13) Three Hours by Rosamund Lupton This is not for the faint-hearted or, possibly, for the teacher or parent! It's a compelling thriller in which a school in rural Somerset is under siege - possibly from terrorists or from a Columbine-style attack. It's told from multiple viewpoints, but primarily from those who are in different… Continue reading Year 6 / Book 13: Three Hours
Category: thriller
Year 6 – catch-up; Books 1-10 including Zadie Smith, Max Porter and Abir Mukherjee
As the more eagle-eyed or regular reader will know, Lockdown 1.0 featured of a baby for us which, it is fair to say, has had something of an impact on a) the whole book a week thing and b) keeping up with reviews. I have considered just moving this into a children's book blog, but… Continue reading Year 6 – catch-up; Books 1-10 including Zadie Smith, Max Porter and Abir Mukherjee
Year 5 / Book 23: The Dead Line
23) The Dead Line by Holly Watt I very much enjoyed Holly Watt's debut, To The Lions and had been looking forward to this follow-up. It features the same dynamic duo of investigative female journalists, Casey & Miranda - and this time they are on the track of human trafficking-meets-international surrogacy, having been tipped off… Continue reading Year 5 / Book 23: The Dead Line
Year 5 / Book 22: The A26
22) The A26 by Pascal Garnier With apologies for the enormous break in book reviews (it turns out reading a book a week is incompatible with having a new baby around), I'm catching up a bit on what I have actually managed to read in the last few months. First up is this incredibly dark… Continue reading Year 5 / Book 22: The A26
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 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 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 9: Dark Sacred Night
9) Dark Sacred Night by Michael Connelly Michael Connelly has been at this game for a long time - with Harry Bosch, Micky Haller (the Lincoln Lawyer) and now Reneé Ballard as his well-known leading characters. I haven't read one for a while but this felt like a decent return to form. It brings together… Continue reading Year 5 / Book 9: Dark Sacred Night
Year 5 / Book 8: The Skeleton Road
8) The Skeleton Road by Val McDermid Val McDermid is best known for her Tony Hill & Carol Jordan series, but as I mentioned in my review of A Darker Domain last year, I've always preferred those featuring Karen Pirie - who has always felt to me like a more grounded and rounded protagonist; and… Continue reading Year 5 / Book 8: The Skeleton Road
Dog-eared Man: a book a week 