Oliver Twist Brought up in the workhouse, orphan Oliver escapes to London and finds himself caught in Fagin’s criminal underworld. Everyone knows the basic plot of this classic tale, but I was surprised to learn how much of it was new to me. It turns out that the many film and TV versions rarely do…
‘The Paradise Trees’ by Linda Huber
The Paradise Trees Returning to her childhood home to share the burden of caring for her estranged and fragile father, Alicia Bryson finds unpleasant memories of her life there crowding in on her. Determined that her eight-year-old daughter will enjoy the ‘holiday’, Alicia is torn between doing the right thing and putting as much distance…
‘Deception Wears Many Faces’ by Maggie James
Deception Wears Many Faces Ex-pat artist Lyddie comes home to her native Bristol after her younger sister attempts suicide. But Ellie’s state of mind turns out to be the result of a con-man who has stolen both her savings and her confidence. Vowing revenge, Lyddie determines to track down the villain and bring him to…
‘Blue Skin’ by Steven Jenkins
Blue Skin A mysterious disease is encroaching on the human race, creating new vampiric hybrids. With a ban on reproduction, anyone giving birth to the new blue-skinned babies must hand over their offspring to the Government – or face dire consequences. For Freya, keeping her brother hidden is the only real option. Billed as ‘A…
‘Tears of Fire’ by Gordon Bickerstaff
Tears of Fire Two blood-thirsty sisters prepare to take revenge on the people who killed their parents. A private nursing home gets rid of people whose relatives don’t want them around any more. And former SAS soldier Zoe is about to face the ultimate penalty for killing members of the Silsden family. So begins the…
‘A Husband’s Will of Fortune’ by Brigitta Moon
A Husband’s Will of Fortune A rich husband. A young and bored wife. A will that could change everything. It has never occurred to Emmaline to kill her husband, but a lunch date with her best friend, sets murderous wheels in motion, plunging the young woman into a complex web of sex, deceit and danger.…
‘The Queen of Bedlam’ by Robert McCammon
The Queen of Bedlam When a respected doctor is murdered in 1700s New York, a tide of fear sweeps through the city. Branded ‘the Masker’ by a local printer, a second body is soon discovered, spreading further alarm amid the community. Law clerk Matthew Corbett has questions he wants answered, but no-one is willing to…
‘Meat Bubbles and other stories’ by Tom Leins
Meat Bubbles and other stories Private investigator Joe Rey gets down and dirty in the not-so-picturesque seaside-town of Paignton. Tracking down a disturbed plastic surgeon, he encounters a variety of low-life scumbags, prostitutes, hitmen and bent coppers. If he’s lucky, he might wake up with all his body parts intact, but when almost everyone seems…
‘Green River, Running Red’ by Ann Rule
Green River, Running Red (Audiobook) True crime writer Ann Rule tells the story of the Green River killer in this extraordinary book. Researching the case for more than twenty years, she later discovered the perpetrator had carried out many of his grisly crimes close to where she lived and had even attended her book signings.…
‘The Dillen Doll’ by Jez Lowe
The Dillen Doll Set at the turn of the nineteenth century, Jez Lowe’s first novel brings together characters from folk songs of the period, including the central figure of Dolly Coxon from the Tyneside song, “Do Li A”. The story attempts to explain why an impoverished woman from the Tyne quayside should have been celebrated…
