Review: ‘The Hummingbird Wizard’ (Book 1 of the Mystic Café trilogy) by Meredith Blevins

This is an interesting mashup of murder mystery with Romany gypsies, a bit of magic, a bit of romance, and a ditzy, menopausal heroine of the type that if her quips are good enough the book is a romp, and if it’s not it’s hard work. Be assured – this heroine (Annie Szabo) has plenty

Review: ‘Oscar Wilde and the Candlelit Murders (Oscar Wilde Mysteries 1)’ by Gyles Brandreth

I’m a bit of an Oscar Wilder groupie, and enjoy Sherlock Holmes stories, so when I came across this mashup I decided to give it a whirl. Brandreth is very knowledgeable about Oscar Wilde. He has written biographies about Wilde and his wider circle (and other well thought of biographies as well). So, factually speaking,

Review: ‘Gecko Magic: The Elemental Keys Book 3’ by Lynne Cantwell

NB – This book was previous issued as Molten Trail: Elemental Keys Book 3 Genre: Modern fantasy Description: some spoilers are inevitable here if you haven’t read the first two books in this series. Four demi-elementals (half human) have been brought together by The Powers That Be to foil a demon named Surgat – which

The last ever Crabchurch History Talks!

If you are local to Weymouth in Dorset, the last ever Crabchurch History Talks are taking place this year and, as a special, this time only, extra there is to be a book fayre attached. My books will be there, on the the “Weymouth writers and friends” stall. The fayre is open from noon on

Review: ‘Jiggle Sac’ by Sue Spiers

This is Sue Spiers first poetry collection. I understand she is now working on her second. The title is a juicy pun on The Rattle Bag anthology (Ted Hughes and Seamus Heaney, eds, 2005). A word about the poet may help explain her inspiration. She was born in Cyprus, lives in the UK, is an

Review: ‘Captains Courageous’ by Rudyard Kipling

I am unreasonably fond of Kipling. I only got round to his Kim as an adult and was blown away by it. Since then I have been working through his oeuvre when I get time. I believed this to be a book about army life in India when I picked it out. It was certainly

Review: ‘The Cobalt Sky (Sam Dyke investigations Book 10)’ by Keith Dixon

I was drawn to this book because the mystery at the heart of it concerns a painter, his idiosyncratic process, and a forgery of one of his works. I often enjoy crime novels and thrillers that are concerned with the theft of or search for artistic artefacts. Fortunately, this being the tenth in Dixon’s Sam

Our contribution to The Dorset Year Book, 2020

The Society of Dorset Men issues the DYB annually. This year Emily King and I are in it with my story ‘Sea Foal’ and her illustration of same. In case you don’t fettle a copy, here is our contribution: Sea Foal I often walk along the Esplanade at night. I enjoy the sparkling necklace of

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Caveat ever so emptor

BTW – do not buy anything from any advert you see on my blog. I did not put it there. I do not authorise these things. They are added by WordPress. Most of them appear to be scams and work by appealing to one’s vanity. I mean – cream that takes 10 years off you