Published by Hodder, 2014, 385 pages. Rome, 89 AD, during the reign of Emperor Domitian. Valerius Aviola and Mucia Lucilia, a recently married middle-aged couple, are found murdered in their rented ground-floor apartment. It seems to be a burglary gone wrong: a large quantity of silverware was taken, and the porter Nicostratus was badly beaten. …
The Book of Fire: Christy Lefteri
Published by Manilla Press, 2023, 341 pages. “This morning, I met the man who started the fire. He did something terrible, but then, so did I. I left him.“I left him, and now he may be dead. I can see him clearly, exactly as he was this morning, sitting beneath the ancient tree, his eyes …
Alphabetical—How Every Letter Tells a Story: Michael Rosen
Published by John Murray, 2013, 431 pages. Can you imagine a world without alphabets? They are such an essential part of our lives; the letters help us form words to express ourselves and communicate with others. Take, for example, the “English” alphabet—which is what Michael Rosen’s book is about. It feels like it has been …
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Bitter Grounds: Sandra Benítez
Published by Picador, 1997, 444 pages. “You say, but for the golden hope of coffeefew men would get ahead.I say, when the people harvest,all they reap is bitter grounds.” Coffee plantations are the centre of the lives of two families: one, that of peasants who work picking coffee, and the other, the plantation owners. The …
The Last Day: Jaroslavas Melnikas
Translated from Lithuanian by Marija MarcinkutePublished by Noir Press, 2018, 175 pages. Original version published in 2018. The Last Day is a book of absurdist short stories by a Lithuanian writer. The protagonists, mainly men (with one exception), are victims of circumstance, caught up in strange situations that they cannot control. In the title story, …
Bringing Ancient Rome to Life: An Interview with Lindsey Davis
Photo: Ed Shaw Lindsey Davis is a British author. The first Falco book, The Silver Pigs, won the Authors’ Club Best First Novel award in 1989. Lindsey has won several awards, including the Crimewriters’ Association Dagger in the Library, Ellis Peters Historical Dagger, as well as the Crimewriters’ Association Cartier Diamond Dagger for lifetime achievement …
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On the Trail of Crime around the World
Photo: FU via Adobe Stock Crime fiction has consistently been one of the most popular genres—in 2014, around one in three novels published in English was a crime novel.[1] What makes this genre so popular? For one, the plot is a puzzle, challenging the reader to guess who done it—which was what first attracted me …
The Virago Book of Ghost Stories: Edited by Richard Dalby
Published by Virago, 2006, 496 pages. “...nobody knows better than a ghost how hard it is to put him or her into words shadowy, yet transparent enough...If a ghost story sends a cold shiver down one’s spine, it has done its job and done it well.”—Edith Wharton, quoted in Richard Dalby’s Preface If you’ve been …
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The Gormenghast Trilogy: Mervyn Peake
Titus Groan / Gormenghast / Titus AlonePublished by Penguin / Methuen / Vintage. Titus Groan, 1946, 506 pages. Gormenghast, 1950, 511 pages. Titus Alone, 1959; revised version published in 1970, 263 pages. “Gormenghast.“Withdrawn and ruinous, it broods in umbra: the immemorial masonry: the towers, the tracts. Is all corroding? No. Through an avenue of spires …
The Best Books of 2024
Photo: Maria Starus via AdobeStock We’re coming to the end of 2024. It’s been quite a year. But it’s good to know that people are still reading. And reading widely, judging by the lists you sent me. As always, we have a rich and varied collection. The longest part of this list is the one …
Talking About Books 