2021
Recently reviewed
Trapped at Sea
Reviewed on 29th December 2021
This is a badly titled Hardy Boys book in which they spend barely any time trapped at sea. Instead they’re on the trace of some transport hijackers.
The Long Way To A Small Angry Planet
Reviewed on 29th December 2021
I’ve seen this series mentioned in a lot of places, and so when I saw this first book for sale I had to grab it (along with one of the later entries).
The Indian in the Cupboard
Reviewed on 29th December 2021
A recently rediscovered classic from my childhood, this is the story of Omri and his toy indigenous American, who comes to life when subjected to being locked in an old medicine cupboard with a magic key.
The Tic-Tac Terror
Reviewed on 29th December 2021
Disappointingly not about the mint, but the game which we call Noughts and Crosses where I’m from.
The Desert Prince
Reviewed on 29th December 2021
I wasn’t sure about this return to the world of the Demon Cycle for a second series, and it took me a while to get back into it.
The Ashes of Tomorrow
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Reviewed on 29th December 2021
The second book of the Coda trilogy, this time by James Swallow, is even more intense than the first.
The Mystery of Three Quarters
Reviewed on 29th December 2021
Sophie Hannah’s third Poirot novel is one I’ve put off reading for some years, but found a pleasant return to the character.
Fevre Dream
Reviewed on 19th December 2021
This is the first properly stand alone GRRM novel that I’ve attempted to read, and it’s quite different from his most famous series.
Evil Star
Reviewed on 19th December 2021
The second book in the series, we follow the adventure as Matt’s powers cause him problems, even as his enemies continue to chase him down.
The Billion Dollar Ransom
Reviewed on 19th December 2021
A Hardy Boys book that really kicks things onto a new level, this entry in the series really showcases the difference in scale that’s been achieved by the 1980s, and almost feels like a prototype of the Casefiles spin-off series.
Moments Assunder
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Reviewed on 19th December 2021
The first novel of Coda, the trilogy that ends twenty years of novel storyline and promises to set things back on track for the Star Trek universe to continue plotting the future on television.
Blood at the Bookies
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Reviewed on 19th December 2021
Back to the seaside town of Fethering we go, to find nobody particularly suspicious that there’s been another in a complex series of unrelated murders that the local police can’t solve, and so two armchair detectives must step in.
The Court of Miracles
Reviewed on 19th December 2021
I picked this book up following an aggressive Twitter-based marketing campaign by the publisher, and couldn’t be happier.
The Appeal
Reviewed on 31st October 2021
I bought this book entirely on the promise of the cover and the large presentation table of them in my local bookshop, and I was not disappointed.
A Symphony of Echoes
Reviewed on 31st October 2021
Returning to St Mary’s for the second book in the series, to find it’s just as much fun as the first.
Rogue Elements
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Reviewed on 31st October 2021
The Star Trek novel line has a pretty standard approach of focussing on prequels and hats yet backstories when it comes to the new series like Discovery and Picard, and this third Picard novel is no exception - being the story of Rios.
The Voodoo Plot
Reviewed on 31st October 2021
Book 72 sees the Hardy brothers take on a case for their black friend, who presumably has never been mentioned until now because the series had a poor record for racism so far.
Secret Seven Win Through
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Reviewed on 31st October 2021
In this holidays the seven have to find a new meeting place when Peter and Janet’s father recklessly approves the refurbishment of their usual shed at exactly the time they most want to use it.
The Man Who Died Twice
Reviewed on 31st October 2021
Richard Osman, surprise star author of the pandemic era, returns with his second novel about The Thursday Murder Club - a group of retirees who meet to study unsolved crimes.
The Last Smile in Sunder City
Reviewed on 31st October 2021
I bought this book based on a similarity recommendation engine and because the cover is reminiscent of those of Ben Aaronovitch’s Rivers of London series.
The Great Troll War
Reviewed on 31st October 2021
The fourth and final entry in the Last Dragonslayer series finds Jennifer Strange and her friends forced to retreat to Cornwall as the Ununited Kingdoms are invaded by an astonishing volume of trolls.
The Mystery of the Singing Serpent
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Reviewed on 31st October 2021
Mystery number seventeen, and the second by author M V Carey, sees the three lads hired by a girl they know to investigate strange goings on at her house.
The Mystery of the Nervous Lion
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Reviewed on 6th October 2021
In their sixteenth adventure the Three Investigators are put in touch with a local animal handler to investigate his lion.
The Mystery of the Flaming Footprints
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Reviewed on 5th October 2021
The fifteenth Three Investigators mystery is a really good one. Written in the early 1970s, it took me a moment to work out the timeline, as it refers back to events in the 1920s, which now feels beyond living memory, but would not have been so at the time.
Shadows Have Offended
Reviewed on 5th October 2021
An intriguing return to Next Generation novels set during, rather than long after, the TV series, sees us join the crew for two parallel stories - while Picard, Troi, and Worf investigate a crime, Riker, Data, and Crusher explore a new planet. As is traditional, La Forge doesn’t get to do much.
Track of the Zombie
Reviewed on 5th October 2021
In one of their least memorable adventures, the Hardy brothers head off on holiday to investigate several mysteries, including the titular zombie, who is a local legend where they are staying.
The Dragon Republic
Reviewed on 5th October 2021
I always seem to get nervous with books two in series, concerned that’s they won’t be as good as I remember books one being, but also that I don’t remember enough about the books one to really understand. In this case I need not have worried.
The Impossible Dead
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Reviewed on 5th October 2021
This is the second Malcolm Fox novel, following the story of a police inspector tasked with investigating other police officers. The previous novel was the first Ian Rankin that I read, and I’ve now caught up through his Rebus novels to the point where this pair fit into the timeline.
The Infinity Clue
Reviewed on 7th August 2021
Book 70, and the Hardy brothers are roped into their father’s investigation with very little information to go on, making this a confusing plot without really any defined mystery to investigate.
The Four-Headed Dragon
Reviewed on 7th August 2021
I’m slightly disappointed about the lack of an actual dragon in this sixty-ninth Hardy Boys mystery, which instead sees the brothers investigating… actually I’m not entirely sure what?
The Submarine Caper
Reviewed on 7th August 2021
The sixty-eighth book in the Hardy Boys series enters a run of books I didn’t have as a child, so they are new adventures to me.
The Outlaw's Silver
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Reviewed on 7th August 2021
Book 67, and the Hardy brothers are dragged into a slightly confusing set of overlapping mysteries to the extent that it was hard to remember what’s what.
The Vanishing Thieves
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Reviewed on 7th August 2021
Hardy Boys adventure 66 sees a visit by Chet’s cousin lead the brothers and their friend into my one but four separate cases, taking them on a trip to Los Angeles.
The Stone Idol
Reviewed on 31st July 2021
This early 1980s Hardy Boys novel sees the brothers hired to investigate the theft of a small state originating from Easter Island.
Sooley
Reviewed on 31st July 2021
John Grisham turns back to sports in this novel about a South Sudanese basketball player who is spotted by a coach looking to take a team to the US for exhibition matches.
The Bleeding Heart
Reviewed on 31st July 2021
Book I-Don't-Know-I've-Lost-Count in the Bryant and May series brings a slight lightening of tone - with the plot focus a bit more mysterious and slightly less brutal, and the increasingly rich world take a turn for the mildly amusing and less perilous.
The Hungry and the Fat
Reviewed on 31st July 2021
After reading Look Who's Back som eyears ago I had been waiting for another onvel from Timur Vermes, and ere it is. This time it's an alternate future (or maybe a possible future) in which a refugee crisis has led to policies of isolationism across Europe.
Guardian Angel
Reviewed on 4th July 2021
The second book in the Aramov series (the second spin-off series from Muchamore’s CHERUB series) sees Ryan and Ning take part in a complex series of missions to obtain further information from Ethan, the grandson of the leader of the Aramov Clan of smugglers and general global baddies based in Kyrgyzstan.
Rhythm of War
Reviewed on 4th July 2021
I don’t remember how many weeks, months probably, it has taken me to make my way through Rhythm of War, the fourth book in Brandon Sanderson’s epic fantasy series The Starlight Archive. As with the previous book, Oathbringer, I took advantage of the five-part structure to take breaks and read other, shorter, novels to help ensure my motivation didn’t falter.
The Mystery of Smugglers Cove
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Reviewed on 4th July 2021
In a 1980s story with a title reminiscent of much earlier books in the Hardy Boys series, the brothers get to travel to Florida, investigating the theft of a valuable painting.
Monstrous Regiment
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Reviewed on 4th July 2021
Needing a break from heavier tomes, I returned to Terry Pratchett’s Discworld, and re-read Monstrous Regiment. Mostly a stand-alone tale from the Disc, although a couple of the Watch characters do appear, this is the tale of the classic rag-tag group who sign up for the army near the end of the war, when hope is wavering, to escape a variety of elements of their lives.
The Marlow Murder Club
Reviewed on 4th July 2021
I picked this up based on recommendations that it’s similar to other mysteries I’ve recently read - and it definite feels at first glance just from the title that it’s deliberately trying to market off the back of Richard Osman’s The Thursday Murder Club.
Written in Dead Wax
Reviewed on 4th July 2021
On reading the second book in the series and writing a review, I discovered that I’d somehow missed reviewing this first book when I read it last October. So, based on what’s now a distant memory, here are my thoughts.
Wonderlands
Reviewed on 26th June 2021
Una McCormack’s second Star Trek Discovery novel, and the eighth overall, aims to fill the gap in Michael Burnham’s story between the first two episodes of season three. I’d say this book is spoilery up to and including episode two though, so probably best to watch the third season before reading.
The Run Out Groove
Reviewed on 26th June 2021
The second book in the Vinyl Detective series has satisfactorily shifted me out of a bit of a reading rut and back into the groove. In this sequel we’re reunited with the familiar characters and cats from the first novel, as they are drawn into investigating a complex missing persons/records case.
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
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Reviewed on 31st May 2021
Somehow it turns out that I must have only read Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows twice before - on original publication in 2007 and again pretty soon after in 2008, before I started logging all my reading. I found this really surprising when I realised, and so decided I needed to dive back in again.
Just One Damned Thing After Another
Reviewed on 31st May 2021
I was tempted into starting this series after reading someone describe it as something that fans of Terry Pratchett would like. It’s certainly not similar in content, but the statement turns out to be accurate for me, as I really enjoyed reading this.
The Mummy Case
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Reviewed on 31st May 2021
In their most international case yet, the Hardy brothers are hired by a New York museum to investigate some thefts and accompany a mummy across the Atlantic back to Egypt.
Tales from the Folly
Reviewed on 30th May 2021
The first tale is short and is a tie-in for the 2012 Olympics. It doesn’t seem a huge contribution to the series but is a welcome refresher of the style and a nice trip into the world.
Good Work, Secret Seven
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Reviewed on 2nd May 2021
I found it really interesting to return to this story in the Secret Seven series. As the children prepare for Bonfire Night, Peter and Janet are shocked as they witness a car theft, and set out to find the culprits.
The Cut
Reviewed on 2nd May 2021
The latest Chris Brookmyre crime novel is another genius blend of cultural references, commentary on society, mystery, history, and comedy.
The Apeman's Secret
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Reviewed on 2nd May 2021
This is possibly the first Hardy Boys story that I read as a child, though I don’t have any specific memory of that first encounter, just if this volume being an early one I came into possession of.
The Book of the Year 2018
Reviewed on 17th April 2021
The sequel to the Book of the Year 2017, this is a collection of fairly random things from the news in 2018, presented by four of the QI Elves, who are also the hosts of my favourite podcast, No Such Thing As A Fish.
Go Ahead, Secret Seven
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Reviewed on 17th April 2021
Book five, and we’re a third of the way into Enid Blyton’s Secret Seven series. This time out the seven are split up after one of their number is caught practicing tailing a suspect.
What Abigail Did That Summer
Reviewed on 17th April 2021
This Rivers of London novella is set a good few years ago, and it was a bit of a mental leap for me to place it correctly in the timeline of the stories, as well as the timeline of the real world. Abigail is the cousin of usual main character Peter Grant, and for this story we join her and her friends as she investigates mysterious goings on around Hampstead Heath.
The Pentagon Spy
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Reviewed on 17th April 2021
The third of the Hardy Boys Digests sees the brothers get caught up in a complex and serious case that their father is working on. In some respects, probably the most serious and high profile case of their career.
The Mystery of the Samurai Sword
Reviewed on 28th March 2021
The second novel from the digests era of the Hardy Boys sees the brothers working with their father to protect a visiting Japanese dignitary, when everything goes awry.
A Time for Mercy
Reviewed on 28th March 2021
This late-2020 John Grisham novel is another sequel to his early tale of racist Mississippi, A Time to Kill. A sequel in the sense that the same characters re-appear, and similar themes in a similar setting, but not really in terms of the actual plot.
Night of the Werewolf
Reviewed on 28th March 2021
The first of the Hardy Boys digests doesn’t seem to depart much from the adventures that came before. This time the brothers travel north to help investigate for a family who believes one of them may be a werewolf, which is one of the more outlandish suggestions they have faced but seems to be something that’s considered reasonably plausible.
The Ickabog
Reviewed on 28th March 2021
J K Rowling's long talked-about political fairytale is exactly what it promises to be. This is the tale of a King, his unscrupulous advisors, and an array of good and bad people from around the kingdom - and of course the local monster.
The Hardy Boys Detective Handbook
Reviewed on 14th February 2021
I had no idea what this was going to be, but having read to the point in the listings of Hardy Boys novels where it tends to get listed, I thought it time to find out. My copy is the revised edition from the early 1970s.
The Art of Dying
Reviewed on 14th February 2021
The second book about Sarah Fisher and Will Raven, medical professionals of mid-nineteenth century Edinburgh, joins Will as he returns from a year away in Europe to take his place as a qualified doctor.
The Sting of the Scorpion
Reviewed on 14th February 2021
The final novel in the original publisher’s run of Hardy Boys novels is unusual in a couple of respects - the plot is more outlandish than I’ve become used to, and it makes several references back to earlier stories, something the series to date seems to generally avoid.
The Dark Veil
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Reviewed on 14th February 2021
The second tie-in novel for Star Trek Picard is again a prequel story set some years before the events depicted in the television series (though after the events seen in The Next Generation series and movies). This time the action takes place on the USS Titan, featuring William Riker and Deanna Troi, and tells the story of an encounter with a new species, and some Romulans.
The Firebird Rocket
Reviewed on 23rd January 2021
It’s the end of the 1970s for the Hardy Boys and the fifty year old teenagers are now solidly in a technology age as their case this time visits Australia and involves space rockets and nuclear reactors.
The Sentinel
Reviewed on 23rd January 2021
The latest Jack Reacher novel begins the transition of authorship from Lee Child to his fifteen-year younger brother Andrew. We meet Reacher as usual in a small town where something mysterious is clearly going down, and the character once again can’t resist getting involved.
Ready Player Two
Reviewed on 23rd January 2021
In this sequel, Ernest Cline revisits the world that he created, in which a group of youngsters own the world’s dominant corporation and find that capitalism messes with their ideals.
To Lose The Earth
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Reviewed on 16th January 2021
Kirsten Beyer’s final Star Trek: Voyager novel wraps up what has been an epic literary adventure over the past twelve years, as the crew take a more intentional second trip to explore the Delta Quadrant.
The Jungle Pyramid
Reviewed on 9th January 2021
After their father calls them in to help investigate a gold theft, the Hardys once again set off on international travels to solve their fifty-sixth mystery.
The Witchmaster's Key
Reviewed on 3rd January 2021
This fifty-fifth book in the series is possibly the most absurd so far. The Hardys travel to the British Isles for an adventure that despite being set in the 1970s seems to depict a society from the 1770s.
The Mysterious Caravan
Reviewed on 2nd January 2021
A remarkable entry in the Hardy Boys series, as with book 54 arrives the first black character who joins the brothers as a friend and assistant throughout. It also features the first female character to also accompany them for part of the story, rather than just being someone to provide them with food.