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Review: Ramlin Rose by Sheila Stewart

27/7/2015

Ramlin Rose:
The Boatwoman's story

I love this book. I read my mother’s copy years ago and I picked it up again to dip into as part of a research project for my current novel, and I haven’t been able to put it down since. Sheila Stewart gives Rose such a distinctive voice that you are hooked from the first page.

Rose’s narrative is a fascinating, unsentimental account of the life (and death) of the men and women who worked ours canals during the first fifty years of the nineteenth century. It vividly recreates their culture, traditions, hardships and tragedies. But it also reveals the incredible love, pride and strong-bond between this close-knit, free-floating community who were isolated from land-locked Britain for generations.

Thoroughly recommended.

Review: 'The Seeker' by S. G. MacLean

4/7/2015

'The Seeker'
by S. G. MacLean
A review

I really enjoyed this book. It’s a great mystery novel, cleverly constructed and set in a period of history little-explored by decent novelists: Oliver Cromwell’s England.

Shona MacLean brilliantly evokes the fear and suspicion of the uneasy era that followed the execution of the King, Charles Stuart.

In her capable hands, London itself becomes a character in the novel. Scarred by the civil war, the capital is a brooding, uneasy warren of intrigue and deception, seething with spies, soldiers, exiles and assassins. It’s a place where no-one really knows the business or allegiance of their neighbours, their guests or their lovers. Maclean takes us on a whirlwind tour of the seedy underbelly of the capital and the whispering corridors of the palaces in pursuit of the killer.

It took a little while for Maclean to introduce the half dozen or so characters who were all credible suspects in the murder of John Winter, but it was worth the wait for the action to start. Once Seeker was on the trail of the murderer, I was hooked. Her enigmatic protagonist is a delight, as were all of the characters - especially the women. Each one of the women sought freedom of some kind, and none of them passively accepted their allotted role as victims of the brutal, hypocritical and puritanical Commonwealth.

Maclean’s prose is also a delight. She writes confidently and there were some real literary gems scattered throughout the novel that made me gasp with their brilliance. But the author never sacrificed the pace to her prose, and was firmly focused on her twisting plot and sub-plots.

Maclean is a worthy recipient of the Crime Writer Association’s 2015 Endeavor Award for historical crime fiction. I thoroughly recommend this novel.

Review: 'Lenin's Harem'

2/6/2015

by
William Burton McCormick

lenin's HaREM

REVIEW
Set in the small Baltic state of Latvia, ‘Lenin’s Harem’ is an epic and enthralling novel of love and war, which sweeps the reader and the characters through the first three tumultuous decades of the nineteenth century. William Burton McCormick brilliantly recreates the tensions and horrors of war-torn Latvia as it struggles to assert its identity and gain its independence, while being ripped apart by successive invaders and treacherous politics. McCormick’s prose has a lyricism which fascinates the reader and wards off revulsion as he steers us through the gas-filled trenches of World War One. This lyricism gives the novel a cinematic quality that reminded me of the Dunkirk scenes in Ian McEwan’s novel, ‘Atonement.’

‘Lenin’s Harem’ is told from the perspective of Wiktor Rooks, who becomes an outsider in his native country when his privileged life amongst the old aristocracy is swept away by revolution. Rooks is a troubled, but unremarkable man, and is all the more likeable and credible for his fallibility. The reader soon becomes enthralled with his uneasy search for identity, integrity and a place of belonging in a world that is drowning in a tide of war and political manipulation. His personal quest mirrors the larger struggle faced by Latvia.

But ‘Lenin’s Harem’ is also a story of hope. And thanks to McCormick’s skill, the reader always has hope for Wiktor Rooks. There is hope in the comradeship of his fellow Latvian soldiers. Hope in the love he shares with his feisty wife, Kaiva. Hope in his defiance of his family. McCormick doesn’t disappoint. In a final dramatic act of rebellion, Rooks completes his journey and discovers the man he is.

Thoroughly recommended.

Review: The Testament of Mariam by Ann Swinfen

19/6/2014

Thoroughly recommended to Historical Fiction lovers and people of all faiths or no faith

‘The Testament of Mariam’ is a fascinating and very clever novel which would appeal both those who follow Christianity and those who don’t. This is a superb historical novel which successfully transports us to life in First Century Galilee and Gaul. Dusty, sun-baked and oppressed to different degrees by the Romans, the landscape of the Swinfen’s novel is a character in its own right. Told from the point of view of Mariam, the elderly - and now dying - sister of Jesus, this imaginative and quiet novel almost underplays the most retold story of the Western world as we follow Mariam from her home village in Galilee to the vine-clad slopes of Gaul. Thoroughly researched, the novel explains some of the most glaring exaggerations of the Christ-story and provides an excellent twist to the role played by Judas in the betrayal of Jesus. Thoroughly recommended to Historical Fiction lovers, Christians and atheists alike.

Review: Rattleman

25/5/2013

Rattleman by George D. Shuman

This is a superb book. Not only does it have a great plot and a chilling serial killer but the effortless description of the Appalachian Mountains was outstanding. I was there, scrambling up those rocky hillsides, listening to the crack of the spruce and smelling the blood.

It took a little time for me to fall into step with the two main characters, Sheriff Wayne and Judy, but the detailed depiction of the killer kept me enthralled. Once the book got into its stride I was hooked and read the whole thing in twenty four hours. This is one of the best book I have read this year.

Rattleman on amazon

Book Review: 'The Magpie' by J.G.Harlond

1/4/2013

THE MAGPIE - J.G. Harlond

The Magpie is the story of Leo Kazan and Davina Dymond, lovers separated by continents, time and social convention. Set in the tumultuous years between the two World Wars when revolution ripped Russia apart and nationalism and the Home Rule movement began to dismantle 400 years of the British Raj in India, it is a love story played out on an international stage.

Leo is half Russian and half Indian, an orphan (or so he thinks) and a talented linguist. He is also a thief, attracted like a magpie to everything which glitters. He becomes the protégé of Sir Lionel Pinchcoffin, the District Political Officer in Bombay. Pinchcoffin recognises Leo’s talents and turns him into a spy. From an early age, Leo is immersed in the seedy world of international espionage and diamond smuggling. He travels from India to Europe and Russia but the most meaningful time in his life are those few stolen days he spends with Davina in London.

The Magpie is a fascinating novel here and Leo is a very likeable/loveable rogue. The book is richly immersed in historical context and I can see, feel, hear and smell India and Spain. It’s a fabulous piece of escapism for the reader, and a brilliant evocation of Colonial India, written with vigour and pace.

Review: 'To the Grave'

9/3/2013

TO THE GRAVE - STEVE ROBINSON

I have just finished reading ‘To the Grave’ and I loved it. I think it is a better book than Robinson’s first novel ‘In the Blood ’– and THAT was pretty damned good. I don’t know whether it was because this second mystery was more recent (1940’s rather than early nineteenth century) or because it was a more personal story for the author, but I was completely hooked from start to finish and read it in two days. These novels have tremendous potential for a TV series.

Steve writes about Mena so tenderly and I was completely immersed in her story – to the point that I was horrified and saddened by what happened to her.

The mystery unfolded well with a good selection of red herrings which completely fooled me, and aspects of the book had a literary quality which reminded me of Ian McEwan’s ‘Atonement.’

I'm now looking forward to reading 'The Last Queen of England,' his third book in the series.

Review: 'The Sacred Stone'

27/2/2013

THE SACRED STONE by The Mediaeval Murderers

I thoroughly enjoyed reading ‘The Sacred Stone’ by the Mediaeval Murderers and found it a fascinating concept. Five different historical novelists take the single idea of a strange stone, reputed to possess curative powers and – in the wrong hands – the power to summon demons, and they write about its progress through the Middle Ages. Each author specialises in a different period of history and created a unique story around the mystique of the stone.

A shard from an ancient Arctic meteorite, the sacred stone becomes legendary and the centre of controversy and crime. Theft, mayhem and murder follow it wherever it goes - and it goes a long way. From Greenland to Ireland, England and France the stone is handed from one distinctive character to another. The five stories are rich in historical detail and take the reader on an enjoyable romp through six centuries. Every aspect of Mediaeval life is portrayed from the court of Edward III to the plight of the persecuted Jews in Norwich and the subjugation of the serfs in rural Devon. I was a little surprised that the final story took us out of the Mediaeval era and into the world of Shakespeare’s London, but as it contained the best description of a hangover I have ever read, I am not unduly bothered by this anomaly.

My only complaint is that the eBook contained no details about which author wrote which section, and it required detective work on my part to find out more about the writers of my favourite characters and stories.

Book Review: 'The Chosen Man'

4/1/2013

'The Chosen Man' by J. G Harlond

'The Chosen Man' is an ambitious book which takes 17th century characters - from four different European countries - and successfully weaves their lives into a tapestry of political and religious intrigue and drama. 'The Chosen Man' has everything: shipwrecks; kidnap; piracy and romance - all set against the well-researched background of the first Stock Market crash in history.

Once the characters had stopped travelling and settled down into their allotted roles, I loved it. Harlond brilliantly evokes both the buzzing commercial excitement and culture of the Dutch capital - and the gentle beauty and slow rhythm of a remote Cornish baronial estate. Yet menace lurks beneath the surface even in this rural idyll. I cared deeply about all the characters and the sinister undertones of both locations were well-sustained, ensuring I came back to the book quickly to check they all survived.

Harlond is also ambitious in the theme of romance. Never mind a love-triangle, this was a love quartet. Alina's dilemma kept us on our toes right until the last page. Which one of those three distinctive male characters will the independent Alina choose? Her gentle, aristocratic, yet sickly husband? Alonso, the attractive, self-made fellow Spaniard who has always loved her? Or Ludo? Ludo the Italian pirate; Ludo the con man. The bad-boy who lives by his wits, manipulates the Dutch and turns the European balance of power on its head, while side-stepping assassination attempts like we would dodge traffic.

A satisfying ending which demands a sequel.

'The Chosen Man' on amazon

WILDEWOOD REVENGE - Book Review

4/10/2012

WILDEWOOD REVENGE - B. A. MORTON

My very good friend and fellow author, Babs Morton (author of the crime thriller Mrs. Jones) has just published her second novel as an eBook on kindle. It is set in thirteenth century Northumberland and is a fabulous story, I thoroughly recommend it. The paperback should follow shortly.

Here is my review:

B. A. Morton’s historical fantasy, ‘Wildewood Revenge’ is a beautifully written, humorous and very, very clever novel. When I first read that how Grace, her thoroughly modern heroine, was accidently transported through a time portal to the thirteenth century and into clutches of a devilishly attractive (but impoverished) medieval knight with one eye on her ransom, I was hooked.

How the heck is the author going to pull this off? I wondered.

But pull it off she does. On the way to a believable and satisfying ending, we are treated to a brilliant evocation of medieval England which heaves with corruption and intrigue. The remote and beautiful wilderness of ancient Northumberland rings out with the sound of clashing swords, the hiss of arrows, thundering hooves and the chink of coin bags changing hands in shady deals. It is all there: a spirited and sensual romance, an action-packed adventure story, hidden treasure, revengeful and devious barons and corpulent and corrupt clergy.

Beset on all sides by danger and deception, with only a small band of loyal followers and their wits to help them, Grace and Miles of Wildewood are powerful team and a realistic pair of lovers.

I can't wait for the sequel.

'WILDEWOOD' on amazon.co.uk