Given how much I’ve loved meeting and interviewing Elly Griffiths in the past and how much I enjoy her writing, I really have read far too few of her books. Today I’m rectifying that slightly by sharing my review of The Stranger Diaries which is the choice of my U3A book group this month. It’s almost five years since Hannah Robinson from Quercus sent me a surprise copy of The Stranger Diaries and I’d like to extend my apologies that it has taken so long to review!

The Stranger Diaries is published by Quercus and is available for purchase here. 

The Stranger Diaries

My Review of The Stranger Diaries

Teacher Ella has been murdered.

I so enjoyed The Stranger Diaries. It’s a fast paced, entertaining read with a touch of the supernatural and smashing smatterings of overt and subtle literary references that are a real pleasure to identify. It’s that frisson of otherworldliness created by the tales of the woman in white at the school and Bryony’s white witch persona that gets under the reader’s skin and makes them wonder ‘What if?’ so that even the most sceptical amongst them is hooked. There’s just the right level of creepiness and tension. 

I thought the way the present day story of Clare et al echoed the story told by the stranger in R.M. Holland’s tale was cleverly and entertainingly crafted. The Stranger Diaries fits the concept of spooky Halloween tales brilliantly and would make a fabulous television series for winter nights. This is a murder mystery, a police procedural, a ghost story and it has touches of a quest as Clare is researching R.M. Holland so that not only can The Stranger Diaries be read and enjoyed on many levels, it has something for every reader. 

The characters are great. We don’t get huge psychological depth for any of them, but each is distinct and, more importantly, has the possibility to be the murderer. I confess I suspected (wrongly) every one of them, including even the investigating policeman Neil, because Elly Griffiths does sleight of hand so brilliantly. I actually exclaimed aloud when the perpetrator was revealed. I loved the potential for Detective Harbinder Kaur to develop too.

As well as being absorbed by the story I thoroughly enjoyed the author’s take on creative writing and teaching, given her own background. It felt as if I were being a little glimpse behind the curtain of who she is. Add in themes of marriage and relationships, obsession and rivalry, and ethnicity and sexuality and I found The Stranger Diaries an all round satisfying, engaging and entertaining read. Once I started it, I was totally rapt and I thoroughly, thoroughly enjoyed it – even if it did make me rather glad I don’t write a diary of my own! It’s a cracking read.

About Elly Griffiths

Elly Griffiths is the bestselling author of the Dr Ruth Galloway Mysteries and the Brighton Mysteries. She has won the CWA Dagger in the Library, has been shortlisted five times for the Theakston’s Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year, and longlisted for the CWA Gold Dagger for The Lantern Men. Her new series featuring Detective Harbinder Kaur began with The Stranger Diaries, which was a Richard and Judy book club pick and won the Edgar Award for Best Novel in the USA. It was followed by The Postscript Murders, shortlisted for the CWA Gold Dagger and Bleeding Heart Yard. Elly has two grown-up children and lives near Brighton with her archaeologist husband.

You can follow Elly on Twitter/X @ellygriffiths, find her on Instagram and Facebook or visit her website for more information.

It’s almost six years since Glenn Bryant stayed in with me here on Linda’s Book Bag to chat about his first book, A Quiet Genocide. Now Glenn is back with a highly personal and affecting guest post to celebrate the recent publication of his latest book Darkness Does Not Come At Once. As soon as I read the blurb of Darkness Does Not Come At Once, I had to invite Glenn back to the blog

Darkness Does Not Come At Once was published by The Book Guild on 28th April 2024 and is available for purchase here.

Darkness Does Not Come At Once

Meike is seventeen and she uses a wheelchair. Already in life she’s accepted that she’ll always somehow be ‘different’. But overnight, different becomes dangerous after the government announces disabled youngsters under the age of eighteen must spend the war in specially designated institutions.

Suddenly Meike is on the run in the rural lanes she calls home, bordering Berlin. It is 1939 and the whole of Germany, it seems, wants to fight the world.

Quietly, members of Meike’s family distance themselves, but two unlikely allies stand by her. One is an elderly woman and a lifelong Catholic, forced to question her faith; the other is a fifteen-year-old boy Meike hardly knows. They begin a search for answers as they scramble to find Meike and, in a country they no longer recognise, themselves.

Talking about the world’s largest minority of people.

Why are we still afraid?

A Guest Post by Glenn Bryant

I have a question for you, if I may. Please do not worry. It is simply a, ‘Did you know?’ question. Okay.

Did you know that, from 1941-45, the government of Germany murdered some six million members of Europe’s Jewish community? Yes? Yes.

A second question. Did you know that, from 1939-41, the perpetrators of the above were effectively in training? As a commentator of the time described, they ‘made murder their profession’, killing an estimated 300,000 people with growing efficiency. Yes? No?

Hopefully, some of you are still answering, ‘Yes,’ but, from experience, I expect that there will be many more answers, ‘No.’

Okay.

Today, 85 years on, perhaps the real question should unpack, ‘Why don’t we know?’ The answer is that it’s because those 300,000 victims had a mental or a physical impairment. For the purposes of this piece, they were ‘disabled’.

Disability has not been a topic which has been discussed as frequently, for example, as women’s rights, or civil rights, or gay rights, which, thank goodness, are happily debated pretty openly today. Long may that conversation continue to happen even more openly. And yet disability rights has always lagged behind. Why? It’s a good question.

Honestly, I don’t have an answer, or certainly not an easy one. Two overarching thoughts. One, do both the public and private sectors deem physical access too much time and effort? If yes, at what greater cost to society? What kind of society do we want to share?

Second, perhaps we, societally, find ‘disability’ too unpalatable. It’s one foot in the grave, but perhaps we then quickly return to the above issue, ‘What kind of society do we want to share?’

It’s very easy to think ‘disability’ will never happen to us. And absolutely, it may not. But let’s look at the evidence. Today, in countries where life expectancy tops 70 years, we can each of us, on average, expect to spend eight years as ‘disabled’, or 12% of our life.

‘Disabled’ people today form the largest minority globally, 15% of us or one in six, some one billion people. Recently here in the UK, it was one in five. Today in the UK, it’s one in four. Again, we can look in the mirror and consider, ‘What kind of world together do we want to live in?’ A great question, albeit an almost infinite one.

The way my brain has always been wired, in search of a big answer, is to distil it down to the simplest terms. The world I want to live in is one of happy acceptance. A world of inclusion. Where everyone can get involved, or not. It’s their choice. But. I don’t want the world, in any way, to take that choice away from the individual.

From 1933-45, Hitler and his National Socialist government wanted to remove that choice so entirely from Germany’s ‘disabled’ community, that he wanted to remove them entirely from this world. From 1939-41, he was very successful. He oversaw the murder of 300,000 members of that community. We will never know the precise number.

Today, people with an impairment can expect to have ‘poorer’ outcomes in life, next to somebody without an impairment, in key areas: health, education, work, prosperity. In August 2023, a UK report by the House of Commons found that ‘disabled’ people scored themselves 6 out of 10 for ‘Happiness’, next to 8 out of 10 for people who identified as able-bodied. They regularly felt lonely, 13% next to 3%. And they were far less likely to be in employment, 54% next to 83%.

But if we never embrace this imbalance, how will we redress it? That’s my question.

Attitudes have improved, in my experience, in the past 20 years. And I privately wonder how vital the London 2012 Paralympics were, even if only subconsciously, in helping change attitudes. But ignorance, even if polite, and misapprehension can still be commonplace, so breaking that vicious circle through the continued sharing of knowledge and understanding remains so important.

Let’s end with a personal experience. Some 20 years ago. I went for a working pub lunch with my then boss. And he was more than my boss. We were good friends. We spoke a lot.

I told him I had started seeing someone, a girl. Maybe she wasn’t quite yet my girlfriend, but it felt that one day she really might be. I liked her. I hoped she liked me.

I added that she used a wheelchair. I wasn’t really sure why she used a wheelchair. We hadn’t talked about it. After all, at that point, we were only dating.

‘Well…’ my boss said, searching in his face for a reply. ‘She’s like half a girlfriend.’

What? Is he joking? 

Tell me you’re joking?

He’s not joking, I realised.

I only ever saw him once after that.

And by the way, the girl did happily become ‘my girlfriend’ and today super happily remains my wife. The world I want to live in is one where she is free to shine.

****

Thank you so much Glenn – for your wonderful post, your humanity and being prepared to share your story with us alongside history. Having experienced just one afternoon in a wheelchair recently following an operation on my foot, I can only begin to understand the difficulties of those living permanently this way. Doors were impossible to open at the same time as pushing me. I became invisible or a nuisance. In my case it was physical doors causing an issue very briefly. I have a horrible feeling that we still have some way to go to achieve a world where we are all free to shine but I’m right with you in the aspiration.

About Glenn Bryant

Glenn Bryant is a former daily news journalist who today works as a senior copywriter for a financial technology company. Darkness Does Not Come at Once is his second novel, following A Quiet Genocide, published in 2018.

He is a registered carer for his wife, Juliet, who has a spinal cord injury. They live happily in South Oxfordshire.

For further information, follow Glenn on Twitter/X @glennmbryant and find Glenn on Facebook and Instagram.

It’s an absolute pleasure to share details of my latest online review for My Weekly magazine, because this time it’s of Estella’s Revenge by Barbara Havelocke which is one of my most anticipated reads of 2024!

I can’t believe how long it is since I featured Barbara here on Linda’s Book Bag, writing under the name Barbara Copperthwaite.

Published by Hera today, 9th May 2024, Estella’s Revenge is available for purchase through the links here.

Estella’s Revenge

You know Miss Havisham.

The world’s most famous jilted bride.

This is her daughter’s story.

Raised in the darkness of Satis House where the clocks never tick, the beautiful Estella is bred to hate men and to keep her heart cold as the grave.

She knows she doesn’t feel things quite like other people do but is this just the result of her strange upbringing?

As she watches the brutal treatment of women around her, hatred hardens into a core of vengeance and when she finds herself married to the abusive Drummle, she is forced to make a deadly choice:

Should she embrace the darkness within her and exact her revenge?

A stunningly original, gripping Gothic read, perfect for fans of Stacey Halls, Madeline Miller and Jessie Burton.

My Review of Estella’s Revenge

My full review of Estella’s Revenge can be found on the My Weekly website here.

However, here I can say that Estella’s Revenge is a dark, gothic and wonderful reimagining of Estella, ranging over two equally compelling timescales in a story that hits right at the heart of who we are and how we are made. I loved it!

Do visit My Weekly to read my full review here.

About Barbara Havelocke

Barbara is an international bestselling author, whose psychological thrillers have topped Amazon and Kobo. Her writing career started in journalism, interviewing the real victims of crime – and the perpetrators. The realistic, complex characters who populate her fiction reflect this deep understanding. When not writing, Barbara is found walking her two dogs, Scamp and Buddy, or taking photos of wildlife.

You can find out more about Barbara by visiting her website and following her on Twitter/X @BCopperthwait. You’ll also find Barbara on Instagram and Facebook.

It’s such a pleasure to welcome Alice Hunter to Linda’s Book Bag today to chat about her brand new thriller, Bad Apple. My enormous thanks to Laura Sherlock for putting us in touch with one another and for sending me a copy of Bad Apple which is calling to me from my TBR!

Let’s see what Alice has to say:

Staying in with Alice Hunter

Welcome to Linda’s Book Bag Alice and thank you for agreeing to stay in with me.

I’m SO thrilled to be here, Linda – thank you for inviting me over!

It’s my pleasure! I know I already know, but tell me, which of your books have you brought along to share this evening and why have you chosen it?

I’ve brought along my new release, Bad Apple because it’s… well… new! This is the first of my novels outside of The Serial Killer’s family series and so I’m in equal parts excited and nervous about it!

How brilliant. Happy publication day. So tell me, what can we expect from an evening in with Bad Apple.

Bad Apple is a standalone, twisty, and suspenseful crime thriller tackling themes such as trust, abuse, power, corruption, and justice. One reader put it very succinctly, saying: “Bad Apple sheds light on the disturbing reality of corrupt authority figures exploiting their power, a theme all too familiar in today’s news.”

Ooo. That sounds so pertinent to today’s society. I can’t wait to read Bad Apple. Tell me more.

You can expect the same in-depth exploration of the psychological impact of a crime from the woman’s perspective as I’ve written in the previous novels: The Serial Killer’s Wife, The Serial Killer’s Daughter, and The Serial Killer’s Sister.
In Bad Apple we follow Becky, a former detective, as she embarks on her journey to gain justice after a system she believed in, the establishment she trusted, let women down – and she has a personal connection with the perpetrator…

I need to bump up Bad Apple to the top of my TBR don’t I? It sounds riveting.

I hope that once readers pick up Bad Apple, they are hooked and can’t possibly go anywhere, or do anything else until they’ve finished it!

I imagine they will… What else have you brought along and why have you brought it?

I’ve got an excellent selection of songs from my Spotify: Women’s Empowerment Playlist that we can listen to while chatting. It includes great hits such as Carole King’s ‘Beautiful’, Alicia Keys’ ‘Girl on Fire’, Aretha Franklin’s ‘Respect’ and Heather Mae’s ‘Warrior’. I think these encapsulate the overarching theme of Bad Apple.

Fantastic music choices Alice!

As coffee is my go-to fuel, I’ve brought us a posh latte each – it’s called a Becca-Double-Stamper! (You’ll have to read Bad Apple to get this reference – haha!) But, as a backup, in case latte isn’t your bag – I’ve a selection of pre-mixed G&T cans (found in Becky’s fridge!

Thank heavens for that. I’m not a coffee drinker. Gin, however, is always welcome!

Last, but not least, I’ve also brought Agatha the cat (virtually speaking – because she’s fictional) as she plays a significant role in the novel. She enters the story early on and as I wrote, I imagined my own cat. Sadly, as I neared the completion of the story, my 18-year-old cat, Chester passed away, so Agatha is quite poignant for me.

Oh no! I really miss our cats too – and if you look around you, you’ll find cat relates items everywhere!

It’s been lovely hearing about Bad Apple Alice. Thank you so much for spending part of publication day with me. I can’t wait to read Bad Apple. I think you’d better pour us a celebratory gin and I’ll give Linda’s Book Bag readers a few more details. 

Bad Apple

Trusted officer. Family man. Monster?

Prepare to be hooked by Alice Hunter’s addictive new novel – so shocking it should come with a warning…

What would you do if you found out the man you loved was rotten to the core?

Becky Lawson’s life has been shattered.

When she discovered her husband, John – a trusted policeman – was a monster, she reported him. But her faith in the system was crushed when it didn’t lead to any charges or consequences.

Now, John lives freely with a new girlfriend and her young daughter, while Becky battles guilt over missing the obvious signs.

Determined for justice, Becky hunts him down. But John wants her silenced – at any cost. Becky knows only one of them can survive, and she’ll do anything to make sure it’s her.

Becky must tread carefully though, because John isn’t the only bad apple lurking in the shadows…

A gripping heart-in-mouth psychological thriller. Perfect for fans of K.L. Slater, B.A. Paris and the Netflix hit TV series You.

Published today, 9th May 2024, by Harper Collins’ imprint Avon, Bad Apple is available for purchase through the links here.

About Alice Hunter

After completing a psychology degree, Alice Hunter became an interventions facilitator in a prison. There, she was part of a team offering rehabilitation programmes to men serving sentences for a wide range of offences, often working with prisoners who’d committed serious violent crimes. Previously, Alice had been a nurse, working in the NHS. She now puts her experiences to good use in fiction. Bad Apple, and her previous novels The Serial Killer’s Wife, The Serial Killer’s Daughter and The Serial Killer’s Sister all draw heavily on her knowledge of psychology and the criminal mind.

For further information sign up for Alice Hunter news, updates and competitions here. You’ll also find Alice on Twitter/X @Alice_Hunter_1, Facebook and Instagram.

My grateful thanks go to lovely Chloe Davies for a copy of The Stolen Hours by Karen Swan in return for an honest review. It’s my total pleasure to share that review today. I cannot believe I’m only now properly discovering this amazing author! I’m thrilled that I also have the next book in Karen’s Wild Isles series, The Lost Lover, waiting for me on my TBR too.

Already available in other formats, The Stolen Hours is released in paperback on 9th May 2024 by Pan Macmillan and is available for purchase through the links here.

The Stolen Hours

An Island full of secrets . . .

It’s the summer of 1929 and Mhairi MacKinnon is in need of a husband. As the eldest girl among nine children, her father has made it clear that he can’t support her past the coming winter. Options are limited on the island of St Kilda, but the MacKinnons’ neighbour, Donald, has a business acquaintance on Harris also in need of a spouse and offers to chaperone Mhairi there on his final crossing of the year.

She returns an engaged woman, but is in love with the wrong man – one who can never be hers. As she dreads the spring, when she will be sent from home to become a stranger’s wife, word arrives that St Kilda is to be evacuated.

The lovers are granted a few more stolen hours together, but those last days on St Kilda also bring heartache for Mhairi and her friends. And, when a dead body is discovered on the abandoned isle, they all find themselves under the shadow of suspicion . . .

The Stolen Hours is the second book in Karen Swan’s bestselling Wild Isle series, which began with The Last Summer.

My Review of The Stolen Hours

The second book in the Wild Isle series.

It doesn’t matter that The Stolen Hours is the second book in a series as it stands alone perfectly, but it is such a fantastic read that you’ll want to go back and read the first and by the end of The Stolen Hours you’ll be desperate for the next installment. 

The Stolen Hours is dramatic, captivating, sweeping and gorgeously crafted. The plot races along so that Karen Swan holds the reader entranced. I hated being taken away from the story as it’s one of those books where I genuinely thought about what might be happening when I wasn’t reading it, as if I might be missing out. Although the story is rooted in fascinating historical fact, there is an imaginative and mesmerising story here too. 

In addition, this meticulously researched, historical narrative is achingly beautifully written. The sense of place, the use of the senses, the weather, the sea, the everyday lives of the inhabitants of St Kilda – every aspect of the setting and historical detail is absolutely perfect. Writing with a painterly eye that is vivid and filmic Karen Swan places her reader alongside her characters as if they are also on St Kilda or on the Scottish mainland. Reading her descriptions is like looking at photographs. 

Equally wonderful are the characters. There’s a powerful focus on Mhairi’s perspective so that the story vibrates with passion, with true depth of feeling and with heartbreak and joy. I thought this feisty yet vulnerable young woman was depicted perfectly. Indeed all the characters were so multi-dimensional that I experienced strong feelings about them all. I’m desperate to say which characters I loved, to which I could happily have caused physical harm, which I mourned and which I celebrated, but to do so would give away too much of the plot. Suffice it to say that the microcosm of St Kilda holds everything and everybody a reader could want in a story.

With themes of physical and emotional isolation, family, trust, betrayal, survival and belonging, The Stolen Hours feels mature in its telling and understanding in its execution. 

It’s clear that I thought The Stolen Hours was quite, quite brilliant. I loved every aspect of reading this story – even when it was making me rage or breaking my heart. I can’t believe it has taken me so long to discover Karen Swan’s superb writing. What a pleasure to know I have such a back catalogue waiting for me. Karen Swan has a new fan and if you’ve yet to read The Stolen Hours, I cannot recommend it highly enough. 

About Karen Swan

Karen Swan is the Sunday Times top three bestselling author and her novels sell all over the world. She writes two books each year – one for the summer period and one for the Christmas season. Previous summer titles include The Spanish Promise, The Hidden Beach and The Secret Path and for winter, Christmas at Tiffany’s, The Christmas Secret and Together by Christmas.

Her books are known for their evocative locations and Karen sees travel as vital research for each story. She loves to set deep, complicated love stories within twisting plots.

Her historical series called The Wild Isle, is based upon the dramatic evacuation of the Scottish island St Kilda in the summer of 1930.

Foe further information, find Karen on Instagram @swannywrites, or Facebook, and follow her on Twitter/X @KarenSwan1.

I know. I know! I’m 63. The Boy The Witch & The Queen of Scots is a children’s book. But if, like me, you’ve read Barbara Henderson’s children’s books before, you’ll know what an amazing talent she is. I could not be more thrilled than to be closing the blog tour for her latest story. My post is a little out of synch as I was on holiday and then involved (albeit remotely as I caught Covid on holiday) in a literary festival, but I was determined to participate!

I’ve read many of Barbara’s books and you’ll find all my reviews here.

Published by Luath Press on 11th April, The Boy The Witch & The Queen of Scots is available for purchase in all the usual places but with classroom resources from the publisher here.

The Boy The Witch & The Queen of Scots

No.

Not the Palace.

Anywhere but the Palace.

12-year-old Alexander Buchan was once content, training as a falconer at Strathbogie Castle in Huntly. But when his Earl sends him to Edinburgh to the court of the newly arrived Mary, Queen of Scots, the boy finds himself lured into a world of intrigue, terror and treachery. Alexander knows right from wrong, but how can he hope to outwit his master’s murderous messenger? Surely no one can defy an Earl – especially one whose wife is rumoured to be a witch!

Soon, more than the boy’s own life is at stake: his friend Lizzie is arrested and the angry clouds of Reformation Scotland gather around the young Queen.

My Review of The Boy The Witch & The Queen of Scots

Alexander Buchan has a dilemma.

I have said it many times, but I struggle to find a children’s author who writes better than Barbara Henderson. I always have absurdly high expectations of her books and, as usual, The Boy, The Witch & The Queen of Scots exceeded them all. I thought it was fantastic. 

Jam packed with drama, danger, espionage, and the workings of a royal household, the story is totally gripping. There are villains and heroes, courtiers and minions and a fascinating smattering of falconry all blended into an historical narrative that is authoritative and compelling. Barbara Henderson mixes real and imagined characters with such dexterity that her story reverberates with genuine authenticity.

Given that Alexander is only twelve at the start of the story, he has a true relatability for young readers so that this story draws them in to appreciating history. I loved the feistiness of Lizzie too because she has a strength that children and adults alike can admire. Mary Queen of Scots is so well drawn that she brings the history of the era alive and this book provides a different facet to her personality than just that of the imprisoned and ultimately beheaded, historical figure. 

And that era is magnificently presented. Facts and people are incorporated so effortlessly through the smooth writing that Barbara Henderson must have conducted assiduous research in order to present such a flowing, exciting and appealing story. The Boy, The Witch & The Queen of Scots is education and entertainment in a perfect blend.

The Boy, The Witch & The Queen of Scots is a fast paced narrative filled with peril that youngsters will love. However, it is also fantastic for classroom use too. The historical aspect is self-evident and enhanced by a timeline of Mary Queen of Scots’ life at the end of the story. Add in a glossary of unfamiliar words to support literacy and a list of people and places that could be used for all manner of research projects and this is a book that provides huge scope for school use. There are also discussion questions that ensure The Boy, The Witch and The Queen of Scots will be an enduring and valuable class reader. I can envisage drama performances of the story as well as the excellent illustrations at the start of chapters being a prompt for art work.

The educational aspects of The Boy, The Witch and The Queen of Scots are a bonus, but the real strength in this fabulous story is the exciting way it brings history alive. With themes of loyalty, family, friendship, society, witchcraft and religion, there’s an aspect to engage any reader so that even the most demanding or reluctant readers will be entranced by the narrative. The book captivates the minds of young readers and illustrates for them that history isn’t just about the very famous, but is also about the Alexanders and Lizzies of the world – just like the young readers themselves. What could be better?

About Barbara Henderson

Barbara Henderson has lived in Scotland since 1991, somehow acquiring an MA in English Language and Literature, a husband, three children and a shaggy dog along the way. Having tried her hand at working as a puppeteer, relief librarian and receptionist, she now teaches Drama part-time at secondary school.

Writing predominantly for children, Barbara won the Nairn Festival Short Story Competition in 2012, the Creative Scotland Easter Monologue Competition in 2013 and was one of three writers shortlisted for the Kelpies Prize 2013. In 2015, wins include the US-based Pockets Magazine Fiction Contest and the Ballantrae Smuggler’s Story Competition.

Follow Barbara on Twitter @scattyscribbler or Instagram for more information, and read her blog. You’ll also find her author page on Facebook.

There’s more with these other bloggers too:

I’ll let you into a secret. I have an ambition to complete a Ph.D. My husband has one, but I only have a BA in Literature and a Master of Arts in Education and so, consequently, when Gaby Monteiro at Canbury Press asked if I’d like to read the anonymously written The Secret Lecturer: What Really Goes on at University, I was intrigued. This might reveal more! My thanks to Gaby for sending me a copy in return for an honest review. It’s my pleasure to share that review today.

Published by Canbury on 28th March 2024, and distributed by Simon and Schuster, The Secret Lecturer: What Really Goes on at University is available for purchase through the links here.

The Secret Lecturer: What Really Goes on at University

Odd students, racist colleagues and inept administrators.

Rising business influence and crumbling academic freedom.

Absurdly wasteful corporate schemes and broken toilets.

Low student welfare, an unwillingness to fail anyone and an A+ explosion in cheating… 

For a decade, students and academics have been painfully aware of the deteriorating state of UK universities. But the public has only been able to glean anecdotal accounts about poor value for money, underwhelming lecturers, falling standards and creaking facilities.

Now, after a decade of frozen tuition fees, an anonymous academic presents a no-holds-barred account of life on campus.

My Review of The Secret Lecturer: What Really Goes on at University

A year in the life of an anonymous academic.

Goodness. I’m not sure if I loved or loathed this book. And that is not a criticism, but rather is a reflection of the narrative’s absolute strength because the frustration of working in HE is replicated in the reading of The Secret Lecturer: What Really Goes on at University. 

The author makes the reader think, forcing them to contemplate unpalatable truths, such as the impact of the nefarious financial sources underpinning today’s higher education (HE), and is perhaps as complicit as those he berates and accuses. I say this because The Secret Lecturer is predicated on the premise that no-one stands up to corruption, complacency and duplicity in HE. The evidence for this is presented with complete authenticity and a compelling argument, and yet the author remains anonymous – which feels rather akin to the very practice of refusing to accept responsibility that is so despaired of within the text. And yet, the reasons why the author has remained anonymous are valid and honourable – what’s the point of trying to change things from within the system if identifying yourself means you’ll be thrown out of that very system rendering yourself impotent? 

There’s incredible impact in this book because the nonsensical administration, the casual acceptance of corrupt or lazy practice, and the sheer frustration of those doing their best to counteract such things all feel sadly all too familiar. Reading The Secret Lecturer reinforces the feeling that we have lost our integrity in order to retain wealth and our own status and self-importance. 

But if this sounds unremittingly negative, then don’t be misled. The Secret Lecturer (both book and author) conveys a dry, ironic and often self-deprecating humour and considerable humanity, particularly through consideration of mental health, sexism and racism. There’s a real feeling that we ordinary folk are all in this together and if we support one another in subverting the ineffective status quo within institutions, not just HE, we can, and will, make a difference. I found the book enraged me, but it made me feel heard. The scenarios depicted are similar to those any of us might encounter. The Secret Lecturer speaks out on our behalf. So, whilst being enraged I was also inspired. As a result of this book I feel galvanised to do something, to speak up and to be proactive. 

As an aside, I loved the way the text has an index and references replicating scholarly research that the author so misses in many of his students’ and colleagues’ papers. It also made me wonder if I still hold my ambition to complete a Ph.D, but you’ll need to read the book to see why I might be doubting that concept now!

I found The Secret Lecturer fascinating. It’s pithy, political and revealing. It’s a book that will astonish some and feel all too familiar to others. I still don’t know if I enjoyed reading it, but I’m mightily glad I have. I urge you to read it too. At the very least The Secret Lecturer will entertain you, and in addition it may well surprise you, and it might just change your life! 

About The Secret Lecturer

The Secret Lecturer works in higher education at an undisclosed university in the UK. They’ve written this account to paint an accurate picture of university life and to question whether the status quo is in the long-term interests of students, staff, and the country.

I’m beginning to think Sue Moorcroft appears more often on Linda’s Book Bag than I do, but when she writes such brilliant books, I simply have to read them! My enormous thanks to Becky Hunter for sending me a copy of Sue’s latest novel Under a Summer Skye in return for an honest review. It’s my pleasure to share that review today.

Under a Summer Skye is published by Avon on 9th May and is available for pre-order through the links here.

If you’d like to read my reviews of other books by Sue Moorcroft or my interviews with her, please click here.

Under a Summer Skye

A Scottish island. A stranger from the mainland. A summer of possibilities…

Escape to the Isle of Skye this summer with the Sunday Times bestselling author, and lose yourself in the first book of the Skye Sisters Trilogy.

A chance encounter is about to change everything for Thea Wynter.

The moment she arrived on the Isle of Skye, life changed for Thea. Running from a succession of wrong turns, she comes to the island in search of blue sea, endless skies, and mountains that make the heart soar. Here, she feels at peace.

As head gardener at Rothach Hall, life is exactly how she wants it, with her days spent working in the glorious clifftop garden and her evenings in the cosy village pub.

But an encounter with a stranger from the mainland brings with it an unexpected turn – and she is left wondering whether he is friend or foe.

It seems that even on Skye, life can catch up with you, and Thea is soon faced with the past she left behind – and with it, the family she’s never met…

From old lives to new beginnings, lose yourself on the beautiful Isle of Skye with Thea as she discovers how many possibilities life can truly hold if you look hard enough.

My Review of Under a Summer Skye

Thea has made a new life for herself.

What a totally gorgeous read. I’m used to Sue Moorcroft writing interesting, entertaining and emotionally charged stories, but in Under a Summer Skye she has surpassed herself. I think it’s possibly my favourite of her books to date.

The setting is simply glorious. There’s such a painterly, poetic but not pretentious, use of language that meant I didn’t feel as if I were reading about Rothach Hall and its environs, but rather that I had been placed there physically. I thought this was a wonderful aspect of the narrative. Skye has long been on my wish list of places to visit, but through Under a Summer Skye I feel as if I’ve already been there. Add in the concept of nature and gardening as healing and restorative themes, and with them so well depicted, reading Under a Summer Skye felt as if I’d been given a breathing space from the trials of the world. It’s glorious.

As well as setting, the plot too is exceptionally entertaining. There are surprises along the way, as well as a simmering attraction between Thea and Dev, that make Under a Summer Skye truly compelling and deliciously romantic. With Thea’s sisters Ezzie and Valentina part of the story, what Sue Moorcroft does is make this book a wonderfully satisfying read, but equally she makes her readers desperate to hear more about the Skye Sisters. I can’t say much more about the storyline for fear of spoilers, but it has a sinuous quality that had me mesmerised.

I loved meeting Thea. Indeed, I loved meeting all the characters, not least because they felt so convincing. There’s a real understanding of nature and nurture making them who they are, and because they all have nuanced elements in their characters, and negative aspects in their past lives or their current situations, it makes them all the more relatable. I confess that I generally do not like dogs at all, but here even Daisy was appealing, realistic and loveable. 

The themes of Under a Summer Skye are mature, complex and handled with remarkable sensitivity. Trust is at the heart of the narrative, but Sue Moorcroft skilfully explores the nature of family and how we become who, and what, we become. I think what appeals so strongly is the thought that any of us could find ourselves in similar situations to Thea and Dev, forced to face the consequences of our actions regardless of the nature of our intentions. 

Under a Summer Skye is a fantastic story written by a brilliant story-teller. It held me entranced throughout and I absolutely loved it. 

About Sue Moorcroft

Award-winning author Sue Moorcroft writes contemporary women’s fiction with occasionally unexpected themes. She’s won a Readers’ Best Romantic Read Award and been nominated for others, including a ‘RoNA’ (Romantic Novel Award). Sue’s a Katie Fforde Bursary Award winner, a past vice chair of the Romantic Novelists’ Association and editor of its two anthologies.

She also writes short stories, serials, articles, writing ‘how to’ and is a creative writing tutor.

The daughter of two soldiers, Sue was born in Germany and went on to spend much of her childhood in Malta and Cyprus. She likes reading, Zumba, FitStep, yoga, and watching Formula 1.

For more information, follow Sue on Twitter/X @SueMoorcroft, or find her on Instagram and Facebook and visit her website.

It’s such a pleasure today to share my review of Cressida McLaughlin’s new book The Happy Hour as I love her writing. My huge thanks to Susanna Peden at Harper Collins for sending me a copy of The Happy Hour in return for an honest review.

You can also find my review of Cressida’s The Staycation here and of The Cornish Cream Tea Bookshop, which was one of my books of the year in 2022, here.

Published by Harper Collins on 9th May 2024, The Happy Hour is available for purchase through the links here.

The Happy Hour

Jess is happy working in Greenwich market selling trinkets to well-heeled locals and excitable tourists.

Then one Sunday, Jess is thrown together with handsome, funny Ash, as they chase a pickpocket through the market, and before long they are making a habit of running into each other at the same time each week.

Jess starts to realize that their hour together is the brightest part of her life. But Ash isn’t telling her everything – can she discover the truth before it’s too late?

My Review of The Happy Hour

Jess and Ash have just met.

Oh my word. The Happy Hour is absolutely lovely. With an initial touch of mystery about where Ash has to be each Sunday, Cressida McLaughlin draws in the reader to this wonderfully romantic story from the very first page in a story that I found totally captivating. 

I loved the market setting with its cast of quirky people who feel like a microcosm of society. There’s a real sense of community and Cressida McLaughlin’s descriptions of the stalls, the aromas, the items for sale, all make for a very vivid picture. My only complaint is that the descriptions of the muffins made me ravenous the whole time I was reading! 

Those market characters are so warmly created. Even the ones like Roger who play relatively minor roles feel true to life and realistic. I adored Felicity as, through her own vulnerabilities and strengths, she illuminates the other characters, bringing them into sharp focus. She also exemplifies how appearances can be deceptive and that we never quite know what is happening in another person’s life or behind their front door. I’d love there to be future books following on from The Happy Hour, developing the stories of the people at the market. 

It is, of course, Jess and Ash who steal the show, partly because they are both equally stubborn and misguided as well as equally vivacious, friendly, caring and attractive so that they are well rounded and convincing. I cared so much about them, feeling their emotions with them and I admit to shedding a tear or two over them as well as laughing with them. In Jess and Ash, Cressida McLaughlin has created something very special indeed because, as they work through their own demons, they are hugely relatable. They show how we are affected by our past and our upbringing, but that we cannot allow it to dominate our future. They also show how, whilst we might not be able to control what happens in our present life, we can decide how to respond. The Happy Hour is a wise and uplifting book as well as being entertaining and absorbing to read.

Indeed, whilst Cressida McLaughlin creates a gorgeous romance, The Happy Hour is steeped in psychological understanding. Grief and loneliness, self-preservation, identity and independence, are threads of the story that make it so wonderful as well as gloriously escapist. 

I truly adored The Happy Hour. Not only is it emotional and beguiling, it’s warm and encouraging too. Reading The Happy Hour took me away from the cares of the real world and left me feeling uplifted and content – feelings we could all do with from time to time…

About Cressida McLaughlin

Cressida McLaughlin is a bestselling author of contemporary romance who has sold over a million copies of her books. Her feel-good, escapist fiction, featuring unforgettable characters who find their happy place, has established her as a firm favourite among readers and fellow authors alike. She is most well known for her eight book Cornish Cream Tea series, and The Happy Hour is her fifteenth novel. Cressida lives in Norwich with her husband David and when not writing her bestsellers, spends her spare time reading, returning to London or exploring the beautiful Norfolk coastline.

You can find out more information on Cressy’s website or you can follow her on Twitter/X @cressmclaughlin, Instagram and Facebook.

I was delighted to meet author Heidi Amsinck at a bookish event a few months ago as I love her books. Consequently, when I realised book three in her Jensen thriller series, Back From The Dead, was about to be released I simply had to be part of the tour. My thanks to Anne Cater for inviting me to take part and to Muswell Press for sending me a copy of the book in return for an honest review.

You will find my review of Heidi’s My Name is Jensen here, and of The Girl in the Photo here.

Published by Muswell Press on 18th April 2024, Back From The Dead is available for purchase here.

Back From The Dead

A Missing person … a headless corpse … Jensen is on the case.

June, and as Copenhagen swelters under record temperatures, a headless corpse surfaces in the murky harbour, landing a new case on the desk of DI Henrik Jungersen, just as his holiday is about to start.

Elsewhere in the city, Syrian refugee Aziz Almasi, driver to Esben Nørregaard MP has vanished. Fearing a link to shady contacts from his past, Nørregaard appeals to crime reporter Jensen to investigate.

Could the body in the harbour be Aziz? Jensen turns to former lover Henrik for help. As events spiral dangerously out of control, they are thrown together once more in the pursuit of evil, in a case more twisted and, more dangerous than they could ever have imagined.

My Review of Back From The Dead

Jensen is about to become embroiled in another case.

My goodness, Back From The Dead is an exciting and fast paced novel and I thought it was excellent. Whilst I appreciated having read the first two excellent books in the series better to appreciate the nuances here, Heidi Amsinck ensures readers are not disadvantaged if they are new to the series and haven’t encountered the characters before. I found the subtle weaving of back story very skilled indeed.

The plot of Back From The Dead is complex, brilliantly plotted and breath-taking. With timed and dated chapters that are short, snappy and exciting, there’s a fabulous sense of pace. It is hard to say too much for fear of spoiling the story for others, but there are twists and turns, with surprising events and reveals that make the story totally compelling and engaging. I loved it. As I read I kept thinking of stones dropping into a barrel of water (or in this case bodies dropping into water) with all the ripples intersecting in a plot that is quite masterful.

I loved too the seething, simmering heat of Copenhagen with that sense of over-heating tempers, bodies and minds that so perfectly reflected the febrile tension between Jensen and Henrik. Their toxic attraction for one another is one of the best relationships in crime fiction around. What I found so interesting in Back From The Dead was the increased vulnerability displayed by Jensen. She is developing so realistically and convincingly. Gustav too feels as if he is maturing so that the potential for him in future books is massive.

The challenges facing the police in Henrik’s investigation not only heighten the tension of the story, but add an understanding of how the police are often unrealistically expected to produce near miraculous results in very short time scales. Heidi Amsinck has a mature and compassionate skill in incorporating societal attitudes, immigration, the way marriages work, and the bonds and frustrations of intimate and frequently challenging professional relationships, so that they become layers of interest beyond the already compelling thriller.

I so enjoyed Back From The Dead. It’s everything I want in a police procedural thriller and a real triumph as the plot is gripping and the characters multi-layered and believable. I can’t wait for book four!

About Heidi Amsinck

Heidi Amsinck won the Danish Criminal Academy’s Debut Award for My Name is Jensen (2021), the first book in a new series featuring Copenhagen reporter sleuth Jensen and her motley crew of helpers. She published her second Jensen novel, The Girl in Photo, in July 2022, with the third Back From The Dead out now. A journalist by background, Heidi spent many years covering Britain for the Danish press, including a spell as London Correspondent for the broadsheet daily Jyllands-Posten. She has written numerous short stories for BBC Radio 4, such as the three-story sets Danish Noir, Copenhagen Confidential and Copenhagen Curios, all produced by Sweet Talk and featuring in her collection Last Train to Helsingør (2018). Heidi’s work has been translated from the original English into Danish, German and Czech.

For more information, follow Heidi on Twitter/X @HeidiAmsinck1. You can also find Heidi on Instagram and Facebook.

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