HQ Fiction Archives

Book review: For All The Dead Girls by Sherryl Clark

June 26, 20263 min read

I hadn’t realised For All The Dead Girls by Sherryl Clark was the second in a series, following Louisa (Lou) Alcott’s first outing in Woman, Missing. She’s a PI here but was (at one point) a police officer and this opens as her estranged father – also the Assistant Commissioner of Police – offers her a job back on the force. I gather Lou wasn’t one to toe the rather-prescriptive blue line and she’s seemingly happy working at Paul Marshall Investigations. Paul is obviously her mentor who seemingly cares and respects Lou, and she likes ‘Gang’ PMI’s tech-genius who plays a big role here as we dip into the murky online incel-like world of women-haters. Trigger-warning that this centres around women and children exposed to domestic violence and those who try to support them are targeted viciously via online ‘pile-on’.

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Book review: What the Bones Know by Kirstyn McDermott

February 25, 20263 min read

I must admit to almost putting What the Bones Know by Kirstyn McDermott aside. There’s a haunting / mystical element to it and I hate books that dip into the supernatural as logic tends to go out the window which was slightly the case here. However there was enough of the ‘tangible’ elements of mystery/suspense to keep me contented, allowing me to skim the more fantastic elements. It was also interesting to be jolted back to the days of COVID-19 with its masks and lockdowns which – though incredibly disruptive at the time – feel like a lifetime ago, and another world entirely.

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Book review: The Pact by Lisa Walker

January 13, 20263 min read

The Pact by Lisa Walker is a book about writers and writing… which always appeals to me. However, anyone who’s done the Camino de Santiago walking trail or wants to do it will very certainly love this because it’s narrated by Tess, a writer walking the Camino to reconnect with former friends, albeit with the aim of seeking vengeance on those she holds responsible for ruining her life. As a result Walker includes A LOT of detail about the trail. I knew very little about it so found the inclusion of information about the accommodation, and everything from meals to religious services, not to mention the terrain and challenges of the different stages all quite fascinating. I mean, it didn’t tempt me to go and do it (indeed, I’d rather poke myself in the eye with a sharp stick) but Walker has either done it, or undertook significant research allowing her to confidently share this level of detail.

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Book review: Whistle by Linwood Barclay

December 20, 20252 min read

Whistle by Linwood Barclay dips into the supernatural / horror genres which I don’t usually read. I didn’t realise it when I bought it at the local second-hand bookstore and might not have picked it up had I realised. It’s interesting as I used to love Stephen King back in the 1990s and wasn’t bothered by the unexplainable, but nowadays I need my baddies (antagonists) to be soused in realism – albeit with sociopathic, psychopathic or vengeful tendencies. However… I’ve not got a lot of reading fodder at the moment so I hung in there, which was easy enough to do as Barclay boxes this book into separate segments and timelines following a scene-setting prologue.

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Book review: The Final Chapter by January Gilchrist

September 19, 20253 min read

The Final Chapter by January Gilchrist was a spontaneous purchase when I went to buy a print copy of Tenderfoot, which I raved about recently and I needed a print copy so my mother could read it. I’d seen The Final Chapter launched and tried to recall if I’d submitted a failed request for it. Nevertheless, it jumped out at me as I appreciated that it was centred around writing and writers and takes place at a writers’ retreat in the Blue Mountains.

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Book review: The Neighbours by Emma Babbington

July 30, 20252 min read

The Neighbours by Emma Babbington is the journalist’s debut novel and it’s a very good one. As lovers of books we have very similar tastes, so I guess it’s not surprising that I would enjoy something she’s written. And The Neighbours is a complex thriller with layers of murky moral dilemmas for readers to traverse. It predominantly unfolds from the point of view of Liv – a physical therapist and mother to 19 year old university student Gracie. And then there’s Meredith, an orthopaedic surgeon who knew Liv as a teenager and who moves into the same street as her former friend and the arrogant, lecherous and recently-dead plastic surgeon Richard Wellington.

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Book reviews: Two twisty tales by Alice Feeney

February 1, 20253 min read

The books I’ve received for review have really dried up over recent months. Happily however I discovered my Prime (Amazon) TV package includes things I’ve not yet used such as music and books. And these two twisty tales by Alice Feeney, a former BBC journalist, recently caught my attention and practically BEGGED to be read/borrowed/downloaded.

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Book review: Endgame by Sarah Barrie

October 27, 20243 min read

Endgame by Sarah Barrie is the fourth in the series featuring Lexi Winter – victim turned prostitute / hacker / vigilante turned cop. I really love this series and Barrie has offered up consistently good books with strong vibrant characters and action-packed investigations. It’s interesting she’s not garnered more accolades for her work (and I enjoyed her earlier novels as well). This would be great on the screen and I’d love to see it optioned as it’s got everything one could possibly want in a TV series!

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