10 things I learned from the movies and TV
We’ve all learned from the movies. Films and TV shows are a faithful reproduction of real life, aren’t they? After a year or more locked away for our own safety, even more of what we…
Hallucinations at the Oscars
Like staring into a fire, part of the fun of watching all the films submitted for the Baftas or Oscars is that unexpected patterns begin to appear. Between December and April, when we vote, I…
Foul Play – a murder mystery in your own home
Those of you who have been hanging on my every blog will remember that two years ago I braved a country house murder mystery evening in Morecambe, run by the creators of the crime festival…
Putting on the squeeze. Review: Squeeze Me by Carl Hiaasen
What’s a poor author to do? You write a comic novel that satirises the orange blob in the White House and no sooner is it in print than he’s gone. Carl Hiaasen is one of…
Fight club: Review of Lionel Shriver’s The Motion of the Body Through Space
Bestselling author Lionel Shriver is not one to run away from a fight. In her latest novel, she runs full tilt towards it, in just about every sense of the word. This week, I’m looking…
Breaking bad? Review of Graham Greene’s Travels with My Aunt
I’m very into re-reading at the moment (if you’re interested there’s a great article on the subject by novelist Richard Bradbury) but this week’s review is of a book I re-read by accident. To be…
Will you be gripped by The Singapore Grip? Review
As disaster looms, the incompetents in charge can offer only complacency, arrogance and grandiosity. Sounds familiar? But this isn’t Covid-19, it’s Singapore in the Second World War. Based on an acclaimed satirical novel, the glossy…
Room 15 out today
It’s here. Publication day for Room 15 – psychological mystery thriller. And to celebrate the day Bloodhound Books have reduced the ebook price for a very short time to 99p/99c. Already the novel is rising…
Room 15 launch events
At last, it’s preorder day and I can share the cover of my new psychological mystery thriller Room 15 with the world, along with the events planned for publication day. Room 15 launch events Publication…
Belgravia with batons: Philharmonia, love or hate it?
There’s a new argument dividing our household? Forget Brexit, Trump or whether social distancing is a hoax, this is the big question of the day: Philharmonia, love it or hate it? OK, let’s be honest…
Everything is copy – review of Nora Ephron Collected
I don’t know about you but I am a sucker for Nora Ephron’s screenplay for When Harry Met Sally. The movie’s pretty good too, but the script is outstanding. On the other hand, I’d never…
Spies like us – review of Kate Atkinson’s Transcription
Fiction writers are liars by trade and spy novelists are the biggest liars of all. Their entire genre is based on deception and betrayal of trust. And I don’t just mean the characters. As with…
Collateral damage – review of Berta Isla by Javier Marías
Last month I reviewed the latest, possibly last, novel by one of the giants of spy fiction, Agent Running in the Field by John le Carré. Today a very different, indeed very unusual, spy novel.…
John le Carré’s new novel Agent Running in the Field – review
There’s something about books written by masters of their craft towards the end of their careers. It’s a kind of poise, an ease, that you can see in (say) Philip Roth’s late books. (Which isn’t…
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The 5 Best True Crime Books of 2019
For the first post of the year, I’m delighted to welcome guest-blogger Desiree Villena, a lifelong true crime aficionado. Today she puts her passion and knowledge to use by choosing her best true crime books…
Dark night of the soul? Review of Louise Doughty’s Platform Seven
I like dark stories. I have no problem with light stories, either, but there’s something about a novel or a film that is unafraid of the night, literal or metaphorical. Louise Doughty is one of…
Review: Joe Country by Mick Herron
Publishers, agents and readers love a running series. Like a fast food outlet a good series promises a regular supply of what you love. A McNovel. Mick Herron hit a rich vein of dark spy…
Finnish humour. Review of Palm Beach Finland by Antti Tuomainen
Last year, I sat with the Finnish novelist Antti Tuomainen on a panel for the literary festival Newcastle Noir. Tuomainen is a massive name in his home country and is enormously funny to listen to,…