Faber & Faber Archives

Book review: Murder Takes a Vacation by Laura Lippman

August 20, 20253 min read

Murder Takes a Vacation by Laura Lippman is a delightful read and I notice the some marketing materials tag this as ‘a Mrs Blossom Mystery’ which means there may be more to come from Muriel Blossom. It must be said though readers will need to suspend their disbelief somewhat as Lippman jumps on every possible cliche she can here – presumably on purpose. Mrs Blossom is initialy portrayed as this bumbling old woman who is worried about everything and anything. Who allows a handsome stranger to take control as she navigates her first trip overseas. I shook my head as she took the offered ‘relaxant’ to help her sleep on the plane. And willingly let him change her travel plans on arrival in London before heading to Paris. I think what would have been MORE surprising was if he WASN’T playing her.

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Book review: The Note by Alafair Burke

December 21, 20243 min read

Alafair Burke is one of my go-to authors. I’ve enjoyed her standalones, (both) series, and the books she co-authored with Mary Higgins Clark. Her latest novel, The Note, is yet another excellent read and I feel that Burke’s increasingly moving away from legal procedurals and crime fiction to thriller / suspense territory with her more recent work. Again she writes what she knows and our very likeable-though-quite-highly-strung lead character here (May) is a former assistant district attorney-turned law professor.

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Book review: A Talent for Murder by Peter Swanson

July 4, 20242 min read

A Talent for Murder by Peter Swanson is the third in a (loosely linked) series. I hadn’t realised that and – as I’ve read eight of Swanson’s usually-twisted books – I only discovered belatedly I’d read the previous book in the series (The Kind Worth Saving) though not remembered the series’s namesakes in any detail.

Despite knowing of his proclivity for twisty-ness I was thrown a little in the early stages of this book as Swanson puts us in the heads of several characters he then wantonly kills off. It was a little disconcerting as I’d identified with them, not realising they weren’t going to be our main narrators.

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Book review: Tell Me What I Am by Una Mannion

May 17, 20243 min read

I actually first read Tell Me What I Am by Una Mannion in 2023. I didn’t review it immediately and recently found the draft I’d written. I recall overthinking it a little, which is something that often prevents me putting fingertips to keyboard. And then too much time had passed. I knew I’d enjoyed it – though ‘enjoy’ seems to be the wrong word to use in a book like this, but it pulled me in and buried me deep. I recently watched The Marsh King’s Daughter (on Prime) based on a book I’d read and was reminded of this… and others similarly themed.

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Book review: The Christmas Guest by Peter Swanson

December 13, 20232 min read

The Christmas Guest by Peter Swanson is a cleverly delivered story of events taking place 30 years ‘earlier’ and their repercussions. It opens in the present with a woman – alone on Christmas day – pottering around her house going through old boxes, when she comes across an old diary. She flicks through to a section she knows well wondering (though) if she’s prepared to go back and revisit that ‘murderous year’.

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Book review: A Bird in Winter by Louise Doughty

September 4, 20233 min read

A Bird in Winter by Louise Doughty is a difficult book to describe. Ostensibly it’s a slow burning thriller – about a woman who goes on the run, slowly sharing with us the ‘why’. What elevated it for me was the (almost) syncopated way in which Doughty doles out details, as well as her beautiful writing. Sentences and phrases leapt out at me. It’s also most definitely not the book I was expecting it to be, and it unfolds in a way that’s weirdly unsettling.

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Book review: The Kind Worth Saving by Peter Swanson

January 27, 20232 min read

I’ve read a number of books by Peter Swanson however missed The Kind Worth Killing, which became the first in this series. It didn’t really matter but I’d probably recommend reading it first as I was missing a bit of context here and though this offers some spoilers, I’m keen to go back and read it because I very much liked Lily, who belatedly joins in the adventures here.

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Book review: The Girl She Was by Alafair Burke

January 5, 20223 min read

Missing memories or amnesiac episodes are always good fodder for crime fiction and thrillers. Particularly when it’s indicated that one of the central characters everyone knows and loves may in fact NOT have always been quite as loveable.

It’s certainly the case in Alafair Burke’s latest book, The Girl She Was. Although it features her popular detective, Ellie Hatcher and references a pivotal point in her life, it’s not actually part of that series; rather it’s a standalone novel so perfect for both fans and newcomers.

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