My Review (5 stars out of 5) (Audiobook) Back in her childhood home, Maddie Lincoln tries to take control of her life. But when a series of strange events befall her, she finds herself drawn into a mysterious other world that lingers in a dense mist on the edge of the town. A bizarre meeting…
Author: colingarrow
Book Reviews and the Coming of Wisdom
Having always been an avid reader, it wasn’t until I started publishing my own books that I realised the importance of having them reviewed on sites like Amazon and Smashwords. When I started writing reviews of the books I read, the early ones were either books I’d wanted to read for a while, or those…
‘No Easy Answers’ by Robert Crouch
My Review (5 stars out of 5) As the festive season approaches, ex-environmental health officer Kent Fisher has a lot on his mind, and another murder investigation is the last thing he needs. Torn between his new wife Gemma, who has distanced herself from him until he can accept her past (and give up his…
‘A is for Alibi’ by Sue Grafton
My Review (4 stars out of 5) The murder of ruthless divorce attorney Laurence Fife landed his beautiful young wife, Nikki, in jail. But now she’s out on parole and determined to track down the real killer. When PI Kinsey Millhone is hired to dig into the past, it looks like there may be nothing…
Writing the Self
Writers are often asked how much of themselves and their own experiences end up in their writing. For my part, I’d say I’ve found it almost impossible to avoid including my own feelings, experiences, and opinions in what I write. However, while I’ve often used something real as the starting point for a scene or…
‘The Seven Visitations of Sydney Burgess’ by Andy Marino
My Review (5 stars out of 5) After years of struggling with addiction, Sydney finds herself and her young son in a nice house, with a decent job and a loving partner. But when she unexpectedly encounters a burglar, the sequence of events before her escape to a neighbour’s house, become blurred. While she’s recovering…
Dialogue Tags and Other Irritations
I’m sure most writers work hard at their craft, constantly finding ways to improve their writing, to make their work better, more appealing, and more fun to read. From my very first novel – a children’s adventure titled The Devil’s Porridge Gang – I did my best to make the novel like one I would…
‘Laundry Man’ by Jake Needham
My Review (5 stars out of 5) Former high-flyer with a Washington law firm, Jack Shepherd has taken a job teaching international finance in Bangkok, where he expects life to roll along with no possibility of excitement or thrills. But when a former colleague calls him out of the blue, it’s a bit of a…
‘Did I Ever Tell You This?’ by Sam Neill
My Review (5 stars out of 5) (Audiobook) During 2022, Ireland-born Sam Neill began making a few notes which eventually became a book. This is the story of his life from doing odd jobs on farms to working with the likes of Meryl Streep, Isabel Adjani, Sean Connery, Steven Spielberg and Jane Campion. Sam Neill…
‘Dinner at the Happy Skeleton’ by Chris Chalmers
My Review (5 stars out of 5) Pushing 40, Dan is a gay man in the Noughties, single and promiscuous, and in an odd relationship with two men. When he is sacked from his job with an advertising firm, Dan finds himself with a bit of time and money and no particular desire to hunt…
Colin Garrow 