20) City of Sinners by A A Dhand I've only read one of the Harry Virdee series by A A Dhand (Girl Zero) but I enjoyed it, and I enjoyed this one even more. We are back in Bradford, and this starts with a punch: a woman strung up with barbed wire in a bookshop in the… Continue reading Year 5 / Book 20: City of Sinners
Author: nicktemple1
Year 5 / Book 19: My Name is Why
19) My Name is Why by Lemn Sissay I was first introduced to Lemn Sissay when I was at university doing a poetry course, and I loved his direct, passionate and poignant poems; and I bought copies of several of his collections. What I had no idea about was the story that lay behind him getting… Continue reading Year 5 / Book 19: My Name is Why
Year 5 / Book 18: The Expectant Father
18) The Expectant Father by Armin Brott The title of this book should give some indication of why I'm a bit behind on book reviews - and has me questioning whether I'll be able to keep up the book-a-week pace. My wife and I had a son towards the end of April (peak-pandemic) and I was… Continue reading Year 5 / Book 18: The Expectant Father
Year 5 / Book 17: Blue Moon
17) Blue Moon by Lee Child It's that time of year when only a Jack Reacher novel will do - when my brain can take little else, and I have a need for pure escapism where the good guys win, the bad guys get punched in the face and everything is put back in its right place.… Continue reading Year 5 / Book 17: Blue Moon
Year 5 / Book 16: Hell’s Gate
16) Hell's Gate by Laurent Gaudé So this is a strange and intriguing novella by Prix Goncourt-winning French novelist Laurent Gaudé - it starts out with a sort of fairly standard-ish character on something of a mission to avenge someone or something. It turns out the death he is seeking to avenge is, well, his own… Continue reading Year 5 / Book 16: Hell’s Gate
Year 5 / Book 15: The Plea
15) The Plea by Steve Cavanagh I think it's understandable when the entire world feels at sea to reach out for things that are familiar and bring order: for some that is a crossword, for others a film they've watched 50 times before, and for others still a crime thriller in which the good guys win… Continue reading Year 5 / Book 15: The Plea
Year 5 / Book 14: Shroud for a Nightingale
14) Shroud for a Nightingale by PD James PD James is a wonderful writer, often underrated and forgotten these days, but the quality of the writing in her Adam Dalgliesh crime novels is wonderful. Which is why I dived into this for some escapism from a coronavirus world - wrong move! Firstly, the hospital where this… Continue reading Year 5 / Book 14: Shroud for a Nightingale
Year 5 / Book 13: Joe Country
12) Joe Country by Mick Herron And we are back at Slough House with the Jackson Lamb-led band of outcasts and misfits from the world of espionage and intelligence. If you haven't been reading this series, then I heartily recommend - as I've written before, like Le Carre with a touch more thriller and a… Continue reading Year 5 / Book 13: Joe Country
Year 5 / Book 12: After You Die
13) After You Die by Eva Dolan I'm a great fan of Eva Dolan's Zigic & Ferreira series of police procedurals (you can read my review of the previous episode here: Tell No Tales), and much enjoyed the first two I'd ploughed through. This third installment starts pretty bleakly: a woman is found murdered, and… Continue reading Year 5 / Book 12: After You Die
Year 5 / Book 11: She Said
11) She Said by Jodi Kantor & Megan Twohey If you are a podcast fan, then I heartily recommend The Tip Off which interviews journalists and talks to them about big stories that emerged from tip-offs or small leads. It's fabulous and extremely high quality stuff (the R Kelly episode a while back is extraordinary). One… Continue reading Year 5 / Book 11: She Said
Dog-eared Man: a book a week 