FICTION

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Book review: Makings of a masterpiece
Book review: Makings of a masterpiece
Use the Words You Have  Kimberly Campanello  Somesuch Editions, £9.

Sat, 19 Jul, 2025

Book review: Twisty thriller keeps us guessing
Book review: Twisty thriller keeps us guessing
'The Woman in Suite 11' is the ideal holiday read for those who enjoy tense, psychological thrillers; it’s the definition of a page-turner

Sat, 12 Jul, 2025

Book review: Distorted view of reality is a common theme
Book review: Distorted view of reality is a common theme
Marni Appleton presents us with a glimpse of sexually fluid, uncertain, and hedonistic characters in 'I Hope You're Happy'

Sat, 12 Jul, 2025

Book review: Characters bring cheerful attitude to war
Book review: Characters bring cheerful attitude to war
'Dear Miss Lake' is a touching reminder of how powerful friendship and community can be in the darkest of times — and it’s an absolute must-read this year

Sat, 05 Jul, 2025

Book review: Family secrets cannot hide forever within the walls of The Glass House
Book review: Family secrets cannot hide forever within the walls of The Glass House
Within this beautifully written novel lies a dark heart but there is beauty and connection too

Sat, 28 Jun, 2025

Book review: Status update of suspense and guilt
Book review: Status update of suspense and guilt
'The Night I Killed Him' is a gripping thriller that blends crime fiction with a sharp critique of influencer culture

Sat, 28 Jun, 2025

Poetry review: A debut that urges us to care
Poetry review: A debut that urges us to care
Divided into five sections, this is a collection that very deliberately speaks to Ireland in the 2020s

Sat, 28 Jun, 2025

Portrait of Henrik Pontoppidan
Book review: Novellas of a Nobel prize winner translated for a whole new audience
These are refreshing and a joy to read thanks to the fluency of Paul Larkin’s translation and his use of familiar idiom

Sat, 21 Jun, 2025

Book review: Do not put this book on hold
Book review: Do not put this book on hold
This is fresh, highly considered work, from a writer deserving of the praise garnered for her debut, and cements Volckmer as a beguiling voice in literary fiction

Sat, 21 Jun, 2025

Crime writer Michael Connelly: I???m definitely not finished with Harry Bosch
Book review: A brand new detective hits the scene
In Michael Connelly’s 40th thriller he introduces us to a new lead character — LAPD detective Stilwell

Sat, 14 Jun, 2025

Author Catherine Chidgey photographed at her Duned
Book review: How perspectives can vary
With much to unfold, and many plot twists to hide, Catherine Chidgey teases out her story with great skill in 'The Book of Guilt'

Sat, 14 Jun, 2025

Paul Sharp
Book review: Light touch always present in a story that is about love, pure and simple
'Open Heart' is written with lyrical delicacy, featuring beautiful Hardyesque descriptions of nature with an intimate tone

Sat, 07 Jun, 2025

Book review: Touching tale of finding love in later life
Book review: Touching tale of finding love in later life
'Best Friends' takes unlikely romantic material — two outsiders in their 70s — and fashions a tender story about risk, fate, and second chances

Sat, 07 Jun, 2025

Irish Novelist John Connolly Participates In Vlc Negra Festival
Book review: Ageing sleuth fights old and new demons
'The Children of Eve' will undoubtedly hook die-hard Parker fans and leave them eagerly asking what’s next for their favourite private detective

Sat, 24 May, 2025

Oxford Literary Festival 2025
Book review: Gripping tale of right v wrong
This  nail-biting thriller explores the fine line between justice and revenge and it’s a novel which will be remembered long after you finish it — it’s a triumph

Sat, 24 May, 2025

Book review: A different shade to the world’s end
Book review: A different shade to the world’s end
Gethan Dick's novel is not only charmingly hilarious, it is also a deeply serious and philosophically capacious book, particularly in relation to womanhood

Sat, 17 May, 2025

Book review: Stories that are always alive to the overwhelming weight of our pasts
Book review: Stories that are always alive to the overwhelming weight of our pasts
Old age, waning minds, distortions of perception, and capitalism’s assault on nature are at the heart of Shane Tivenan’s alternately blunt and poetic collection

Sat, 10 May, 2025

Book review: Secrets of a past buried long ago
Book review: Secrets of a past buried long ago
In 'Writers Anonymous' William Wall creates a claustrophobic, unsettling atmosphere, which becomes more dense as the story goes on.

Sat, 10 May, 2025

Book review: Novel goes to dark places but there is humour, empathy, and redemption
Book review: Novel goes to dark places but there is humour, empathy, and redemption
'Air' is testament to John Boyne’s strong storytelling talent. He packs a lot in, given that the book is only 166 pages long

Sat, 10 May, 2025

Book review: A worthy insight on life and relations but loses its way geopolitically
Book review: A worthy insight on life and relations but loses its way geopolitically
The premise is original and, at least for the first half, the novel is entertaining and at times very funny, however the second half of the novel is disappointing

Sat, 03 May, 2025

Jane Casey, Author of crime fiction. Photographed at her home in Wandsworth, London.
Book review: Thrilling crime secrets to be unlocked
Jane Casey's 'The Secret Room' is a fast-paced thriller with realistic police drama, plausible twists, and great characters

Sat, 03 May, 2025

Book review: Irish slow-burn mystery grips
Book review: Irish slow-burn mystery grips
Andrea Carter fleshes out the plot of 'There Came A-Tapping' with supernatural elements and a kind of mystery within a mystery

Sat, 03 May, 2025

Book review: Coming of age on a West coast island
Book review: Coming of age on a West coast island
Darkly comic depiction of adolescence portrayed by an authentic teenage voice that never falters

Tue, 29 Apr, 2025

Book review: Neurodivergent narrative drives this sparkling debut
Book review: Neurodivergent narrative drives this sparkling debut
Unconventional book is a gripping story about a nameless, neurodiverse girl growing up in the 1990s and 2000s

Sat, 26 Apr, 2025

Book review: New ‘City Girls’ outing leaves a warm feeling
Book review: New ‘City Girls’ outing leaves a warm feeling
'City Girls Forever' reintroduces readers to Scanlan’s iconic trio — Devlin, Caroline, and Maggie — for the first time in over 25 years

Sat, 19 Apr, 2025

Book review: Debut worth a watchful eye
Book review: Debut worth a watchful eye
'Frogs for Watchdogs' is both funny and sad. The last few pages left our reviewer, normally an impassive reader, in tears of happiness

Sat, 19 Apr, 2025

Book review: Collection of visionary tales
Book review: Collection of visionary tales
Morrissy, born in 1957, is clearly writing about her own generation, delicately referred to in the press release as 'a generation of men and women entering later life'

Sat, 12 Apr, 2025

Book review: A gritty collection of imaginative writing and devastating observation
Book review: A gritty collection of imaginative writing and devastating observation
The stories in this collection, some only a page or two long, get to the point with an economy of language and a razor sharp focus

Sat, 12 Apr, 2025

Book review: Deeply moving, real life Dublin
Book review: Deeply moving, real life Dublin
'May All Your Skies Be Blue' is a deeply moving story, full of relatable characters, that will soften the hardest of hearts

Sat, 12 Apr, 2025

Bestselling author Jojo Moyes: I don't know how anybody stays sane without female friends
Book review: Love, loss, and the power of family bonds
There are twists and turns in all of Moyes’ books, and 'We All Live Here' is no different

Sat, 05 Apr, 2025

Book review: All aboard for an enthralling ride in this explosive historical thriller
Book review: All aboard for an enthralling ride in this explosive historical thriller
Emma Donoghue’s well-judged pacing in 'The Paris Express' has created an enthralling, suspenseful read

Sat, 05 Apr, 2025

Book review: Blood-soaked Victorian thrills
Book review: Blood-soaked Victorian thrills
This is a highly entertaining novel, but its graphic descriptions of nauseating smells, blood-soaked corpses, and the under-age prostitutes, are not for the faint-hearted

Sat, 29 Mar, 2025

Book review:  The real and imagined horrors of renting during a housing crisis
Book review:  The real and imagined horrors of renting during a housing crisis
Novel gives a detailed account of a difficult year in the protagonist’s life in which she matures from confused adolescent to a more grounded young woman

Sat, 29 Mar, 2025

Book review: A salty tale of rivalry and superstition
Book review: A salty tale of rivalry and superstition
Life in a fishing town is brilliantly evoked in 'The Boy from the Sea' and there’s compassion aplenty, even for characters who scarcely deserve it

Sat, 29 Mar, 2025

Book review: A salacious tale of murder on the border of fact and fiction
Book review: A salacious tale of murder on the border of fact and fiction
Author Eoin McNamee says there has always been blood on the floor in his books but 'this time some of the blood is mine'

Sat, 22 Mar, 2025

Book review: A monumental intellectual undertaking that demands much of the reader
Book review: A monumental intellectual undertaking that demands much of the reader
Poet James Harpur's latest collection, 'The Gospel of Gargoyle', shows what a true artist he is

Sat, 22 Mar, 2025

Book review: A landscape reflecting reality
Book review: A landscape reflecting reality
'The Lighthouse Keeper’s Wife' proves itself a must-read for both history fans and those eager to immerse themselves in a stormy world and batten down the hatches

Sat, 15 Mar, 2025

Book review: Mary O’Malley’s 10th book of poetry is a masterpiece
Book review: Mary O’Malley’s 10th book of poetry is a masterpiece
'The Shark Nursery' is a one-of-a-kind book, filled with achingly beautiful poems that show a true artist at her absolute peak

Sat, 15 Mar, 2025

Mayo's Sally Rooney up for British Book Award — along with Gillian Anderson and Boris Johnson
Mayo's Sally Rooney up for British Book Award — along with Gillian Anderson and Boris Johnson
British Book Award winners will be announced at a ceremony in central London on Monday, May 12

Fri, 07 Mar, 2025

Book review: A dark debut with plenty of thrills from Amy Jordan
Book review: A dark debut with plenty of thrills from Amy Jordan
If you are to read one book this month and want plenty of twists that amount in an explosive finale, make it 'The Dark Hours'

Sat, 01 Mar, 2025

Book review: One woman’s pursuit of true love and a lifelong dream
Book review: One woman’s pursuit of true love and a lifelong dream
There’s so much that’s familiar in Roisin Meaney’s 'Moving On', from young love to the excitement of living in a big city like London, from starting a career to starting a family

Sat, 01 Mar, 2025

Book review: A myth with modern themes
Book review: A myth with modern themes
An essential element of historical fiction is how it incorporates contemporary preoccupations and 'The Morrigan' imaginatively engages with some of today’s most polarising anxieties

Sat, 01 Mar, 2025

Book review: Revealing dark family secrets
Book review: Revealing dark family secrets
Stretching out across 50 years and a variety of locations, Carmel Harrington’s newest book relies heavily on her ability to write convincing characters

Sat, 22 Feb, 2025

Book review: Fractured story delicately and expertly woven with sheer immersive greatness
Book review: Fractured story delicately and expertly woven with sheer immersive greatness
As a piece of writing 'The City Changes Its Face' is absolutely in a class of its own, with an inventive and often witty prose style telling a complex story in a spell-binding way that has a rare physicality about it

Sat, 22 Feb, 2025

Author interview: A pivot to ‘cosy crime’ requires a high level of literary craftsmanship
Author interview: A pivot to ‘cosy crime’ requires a high level of literary craftsmanship
The worlds that I’m creating with the detective novels and with 'Learwife' are different. They’re going to do very different things for you

Fri, 21 Feb, 2025

2015 Man Booker Prize For Fiction - Short list Press Conference
Book review: Pacy novel is full of charm
At 165 pages, it is one of Tyler’s shortest novels, and this hyper focus on just three days means we’re thrust right into the narrative straight away

Sat, 15 Feb, 2025

Book review:  Immersive novel that shows talents of Mulkerns on centenary of her birth
Book review:  Immersive novel that shows talents of Mulkerns on centenary of her birth
Val Mulkerns' 'A Time Unworn' is a magical coming of age story which was first published in 1951

Sat, 15 Feb, 2025

Book review: Missing the home that was escaped from
Book review: Missing the home that was escaped from
Elaine Garvey, who has had stories published in 'Stinging Fly' and 'Winter Papers', is especially good at dialogue, with a witty, often biting turn of phrase

Sat, 15 Feb, 2025

Book review: The scary cost of immortality
Book review: The scary cost of immortality
This novel, relayed through the testimonies of seven people and interspersed with events in the badlands in 2022, is as mesmerising as the central character — 'the woman'

Sat, 08 Feb, 2025

Book review: Enchanted by the spirit of resistance
Book review: Enchanted by the spirit of resistance
O’Connor’s new book is the sequel to 'My Father’s House', his magnificent novel based on the real-life adventures of Monsignor Hugh O’Flaherty, the Kerry-born Vatican priest

Fri, 07 Feb, 2025

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