Review: ‘Unnatural Causes’ Richard Shepherd

Meet the forensic pathologist, Dr Richard Shepherd.He solves the mysteries of unexplained or sudden death.He has performed over 23,000 autopsies, including some of the most high-profile cases of recent times; the Hungerford Massacre, the Princess Diana inquiry, and 9/11.He has faced serial killers, natural disaster, 'perfect murders' and freak accidents.His evidence has put killers behind …

Review: ‘The Strange Affair of Madeleine Smith’ Douglas MacGowan

It was a case that rocked Victorian society. Emile L'Angelier was a working-class immigrant from the Channel Islands who began a clandestine affair with prominent Glasgow socialite Madeleine Smith. Six weeks after Emile threatened to show Madeleine's father their passionate letters, on 23 March 1857, he was found dead from arsenic poisoning. The evidence against …

2021 in books

So, 2021 was a good year for me in terms of books. I haven't read 45 books in a year in, well, years. I probably haven't read 45 books in a year since I was a kid, when my grandparents and I used to go to our local library every Friday evening to select our …

Review: ‘Women Don’t Owe You Pretty’ Florence Given

I know, my duvet cover is adorable Women Don't Owe You Pretty is the ultimate book for anyone who wants to challenge the out-dated narratives supplied to us by the patriarchy. Through Florence's story you will learn how to protect your energy, discover that you are the love of your own life, and realise that today is a …

Review: ‘Cause of Death’ Geoffrey Garrett

Dr Geoffrey Garrett was for over 30 years a Home Office pathologist. This is his personal memoir, in conjunction with crime journalist Andrew Nott, of many infamous, unusual and heartbreaking cases and a fascinating history of his professional life, giving a unique insight into a pathologist's work. I came across Cause of Death while trawling …

Review: ‘Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers’ Mary Roach

What happens to your body after you have died? Fertilizer? Crash test Dummy? Human dumpling? Ballistics practise? Life after death is not as simple as it looks. Mary Roach's Stiff lifts the lid off what happens to our bodies once we have died. Bold, original and with a delightful eye for detail, Roach tells us …

Review: ‘Murder: The Biography’ Kate Morgan

The stories and the people involved in the history of murder are stranger, darker and more compulsive than any crime fiction. There’s Richard Parker, the cannibalized cabin boy whose death at the hands of his hungry crewmates led the Victorian courts to decisively outlaw a defence of necessity to murder. Dr Percy Bateman, the incompetent …

Bibliophile Bullies

I've been a part of the bookish blogosphere for over five years and, for the most part, I love it. I've found it to be a positive community, one in which people from all walks of life are connected through their shared passion for books. Regardless of how much I've interacted with a blogger, if …

Review: ‘A Bit Of A Stretch’ Chris Atkins

Where can a tin of tuna buy you clean clothes? Where is it easier to get 'spice' than paracetamol? Where does self-harm barely raise an eyebrow? Welcome to Her Majesty's Prison Service. Like most people, documentary-maker Chris Atkins didn't spend much time thinking about prisons. But after becoming embroiled in a dodgy scheme to fund …

Review: ‘And Every Word Is True’ Gary McAvoy

Truman Capote’s bestselling book In Cold Blood has captivated worldwide audiences for over fifty years. It is a gripping story about the consequences of a trivial robbery gone terribly wrong in a remote village of western Kansas. But what if robbery was not the motive at all, but something more sinister? And why would the …