Mick Herron had me by the end of the first chapter. His writing had me laughing out loud. As a writer, myself, I loved, and learned from his total disregard for the 'rules' of writing. His main character, Jackson Lamb, defies every convention - including the need for hygiene and lifestyle choices - yet, I believe he has a heart of gold. The discredited spies under his tyrannical care are also interesting and believable. I have since read every one of his Slow Horses books and his Oxford Series. I am an addict!
'To have been lucky enough to play Smiley in one's career; and now go and play Jackson Lamb in Mick Herron's novels - the heir, in a way, to le Carre - is a terrific thing' Gary Oldman
Slough House is the outpost where disgraced spies are banished to see out the rest of their derailed careers. Known as the 'slow horses' these misfits have committed crimes of drugs and drunkenness, lechery and failure, politics and betrayal while on duty.
In this drab and mildewed office these highly trained spies don't run…
This is the first Kate Quinn novel I have read and it won't be the last. Kate Quinn brings together a disparate group of woman of different ages and stages. All of the characters live in a tacky boarding house set in 1950 in Washington, DC. She brings great depth to all of her characters, I would become angry at the behaviour of the landlady, frightened for the vulnerable English mother whose husband was away in the Korean war, impressed by the strength of the main character,Grace, who brings them all together for a weekly dinner. So laughter and tears. A great read.
This is a debut novel by a young, Australian, Emilia Hart. I was attracted to the story because my novels are about witches and Weyward follows three generations of witches. Three stories follow the lives of three young women in 1619, 1942 and 2019. The stories emphasis the strength, resilience and power of these women, connected by their blood and unique gift, against the backdrop of the dangers abounding in each generation. Emelia writes beautifully, even poetically. Lots of bugs, nature and magic.
An Indie Next March 2023 Pick • A LibraryReads March 2023 Pick • An Amazon "Best Books of the Year So Far" 2023 Pick
"A brave and original debut, Weyward is a spellbinding story about what may transpire when the natural world collides with a legacy of witchcraft." ––Sarah Penner, New York Times bestselling author of The London Séance Society
I am a Weyward, and wild inside.
2019: Under cover of darkness, Kate flees London for ramshackle Weyward Cottage, inherited from a great aunt she barely remembers. With its tumbling ivy and overgrown garden, the…
When Annie Thornton, midwife and fledgling witch, falls through time to a fifteenth-century Yorkshire village, she befriends two soldiers returning from the French Wars. Her ancestral witchy aunt deliberately brought them together to expose corruption in her troubled community.
Hearing about the mysterious disappearance of the local innkeeper, the three investigate. Asking questions in a village shrouded in fear and long-held secrets is dangerous. Annie’s clumsy spellmaking brings her to the notice of the powerful Manor Steward. Between falling in love, delivering babies medieval-style, becoming an apprentice witch, and seeking a murderer, Annie discovers that even magic and steadfast friends cannot keep her out of danger.
