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If you would like to know more about Hive, the first book in the series, you can find my spotlight post here.

(media courtesy of The Write Reads)

(all opinions are my own)

(Bookshop.org affiliated)

Thursday, 12 February 2026

The Dubrovnik Book Club by Eva Glyn - #bookreview

Prologue

He raises his head from the sink and looks in the mirror. Sunken eyes, stubble. The bruise a livid purple-red on his cheek...

The Blurb

In a tiny bookshop in Dubrovnik’s historic Old Town, a book club begins…

Newly arrived on the sun-drenched shores of Croatia, Claire Thomson’s life is about to change forever when she starts working at a local bookshop. With her cousin Vedran, employee Luna and Karmela, a professor, they form an unlikely book club.

But when their first book club pick – an engrossing cosy crime – inspires them to embark upon an investigation that is close to the group’s heart, they quickly learn the value of keeping their new-found friends close as lives and stories begin to entwine…My Review

Each chapter is the name of the book which the book club is reading each month. At the back of the book the author provides a list along with the author of each of these books in case the reader would like to read them for themselves.

Helpful glossary at the beginning of the book which translates some of the words used throughout the novel.

My Review

As a member of two book clubs myself, I am often drawn to books which have a book club as their setting.

The titular book club is set in Croatia, within the walls of The Welcoming Bookshop. This book uses this setting to introduce the readers to a lovely array of characters.

The book is told from the perspectives of main characters Claire and Luna. Claire has left England to join her grandparents in Dubrovnik for a year. She has had long Covid and as a result has lost her confidence and fears groups of people. Her grandmother is convinced that working in the book shop will help her regain it.

Luna works with Claire in the bookshop. She comes from a rural Croatian village where she finds the community small-minded. She is hiding a secret of her own but finds a friend and confidante in Claire.

Setting up the book club allows the author to introduce an array of other characters, who each have an important part to play in the story. Vedran is Claire's cousin. He is a lawyer who has been through a tough time – and then there is Karmella, an academic who retreats to a place of safety behind her books.

These characters all come together within the book shop and find an emotional support circle. The book has much to say about friendship, self-acceptance and facing our fears.

The author depicted the charm and history of Dubrovnik beautifully without shying away from the hardships that the residents faced during and following the war. In fact, having read this made me want to hop on a plane so that I could stroll around its streets and have coffee outside a café, whilst reading a book.

This was a gem of a book to read. It had me absorbed by every page. It was a life-affirming book which made for wonderful reading. In fact, I already have the next book in the series, The Santorini Writing Retreat, waiting to be read.

I highly recommend this book. I'm sure you won't be disappointed.

Book Details

ISBN: 978-0008648114

Publisher: One More Chapter

Formats: e-book, audio and paperback (currently available on Kindle Unlimited)

No. of Pages: 384 (paperback)

Series: Book 1 in the Bookish Escapes series

Purchase Links

About the Author

Over the last couple of years Eva has become adept at writing with two hats on; under her own name Jane Cable it’s romance with a twist, and as Eva Glyn she creates escapist relationship-driven fiction. MHer inspiration comes from the nuggets of history she discovers both at home and abroad, and the beautiful places she finds them.

Eva Glyn’s books are mainly set in Croatia, a country she fell in love with in 2019. Her friendship with tour guide Darko Barisic has proved invaluable to gain an insight into Croatian daily life that few foreign authors can dream of. Her first book set in the country, The Olive Grove, was inspired by Darko’s experiences of the war in the 1990s. Both An Island of Secrets and The Collaborator's Daughter are dual timeline looking back to a little known period of World War 2 history.

Eva is published by One More Chapter, a division of Harper Collins and has been contracted to write two books about unlikely friendships... and books under the title of Bookish Escapes. The first, The Dubrovnik Book Club, was published in March 2024 with The Santorini Writing Retreat following a year later and The Croatian Island Library in early 2026.

Although she is Welsh she lives in Cornwall with her husband of more than thirty years. Unless, of course, they're off on their travels!

You can also find Eva at:

Bluesky

(media courtesy of the author's website)

(all opinions are my own)

(Bookshop.org affiliated)

Wednesday, 11 February 2026

The Resistance Knitting Club by Jenny O'Brien - #bookreview #blogtour

2010 - Guernsey

"I think she's coming round, Anna. I'm sure I saw her blink. Mum. It's Liz and Anna... your granddaughter. You're in the hospital."

She raised her voice a little, leaning closer to her mother's good ear.

"Everything's fine. We're with you and it's all going to be okay..."

The Blurb

Inspired by the true story of a woman who used knitting patterns to encode intelligence during World War Two.

Guernsey, 2010. After a stroke, an elderly woman shocks her family by speaking perfect French – a language they never knew she possessed. As her granddaughter unravels seventy years of silence, a hidden wartime story emerges...

Paris, 1941. After her brother is declared missing in action at Dunkirk, eighteen-year-old Lenny Gallienne vanishes into Churchill’s secret army. In a bookshop on Rue de la Pompe, she poses as a simple shop girl while encoding intelligence from Nazi headquarters into knitting patterns. Each sweater smuggled to prisoners contains flight paths. Each scarf holds radio frequencies. Each mistake means execution.

Fellow agent, Harry Dennison is the only person who knows her real name. But when the SS close in, Lenny faces an impossible choice in the Metro tunnels beneath Paris – one that will haunt her family for generations. Because in the resistance, the most dangerous secrets are the ones you keep from those you love most.

My Review

I have read that the author of this book wrote it as it combined two of her greatest pleasures – reading and knitting. That resonated deeply with me, as they are also two of my favourite things to do and were what initially attracted me to this book.

Leonore (Lenny) and James grew up on Guernsey. The brother and sister were close, so when Lenny hears that James is missing in action following the battle of Dunkirk, she is understandably devastated. However, she cannot quite bring herself to believe he is dead, and so enlists in Churchill's Secret Army.

During her training, Lenny is the only woman there, and retreats into her faithful knitting. However, when she has the idea to knit Morse code messages into her knitting, she comes to the attention of Harry Dennison, an old friend of her brother's and fellow agent, who sees an opportunity to use her skill to pass messages.

Based on fact, I was already aware that Morse code was used in knitting to aid the war effort. However, it was wonderful to read more about it in this book. I admired the way the author brings this to the attention of the reader through this story. Knitting was the domain of women during this time period, making it easier to avoid detection. However, I loved the chapter where she attempts to teach her fellow agents to knit.

Lenny finds herself in France, working as part of the French Resistance. This is where we see Lenny demonstrate her bravery and courage. She is an excellent character throughout and was easy to engage with.

The bulk of the story is set during the war years, but part of the book is dedicated to the present day and told from the perspective of Lenny's granddaughter, Anna. This added something to the book, as it is only here that we realise that Lenny has kept her wartime secrets with her throughout her life.

This was a well-written book which completely drew me in. The author is a great storyteller who has the ability to engage her readers from the very first page. I have not read anything by this author before, and am so pleased that this is the beginning of a series as I would love to read more.

I was also very satisfied with the ending of the book. I highly recommend this book to fans of historical fiction. What more could we ask for but a story which has been well researched, includes knitting, has a fabulous narrative and a bit of romance thrown in. A fabulous book in my opinion, and I would love to hear your thoughts if you read this book.

Book Details

ISBN: 978 1837002566

Publisher: Storm Publishing

Formats: e-book, audio and paperback

No. of Pages: 324 (paperback)

Series: Book 1 in the Threads of Resistance series

Purchase Links

About the Author

Jenny O’Brien writes complex thrillers and heartbreaking historical fiction, as well as intriguing romances. Silent Cry, initially self published, topped the Amazon kindle chart in both the UK and the USA. Most of her books have followed suit.

Jenny has over 40 years experience as a qualified nurse. She turned to creative writing as a hobby when her children were born.

Born in Ireland, she now lives in Guernsey with her husband and children.

BOOK NEWS

The Resistance Knitting Club came out in February, 2026. A blend of Jenny’s two hobbies - knitting and reading. For more check out The Resistance Knitting Club Facebook Page. Join the conversation as well as share your crafting projects.

You can also find Jenny at:

Facebook

(ARC and media courtesy of Rachel's Random Resources)

(author photo courtesy of her Instagram page)

(all opinions are my own)

(Bookshop.org affiliated)

Tuesday, 10 February 2026

Fireflies in Winter by Eleanor Shearer - #bookreview

The Trial - 1798

Halifax County Court is a stage waiting for its players. The judge's place is empty, as is the dock, enclosed on all sides but one. This is where the accused will stand...

The Blurb

Nova Scotia 1796. Cora, an orphan newly arrived from Jamaica, has never felt cold like this. In the depths of winter, everyone in her community huddles together in their homes to keep warm. So when she sees a shadow slipping through the trees, Cora thinks her eyes are deceiving her. Until she creeps out into the moonlight and finds the tracks in the snow.

Agnes is in hiding. On the run from her former life, she has learned what it takes to survive alone in the wilderness. But she can afford no mistakes. When she first spies the young woman in the woods, she is afraid. Yet Cora is fearless, and their paths are destined to cross.

Deep among the cedars, Cora and Agnes find a fragile place of safety. But when Agnes's past closes in, they are confronted with the dangerous price of freedom - and of love...

With evocative prose and immersive storytelling, a powerful novel about love - love for the wilderness in all its unforgiving beauty, and love between two women who risk everything to be together.

My Review

I feel very privileged to have had the opportunity to read this book ahead of publication. Publishing today, Fireflies in Winter by Eleanor Shearer is an atmospheric and compelling book.

Set in Nova Scotia at the end of the 18th century, it is the story of Cora and Agnes. Cora is an orphan from Jamaica and Agnes is on the run and hiding in the forest. The book tells the story of how their lives come together and they find a love neither of them ever imagined.

The book is beautifully written. I wanted to slow my reading and savour every word. This wasn't a book I wanted to read speedily. This was a book to read at a gentle pace. The author immerses her reader in the time and place in which it is set and it made me want to wallow in each paragraph.

The harshness of the winter came to life on the page. It made me very grateful that I have the luxury of a centrally heated home in which to read this book. The author skilfully creates a world on the page and then drags the reader in. It was an immersive read and I absolutely loved it.

Ms. Shearer is an excellent storyteller who not only describes her characters, but inhabits them. She clearly understood their needs and desires extremely well.

The book deals with some challenging issues, particularly about the meaning of freedom, and what price we have to pay for love. It also considers the strength of the human spirit and resilience through the harsh brutality of her characters' lives.

This is a book which will remain with me for some time to come. It is a beautiful book and one which I can imagine myself reading again.

I haven't read the author's previous book, River Sing Me Home, but rest assured, I already have a copy on order. If it was half as good as this novel, then I already know that I am going to enjoy reading it.

I highly recommend this book and it is one of the best I have read in a while.

Book Details

ISBN: 978 1472291462

Publisher: Headline Review

Formats: e-book, hardback and paperback

No. of Pages: 320 (hardback)

Purchase Links

About the Author

Eleanor Shearer is a mixed-race writer and the granddaughter of Windrush generation immigrants. She splits her time between London and Ramsgate. Her debut novel, River Sing Me Home, sold in 20 territories. It was named as one of Time Magazine's 100 Must-Read Books of 2023, was a finalist for the 2024 Dayton Literary Peace Prize Fiction Award, shortlisted for the Grand Prix des Lectrices ELLE 2025 in France and also shortlisted for the Prix Fragonard 2025 in France. It was a Good Morning America Book Club pick, and has been optioned for TV by AL Films and BBC Films.

You can also find Eleanor at:

(ARC and media courtesy of the publisher)

(all opinions are my own)

(Bookshop.org affiliated)

Friday, 6 February 2026

The Heart-Shaped Box by Lucy Kaufman - #bookreview #blogtour

Constance never discovered when or where she caught his eye. But caught it she must have, for on the fifth of January she received his letter.

The Blurb

The page-turning psychological thriller novella about infatuation, revenge and the lengths we will go to for love.

“She pressed her nose gingerly to the glass, peering unblinking through the viscous liquid at her gift.”

Victorian, rural Sussex. When headstrong daughter of a rector, Constance Timothy, receives a flurry of gifts in pretty little boxes from the charming, smouldering student doctor Smith Williams, her whole family anticipates a future betrothal.

Yet beneath the exquisite pastel lids and satin bows lie macabre secrets that entice Constance into a private world of obsession and darkness, where morality becomes blurred, loyalties are tested and unthinkable acts are possible.

One secret will shake the genteel world she knows to the core...

My Review

This novella was a quick and excellent read.

Set in a Sussex village, Constance remains single, despite her parents parading a number of suitable young men before her. One day she receives a letter from a man, Smith Wilson. She has caught his eye and is keen to meet her. Her parents are as excited by this as she is herself. Could this man become her suitor?

Initially, it appeared that this short novella would be a romantic tale. However, Smith Wilson is studying to be a doctor, and while they are apart he sends Constance a stream of gifts which begin as romantic and become eerily bizarre.

Constance is an odd character herself. She revels in the nature of the gifts that she received from Smith Wilson which I found unsettling, and highly surprising in a woman of her class and nature.

This is an unusual story and is different to my usual reading fare. That said, I enjoyed it very much despite it's dark quality. The author told her story well and succinctly and it made for compelling reading.

The first book of The Carousel of Curiosities series, this haunting novella is perfect for readers of Sarah Waters, Laura Purcell, and Angela Carter. I am keen to read the next in the series when it is published.

Book Details

ISBN: 978 1919277202

Publisher: Sepia Ink

Formats: e-book and paperback

No. of Pages: 120 (paperback)

Series: Book 1 in the Carousel of Curiosities series

Purchase Links

About the Author

Lucy Kaufman is an award-winning author, playwright, audio dramatist and poet. 40 of her plays have been performed professionally around the UK and Australia, to critical acclaim. She has lectured in Playwriting and Screenwriting for Pen to Print and Canterbury Christ Church University and is a mentor at The Writing Coach. Originally from London, she now lives by the sea with her husband, sons, dogs and cats.

You can also find Lucy at:

Bluesky

(ARC and media courtesy of Rachel's Random Resources)

(all opinions are my own)

(Bookshop.org affiliated)

Wednesday, 4 February 2026

Journey to the Scottish Highlands by Julie Shackman - #bookspotlight #blogtour

I am delighted to be shining the spotlight on this book today. Journey to the Scottish Highlands by Julie Shackman looks like a book I would love to read. The cover alone has been hooked.

The Blurb

Daisy’s career hasn’t exactly been going to plan and the last thing she wants to do is stay home and wallow in self-pity. So, when an opportunity arises to escape her London home, and make some money working a fancy event at a stately home, she jumps at it.

Determined to make the most out of the situation, she decides a road trip to the Scottish Highlands would be the perfect way to reset and take control of her life.

When devilishly handsome Evan finds himself stranded at the event following a cancelled flight to Scotland, Daisy does the kindest thing she can think of and invites him to join her. As they embark on their journey north, will the scenic trip help them rediscover themselves, and possibly even find something they weren’t expecting…

Book Details

ISBN: 978 0008728014

Publisher: One More Chapter

Formats: e-book, audio and paperback

No. of Pages: 384 (paperback)

Series: Book 10 in the Scottish Escapes series

Purchase Links

About the Author

Julie Shackman is a former journalist from Scotland, who has always wanted to write feel-good romance.

As well as being an author, Julie also writes verses and captions for greetings card companies. Julie admits to having an obsession with stationery and handbags.

She has two sons and a Romanian rescue pup, Cooper.

Journey to the Scottish Highlands is Julie's fourteenth novel.

You can also find Julie at:

(media courtesy of Rachel's Random Resources)

(all opinions are my own)

(Bookshop.org affiliated)

Friday, 30 January 2026

Books I Read in January 2026

January has been a wonderful month for me and my husband, as we have welcomed our fifth grandchild into the world. We couldn't be more excited, and as soon as I push the publish button on this blog post, we will be getting in the car and driving to meet my new little granddaughter. I can hardly wait for my first cuddle.

Somehow in all this excitement I have managed to read some good books.

What have you read this month? Anything you would recommend?

The Market Girls of Petticoat Lane by Patricia McBride

This was a lovely story in which we meet friends Amanda, Maisie and Bethan. They all work together in the sewing factory making uniforms for the troops. You can find my review here.

The Peepshow: The Murders at 10 Rillington Place by Kate Summerscale

I have read the majority of Kate Summerscale's books and enjoyed each one of them. So, when I saw this on my library shelves I picked it up and checked it out with a sense of glee. You can find my review here.

The Dubrovnik Book Club by Eva Glyn

This was a lovely book and I have not had a blog gap to upload my review as yet. It is coming though so watch this space.

One Moonlit Night by Rachel Hore

I have read this book as part of the Clock Reading Challenge. There will be more about this when I upload my book review soon.

Dark is the Night by Rachel Evans

This book made for fabulous reading and I was gripped from the very first page to the last. You can find my review by clicking here.

Little Disasters by Sarah Vaughan

This book had me on the edge of my seat from the first page to the last. You can find my review by clicking here.

In the Blink of an Eye by Yoav Blum

This book was a locked room mystery combined with science fiction. I read 25% of the book and then decided it wasn't for me.

You Go, Girl! by Elaine Insinnia

A series of diary entries written by a grandmother in her youth during the 1950's. Not as good as I hoped but entertaining enough.

Fortune's Wheel by Carolyn Hughes

I found this hard to get into but probably because my mind was full of grandbabies. I shall try it again at some point.

Terrible True Tales: Saxons by Terry Deary

An excellent book for children of stories from Saxon history. My review will be coming soon.

(header photo courtesy of Picsea/Unsplash)

(all opinions are my own)

Thursday, 29 January 2026

Little Disasters by Sarah Vaughan - #bookreview

It is definitely the short straw of hospital medicine. A & E in a trauma centre on a Friday night in late January; almost midnight, and the waiting areas are rammed...

The Blurb

You think you know her…

But look a little closer

She is a stay-at-home mother of three with boundless reserves of patience, energy and love. After being friends for a decade, this is how Liz sees Jess.

Then one moment changes everything.

Dark thoughts and carefully guarded secrets surface – and Liz is left questioning everything she thought she knew about her friend, and about herself.

From the bestselling author of Anatomy of a Scandal – a new thought-provoking novel exploring the complexity of motherhood and all that connects and disconnects us.

My Review

This book had me on the edge of my seat from the first page to the last.

When Jess takes her baby, Betsey, to the A&E department at hospital, she finds her best friend, Liz, is the doctor on duty. What unfolds is every mother's nightmare, as Betsey is found to have an unexplainable fracture, and the finger is pointing straight at Jess, leaving Liz with a duty to inform social services and the police.

This was a powerful book, and it is thought-provoking from beginning to end. My sympathies lay with both of these characters, as they both find themselves in an impossible situation. Whilst Jess has always appeared to be the perfect mother, we get a glimpse of what is really going on beneath this façade of capability. Having myself been a mother to four boys under the age of seven, I could really identify with how utterly exhausted Jess was feeling. The book questions how this sleep deprivation can result in poor choices being made, how alone she felt, and how she did not understand her own feelings. My heart went out to her.

Liz was an equally interesting character. She is a busy doctor, wife and mother whose own busyness has meant that she hasn't been there for Jess as much as she would have liked. Nonetheless, she doesn't believe that Jess could have harmed her child, despite the evidence suggesting otherwise. She also has to deal with the secrets of her ageing mother, and come to terms with those. There is a strong parallel between both her mother and Jess's experiences.

Although the book is over 400 pages, I read it very quickly as it kept pulling me back. It was well written and perfectly paced, leaving me keen to get back to it between reading sessions.

Sarah Vaughan is a great storyteller and has the ability to hold her readers interested throughout. She is an author I will definitely be reading again. I highly recommend this book.

Book Details

ISBN: 978 1471165061

Publisher: Simon & Schuster

Formats: e-book, audio, hardback and paperback

No. of Pages: 432 (paperback)

Purchase Links

About the Author

Sarah Vaughan is the Sunday Times and international bestselling author of Anatomy of a Scandal, Little Disasters and Reputation, plus two earlier novels. Translated into 26 languages, Anatomy of a Scandal became a worldwide number one Netflix limited series, watched for 200 million hours in its first month alone, and starring Sienna Miller, Michelle Dockery and Rupert Friend. Little Disasters dropped on Paramount Plus in May 2025, and stars Diane Kruger, Jo Joyner and a “powerhouse cast” including JJ Feild, Shelley Conn, Emily Taaffe and Stephen Campbell Moore. Reputation has been optioned by Made Up Stories and 3dot productions, the team behind Anatomy of a Scandal.

Before writing fiction, Sarah spent 15 years as a journalist, including 11 at the Guardian as a political correspondent and news reporter: great preparation for thrillers exploring power, privilege and misogyny, and incorporating police investigations and criminal trials. Brought up in Devon, she lives near Cambridge, England with her family and dog.

You can also find Sarah at:

Facebook

(media courtesy of the author's website)

(all opinions are my own)

(Bookshop.org affiliated)

Wednesday, 28 January 2026

In the Blink of an Eye by Yoav Blum - #bookspotlight

Last week I had the pleasure of featuring Yoav Blum's book, The Unswitchable.

I am doubly delighted to be shining the spotlight on another of his books today. In the Blink of an Eye is a locked room mystery with a science fiction twist. Enjoy!

The Blurb

A locked room. A dead scientist. A time machine.

Professor Yonatan Brand, a world-renowned physicist, amateur magician, and hot-chocolate enthusiast, dreamed of unlocking time itself. He mapped every danger, every paradox, every temptation of hubris. But when his body is discovered inside his sealed study, Brand leaves behind one impossible crime—and a machine that might have killed him.

Enter Benjamin “Bunker” Kronovic, a washed-up actor, and Abigail Canaani, a reclusive librarian. They’re not seasoned detectives; their usual cases involve lost pets and unpaid bills. Now they must face something far stranger: a corpse, a time machine, and a circle of Brand’s childhood friends, each guarding secrets darker than the past itself.

As Bunker and Abigail stumble through a mystery where time is as treacherous as truth, they discover that the question isn’t just who killed Professor Brand, but when.

Book Details

ISBN: 978 9659327171

Publisher: Yoav Blum

Formats: e-book and paperback (currently available on Kindle Unlimited)

No. of Pages: 430 (paperback)

Purchase Links

About the Author

Yoav Blum is an author known for blending high-concept speculative ideas with gripping mystery, thriller, and philosophical depth. His work explores extraordinary situations—time travel, body switching, orchestrated coincidences—while grounding them in questions of identity, perception, fate, and free will. Beneath each thriller or puzzle lies a reflection on what it means to be human. His tone is introspective, suspenseful, and often playfully self-aware.

You can also find Yoav at:

(ARC and media courtesy of AME)

(all opinions are my own)

Tuesday, 27 January 2026

The Peepshow: The Murders at 10 Rillington Place by Kate Summerscale - #bookreview

In the evening of Tuesday 24 March 1953, Harry Procter, the star crime reporter of the Sunday Pictorial, drove over to a Victorian terrace in Notting Hill in which the bodies of three young women had been discovered...

The Blurb

In 1953, the bodies of three young women are found by a tenant in the walls of a Notting Hill house. He tells the police that he chanced upon them while trying to put up a shelf for his transistor radio.

As a series of further horrors are discovered, 10 Rillington Place becomes an address synonymous with murder.

A riveting tale of violence, misogyny and tabloid frenzy, The Peepshow lifts the veil on what really happened inside Britain's most notorious house - and suggests a new solution to the case that transfixed a nation.

My Review

I have read the majority of Kate Summerscale's books and enjoyed each one of them. So, when I saw this on my library shelves I picked it up and checked it out with a sense of glee.

It's no surprise that this book was longlisted for the Women's Prize for Non-Fiction in 2025. It was also a five-star read for me.

The author has the ability to recreate a true crime story vividly on the page. I was already familiar with the murders at 10 Rillington Place, but this book still had something new to offer. She has created an easy-to-read, accessible retelling of the horrors which took place behind the innocent-looking front door of the Notting Hill house in which John Reginald Christie lived.

This was more than the retelling of a familiar story. It was an insight into the beliefs and culture of a community in 1950s London. It depicts the racism, misogyny and class differences of post-war Britain.

Despite this book being brilliantly written, it is an unsettling read nonetheless. How could we read of a serial rapist and murderer without a sense of shock, no matter how familiar one might already be with the story? We should be unsettled by such a quiet, unassuming man being able to carry out such brutalities. Although the author does describe the murders in some detail by using contemporary sources, at no point did I feel that she was describing these events in a gratuitous manner. Rather, she sought to present us with the facts of the horrendous crimes of this man.

It also considers whether the execution of Timothy Evans for the murder of his child was perhaps one of the biggest miscarriages of justice in Britain to date. Timothy Evans lived with his wife, and baby daughter, Geraldine, in the same house as Christie and his wife. Eighteen months prior to Christie's arrest, the bodies of Evan's wife and child were discovered in the house. It was largely the testimony of the apparently gentle and mild-mannered Christie which was instrumental in the conviction and execution of Timothy Evans.

The author's comprehensive research is evident throughout and the result is this excellent insight into the murders, society and legal system of 1950s Britain.

Anyone interested in history or true crime will find this an excellent read that I highly recommend.

If you would like to read my review of Kate Summerscale's, The Wicked Boy you can find it by clicking here.

Book Details

ISBN: 978 1526660510

Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing

Formats: e-book, audio, hardback and paperback

No. of Pages: 320 (paperback)

Purchase Links

About the Author

Kate Summerscale was born in London and lived in Japan and Chile as a child. She was then educated at Parliament Hill school in London, Bedales school in Hampshire and at Oxford and Stanford universities. She worked at various newspapers and magazines until in 2005 she left her job as Literary Editor of the Daily Telegraph to write The Suspicions of Mr Whicher. She has judged several literary prizes, including the Booker Prize, and in 2010 was appointed a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature. She lives in London.

Kate Summerscale’s first book, The Queen of Whale Cay, was inspired by an obituary she wrote for the Daily Telegraph — it won the Somerset Maugham award and was shortlisted for the Whitbread biography prize.

The Suspicions of Mr Whicher won the Samuel Johnson prize and the British Book Award for both Popular Non-Fiction and Book of the Year. It was a Richard & Judy Bookclub pick and was shortlisted for the Crime Writers Association Non-Fiction Gold Dagger in the UK and the Edgar Award for Best Fact Crime in the US. Hat Trick productions adapted the story for ITV, and went on to make three fictional dramas about Jack Whicher’s investigations.

Kate’s third book, Mrs Robinson’s Disgrace, was a Sunday Times bestseller, and her fourth, The Wicked Boy, won the 2017 Mystery Writers of America Edgar award for Best Fact Crime. The Haunting of Alma Fielding was shortlisted for the 2020 Baillie Gifford Prize for Non-Fiction, and The Book of Phobias & Manias has been published in 19 languages. The Peepshow was longlisted for the Women’s Prize for Non-Fiction and won the Crime Writers’ Association Gold Dagger for Non-Fiction.

You can also find Kate at:

(media courtesy the author/publisher)

(all opinions are my own)

(Bookshop.org affiliated)

Thursday, 22 January 2026

The Unswitchable by Yoav Blum - #bookspotlight

I'm thrilled to be shining the spotlight on this book today. The Unswitchable by Yoav Blum is a heart-stopping blend of cyberpunk thriller and philosophical mystery that will leave you questioning the nature of identity itself.

The Blurb

What if everyone could become someone else—except you?

In a world where the Switch-Bracelet lets people instantly jump into any body, Dan Arbel is cursed with something unthinkable: he’s stuck being himself. While others hire stand-ins to do their workouts, commute in borrowed bodies, or vacation through the eyes of professional tourists, Dan remains trapped in his own skin—the only person on Earth who can’t switch.

That makes him valuable. And dangerous.

Working as a black-market courier in a society where identity is fluid, Dan thought his condition was just a lonely burden. Then a dying stranger in a borrowed body whispers impossible words—tying Dan to a secret buried deep in his past. Before he can process the revelation, assassins with ever-changing faces descend, hunting for something he carries without knowing.

In a world where anyone can be anyone, how do you know who to trust?

Dan’s unchanging identity, once his greatest curse, becomes the one constant in a deadly maze of deception. To survive, he must rely on the only thing no one else can claim anymore: his own irreplaceable self.

Book Details

ISBN: 978-9659327126

Publisher: Yoav Blum

Formats: e-book and paperback (currently available on Kindle Unlimited)

No. of Pages: 419 (paperback)

Purchase Links

About the Author

You can also find Yoav at:

(media courtesy of AME)

(all opinions are my own)

Wednesday, 21 January 2026

Dark is the Night by Rachel Evans - #bookreview #blotour

At a minute to midnight, Casper and Lotte Van Doujke stand at their attic window in quiet anticipation. Blond heads luminescent in the light of the full moon, the brother and sister rest their grazed elbows on the sill....

The Blurb

In Nazi-occupied Holland, a mother and son fight to survive.

When his sister Lotte dies of blood poisoning, Casper Van Doujke leaves his island home of Terschelling for Amsterdam. Blaming himself for Lotte’s death, he studies to become a doctor.

Meanwhile, his mother Elske Van Doujke’s quiet mourning for her daughter is interrupted when the Nazis occupy Terschelling. When a face from the past returns to the island, Elske has a final chance of happiness. But can she take it?

Mother and son join the Dutch resistance, risking everything for their people as they live through occupation and famine. In her remote cottage, Elske shelters young Dutch men trying to escape to England and Allied airmen attempting to avoid capture. In Amsterdam, Casper works as a doctor for the resistance and falls in love with the fiancée of his cell’s leader.

But when the war threatens those closest to them, Elske and Casper are forced to make impossible choices just to survive.

My Review

This book made for fabulous reading and I was gripped from the very first page to the last.

Set during World War Two, the story follows a mother and her son, as they navigate their way through Nazi occupation Holland. Being set in Holland the book has added something slightly different to the World War Two canon of fiction set during this period.

It was a powerful novel and we follow the main characters, Elske, who lives in a small village in rural Holland and her son, Casper, living in Amsterdam where he was studying to be a doctor at the outbreak of war. Both are helping the Dutch resistance in their own ways. Casper can use his medical skills and knowledge to aid both the Jews who are in hiding and injured allied airmen.

The chapters are all told from the perspective of the two main characters. This gave the story an immediacy and it made it easy to empathise with their stories. They were both excellent characters who the author has fully fleshed out and I ended the book feeling like I knew these two people.

The atmosphere the author created was excellent and very powerful. She brought the hardships of the characters and those around them expertly to life. I felt as though I were there with them. She has clearly conducted her research rigorously in order to portray the harsh and brutal time in which her characters lived.

There was a good balance of prose and dialogue and it made for an excellent book to read. I highly recommend this powerful historical fiction novel.

Book Details

ISBN: 978 1836285182

Publisher: Troubador Publishing

Formats: e-book and paperback

No. of Pages: 456 (paperback)

Purchase Links

Amazon UK

About the Author

Since I was a little girl, I’ve always written stories (which I kept in a shoe box beneath my bed). Having cerebral palsy, I found an escape in writing and I still do. After doing a BA (Hons) in English and French and an MA in Modern Languages Research, I trained to be a newspaper journalist. I now work as a teaching assistant in a primary school where I share my love of writing with the children I teach. In my free time, I spend every moment I can writing. Escaping to the past, especially World War II, helps me cope with the stresses of life in the present.

You can also find Rachel at: