"Every marriage has its secrets." When Aaron's wife, Allison, dies his grief is soon overtaken by stumbling across a huge secret she's been keeping. At first he assumes - understandably - that it was an affair, but when it turns out that she was investigating murders of teenage girls, it's not long before his need … Continue reading Come With Me – Ronald Malfi
First a confession: I'm a Promarkers girl rather than Copics, but the two are similar enough that I could still get a lot from this book. About the only thing that wasn't transferable were the colour codes in the examples - and that is a little bit of a shame, as there are loads of … Continue reading Manga Artists Copic Marker Colouring Techniques – various
"'Watch out for the top of the door!'" We first met Delta Douglas back in Last Pen Standing, when she moved to a sleepy former Gold Rush town to open a craft supplies shop with her best friend. We rejoin them, two murders later (!), as the tourist town of Tundish hits the slow autumn/winter season. … Continue reading The Glitter End – Vivian Conroy
"Killing yourself is an intrinsically dramatic act." I must confess that I had no idea who Georgia Pritchett was before I picked up this book, but the title really resonated so I thought I'd give it a go. Turns out she's a script writer who's worked on shows like Veep, In the Thick of It, … Continue reading My Mess is a Bit of a Life – Georgia Pritchett
"In the jumbled darkness of the catacombs beneath the city of Amalo, there was a shrine to Ulis in his aspect as god of the moon." Witness for the Dead is a story set in the same world as the excellent The Goblin Emperor, but while it is billed as a sequel, you don't have to … Continue reading Witness for the Dead – Katherine Addison
"I hunch closer to the sputtering fire." Ten Low was an army medic for the side that lost an intergalactic war. Now she's scratching out an existence in the desert wastes of Factus, a moon on the edge of the settled universe, plagued by 'Ifs' and guilt for her past actions. Trying to make amends … Continue reading Ten Low – Stark Holborn
"When your neighbor is a retired spy, it's easy to imagine innumerable dangers haunting the house next door." We first met Charlotte Reid, owner of the book-themed Chapters Bed and Breakfast, in Booked for Death. Now she's back, hosting a famous author on her new book tour. But when the president of her fan club is found … Continue reading Reserved for Murder – Victoria Gilbert
"When the Nine Worlds were still very young, there were no stories." Honeycomb is a collection of dark, fable-like short stories, all set in the same world of myth and fairy tale, many of which centre around the same few characters while others take us on detours. I believe this is called a 'mosaic' collection, … Continue reading Honeycomb – Joanne M Harris
"It was the goths you had to watch out for." Four years ago something impossible happened: magic started working. All of those Latin incantations - used as graffiti or song lyrics or anything - suddenly actually worked. Only for teenagers, though, and only in the UK. Once you get a few miles offshore, it all … Continue reading Raising Hell – Bryony Pearce
Subtitled: Illustrated Bedtime Stories & Meditations to Soothe You to Sleep I wanted to love this book, but alas I only sort of liked it. It wasn't bad, just didn't quite work for me. The idea is great: gorgeous illustrations for several scenarios, which then get a guided meditation-style story to put yourself in. Each … Continue reading Sleep Tight – Alison Davies
