#Review of The Angel of Death by Trevor Wood @TrevorWoodWrite @OrendaBooks @RandomTTours #Newcastle #Dementia #CrimeFiction

The Angel of Death
By Trevor Wood

The Angel of Death is a new, dark and chilling installment to the Jack Parker series based in Newcastle. I am on the blog tour today with a review and blurb. It is thanks to Orenda Books for a copy of the book.

Review

Set in Newcastle, The Angel of Death touches on some sensitive subjects about death, but handles both sides of debates well and also keeps it pulled into the bounds of a thriller. There is an anonymous killer pacing the streets of Newcastle, offering the terminally ill a dignified escape. There are others who see it as murder. The initial attitude of DCI Jack Parker is an understandable one and one that can be empathised and sympathised with, whilst also wondering what you would do if in his position. It keeps the questions open. He doesn’t want the case as he has a battle of his very own that he is trying to keep secret – early on-set dementia. He can’t keep it hidden forever and he knows it as the signs can’t be ignored for much longer. As the political debate rumbles on and the Angel of Death enters carer’s support groups to select the next victim or as this person puts it, mercy killing, DCI Jack Parker is also wondering if the Angel of Death can assist him. Whatever side of the fence or even on the fence you’re on about this, he is a very deftly written character.

The Angel of Death is a well-paced, well thought out thriller. Wood, in my humble opinion, has handled the subject of assisted dying sensitively and has added some twists and turns and cliff hangers that is sure to keep readers curious. The moral questions it raises are highly current.

It’s a fast-paced, chillingly dark book with political and social topics. This is grounds that Trevor Wood covers very well in his books. They are dark, but not without heart and a strong tendency to easily grip and pull you in.

Blurb

DCI Jack Parker is BACK…

Death is stalking the streets of Newcastle. An anonymous killer is offering the terminally ill a dignified escape. Mercy to some. Murder to others.

KILLER

DCI Jack Parker doesn’t want the case. He has a secret of his own – an early-onset dementia diagnosis he’s desperate to conceal. But the signs are becoming impossible to ignore. As his mind begins to betray him, the city faces its own moral reckoning.

While politicians debate a contentious new law and the self-styled Angel of Death selects another victim, Jack’s world is shaken when the killings are traced to a carers’ support group – one his wife, Helen, has been attending in secret.

SAINT

Yet his deepest fear is also his darkest temptation. Because when his disease becomes unbearable, Jack can’t escape one haunting question:

Could the Angel of Death be the saviour he’s been waiting for?

#Review of Historical Fiction – The Spirit of the Times by Justin Newland #bookreview by Lou #HistoricalFiction #silkroad #TheSpiritOfTheTimes #justinnewland

The Spirit of the Times
By Justin Newland

review by Louise Cannon

The Spirit of the Times takes place during the times of the bubonic plague. Readers not only get a chance to travel back in time to the 1300’s but also take a journey along the famous Silk Road, plus a map is included. The book is “part fiction, part history and part speculation about the origin of disease; the power of innocence; the unfortunate aspects of custom and dogma; and humanity’s ability to respond to the governing influence or spirit of the times.
It is thanks to Justin Newland who sent a copy of the book for an honest review, which you can find below the mysterious purple skies of the cover, and the blurb…

Ring-A Ring-A Roses, A Pocket Full of Poses… a famous and seemingly fun children’s rhyme, but it used to have a darker meaning. Enter the times of the “black death”, “the plague” in and be swept along through short chapters containing fear, adventure, religion, many types of beliefs and more… Travel along the Silk Road and be confronted with sandstorms, slave traders and meet the people who inhabit some beliefs that keep the main character in danger.

Fascinatingly the book begins with a map with the old countries names with the modern day names in brackets. It helps give a sense of place and time as does, not just the talk of the plague, but also the fascinating mentions of Genghis Khan. You really get a sense of the power.

Readers follow Karia, a young woman living under the Mongols. She carries a lot and feels and sees dangers. She has visions at times, which holds quite a bit of responsibility as the black plague seeps into the world. She holds some self-doubts, which is interesting, but could have been a bit stronger.
When she travels in caravans along the famous route known as the Silk Road, she is in fear of losing her little cousin, Abi to the dance of Whirling Dervishes of Bukhara and Karia, herself is confronted by people believing she is a witch.

The religious aspects of Islamic, Muslim and Christian faiths meet are interesting and what is quite refreshing is when a child is born and the mother is asked what faith, assuming it will be Muslim, practically puts her foot down and says she will choose what faith to have her child baptised and how to raise it. It seems quite modern, but there was no doubt some women who were strong in their convictions and in not allowing someone else to choose for them way back in the fourteenth century.

The research done is admirable in all of Justin Newland’s books, people can really gain some knowledge and perhaps have interest piqued in this. The pace is quite fast, helped with the short chapters, written with each word carrying the story ever forward adding depth and a mix of historical wonderment and fact.

For a rather different time period in historical fiction, this book is good to take a chance on to travel to a rather challenging era very different from today’s modern world.

Blurb

In fourteenth-century Central Asia, Karia is a young woman living under the yoke of Mongol occupation. But she’s different. She’s a fighter with supernatural powers. She could use them to keep the Black Plague at bay and solve the mystery of the purple skies at dawn – if only she could overcome her self-doubt.

Travelling in caravans on the Silk Road, she faces dangers seen and unseen – from sandstorms and slave traders to the desert djinn and folk who believe she’s a witch. She fears losing Abi, her little cousin, who’s fascinated by roses and the dance of the Whirling Dervishes of Bukhara.

When Karia falls in love with an English sailor fleeing the Knights Hospitaller, they sail to England with Abi to unravel the meaning of the purple skies, a dance, a posy tree, and a ring of roses.

The Spirit of the Times is part history, part fiction and part speculation: on the origin of disease; the power of innocence; the unfortunate aspects of custom and dogma; and humanity’s ability to respond to the governing influence or spirit of the times.

#Review By Lou of A Room of One’s Own a play, part of the arts festival in #Alton #Hampshire – Saturday 11th July 26 at #WessexArts #virginiawoolf

A Room Of One’s Own

Original Text by Virgina Woolf
Stage Play Adaptation By Dyad Productions

Date:11/07/26

Door Time: 14:30

Start Time:15:00

End Time:~16:05Venue:Wessex Arts

A Room of One’s Own, originally written by Virginia Woolf, performed with gusto and passion by Rebecca Vaughan of Dyad Productions. I reviewed the play in the marquee in the grounds of Prestonfield House as part of the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. I see it is still touring and tickets are still available. The one woman play is powerful and in many ways, inspiring. Check out the synopsis and the rest of my review below. You will also find the website link to tickets after my review.

*please note, all reviews are my own. I am not affiliated to anyone or any company. The blog is solely mine too.

Synopsis

Award-winning Dyad Productions (Lady Susan, I, Elizabeth, Female Gothic, Austen’s Women) return with a 21st century take on Virginia Woolf’s blisteringly brilliant pre-TED talk. Take an amusing and incisive trip through the history of literature, feminism and gender. Meet Charlotte Brontë, Jane Austen, Aphra Behn, and Shakespeare’s sister, Judith! Introducing a different way to look at creativity, it even comments on what life will be like in the 2020s! Come and be amused, challenged and changed. Rebecca Vaughan performs Woolf’s 1928 exploration of the impact of poverty and sexual inequality on intellectual freedom and creativity.

Review

A Room Of One’s Own is all you need to create is what Virginia Woolf’s works tells us. A room, however big or small and mind-space. It’s inspiring! It’s humble and one of the most inspiring things I’ve ever heard, in the world that we live in today, that seems to concentrate on vying for university places, of perhaps not belonging to the “right class”, it’s inspirational and says anyone can create something, no matter what class you come from. So, that’s the overriding message that remains with me.

There’s a bit of a history lesson in this too about the arts, especially writing in-terms of female writing. It’s well-constructed and adds in some well-known modern writers too, so it becomes a piece that bridges the past with the present. It has short moments of being dry, hence not quite the 5 stars, but on the whole, it holds a great amount of attention and is a compelling watch as it shows the journey of how far feminism has come, how far women have come in pushing the boundaries and writing what’s in their heads and being published.

It’s a great play to watch in a beautiful setting, whether you’ve read the book before or not. It’ll make your heart “sing”.

Dyad Productions also have other plays coming soon, such as a Christmas Carol to look out for.

https://wegottickets.com/sct/RCuqvDdTPB

https://tickets.edfringe.com/whats-on/room-of-one-s-own

Happy Publication Day for Roman Mornings by Matson Taylor a compellingly witty and emotional summer read full of friendship and more… #bookreview by Lou @matson_taylor_ @simonschusterUK #RomanMornings #summerread #romanmornings

Roman Mornings
By Matson Taylor

review by Louise Cannon

Matson Taylor is back!!! His debut novel shot up the charts and introduced readers to Evie Epworth. His debut was the very funny and poignant The Miseducation of Evie Epworth with a strong follow-up, All About Evie, set in Yorkshire and London. Now, he has a new character and is transporting readers to Italy in his 3rd fabulous book, Roman Mornings.

Some books are worth their weight in gold, this is one of them. It was worth the wait and it, for me, came along at the best possible time. It’s one for cat lovers, the holiday adventurers, readers of Kate Atkinson and Sarah Winman and for those who just need a little healing and a spot of heartwarmth in their books.

It was a delightful surprise when an opportunity to review Roman Mornings landed in my inbox from Simon & Schuster. Check it out below the cover you can just walk into for a perfect summer escape and my review and blurb below.

Full of heartwarming wit and encounters as an adventure on a mint-green Vespa ensues to seek out hope and new way of living life.

Roman Mornings takes readers between 1952, Trastevere, Rome and 1976. The sense of place draws you into the old narrow streets, adding an air of intrigue and mystery and wonderment as to who lives in these crammed streets and what are their stories. This is when readers meet some rather interesting eccentric characters.
Clementine Severs is the main character, who in 1952, arrives with a certificate in teaching and a whole lot of idealism, enough to fill many Grecian urns, certainly more than realism. She has many hopes, dreams and an urn-full of spirit.

By 1976, times from those days of surviving through World War 2, she is wilting, she and readers are reminded we all need something fun and happy in our lives. For Clemmie, it comes in the form striking up an unlikely friendship with young carpenter, Mongomery Marsh and a journey to find new hope and new ways of living life.

They also meet a cat called Octavian, who, if you’re a cat-owner, is so recognisable in manner and behaviours right down to a whisker twitch. Readers can be right into this feline and understand exactly what it’s doing and thinking, just like how cats communicate with humans in real-life and in some mysterious way, we understand them. Octavian is a great cat character.

Well-observed, are the changing times in culture and how young and older people can be both seeking out something similar and also become friends. The writing style has you hanging on every word as, cleverly he ensures his reader is absolutely with them every bit of the way, through potholes, the surrounding scents, food and growing friendship.

Roman Mornings is immersive, full of universally, heartstring tugging and heartfelt relatable themes that are emotional yet also upbeat, full of humour, hope, poignancy, whilst encompassing some healing along the way.

Roman Mornings may well make you want to wake up in Rome. If you don’t find yourself in Italy, it still may we’ll have you wake up to searching for hope and a new life.

I highly recommend Roman Mornings for your summer read or anyone looking for a heartfelt pick-me-up, perhaps with your favourite Italian food and tipple.

Blurb

A glorious novel of hope and healing for fans of Armistead Maupin, Fredrik Backman, Kate Atkinson and Sarah Winman.

1952, Trastevere, Rome. An idyllic maze crammed full of narrow streets and eccentric characters. A young English woman, Clementine Severs, arrives armed with a teaching certificate and enough idealism to fill a host of Grecian urns.

By 1976, she finds herself wilting, her youthful dreams squashed by time and tide. A chance encounter between an angel and a speeding mint green Vespa brings her into contact with a troubled young carpenter called Montgomery Marsh. Clemmie and Monty forge an unlikely friendship that takes them on a magical ride through the Eternal City in search of fresh hope and a new way of living.

Fun, spirited and full of heart, Roman Mornings, like the city of Rome itself, is a novel of mysterious beauty that you will want to revisit time and time again.

#Review of Bad Influence by Will Carver @will_carver @OrendaBooks @RandomTTours #thriller

Bad Influence
By Will Carver

Will Carver is known for Nothing Important Happened Today, Hinton Hollow Death Trip, The Beresford Hotel and more books that will have you seeing society in a different light and make you think in ways you may never have before. His unique societal focussed thrillers are darkly twisty and once you pick them up, they’re hard to put down. In Bad Influence, it looks at social media, influencers and poses the question, do you know who’s in your house when you’re not at home? I am on the blog tour for Bad Influence with a review. Check it out below, along with the blurb. Thanks to Random T.Tours and Orenda Books for an e-book and slot.

Do you know who’s in your house when you’re not at home? It may be more than just your dog or cat. *Phrogging is the latest wave of social media crazes, created by top influencers in America, followed and tried out by others. In this case it can lead to dangerous consequences.
*Phrogging – an act of living in someone else’s home without their knowledge or permission.

The world of influencers is what Will Carver is focusing on in this latest societal thriller. It takes you into the world of Paige, a qualified nutritionist and mentor who doesn’t like fake news and promotes fitness, Ellie, Max, Shona, Barnaby, Alyssa who is friends with Alessandro, now wanting to be called Less, all in their 20’s and hoping to “make it”. The main story-lines come from Alyssa and Less in a rather fast-paced unique manner that is fitting with social media, narratives and in a relational sense too.
The observations are acute and spot-on about how people want to be noticed. In Less and Alyssa, their parents bankroll them financially and they do a bit of entrepreneurship themselves, especially Less, so in that way, they are secure, even with Alyssa being not quite so wealthy, but within themselves they are insecure. There are issues within their families and Alyssa is a full time carer to her grandmother, gets herself out the door, does the meals. She, in that respect is relatable as anyone who’s a carer from a younger than average age will understand and see this part reflected to a certain degree. Paige plays a big part too and is brought further to the fore later on in the book.

What happens next is the start of a darker side creeping in after a jaw-dropping party, a crime fuelled by inhibitions. Not a thought about the consequences. Things get even darker when a new type of influence is coming on-trend, Phrogging. As readers we join the speed and thrills of the ride of this life, but things take an unexpected dangerous turn.

Intelligently the emotions and mental health are played out in the characters, most pertinently in Paige. It is, again, a well observed study of not just the ‘human condition’ but also the effects of being so absorbed to high influencer levels in social media.

The relevancy and importance of reading this book is high.
The pace is fast, explosive compelling plot won’t just wash over you, it will stay with you beyond the last page!

Blurb

Two bored teenagers.One stupid game.The wrong place to play…Alyssa wants to be seen. Less wants to be someone. She takes two buses to class, posts pictures of her lunch, and pretends it’s all effortless. He hides his privilege beneath thrifted clothes and a sketchbook full of impossible designs. Together, they are inseparable – two outsiders constructing a version of themselves the world might finally applaud.Then Alyssa stumbles upon the hidden world of phrogging – living unnoticed inside other people’s homes. She and Less slip through Los Angeles’ glossy veneer: influencers, producers, pop stars, all so busy performing their perfect lives they don’t notice the shadows in their attics, the scratching in their walls.An act of rebellion. A harmless thrill. A social experiment.Until they choose the wrong house.Until the influencer they idolise catches them in the act.Until the cameras, already rolling, capture everything.What begins as a reckless adventure becomes a nightmare of lies, power … and murder…