Matt McAvoy Book Review

I was sent this book in a PDF format for reviewing, but I would have loved to hold the physical book in my hand, to experience through feel and vision, rather than the filter of an electronic screen, its joyous vividness.  The illustrations are just wonderful, and gloriously capture the wonders and pleasures of the undersea world.  But this isn’t only a book for children – at least, not for very young children; I would consider its target audience to be young teens and upward, and it will...

For a futuristic, otherworld fantasy sci-fi, Faraway Star is actually very timely and contemporary in some of its themes; undeniably something of a mirror into our society and the lessons we have (and, more accurately, haven’t) learnt.  Raljebi is a draft-dodging refugee fleeing war on his own planet, migrating for the promise of a better life elsewhere.  However, what he finds is far from this: a squalid melting pot of a refugee camp, in which the fractured races are forced to fend for the...

You’ll love this sublime and beautiful anthology of parables, in which the wise and aged Tortoise is portrayed as a learned prophet among the animal kingdom of the Sonoran Desert, as he makes his final journey across the arid home he loves, imparting his lessons of life and spirituality to those he encounters: the Coyote, the Rattlesnake and more.  The entirety of nature’s gifts become Tortoise’s analogical narrative devices, the geographical landscape descriptively crafted with a bold ...

A crime tale so simple, so satisfyingly straightforward yet profoundly character and dialogue-based that it could be described as literary fiction – and it is very enjoyable indeed.  Told from the point of view of two characters obviously bound on a collision course, yet both unpicking the layers of their very different lives until the inevitable moment their paths cross.  When it comes – without wishing to spoil in any way – it is so bittersweet and abrupt that you can only really find...

Vince Rockston has once again delivered an incredibly human tale set in a meticulously researched period of history.  With his writing, and entry no exception, you live and breathe the characters, the settings and the era.  You feel you are part of the conversations, walking the same streets, listening to the same sounds. 

This time we are in the 17^th century, as the Christian Huguenots of France face brutal persecution from the Catholic king and his tyrannical purging of non-Catholics.  The...

Jan’s writing is, as always, exquisite, and her love of history unparalleled among the books I read.  Here she presents another masterclass in British history, though on this occasion has gone back much further, almost five hundred years, to the rule of the Tudors and subsequently the Stuarts.  As usual, she uses her wonderful craft to place you right there among the people and places of the era, choosing this time to go much grander than before, right into the heart of the royal courts.  S...

Being something of a cynic, I read books like this with a somewhat incredulous frustration.  I mean no disrespect to Ros or her ex – for as it turns out, this book is almost entirely based on the true story of her own experience – but I tend to find myself shouting silently at the women in them not to trust this man, time and time again.  Of course, were that the course, we wouldn’t get to appreciate the warm and enjoyable experience of Ros’s writing.  She is pleasant to read, endeari...

A simple crime thriller without big action sequences or a tangled plot; there is something rather slow-burning about this pulp-like tale.  It does feel like a pretty long read, to be honest, though it is absorbing, with a straightforward narrative of police trying to solve a murder.  It is no secret to us, the reader, and we are just watching events unfold as the story pieces itself together.  The narrative glides along cleanly and calmly, although there is an immense amount of descriptive in...

An excellent and incredibly timely book, more relevant now than ever.  Told in a dialogue-led caseload style, from the point of view of a recognizably conventional therapist working in a very unconventional arena, its prose is so natural that you may have to remind yourself it is a work of fiction.  Indeed, for a while, when starting, I found myself unsure exactly what was going on, and wondering if I was reading a real-life interview transcript – and that isn’t criticism, but rather prai...

The second I’ve read from Heath Hamrick now, and I can see without question that he writes from the heart like few other authors I’ve encountered.  As I may have mentioned in my previous review of his work, he’ll take a simple subject, an anecdotal episode from his life, and turn it into a poignant piece of literature.  This offering is even more so, profound and deeply personal.  Sure, he openly admits at the start of Play Like He Would that it is a composed narrative based on a real e...

Another superb masterclass in storytelling by an author who has really stood out for me, twice now.  Every bit as good as the first book in the series, A Dangerous Time, Book 2 shifts the focus to Lebanon, but the narrative is pretty much the same: that of chemists and pharmacists in the latter-mid twentieth century lured by the irresistible temptation of the vast wealth and power to be made in the illicit drug trade.  Irina expertly weaves the connection to extremist militia warfare, the roo...

You know exactly what you’re going to get when you read Gary: intelligent storytelling, immensely well-researched attention to historical detail, and a top-quality production value.  He is a professional at the top of his game, and The Pompeian Betrayal is another gripping entry in his series of puzzling historical mysteries – though in my view this has a touch more action than some others in the series.

Gary’s mysteries always have the same ingredients: a priceless ancient artefact, a...

Dennis Barger clearly knows his business, and in this book he makes a bold effort to combine it with some very credible suspense – up to a point.  It is certainly procedural and well researched, though delivered in a way which is simple and accessible to the most uninformed reader in the subjects of insurance and fraud investigation.  Adding an element of gritty mob activity and a touch of pretty realistic violence turns what might otherwise be something rather staid and officious into a pr...

Pure tribute and nostalgia from Javier.  A dramatized throwback to his childhood years of Spielberg movies and a life before you really grow up – though this has definitely more in common with Stephen King’s “The Body” (which became the movie Stand by Me) than The Goonies.  I don’t know how much of this tale is real, fictionalized or based on hearsay from Javier’s own childhood, but it is one of those crime stories which pop up often in fiction and rarely in real life; although, o...

A nice easy narrative which doesn’t test, but simply entertains.  A sports story which is light-hearted, character based and gripping; I was engaged right from the outset.  Running in the Dark has all the ingredients which made the light-hearted sports fiction genre staple diet in the ‘80s and ‘90s: an underdog’s challenge; a second chance at a dream; a bold ambition and a little bit of corporate agenda thrown in – and it all makes for a very enjoyable read.  There is no dark drama,...

An interesting collection of what the author unambiguously titles “true stories” and “real-life events”, and I think that whether you are a believer or a sceptic is beside the point; Victor writes with a raw authenticity which suggests he is 100% sincere in his anecdotal musings.  I personally like the format he has chosen and the style in which he writes very much – he clearly has a great deal to say about the events which have either haunted or thrilled him throughout his life.  F...

Don’t believe other reviews on Goodreads; this is a pretty good, fun and very dark read.  Sure, the writing style takes a bit of getting used to; it does tend to focus on the visceral and the simplistic at first, with a little attention on explicitly suggestive kind of stuff – some of the sexual content is not going to be to all tastes – but in my opinion Corbeill is a decent writer who knows how to craft horror in its purest form.  The seven stories are interesting, and it should be po...

Difficult to tell how much of this book is fact and how much is fiction; I believe it is best considered as a fictionalized and humorous, slice-of-life look at the day-to-day of a GP in Britain in the 1980s, as told through the eyes of an educated observer - in this case his son.  The fact that the primary character is named after the author himself suggests that there is a great deal of this account based on actual events - though, as the blurb explains, it shouldn't be considered strictly "...

A tremendously knowledgeable book, though I admit, certainly not what I was expecting.  Rather than advice for the improvement of society and how we personally can all do our bit to enjoy and/or help to repair the worst social problems, it is actually a rather in-depth study rooted in classic undergraduate psychology; much of its findings and conclusions can be found in the famous work of giants like Bowlby and Freud.  Indeed, I would argue that Goldman’s nurture and development rhetoric, a...

A pretty easy-going, formula crime whodunnit from a likeable author.  There is no violence to speak of, and no profanity, but rather standard, afternoon-TV detective fare; indeed, at one point the narrator (the primary protagonist, Frank Gibson himself, with Martin writing in the first person) even refers to it as a “family book”.

I have to say that the murder plot itself, whilst initially intriguing, does rather fall by the wayside; this book becomes perhaps more about Gibson’s inoffe...

A particularly endearing and light-hearted read, reminiscent of those quintessential early Sunday evening TV shows set in a British village (though, of course, events in this book take place in the States).  It does have a small element of mystery, though I have to honestly say this feels like little more than a tenuous strand running through the narrative.  Instead, it is rather more a book about friends and budding relationships.  Gillian has cleverly drawn very subtle parallels between the...

If I’m being honest, I found the title to this book of short affirmations – each just a page or two – slightly misleading.  I couldn’t really see why it is intended to be aimed exclusively at retirees – or, for that matter, just to women.  I didn’t see any reason why the book can’t be of tremendous emotional and spiritual support to everyone, of all ages, male or female.  Recommended particularly as a bedside reference, it contains 52 uplifting, spiritually fulfilling sermons of...

I didn’t read the predecessor to this, part two in Loretta and David’s series about murder and betrayal in Texas, but that doesn’t matter; it is a decent, standalone murder mystery with a pretty good ending and reveal.  It is well written and generally flows quite satisfyingly, without necessarily breaking a sweat.  I would personally consider it rather more cosy mystery than the grisly serial killer style we’ve come to expect, and that may certainly be a plus-point in the mind of man...

Some books stand out for their superior production value, and this is undoubtedly one of them.  You will finish Get a Life! in little doubt about two things: first, author Alan Poon is an indisputable authority on the subject of philosophy, and second, he is a highly educated, exceptionally articulate writer.  Whilst for some readers Alan’s intellect and eloquence may be daunting, it is certain that, with the right amount of dedication and concentration on the part of the reader, you will l...

There are some surprisingly dark themes in this unsettling tale, when considering its intended age group, which I would imagine to be around middle-school pre-teen.  The stakes facing our pre-teen heroes are very grave indeed: no less than complete erasure from existence, and, always gripping, “The Price of Wishes” is genuinely quite disturbing at times.  This is a well-executed passion project by Desiree Dusablon, a quality kids’ author with a big heart and a clear goal: to make a dece...

Bite-sized chapters covering all aspects of our lives, with lessons in how to be more fulfilled, content, calmer and happy.  There are no real surprises herein, with spirituality acceptance, meditation and, most of all, a different outlook from the outset presented as the general answer in all areas; in other words, problems, stresses and things that make us unhappy can generally be avoided by changing how we interpret them in the first place – and, by being in the moment, and aspiring to l...

A short yet punchy, wonderfully creative gem, I have to say this short medieval fantasy fable by H&S Alvaurence really did exceed expectations.  What’s more, I read it in just an hour or two – so you’ve no excuse not to!  I admit to not knowing anything about the story, other than to expect a fine, classically written tale with a touch of humour.  I was partly right: it is exquisitely written, in a style so quintessential I was genuinely surprised to find that the author is actually fro...

Absolutely wonderful book, and such a simple premise: a mage conjures up a demon, but not for any nefarious reason; rather, he wants knowledge; the demon’s views on every fundamental life subject – and it willingly shares, each chapter being the demon’s sermon on another topic, the recipient of its lessons being the first-person narrator.  That description of the book might find you a little non-plussed, so I implore you to read it; tuck yourself away and concentrate, for the real star ...