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 …

May in books

May was a pretty good month in terms of reading. I read five books; two horrors, two paranormal romances and one true crime. My enjoyment of these five reads varied, with Thin Air getting five stars and Night Train getting a measly two. All of the books that I read are listed below. To read …

Review: ‘Thin Air’ Michelle Paver

The Himalayas, 1935. Kangchenjunga. The sacred mountain. Biggest killer of them all. Five Englishmen set out to conquer it. But courage can only take them so far. And the higher they climb, the darker it gets. Is it perhaps a bit bold of me to say that I think Michelle Paver has written some of …

Review: ‘In Cold Blood’ Truman Capote

Controversial and compelling, In Cold Blood reconstructs the murder in 1959 of a Kansas farmer, his wife and both their children. Truman Capote's comprehensive study of the killings and subsequent investigation explores the circumstances surrounding this terrible crime and the effect it had on those involved. At the centre of his study are the amoral young killers …

Review: ‘A History of the Vampire in Popular Culture’ Violet Fenn

Our enduring love of vampires - the bad boys (and girls) of paranormal fantasy - has persisted for centuries. Despite being bloodthirsty, heartless killers, vampire stories commonly carry erotic overtones that are missing from other paranormal or horror stories. Even when monstrous teeth are sinking into pale, helpless throats - especially then - vampires are …

Review: ‘Night Unbound’ Dianne Duvall

For centuries, Lisette d'Alençon has been a warrior against the dark. She fights alongside her brothers and comrades. But when the dreams start coming, she can't bear to confess them to the Immortal Guardians' command. Dreams of a dark-haired man with soft eyes and brutal wounds, a man her heart aches for--and a man she …

Review: ‘Ghosts of the Tsunami’ Richard Lloyd Parry

On 11 March 2011, a massive earthquake sent a 120-foot-high tsunami smashing into the coast of north-east Japan. It was Japan’s greatest single loss of life since the atomic bombing of Nagasaki. Richard Lloyd Parry, an award-winning foreign correspondent, lived through the earthquake in Tokyo, and spent six years reporting from the epicentre. Learning about …

Review: ‘Darkness Rises’ Dianne Duvall

Krysta is used to getting the drop on vampires. Her "special abilities" aren't much, but the plan is simple - she plays helpless pretty young thing to lure them in. Then her shoto swords come out and it's bye-bye, bloodsucker. Until one night she finds herself with an unexpected ally. He's a vampire, all right, …

Review: ‘The Covent Garden Ladies’ Hallie Rubenhold

In 1757, a down-and-out Irish poet, the head waiter at the Shakespear's Head Tavern in Covent Garden, and a celebrated London courtesan became bound together by the publication of a little book: Harris's List of Covent Garden Ladies. This salacious work - detailing the names and 'specialities' of the capital's sex-workers- became one of the eighteenth century's most …

Review: ‘A Touch of Darkness’ Scarlett St. Clair

Persephone is the Goddess of Spring by title only. The truth is, since she was a little girl, flowers have shrivelled at her touch. After moving to New Athens, she hopes to lead an unassuming life disguised as a mortal journalist. Hades, God of the Dead, has built a gambling empire in the mortal world …