The unanticipated consequences of caretaking
From the sensory delights of birdsong in the morning and sunset views from a lookout point to the less appealing realities of monitoring stagnant pond water and counting newts, we accompany Katie on her journey of discovery.
4w ago
A list of life lessons
Set in 1979, this is a story of monsters—the ones who prey on the vulnerable, the ones that exploit our weaknesses, and the ones that we elevate to positions of power.
1m ago
A Born Reader
Surveying the decorated wall now vibrantly alive with Winnie the Pooh and Harry Potter characters, Sarah allowed herself a satisfied grin.
2m ago
Her last words
The slamming of the front door sounded an ominous note, warning of trouble to come.
4m ago
Payback time
I’m not sure when I first realised that we’d met before. In the beginning, you were just the elderly man I often noticed pottering around our communal rooftop.
4m ago
Keep your secrets close and your tech support closer
Addison Square is one of those hidden enclaves where well-heeled Londoners tuck themselves away to create bubbles of “civilised life” from which they can exclude the riffraff surrounding them in the mega-city they call home.
5m ago
Love, lies and loneliness
The very first time I came across a description of this book, previously published under the title The Nigerwife (Atria Books, 2023),
6m ago
Making a killing out of a killing
A visit to any bookshop today will attest to the reading public’s fascination with crime (and criminals).
7m ago
July 27, 2023
Bad kids, worse adults
If you are looking for something different from your next read—especially if you’re interested in reading a story that offers a window into another Asian culture—then Bad Kids by Zijin Chen might be a good choice. This book was an instant bestseller when it was published in China, and has since been adapted for the small screen.
July 6, 2023
Single wife, double life
When DC Clements misses, by just a few hours, the opportunity to recover the abducted Kylie—who was being held prisoner by an unknown captor in the initial period after she disappeared—the police officer becomes obsessed with finding out what actually happened to the missing woman.
June 28, 2023
Home is where the hurt is
This is a beautiful book about a teenager looking for the answers in life, the joys of found family, and the experience of love in its many forms.
June 14, 2023
Lovers, liars and lurkers in the library
Hannah's protagonist Freddie is attempting to make progress on her novel by working at the Boston Public Library, when she—along with three of the people she is sharing a table with—are transfixed by the sound of a woman screaming somewhere in the Library.
May 11, 2023
Tough choices, terrifying consequences
A major scientific breakthrough has ensured that boys born with a particular gene can be identified as having the potential to grow into violent men.
April 26, 2023
The dark undercurrents of family life
The book combines the intrigue of a classic domestic suspense novel with a high level of psychological insight and skilful character development.
April 5, 2023
Sun, surf, and soul searching
These are novels where the suspense is often drawn from the subtleties of character development, which become more evident as the story unfolds.
May 9, 2020
Booked Solid
I was amused to see a recent Facebook status update from my friend, the Indian writer Madhulika Liddle.
May 4, 2019
What makes a writer successful?
That is a really interesting question, and before answering it, there is another question that needs to be considered: whose idea of success are we talking about? Because the truth is, that could be the determining factor in providing an answer to the question being posed.
February 23, 2019
Stories from Life and Literature
Glancing nervously at the dogs that lay basking in the winter sunshine, I tried to move ahead with confidence, telling myself that the venerable Tollygunge Club would never allow their clientele anywhere near animals that hadn't had their rabies shots.
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