FICTION

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Book review: Searching for a reason amid the gloom
Book review: Searching for a reason amid the gloom
'Saltwash' skilfully blends the themes of decay both personal and general with a ticking tension over an impending game which turns out to have high stakes 

Sat, 25 Oct, 2025

Book review: Vibes aplenty in excellent debut novel
Book review: Vibes aplenty in excellent debut novel
Souvankham Thammavongsa is one to watch, and this debut is a certifiable knockout

Sat, 18 Oct, 2025

Haiti Air Ambulance Reception
Book review: Sincere but syrupy, Albom’s familiar premise won’t get a second chance
Mitch Albom’s commitment to his story is commendable, but comes at the expense of style and clarity

Sat, 18 Oct, 2025

Book review: Feisty, forensic Dublin thriller
Book review: Feisty, forensic Dublin thriller
Marie Cassidy’s debut was praised for its compelling storyline and its authentic forensic detail, and the same is true of ‘Deadly Evidence’

Sat, 11 Oct, 2025

Book review: What is the cost of privilege?
Book review: What is the cost of privilege?
Elizabeth Day’s smart writing expertly weaves the tales of five major characters in the political-themed narrative in 'One of Us'

Sat, 04 Oct, 2025

Book review: Facing the music of the past
Book review: Facing the music of the past
'Hot Wax' is an electrifying triumph of a novel with a raw, emotional core, finely crafted by the talented M. L. Rio. 

Sat, 04 Oct, 2025

Book review: Beautifully crafted, relatable stories that bring our capital city to life
Book review: Beautifully crafted, relatable stories that bring our capital city to life
Many of Dave Tynan's characters are bruised by stagnation: struggling in poorly-paid jobs, torpedoed by the housing crisis, and unmoored from their peers who are reaching the milestones of adulthood

Sat, 27 Sep, 2025

Book review: A funny but disorientating experience
Book review: A funny but disorientating experience
Kevin Smith, whose humorous third novel takes us back to post-Brexit suburban Belfast, is an undoubtedly gifted stylist

Sat, 27 Sep, 2025

Book review: All secrets great and small
Book review: All secrets great and small
'One Summer in Provence' is about relationships, betrayals, and secrets. It’s absorbing and will keep you guessing about some of those secrets to the end

Sat, 20 Sep, 2025

Cheltenham Literature Festival 2019
Book review: Lost poetry and longing for the past in near future ruined by war and climate
Ian McEwan uses the term 'The Derangement' to describe how a generation saw that climate disaster was coming and did nothing about it

Sat, 20 Sep, 2025

Book review: London’s sweariest spy returns
Book review: London’s sweariest spy returns
Mick Herron’s Slow Horses series of books has attracted a whole new cohort of fans due to the much-praised Apple TV adaptation

Sat, 13 Sep, 2025

Poetry review: Bold poems full of verve and ambiguity
Poetry review: Bold poems full of verve and ambiguity
One of this collection’s great charms is Patrick Cotter’s trademark use of the absurd to tackle serious, or mock-serious, subjects

Sat, 13 Sep, 2025

AMANDA CASSIDY
Book review: Thrilling mystery is a must read
Amanda Cassidy crafts a tense, atmospheric narrative in 'The Stranger Inside', with plenty of moral ambiguity and a constant undercurrent of dread

Sat, 06 Sep, 2025

Book review: Mystery keeps ahead of the chasing pack
Book review: Mystery keeps ahead of the chasing pack
'Dark Horse' is gripping and it’s fast-paced, driven by the interesting characters and a plot which keeps you guessing

Sat, 06 Sep, 2025

Book review: Pop psychology, testing friendships, and plenty of commercial tropes
Book review: Pop psychology, testing friendships, and plenty of commercial tropes
At times predictable, this novel has all the ingredients of emotional chick lit, with dollops of pop psychology thrown in

Sat, 06 Sep, 2025

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: Brilliance of a true wordsmith
Book review: Brilliance of a true wordsmith
Adrian Kenny’s collection of short stories can be described as an evolved exploration of the human condition

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

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

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: 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: 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

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

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: 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: 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: 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: 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: 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: 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

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

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

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

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