This made me smile and made me think. Goodness, things have changed (and thank goodness that includes not everyone wearing fur as they seem to have all done in this). There‘s a lot of depth and perception re human nature here as well as (sly?) humour.

I read Campion novels from the library in I guess my early teens and enjoyed them but can‘t really remember them, except that in later ones he has a sidekick! A couple of scenes did ring a bell. I enjoyed this but in the intervening period I‘ve developed an annoying habit of seeing them from a social history viewpoint & wish I could shake that. While the murderer was guessable I liked the way the ending was handled.

I enjoyed this, Anna Dean has the Austen-era dialogue off pat and I liked that she had the heroine not knowing what Col. Walborough was up to, because a Regency woman probably wouldn‘t and giving an historical character modern understanding / sensibilities is a trap some historical novelists fall into. Good story and I didn‘t guess the solution. I borrowed this from my mum and am looking forward to reading the next one when I‘m next home!

I can‘t quite pin down how I feel about this one. Definitely an accomplished author, and if I‘d stopped to look up words in dictionary my vocab would be dramatically improved! There‘s a strangely distanced quality to the prose and the majority of the characters are vile, except the Captain; there‘s a petulant quality to Lily,but she certainly grows as a person throughout. The ‘Wild West‘ setting draws out how horrible (to my mind) that was too.

I thought this was very good. Setting, unsettling atmosphere and characters are all very well drawn. Clever to use manipulation as a theme of subplots as well as main. Early 1930s UK pretty grim. Marcus is probably too much a stereotype (& slug bit‘s foul) and the action-adventure bits don‘t necessarily sit well with the otherwise subtle approach, but they‘re quibbles. I didn‘t get whodunnit, or indeed the other big mystery til it became obvious.

I bought this from a small selection of books at a supermarket and hadn‘t heard of the author despite him clearly being famous! I enjoyed it, he really projects a sense of place, and of a legal system which to non-US based readers is like a whole other world. Fast-paced and engaging.

I was looking for something light but this was too simplistic. The constant use of ‘as‘ (imaginary example: “she made dinner, as she felt hungry”) got on my nerves. Obviously she‘s a very popular author but I guess just not for me.

Ok, but I found it a bit laboured. I read Anthony Horowitz‘s new Sherlock Holmes books first and don‘t think these stand up so well against them.

A vet would know better than to feed bread to ducks.

The amount of research that went into the last two books in this series in particular is impressive. Central relationship as usual gripping, and they‘re both so convincingly portrayed. Plot a bit far-fetched, but so be it. Supporting cast (now add Pat‘s husband) and subplots engaging too.

The central plot strand is one that a few detective series have at one point now (the first I remember it being in was Morse) and I don‘t like it as a plot device, but it‘s still a really good book, I still didn‘t guess whodunnit, and I still want to read the sequel when he‘s written it! The fact / fiction mix continues right into the acknowledgements section and still unsettles me quite a lot, which I guess is the intention!

I thought AH had the language and feeling of the original Holmes stories almost spot on, right down to the syntax; just a couple of jokey one-liners that weren‘t Watsonesque but were worth it. Slight shame the horror he was leading up to from the start was of the type I thought it might be, but I‘d still give this 5 stars. I didn‘t guess whodunnit - again!

I‘m at the stage where I don‘t care what happens anymore, I just want it to be over. 3/4 of the way in, though, and it started off fine, so with (according to my Kindle) 1 hr 47 mins to go, I‘ll finish it.

It was very clever - I didn‘t get ‘whodunnit‘, though I did get some other elements - but I couldn‘t quite settle into the autobiographical first-person style, it was just a bit too weird! I stopped after a couple of pages then came back to it after I‘d read another book. One thing that needled me was that because AH is so successful, it felt like too much name-dropping. I couldn‘t feel much connection with the detective. I will read the sequel.

I read the second in the series first and enjoyed it more than this, but would still recommend this. The author has woven his historical research into the narrative incredibly well without making it obvious, so it‘s very atmospheric. I‘m ambivalent about the character of Cat Lovett and can‘t warm to her, but perhaps we‘re not meant to!

I enjoyed this finale to a brilliant series. Sometimes it went on a bit and some of the themes were repetitious, perhaps because I‘ve read the ‘Court Of…‘ series (which I prefer, with some caveats). I wished Aelin would stop smirking! Quite how Dorian got hold of Damaris at one point distracted me. Oddly this wasn‘t my favourite of the series, but it was great to have everything come together. SJM‘s imagination + story arc over 7 books phenomenal.

I really enjoy Sarah J Mass‘ works, but must have read them in too rapid succession, because first it got on my wick when Rhys ‘crooned‘ so much, and now Aelin keeps ‘drawling‘!

So good, hard to put down. I love the main characters, their story arc, & how the author gets inside her characters‘ heads! Knowing her awful experience with trolls I get why she focuses on these themes, & it‘s done brilliantly, just sometimes couldn‘t get the person of the author out of my mind which distracted from the fiction a bit. The research she must have done into gaming is phenomenal & it takes strength to recreate some of those tweets.

Nearing the end of this brilliant trilogy and am torn between not wanting it to end and looking forward to it ending because it‘s getting really heart-rending now. Sharon Penman‘s brilliant and, for me, knows which lines not to cross in terms of graphic scenes.

I‘m really enjoying this, calmly reflective and I‘m learning things. It‘s arranged by month, so I‘m reading it in that month (more or less). I don‘t think the Litsy description is of this book, though, so I‘m posting material from the cover.

I think this was better than the first in the series, perhaps because there were fewer strands (there was a people trafficking subplot in no. 1), or because the main character seems to have settled into shape. I hope the female detective who was in the first one is brought back in a later book. Currently reading the third book and enjoying it so far.

Alarm bells rang at the start when DCI Ryan told a coastguard what the weather was going to do: the coastguard disagreed, but Ryan was right. So much in this book would just never happen, and while I like some escapism this was silly (one thing would definitely get him sacked). The plot, DCI‘s back story, and most scenes are like a teenager‘s first foray into creative writing, with murder mystery ‘must haves‘ being ticked off in due order.

I‘m going to finish this because I might as well and I‘m curious to know if it can get any worse, but it‘s complete tripe and I‘m really disappointed. I‘m from that part of the world and wanted a series set there to be a decent read, but this is full of nonsense.

Really good. This must be based on years, maybe decades, of research into the whole period and then the author‘s had to explain complicated issues as clearly as possible so we can understand the background to incidents in the book. Really impressive and gives a well-rounded portrait of Walsingham. I understand a lot more about the Elizabethan PR project now too! One to read again.

Tricky one to review because it‘s so ‘of it‘s time‘. I don‘t think I‘d give it to a child to read, and dispassionately viewed, the world of Dan and Una with their entire Kentish country estate to roam about in while enacting scenes from A Midsummer Night‘s Dream is hilarious. However, right now it‘s so unrealistically nostalgic that it‘s curiously comforting, so I liked it!

Listened to the audiobook. I can see why this is good - well-written, has a major unexpected plot development, and stays with you when you‘ve finished it. I just couldn‘t like it, I think because there was such unhappiness in it, it was too much for me.

I liked this better the second time round: first time he needled me with negative comment about my old university! I think all Alexander McCall Smith‘s books are a vehicle for his gentle observations on how society‘s changed (often not for the better). Isabel Dalhousie‘s world is rarified and it‘s hard not to be a bit jealous of her, so it‘s almost brave but honest of AMS to have her as a protagonist. Interesting he chooses women as protagonists.

Second time of reading but I couldn‘t remember who did it. Great plotting and atmosphere. Trouble for me is that the language /style is too recent to be ‘of its time‘ but instead sounds a bit uncomfortably dated, especially when James comes across as a snob! Can‘t quite explain it, so it‘s just me, not a criticism of the work. Still love Dalgleish, though.

Settling in for the next 30 mins or so (about as long as I can manage before intermittently snoring husband makes me feel guilty because he can‘t sleep when my bedside light‘s on), not exactly the “‘Twas the Night Before Christmas” of my childhood!

I really liked this, after the first chapter or so. At the beginning I thought ‘oh, not more bloody periods‘, because like many modern historical novels it went for the gritty reality approach (graphic laundry alert), but then it got better. Some really lovely prose, showing how adept use of grammar allows the author to express things more eloquently than most, but using fewer words. Wasn‘t so keen on part 3 when the scope and setting broadened.

Good. Wasn‘t sure at first because near the beginning some things jarred, e.g. a character called Alice ‘harrumphed‘ twice in the space of a page, so I thought perhaps the author‘s so popular she was getting complacent and the editor didn‘t want to challenge it. But turns out they were isolated incidents and otherwise it was really good. Some ace one-liners, great structure, plot and characters.

Great, real page-turner, atmospheric descriptions both of Cornwall and of time period. Though sometimes wasn‘t sure if author‘s habit of using simple colour adjectives was pithy or boring - brown cow, green fields, grey tor - one page had loads in close succession and it felt like overkill. Gothic and with a feisty heroine. I wonder if the ending was a bit sudden but intriguing to speculate how that would play out (avoiding spoiler!). Liked it.

Don‘t you hate it when you can see what‘s coming (at least, 99.8% sure) and the heroine can‘t? It‘s killing me!

Listened to the audiobook. I was pleasantly surprised by this, love how the author structured this, developed the characters, and played with the concept of the unreliable narrator(s); really well done.

Started this today with no preconceptions, despite having read Rebecca. So far there‘s a distinct whiff of Wuthering Heights about it.

Great novel, so atmospheric with lovingly crafted descriptions of the setting and weather (I wish I‘d noted examples as they struck me). Have to care for Dalgleish, he‘s so self-contained. Didn‘t guess killer. Only criticism is being supposed to feel sympathy for Fr John because he didn‘t abuse choirboys all that much, that doesn‘t sit well. There were occasions when the decade seemed further in the past than the setting. Otherwise, top notch.

Listened to the audiobook, very well read by Kris Dyer. Enjoyed this and its setting in the 17th century Commonwealth period, with a cast of characters (mostly) in an Essex village and the portrayal of how Royalists and Parliamentarians lived alongside each other after the War. Good use of first person narrator and I think it was deliberate that sometimes the reader saw things coming which the protagonist didn‘t. Made him quite endearing!

I do love a good jigsaw and this one is excellent, of a wonderful painting (Clarence Gagnon, Laurentian Village - hadn‘t even heard of him before I saw this in shop but must Google him for photos of some of his other paintings). Also interesting shaped pieces. Just fighting with sky and snowy ground! #jigsaw

Rated this ‘pick‘ because it was a real page-turner so from that point of view a success. The author also has a great imagination and I didn‘t guess what the ‘sacrament‘ was. It was also total hogwash! Thinly veiled pop at Vatican. At beginning I could feel author writing. Not sure I ever warmed to chapters never more than 4 pages, sometimes less than 1. Don‘t think I‘ll read the sequel but I don‘t regret reading this, just wouldn‘t re-read it.

Boy am I glad to be rid of this!

Going to start this (not exactly the title stored on Litsy, but close). Got it for 20p at charity book sale years ago. The font size is tiny! Already think I‘m not going to like it, but at least that would clear a space on my over-burdened bookshelves.

Outstanding. I am in awe of what this man has done, the breadth and depth of scholarship (which crosses academic disciplines), understanding and analysis, and the measured approach he has managed to take. Much of what was described made me disgusted with ‘humanity‘ but it‘s important to know about. Particularly impressed with how he communicates the ways in which people see and experience the world differently.

Listened to the audiobook. I liked this. Couldn‘t quite work out whether it was magical realism or a ‘Lost World‘ scenario (bit of both?). Weird, but good.

Listened to the audiobook. Not too keen, the conspiracy stuff was too ‘out there‘, not enough light parts to lift the dark, and too many coincidences. Doubt I‘d have persisted if reading hard copy instead of listening.

(...continued) for liking nature or being slightly ‘different‘ will get this, even if not the boiling down of animals‘ heads! I think parents of children with Asperger‘s might find it helpful. In many ways it‘s a brave book.

I listened to the audiobook, read by the author, and hearing it in his voice (and knowing who he is from TV) made a difference. I admit I used to find him annoying (smug) but now I know about his Asperger‘s and saw a documentary about him feel empathy, and listening to this book even more so. There are some lovely lyrical passages and searing honesty, without affectation. Those of us who even in a comparatively mild way were bullied for liking

Listened to the audiobook. This was good, I think better than the first one, the Shakespearean quotes were more integrated into the text so seemed less mannered. The forest setting for much of the book, like the Forest of Arden etc, worked well, but with a hefty dose of reality for the modern reader (no fairies or Bottom, thank Heaven!) and relatable characters with real emotional dilemmas.

Listened to the audiobook. Some parts really good, others a strange mixture in tone, veering between seeming aimed at a YA audience (with villains ending sentences with the protagonist‘s name, e.g. “You‘ll pay for this, Mallory Bright” - not an exact quote), and something much darker, with vividly described scenes of torture and sexual abuse which made me feel queasy. Some relationships nuanced, others not. Left me uncertain how to rate it.

Listened to the audiobook while walking and working. I hated it! I suppose it hasn‘t dated well. The atmosphere was a bit like a miserable kitchen sink drama but with hysterical overwrought women carrying on like they were on the set of Dynasty. The ending‘s passé but that‘s its age. Also could really have done without Wexford saying “it makes me want to puke,” yuck.