Jacqui Jay

Tom Lundy, the ‘Cut’ and toffee apples

A lot of the background material in Ashes in the Tongue comes from my childhood in Banbridge in County Down. One of my early memories, which didn’t make it into the book, is of being wrapped up warmly on a winter’s night to witness the burning of Tom Lundy (Robert Lundy, died 1717). In 1950s NorthernContinue reading “Tom Lundy, the ‘Cut’ and toffee apples”

A Pair of Kings

Holly by Stephen King. I had already read this book but was quite happy to listen to it again as (1) listening is quite a different experience to reading and (2) Holly Gibney is one of my favourite King characters. Jerome and Barbara are good back-ups for her but they’re just a little too perfect.Continue reading “A Pair of Kings”

Nobody’s Fool: Harlan Coben

Twenty two years ago, Sami Pierce woke up to find his girlfriend, Anna, dead in the bed beside him, her body awash with blood. After he reported this to the police and returned to the scene, the body had disappeared. On his father’s advice, Sami left the country, returned yo America and got on withContinue reading “Nobody’s Fool: Harlan Coben”

All the Colours of the Dark: Chris Whitaker

In All the Colours of the Dark by Chris Whitaker we have three central characters – Patch, a one-eyed boy who imagines himself as a pirate and who gets kidnapped in the early pages of the book; Saint, his only friend; Misty, the richest girl in town who is saved from abduction by Patch andContinue reading “All the Colours of the Dark: Chris Whitaker”

Does familiarity breed complacency?

Michael Connolly has been one of my favourite authors ever since I read his first Harry Bosch novel in 1992. His Mickey Haller, the Lincoln Lawyer series didn’t disappoint either, confirming Connelly as a first class crime writer. I followed the fortunes of both characters down the years, adding the Renée Ballard stories to theContinue reading “Does familiarity breed complacency?”

Forever Night

I got a nice surprise when I opened my emails this morning to find Forever Night: Circles of Confusion II featured on the KU Recommended List. Ten years ago, Jilly, Tina and Leon committed a terrible crime.They were never brought to justice.Now it’s payback time. Jilly Graham has buried the terrible events of the pastContinue reading “Forever Night”

The Impossible Thing: Belinda Bauer

The Impossible Thing is set in two different periods, approximately one hundred years apart. The stories are so different in every way that the two strands could each stand on their own as short stories. As it is, they’re tied together by the impossible thing – a scarlet guillemot’s egg, stolen from a bird onContinue reading “The Impossible Thing: Belinda Bauer”

Learning to love audiobooks

I’ve recently been forced to move from reading the printed/e-reader page to listening to audiobooks. Initially, it wasn’t what you’d call a roaring success. I quickly realised that most audiobooks stand or fall on the skills of the narrator and there were a lot of voices I just couldn’t cope with, even when sampling triedContinue reading “Learning to love audiobooks”

An Honourable Institution: Laura Lyndhurst

Laura Lyndhurst has taken a massive risk in creating a main character who is not only unlikeable but, frankly, abhorrent. Cressida is wealthy, arrogant, and has the morals of an alley cat. In the first chapters of the book, she doesn’t have a single redeeming feature as she uses her position to abuse and degradeContinue reading “An Honourable Institution: Laura Lyndhurst”

The Cold, Cold Ground: Adrian McKinty

Totally Immersive I read this book some years ago and was instantly hooked on Adrian McKinty;s series set in Northern Ireland and featuring the maverick CID detective, Sean Duffy. As someone fairly new to audiobooks, I welcomed the chance to re-visit the books. A native of Carrickfergus himself, McKinty’s writing is rich with the atmosphereContinue reading “The Cold, Cold Ground: Adrian McKinty”