.
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#BookReview #AnOceanAndADay #memoir #5starreads #shortbookandscribes

Ad/PR product. Book review: The Airline Girl by @l

Ad/PR product. Book review: The Airline Girl by @lizziepagewriter. Published by @bookouture and out now.
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The Airline Girl is the first in a trilogy of books by one of my favourite authors, Lizzie Page. Each book will follow one of three girls: Audrey, Lola and Cheryl. This book is Audrey Wright’s story. Audrey is nineteen and her future is mapped out for her. She will marry Martin and join his wonderful and nurturing family. She will continue to look after her mobility-impaired mother, stay out of the way of her dodgy father and settle down (whilst settling generally). When she loses her job and applies to be ground crew at Southend Airport, she’s shocked to realise that they’re actually recruiting for air stewardesses, a quite daring role in 1947 when commercial flights were still pretty new.
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This book was simply superb, a soaring success. I enjoyed all the airport and airline details, the seeming glamour of the life of a stewardess against the reality of it and all the training that they undergo. Audrey goes on a journey from a rather meek and feeble young woman to somebody who knows her own mind and isn’t afraid to say so. She also goes on actual journeys and realises that flight is not something to fear but something to enjoy.
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Lizzie Page’s writing is something special and her dry wit and wry observations always make me giggle, which I did a lot whilst reading The Airline Girl. Her books sit somewhere in the middle of the historical fiction/saga genres and often teach me things whilst also entertaining me. There are some really interesting parts about the marriage bar and the difficulties Audrey has with Martin’s expectations of his future wife.
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Lola and Cheryl play a big part in Audrey’s story but I’m looking forward to reading the next two books to see what their backgrounds are and what led them to Southend Airport and lives as air stewardesses. This first instalment has really piqued my interest – I really couldn’t put it down. It’s heart-warming and joyful with a delicious tingle of romance – everything I want in a book.
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Thank you Lizzie for the review copy.
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#BookReview #TheAirlineGirl #histf

Book review: Welcome to Glorious Tuga by Francesca

Book review: Welcome to Glorious Tuga by Francesca Segal. Published by @vintagebooks and out now.
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When Welcome to Glorious Tuga was first published and everyone was saying how good it was it still didn’t quite make it onto my radar, but then I got this weird urge to read it and how glad I am that I did as I enjoyed it so much and found it to be an ideal summer read.
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Tuga de Oro is the world’s most remote (fictional) inhabited island, forming part of the British overseas territory. So remote, in fact, that there’s no way off for six months of the year, between Island Open and Island Close. It’s to Tuga that Dr Charlotte Walker sails (after a terrible journey of endless seasickness) to study an endangered species of tortoise. She has another reason for being there too, a tiny nugget of belief that the answer to a family mystery can be found there.
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I thought this was a delightful read, so gentle and evocative of the languid feel of island life. Charlotte’s voyage is also the homecoming of Dr Dan Zekri, the nephew of the island’s only doctor, returning to his homeland to become the new doctor. Their stories are mingled with those of the island’s residents to create a full picture of what life on Tuga is like. Charlotte is a FFA (folk from away) and so she has a bit of an uphill struggle to fit in, but Dan didn’t expect to feel quite so much the FFA and taking over from his uncle means he has to build the trust of the islanders.
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The end of the story leaves lots of unfinished business so the sequel (book two of a trilogy), Island Crossing, will be very welcome. Welcome to Glorious Tuga is utterly charming. Tuga felt like a place from a bygone age and the characters were fabulously well-drawn and quirky. Just lovely in every way!
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#BookReview #WelcomeToGloriousTuga #islandbooks #fictionlover #shortbookandscribes

Book review: The Railway Girls by Maisie Thomas. P

Book review: The Railway Girls by Maisie Thomas. Published by Penguin and out now.
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Embarking on a new Maisie Thomas series – what a treat! The Railway Girls begins in February 1940 with a group of women joining the railways to do their wartime duty. Although we get to know all the women, there are three whose stories take centre stage. Mabel is still struggling with grief over a terrible event that she believes herself responsible for. Her parents aren’t keen on her being a railway girl but she manages to persuade them. Joan lives in the shadow of the sister whom her gran quite obviously prefers and her gran’s censure in general puts a dampener on pretty much everything. Then there’s Dot, one of the older ‘girls’ who becomes a guiding influence to the younger ones but who is put upon at home, so being out on the railways gives her life the purpose it was lacking.
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I absolutely LOVED this book. It was such a joy to read and has it all. It’s emotional in places and, as expected in wartime, there are sadnesses as well as happy times. It also made me smile as there are some deliciously romantic moments and I laughed too, particularly when some of the girls attend a first aid course and they have to undertake a practical as if it was a real bombing and they had lives to save. Even though it was a serious test it turned out to be extremely humorous.
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I didn’t want to put The Railway Girls down and as I raced towards the end I was consoled by knowing I have the rest of the series ahead of me, one of the benefits of coming to it late. I can’t wait to see what happens next for the lovely characters. There have already been heartbreaks and no doubt there will be more to come, but what is clear is that the Railway Girls are brave and united, with adventures aplenty ahead of them.
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#BookReview #TheRailwayGirls #sagabooks #historicalfiction #shortbookandscribes

📚July 2026 - Book Post - Books Bought📚 📖Summer at

📚July 2026 - Book Post - Books Bought📚

📖Summer at Flora’s House by Freya North
📖The Museum of Second Chances by Jo Leevers
📖Clear by Carys Davies
📖Receipts from the Bookshop by Katie Clapham (this was a birthday present)
📖Hot Desk by Laura Dickerman

Have you read any of these or do you like the sound of them?
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#BookPost #contemporaryfiction #historicalfiction #nonfictionbooks #shortbookandscribes

📚And with gorgeous sprayed edges📚

📖The Scandalous Ladies Football Club by Frances Quinn

📖Mr Sidhu’s Post Office by Amman Brar
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#sprayededges #stencillededges #spredges #hardbackbooks #shortbookandscribes

Pretties 😍

📚July 2026 Book Post - Review Books Received📚

📖The Break In by Katherine Faulkner
📖The Winter Guest by Sarah Moss
📖Family friends by Chloe Ashby (giveaway prize sent by Laura Pearson)
📖Life Out of Order by Audrey Niffenegger
📖A Cottage in the Country by Katie Fforde
📖The Falling by Carole Hailey
📖Black Earth by Kate London
📖The Wythenshawe Dandy by S.J. Galbraith

Ad/PR products with thanks to the tagged publishers and author.

Do you like the sound of any of these?
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#BookPost #reviewbooks #reviewer #fictionbooks #shortbookandscribes

📚July 2026 Reads📚 It Could Have Been Her by Lisa

📚July 2026 Reads📚

It Could Have Been Her by Lisa Jewell - A great read about a dysfunctional family, some dodgy stuff that went on in their house and Jane Trevally, the one that got away.

Can You Solve the Murder Book 2: The Forest of Death by Antony Johnston - I would make a lousy detective but it's still good fun choosing your own path of detection (or non-detection in my case).

Mad Mabel by Sally Hepworth - I absolutely loved this story about Elsie Fitzpatrick who is actually Mad Mabel Waller and was convicted of murder as a child. Both funny and sad and easily one of my favourites of the year.

The Glass Key by Amanda Geard - Set in Ireland in 2005 and Norway during the occupation of the country and its surrounding islands during WWII which makes for an interesting and lesser-known backdrop.

We Search the Island for Grace by Bonnie Burke-Patel - I always enjoy this author’s books. This one has a nod to Agatha Christie with its ‘locked-room’ remote island setting. It’s very atmospheric with lots of secrets coming to the forefront.

The Wythenshawe Dandy by S.J. Galbraith - An excellent crime thriller debut, a twisty and dark story set mostly in Sheffield. A dead girl is found laid on the bed of James Flynn but is he capable of murder? His (very new) sort of girlfriend, DI Cassie May, investigates.

The Dancing Years by Cynthia Harrod-Eagles - Book 33 of the Morland Dynasty series and the younger generation want to forget the horrors of WWI by dancing themselves silly.

The Winding Road by Cynthia Harrod-Eagles - Book 34 and the dancing years give way to the General Strike and the Wall Street Crash. I loved the outcome of this book as there’s new hope for Morland Place and its residents. Sob…only two more books in the series to go now.
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#monthlywrapup #monthlyroundup #crimebooks #historicalfiction #shortbookandscribes

Ad/PR product. New review: The Wythenshawe Dandy b

Ad/PR product. New review: The Wythenshawe Dandy by @sjgalbraithauthor. Published by @saltpublishing and out now
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The body of a young woman is found laid on the bed in a Sheffield flat belonging to James Flynn. DI Cassie May attends the scene, both as investigating officer but also as Flynn’s potential new love interest. They had barely got started and now Cassie has to consider whether Flynn played any part in the girl’s death. Instinct tells her he’s not capable of it but why does it feel as though he’s hiding something?
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The Wythenshawe Dandy is so much more than a police procedural. Cassie’s investigations lead her into a murky world of gangs, abuse, corruption and the secret services, whilst taking her from Sheffield to Edinburgh and back again. Most of the book is set in Sheffield which, as a Sheffielder, pleased me no end, but it also takes us to the Pennines and the often impassable Snake Pass (very atmospheric), and to Manchester as we learn more about Flynn’s background.
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I enjoyed this book very much. It’s twisty and dark, with a deliciously complex and unexpected series of events, stretching back years, which eventually lead Cassie to the truth. The main characters are well-developed and memorable: Flynn is a sort of gentle giant with hidden depths and Cassie is a tenacious cop and a prickly sort who needs someone like Flynn to break down her barriers. I also really liked DS Meg Harper who works incredibly well with Cassie, and Angus, Flynn’s friend, was most intriguing! I don’t know whether there’s any more mileage in the characters but I’d love to see them return in another book. Either way, this is an excellent crime thriller debut from S..J. Galbraith. Oh and if you’re wondering about the title, well it’s all explained in the book and I thought it was a clever piece of metafiction.
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Thank you to the publishers for the review copy.
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#BookReview #TheWythenshaweDandy #crimebooks #crimedebutnovel #shortbookandscribes

#DeadHeat by @sabinedurrant It’s paperback public

#DeadHeat by @sabinedurrant

It’s paperback publication day for one of my favourite books of the year – happy #publicationday Sabine! I thought this was a spellbinding and quietly menacing read, a masterclass in plotting. You can read my full review on the next caption

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First of all, here’s what the book is about:
Former journalist Matt Grimshaw's life is at a low ebb. He's been 'let go' by the paper where he's worked for years, and his relationship with his long-term girlfriend has come unstuck.

So when an invitation arrives from his two closest friends, Celia and Adam Murphy, to join them at their house in Greece, he jumps at it.

It may be harsh and unwelcoming on the Mani Peninsula but Matt determines to stay there for the whole summer and to write his much put-off screen-play.

But then the Murphys plus children arrive, and a wealthy newcomer to the area starts throwing loud and lavish parties in his big house across the bay.

As the nights become hotter and the parties wilder, everyone's motivations darken. Envy rises, resentments grow - until a terrible accident stops the summer in its tracks.

At least, it looks like an accident…

Set over one blazing Mediterranean summer, Sabine Durrant's new thriller is tense, claustrophobic and utterly gripping.
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Thank you to the publishers, @penguinukbooks and @thebookdealer for this paperback copy (pictured).
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#greekfiction #5starreads #grippingreads

My review
(originally posted in March 2026 - photo of proof copy):
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Dead Heat is narrated by Matt Grimshaw. Down on his luck after both his relationship and his work as a journalist ended, he goes to Greece to stay with his best friend, Adam Murphy and his wife Celia. Adam is everything Matt is not. He’s a successful TV presenter, he is charming and congenial, a generous host and a fun person to be around, but tensions rise when somebody else arrives in the area who threatens to derail the summer and seriously muddy the waters.

To say any more about the story itself would be to risk spoilers and I think it’s better to just let it all unfold, just as it would have done for Matt. I read Dead Heat fairly slowly because I wanted to savour every de

Ad/PR product. Book review: We Search the Island f

Ad/PR product. Book review: We Search the Island for Grace by @bonnieburkepatel. Will be oubl6by @bedfordsq.publishers on 30th July.
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We Search the Island for Grace is Bonnie Burke-Patel’s third book and it’s the third that I have read and enjoyed.
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The island in question is a remote one with only one house on it: Saint’s Climb. Just before Christmas five men travel there to stay with the owners, father and son George and Xavier Starvely. The only woman, housekeeper Marianne, takes the group to eight people. The island provides the location to a locked-room style mystery when a body is found and that’s only the start of it.
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Burke-Patel has a beautiful way of story-telling, adeptly bringing the threads together and expertly burrowing into the heart of the characters, drawing out their feelings, memories and their inner turmoil. I think this book was inspired by Agatha Christie’s books and indeed they are mentioned more than once. When I start one of this author’s books I immediately feel like I could have been transported one hundred years back in time and so it’s a slight revelation when the modern day setting manifests itself, although it is only very slight as it’s done so well.
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This book is an enjoyable and cryptic murder mystery novel. Secrets from the past come back to haunt the characters and I honestly had no clue as to the denouement. I loved the island setting and the house that was built on the site of a former abbey with a labyrinth preserved in the ground. All very atmospheric and the coming storm only adds to that feeling. We Search the Island for Grace is an extremely well-plotted gothic crime novel that harks back to the Golden Age of crime fiction.
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Thank you @emma.dowson.94 @ed.pr for the proof copy.
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#BookReview #WeSearchTheIslandForGrace #gothiccrime #murdermystery #shortbookandscribes

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