The Exit by Helen Fitzgerald
Reviewed by Harriet He offered to show me around, but I said I was in a hurry. I didn’t want to see old people unless somebody was paying me for…
Those Who Walk Away by Patricia Highsmith
Reviewed by Harriet. ‘The No.1 greatest crime writer’, proclaims The Times on the covers of Virago’s new reprints of some of Patricia Highsmith’s lesser known novels. That’s obviously a claim…
Privileged Children and The Bohemian Girl by Frances Vernon
Reviewed by Harriet Well, Faber Finds has done it again. In Issue 1 of SNB I reviewed some of their reprints of the brilliant psychological thrillers by Celia Fremlin, and they…
Biographical Notes: Frances Vernon
Written by Harriet The life of Frances Vernon, whose six novels have just been reprinted by Faber Finds, makes for sad reading. Born, as Georgina Frances Vernon, on 1 December…
Foxglove Summer by Ben Aaronovitch
Reviewed by Harriet I almost missed the boat where Ben Aaronovitch was concerned. I might never have discovered him at all if my fellow editor Annabel hadn’t given me Rivers of…
Gray Mountain by John Grisham
Reviewed by Harriet I first discovered the novels of John Grisham over a decade ago, and had a terrific splurge, which I remember enjoying tremendously. Then things moved on and…
The Old Vic by Terry Coleman
Reviewed by Harriet I do enjoy a bit of theatre history from time to time, and I must admit to a bit of a vested interest in this one. Both…
The Bookshop Book by Jen Campbell
Reviewed by Harriet I suppose nobody will be reading this unless they love books, so I don’t really need to sell you on the concept of bookshops, unless of course…
Q&A with Peter May
Interview by Harriet H: Runaway is quite a different kind of book from your most recent novels, being both less dark (or perhaps dark in a different way) and not set on…
Runaway by Peter May
Reviewed by Harriet I left a note for my folks on my pillow. I can’t remember now exactly what it was I wrote. Something stupid, about going in search of…
Five Fascinating Facts About… Anthony Trollope
Compiled by Harriet 1. Born in 1815, Trollope had a miserable childhood. His father lost all his money, he was bullied at school, and he contemplated suicide when he was…
Doctor Thorne & Framley Parsonage by Anthony Trollope
Reviewed by Harriet Anthony Trollope was born in April 1815, which makes this year his bicentenary. I assume that this is why Oxford World’s Classics is reissuing his novels in…
Cover Your Eyes by Adèle Geras
Reviewed by Harriet Best known for her books for children and young adults (ninety-five of them to date), Adèle Geras has also written a handful of novels for adults, of…
Mystery in White: A Christmas Crime Story by J.Jefferson Farjeon
Reviewed by Harriet Love reprints? Looking for the perfect Christmas story? Look no further. The British Library Crime Classics have excelled themselves with this delightfully lively and tantalising novel, which…
The Water-Babies by Charles Kingsley
Reviewed by Harriet Devine I think I must have been about seven or eight when I was given this book for Christmas. I doubt if it can have been the…
The Making of Home by Judith Flanders
Reviewed by Harriet One of the most important distinctions made by Judith Flanders in this fascinating book is that between the concepts of house and home. While a house is…
Old Friends and New Fancies by Sybil Brinton
Reviewed by Harriet Devine There is one characteristic which may be safely said to belong to nearly all happily married couples – that of desiring to see equally happy marriages…
The Smile Revolution by Colin Jones
Reviewed by Harriet I must admit I was initially drawn to this book by the lovely painting on the cover, a self-portrait by the great French artist Élisabeth-Louise Vigée Lebrun….
Entry Island by Peter May
Reviewed by Harriet Devine I’d never read anything by Peter May when this book was sent me for review. The first thing that struck me was that Peter May must…
Fall From Grace by Tim Weaver
Reviewed by Harriet Devine When I started reading Fall From Grace, I hadn’t realised it was part of a series – the fifth part, to be exact. This is always risky…
The Paying Guests by Sarah Waters
Reviewed by Harriet Devine Phew! Well, the term unputdownable is often bandied around – I’ve done some bandying myself – but there were times when Sarah Waters’ latest novel actually…
Facial Justice by LP Hartley
Reviewed by Harriet Devine The past is a foreign country: they do things differently there. So, famously, wrote LP Hartley at the beginning of his most famous novel, The Go Between. But what…
Winter Siege by Ariana Franklin and Samantha Norman
Reviewed by Harriet I had not heard of Ariana Franklin until a few months ago, when I was given her Mistress of the Art of Death as an early birthday present. Seeing…
A Scream in Soho by John G. Brandon
Reviewed by Harriet Devine “A lace handkerchief without even a monogram on it and a bloodstained knife without fingerprints or marks of any kind”, McCarthy said. “There’s nothing whatever in…