FICTION

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Book review: A quiet story of personal crisis that swells into tumultuous tide of history
Book review: A quiet story of personal crisis that swells into tumultuous tide of history
'Conversations with the Sea' is a precise, masterly novel that encompasses themes of trauma, displacement, war, history, love, hope, and hopelessness

Sat, 30 Aug, 2025

Book review: Stuart Neville returns with ravenous, bloody sequel
Book review: Stuart Neville returns with ravenous, bloody sequel
Horrific tale hits close to home while highlighting an important message: Be careful who you trust, anyone could be lurking in the night

Sat, 30 Aug, 2025

The New York Times Book Review Live
Book review: Plucky lead, passable novel
'Vera, or Faith' is written in breezy, readable prose that offers wry observations about family, love, sex, learning, culture wars, and the wider dynamics of American politics and society

Sat, 23 Aug, 2025

Book review: A sensitive unspooling of self
Book review: A sensitive unspooling of self
Yasmin Zaher’s 'The Coin' is a compulsive read, built with startling prose and observation

Sat, 23 Aug, 2025

Book review: All in the mind: A vision of hell in which all torments are interior
Book review: All in the mind: A vision of hell in which all torments are interior
The characters in 'The Sleepers' drift on seas of sadness and self-loathing, coupling and decoupling, riding out storms of anxiety that exhaust them further

Sat, 23 Aug, 2025

Book review: Punished by a kindness to strangers
Book review: Punished by a kindness to strangers
'Two Kinds of Stanger' is the ninth book in Steve Cavanagh’s series featuring criminal defence attorney Eddie Flynn

Sat, 23 Aug, 2025

Book review: Humour and author’s voice stand out in collection
Book review: Humour and author’s voice stand out in collection
The standout qualities of de Celia de Fréine’s collection are voice and humour

Mon, 18 Aug, 2025

Book review: Duffy returns for more Ulster noir
Book review: Duffy returns for more Ulster noir
Having mined some of the darkest chapters in the province to excellent effect, Adrian McKinty and Sean Duffy have moved on to the 1990s

Mon, 18 Aug, 2025

FRANCE-ART-LITERATURE-POLAR-PORTRAIT
Book review: Karin Slaughter revisits familiar territory — but this time it's personal 
Absorbing novel from the author of the Grant County and Will Trent series will have readers looking forward to the next episode

Sat, 09 Aug, 2025

Westminster Houses of Parliament London Burning
Book review: A very readable and expertly paced quest for a past love in post-apocalyptic London
Migraine presents a disturbing vision of where humanity might be headed, but it is also hopeful

Sat, 09 Aug, 2025

Apple TV+ "Lady In The Lake" New York Premiere
Book review: Labyrinthine plot a lottery offering a frothy concoction
With a fire, an insurance claim, a vengeful action, and a whole series of ‘coincidences’ experienced by Mrs Blossom, you’ve got quite a mystery

Sat, 09 Aug, 2025

illustration drawing in pencil figure of a girl with wings as a symbol of flight against the backdrop of the blue sky and clou
Book Review: A treasure trove of folk tales
The Anthology of Irish Folk Tales: Volume Two  Extract: Inchiquin Lake: Never Disturb A Woman at Her Knitting Editor/author: Ruth Marshall BEFORE there was a lake or ...

Fri, 08 Aug, 2025

Book review: Up in flames — a labour of love to history
Book review: Up in flames — a labour of love to history
'The Great Liberties Whiskey Fire' is a short but interesting read and must encourage others with a particular interest in an almost forgotten event to put pen to paper

Sat, 02 Aug, 2025

Book review: Fact and fiction intermingle, but this elegant novel is more than memoir
Book review: Fact and fiction intermingle, but this elegant novel is more than memoir
Bea and Lucy, the protagonists of Esther Freud's first novel, negotiate their teenage years in 'My Sister and Other Lovers'

Sat, 02 Aug, 2025

Poetry review: The fine art of surprise
Poetry review: The fine art of surprise
The characters in this collection are portrayed with affection and empathy but their lives are never romanticised; there’s a darkness hidden beneath the surface of many of these poems

Sat, 02 Aug, 2025

Book review: Familial bonds tested in harsh locale
Book review: Familial bonds tested in harsh locale
Hazel Gaynor's 'Before Dorothy' is moving and uplifting, and you will also learn a lot about the 1920s and 1930s in the US

Sat, 26 Jul, 2025

Book review: Casual misogyny and classism abound in beautifully tackled tale of consent
Book review: Casual misogyny and classism abound in beautifully tackled tale of consent
This vibrant, sometimes hilarious, at times bleak novel set in Belfast, featuring a rich cast of distinctly ‘Erskinesque’ characters is highly recommended

Sat, 26 Jul, 2025

Book review: A captivating read that’s hard to forget
Book review: A captivating read that’s hard to forget
'The Wildelings' explores how our childhoods impact on us and our relationships and exposes the vulnerability of young adults trying to adapt to the world

Sat, 19 Jul, 2025

Book review: Makings of a masterpiece
Book review: Makings of a masterpiece
Use the Words You Have  Kimberly Campanello  Somesuch Editions, £9.

Sat, 19 Jul, 2025

Book review: Twisty thriller keeps us guessing
Book review: Twisty thriller keeps us guessing
'The Woman in Suite 11' is the ideal holiday read for those who enjoy tense, psychological thrillers; it’s the definition of a page-turner

Sat, 12 Jul, 2025

Book review: Distorted view of reality is a common theme
Book review: Distorted view of reality is a common theme
Marni Appleton presents us with a glimpse of sexually fluid, uncertain, and hedonistic characters in 'I Hope You're Happy'

Sat, 12 Jul, 2025

Book review: Characters bring cheerful attitude to war
Book review: Characters bring cheerful attitude to war
'Dear Miss Lake' is a touching reminder of how powerful friendship and community can be in the darkest of times — and it’s an absolute must-read this year

Sat, 05 Jul, 2025

Book review: Family secrets cannot hide forever within the walls of The Glass House
Book review: Family secrets cannot hide forever within the walls of The Glass House
Within this beautifully written novel lies a dark heart but there is beauty and connection too

Sat, 28 Jun, 2025

Book review: Status update of suspense and guilt
Book review: Status update of suspense and guilt
'The Night I Killed Him' is a gripping thriller that blends crime fiction with a sharp critique of influencer culture

Sat, 28 Jun, 2025

Poetry review: A debut that urges us to care
Poetry review: A debut that urges us to care
Divided into five sections, this is a collection that very deliberately speaks to Ireland in the 2020s

Sat, 28 Jun, 2025

Portrait of Henrik Pontoppidan
Book review: Novellas of a Nobel prize winner translated for a whole new audience
These are refreshing and a joy to read thanks to the fluency of Paul Larkin’s translation and his use of familiar idiom

Sat, 21 Jun, 2025

Book review: Do not put this book on hold
Book review: Do not put this book on hold
This is fresh, highly considered work, from a writer deserving of the praise garnered for her debut, and cements Volckmer as a beguiling voice in literary fiction

Sat, 21 Jun, 2025

Crime writer Michael Connelly: I???m definitely not finished with Harry Bosch
Book review: A brand new detective hits the scene
In Michael Connelly’s 40th thriller he introduces us to a new lead character — LAPD detective Stilwell

Sat, 14 Jun, 2025

Author Catherine Chidgey photographed at her Duned
Book review: How perspectives can vary
With much to unfold, and many plot twists to hide, Catherine Chidgey teases out her story with great skill in 'The Book of Guilt'

Sat, 14 Jun, 2025

Paul Sharp
Book review: Light touch always present in a story that is about love, pure and simple
'Open Heart' is written with lyrical delicacy, featuring beautiful Hardyesque descriptions of nature with an intimate tone

Sat, 07 Jun, 2025

Book review: Touching tale of finding love in later life
Book review: Touching tale of finding love in later life
'Best Friends' takes unlikely romantic material — two outsiders in their 70s — and fashions a tender story about risk, fate, and second chances

Sat, 07 Jun, 2025

Irish Novelist John Connolly Participates In Vlc Negra Festival
Book review: Ageing sleuth fights old and new demons
'The Children of Eve' will undoubtedly hook die-hard Parker fans and leave them eagerly asking what’s next for their favourite private detective

Sat, 24 May, 2025

Oxford Literary Festival 2025
Book review: Gripping tale of right v wrong
This  nail-biting thriller explores the fine line between justice and revenge and it’s a novel which will be remembered long after you finish it — it’s a triumph

Sat, 24 May, 2025

Book review: A different shade to the world’s end
Book review: A different shade to the world’s end
Gethan Dick's novel is not only charmingly hilarious, it is also a deeply serious and philosophically capacious book, particularly in relation to womanhood

Sat, 17 May, 2025

Book review: Stories that are always alive to the overwhelming weight of our pasts
Book review: Stories that are always alive to the overwhelming weight of our pasts
Old age, waning minds, distortions of perception, and capitalism’s assault on nature are at the heart of Shane Tivenan’s alternately blunt and poetic collection

Sat, 10 May, 2025

Book review: Secrets of a past buried long ago
Book review: Secrets of a past buried long ago
In 'Writers Anonymous' William Wall creates a claustrophobic, unsettling atmosphere, which becomes more dense as the story goes on.

Sat, 10 May, 2025

Book review: Novel goes to dark places but there is humour, empathy, and redemption
Book review: Novel goes to dark places but there is humour, empathy, and redemption
'Air' is testament to John Boyne’s strong storytelling talent. He packs a lot in, given that the book is only 166 pages long

Sat, 10 May, 2025

Book review: A worthy insight on life and relations but loses its way geopolitically
Book review: A worthy insight on life and relations but loses its way geopolitically
The premise is original and, at least for the first half, the novel is entertaining and at times very funny, however the second half of the novel is disappointing

Sat, 03 May, 2025

Jane Casey, Author of crime fiction. Photographed at her home in Wandsworth, London.
Book review: Thrilling crime secrets to be unlocked
Jane Casey's 'The Secret Room' is a fast-paced thriller with realistic police drama, plausible twists, and great characters

Sat, 03 May, 2025

Book review: Irish slow-burn mystery grips
Book review: Irish slow-burn mystery grips
Andrea Carter fleshes out the plot of 'There Came A-Tapping' with supernatural elements and a kind of mystery within a mystery

Sat, 03 May, 2025

Book review: Coming of age on a West coast island
Book review: Coming of age on a West coast island
Darkly comic depiction of adolescence portrayed by an authentic teenage voice that never falters

Tue, 29 Apr, 2025

Book review: Neurodivergent narrative drives this sparkling debut
Book review: Neurodivergent narrative drives this sparkling debut
Unconventional book is a gripping story about a nameless, neurodiverse girl growing up in the 1990s and 2000s

Sat, 26 Apr, 2025

Book review: New ‘City Girls’ outing leaves a warm feeling
Book review: New ‘City Girls’ outing leaves a warm feeling
'City Girls Forever' reintroduces readers to Scanlan’s iconic trio — Devlin, Caroline, and Maggie — for the first time in over 25 years

Sat, 19 Apr, 2025

Book review: Debut worth a watchful eye
Book review: Debut worth a watchful eye
'Frogs for Watchdogs' is both funny and sad. The last few pages left our reviewer, normally an impassive reader, in tears of happiness

Sat, 19 Apr, 2025

Book review: Collection of visionary tales
Book review: Collection of visionary tales
Morrissy, born in 1957, is clearly writing about her own generation, delicately referred to in the press release as 'a generation of men and women entering later life'

Sat, 12 Apr, 2025

Book review: A gritty collection of imaginative writing and devastating observation
Book review: A gritty collection of imaginative writing and devastating observation
The stories in this collection, some only a page or two long, get to the point with an economy of language and a razor sharp focus

Sat, 12 Apr, 2025

Book review: Deeply moving, real life Dublin
Book review: Deeply moving, real life Dublin
'May All Your Skies Be Blue' is a deeply moving story, full of relatable characters, that will soften the hardest of hearts

Sat, 12 Apr, 2025

Bestselling author Jojo Moyes: I don't know how anybody stays sane without female friends
Book review: Love, loss, and the power of family bonds
There are twists and turns in all of Moyes’ books, and 'We All Live Here' is no different

Sat, 05 Apr, 2025

Book review: All aboard for an enthralling ride in this explosive historical thriller
Book review: All aboard for an enthralling ride in this explosive historical thriller
Emma Donoghue’s well-judged pacing in 'The Paris Express' has created an enthralling, suspenseful read

Sat, 05 Apr, 2025

Book review: Blood-soaked Victorian thrills
Book review: Blood-soaked Victorian thrills
This is a highly entertaining novel, but its graphic descriptions of nauseating smells, blood-soaked corpses, and the under-age prostitutes, are not for the faint-hearted

Sat, 29 Mar, 2025

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