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…
Category: History
‘The Battered Body Beneath the Flagstones’ by Michelle Morgan
The Battered Body Beneath the Flagstones, and Other Victorian Scandals (Audiobook) Aside from Jack the Ripper, grisly murders don’t usually spring to mind when we think of the Victorian era, but hundreds of downright horrible crimes regularly hit the headlines at the time. While most of these have sunk without trace, Michelle Morgan has delved…
‘Crimson Rose’ by MJ Trow
Crimson Rose (Audiobook) London, 1587. A new play entitled Tamburlaine opens at the Rose Theatre, but when a member of the audience is murdered, young actor Will Shakespeare is the prime suspect and is thrown into jail. Playwright and part-time spy, Kit Marlowe, knows his friend is innocent and sets out to investigate. But when…
‘Scotland Yard’s First Cases’ by Joan Locke
Scotland Yard’s First Cases In 1842 Scotland Yard set up the first detective branch. With very little to help in their pursuit of villains, the group was faced with a difficult task. Fingerprinting and DNA didn’t exist and there was no efficient means of communicating between one officer and another – let alone between different…
Book Reviews, Books, Cozy, Crime, detective, eBooks, Historical, History, Indie Authors, murder, mystery, Political, Thriller
‘A Ticket to Tewkesbury’ by Neal James
A Ticket to Tewkesbury On discovering a fifty-year-old love letter, Julie Martin uncovers a series of events leading back to Nazi Germany. Secret files from MI5 and the mysterious ‘Organisation’, brings to light documents that have remained hidden for half a century. This is the first book I’ve read by this author and the premise…
Books, Characters, Fantasy, Historical, History, Horror, mystery, Occult, Paranormal, Storytelling, Supernatural, Thriller
‘Northman’ by JD Hughes
Northman Twelve hundred years in the past, Vikings raid an Anglo-Saxon village, beginning a sinister series of events. When archaeologists Kate and Doctor Weatherall uncover an ancient but puzzling burial site, strange things start to happen. By the time she meets film director Michael, Kate is already the target of an outlandish and terrifying force.…
‘Last Word’ by Mark Lane
Last Word (Audiobook) Mark Lane’s final book on the JFK assassination explores the role of the CIA in the murder, gathering together fifty years of research, court appearances, witness statements and testimonies. Anyone who still thinks Lee Harvey Oswald was the lone gunman, should read this book now. To be fair, Lane is repeating himself…
‘Speaks the Nightbird’ by Robert McCammon
Speaks the Nightbird (Audiobook) 1699. A magistrate and his clerk journey to the remote community of Fount Royal in The Carolinas, intending to put on trial a woman accused of witchcraft. But the young clerk, Matthew Corbett, isn’t convinced of the woman’s guilt and when the magistrate falls ill, takes on the task of putting…
‘Mr Briggs’ Hat’ by Kate Colquhoun
Mr Briggs’ Hat (Audiobook) When Thomas Briggs got into a first-class carriage to travel home after visiting relatives, he couldn’t have known he’d never reach his destination. The discovery of bloodied seat cushions, a bloodstained hat and a broken watch chain, signalled what was to become known as Britain’s first railway murder. Would police be…
‘The Wicked Boy’ by Kate Summerscale
The Wicked Boy (Audio Book) In July 1895, 13-year-old Robert Coombes and his younger brother travel to Lord’s to watch a cricket match. The trip heralds the start of a spending spree for the two boys who are soon observed pawning items from their family home and taking jaunts to the seaside in the company…
