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The Night Watch (DS Max Craigie #3) by Neil Lancaster
The Night Watch is a killer concept, an unflinching look at generational trauma and the mind’s reaction. Suffused with menace…it’s bloody brilliant. To follow a series with a sense of abandonment there have to be certain elements that scream to them. The X factor – something that keeps them coming back for more, the DS Max Craigie series is no exception. Travelling the pages is like walking a tightrope, danger threatens to knock the characters askew. There are so many elements that just make this series work – flawed characters. The realism of human nature. Betrayal. Raw storytelling. Neil Lancaster’s storytelling is like no one else. The police procedural should…
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Mirrorland by Carole Johnstone | ARC Review
Mirrorland…first that cover told me about all the blows it would deliver. It’s dark, it’s intimidating and the abyss you’re staring at? Yeah, it’s going to pull you all the way under. Not going to lie, I always wished I had a sister, but a twin sister? Shouldn’t that just come with a health warning, plain and simple? Your sense of identity is shrouded around being part of a pair. Mothers of twins the world over tend to dress them the same, do their hair the same and treat them the same. How to you break free when your treated as half of a whole? The first chapter of Mirrorland…
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Blog Tour: Avenge The Dead (Frank Farrell #3) by Jackie Baldwin
Avenge The Dead is an exquisite case study on how the past never truly can stay buried. Life in the spotlight can have dire consequences. The invisible bands that hold together relationships and families can violently tear with no means to be repaired. The story paints a vivid picture of how an action change the landscape of one’s life forever. This gritty police procedural ticked all the boxes. Jackie Baldwin gently coaxed me down an unsuspecting path before setting her trap – I aimlessly walked straight into it and she wasn’t sorry a bit! I greedily lapped it up like there were no tomorrow. DS Mhairi MacLeod and DI Frank…
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A Dark Matter by Doug Johnstone
The dark sense of Scottish humour has never been utilised to its full potential. Until now. A Dark Matter is a multi-layered double entendre that is pushing itself to the surface. It capitulates the dreich weather, the wounds that get hidden by alcohol but it’s all held up by the innate will of three immensely strong female characters. They are determined. They are strong and above all…no-one should try to fuck them over! Orenda Books is my go-to publisher for crime fiction and when you find an author that drips in his skill for getting the average scots character down, you know you’re onto a winner. We have a trio…
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Blogtober: Coziest places to read in Glasgow
So you have a day spare and you are dying to read that new book you’ve been waiting months to be released. You are bored of sitting in the house so what do you do? Glasgow is a bustling city and you assume there isn’t many quiet spots, right? Well grab a cuppa and a biscuit and let me enlighten you to the wonders of Glasgow’s hidden quiet gems. You are in for a treat. West Brewery A lovely quiet bar area to read in that serves beautiful and rich German inspired beers. It’s got a lovely atmosphere and the staff are friendly and very accomodating. Ashton Lane Ashton Lane…
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6 of the Best Books set in Scotland
Scotland has seen a resurgence in tourism and literary interest due to books such as Outlander and Crime fiction novels. Scotland has a rich history in the literacy world from The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson to Irvine Welsh’s Trainspotting. Scotland can lend itself to the supernatural or those bleak moments in human existence – there are no limitations to the inspiration that can be gleamed from Scotland and its beautiful culture. Outlander by Diana Gabaldon Written in the 90’s, this franchise has been brought alive on screen and has seen an increase in tourism due to the Outlander effect. Outlander tells the…
