Review: The Christmas Appeal, by Janice Hallett

Print Book ISBN: 9781800817357
Thriller
BIC: FF, 5HC
26 October 2023
£10.99
224 pp
Hardback
B format
198mm x 129mm
World ex USA,Can
eBook ISBN: 9781800817425

DESCRIPTION

THE CAST OF SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLING THE APPEAL RETURN FOR
A FESTIVE MURDER MYSTERY

One dead Santa. A town full of suspects. Will you discover the truth?
Christmas in Lower Lockwood, and the Fairway Players are busy rehearsing their festive pantomime, Jack and the Beanstalk, to raise money for the church roof appeal.
But despite the season, goodwill is distinctly lacking amongst the amateur dramatics enthusiasts. Sarah-Jane is fending off threats to her new position as Chair, the fibreglass beanstalk might be full of asbestos, and a someone is intent on ruining the panto even before the curtain goes up.

Of course there’s also the matter of the dead body. Who could possibly have had the victim on their naughty list?

Join lawyers Femi and Charlotte as they read the round robins, examine the emails and pore over the police transcripts. Will the show go on?

Continue reading “Review: The Christmas Appeal, by Janice Hallett”

Review: Vet at the End of the Earth, by Jonathan Hollins

Pub. Date October 2023
Price £16.99
ISBN-13 9780715654866

Description

The role of resident vet in the British Overseas Territories encompasses the
complexities of caring for the world’s oldest known land animal – a 190 year-old giant tortoise – and MoD mascots at the Falklands airbase; pursuing mystery creatures and invasive microorganisms; relocating herds of reindeer; and rescuing animals in extraordinarily rugged landscapes, from subtropical cloud forests to volcanic cliff faces.

Witty, warm and beautifully crafted, Jonathan Hollins’s tales of island vetting are not only full of wonderful creatures – they are also steeped in the unique local history, cultures and peoples of the islands, far removed from the hustle of modern life. These tales of island vetting are perfect for animal lovers, adventurers and armchair travellers alike.

Continue reading “Review: Vet at the End of the Earth, by Jonathan Hollins”

Review: Divide – The Relationship Crisis Between Town & Country, by Anna Jones

Publication date Thursday,
September 14, 2023
Price £10.99
EAN\ISBN-13 9780857839732

Description

This book is a call to action. It warns that unless we learn to accept and respect our social, cultural and political differences as town and country people, we are never going to solve the chronic problems in our food system and environment.

As we stare down the barrel of climate change, only farmers – who manage two thirds of the UK’s landscape – working together with conservation groups can create a healthier food system and bring back nature in diverse abundance. But this fledgling progress is hindered and hamstrung by simplistic debates that still stoke conflict between conservative rural communities and the liberal green movement.

Each chapter, from Family and Politics to Animal Welfare and the Environment, explores a different aspect of the urban/rural disconnect, weaving case studies and research with Anna’s personal stories of growing up on a small, upland farm. There is a simple theme and a strong message running throughout the book – a plea to respect our differences, recognise each other’s strengths and work together to heal the land.

Continue reading “Review: Divide – The Relationship Crisis Between Town & Country, by Anna Jones”

Audiobook Review: Cover The Bones, by Rachel Amphlett

Cover the Bones (Detective Mark Turpin series, book 5
Imprint:                      Saxon Publishing
Publication date:       18 September 2023
Availability:               Worldwide
ISBN eBook:             978-1-915231-56-7
ISBN paperback:      978-1-915231-54-3
ISBN large print:       978-1-915231-55-0
Audiobook:                978-1-915231-57-4
 

Book details

When archaeologists discover a skeleton in secluded woodland, the body is first thought to be related to an ancient Saxon settlement.  

Then the torn and rotten remains of another woman’s bones are uncovered, her injuries bearing the markings of abuse and a violent death.

Detective Mark Turpin is tasked with finding their killer, except the forensic evidence is perplexing and the victims’ bodies are proving impossible to identify.   When a third victim is discovered only metres from the first, Mark and his team realise they’re running out of time to find out whoever is responsible.  

Are the brutal murders the only evidence in a case gone cold, or does a serial killer lurk in the shadows, stalking their next victim? 

Cover the Bones is the fifth book in the Detective Mark Turpin series from USA Today bestselling author Rachel Amphlett.

Continue reading “Audiobook Review: Cover The Bones, by Rachel Amphlett”

Review: A Sword of Bronze and Ashes, by  Anna Smith Spark

●  Genre – Fiction > Fantasy
●  ISBN hardcover – 978-1-78758-840-0
●  ISBN paperback – 978-1-78758-839-4
●  ISBN ebook – 978-1-78758-841-7
●  Pricing [USD] $26.95 (HC) / $16.95 (PB) / $4.99 (EB)
●  Pricing [GBP] £20 (HC) / £9.95 (PB) / £6.95 (EB)
●  Releases September 12 2023
●  Published by Flame Tree Press
●  Distributed by Simon & Schuster (US),
Hachette Book Group (UK)

Blurb

A Sword of Bronze and Ashes combines the fierce beauty of Celtic myth with grimdark battle violence. It’s a lyrical, folk horror high fantasy.

Kanda has a good life until shadows from her past return threatening everything she loves. And Kanda, like any parent, has things in her past she does not want her children to know. Red war is coming: pursued by an ancient evil, Kanda must call upon all her strength to protect her family. But how can she keep her children safe, if they want to stand as warriors beside her when the light fades and darkness rises?

Continue reading “Review: A Sword of Bronze and Ashes, by  Anna Smith Spark”

Review: Promise, by Christi Nogle

Promise collects Christi Nogle’s best futuristic stories ranging from plausible tech-based science fiction to science fantasy stories about aliens in our midst: chameleonic foils hover in the skies, you can order a headset to speak and dream with your dog, and your devices sometimes connect not just to the web but to the underworld.

These tales will recall the stories of Ray Bradbury, television programs such as Black Mirror and The Twilight Zone, and novels such as Little Eyes by Samanta Schweblin or Under the Skin by Michel Faber.

They are often strange and dreadful but veer towards themes of hope, potential, promise.

Continue reading “Review: Promise, by Christi Nogle”