“What a life that man had led: first a farmer in West Africa, then a soldier, then a prisoner of war, a slave in Seville, a soldier again in the Netherlands and at last a rich Antwerp iron maker.” An epic sweep of a life in an epic sweep of a book. Ken Follett’s A […]
City of Masks by S D Sykes
City of Masks is the third outing for medieval crime-solving Lord of the Manor Oswald de Lacy and an excellent addition to a thoroughly enjoyable series. As one would expect from a writer of Sykes’ calibre, the novel works perfectly well as a stand-alone but I would recommend reading them in order if only for the […]
Historia Interviews: Margaret George
Historical novelist Margaret George is well-known for her impeccably researched novels about such fascinating characters as Henry VIII, Elizabeth I and Cleopatra. As her latest book, The Confessions of Young Nero, launches in the UK, Catherine Hokin caught up with her to find out more about the eras and people which attract her and the […]
The Vanishing by Sophia Tobin
The Vanishing, Sophia Tobin’s third novel, tells the story of a young orphan, Annaleigh, and the isolated house on the Yorkshire Moors where she becomes housekeeper, the shadowy and secretive White Windows owned by Marcus Twentyman and his sister Hester. As this short premise suggests, this is a novel firmly in the Gothic genre. Annaleigh […]
Alphonse Mucha: In Quest of Beauty
The latest exhibition at Glasgow’s Kelvingrove Art Gallery is a celebration of the work of Alphonse Mucha (1860-1939), the Czech artist whose stylishly elegant theatrical and advertising posters are synonymous with the late nineteenth century Art Nouveau movement. It is a beautifully-curated show full of all the lush familiar images I expected, but this is […]
The Devil’s Feast by M.J. Carter
Some reviews come with spoiler alerts, this one comes with a warning: reading M.J. Carter’s wonderful The Devil’s Feast will leave you both incredibly hungry and far too scared to eat. It may be the best diet book I have ever read. The Devil’s Feast is the third outing for Victorian investigative duo Captain William […]
Breaking Out of the Doll’s House
Catherine Hokin discovers the extraordinary women soldiers of the American Civil War. In 2010I found myself stranded in Chicago for a week following the volcanic eruption in Iceland. It was an odd experience, coming as it did at the end of a holiday: we were mentally adjusting to returning to everyday life (and physically adjusting – […]
Accession by Livi Michael
Accession by Livi Michael is the third and final instalment of her Wars of the Roses trilogy which opens in 1444 with the novel Succession. The trilogy centres itself around Margaret Beaufort and Margaret of Anjou and their competing ambitions for their sons and the English throne. Novel three, as one would expect from this […]