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…
Category: dialogue
‘Cruel and Unusual’ by Patricia Cornwell
My Review (5 stars out of 5) When convicted murderer Ronnie Joe Waddell dies in the electric chair, Dr Kay Scarpetta doesn’t expect his fingerprints to turn up at a time scene. And why does that particular crime scene – the death of a young lad – seem to mirror Waddell’s modus operandi? Together with…
‘Longstone’ by LJ Ross
My Review (4 stars out of 5) Local historian Doctor Anna Taylor is called in to help with cataloguing after the discovery of Viking treasure off the northeast coast, but when the body of a diver is washed up, it’s time for Anna’s detective husband to step in. DCI Ryan has his work cut out…
‘Follow Me Down’ by Shelby Foote
My Review (5 stars out of 5) (Audiobook) God-fearing farmer Luther Eustis gets himself into trouble when he runs off with a young woman. Following a few weeks of bliss, he decides to return to his family but knowing his paramour will chase him back home, he kills her. Like many readers I first became…
‘Actress’ by Keith Dixon
My Review (5 stars out of 5) Following her success in a long-running TV show, young actress Mai Rose is in rehearsal on a new stage play, but when the opportunity to star in a major fantasy movie comes up it seems the role is made for her. Trouble is, Mai will be in competition…
‘Before the Fall’ by Orna Ross
My Review (5 stars out of 5) In 1995, pregnant Jo Devereux is still living in Ireland. Caught between her relationship with former lover Rory and the desire to return home to San Francisco, Jo battles with the past and its possible impact on her future, as she unravels her family’s possible involvement in the…
‘How Late it Was, How Late’ by James Kelman
My Review (5 stars out of 5) After a two-day drinking binge, Sammy appears to have forgotten where he’s been or who he’s seen and getting picked up and given a good hiding by the police doesn’t help. To make matters worse, Sammy finds he has gone blind. Released from the lockup, he makes his…
‘Laidlaw’ by William McIlvanney
My Review (5 stars out of 5) The murder of a young woman in Kelvingrove Park brings rebel detective Jack Laidlaw onto the streets of Glasgow. Laidlaw’s unconventional approach unsettles his new sidekick but the pair gradually being to track the killer down. Trouble is, the cops aren’t the only ones looking for justice… This…
‘Ring’ by Koji Suzuki
My Review (3 stars out of 5) Journalist Asakawa writes for his newspaper’s weekly magazine and is keen to seek out great news stories. Hearing about a series of weird deaths, he realises they may be linked. Discovering the deaths occurred after the four teenagers spent a night in the same log cabin, he books…
‘Forgive Me’ by Kateri Stanley
My Review (4 stars out of 5) Amid lots of twists and turns this book reads like a mix of horror, fantasy and paranormal, with the narrative going off in different directions every five minutes. Not that there’s anything wrong with that – but for me it made the plot a little hard to follow…
Colin Garrow 