quippe | Recent Entries

1. Three Eight One by Aliya Whiteley.

2. Places And Names: Dispatches Of War by Elliot Ackerman.

3. Indi Raye Is Totally Faking It by Lauren Layfield.

4. Trixie Pickle Art Avenger – Toxic Takedown by Olaf Falafel.

5. Hey Duggee – First Day At Squirrel Club adapted by Rebecca Gerlings.

6. Iron Robin by Rose Tremain.

7. Meet The Maliks: The Cookie Culprit by Zanib Mian.

8. Hello Summer by Jo Lindley.

9. Big by Vashti Harrison.

10. Thomas & Friends – Thomas and Bruno by Christy Webster.

11. Lightspeed: The Ghostly Aether And The Race To Measure The Speed Of Light by John C. H. Spence.

12. Redsight by Meredith Mooring.

13. Amazing Sister by Alison Brown.

14. How To Fight Anti-Semitism by Bari Weiss.

15. Healthy Mind Happy You – How To Take Care Of Your Mental Health by Dr Emily Macdonagh.

16. Little Experts – How To Build A Home by George Clarke.

17. The Siege Of Burning Grass by Premee Mohamed.

18. Little Experts – Superhero Animals by Chris Packham.

19. Queerbook by Malcolm Mackenzie.

20. Pokémon – Hometown Hero.

21. A Death Of A Dead Man by Caroline Dunford.

22. Strong Like Me by Kelechi Okafor and Michaela Dias-Hayes.

23. Beano – The Day The Teachers Disappeared by Craig Graham and Mike Stirling.

24. Girls Just Wanna Have Impact Funds.

25. The Ghost In The Bone by Mike Carey.

26. Dread Wood – Fright Bite by Jennifer Killick.

27. You Are An Artist by Aurélia Durand.

28. The Virtual Sales Handbook by Mante Kvedare and Christian Milner Nymand.

29. Storm-Cat by Magenta Fox.

30. Louder Than Hunger by John Schu.

31. Then There Was One by Wendy Cross.

32. Stitch By Stitch by Jane Bull.

33. The Very Hungry Caterpillar Eats Dinner.

34. Paw Patrol – Dive Into Puplantis by Matt Huntley.

35. At My Mother’s Knee And Other Low Joints by Paul O’Grady.

36. The Girl King by Mimi Yu.

37. Outside In Nature Poems by Daniel Thompson.

38. Paw Patrol – Mighty Pups.

39. Don’t Look Back In Anger by Daniel Rachel.

40. Follow Your Dreams by Katherine Mengardon.

41. Penguin’s Egg by Anna Kemp and Alice Courtley.

42. Interdimensional Explorers – Alien Apocalypse by Lorraine Gregory.

43. The Devil Rides Out by Paul O’Grady.

44. No Judgement: On Being Critical by Lauren Oyler.

45. 100 Words For Rain by Alex Johnson.

46. The Little Wooden Robot And The Log Princess by Tom Gauld.

47. The Family Fortuna by Lindsay Eagar.

48. Flower Block by Lanisha Butterfield and Hoang Giang.

49. Wild East by Ashley Hickson-Lovence.

50. Still Standing: The Savage Years by Paul O’Grady.

51. The Nine Night Mystery by Sharna Jackson.

52. Romancing Mr Bridgerton by Julia Quinn.

53. Digital Human: The Fourth Revolution Of Humanity Includes Everyone by Chris Skinner.

54. Murder On Lake Garda by Tom Hindle.

55. Last Seen Online by Lauren James.

56. The House Of Hidden Meanings by RuPaul.

57. Black Wave: Saudi Arabia, Iran And The Rivalry That Unravelled The Middle East by Kim Ghattas.

58. Altar Of Bones by Philip Carter.

59. Pie Fidelity: In Defence Of British Food by Pete Brown.

60. Alex vs Axel: The Impossible Quests by Sam Copeland.

61. Hey Duggee! The Opposites Badge by Rebecca Gerlings.

62. Down Cemetery Road by Mick Herron.

63. Now, Conjurers by Freddie Kölsch.

64. We Solve Murders by Richard Osman.

65. The Exes by Anam Iqbal.

66. Of Jade And Dragons by Amber Chen.

67. In Your Defence by Sarah Langford.

68. Nina Peanut Mega Mystery Solver by Sarah Bowie.

69. The Fine Art Of Invisible Detection by Robert Goddard.

70. The Hunter by Andrew Reid.

71. Don’t Be Evil: The Case Against Big Tech by Rana Foroohar.

72. Gorse by Sam K. Horton.

The Blurb On The Back:

Cornwall, 1786.

For years, the villagers of Mirecoombe have turned to their Keeper, the old and battle-scarred Lord Pelagius Hunt, mediator between the worlds of men and fey, for help. But this is a time of change. Belief in the old ways, in the piskies and spriggans, has dimmed, kindled instead in the Reverend Cleaver’s fiery pulpit. His church stands proud above the mire; God’s name is whispered, hushed, loved. And now, death stalks Mirecoombe on the moor. There are corpses in the heather. There is blood in the gorse.

Nancy Bligh is determined to do what Pel will not: maintain the balance between the fey and the human world, be the Keeper that he refuses to be. Blessed with natural sight, friend to spriggans, pinkies and human locals of Mirecoombe, Nancy has power that Pel never had and never lets her use. But as Mirecoombe falls into darkness, perhaps her time has come.

A poignant and lyrical examination of faith, love and grief, Gorse asks what do we choose to believe, and how does that shape who we are?

( The Review (Cut For Spoilers): )

The Verdict:

Sam K Horton’s debut dark historical fantasy novel (the first in a series) is richly written with well drawn main characters and detailed world building. Horton handles the book’s main themes about faith, tradition and finding your own identity in an intelligent way and although I have some nitpicks (there are a couple of historical anachronisms and at times the writing too much), the ending has a neat set up for a sequel that I’d definitely read.

GORSE was released in the United Kingdom on 12 September 2024. Thanks to Rebellion Publishing for the review copy of this book.

The Blurb On The Back:

Today Google and Facebook receive 90% of the world’s news and ad-spending. Amazon takes half of all commerce in the US. Google and Apple operating systems run on all but 1% of cell phones globally and 80% of corporate wealth is now held by 10% of companies - not the Gas and Toyotas of this world, but the digital titans.

How did we get here? How did once-idealistic and innovative companies come to manipulate elections, violate our privacy and pose a threat to the fabric of our democracy? In Don’t Be Evil, Financial Times global business columnist Rana Foroohar documents how Big Tech lost is soul - and became the new Wall Street.

Through her skilled reporting and unparalleled access, she shows the true extent to which the ‘Faang’s (Facebook, Amazon, Apple, Netflix and Google) crush or absorb any potential competitors, hijack our personal data and mental space and offshore their exorbitant profits. Yet Foroohar also lays out a plan for how we can resist, creating a framework that fosters innovation while also protecting us from the dark side of digital technology.

( The Review (Cut For Spoilers): )

The Verdict:

Rana Foroohar is global business columnist and associate editor at the Financial Times and CNN’s global economic analyst. Published in 2019 it’s an absorbing and frightening look at how Facebook, Amazon, Apple, Netflix and Google hoard data and intellectual property to maintain market dominance, influence politics and maintain their value and a prescient warning given how the companies are now jostling to influence the incoming Trump presidency.

Thanks to the Amazon Vine Programme for the review copy of this book.

The Blurb On The Back:

A troubled genius who vanishes in a mysterious car crash.

A disillusioned cop sensing conspiracy in the corridors of power.

A ruthless team of mercenaries operating in the shadows.

A billion-dollar business that wants the world in its grip.

One link connects them all.

A champion fighter. Betrayed and searching for the truth.

Cameron King is The Hunter.

( The Review (Cut For Spoilers): )

The Verdict:

Andrew Reid’s debut action thriller is an assured affair with solid pacing and interesting main characters in the form of Cameron King and Ray Perada (who I was pleased did not succumb to a predictable romance). However the storyline between Cameron and Nate falls apart in the final quarter with revelations that suspend credulity, which is a shame because there’s some solid writing here and the premise is perfect beach reading.

Thanks to the Amazon Vine Programme for the review copy of this book.

The Blurb On The Back:

Quiet, unassuming Umiko Wada has had more than enough drama in her life. Since her husband’s death, she’s learned to keep her head down, accustoming herself to an existence based on privacy, solitude and routine.

Even as secretary to a Tokyo private detective, her life is uncomplicated, filled with coffee runs and pleasingly dull paperwork. That is, until her boss takes on a new case, which turns out to be dangerous enough to get him killed, shortly after sending Wada to London to meet a man on behalf of his client. It should have been a simple task for Wada. But now it becomes a battle for her own survival.

Following her only lead, she quickly realises that being a detective isn’t as easy as the television makes it appear. And that there’s a reason why secrets stay buried for a long time. Because people want them to stay secret. And they’re prepared to do very bad things to keep them that way …

( The Review (Cut For Spoilers): )

The Verdict:

Robert Goddard’s standalone crime thriller is intricately constructed and Wada is a fascinating main character with the action taking place in Japan, the UK, the US and Iceland. The pacing works well and a dual storyline of Nick Miller also being contacted by Caldwell fleshes out the backstory. A sequel was published in 2024, which I will definitely check out and am otherwise I am keen to read Goddard’s other work.

The Blurb On The Back:

It’s me … Nina Peanut.

I’m Nina Peanut: a famous megastar, mystery-solver extraordinaire and extremely kind and patient big sister to the world’s most annoying brother.

Guess who is a ghost and is living right here in my school? It’s Lady Deborah from our history lesson, and she is stuck in her own shoe.

Watch as Brian and I film our investigations to find out what she’s doing there and how we can set her free. I’m also battling Megan Dunne to become class captain - vote for me, because who is more of a ghost expert than I am? Answer: hardly anyone!

( The Review (Cut For Spoilers): )

The Verdict:

The second in Sarah Bowie’s self-illustrated humorous graphic novel for readers aged 9+ is a well-constructed, fun affair filled with verbal and visual jokes. There’s a useful summary at the front if you haven’t read book 1 and Nina is such a well drawn character that you root for her, especially against the awful Megan. Certainly there’s more than enough here for me to want to read book 1 and I look forward to seeing what Bowie does next.

NINA PEANUT MEGA MYSTERY SOLVER was released in the United Kingdom on 26th September 2024. Thanks to the Amazon Vine Programme for the review copy of this book.

The Blurb On The Back:

Sarah Langford is a barrister. Her job is to represent the mad and the bad, the broken and the hopeful. In court, she must tell their story, weaving it around the black and white of the law. These stories change the lives of ordinary people in extraordinary ways, but for a twist of luck, they might have been yours.

In eleven heart-stopping cases, Sarah describes what goes on in our family and criminal courts. She reveals what it is like to work in a world of archaic rituals and inaccessible language. And she explores what it means to be at its mercy. Our legal system promises us justice and fair judgement. Does it, can it, deliver this?

( The Review (Cut For Spoilers): )

The Verdict:

Sarah Langford is a practising barrister specialising in criminal and family law. This absorbing and thought-provoking memoir looks at 11 of her cases (details anonymised for privacy reasons) to set out the limitations of the justice system together with how it changed the respective defendants lives and the lessons that Langford took from them and in the increasingly crowded legal market stands out for looking at the English Family Court.

The Blurb On The Back:

First they killed my father.
Then they threatened my family.
Now I’m coming for them.

Aihui Ying’s life is viciously torn apart when her father is killed by a masked assassin. Left with only his journal and a jade pendant snatched from his killer, she vows to take her revenge.

Seeking answers, King infiltrates the prestigious Engineers Guild - the ancient institution home to her father’s secret past. With the help of an unlikely ally - Aogiya Ye-yang, the nation’s cold but distractingly handsome prince - she begins to navigate a world fraught with politics and treachery.

Soon though, Ying’s quest for vengeance turns into a fight for survival and she’ll have to stay one step ahead of everyone … if she’s to make it out alive.

( The Review (Cut For Spoilers): )

The Verdict:

Amber Chen’s Chinese-inspired YA fantasy (the first in a duology) has interesting world-building and I liked the focus on engineering. However the pacing is inconsistent (especially in the final quarter), the plot relies heavily on things happening to Ying rather than her agency and her romance with Ye-yang is unconvincing, in part because Ye-yang is under-drawn as a character. That said, the ending is interesting and I would read the sequel.

OF JADE AND DRAGONS was released in the United Kingdom on 20th June 2024. Thanks to the Amazon Vine Programme for the review copy of this book.

The Blurb On The Back:

Do opposites ever really attract?
When Karim and Zara’s works collide, they have to work out just how far they’re willing to go to give their love a chance.

They’ve got nothing in common: Karim is a globally renowned influencer while Zara is just a normal teen.

With Zara, Karim can finally let his guard down, and his glamorous world offers Zara an escape.

But someone has their eye on them - a secret gossip who’s been spilling truths for years.

As their dates get swooned, the blogger’s posts get more personal - and more threatening.

Can they unmask their tormentor in time to get their happily ever after?

( The Review (Cut For Spoilers): )

The Verdict:

Anam Iqbal’s thoughtful debut YA romance uses the opposites attract trope to explore issues relevant to the British Muslim community. However, even for me there’s a lot of plot here while the book’s key mystery goes unresolved (albeit there’s scope for a sequel) and the privilege porn wasn’t questioned enough for me. That said, it’s good to see a YA romance with Muslim characters and there’s enough here for me to want to Iqbal’s next book.

THE EXES was released in the United Kingdom on 2nd May 2024. Thanks to the Amazon Vine Programme for the review copy of this book.

The Blurb On The Back:

Solving murders.
It’s a family business.

Steve Wheeler likes retired life. He still does some investigation work, but he prefers his familiar habits: the pub quiz, a favourite bench, his cat waiting for him at home. HIs days of adventure are over. Adrenaline is daughter-in-law Amy’s job now.

Amy Wheeler thinks adrenaline is good for the soul. Working in private security is dangerous. She’s currently on a remote island protecting infamous author Rosie D’Antonio, until a dead body and a bag of money mean trouble in paradise …

As a thrilling race around the world begins, can Amy and Steve outrun and outsmart a killer?

( The Review (Cut For Spoilers): )

The Verdict:

Richard Osman’s thriller (the first in a new series) couples jet-setting action, wry observations - particularly about ageing and dealing with grief - sharp one-liners and an interesting trio of central characters. However for me, neither Rosie nor Amy quite rang true in terms of their characters and the plot - though entertaining - was too easy to guess. That said there’s a lot of potential here and I will definitely read the sequel.

The Blurb On The Back:

November 1999
North Dana, Massachusetts.

Nesbit Nuñez discovers the partially devoured body of Bastion Attia - star quarterback, secret witch and Nesbitt’s even-more-secret boyfriend.

Now the remaining members of North Coven - Nesbit, Dove, Drea and Brandy - vow to get answers. Nothing can prepare them for what they uncover. Nesbitt’s nightmare is only just beginning …

An ancient evil. A coven bound in blood.
A love that death cannot destroy.

( The Review (Cut For Spoilers): )

The Verdict:

Freddie Kölsch’s debut YA historical dark fantasy/horror mixes THE CRAFT with IT in an engrossing tale of love, sacrifice and ancient evil. I believed in Nesbit’s relationship with the charismatic but tragic Bastion and the way Kölsch reveals North Dana’s dark history is well done. However I wonder how well modern teenagers will relate to the 90s setting and Cameron didn’t quite work for me in terms of his role in the story.

NOW, CONJURERS was released in the United Kingdom on 6th June 2024. Thanks to the Amazon Vine Programme for the review copy of this book.

The Blurb On The Back:

A house explodes in a quiet Oxford suburb, a child disappears in the aftermath, and Sarah Tucker - bored and unhappy with life - becomes obsessed with trying to find her.

Accustomed to dull chores in a childless household and hosting her husband’s wearisome business clients for dinner, Sarah suddenly finds herself questioning everything she thought she knew, as her investigation reveals that people long-believed dead are still among the living, while the living are fast joining the dead.

( The Review (Cut For Spoilers): )

The Verdict:

Mick Herron’s thriller (the first in the OXFORD SERIES) mixes sharp one-liners, genuine twists and cynicism but Sarah’s convoluted back story didn’t work for me given what you see of her before it’s revealed. Zoë Boehm makes a bigger impact despite limited page time and I found both her and the dangerous and driven Michael Downey more interesting characters. It’s an entertaining read and I will read on, but it’s not as good as SLOUGH HOUSE.

The Blurb On The Back:

The Squirrels need to be QUIET while watching a butterfly but Roly’s being LOUD - which is the opposite!

Join everyone’s favourite dog in this up-and-down tale for budding young Squirrels.

( The Review (Cut For Spoilers): )

The Verdict:

This entertaining educational board book that explains what “opposite” means and gives a number of examples. The illustrations are jolly and young readers will learn about big and small, young and old (although learning that 42 and 3 quarters is old felt like a significant kick in the guts), wet and dry among others. All in all it’s a book that young readers will enjoy and learn something from and perfect for Hey Duggee fans.

HEY DUGGEE - THE OPPOSITES BADGE was released in the United Kingdom on 13th June 2024. Thanks to the Amazon Vine Programme for the review copy of this book.

The Blurb On The Back:

ALEX ALWAYS is a normal, everyday kid living in a normal, everyday city …

AXEL STORMWARD is a monster-slaying hero living in a world of magic.

But all that’s about to change …

When the two boys magically swap places, needy nerd Alex is thrust into an epic quest to save the world of Aërth.

Meanwhile, sword-singing Axel is faced with double maths, a gran who’s six months behind on the rent, and a crucial chess tournament he’s got to win - when he doesn’t even know how to play.

Can the boys complete their Impossible Quests and find a way back to their own lives, or will they discover they don’t have a life to come back to?

( The Review (Cut For Spoilers): )

The Verdict:

Sam Copeland’s humorous fantasy novel for readers aged 9+ (the first in a series) has some genuine laugh-out-loud moments and gleefully subverts a number of the fantasy cliches. Although I think Alex has more depth than Axel and some of the resolutions to plot difficulties were too pat, there are also some genuinely moving moments and I enjoyed the adventure such that I would definitely read the sequel.

ALEX -VS- AXEL: THE IMPOSSIBLE QUESTS was released in the United Kingdom on 2nd May 2024. Thanks to the Amazon Vine Progrmme for the review copy of this book.

The Blurb On The Back:

”Fish and chips, bacon and curry in particular … These meals are more than food - more even than good food. They’re soul. Heart. Comfort. Home. They’re who I really am, and possibly, who many of us really are.”

In Britain, we have always had an awkward relationship with food. We’ve been told for so long that we are terrible cooks and yet according to a 2012 YouGov survey, our traditional food and drink are more important than the monarchy and at least as significant as our landscape and national monuments in defining a collective notion of who we are. Taking nine archetypically British dishes - Pie and Peas, A Cheese Sandwich, Fish and Chips, Spag Bol, Devonshire Cream Tea, Curry, The Full English, The Sunday Roast and a Crumble with Custard - and examining them in their perfect context, Pete Brown reveals just how fundamental food is to our sense of identity, perhaps even our sense of pride, and the ways in which we understand our place in the world.

( The Review (Cut For Spoilers): )

The Verdict:

Pete Brown is a food and drink commentator and food award judge. This is a fascinating look at 9 dishes that have come to be regarded as quintessentially British (including curry, cream teas and fish and chips) with Brown mixing comment on their development, place in British society, questions of authenticity and what they say about British class and culture with his own relationship with food, having grown up working class in Barnsley.

Thanks to the Amazon Vine Programme for the review copy of this book.

The Blurb On The Back:

Siberia, 1939. Pregnant Lena Orlova plans a daring escape from a brutal Soviet prison camp to the one place she knows is safe: a cave containing the legendary Altar of Bones, hidden behind a frozen waterfall deep in the icy wilderness.

San Francisco, Present Day. Zoe Dmitroff discovers that she is the last in a line of women who have been entrusted with a secret so great many have died preserving it. Now Zoe is being hunted by a vicious killer determined to uncover the truth, and she’s about to learn the hard way that no-one can outrun their destiny.

From the frozen wastelands of Siberia to the bustling backstreets of Paris, Altar of Bones is a gripping international adventure that spans the generations and unearths the dark secret behind one of the biggest conspiracies of all time.

( The Review (Cut For Spoilers): )

The Verdict:

Philip Carter’s conspiracy thriller is a pacy read that keeps the action coming with plenty of chases, fights and double crosses plus some screaming orgasms for good measure. However while Carter does well at balancing the different plot strands, the fates of the antagonists was underwhelming and I found the central conspiracies a little tasteless and disrespectful. It’s a decent beach read if you’re looking for something to hold your attention.

Thanks to Simon & Schuster for the review copy of this book.

The Blurb On The Back:

A timely and unprecedented examination of how the modern Middle East unravelled, and why it started with the pivotal year of 1979.

“What happened to us?”

For decades, the question has haunted the Arab and Muslim world, heard across Iran and Syria, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan, and in the author’s home country of Lebanon. Was it always so? When did the extremism, intolerance and bloodletting of today become the norm?

In Black Wave, award-winning journalist and author Kim Ghattas argues that the turning point in the once-promising history of the Middle East can be located in the toxic confluence of three major events in 1979: the Iranian revolution; the siege of the Holy Mosque in Mecca; and the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. Before this year, Saudi Arabia and Iran has been working allies and twin pillars of US strategy in the region - but the radical legacy of these events made mortal enemies of both, unleashing a process that transformed culture, society, religion and geopolitics across the region for decades to come.

Drawing on a sweeping cast of characters across seven countries over four decades, Ghattas demonstrates how this rivalry for religious and cultural supremacy has fed intolerance, suppressed cultural expression, encouraged sectarian violence, birthed groups like Hezbollah and ISIS and, ultimately, upended to the lives of millions. At once bold an intimate, Black Wave is a remarkable and engrossing story of the Middle East as it has never been told before.

( The Review (Cut For Spoilers): )

The Verdict:

Kim Ghattas is an Emmy Award-winning journalist born and raised in Lebanon who has spent 20 years covering the Middle East for the BBC and Financial Times. This well-researched book argues that 1979 set Saudi Arabia and Iran on a path that’s shaped the Middle East. Ghattas has a readable style and I came away feeling but there are a lot of figures in play here and despite a useful list, I sometimes found myself confused about who was who.

Thanks to the Amazon Vine Programme for the review copy of this book.

The Blurb On The Back:

From international drag queen superstar and pop culture icon RuPaul comes his most revealing and personal work to date - a brutally honest and deeply intimate memoir.

From drag icon to powerhouse producer of one of the world’s largest television franchises, RuPaul’s chameleonic nature has always been part of his brand as both supermodel and super mogul. It is this adaptability that has made him enigmatic to the public. In this memoir, his most intimate and detailed book yet, RuPaul makes himself truly known.

Stripping away all artifice, RuPaul recounts the story of his life with breathtaking clarity and tenderness, bringing his signature wisdom and wit to his own biography. From his early years growing up as a queer Black kid in San Diego navigating complex relationships with his absent father and temperamental other, to forging an identity in the punk and drag scenes in Atlanta and New York and finding enduring love with his husband Georges LeBar and self-acceptance in sobriety, RuPaul excavates his own biography, uncovering new truths and insights in his personal history.

Here in RuPaul’s singular and extraordinary story is a manual for living - a personal philosophy that testifies to the value of a chosen family, the importance of harassing what makes you different and the transformational power of facing yourself fearlessly.

If we’re all born naked and the rest is drag, then this is RuPaul totally out of drag. This is RuPaul stripped bare.

( The Review (Cut For Spoilers): )

The Verdict:

RuPaul Charles is a drag icon, actor, podcaster and the host and producer of an international drag show competition franchise. Although this memoir intends to reveal the real RuPaul and he talks a lot about a traumatic childhood through to the beginnings of his drag career and how he met his husband Georges LeBar, there’s a therapy filter at play here, which creates a sense of distance so I came away feeling like I hadn’t seen the real RuPaul.

The Blurb On The Back:

Ten years ago an obsessed fangirl known as Gottie set out to prove that two male actors were dating. But her online investigations uncovered far more than she bargained for.

In the ensuring frenzy, one of the Hollywood actors was killed. The other was charged with his murder.

And Gottie disappeared without a trace.

Now it’s time to crack the case wide open …

( The Review (Cut For Spoilers): )

The Verdict:

Lauren James’s standalone YA thriller is very strong on fame, fandoms and toxic fan behaviour but the murder aspect was under-powered for me with the villain too easy to guess and a final twist that didn’t ring true. At the same time, Delilah’s backstory was too busy and a sub-plot involving her best friend Nida feeling superfluous. That said, it is a fast-paced read and James has something to say so I would check out her next book.

LAST SEEN ONLINE was released in the United Kingdom on 1st August 2024. Thanks to Walker Books for the review copy of this book.

The Blurb On The Back:

One happy couple.
Two divided families.
A wedding party to die for.

On the private island of Castello Fiore - surrounded by the glittering waters of Lake Garda - the illustrious Heywood family gather for a wedding to remember.

But as the ceremony begins, a blood-curdling scream brings the celebrations to a violent halt.

With the guests trapped on the island as they await the police, old secrets come to light and family rivalries threaten to explode.

Everyone is desperate to know …

Who is the killer?

And can they be found before they strike again?

( The Review (Cut For Spoilers): )

The Verdict:

Tom Hindle’s standalone murder mystery is an entertaining take on locked room mysteries set amongst the haves, the almost haves and the wanna haves in a glamorous location. I enjoyed how Hindle builds in backstory for the various characters but with such a large cast, there are inevitably some caricatures and unfortunately I guessed the killer and their motivation a little too early for the book to be wholly successful for me.

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January 2026

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Page Summary

Master List Of Books 2024
Gorse by Sam K. Horton
Don’t Be Evil: The Case Against Big Tech by Rana Foroohar
The Hunter by Andrew Reid
The Fine Art Of Invisible Detection by Robert Goddard
Nina Peanut Mega Mystery Solver by Sarah Bowie
In Your Defence by Sarah Langford
Of Jade And Dragons by Amber Chen
The Exes by Anam Iqbal
We Solve Murders by Richard Osman
Now, Conjurers by Freddie Kölsch
Down Cemetery Road by Mick Herron
Hey Duggee! The Opposites Badge by Rebecca Gerlings
Alex vs Axel: The Impossible Quests by Sam Copeland
Pie Fidelity: In Defence Of British Food by Pete Brown
Altar Of Bones by Philip Carter
Black Wave: Saudi Arabia, Iran And The Rivalry That Unravelled The Middle East by Kim Ghattas
The House Of Hidden Meanings by RuPaul
Last Seen Online by Lauren James
Murder On Lake Garda by Tom Hindle

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I Read, Therefore I Blog

A Book Review Blog Belonging to Caroline Hooton

Recent Entries

Master List Of Books 2024

Gorse by Sam K. Horton

Don’t Be Evil: The Case Against Big Tech by Rana Foroohar

The Hunter by Andrew Reid

The Fine Art Of Invisible Detection by Robert Goddard

Nina Peanut Mega Mystery Solver by Sarah Bowie

In Your Defence by Sarah Langford

Of Jade And Dragons by Amber Chen

The Exes by Anam Iqbal

We Solve Murders by Richard Osman

Now, Conjurers by Freddie Kölsch

Down Cemetery Road by Mick Herron

Hey Duggee! The Opposites Badge by Rebecca Gerlings

Alex vs Axel: The Impossible Quests by Sam Copeland

Pie Fidelity: In Defence Of British Food by Pete Brown

Altar Of Bones by Philip Carter

Black Wave: Saudi Arabia, Iran And The Rivalry That Unravelled The Middle East by Kim Ghattas

The House Of Hidden Meanings by RuPaul

Last Seen Online by Lauren James

Murder On Lake Garda by Tom Hindle