

No 378 Inhuman Resources by Pierre Lemaitre, translated by Sam Gordon
I read Pierre Lemaitre’s novel Blood Wedding last year and very much enjoyed it so was keen to read more of his work. Inhuman Resources doesn’t disappoint, featuring a perfectly paced plot, thrilling narrative and ingenious structure. Middle-aged Alain Delambre had a stellar career before he was made redundant from his job in HR. Four…

Read more No 378 Inhuman Resources by Pierre Lemaitre, translated by Sam Gordon
No 448 The Cutting Season by Attica Locke
I reviewed Attica Locke’s debut novel Black Water Rising back in 2014 and wasn’t particularly impressed at the time. The Cutting Season, her second novel is a more accomplished and enjoyable crime novel. Almost all the action of The Cutting Season takes place in a historic Louisiana mansion called Belle Vie, once a working sugar…

No 484 What the Dead Know by Laura Lippman – Book 1 of #20booksofsummer20
I have a few Laura Lippman books in the 746 but hadn’t read any before trying her most recent book, Sunburn, last year. I loved Sunburn and thought it was stylish and well-written, so decided to have a look and see if her back catalogue contained any other gems. What the Dead Know is a…

Read more No 484 What the Dead Know by Laura Lippman – Book 1 of #20booksofsummer20
No 528 The End of the Wasp Season by Denise Mina
The End of the Wasp Season by Denise Mina is the second in the Alex Morrow series and it opens in a shocking fashion with a young woman returning to her dead mother’s house, only to find that she is not alone. A nightmare ensues that will engulf several families before anyone can wake up.…


Unravelling Oliver by Liz Nugent #readingirelandmonth19
No 541 The Song Is You by Megan Abbott
I have never read Megan Abbott before, but the critical acclaim for her new novel drove me back into the 746 to pick up one of her earlier works, her third novel The Song is You. This is a brilliant slice of neo-noir crime fiction, taking a real life story as inspiration to turn the…

No 591 The Bat by Jo Nesbo
I’m a big fan of Jo Nesbo and his dark, troubled creation Harry Hole. Nesbo has just published The Thirst, his eleventh in the Harry Hole series. I’ve read almost all the books, but thought I would go back to the beginning and read The Bat, the first Harry Hole novel written in 1997 but…

No 595 The Reckoning by Jane Casey
Things weren’t great for Maeve Kerrigan at the end of The Burning, the first in the series of crime novels by Jane Casey. Attacked by a serial killer; dealing with the machismo and misogyny of her fellow police officers and starting a perilous relationship with her colleague Rob Langton had left Kerrigan in a fragile…

