Monthly Archives: August 2025

#BookReview ‘Gabriel’s Moon’ by William Boyd #spy #thriller

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Gabriel’s Moon by William Boyd could actually be titled ‘The Accidental Spy’ because that’s what Gabriel Dax is. What a wonderful spy novel this is, it plays with the idea of mistaken memory, mistaken perceptions and dangerous obsession. A Sixties Cold War thriller wrapped up in stellar writing. I raced through it. William BoydTravel writer Gabriel Dax has a dream singleton’s life. A flat in Chelsea, journalistic assignments taking him around the world, he is the author of three books and has an occasional girlfriend, Lorraine, who provides fun without committment. On location in the Congo, Dax is sent by his editor to do a political interview with the country’s new prime minister. This is unfamiliar territory for Gabriel but he takes the opportunity, hoping it may lead to more work. On the flight home he is surprised, and delighted, to see a fellow passenger reading one of his books. What follows next are a series of events he later realises are not coincidences.
In London he is surprised to see the woman from the plane near his house, but she disappears before he can speak to her. Then on a cold January day he is eating a lonely plate of spaghetti in the Café Matisse when the same woman approaches his table. She introduces herself as Faith Green and says she recognises him as the author of the book she was reading on the plane from Léopoldville. Then she drops two bombshells, that Patrice Lumumba, the prime minister who Gabriel interviewed, is dead. And that she would like him to do ‘us’ a ‘small favour’ as he has done in the past for his brother Sefton, mostly delivering packages. But when Faith says ‘us,’ she means MI6.
The favours that Gabriel undertakes for Faith are always mysterious, taking him to Spain and Poland. Operating on sparse information and cryptic instructions, Gabriel quickly learns to look over his shoulder and to trust his instincts. After each job he pockets the cash and vows never to work for Faith Green again, until the next time she asks. He becomes unable to say no to her, his attraction evolves into obsession.
Woven through Gabriel’s adventures as a reluctant spy are matters closer to home. The death of his mother when he was six in a house fire, from which he escaped, has left him with insomnia and nightmares. So Gabriel starts to see Dr Katerina Haas who recommends anamnesis, the search of facts that aid the return of memory. The family strand of the story encompasses Gabriel’s relationship with his two remaining relatives. His uncle Aldous Dax, who raised Gabriel when he was orphaned, is an art dealer. Older brother Sefton does something unspecified in the Foreign Office. Boyd handles his intricate plotting with a light hand, Gabriel never really knows what is happening and neither does the reader; but it is fun guessing.
William Boyd never disappoints, from cradle to the grave stories such as Any Human Heart, the story of a young pianist in Love is Blind, and a mix of sex and spies in Waiting for Sunrise, he reliably takes you away from the modern world as you sink into the world of his story.
Excellent.

Gabriel’s Moon is first in the Gabriel Dax trilogy. Here’s my review of THE PREDICAMENT, second in the Gabriel Dax trilogy.

Here are my reviews of other books by William Boyd:-
ANY HUMAN HEART
LOVE IS BLIND
NAT TATE: AN AMERICAN ARTIST 1928-1960
ORDINARY THUNDERSTORMS
SWEET CARESS
THE BLUE AFTERNOON
THE DREAMS OF BETHANY MELLMOTH
TRIO
WAITING FOR SUNRISE

… and try the first paragraph of ARMADILLO.

If you like this, try these:-
‘Nucleus’ by Rory Clements #2TOMWILDE
‘Wolf Winter’ by Cecilia Ekback
‘The Traitor’ by Ava Glass #2ALIASEMMA

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#BookReview GABRIEL’S MOON by William Boyd https://wp.me/p2ZHJe-8n5 via @SandraDanby

COMING SOON… THE NEXT BOOK I REVIEW WILL BE:- William Boyd

#BookReview ‘Tyrant’ by Conn Iggulden #historicalfiction #RomanEmpire

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Wow. Tyrant, book two of the Nero trilogy by Conn Iggulden, doesn’t disappoint. An ageing emperor who appeases his younger wife. A fatherless son, wild and untameable. His ruthless mother, single-minded, unscrupulous, determined her son should rule. This is the story of Nero’s ascent to the most powerful seat of all. Conn IgguldenIn his portrayal of Roman history, Iggulden’s writing bears his research lightly. Never once did I sense a fact included superfluously, everything was there for a reason. Where historical accounts are thin, Iggulden adds his own fictional interpretation. The result is a gripping story of political machinations not unfamiliar to today’s global governments, where ambition and dominion drive everything; loyalty is fragile, words have double meanings, while at the heart of it all are money and power.
Where Nero was the story of Agrippina, Tyrant is the story of her son Lucius, now re-named Nero. A headstrong teenager, Nero is out of control. His mother persuades her husband Emperor Claudius, and now Nero’s adoptive father, to name Nero as his heir in place of his natural son Britannicus who is the butt of Nero’s ridicule. An education is arranged at the hands of statesman and dramatist Seneca and praetorian Burrus.
A combination of political power struggles, subterfuge, a spot of teenage shoplifting and reckless charioteering, Tyrant shows Rome at its bloodiest and most dangerous. Plenty of plot twists, betrayals and plotting set against excessive wealth. I particularly enjoyed the portrayal of the naumachia, a naval battle in a flooded amphitheatre between ships crewed by prisoners of war. I was willing on Caractacus; first seen in Nero, as king of the Catuvellauni in Britain he fought the Romans many times but was captured and taken to Rome as a prisoner. He provides an interesting comparison on the nature of leadership, responsibility and power.
Conn Iggulden’s portrayal of Nero is compelling, despite the darkness, brutality and often insanity of the story. It’s a tribute to his storytelling that the writing does not descend into hyperbole. Tyrant is the story of Nero from boy to man, as he breaks free of the influence of his mother. A really entertaining read.
The final book of the trilogy is Inferno.

Read my review of NERO, first instalment of Conn Iggulden’s ‘Nero’ trilogy

If you like this, try:-
‘The Beasts of Paris’ by Stef Penney
‘The Last Hours’ by Minette Walters #1BlackDeath
‘The Lost Lights of St Kilda’ by Elisabeth Gifford

And if you’d like to tweet a link to THIS post, here’s my suggested tweet:
#BookReview TYRANT by Conn Iggulden https://wp.me/p2ZHJe-8i1 via @SandraDanby

COMING SOON… THE NEXT BOOK I REVIEW WILL BE:- William Boyd

#BookReview ‘A Cornish Seaside Murder’ by Fiona Leitch #crime #cosycrime

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I charged through A Cornish Seaside Murder by Fiona Leitch, finishing it in two afternoons. After reading some difficult emotional novels, this was like drinking a long glass of water on a hot day. Familiarity helps. This is the sixth in the Nosey Parker cosy mystery series. Fiona LeitchThe story starts and ends during events at Penstowan’s Merrymaid Week celebrating the legend of the Penstowan Siren, the seaside village’s very own mermaid. Part-time caterer Jodie Parker is now an auxiliary detective sergeant reporting to her partner DCI Nathan Withers. When a fisherman is found dead, and the church’s mermaid statue disappears, the police are at a loss to explain what is happening. The mystery is somehow connected with the village’s fishing businesses, the boats are now spending more time taking tourists on sightseeing trips than fishing. As always Jodie either directly knows the people involved, went to school with their sister or knows someone who knows them. Nathan, as the Liverpudlian outsider, is alternately a humorous or serious foil for Jodie’s quick wit. Awkward questions are asked as always by Jodie’s mother Shirley and daughter Daisy, making Jodie stop rushing around and reconsider her assumptions.
The first theory is that one fisherman is invading the territory of another or illegally fishing in protected waters. Then smuggling is considered, for centuries isolated Cornish beaches have been the secret locations for smugglers and wreckers. Or perhaps it is drugs. The plot moves quickly and there are a lot of theories and suspects. Meanwhile Jodie and Nathan are getting more serious, Daisy is growing up and becoming more independent, and Shirley has an admirer.
A quick, light-hearted read, well-written with good character progression from book to book. Jodie is a heart-warming character, straight-talking, sometimes impulsive, who is juggling life as a single mother while holding down two jobs. Perhaps something will have to give?

Here are my reviews of the other books in the Nosey Parker series:-
THE CORNISH WEDDING MURDER #1NOSEYPARKER
THE CORNISH VILLAGE MURDER #2NOSEYPARKER
THE PERFECT CORNISH MURDER #3NOSEYPARKER
A CORNISH CHRISTMAS MURDER #4NOSEYPARKER
A CORNISH RECIPE FOR MURDER #5NOSEYPARKER
THE CORNISH CAMPSITE MURDER #7NOSEYPARKER

If you like this, try:-
‘The Marlow Murder Club’ by Robert Thorogood #1MARLOWMURDERCLUB
‘Murder in the Belltower’ by Helena Dixon #5MISSUNDERHAY
‘A Death in the Dales’ by Frances Brody #7KATESHACKLETON

And if you’d like to tweet a link to THIS post, here’s my suggested tweet:
#BookReview A CORNISH SEASIDE MURDER by Fiona Leitch https://wp.me/p2ZHJe-8eF via @SandraDanby

COMING SOON… THE NEXT BOOK I REVIEW WILL BE:- Conn Iggulden

#BookReview ‘The Silence in Between’ by Josie Ferguson @Inky_Josie #WW2 #BerlinWall

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The Silence in Between by Josie Ferguson is a book that stays with you long after you’ve finished it. Telling the stories of a mother and daughter in 1940s and 1960s Berlin, it is an emotional, sad and realistic story of the long-lasting effects of war on the women left at home while the men went to fight. Josie FergusonLisette and her daughter Elly are alike in their love of music. But while Elly can hear the personal music of everyone she meets, a sensory skill that gives her an insight into character and personality, her mother Lisette has lost her voice and her music. It is 1961 and Lisette has given birth to her second child, Axel, who she knows immediately is her favourite. When Axel is kept in hospital for tests, Lisette goes home overnight to recover. But in the morning a wall has appeared in Berlin, dividing the Soviet-managed sector from that of the Allies. Lisette is in East Germany. Axel’s hospital is in the West. The trauma, helplessness, fear and anger are well-expressed and hard-hitting. Lisette’s oldest child, Elly, is sixteen, a troubled teenager who feels unloved by her mother. The loss of Axel and the torment of her mother makes Elly look with new eyes at the world around her; she takes a courageous and impulsive decision.
In the wartime segment, 1938-1946, Lisette is a teenager going to dances with her girlfriends and wishing her best friend Julius would kiss her. But as first her father then Julius and other schoolfriends go to fight, Lisette sees the world through new eyes. First her father is declared missing in action and her mother Rita begins to act strangely, forgetful with empty blank moments. Lisette becomes the responsible adult in the flat, despite her young age, caring for her mother and elderly neighbour Frau Weber. Then Julius returns on leave and is a haunted man, a shadow of the boy she waved goodbye to, unable to forget the things he has seen and done. And suddenly the war is being lost as the Soviets enter Berlin and no woman is safe.
This is not an easy read but despite this I found myself reading just one more chapter, wanting to know what happens to Lisette and Elly. Both face impossible choices; decisions that will stay with them whatever the outcome, with repercussions stretching into the unimagined future.
A very affecting novel, showing the post-war trauma of the defeated nation and a reminder that German women were victims too.

If you like this, try:-
‘The Aftermath’ by Rhidian Brook
‘White Chrysanthemum’ by Mary Lynn Bracht
‘Homeland’ by Clare Francis

And if you’d like to tweet a link to THIS post, here’s my suggested tweet:
#BookReview THE SILENCE IN BETWEEN by Josie Ferguson @Inky_Josie https://wp.me/p2ZHJe-8en via @SandraDanby

COMING SOON… THE NEXT BOOK I REVIEW WILL BE:- Fiona Leitch

Great Opening Paragraph 140… ‘Miss Benson’s Beetle’ #amreading #FirstPara

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“When Margery was ten, she fell in love with a beetle.”
Rachel JoyceFrom ‘Miss Benson’s Beetle’ by Rachel Joyce

Click the title to read my review of MISS BENSON’S BEETLE.

Here’s the #FirstPara of THE UNLIKELY PILGRIMAGE OF HAROLD FRY, also by Rachel Joyce.

And read my reviews of these other books by Rachel Joyce:-
MAUREEN FRY AND THE ANGEL OF THE NORTH
PERFECT
THE LOVE SONG OF MISS QUEENIE HENNESSY

Try one of these 1st paras & discover a new author:-
‘The Slaves of Solitude’ by Patrick Hamilton 
‘Queen Camilla’ by Sue Townsend 
‘The Secret Agent’ by Joseph Conrad 

And if you’d like to tweet a link to THIS post, here’s my suggested tweet:
#FirstPara MISS BENSON’S BEETLE by Rachel Joyce #books #amreading https://wp.me/p2ZHJe-7gx via @SandraDanby

#BookReview ‘The Angel in the Glass’ by Alys Clare #historical #mystery

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Stained glass. Shameful secrets. Rumours of wolves and shadows. Dissolution. The Angel in the Glass is second in the Gabriel Tavernier historical mystery series by Alys Clare. I really enjoyed the first, A Rustle of Silk, and was looking forward to reading more about Gabe, rural doctor and amateur investigator. I wasn’t disappointed. Alys Clare
Three disconnected events occur early in the story. Two young brothers go exploring and find jewels hidden in a tangled copse on a farmer’s land; the resulting fight between the farmer and the boy’s father causes uproar. The body of a vagrant is found on the edge of the moors. And Jonathan Carew, vicar of St Luke’s church, has a strange episode in the middle of his Sunday sermon; he goes pale and stares at something that isn’t there.
Coroner Theophilius Davey calls on local doctor Gabriel Taverner to examine the corpse. Slender, fair-haired, skeletal, diseased, Gabe says the man likely died of natural causes. The body is locked in the cellar of an empty house near Theo’s house while he and his assistant Jarman Hodge investigate his identity. They make little progress apart from accumulating a collection of strange stories; a black shadow seen here, a wolf there, and servants gossip about a loiterer seen at Wrenbeare, once a fine large house but now dirty and unkempt. When Theo and Gabe ride out to Wrenbeare to interview the widow, Lady Clemence Fairlight denies there was an intruder. But her youngest daughter Denyse screams and says she saw a dead body. And she continues screaming. Who is telling the truth? What secrets lurk at Wrenbeare?
The story starts in 1604. After decades of religious change, persecution and crisis, England has settled into a fragile calm under King James I. In The Angel in the Glass, Clare explores the continuing impact of Henry VII’s Act of Legacy, foundation of the Church of England and the dissolution of the monasteries, via a return to Protestantism under Edward VI and Catholicism with Queen Mary Tudor, returning to Protestantism again with Queen Elizabeth I. The turmoil of the preceding years lies shallow beneath the soil of the village Tavy St Luke’s and at Rosewyke, the warm country house which is home to Gabe and his widowed sister Celia.
I enjoy historical mysteries but some are long and wide-ranging. In future when I need a shorter read, I will turn to Alys Clare whose books are concise but still detailed and intriguing. At 240 pages, The Angel in the Glass is a puzzling, quick read. The plot moves forward on every page, there are no wasted words, with rounded characters, twisty plot and a returning cast of villagers.
Quickly becoming a favourite series of mine. The next Gabriel Taverner book is The Indigo Ghosts.

Here are my reviews of other novels in this series:-
A RUSTLE OF SILK #1GABRIELTAVERNER
THE INDIGO GHOSTS #3GABRIELTAVERNER

If you like this, try:-
‘The Fair Fight’ by Anna Freeman
‘Three Sisters, Three Queens’ by Philippa Gregory
‘Broken Faith’ by Toby Clements #2Kingmaker

And if you’d like to tweet a link to THIS post, here’s my suggested tweet:
#BookReview THE ANGEL IN THE GLASS by Alys Clare https://wp.me/p2ZHJe-8d6 via @SandraDanby

COMING SOON… THE NEXT BOOK I REVIEW WILL BE:- Josie Ferguson