FictionFan’s Book Reviews
Welcome to my blog! I hope you enjoy your visit. I’m a Scottish book blogger with fairly eclectic tastes, and I’ve been blogging about books since 2013. You’ll find indexes to my reviews in the menu at the top of the page. Alternatively, you can find a review by author, genre or title using the Find A Review drop-down box on the right, click on … Continue reading FictionFan’s Book Reviews
TBR Thursday 494…
The current state of the TBR, and a preview of four books I’ll be reading soon: Blood Floe by Christoffer Petersen, Stone by Adam Roberts, Death Comes to Marlow by Robert Thorogood narrated by Nicolette McKenzie, and The Rebel Empresses by Nancy Goldstone. Continue reading TBR Thursday 494…
Review: Headcase (Chris Honeysett 1) by Peter Helton | Crime Fiction
When private detective and artist Chris Honeysett is asked to track down some stolen paintings, he knows it should really be a police matter — but the client insists on secrecy, and Chris has strong feelings about art thieves. Before he can begin, a second crime hits much closer to home: his friend Jenny, housekeeper at a halfway home for people recovering from severe mental illnesses, is found bludgeoned to death.. and a vulnerable resident is missing, Chris sets out to find the killer — and the paintings… Continue reading Review: Headcase (Chris Honeysett 1) by Peter Helton | Crime Fiction
The Classics Club Spin #44
The Classics Club is holding its 44th Spin, and my 24th. The idea is to list 20 of the books on your Classics Club list before next Sunday, 17th May. On that day, the Classics Club will post the winning number. The challenge is to read and review whatever book falls under that number on your Spin List by 5th July, 2026. Here’s my list… Continue reading The Classics Club Spin #44
Review: John Macnab by John Buchan | Scottish Classic
Three successful middle‑aged men realise they are bored with the lives they’ve built. Looking for renewed excitement, they decide on an unusual adventure: travelling to the Scottish Highlands to attempt a poaching challenge. To make it sporting, they inform each landowner exactly what they plan to take and when, wagering a charitable donation if caught. A younger friend lends them his isolated lodge as a hideout, and the trio undertake the challenge under the collective name “John Macnab”… Continue reading Review: John Macnab by John Buchan | Scottish Classic
TBR Thursday 493…
The current state of the TBR, and a preview of four books I’ll be reading soon: Asylum by Patrick McGrath, The General Goes Too Far by Lewis George Robinson, The Honeymoon Suite by Rebecca Taylor McKay, and Saltwater by Elaine Thomson. Continue reading TBR Thursday 493…
Review: Birth Marks (Hannah Wolfe 1) by Sarah Dunant | Crime Fiction
PI Hannah Wolfe is hired by elderly dance teacher Miss Patrick, who’s worried about her protégée, Carolyn Hamilton. Miss Patrick taught Carolyn as a child, later giving her a home and helping her through the Royal Ballet School when family troubles hit. Now Carolyn works for various London ballet companies, sending monthly postcards full of breezy updates — until they suddenly stop. With no replies to calls, Miss Patrick fears something is wrong and asks Hannah to find her… Continue reading Review: Birth Marks (Hannah Wolfe 1) by Sarah Dunant | Crime Fiction
Review: Saints at the River by Ron Rash | Literary Fiction
A family picnic in the Blue Ridge Mountains turns tragic when a young girl wades into the Tamassee River and is swept into the notorious hydraulic, her body trapped beneath a huge rock. Her devastated parents want her recovered, but dynamiting the river is now illegal. Their proposal to dam the water instead ignites fierce opposition from local environmentalists, who believe the protected river must remain untouched — and that what it claims, it should keep… Continue reading Review: Saints at the River by Ron Rash | Literary Fiction
Review: Man of Two Tribes (Inspector Bonaparte 21) by Arthur W. Upfield | Vintage Crime
In Adelaide, Myra Thomas is acquitted of murdering her husband after persuading the jury that he mistreated her. To escape the avid press attention, she boards the Transcontinental Express for Perth, but somewhere along the Nullarbor Plain she disappears. The local police fail to trace her and eventually give up. Then Inspector Napoleon Bonaparte is assigned to the case. Half‑aboriginal, half‑white, Bony draws on both worlds and is famed for solving the cases no one else can — but will he solve this one? Continue reading Review: Man of Two Tribes (Inspector Bonaparte 21) by Arthur W. Upfield | Vintage Crime
Review: Presumed Innocent (Kindle County 1) by Scott Turow | Legal Thriller
When assistant prosecuting attorney Carolyn Polhemus is murdered in what looks like a sex crime, District Attorney Raymond Horgan, struggling for re‑election, urgently needs the case solved. He hands it to chief prosecutor Rusty Sabich, unaware that Rusty and Carolyn’s recent affair ended in emotional ruin and a confession that nearly destroyed Rusty’s marriage. As Rusty investigates, his obsession with Carolyn lingers and his trust in Horgan erodes, revealing the murkier side of political ambition… Continue reading Review: Presumed Innocent (Kindle County 1) by Scott Turow | Legal Thriller
Filing alphabetically…
It’s the book-lover’s biggest problem – how to file the ever-growing pile of books jostling for pole position on our shelves. Some file by genre, some by author, and some even file by the colour of the spine. But I suspect every system shares a common feature – that is, filing alphabetically. So here’s my attempt to bring some order to my virtual bookshelf – today we move on to B… Continue reading Filing alphabetically…
Review: Rodney Stone by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle | Historical Fiction
Rodney Stone comes of age into a Regency world of Corinthians and prizefighters. His adventures bring him into contact with celebrated figures of the day, in a society where rakishness is accepted and even admired, and manly sports are seen as a way to rouse the kind of martial feelings that are needed in a nation at war. There will be thrills along the way – exciting boxing bouts, mad carriage races, bets that can make or destroy a man’s fortune, and even a Gothic murder mystery! Continue reading Review: Rodney Stone by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle | Historical Fiction
Minis – April 2026
Two mini reviews of comfort reads for troubled times: Arabella by Georgette Heyer, and Laughing Gas by PG Wodehouse. Chicken soup for the soul! Continue reading Minis – April 2026
TBR Thursday 492…
The current state of the TBR, and a preview of four books I’ll be reading soon: The Secret Thread by Eve Chase, See You in September by Charity Norman, Nothing Ventured by Jeffrey Archer, and The Black Prince by Iris Murdoch read by Anthony Howell. Continue reading TBR Thursday 492…
Review: Opposite Sully’s Gym by Alexis Stefanovich-Thomson | Canadian Noir
Patrick Bird is out of work again, a recurring problem since he left the PI business. His wife, Rose, is tired of being the sole breadwinner, especially now she thinks she might be pregnant. Patrick promises to look harder for a job, but first he has to help his mother‑in‑law, Flavia, with a problem at her rooming‑house. A tenant, Jack Turner, has vanished without paying his rent. When Patrick and Flavia check his room, they find it trashed — and then the police arrive with news of a body… Continue reading Review: Opposite Sully’s Gym by Alexis Stefanovich-Thomson | Canadian Noir
Clip‑Clop…
A Victorian Social Media Scandal: Following the online spat between Miss Esther Summerson and her creator, Mr Charles Dickens, social media has been buzzing, as people line up on either side of the debate… Continue reading Clip‑Clop…
TBR Thursday 491…
The current state of the TBR, and a preview of four books I’ll be reading soon: A Kiss Before Dying by Ira Levin, Murder at Gull’s Nest by Jess Kidd, The Thin Man by Dashiell Hammett, and Anything for a Quiet Life by Michael Gilbert read by Christopher Scott. Continue reading TBR Thursday 491…
Charles Dickens responds…
On Monday, I published a document in which Esther Summerson detailed her mistreatment at the hand of her author – a frightening litany of cruelty! Imagine my surprise when, the following morning, the mail-coach brought me the following missive! In the interests of journalistic fairness, it seems necessary to publish Mr Dickens’ response in full… Continue reading Charles Dickens responds…
Esther Summerson tells her truth…
While rummaging through a pile of yellowing documents in an old curiosity shop, I came across a folded document, sealed and addressed “To the future”. Naturally I immediately broke the seal and opened it, for who are we if not the future? Imagine my astonishment to find the following… Continue reading Esther Summerson tells her truth…
Review: Behold, Here’s Poison (Supt Hannasyde 2) by Georgette Heyer | Vintage Crime
When Gregory Matthews is found dead in his bed, no one grieves. He was an unpleasant, bullying man who ruled over his family like an absolute monarch. Not that his family deserved much better – a feckless bunch, on the whole, happy to live off Uncle Gregory’s money but resenting his interference in their lives. It transpires that Gregory was poisoned by nicotine, and so the hunt for a murderer is on! Enter Superintendent Hannasyde and his trusty sidekick, Sergeant Hemingway… Continue reading Review: Behold, Here’s Poison (Supt Hannasyde 2) by Georgette Heyer | Vintage Crime
TBR Thursday 490 – Quarterly Round-Up
A look back at the past three months to see how I’m getting on with all the various challenges I set myself. Stats and brief summaries of books reviewed for each challenge – the Classics Club, the Looking Forward Challenge, the King Kong Challenge, the CWA Daggers Challenge, and the Wanderlust Bingo Challenge… Continue reading TBR Thursday 490 – Quarterly Round-Up
FictionFan's Book Reviews