2020
Recently reviewed
The Clue of the Hissing Serpent
Reviewed on 31st December 2020
As we near the end of the original series of Hardy Boys novels, we find them following Chet as he takes up another hobby - ballooning.
The Shattered Helmet
Reviewed on 30th December 2020
Book fifty-two is somewhere between the earlier “Hardy Holiday” novels and the more recent more international novels. This time the brothers (and Chet) are off to a film school for the summer, but of course become embroiled in a weird race to find an ancient helmet.
The Masked Monkey
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Reviewed on 30th December 2020
The Masked Monkey, the fifty-first of the Hardy Boys novels, feels a bit like a reversion to before the more modern take in the novels that preceded it. The brothers are dispatched by their father to search for a missing person, and the plot quickly gets weird.
Danger on Vampire Trail
Reviewed on 30th December 2020
The title to this fiftieth Hardy Boys novel doesn’t feel very in keeping with the usual storylines, but it seems to just be a gimmick, as the plot is fairly traditional.
The Bombay Boomerang
Reviewed on 30th December 2020
The forty-ninth Hardy Boys story definitely starts to feel like the seventies are here, even though there’s a mildly conservative attitude presented resisting some of the changes in teen culture.
The Arctic Patrol Mystery
Reviewed on 27th December 2020
It’s the end of the 1960s for the Hardy Boys and this cements the idea that the series has taken a change in direction - as the space age is upon them, as well as the age of proper international air travel.
The Mystery of the Whale Tattoo
Reviewed on 26th December 2020
The forty-seventh Hardy Boys novel sees the brothers get involved in one of their father’s cases related to an ivory theft, while simultaneously and unconnectedly their friends go into the whale business.
The Secret Agent on Flight 101
Reviewed on 26th December 2020
The forty-sixth of the original Hardy Boys novels sees the brothers leap into action after their father goes missing during a magician’s demonstration.
The Mystery of the Spiral Bridge
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Reviewed on 24th December 2020
Book forty-five of the original Hardy Boys series finds disaster as the boys’ father is returned injured from a case helping one of their friends’ dads, who is trying to build a bridge.
The Haunted Fort
Reviewed on 24th December 2020
The forty-fourth Hardy Boys story is again one that I read as a child but have no memory of. This time the boys, along with their ever-present friend Chet, go to visit Chet’s uncle at an art school on the trail of treasure.
The Mystery of the Aztec Warrior
Reviewed on 22nd December 2020
The forty-third novel in the original Hardy Boys series was marketed in the UK as book one - and so every time I’ve read this before (as a child without Wikipedia) I had assumed it to be the first book.
The Viking Symbol Mystery
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Reviewed on 22nd December 2020
The forty-second Hardy Boys novel sees the boys and their ever-present ally Chet Morton visit Canada on the trail of some thieves of an ancient Viking treasure.
The Clue of the Screeching Owl
Reviewed on 19th December 2020
The fourty-first Hardy Boys adventure once again sees them, with Chet in tow, off on holiday to help their father out with a case.
The Prisoner
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Reviewed on 19th December 2020
The fifth Henderson's Boys (a spin-off of the author's CHERUB series) novel focusses on Marc, one of the young protagonsits of the series, who is being held prisoner in Germany during World War Two.
The Windsor Knot
Reviewed on 19th December 2020
I found this book recommended online for people who has enjoyed Richard Osman’s The Thursday Murder Club, and was sufficiently amused by the concept of the nonagenarian Queen as a secret mystery-solver that I snapped it up.
The Mystery of the Desert Giant
Reviewed on 19th December 2020
The fortieth book in my epic re-read / completionist read-through of the original Hardy Boys series sees the two brothers and their ever-present friend Chet set off south on a mission to find two missing men.
The Poppy War
Reviewed on 19th December 2020
R F Kuang’s novels have appeared with increasing regularity on my social media feeds this year since she was awarded the Astounding Award at this year’s WorldCon, and so it seemed inevitable that I would buy and read the first novel in her trilogy.
The Autobiography of Kathryn Janeway
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Reviewed on 19th December 2020
I’ve kind of ignored the autobiography series of Star Trek novels until now, because I’m generally a fan of the Pocket Books novel series, and these are published by Titan. However the lure of Una McCormack as the ‘editor’ drew me to get this, the Kathryn Janeway entry in the series.
Miracle Cure
Reviewed on 12th December 2020
A stand-alone novel from the early 1990s, this Harlen Coben adventure is one of seemingly political intrigue framed around the AIDS crisis.
The Man in the Brown Suit
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Reviewed on 12th December 2020
This early Agatha Christie mystery was a refreshing return to her writing after I completed my read-through of the Poirot novels some months ago. It’s a slightly complex plot which sees a young woman find herself by chance investigating a crime that leads her on quite an adventure.
The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms
Reviewed on 2nd December 2020
The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms is a superstate in a fantasy world, where the ruling family have done a deal with a god to keep themselves in power, enslaving other deities in order to subjugate the rest of the known world. Until of course the prodigal granddaughter appears, and things become more complicated than a simple succession.
The Mystery of the Coughing Dragon
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Reviewed on 2nd December 2020
A classic Three Investigators mystery in which the trio are sent by their mentor Alfred Hitchcock to help a friend in need.
Crystal of Storms
Reviewed on 11th October 2020
This is the first Fighting Fantasy adventure I’ve tried - inspired, as I’m sure many others will be, by the choice of author. Rather than a novel, this is a choose-your-own adventure style game, which I’ve not tried since I was a child.
Jennings Unlimited
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Reviewed on 11th October 2020
It’s been a while since my last trip to Linbury in my re-read of the Jennings series, but this was a welcome visit to the sixteenth novel.
The Mystery of the Chinese Junk
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Reviewed on 11th October 2020
The Mystery of the Chinese Junk, thirty-ninth in the series, has an interesting setting for a fairly standard story.
Secret Seven on the Trail
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Troubled Blood
Reviewed on 11th October 2020
The fifth book in the Strike/Ellacott series was tainted by negative publicity at release, however I decided it was fair to give it a chance and confirm whether the media was trying to kick up a storm over nothing.
More Beautiful Than Death
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Reviewed on 11th October 2020
The second ‘adult’ tie-in novel in the Kelvinverse - the timeline established in the JJ Abrams series of Star Trek movies - was written ten years ago but only now published (with tweaks by the author).
The Thursday Murder Club
Reviewed on 11th October 2020
Richard Osman’s debut novel is a fantastic mystery set in and around a retirement village - hobbyists at investigating cold cases who are drawn into investigating the death of one of the park’s owners.
City of Bones
Reviewed on 13th September 2020
The first novel in Cassandra Clare’s Mortal Instruments series has glared at me from bookshops around the country for some years, almost demanding that I read it, and so eventually I have.
The Way of All Flesh
Reviewed on 13th September 2020
I was a bit trepidatious picking up this book. I’m late to the party - having only recently wondered why Chris Brookmyre’s output appeared to have slowed, only to discover from searching online that it’s because he’s been collaborating under the Ambrose Parry name. So having enjoyed his previous works, I was nervous about entering this new world and about whether I would like what I found.
The Mystery at Devil's Paw
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Reviewed on 13th September 2020
Book 38 of the original Hardy Boys series - my read through has slowed somewhat since earlier in lockdown as I’ve been distracted by more recent publications, and also because too many Hardy Boys adventures back to back is a little tortuous (not that it stopped me as an 11-year-old).
Feet of Clay
Reviewed on 13th September 2020
After reading the Discworld series in order the first time, I’m now enjoying a more serendipitous trip through some of the novels, and have arrived at this, the third Watch novel, in which Vimes is challenged by a secret rebellion, as well as some suspicious deaths in Ankh Morpork.
The Invisible Code
Reviewed on 13th September 2020
Back to a series I really enjoy reading. Surprisingly elderly detectives Bryant and May call themselves in to investigate some not-obviously-suspicious deaths in the City of London, which as usual leads to a complex set of not-quite paranormal clues leading them and their team on a chase around the city.
Die Standing
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Reviewed on 13th September 2020
The latest Star Trek: Discovery tie-in novel is set between seasons one and two of the TV series, though probably is best read after season two because it deals with some characters who hadn’t previously appeared in the series. The novel follows Philippa Georgiou as she is drawn into an investigation into an attack on a starship that bears a striking resemblance to other events in her earlier life.
Neuromancer
Reviewed on 16th August 2020
This novel is a classic mid-1980s science fiction tale of a man who, slightly down on his luck, is coerced into… something. I say something, because despite having read it I’m still not really clear what it was about or what went down.
A Divided Spy
Reviewed on 16th August 2020
The third Thomas Kell novel is an interesting one. Everything that happens is a follow-up to what’s gone before, so it wouldn’t work as a standalone read, and my memory of the second book was a bit patchy and probably could have done with more of a refresher than this book gave.
White Night
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Reviewed on 16th August 2020
It’s been two years since I read the previous Dresden Files novel - they taunt me a little from a bookcase, because I’ve got the whole series but don’t feel I enjoy them enough that I constantly want to read them. The release of a new entry however prompted me to pick up this, the ninth novel.
Death Under the Dryer
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Reviewed on 16th August 2020
I’ve found the previous novels in this series very relaxing to read, and Death Under The Dryer continues this trend. While set in the modern era, it continues the spirit of the classic mystery novel, with a casual attitude and relaxed mildly comedic turn to the characters and their relationships.
Well Done, Secret Seven
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The Collapsing Empire
Reviewed on 24th July 2020
Oh wow. Recently I’ve been a bit slower at reading - the mindless drudgery of lockdown having sapped my enthusiasm and attention span - but this book was very different.
The Ghost at Skeleton Rock
Reviewed on 24th July 2020
Deep into the original run of the Hardy Boys novels, Skeleton Rock starts well - with a classic new hobby for Chet, a hometown mystery, and a collection of surprising family-owned vehicles.
The Constant Rabbit
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Reviewed on 24th July 2020
I am a big fan of Jasper Fforde’s work, and so have been looking forward to this ever since I heard the intriguing title. It’s a coincidentally well timed novel being released in 2020, but clearly inspired by some of the real world events and politics of the past few years.
The Girl Who Could Move Shit With Her Mind
Reviewed on 24th July 2020
I’ll admit that a great deal of what attracted me to this book when I saw it for sale was the title. Typically novels can only get away with titles like this if the publisher really believes in the author, and so it felt like a strong bet.
Oh Dear Silvia
Reviewed on 27th June 2020
I have no idea why I owned a Dawn French novel, or where or when I got it - but it was on the shelf in amongst the other F authors when I was scanning for what to read next, and so I picked it out with trepidation.
Raven's Gate
Reviewed on 27th June 2020
I’ve read most of Anthony Horowitz’s Alex Rider series, and both his James Bond novels, so when I saw the first book of the Power of Five series on the shelf I thought I’d give it a go, and I was right to. Matt is the classic chosen one - an orphan with suspicions he has powers, living an oppressive home life that he wishes to escape from - and as always adventure ensues.
The Secret of Pirates' Hill
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Reviewed on 27th June 2020
The Secret of Pirates Hill feels like one of those novels where they kept the title, but in the 1960s rewrite replaced the bulk of the plot - because the hill itself feels far from the primary focus.
The Galaxy Game
Reviewed on 27th June 2020
I picked this book up at a discount outlet purely on the basis of the cover - I’d not heard of it nor the author before, but the blurb sounded fascinating.
The Invisible Library
Reviewed on 27th June 2020
This first novel in the Invisible Library series caught my attention in the book shop, and was on my wish list for a while until it was purchased for me as a birthday present. The book follows an adventuring librarian - a bit like an Indiana Jones of her profession, sent out into parallel worlds to retrieve books of interdimensional interest.
Secret Seven Adventure
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Reviewed on 27th June 2020
The second book in the Secret Seven series - a story I must have read several times as a child. Fairly safe I thought - a homely familiar tale of seven children from the 1950s (who in my head live in my grandparents’ house, despite in the narrative living on a farm).
Camino Winds
Reviewed on 27th June 2020
An unusual sequel from John Grisham sends us back to the world of his somewhat more-literary group of fictional authors and their bookseller patriarch, on Camino Island, Florida, as a hurricane makes its way dramatically towards them.
The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes
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Reviewed on 8th June 2020
The fourth novel in the Hunger Games series - a prequel set many decades before the original trilogy - tells the story of a 16 year old Coriolanus Snow, as he experiences the Hunger Games first hand as one of the first Capitol student-mentors, adopting a tribute to support through the brutal contest.
The Clue in the Embers
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Reviewed on 8th June 2020
This is one of those Hardy Boys stories that I know I had a child, because my copy has my name in the front in shaky youthful handwriting - and yet I didn’t remember it at all.
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
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Reviewed on 8th June 2020
A chance conversation led me to realise that it was a very long time since I’d read Half-Blood Prince, the sixth Harry Potter book. Possibly I haven’t even read it since book seven came out, which seems negligent.
A Wizard of Earthsea
Reviewed on 25th May 2020
As a child I received a book titled The Earths Quartet as part of a Christmas or Birthday present, but never found the time nor inclination to read it. Having no idea what happened to that copy, when as an adult I saw the same tales, now rather more mundanely titled “The First Four Books”, I picked it up and intended to actually read it. Cut to some time later… and in my lockdown-inspired reading order I picked it off the shelf, and began this, the first of the four stories.
The Secret Seven
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Reviewed on 24th May 2020
Having completed my adult revisitation to Enid Blyton’s Five Find-Outers series, I turned next to the Secret Seven, which had been my second-favourite of the prolific author’s mystery series as a child.
The Unsettling Stars
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Reviewed on 24th May 2020
Eleven years after the 2009 Star Trek film, the first spin-off novel aimed at an adult audience has finally appeared (it was written back then, but then shelved by the publisher for a decade).
Research
Reviewed on 24th May 2020
This is the first novel by Philip Kerr that I’ve read, and I’m not entirely sure I remember where I found it or why, but it’s been staring at me from my bookshelf for multiple months and last week happened to be where I was looking when I wanted a new book to read.
The Hooded Hawk Mystery
Reviewed on 24th May 2020
I’ve been rapidly making my way through the Hardy Boys original series during lockdown, and this one seemed like a solid entry.
Meddling Kids
Reviewed on 23rd May 2020
I saw this book in the shops and was immediately intrigued by the concept. I was a massive reader of the sort of fiction it is pastiching as a kid - consuming the Hardy Boys, Three Investigators, all the Enid Blyton groups of child mystery-solvers, and more - and have been revisiting some of them as an adult. So how could I resist this, the story of what happens when the child detectives grow up and return to the scene of their childhood investigations.
Oathbringer
Reviewed on 23rd May 2020
The third epic novel in the epic series to end all epic series. I’ve been averaging a book every two to three days this year, sometimes faster during lockdown. This however took me five weeks - it’s 1200 pages long and handily divided into five parts, after each of which I needed a break of three shorter books just to let my arms recover enough to keep holding it up.
A Call to Darkness
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Reviewed on 10th May 2020
A Call To Darkness, set in the second season of The Next Generation, sees the crew of the Enterprise seeking a missing Starfleet vessel - and following its trail to a world which read as if I was meant to know more about its history that I do. Four of the senior officers beam down - and immediately are cut off from the ship.
Skulduggery Pleasant
Reviewed on 10th May 2020
For years I've seen this series of books floating around libraries and bookshops, and wondered what it was all about - so this time I picked up a copy fo the first novel - and now I've found out.
The Yellow Feather Mystery
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Reviewed on 3rd May 2020
The Yellow Feature Mystery sticks in my head as one of those classic Hardy Boys titles. I must have read it in the listings hundreds of times as a child - and yet it wasn't one of the books I'd read, or which formed part of my collection. Until now.
People's Republic
Reviewed on 3rd May 2020
Having written 12 novels in the original Cherub series, Robert Muchamore found himself with a main character who had now outgrown his role, and so we return in 'Series Two' with an all new main cast (suplemented by returning supporting characters) as Ryan heads out on his first mission.
The Mystery of Banshee Towers
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Reviewed on 3rd May 2020
The final story in Enid Blyton's Five Find-Outers (and Dog) series feels different from the earlier fourteen. Home again for the holidays, the group decide to fill their days with excursions, and just happen to head up the hill to Banshee Towsers to see a gallery of paintings - where lo and behold a mystery awaits.
Maskerade
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Reviewed on 3rd May 2020
Having recently watched Phantom of the Opera for the first time (thanks, Lockdown), and with plenty of time (thanks, Lockdown) on my hands, I decided that now would be an ideal time to re-read Maskerade, the Discworld novel based loosely on the musical.
The Crisscross Shadow
Reviewed on 1st May 2020
Continuing with my chronological re-read of the original Hardy Boys series, I came to this. I know it’s one I read as a child, as it’s got my name written in the front in wobbly young handwriting, but I didn’t find myself remembering much of the story, so it can’t have been one of my favourites.
Exit Music
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Reviewed on 1st May 2020
Originally marketed as the final Rebus novel, Exit Music covers the final two weeks of Rebus’ career as he approaches retirement, with a collection of unsolved cases hanging over his conscience, and a fresh murder to investigate.
The Secret of Wildcat Swamp
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Reviewed on 25th April 2020
The ‘Hardy Boys Go On Holiday’ part of the series continues with this trip to the countryside to help someone find fossils in a swamp.
Men At Arms
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Reviewed on 25th April 2020
My first readthrough of the Discworld series was in strict publication order. This time round it’s a bit more chaotic, leaping in wherever the mood takes me, and this time that’s the second Watch book, Men At Arms.
The Wailing Siren Mystery
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Reviewed on 18th April 2020
In book 30, the Hardy Boys head off camping again. It’s another of the weak middle era of the original series, where coincidence and cookie-cutter plots involving woods and helicopters lead our heroes round in circles for a bit.
The Yiddish Policeman's Union
Reviewed on 18th April 2020
I picked this up after hearing that Michael Chabon was becoming the show runner of the latest Star Trek series, and thought that I’d get used to some of his work. As it was I didn’t start reading until after the TV show (which is excellent) had begun airing.
The Secret of the Lost Tunnel
Reviewed on 18th April 2020
The 29th Hardy Boys novel feels firmly in the ‘The Hardys go on holiday for a mystery’ era, as I’m naming it. This time it’s off to an archaeological dig to find some treasure from the era of the American civil war.
The Mystery of Holly Lane
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Reviewed on 18th April 2020
Somehow I got lost in my read through of the Five Find-Outers series and skipped this one - going back it’s one of the best, so I’m glad I realised.
The Sign of the Crooked Arrow
Reviewed on 16th April 2020
Book twenty-eight sees the Hardy Boys dragged into one of their father’s cases - again. This time they are looking into some jewellery thefts that turn into something almost comically over complicated.
The Secret of Skull Mountain
Reviewed on 16th April 2020
Hardy Boys adventure number twenty-seven feels a bit dated and slightly inappropriate. The teenage detectives pop out to visit the local reservoir construction project which is on a Native American burial mountain, and is being beset by mysterious drainage problems.
A Keeper
Reviewed on 16th April 2020
I enjoyed Graham Norton’s first novel, so when I saw this on the bookshelf picked it up. It’s the story of a bereaved daughter who returns to her Irish home to tidy up her mother’s affairs, and in doing so starts to learn more of her own story.
The Edge of Reason
Reviewed on 16th April 2020
I knew of Melinda Snodgrass from her work on Star Trek, and have previously read a short story by her in the Dangerous Women anthology which I enjoyed. So when I saw her trilogy on the shelf of the bookshop I picked it up - this is the first novel. It’s the story of good vs evil in the form of an unlikely police officer in suburban america.
The Last Day
Reviewed on 22nd March 2020
I’ve been listening to Andrew Hunter Murray on the No Such Thing As A Fish podcast for many years, and so when I heard that he’d published a novel I bought it immediately without pause for thought. It’s probably not what I’d usually buy, but I’m totally happy with my decision in this case.
False Value
Reviewed on 22nd March 2020
The eight full-length novel in the Peter Grant / Rivers of London series is happily back in the territory of the stand-alone adventure, after the previous novel’s slightly confusing attempt to wrap up some ongoing plot threads. We meet Peter, recently having left the police, as he begins a new job as a security guard for a high tech business in London.
The Last Best Hope
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Reviewed on 20th March 2020
The Last Best Hope is the first tie-in novel for the new Star Trek: Picard TV series, in which we return to the era of the Next Generation to find out what’s been happening some 25 years later. The novel serves as a prequel to the series, and fills in the detail of some of the events 14 years earlier, charting how the effects of events depicted in the 2009 movie affected this, the prime timeline, and led directly to where me meet Picard now.
The Road to Mars
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Reviewed on 19th March 2020
I picked this novel up in a charity shop based primarily on knowing who the author is, and was really pleased when I eventually got around to reading it. It’s the tale of two comedians, who having failed in auditioning for a job on a cruise ship, attempt to head to Mars seeking work, only for everything to go wrong.
Death is Forever
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Reviewed on 19th March 2020
The twelfth James Bond novel published by long-standing continuation author John Gardner sees the British secret agent embracing the mores of the early 1990s as he investigates the disappearance of some former agents around Europe.
The Phantom Freighter
Reviewed on 16th March 2020
Another classic from the heyday of the original Hardy Boys (albeit the re-written version from the 60s in my case) sees the two detectives and their friends trying to help a random man they meet plan a holiday.
Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children
Reviewed on 9th February 2020
I picked up a really nice, surprisingly heavy, hardback edition of Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children from a charity shop, and was surprised to find I was reading a story with great similarity to the film based upon it.
The Captain's Honour
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Reviewed on 9th February 2020
This Next Generation original tie-in novel is set toward the end of season one, and published in the late 1980s. It’s fairly typical of the sort of planet-of-the-week adventures common in novels of the time, but the content feels dated.
Agent Running in the Field
Reviewed on 9th February 2020
John le Carré’s latest spy novel shows all the hallmarks of a man who, despite being 88 years old, still has an deep understanding of everything modern, and how the lives of his characters will be both different, and the same, as they were when he started writing.
Starsight
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Reviewed on 9th February 2020
The second novel of Spensa, a woman who has grown up on humanity’s last refuge, and become a pilot to help defend her world. Starlight starts without an obvious direction to go in - the plot of the first novel, while leaving space for the sequel, didn’t make the onward path obvious.
Blue Moon
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Reviewed on 9th February 2020
In what it turns out might be one of Lee Child’s last novels about his hero Jack Reacher (not a spoiler - he has announced he’s handing over authorial duties to his brother), we visit a small town run by two rival gangs, between whom a turf war is triggered based on something of a misunderstanding.
The Sand Men
Reviewed on 9th February 2020
This is the first of Fowler’s books I’ve read outside the Bryant and May series, and I was slightly trepidatious. The cover reminded me of a book I recently read by another author, which was desert-based urban fantasy, and which I didn’t get on with. However I needn’t have worried.
Gregor the Overlander
Reviewed on 2nd February 2020
I had no idea until recently that Suzanne Collins had written a series before The Hunger Games, but when I found out I decided to keep my eyes open, and it wasn’t long before I found a copy of this - the tale of Gregor, a down-on-his-luck teenager from New York who accidentally follows his younger sister into an unusual subterranean world.
Stardust
Reviewed on 2nd February 2020
I’ve read a couple of Neil Gaiman’s books before, and not found them easy to engage with, but this time I had seen the film (albeit some years ago) and enjoyed that, so thought that maybe this would be the Gaiman novel for me.
The Stabbing in the Stables
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Reviewed on 2nd February 2020
Slowly making my way through this series, I find myself at book 7, in which amateur sleuths Carole and Jude accidentally find themselves discovering the body of a stabbed stable owner, and becoming once again drawn into a murder investigation in the surprisingly deadly Sussex countryside.
Dead Endless
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Reviewed on 1st February 2020
The sixth novel based on Star Trek: Discovery takes us on an interesting journey following the relationship between Stamens and Culber, focussed on a period that lightly intersects with events depicted in the second season - it’s important I think to have watched season two (as well as season one) before reading.
Arcanum Unbounded
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Reviewed on 2nd January 2020
This is the second time I’ve read the Emperor’s Soul - my memory of what happened was barely existent from when I first read it nearly six years ago. It’s a really strong opener to this volume, standing alone despite being set in the world of “Elantris” and requiring no prior knowledge of Sanderson’s works. It does the standard Brandon thing of introducing a world and a magic system through a compelling character in an unusual situation, and does it masterfully.
The Book of the Year
Reviewed on 2nd January 2020
So it’s taken me a surprisingly long time - two years - to get to the end of this review of 2017, wherein the stars of (possibly) the world’s biggest podcast, No Such Thing As a Fish, have collected all the unusual news stories of the year.
The Norfolk Mystery
Reviewed on 2nd January 2020
This first mystery in the County Guides series spends a lot of time introducing us to the main characters before what is ostensibly the plot kicks off.
The Lies of Locke Lamora
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Reviewed on 2nd January 2020
I don’t remember where I first heard about this book, but when I spotted it on the shelves of the book shop I scooped it up and have been waiting for read it for a few months. It opened with an introduction by Joe Abercrombie, who described this book as better than his. I did not get on with the Abercrombie novel I read a few years ago, so was immediately wary - but it turns out I didn’t need to worry.
The Mystery of the Strange Messages
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Reviewed on 2nd January 2020
This is the absolute classic Five Find-Outers mystery. One of the best investigations that Fatty and his friends have had, and possibly one of the best that Enid Blyton ever wrote.
The Guardians
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Reviewed on 2nd January 2020
I was worried when I started reading this Grisham novel that it was just going to be the same again - he’s written the story of a man on death row over and over again - but it managed to retain my interest and tell an interesting story from a slightly different angle.
Collateral Damage
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Reviewed on 2nd January 2020
Billed as the final episode in a series of Star Trek follow-on novels that have been published over nearly 20 years, wrapping everything up before the new Star Trek: Picard TV series begins in early 2020 - however that’s not really what it is.