This is a book I very much enjoyed recently which I highly recommend. This is my review on amazon:

This book reminded me so much of one of my favourite books ‘Rebecca’ by Daphne Du Maurier. The Room in the Attic is a compelling, dark, heart-breaking, gripping read. I literally stayed up late into the night to finish it.
The story alternates between two stories, one a nurse caring for a little girl when the house was an asylum in 1903 and two troubled boys in the same house in 1993 when the house was a boys’ boarding school. So often with books set in different times I find myself preferring gone over the other, but this was different. Both stories were so beautifully written that I loved them both equally.
It is a beautifully crafted, well researched novel. The details of life in an asylum and attitude towards women in the early 20th century were shocking, as indeed were some of the descriptions of life in a boarding school in far more recent times.
However, it is the warmth of the relationships that develop in both timelines that will stay with me. They are beautifully written and heart breaking at times, but they give the book hope and light.
Having been through such a journey it was brilliant that, at the end, the writer gave us a glimpse into the lives of the characters after the story ended.

I heard Martin Edwards speak at the Isle of Wight Literary Festival some time ago and was keen to read this, his latest novel. It is very well researched, a book steeped in the the 1930’s. A classic whodunnit. I have always loved Agatha Christie and this is one of the few books that has matched hers. I loved the character of Rachel Saverneck. A great read, highly recommend.

A book I have very much enjoyed recently is Pam Lecky’s ” No Stone Unturned”, the first in a series to feature her Victorian heroine Lucy Lawrence. Here’s my review on Amazon:

“Absolutely loved this book. An easy, well plotted , exciting read, with lots of fascinating insights into Victorian England seamlessly knitted into the story. I loved the central character of Lucy, strong and sassy. I really look forward to more of her adventures. My husband loves Sherlock Holmes and said this book reminded him very much of his books.”

If you want to have a look at it, click on the cover above to see it on amazon.

 

Earlier in the year I was lucky enough to have the editor Phoebe Morgan critique the synopsis and opening chapters of my new novel “Behind the Smile”. Her comments were extremely insightful and encouraging. Little did I realise that she was about to publish her debut novel “The Doll House”, a gripping psychological thriller. It has been phenomenally successful and quickly reached best seller rank on Amazon. I gave it 5 stars and this is my review: “Excellent debut novel by Phoebe Morgan. Gripping, lots of twists and turns that work very well. Highly recommend. Read in one day.”